World
According to data released by the Federal Statistics Office on Friday, Germany’s population recorded its highest increase in more than 20 years in 2015. The dramatic surge has been attributed to a huge migrant influx, as more than one million people from the Middle East, Africa and beyond crossed to Europe, seeking shelter and better livelihood in the continent’s most populous nation last year.
Net migration in Germany doubled last year compared to the figures in 2014, reports Reuters. A string of recent attacks by Islamist militants in the country has sparked a debate on the benefits and drawbacks of accommodating asylum seekers. There are concerns that the migrants, with their limited language skills and knowledge of German society, put a heavy strain on the country’s social safety net.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn flak for her “open-door” immigration policy, writes Express. Recently, Merkel dismissed an alleged connection between rising terror strikes and high migrant influx in Germany, saying that the asylum seekers don’t bring terrorism with them.
In a separate development, police arrested an unidentified man after he attempted to breach Merkel’s motorcade in Prague on Thursday, notes The Sydney Morning Herald.
