BERLIN, Jan 3 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's allies in Bavaria stepped up criticism of her open-door refugee policy on Sunday, with their leader demanding a cap of 200,000 migrants a year, about a fifth of last year's level. Merkel faces splits in her conservative bloc and coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) over her insistence that Germany can cope with the refugee crisis as towns struggle to house migrants, many having fled Read more [...]

As soon as he opens his mouth, it becomes clear that the white-haired man seated at the table has not traveled far for his pilgrimage. In a thick Bavarian accent he invites his companions to enjoy their meal: "An Guadn," which means "Guten Appetit." This Saturday, as usual, the monastery beer restaurant is heaving with people. Northern 1423. As soon as I enter I am impressed by the church's rococo style. In the center is an ornate high altar featuring a gilded Madonna. A glance downwards reveals Read more [...]

The Christian Social Union (CSU), a leading Christian democratic and conservative political party in Bavaria, Germany is due to issue a paper detailing effective ways to combat terrorism that will include financial restraints, as the party sees it. The paper will also include regulation for all virtual currencies including Bitcoin. As reported by German publication Die Welt, The paper is titled “Fighting Terrorism Effectively” and will be issued at a closed-doors CSU party Read more [...]

EuroMaint Germany focuses primarily on the maintenance and repair of passenger and freight rolling stock, employing more than 800 staff at its facilities in Delitzsch, Duisburg, Kaiserslautern, Leipzig, and Oberhausen (Bavaria). The transaction is subject to terms and conditions for financing, and completion of the sale is expected within the first quarter of this year. Euromaint says the disposal will enable it to focus on its core Swedish operations, which generated turnover of SKr 1.2bn Read more [...]

"We're under attack by IS around the world and we've got to take this as a serious threat", said Herrmann, who is responsible for the police in all of Bavaria.Police in Germany said Friday a New Year's Eve terror alert that closed two busy Munich train stations was prompted by the threat of suicide attacks linked to ISIS.He said authorities are investigating intensively, but so far had not made any arrests. He said they had received personal data for some of the attackers and were still in the process Read more [...]

Berlin: Germany only has capacity for a maximum 200000 asylum seekers a year about a fifth of the number it received in 2015 Bavarian premier Horst Seehofer said Sunday. "In Germany the arrival of 100000 to a maximum 200000 asylum seekers and war refugees a year would pose no problem" Seehofer who heads the Christian Social Union (CSU) the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) told Bild newspaper. The CSU which has been up in arms over Merkel's welcoming Read more [...]

"We're under attack by IS around the world and we've got to take this as a serious threat", said Herrmann, who is responsible for the police in all of Bavaria.Officials said they were tipped off about an imminent attack in the southern German city shortly before midnight as Europe prepared to ring in the New Year in an atmosphere of unprecedented security. "Please avoid gatherings of people and the Munich and Pasing train stations", police said in a tweet.Be proactive - Use the "Flag as Inappropriate" Read more [...]

Merkel facing further pressure for a cap on migrants entering Germany after allies call for limit on ‘excessive’ number of newcomers  Angela Merkel’s open-door policy was challenged by her own political allies again yesterday as she faced calls for a cap on the numbers entering Germany. Almost 1.1million migrants are estimated to have arrived last year, mainly through the state of Bavaria which borders Austria and the Czech Republic. The state governor yesterday said the German Chancellor Read more [...]

TERRITORIAL DISPUTE 4. Anti-China protesters return from Kalayaan Island Nearly 50 young Filipinos returned Sunday, January 3,from a remote Philippine-held island in the South China Sea where they had staged a week-long protest against Beijing's claims in the disputed waterway. The group arrived at Pag-asa Island on December 26 as part of an effort to stir up popular opposition to China's claim to most of the contested sea, including Pag-asa, also known as Thitu. The 47 youths have Read more [...]

German governor calls for cap of 200,000 refugees a year BERLIN (AP) — The governor of Bavaria in Germany wants to limit the number of refugees the country takes in each year to 200,000 and says the United States is partly to blame for the crisis. Horst Seehofer told German weekly Bild am Sonntag that the country can only integrate 100,000 to 200,000 refugees a year. Bavaria was the first point of entry for most of the 1 million asylum seekers who came to Germany last year. Chancellor Read more [...]