Italian authorities have seized the German rescue ship Aurora, saying the crew broke new rules that call for sea rescuers to go immediately to the port assigned to them after an operation.

Tunisian president Kais Saied has told the head of the European Council that his country will not be responsible for stopping irregular migration to Europe. He added that Tunisia was not a place of transit or settlement for migrants.

United Nations agencies and aid organizations have called for greater financial support to combat the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Syria, which has been exacerbated by a major earthquake earlier this year.

Greece has declared three days of national mourning after a migrant shipwreck off the southern coast. At least 78 bodies have been recovered and hundreds more people are believed to have died.