An Italian prosecutor has ordered a probe into the sinking of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean following claims that a US navy ship which rescued 42 survivors may have ignored them at first.

A US Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian vessel near the northern Arabian Gulf on Tuesday after the vessel came within 150 yards (137 meters), a US official told Reuters.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her support yesterday to a new push to forge a European army...