In politics

Italy's far-right government on Monday approved a new decree aimed at overcoming judicial hurdles that risked derailing a controversial migration deal with Albania.

More than 230 migrants reached Greece in small boats over the past two days, including a rare case of a crossing from north Africa to Greece's southern mainland, authorities have said.

The arrivals come as the government braces for a potential increase - that so far hasn't materialized - in migratory flows due to the fighting in the Middle East.

Greek officials are alarmed by a recent German court ruling that could lead to the deportation of more migrants back to Greece.

The court in the German state of Hesse ruled in favor of deporting a Somali migrant to Greece, stating that young, healthy men should be able to secure a minimum standard of living through work.

There was another spike in arrivals of migrants and refugees in Greece in August as the points of entry and trafficking routes have changed. 

Lawmakers are to vote later Wednesday on a major revamp of the European Union's migration laws, aiming to end years of division over how to manage the entry of thousands of people without authorization and deprive the far-right of a vote-winning campaign issue ahead of June elections.

In a recent report by the EU Asylum Agency, Bulgaria has emerged as one of the most popular destinations for migrants seeking asylum within the European Union. According to the agency's annual findings released on Wednesday, Bulgaria ranked eleventh among European countries in terms of asylum applications registered by its authorities in 2023.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted a pardon to Sergey Khadzhikurbanov, a former policeman sentenced to 20 years for orchestrating the assassination of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. This decision follows Khadzhikurbanov's involvement in military actions in Ukraine.

At a tense meeting of representatives of the federal authorities, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the prime ministers of 16 German states, a resolution was agreed upon, in which it is written that "the Federal Government will investigate whether the determination of the protection status of refugees can be carried out during their transit in third countries".

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in an interview that he is ready to work to normalize relations with the United States, despite ongoing sanctions crippling his country.

For three years, Juan Guaidó led the Venezuelan opposition's efforts to bring about new elections and remove socialist President Nicolás Maduro.