Germany has suspended admissions of refugees via a UN resettlement programme, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, as a new coalition government that is expected to tighten immigration rules prepares to take office.
Migration has been a contentious issue in coalition negotiations between Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the centre-left Social Democrats, which are expected to conclude within weeks.
The conservatives are advocating a stricter approach to asylum seekers in response to rising support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and several violent incidents involving refugees.
The two sides have struck a preliminary agreement to end voluntary federal admission programmes for refugees such as the U.N. programme - the only one currently active - and not to launch any new ones, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Germany has participated since 2016 in a European Union resettlement scheme that accepts refugees selected by the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR. Most come from Turkey, Egypt, Jordan or Kenya, or from Libya via Rwanda.
The ministry said 4,711 people had arrived in Germany through the programme since 2024, out of the 13,000 refugees that Germany has promised the European Commission it will take in for 2024 and 2025 combined.
Despite the suspension, admissions that are already well advanced, with concrete commitments, will go ahead, a ministry spokesperson said.
Pakistan has indicated its openness to forming a regional bloc with Bangladesh without including India. The statement from Islamabad follows comments ...
President Javier Milei has introduced a new labour reform proposal to Argentina’s Congress, aiming to address what his administration describes as a...
The global centre of political gravity is increasingly moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a development with significant implications for the So...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Turkmenistan on 11–12 December to attend the International Peace and Security Forum in Ashgabat....
The South Caucasus is witnessing a notable recalibration of geopolitical alignments, with Azerbaijan and Armenia both pursuing strategic partnerships ...
Pakistan has indicated its openness to forming a regional bloc with Bangladesh without including India. The statement from Islamabad follows comments by Bangladesh’s top foreign affairs adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, that such an arrangement is strategically possible without India.
The global centre of political gravity is increasingly moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a development with significant implications for the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Turkmenistan on 11–12 December to attend the International Peace and Security Forum in Ashgabat.
The South Caucasus is witnessing a notable recalibration of geopolitical alignments, with Azerbaijan and Armenia both pursuing strategic partnerships with global powers, including the United States and China.
Scores of demonstrators gathered outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo Tuesday (9 December) to protest against the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The world’s leading minds and voices will be honoured on Wednesday, 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, as Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm and Oslo.
In a dramatic Champions League clash at Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Qarabağ grabbed an early lead, but Ajax staged a thrilling comeback to win 4-2.
At least 19 people were killed and 16 injured as two buildings collapased in Morocco's Fes city according to the state news agency.
Iran's President Massoud Pezeshkian has begun a two day visit to Kazakhstan, with officials from both sides describing the trip as an opportunity to advance cooperation in trade, transport, industry, mining and cultural exchanges.
The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump intends to maintain both a “good working relationship” with China and a “very strong alliance” with Japan, even as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
Pakistan has indicated its openness to forming a regional bloc with Bangladesh without including India. The statement from Islamabad follows comments by Bangladesh’s top foreign affairs adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, that such an arrangement is strategically possible without India.
President Javier Milei has introduced a new labour reform proposal to Argentina’s Congress, aiming to address what his administration describes as a "rigid structure" that has hindered job creation in the country.
Torrential rain swept across the Gaza, flooding hundreds of tents and homes sheltering families displaced by years of conflict, raising concerns that the fragile truce may be cracking as authorities struggle to manage the growing humanitarian crisis.
In a significant shift in its foreign policy, China has unveiled a new policy paper promising no-strings-attached development support to Latin America and the Caribbean, signalling a major upgrade in its engagement with the region.
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