Refugees

Pelosi urges US to take in more refugees

Pelosi said a figure of 5,000 more refugees suggested by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry "is far too low." Kerry told members of Congress in a meeting Wednesday that the U.S. will boost its worldwide quota for resettling refugees from 70,000 to 75,000 next year, adding that the number could rise. A fraction of those would be from Syria.

Officials: US to increase number of refugees by 5K next year

Two officials and a congressional aide said that Secretary of State John Kerry told members of Congress in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the United States will boost its worldwide quota for resettling refugees from 70,000 to 75,000 next year, a number that could increase further. A fraction of those would be from Syria.

Kerry said after the meeting that the United States would increase the number of refugees it is willing to take in but did not give a specific number.

Kerry: US committed to accepting more refugees to aid allies

   

After closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Kerry said President Barack Obama has made it clear that the U.S. wants to take a leadership role on humanitarian issues.

"We are looking hard at the number that we can specifically manage with respect to the crisis in Syria and Europe," he said. "That's being vetted fully right now."

Refugees break through police cordon in Hungary, run west

Surprised riot police scrambled for their helmets as the huge crowd suddenly surged from the front of the train.

Police were able to block only a minority of the estimated 500 people inside. Police pushed those they blocked back onto the train amid much shouting and screaming and infants crying.

In the receding distance, an Associated Press reporter saw at least 200 migrants, probably more, running in a wide group along the railway line west of Bicske and heading for Austria 135 kilometers (84 miles) to the west.

VIDEO: Police clear street migrants attempted to block

The migrants were camped out in an attempt to block a main city thoroughfare.

Protesters chanted defiant slogans outside the station as Hungarian police blocked them for a second day from seeking asylum in Germany and other wealthy European Union countries.

VIDEO: Cameron --'taking more refugees not the answer'

The UK has faced calls to take more of the hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving in Europe, many from Syria.

 

NZ dragging its feet on refugees, says Amnesty

It is estimated this year alone, a third of a million people have crossed the Mediterranean from war-torn countries to get to southern Europe, with almost 3000 people dying in the attempt.

New Zealand executive director of Amnesty International said the country needed to step up, like Germany and Sweden had, and do its fair share to help.

Grant Bayldon said New Zealand had not changed its refugee quota in almost 30 years and was ranked 90th in the world for the number of refugees it took annually.

Hungary says fence to stop migrants will be done by Aug. 31

Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said that Interior Minister Sandor Pinter assured a Cabinet meeting that the deadline, which had earlier been set for Nov. 30, could be met.

According to Kovacs, Pinter said "that the security fence can be built along its full length in a month."