Merkel launches election bid with tough line on immigration
Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday lashed populists seeking to exploit Germany's refugee influx, but set down a tough line on integration -- including a ban on the full-face veil -- as she launched into election campaign mode. "The full veil must be banned wherever it is legally possible," she told the annual gathering of her centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), urging them to back her bid for a fourth term.