Nation under strain from immigrants

As a surge in immigrants from North Africa puts the country under strain, Italy's central government is struggling to make local authorities accept an arrangement for equal distribution of the new arrivals across the territory.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano held an emergency meeting with mayors and regional governors on Thursday to reach an agreement on new rules to accommodate the immigrants in a more balanced way, especially between the north and the south.

"We cannot expect an equal sharing from the European countries if we do not apply the same principle here in Italy," Alfano said.