At least seven migrants are reported to have died of hypothermia in a boat off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The overcrowded vessel was reportedly carrying about 280 people, mostly from Bangladesh and Egypt.
The German Federal Police have joined France and the UK in an anti-people-smuggling operation called ‘Small Boats’. They say smugglers are buying boats in Germany with the aim of transporting migrants across the Channel.
The rescue ship Geo Barents, with 439 migrants on board, has requested a port of safety in Italy. Meanwhile, hundreds disembarked on the island of Lampedusa, following several other rescues by the coast guards and civil fleets.
Three children have died and two others are in life-threatening condition after a wave of storms and freezing temperatures hit northwest Syria, according to UN officials and aid workers. Tens of thousands of displaced people are liv1
Houthi rebels in Yemen have blamed the Saudi-led coalition for an airstrike that hit a detention center. The strike comes days after three people were killed in a drone attack on the UAE claimed by the rebels.