The Italian coast guard recovered 41 refugees from a vessel around 100 kilometres south of the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa late Monday. More than 36,000 refugees have landed on Italian shores this year, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, fleeing poverty and conflict, Italian news agency (ANSA) reported. Two sinkings in early October left more than 400 dead, and prompted European Union leaders in Brussels to discuss ways to stop migrant deaths at sea on Friday. On Sunday, the Italian navy recovered 400 refugees off Sicily.