Refugees

Concerns for Somali woman on Nauru

Lawyers for the Somali woman are pleading with the Australian government to bring her to Australia so she can have an abortion because the United Nations says the procedure is illegal in Nauru.

They have reportedly received no reply from either Australia's Prime Minister or the Immigration Minister.

George Newhouse from Shine lawyers says the woman says she was raped in July and time is running out.

Asylum seekers free to move around Nauru

Nauru's Department of Justice and Border Control posted a notice on Friday saying Open Centre arrangements at the asylum seeker detention centre would be expanded to allow asylum seekers freedom of movement 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The government says it will introduce legislation at the next sitting of parliament to enshrine the arrangements in law.

Previously asylum seekers had to abide by strict curfews.

More than 30 seek refuge in Fiji

This was revealed by the Immigration Director Nemani Vuniwaqa after more than 30 applications from foreigners seeking asylum in Fiji were processed.

A total of 34 applications to seek asylum in the country were processed by the Immigration Department.

Only 20 refugees were confirmed with 13 remaining in the country.

“ The UNCHR regions office is based in Canberra is assisting them in terms of funds and monthly allowance. They are liaising with the team here at the department in ensuring these people are cared for,” said Vuniwaqa.

Fiji takes in four refugees, 20 await decision

This was confirmed by Deputy Director of Immigration Edward Brown during a presentation at the National Security Strategy Green Paper Consultation Friday.

Details of the refugees were not divulged, but according to Mr Brown, Fiji as a signatory of the Convention And Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees under the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), was duty-bound to take in refugees.

VIDEO: Tennis star Djokovic visits UN refugee camp in Serbia

He spent time with the youngsters at a UNICEF-supported "child-friendly" space in Belgrade on Tuesday

Djokovic, who is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, said he was hurt personally at seeing children who "don't know where they are going, where they are heading, what tomorrow brings."

Since the beginning of the year, 129,947 people have been registered in Serbia as asylum applicants, UNICEF said in a news release.

The Latest: EU plans new emergency meeting on migrant crisis

Tuesday's decision for the Sep. 22 meeting came in the wake of inconclusive meeting of interior ministers Monday where at least four eastern nations objected to the quota proposals to spread the refugees from Italy, Greece and Hungary across 22 other EU nations.

The Latest: EU nations agree to share 32,000 refugees

The total still stops short of the 40,000 initially sought, and is only a small part of the relocation of another 120,000 refugees under discussion Monday at an extraordinary meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels.

VIDEO: Hundreds of migrants rescued off Turkey

Coast Guard footage released on Friday showed migrants at sea waving and screaming for help.

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.