Refugee arrivals drop by a third in Germany

Germany has seen an immense drop in the arrival of asylum seekers, with the total number in 2016 slumped to less than a third of the 890,000 who arrived in 2015, according to the interior minister.

Thomas de Maiziere said on Wednesday that about 280,000 new asylum seekers arrived in 2016, while an estimated 80,000 people either left voluntarily or were deported.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces a national election later this year and still draws criticism for her welcoming approach to refugees and migrants in 2015, has promised a "national effort" to ensure that people who are not entitled to stay go home.