GERMANY – The German government has said there will be no change in the country’s immigration policy despite right-wing gains in three state elections. The anti-immigrant AfD party had campaigned against what it called Chancellor Merkel’s “catastrophic” decision to welcome a million migrants and refugees last year. But the AfD remains a minor force, especially in western Germany.

The poll was seen as a test of support for Mrs Merkel’s refugee policy. Her Christian Democrats (CDU) lost votes but remained the strongest party in the poor eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD made its biggest gains, taking a quarter of the vote. That made it the second-biggest party there.(BBC)…[+]