Just over 60,000 people applied for asylum in France in the first six months of this year, up 16 percent on the same period last year. The highest number came from Afghanistan, while Syria was only in ninth place.

The women's rights organization "Terre des Femmes" has launched a petition calling for a headscarf ban for minors in schools and daycare centers in Germany. But the initiative has courted controversy.

Merkel announced that Georgia would be labeled a safe country of origin, making it easier for Germany to send back rejected asylum-seekers. The comments came at the start of her visit to three ex-Soviet Union republics.

Twenty-seven unaccompanied minors onboard the Italian vessel "Diciotti" were allowed to disembark Thursday afternoon after days of waiting. The fate of the 150 migrants remaining onboard the ship is still unclear.