DHAKA: Germany's coalition government is to release billions of euros to help federal states and municipalities cope with record numbers of migrants.

Critics at home have accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of creating a dangerous precedent by opening Germany's borders, reports BBC.

About 18,000 migrants arrived over the weekend after an agreement with Austria and Hungary to relax asylum rules.

But Austria's Chancellor, Werner Faymann, has said the emergency measures must come to an end.

He said they would move step by step "towards normality", after speaking to Chancellor Merkel and the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday.

Hungary had previously blocked migrants travelling to Western Europe, but dropped restrictions on Friday and shuttled people to the Austrian border.

Germany's announcement of extra funds came after talks between the leaders of Chancellor Merkel's coalition.

In addition to the €3bn ($3.3bn; £2.2bn) for the regions, they also agreed to speed up asylum application procedures, provide extra accommodation for newcomers, and allocate funds to pay benefits to new arrivals.

BDST: 1224 HRS, SEP 07, 2015
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