Berlin, Rabi'II 20, 1436, Feb 9, 2015, SPA -- The number of applications for asylum in Germany shot up 73.1 per cent in January compared with the same month in 2014 and totalled 25,042, dpa cited the Interior Ministry as saying Monday. The figure also represents an increase of 22.9 per cent compared with December. The largest group of refugees came from Syria with 5,530 seeking asylum from the war-torn country in January, but there were significant rises in the numbers arriving from Albania and Kosovo. The countries of origin of the other largest groups of asylum seekers are Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Macedonia, Bosnia and Eritrea. --SPA 14:18 LOCAL TIME 11:18 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w