Activists opposing German mine expansion lose legal bid to stay in village

Climate activist sits on the ground in the village of Luetzerath (Michael Probst/AP)

A court in Germany has rejected a last-ditch attempt by climate activists to stay in an abandoned village which is due to be cleared for the expansion of a coal mine that has become a battleground between the government and environmentalists.

The regional administrative court in Muenster confirmed a lower court decision forbidding the activists from remaining in the hamlet of Luetzerath, west of Cologne.