It was a "busy day" for the crew of the Geo Barents in the Mediterranean on Thursday. Following six rescues in one day, there are 315 people now on board the private rescue ship run by Doctors without Borders (MSF).
Hundreds of migrants on board the Geo Barents rescue ship were still awaiting permission to disembark on Tuesday. The crew says it has made seven requests to the Italian authorities, and some of those on board are seriously ill.
The latest hearing in a three-year inquiry takes place this week for three African migrants, arrested as teenagers in Malta in 2019. Amnesty International and other human rights activists have been campaigning for the charges against the teens to be dropped. InfoMigrants spoke to Amnesty in Malta for this week's hearing.
Three men were found dead on board a boat carrying 81 other migrants that was rescued by Malta early on Wednesday. The charity Sea-Watch has claimed that authorities purposely delayed the rescue.
Italy has agreed to take in 86 people found drifting in the Mediterranean on Wednesday. The migrants were rescued by a small private vessel, Nadir, which said it refused to hand them over to Libyan authorities.
On April 3, Alarm Phone reported the presence of three boats in the Maltese Search and Rescue regions. The people on two of the boats were rescued and taken to Lampedusa. An estimated 110 people on the third boat appear to still be unaccounted for, what has happened?
Malta's armed forces have rescued a group of 95 migrants from a sinking dinghy between Libya and Malta and brought them ashore, authorities said Monday. The volunteer organization Alarm Phone accused Maltese authorities of "systematic delays" in their rescue efforts.
Malta rescued another 140 migrants last week and placed them on tourist boats; there are now around 300 migrants waiting on chartered vessels offshore. While Malta is defending its course, human rights watchdogs have been calling on Malta and other EU states to find a way to bring the migrants to land.
The EU's foreign minister has urged Malta to stop blocking a new Mediterranean Sea naval mission aimed at preventing the flow of weapons into Libya. Josep Borrell said the operation was needed to stabilize Libya and stop the "wave" of migrants from Africa.
Malta has rescued 45 migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing. Among those saved was a pregnant woman at risk of miscarriage, who had to be airlifted. Later, the Italian coastguard picked up another 28 migrants.
A group of 75 people has been taken to Malta after they were found stranded on a tuna pen in the Mediterranean. The navy said it picked up the migrants on Wednesday night.