German charity Sea-Eye said it had rescued 78 migrants off the Libyan coast on Saturday and accused Libyan authorities of harassing rescuers and acting illegally.
German migrant rescue group Mission Lifeline Wednesday denied breaking the law when it took on board more than 230 African asylum seekers and refused to hand them over to Libya's coastguard.
A German NGO whose migrant rescue boat was impounded by Italian authorities on suspicion of collusion with people
traffickers said on Tuesday it had been the victim of a "despicable smear campaign".
German aid group Sea-Eye said on Saturday that it was resuming its migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean, a month after pulling out when Libya barred foreign vessels from a stretch of water off its coast.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said the Libyan coastguard should be supported in its efforts to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, but warned that rights abuses would not be tolerated.
The German aid group Sea Eye on Sunday said it was suspending its migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean, citing security concerns after Libya barred foreign vessels from a stretch of water off its coast.
The German and Italian interior ministers have called for an EU mission to be installed on the border between Libya and Niger to stem migrant crossings to Europe.
Libya said on Sunday it was to release two German members of a group that aids illegal migrants who were detained by coastguards after their boat entered its territorial waters.
Libya's last chemical weapons stocks have arrived safely in Germany after being shipped out of the country, and will now be prepared for destruction, a global watchdog said Thursday.
The foreign ministers of France and Germany made an unannounced visit on Saturday to Tripoli in a show of support for the new unity government striving to bridge Libya's deep political divisions.
Germany's interior minister voiced optimism Sunday that Europe's refugee influx had peaked but said agreements with North African countries may be needed to prevent mass arrivals in future.
On Tuesday, German MPs, journalists and others took to the Spree river in a boat once used by refugees to get an idea of what dangerous Mediterranean crossings are like. The Local's Hannah Butler was amongst the boat's passengers - and was shocked by what she experienced.
The governments of America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning "barbaric" acts carried out by the Islamic State group in Libya.
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will welcome participants in the Libya peace process to Berlin on Wednesday for a first meeting of warring factions with EU and UN representatives.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that "everything" would be done to prevent more migrants dying in the Mediterranean in their quest for a better life in Europe.
UPDATE: Germany pulled its embassy staff out of Tripoli on Monday, a day after advising all its citizens currently in Libya to leave the strife-torn country immediately.
Merkel's "grand coalition" government is such an extreme combination of passivity and aggression, it is practically sado-masochist, Malte Lehming argues in Cicero magazine this month.
Some 300 African refugees currently living behind Hamburg's Bismarck monument reportedly received €500 from the Italian government to leave for Germany. Officials are unsure what to do next, as they have no shelter and no money.
Germany urged its citizens to immediately leave Benghazi on Thursday, after the British government warned of a "specific and imminent threat" in the Libyan city where a US ambassador was killed in an attack.
A row at the Libyan embassy in Berlin on Tuesday escalated into a fight in which seven men were injured, one seriously. The cause may have been army veterans' demands for unpaid salary.
Germany’s bill for the Nato drone defence system seems set to rise by about a quarter to hit nearly half a billion euros, according to secret Finance Ministry documents.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has thrown strong support behind North Africa’s emerging democracies during an historic visit to Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, saying Germany wants to play a key role in helping them succeed.
Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle and his Italian counterpart Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata called for an end to violence in Syria and Egypt after talks on key European issues in Rome Sunday.
