The French government, reacting to a letter from Julian Assange, said it would not give the WikiLeaks founder asylum, only for his lawyers to claim he had never sought it in the first place.
Hungary has indefinitely suspended the application of a key EU asylum rule, which requires a migrant's claim to be processed in the EU country they first arrive in.
Germany and France urged the EU to find a fairer way to admit and distribute asylum seekers, as their leaders met the European Commission chief in Berlin.
Asylum seekers in Italy may have to work for free, Italy's interior minister told local mayors, reminding them of a controversial decree issued several months ago.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australia and Europe were in talks on how to stop asylum-seeker boats after the success of his government's controversial polices on the issue.
Kazakhstan has accepted five former Guantanamo prisoners seeking asylum in the country. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has praised the move.
The Italian navy on Friday said it had rescued around 2,500 asylum-seekers from 17 boats in the past 24 hours as good weather conditions in the Mediterranean further boost the influx of asylum-seekers trying to reach Europe.
Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, wanted by US authorities and currently living in Russia, said in a TV interview Sunday that he has applied for asylum in Brazil.
US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden offered to help Brazil defeat US spying Tuesday but, in an open letter, said he needs permanent political asylum to do so.
A senior Indonesian lawmaker on Tuesday described as "crazy" a plan by the front-runner for Australia's election to pay Indonesians for unseaworthy boats to stem the flow of asylum-seekers.
A rescue operation was under way Tuesday after an asylum-seeker boat carrying 105 people began sinking north of Australia, two weeks away from an election where boatpeople are a key policy issue.
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was "disappointed" by Russia's decision to grant asylum to Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who leaked details of vast US surveillance programs.
The United Nations on Friday said it was "troubled" by Australia's decision to send asylum-seekers arriving by boat to Papua New Guinea given conditions there failed to adequately protect refugees.