Merkel wins UN refugee agency award over welcome of Syrians

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says it’s giving its highest award to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her efforts to accept more than 1 million refugees — mostly from Syria — into Germany, despite some criticism both at home and abroad. Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said Merkel had been selected as this year’s recipient of the Nansen award, which is handed out by the Geneva-based U.N. agency. It credited her for welcoming more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum-seekers to German in 2015 and 2016, at a time of a huge influx of migrants and refugees into Europe.