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Migrant crisis: Captain appears in Italian court

The alleged captain of a sunken migrant ship, which killed more than 800, has appeared in an Italian court. It comes as the EU has agreed to treble its funding to tackle the on-going crisis.

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Migrant ship 'captain' pictured in dock at court hearing

The suspected captain of this weekend's sunken migrant ship has been pictured in the dock ahead of his court appearance in the Italian port of Catania this morning.

Mohammed Ali Malek - pictured with short dark hair, a black top and jeans - faces a long prison sentence if convicted in relation to the deaths.

The 27-year-old denies that he was in charge of the ship, which was believed to have been carrying hundreds of African and Bangladeshi people from Libya.

His co-accused, Mahmud Bikhit, 25 - who may face charges of favoring clandestine immigration but not of multiple homicide - also denies that he was involved in the disaster.

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