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Germany and partners consider 'transit zones' for refugees

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition partners have agreed some areas on how to deal with the refugee crisis but need more talks on other points following a meeting, a government spokesman said.

An extra 100,000 migrants and refugees will be taken to welcome centres to ease the crisis, after a deal agreed by European and Balkan state leaders during an emergency summit.

According to the UNHCR, more than 643,000 refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year, with at least 3,135 known to have died en route.

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Croatia opens border with Serbia to stranded refugees

Migrant men, right, shout in their attempt to calm other migrants down as Croatian police officers guard a borderline between Serbia and Croatia letting small groups cross. Credit: PA

Croatia has opened its border with Serbia to migrants, letting in thousands who have been stranded in the ran and mud for nearly two days.

UNHCR spokeswoman Melita Sunjic, who is on the Serbia-Croatia border, said that "without any announcement, the borders opened. When the borders opened, everybody rushed" over.

"The last person to go was a young boy without a leg, and we helped him cross in a wheelchair," Ms Sunjic said.

The humanitarian crisis has been growing since Saturday, when Hungary closed its border with Croatia, creating a backlog of migrants in the region.

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