Merkel rebuffs pressure from her party to get tougher on refugees

German Chancellor Angela Merkel resisted pressure from her own conservatives on Tuesday to tighten Germany's border controls and turn away refugees arriving via Austria, participants at a meeting of lawmakers said.

Germany, a favored destination for refugees fleeing war in the Middle East and others hoping to improve their economic circumstances, expects a record 800,000 to 1 million asylum seekers to arrive this year.

The influx is proving a major logistical challenge, straining resources as the authorities struggle to register and house all the new arrivals, some of whom remain in tents as winter approaches.