European migrant crisis

A search and rescue operation is underway after a dinghy carrying migrants capsized off the coast of the islet of Agathonissi in the eastern Aegean, the coast guard said.

Seventeen people have been rescued so far. It is not known how many passengers were on board. Two coast guard vessels, a private boat and an air force helicopter are searching the area.

At a tense meeting of representatives of the federal authorities, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the prime ministers of 16 German states, a resolution was agreed upon, in which it is written that "the Federal Government will investigate whether the determination of the protection status of refugees can be carried out during their transit in third countries".

Security forces recently discovered that human smugglers have begun utilizing luxury yachts as a cover amid the recent spike in the apprehending of illegal migrants.

With increased inspections, Türkiye, one of the nations hosting a sizable number of refugees compared to the rest of the world, has recently stepped up its efforts to combat illegal migration.

The number of migrant arrivals has increased in recent months for the first time in three years, so much so that although there were 4,881 persons staying at Reception and Identification Centers on the Greek islands in January, that number had more than doubled to 9,137 by the beginning of September.

A video has surfaced featuring three men who seem to have apprehended four migrants in the Evros region.

A 20-year-old man was arrested in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Thursday for locking up 13 migrants, among them six minors, in an abandoned building against their will.

A large ring for the trafficking of illegal migrants has been uncovered by the police in Sofia.

According to initial information, four people were arrested who were involved in the organization and logistics surrounding the transport of the migrants and their accommodation.

Greece's Coast Guard rescued 22 migrants (12 men, four women, three boys and a girl) from a sailboat that was sailing off the coast of Rhodes, in the eastern Aegean, late on Sunday, authorities said.

In the first seven months of this year, record levels of illegal crossings at EU borders were reported, DPA reported, citing the Union's border agency - Frontex.

Forty-one people are believed dead after a migrant boat capsized off Tunisia, Italian state RAI television reported, citing four survivors who were rescued and brought to land Wednesday.