Standoff as Italy stops male migrants from disembarking rescue ship

 A migrant rescue ship is refusing to leave an Italian port after authorities prevented 35 men from disembarking.

Children and people with medical issues were allowed to leave the Humanity 1 in Sicily after it spent two weeks requesting port access.

Two other rescue boats remain at sea.

The new Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has promised to crack down on migrants travelling across the Mediterranean from North Africa.

Italy is one of the main entry points into Europe and since the start of the year 85,000 migrants have arrived on boats, according to the UN.

Many of the migrants set sail in small boats and are rescued by charity vessels during their journey.

In total 144 people were allowed to disembark the Humanity 1, which sails under a German flag, on Sunday morning.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said those who did not qualify as vulnerable would have to leave Italian waters and should be taken care of by the "flag state".

However, the ship's captain is refusing to leave the port in Catania "until all survivors rescued from distress at sea have been disembarked", said SOS Humanity, the German charity that operates the ship.

In a series of tweets, the charity added that "the law of the sea obliges him [the captain] to bring all those rescued from distress to a safe place.

"Survivors have the right to an individual protection check, which can only be done on land. Rejecting the 35 people seeking protection aboard Humanity 1 from territorial waters is a form of collective refusal and is therefore illegal."

Humanitarian groups and two Italian politicians have travelled to Sicily to protest against the process.

"Free all the people, free them,″ Italian lawmaker Aboubakar Soumahoro said, calling the government's new policy "inhuman".

Along with Humanity 1, another charity ship, the Geo Barents, which has 572 rescued people on board, was also allowed into the port of Catania on Sunday for the same vetting.

Two other boats run by non-governmental organisations remain at sea.

All four boats have reported people sleeping on floors and decks, the spread of fever-inducing infections and scabies, and food and medical supplies running low. Some migrants have been on the ships for more than two weeks.

Italy's new prime minister put the issue of migration at the centre of her government in her maiden speech to MPs.

"We must stop illegal departures and human trafficking," Ms Meloni said, but stressed that she does not intend "to question the right of asylum for those fleeing wars and persecutions".

In a recent interview she also said responsibility for the migrants on board lies with the country where the ship is registered, otherwise it becomes a "pirate ship".