A boat carrying about 200 asylum seekers has capsized off the coast of Australia’s remote Christmas Island, and authorities say it is likely many of them have drowned. Officials from Australia’s Maritime Safety Authority say 110 people have been rescued. Western Australia state police commissioner Karl O’Callaghan said initial reports suggest at least 75 people […]
Boat Carrying Refugees Capsizes Near Australia’s Christmas Island
Posted June 21st, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
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Boat Carrying Refugees Capsizes Near Australia’s Christmas Island
Posted June 21st, 2012 at 7:25 am (UTC-5)
A boat carrying about 200 asylum seekers has capsized off the coast of Australia’s remote Christmas Island, and authorities say it is likely many of them have drowned. The vessel sank about 220 kilometers north of Christmas Island Thursday. Officials said 40 people spotted from an Australian military plane appeared to be standing on the […]
Boat Carrying Refugees Capsizes Near Australia’s Christmas Island
Posted June 21st, 2012 at 4:30 am (UTC-5)
Australian maritime authorities say a boat carrying about 200 asylum seekers has capsized off the coast of Australia’s remote Christmas Island. The vessel sank about 220 kilometers north of Christmas Island on Thursday. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority say three merchant vessels and two Australian naval ships are heading towards the site. The authority says […]
UN: Afghans Top List of Asylum Seekers in 2011
Posted March 27th, 2012 at 6:20 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations refugee agency says Afghans topped the list of asylum-seekers to industrialized countries in 2011. A data analyst for the Geneva-based UNHCR, Tarek Abou Chabake, told VOA Afghanistan is the top source country, followed by China and Iraq. Chabake said that overall, asylum applications to the countries surveyed rose 20 percent in 2011, […]
Husband of Ukraine Opposition Leader Granted Asylum
Posted January 6th, 2012 at 10:40 am (UTC-5)
The Czech Republic has granted political asylum to the husband of jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko. A government spokesman in Prague confirmed Friday that Oleksandr Tymoshenko has been granted permission to remain in the country. Yulia Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year prison sentence for abusing her power as Ukraine’s prime minister in 2009. Her […]
Ukraine Opposition Leader’s Husband Seeking Asylum
Posted January 6th, 2012 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
The husband of jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has sought asylum in the Czech Republic. Ms. Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of power while serving as Ukraine’s prime minister in 2009. The trial was criticized by the West as politically motivated. Czech officials Friday confirmed reports that the former […]
Dutch Court: 3 Congolese Witnesses Can Seek Asylum
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 2:40 pm (UTC-5)
A Dutch court has ruled the government must allow three Congolese witnesses who testified before the International Criminal Court to seek asylum in the Netherlands. A court in Amsterdam issued the ruling on Wednesday. The three men have been held for months at the ICC’s detention unit in The Hague while lawyers debated whether they […]
UN: Asylum Applications Up 17 Percent in 2011
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations refugee agency says asylum applications have risen 17 percent, with most claims coming from countries with long-standing displacement situations. In a report released Tuesday, the agency says nearly 200,000 asylum applications were lodged in the first six months of this year, compared with almost 170,000 during the same period in 2010. It […]
Australia Abandons Refugee Swap Deal with Malaysia
Posted October 13th, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
The Australian government is scrapping its plan to process asylum seekers offshore after Prime Minister Julia Gillard failed to secure enough votes in Parliament to approve a refugee swap deal with Malaysia. Ms. Gillard canceled a parliamentary vote scheduled for Thursday after an independent lawmaker declared his opposition to legislation that would have permitted the […]
Dutch TV Quiz Features Asylum Seekers
Posted September 1st, 2011 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
A new television quiz show in the Netherlands will test the knowledge of failed asylum seekers about Dutch language, culture and history. In the show, five would-be immigrants will show what they learned in the country they want to call home. The winner gets close to $6,000 to start a new life in his or […]
