German lawmakers have passed a bill aimed at streamlining the country's asylum system by cutting red tape, speeding up deportations of rejected applicants and curbing cash benefits. Human rights groups say the legislation could leave migrants homeless and destitute. Finland's Border Guard police, working with Swedish officers, have arrested 15 people suspected of running an "extensive" human trafficking ring which has smuggled dozens of migrants from Sweden to Finland. The suspects have received "substantial financial gain" from running the ring charging sums of up to 10,000 euros ($11,500) for a single trip from Turkey to Finland, officials said. The operations chief for Europe's top law enforcement agency says established organized crime networks are making new connections as they jump into the business of smuggling migrants hoping for a better life. Wil van Gemert, Europol's deputy director for operations, told The Associated Press that the networks were taking advantage of desperation to make a profit. Syndicates from different parts of Europe, with backgrounds in drugs and money laundering or other illicit trade, are in communication to offer a form of coordination in moving people northward. A top European Union official is pressing leaders of the 28 member states to live up to pledges to tackle the refugee emergency and says their credibility is at stake if they fail to act during Thursday's summit meeting. The leaders promised last month to massively step up spending and provide more experts to help fingerprint and screen the thousands of people arriving in Europe daily seeking refuge or jobs. Greece's coast guard says it has rescued 830 people in 20 search and rescue operations between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning off eastern Aegean islands.
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