Asylum claims up by 17% in early 2011, says UNHCR

The number of people seeking asylum in industrialised countries has risen by 17% so far this year, the UN's refugee agency says.

But the jump in applications does not appear to be a result of the uprisings which have hit many parts of the Arab world, said the UNHCR.

Most applications came from countries that have historically produced asylum seekers, such as Afghanistan and China.

There were 198,300 applications between 1 January and 30 June, the UNHCR said.

This compares with 169,300 in the same period in 2010.   More Read