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Germany to expect 750,000 refugees in 2015 – reports

The number of refugees seeking asylum in Germany could surge to 750,000 this year, according to reports citing official projections. The government in Berlin had earlier forecast that 450,000 asylum seekers could arrive in 2015, but is now set to increase that to 650,000 or higher. Germany has seen a wave of migration from Syria and the Balkans. UN High ...

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Turkey PM Davutoglu abandons MHP coalition bid

Turkey’s prime minister says he has exhausted all options to form a coalition government after talks with the nationalist MHP failed, pushing the country closer to fresh elections. Ahmet Davutoglu said he would return the mandate to the president. The main opposition CHP said it should now be given the mandate to form a new government. The political uncertainty comes ...

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Greece bailout: Merkel faces rebellion by MPs as key vote looms

A German parliamentary vote on the controversial third Greek bailout on Wednesday has been overshadowed by an expected rebellion in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party. The Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian CSU allies are divided over the €86bn ($95bn; £61bn) bailout. Some MPs suspect that part of the Greek debt will be written off – a “haircut”, which could ...

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Norway jails Latvian whisky-drinking airBaltic co-pilot

A Latvian co-pilot who admitted drinking whisky and beer hours before an airBaltic flight from Norway to Crete has been jailed for six months. Two flight attendants were also given prison sentences of 45 and 60 days respectively. The co-pilot, 38, was found to have a blood alcohol level of almost seven times the legal limit. He told the court ...

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Sri Lanka elections: UNP claims victory as Rajapaksa faces setback

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has claimed victory in the island’s parliamentary elections and called on the country to unite. Initial results suggest that his United National Party has won enough seats to form a coalition with its allies. This would thwart former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s hopes of returning to office as prime minister. Turnout in Monday’s polls was ...

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Turkey air strikes: PKK targeted by air force jets

Turkey launched a series of overnight air strikes against Kurdish militants, aimed at 17 targets in the south-east, the army says. The targets were in Hakkari province on the border with Iran and Iraq. Turkey has seen increasing violence in recent weeks between the military and Kurdish separatists. The strikes come a day after nine people were killed in a ...

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Japan restarts first nuclear power plant since Fukushima

Japan has restarted its first nuclear reactor under new safety rules following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. All Japan’s nuclear plants were gradually shut down after a series of meltdowns at the Fukushima plant sparked by the tsunami and earthquake. But after passing stringent new safety tests, Kyushu Electric Power restarted the number one reactor at its Sendai plant on Tuesday ...

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China devalues yuan currency to three-year low

China’s central bank has devalued the national currency, the yuan, to its lowest rate against the US dollar in almost three years. The lender said the move was a “one-off depreciation” of 1.9% in a move to make the exchange rate more market-oriented. It comes in the wake of a string of weak economic data from the world’s second largest ...

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Greek bailout deal agreed ‘in principle’

Greece has agreed a bailout deal “in principle” with its creditors, the European Commission has said. The Commission said a technical agreement had been reached with Greece, which now requires political approval. Earlier, Greece’s Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos had said “two or three small issues,” were yet to be resolved with lenders, following overnight talks in Athens. A deal is ...

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Iraq reforms: Parliament backs PM Haider al-Abadi’s plan

The Iraqi parliament has unanimously approved reforms aimed at stamping out corruption, reducing government waste and easing sectarian tensions. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s programme was pushed through without debate, according to parliamentary speaker Salim al-Juburi. Under the plan, Mr Abadi will cut spending and eliminate senior posts. It follows recent anti-government protests over an unreliable electricity supply amid a major ...

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