Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has voted in favor of declaring four additional countries "safe countries of origin." However, the Bundesrat, the upper house, still has to ratify the decision. The addition of Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Georgia to list of safe nations is not without controversy.
The UN refugee agency Thursday voiced concern for the safety of 100 Arab citizens who went missing after seeking shelter in Algeria and others stranded at the border with Niger. The organization appeals for access to assess the protection needs of the refugees.
Arbitrary arrests and expulsions of migrants have risen to a historic high in Algeria, Amnesty International says. The human rights organization has called on Algerian authorities to comply with international conventions.
The UN agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said that nearly 111,000 migrants reached Europe by sea in 2018. The Mediterranean is the deadliest route for migrants traveling to Europe with 2,160 victims registered so far this year, the IOM said.
The first two victims of a shipwreck near the Italian island Sardinia have been found dead. Their boat was carrying a group of thirteen Algerian nationals. Eight are still missing. Rescuers are increasingly less confident that they will find them alive.
There is still no trace of a small boat with 13 people on board which, according to migrants who were able to reach Sardinia, allegedly left from Algeria on November 8 to reach the Italian island before it went missing.
A project that aims to protect migrant workers' rights in North Africa has been launched in Tunis. The project, titled "Support to Improving Migration Governance and Promoting Fair Labor Migration in the Maghreb," will support improvements in migration management.
Italian authorities arrested two suspected migrant smugglers from Algeria. They were caught navigating a boat with 30 migrants on board. The suspects were reportedly arrested after an incriminating video-selfie of the pair emerged.
People from Germany's list of "safe" countries rarely have the right to asylum. DW looks at what the list means with regard to asylum law in Germany and why some view parts of it with skepticism.
The German Parliament has rejected a proposal that would list several North African countries as safe countries that migrants could be deported to. The liberal party FDP is still looking for further nations to be classified as "safe."
Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini announced plans to reorganize the country's sea rescue operations with a particular focus on national security.
Germany is returning more rejected asylum seekers to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. The number has increased since 2016 due to closer cooperation between Germany and the Maghreb states.