Will the Spanish rescue boat Open Arms be fined for its latest rescue operations? The Spanish deputy prime minister has criticized the Spanish-flagged ship, stressing that it had not been authorized to conduct rescue operations.
There is a "psychological emergency" for the migrants on the Ocean Viking, according to Luca Pigozzi, a doctor onboard the rescue ship. The Ocean Viking has been waiting for a port to disembark for almost two weeks.
The migrant rescue charity 'Open Arms' has rejected a Spanish government offer for its vessel to dock at a Balearic Island port. It was the second offer the group rejected, citing an "urgent" and "inhumane" situation.
Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has told the port of Algeciras to welcome migrants from a rescue boat. But a spokesperson for the Open Arms vessel declined the offer, citing an emergency situation on board.
Three migrants have been evacuated from the rescue vessel Open Arms for medical reasons. More than 150 others remain on board after being rescued 11 days ago by the Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms. Another rescue vessel, the Ocean Viking, is also stranded in the Mediterranean after picking up 251 migrants. Italy and Malta continue to deny entry into their ports.
Last year, the European Union planned to introduce reforms to its migration policies, aimed at gaining better control over the migration situation into Europe. What's left of all those plans one year on?
EU border agency Frontex has denied that it tolerated human rights violations against migrants and refugees in Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary. Several media reports have accused the agency of being at the scene of illegal activities by national border guards.
Two private migrant rescue boats - Spanish Open Arms and German Alan Kurdi - are waiting in vain for a safe harbor in the Mediterranean with 163 migrants on board. Some people need quick help: One of two pregnant women aboard the Open Arms has gone into labor. Meanwhile, the situation in the Mediterranean is becoming more confusing.
In Melilla, one of Spain's two enclaves in Morocco, around 200 migrants have tried to climb a security fence separating the Spanish territory from Morocco, local authorities say. African migrants often use Melilla and Ceuta as entry points into Europe by either climbing over their border fences or trying to swim along the coast.
More than one thousand migrants from Tunisia arrived in Spain and Italy in the first half of this year. That's according to a report by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) on irregular immigration.
A total of 141 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were rescued at sea between Spain and Morocco over the weekend. The Spanish maritime rescue service said 28 women were among the migrants.
UN agencies have appealed to European countries to restart government rescue operations for migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. More needs to be done to improve inhumane conditions for displaced people in Libya as well.