Asylum claims in Germany rose by a third in the first nine months of the year, as migration to Europe resumed following last year's COVID lockdowns.

The bodies of at least 16 Kurdish migrants were returned to Iraq after their attempt to cross the English Channel ended in tragedy. The incident claimed a total of 27 lives.

The Greek and Tunisian coast guards have also reported successful rescue missions. Nonetheless, dozens of people have died in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean over the past several days.

The inquiry established that Rackete had "acted in compliance with the duty to rescue". In June 2019 Rackete decided to enter Italian territorial waters with migrants aboard the ship without prior authorisation.