German parliament narrowly passes new bugging law

The lower house of parliament in Germany has approved a controversial bill which, for the first time since the Nazi era, allows police to bug private homes.

Deputies adopted the bill with just four votes more than the required two-thirds majority --452 votes in favour, 184 against.

The bill is the result of a compromise between the government and the main opposition party, the Social Democrats, who insisted that lawyers, priests, and members of parliament should be protected from clandestine surveillance.

Opponents are now set to take their fight to the Upper House where opposition parties are in the majority.

There the Social Democrats are expected to be pressed by the leftist Green Party to deny the bill the required two-thirds majority.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service