Excerpt:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday urged EU member states to do more to resettle refugees.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Merkel backed a recent proposal by the UN to increase the number of refugees to be resettled in the EU from the earlier pledged figure of 20,000 to 40,000.
"I think that 40,000 is a figure that will certainly not overstretch a continent with over 500 million people," Merkel said, adding that the resettlement program was an important part of their efforts to fight smugglers and manage irregular migration flow.