TRNOVEC, Slovenia (AP) — The latest news as migrants fleeing war or seeking a better life make their way across Europe by the tens of thousands. All times local. 12:05 p.m. Slovenia's interior minister has lashed out at Croatia for transporting large groups of migrants to their border, saying it is "absolutely unacceptable." Vesna Gyorkos Znidar said Monday that Croatia has started to send a "very big number of immigrants, out of a previously arranged framework." She said that Slovenia can manage up to 2,500 people a day and "can't accept an unlimited number" of migrants. About 1,800 people have spent the night in rain and cold at the border after Croatia sent a train there early Monday despite Slovenia's refusal to let them into the country. The interior minister said that "the Croatian side is not responding" to the Slovenian demands to control the flow and is acting only as "a transporter." ___ 11:55 a.m. Authorities in the German city of Dresden are stepping up security precautions for the anniversary rally of PEGIDA, a group that has drawn thousands to its weekly gatherings against Islam and migrants. The move comes as the government sharpens its rhetoric against PEGIDA, a German acronym for Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West. Germany's interior minister says the domestic intelligence service is now observing PEGIDA and called its leaders "hard far-right extremists." Last week, one protester carried a gallows marked "reserved for (Chancellor) Angela Merkel." Thomas de Maiziere told public broadcaster ARD late Sunday that groups such as PEGIDA were paving the way for violence, citing a weekend knife attack on a politician in Cologne. The attacker told police he acted out of anti-foreigner motives. ___ 11:40 a.m. Greece's coast guard says it has rescued 2,561 people in dozens of incidents in the eastern Aegean over the weekend as Europe's refugee crisis continues unabated. The coast guard said Monday the rescues occurred in 69 operations from Friday morning until Monday morning near eight Aegean islands. The number doesn't include those who make it ashore themselves from the nearby Turkish coast, often in overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels. On Sunday, the bodies of two women, a baby and a teenager were recovered near the remote island of Kastelorizo after their vessel overturned, while 12 others were rescued by a passing sailing boat. The deaths came a day after a 7-year-old boy died after falling into the water from a boat carrying 80 people who reached the island of Agathonissi. ___ 11:30 a.m. Austrian officials are denying reports that they are restricting entries from Slovenia to migrants seeking asylum in Western Europe. Interior Ministry spokesman Hermann Muhr said Monday that the "status quo" will continue. He and other officials didn't specify numbers. They spoke after Slovenian officials said Austrian counterparts told them that about 1,500 people would be allowed to cross each day. With the entry route into Austria shifting after Hungary sealed its border with Croatia, police say that no migrants have crossed into Austria over the main border point with Hungary since Saturday. Migrants are now traveling through Slovenia from Croatia into Austria and beyond. Police on Monday reported no new arrivals at the Nickelsdorf border station since Saturday, when 4,155 migrants crossed. ___ 11:15 a.m. Hundreds of migrants, who have been stuck at Serbia's border with Croatia, have started moving, spreading across fields to avoid Croatian police blocking their way into the European Union. The migrants are walking in groups, taking routes through orchards and corn fields away from a border passage that has served as a crossing point for weeks. Families with children, men and women can be seen walking away in mud and cold in search of new paths. Croatian police were deployed with metal barriers Monday on the usual migrant passage in an attempt to control the influx of people. Hundreds of migrants spent the night on the border in buses and tents, with tensions building. Croatia says about 4,000 people are already in the refugee camp near the border. ___ 10:50 a.m. Passenger train service between France and England has been suspended after migrants rushed the French terminal in hopes of reaching a better life in Britain. The trains that cross beneath the Channel face increasingly frequent delays as more migrants take their chances on the tracks that link the two countries, with many each night trying to stow away on the trucks and cars loading on the freight train. At one point during the summer, hundreds of migrants, who live by the thousands in shanty camps in Calais, tried to rush the boarding area at once. Eurotunnel said Monday's problem originated in Calais, where the overnight rush happened later than usual, affecting the early morning trains. Service was expected to resume midmorning. ___ 10:20 a.m. Hundreds of migrants, including women and small children, have been left waiting in the mud on the border between Serbia and Croatia after Croatian police put up a fence to control the influx. The migrants have spent the night in aid tents and buses. On Monday, parents were seen handing over babies to Croatian police across the metal barriers. Farouk Al-Hatib from Syria says "we are in cold weather and the place is not good ... our message for the governments is to take into consideration our suffering." The backlog built up after Hungary closed down its border to Croatia for the flow of migrants and they were diverted to Slovenia, which is only taking in limited numbers. Croatian police say more than 4,000 migrants remain in the refugee camp in Opatovac near the Serbian border. ___ 9:25 a.m. Hundreds of migrants have spent the night in rain and cold at Croatia's border with Slovenia after Croatia sent a train there despite Slovenia's refusal to take any more people into the country. The train carrying some 1,800 people arrived in the early hours of the morning Monday. Croatian police let the migrants get off the train but Slovenian police were deployed to the border and put up fences to prevent a mass entry. For hours, migrants — including women and children — sought ways to sneak into Slovenia, while authorities allowed in only small groups. Croatian police on the other side prevented migrants from turning back. Slovenian police said Monday that 150 women and children from the train have been registered and let into the country. The border incident has caused a diplomatic spat between Croatia and Slovenia. Join the conversation about this story »
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