Excerpt:
The German interior minister has called for answers at an inquiry on the mass sexual assaults in Cologne. Thomas de Maiziere acknowledged more needed to be done to prevent such an incident from happening again.
De Maiziere said on Monday the government needed to do more to ensure such an event couldn't happen again in Germany, while also emphasizing the difficult position authorities found themselves in last New Year's Eve.
The country was rocked at the beginning of the year when reports surfaced that hundreds of sexual assaults had allegedly taken place outside the main train station in the western German city of Cologne. Reports that the attackers were mainly of North African origin led to growing criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policies.