Germany: 222,000 asylum-seekers arrived in year's first half

The German government says some 222,000 asylum-seekers arrived in the country in the first half of this year.

The figures reflect a sharply lower influx after the overland route through the Balkans was blocked and the European Union cut a deal with Turkey to curb arrivals by sea.

The Interior Ministry said Friday that 222,264 people were registered as asylum-seekers between January and June. The numbers declined sharply after 91,671 arrived in January. In June, the figure was 16,335, similar to the previous two months.

Last year, nearly 1.1 million people were registered as asylum-seekers in Germany. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Friday that he isn't making any forecast for how many will arrive this year, given uncertainty about how the situation will develop.