'Close files'

Growing numbers of Germans are calling for millions of files kept by the former East German secret police to be closed to the public or destroyed, but opponents warn that such a move could spark an uprising by east Germans who fought the Communist regime, AFP reports from Berlin. Chancellor Helmut Kohl recently called for the Stasi files to be destroyed, saying they were giving off 'a nauseous smell' from which 'nothing good can be gained'.