Essen / AFP Chancellor Angela Merkel onTuesday lashed populists trying to exploit fears over Germany’s refugee influx but set out a tough line on integration, including a ban on the veil, as she launched into election campaign mode. Outlining her strategy to counter a wave of populism that has consumed key allies abroad, Merkel vowed there would not be …

  Los Angeles / AFP Authorities ratcheted up security on the Los Angeles metro following a tip from overseas about an impending bomb attack on Tuesday against a station in the sprawling rail network. The threat was relayed by an anonymous man who called a public safety line run by an unidentified foreign government, which then passed on the information to …

  Brussels / AFP Top US and NATO officials stressed the importance of preserving transatlantic security ties on Tuesday amid doubts raised by Donald Trump’s election as president. Trump stoked concerns that Washington’s near 70-year European defence guarantee might no longer hold when he said on the campaign trail he would think twice about helping NATO allies who did not pay …