Valetta, Malta - At least one person was injured Monday during clashes at a migrant detention centre in Malta, officials said.

An undisclosed number of would-be immigrants fled from the centre during the disturbances, in which rioters also started several fires, the officials said. Reporters saw one detainee being carried toward a waiting ambulance. Information on the person's condition was not immediately available.

The two hour-long rampage was brought under control following the intervention of riot police backed by military reinforcements, officials said.

Valletta, Malta - Malta and Libya have signed a long-awaited memorandum of understanding on search and rescue, the Maltese Foreign Ministry said Friday night.

There has been a steady increase in tragedies caused by boatloads of African immigrants leaving Libya's shores en route to Europe.

The memorandum of understanding is inspired by the desire of Malta and Libya to further promote friendly relations between the two countries and the necessity of improving the safety of life at sea in the Mediterranean basin, the ministry said.

Valletta, Malta - A diplomatic spat was brewing Monday between Malta and Italy after Maltese authorities refused to take 65 would-be immigrants rescued from a dinghy by an Italian warship.

The group was picked up late Sunday some 40 nautical miles south west the Italian islet of Lampedusa and some 115 nautical miles from Malta.

Italian authorities say the area falls under Malta's rescue responsibilities, a claim disputed by Maltese officials.

Valletta, Malta  - EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot made a "solemn appeal" for Europe-wide solidarity Saturday in an attempt to help Malta deal with illegal immigration problems.

Barrot was in Malta as part of a fact-finding mission into conditions faced by illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, who try to enter the EU by reaching the island.

Valletta, Malta - International relief agency Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) on Friday said it had suspended its work at migrant detention centres in Malta, to protest the "unhygienic, inhuman and alarming" conditions there.

MSF's announcement came just hours ahead of the European Union's top justice official Jacques Barrot's visit to review conditions faced by would-be immigrants on the Mediterranean island.

Valletta, Malta - Nine people are expected to be charged in court in Malta for wearing religious vestments during the recent carnival, the police said.

The nine people aged between 20 and 35 years will be marched to court, days after Maltese bishops raised concerns about the behaviour of certain individuals and the costumes worn during this year's carnival in the small island of Gozo.

It is customary for some young people to dress up as priests and nuns during the rowdy carnival in the staunchly Catholic island.