Fewer Asylum Seekers in Germany

According to a report by the UN's refugee agency, the number of asylum seekers arriving in the EU fell by 22 percent last year. This is the lowest number since the end of the Bosnia conflict. Germany received 50,450 asylum seekers last year, its lowest in 19 years. The UNHCR report said Russians make up the largest number of asylum seekers -- most of them are believed to come from Chechnya. Applications from Iraqis, who were the largest group in 2002, have fallen by 50 percent. There were similar decreases in applicants from Angola and Sierra Leone. The UNHCR attributes the drop to improved conditions in countries such as the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.