Australia is to take in thousands more Syrians, amid growing pressure to do more to help those displaced by violence in the Middle East. Prime Minister Tony Abbott today announced that Australia would accept twelve thousand Syrians from persecuted minorities. That is an addition to the thirteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty overall intake of confirmed refugees for 2015.

Abbott also said the Australian government will not discriminate in the intake of refugees, as both Muslim and non-Muslim minorities that were being persecuted will be taken.

In the meantime, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has announced plans that he says will offer a swift, determined and comprehensive response to Europe's migrant crisis. Under the proposals, one hundred and twenty thousand additional asylum seekers will be distributed among EU nations, with binding quotas.