Germany sends migrants back to Austria in wake of Cologne attacksJanuary 12, 2016 - 09:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Germany has been sending an increasing number of migrants back to Austria every day since the beginning of the month, Austrian police say, according to BBC News. Many had no valid documents, whilst others did not want to apply for asylum in Germany but in other countries, notably in Scandinavia, police said. New Year's Eve attacks on women in Cologne, blamed on migrants, have put pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel. Most of those sent back to Austria are not Syrians, who usually get asylum. Instead, they are migrants mostly from Afghanistan as well as Morocco and Algeria, Austrian police said. "The daily number of migrants being turned back has risen from 60 in December to 200 since the start of the year," David Furtner, police spokesman in Upper Austria state, told AFP news agency. Last week, Sweden, a favored destination for many of the migrants, sought to stem the flow by imposing controls on travelers from Denmark. Earlier, an official report said the men suspected of attacking women in central Cologne on New Year's Eve were "almost exclusively" from a migration background, mainly North African and Arab. Nineteen individuals are currently under investigation by the state police in connection with the attacks, NRW's interior ministry says in a report (in German), none of them German nationals. Those 19 suspects include 14 men from Morocco and Algeria. Ten of the suspects are asylum seekers, nine of whom arrived in Germany after September 2015. The other nine are possibly in Germany illegally, the interior ministry says. Cologne police also made "serious mistakes" in not calling in reinforcements and the way they informed the public. The scale of the assaults on women in Cologne and other German cities has shocked Germany. More than 500 criminal complaints were filed, 40% alleging sexual assault. Apparent retaliatory attacks in Cologne on Sunday, January 10 were condemned by the government as inexcusable. Around 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Germany in 2015. Photo: Reuters Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |