Reuters, Berlin
Germany registered 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, the interior ministry said on Wednesday, with Syrians fleeing a brutal civil war making up almost 40 percent of arrivals.
The number of Syrians seeking refuge in Europe’s biggest economy hit 428,468 during the year, with Afghans the second-biggest group at 154,046 applicants.
US, Afghan forces conduct joint operation
Agencies, Kabul
One member of the US armed forces was killed and another two were wounded in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, the US military said on Tuesday.
The US service member died as a result of wounds sustained during operations near Marjah, Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
KL lifts baggage ban on Europe flights
AP, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia Airlines said today it has lifted a ban on check-in baggage on flights to Paris and Amsterdam, after the move angered many passengers who slammed the airline on social media.
The U-turn came less than 24 hours after the airline announced that passengers cannot check-in baggage for Tuesday and Wednesday flights to the two European cities due to “unseasonably strong headwinds” on a longer flight path it is taking.
Mexico’s ‘Grand Warlock’ predicts Trump defeat
AFP, Mexico City
Mexico’s famed “Grand Warlock” predicted Tuesday that US presidential hopeful Donald Trump will fail to reach the White House — but the tycoon shouldn’t worry too much: the forecaster often gets things wrong.
With his tarot cards, white-bearded Antonio Vazquez also saw fugitive Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman getting killed and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro falling from power.
China landslide death toll rises to 58
AP, Beijing
Chinese authorities say rescuers have dug out 58 bodies from a massive landslide at a construction waste dump in southern China more than two weeks ago.
