Germany

(Reuters) --- The mayor of Nordenham, one of the German towns hardest hit by losses on funds with the failed Greensill Bank, said on Wednesday that he would not run for re-election as he takes political responsibility for the investments.

German towns and cities had parked around 500 million euros ($611.40 million) of their savings with Greensill Bank, which collapsed earlier this year as part of financier Lex Greensill's insolvent Greensill Capital. 

BERLIN, May 25. /TASS/: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she would be glad if Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, finally hold a personal meeting.

"People may have opposite opinions and, despite this, they can speak and meet with each other," she said. "We do it with the Russian president. We can promote our European interests in dialogue with the Russian president much better. I would be glad if it comes to such a meeting."

21 May 2021; MEMO: A German officer stands accused of plotting a terrorist attack on high-ranking politicians while posing as a Syrian refugee, in efforts to incriminate those who have sought asylum in Germany and in Europe.

(Reuters) --- German hospitals may be at increased risk from hackers, the head of the country's cyber security agency said on Saturday, following two high-profile digital attacks this month on the Irish health service and a U.S. fuel pipeline.

Ireland's health service operator shut down its IT systems last Friday to protect them from a "significant" ransomware attack, crippling diagnostic services, disrupting COVID-19 testing and forcing the cancellation of many appointments. 

(Reuters) --- Germany called for a ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and offered more aid to help Palestinians on Tuesday before emergency European Union talks that are expected to highlight divisions over the conflict.

The call for a truce follows U.S. President Joe Biden's support for a ceasefire during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. 

BERLIN, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The German government eased entry restrictions for travelers on Wednesday, allowing people who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from the coronavirus to enter the country without any quarantine obligation.

From now on, vaccinated and/or recovered travelers will be "treated the same way as those who have been tested," according to the government.

(Reuters) --- The German Greens' candidate for chancellor Annalena Baerbock on Wednesday criticised Finance Minister Olaf Scholz's plan to return to strict borrowing limits from 2023, saying Berlin had to invest more in climate protection, health care and education.

The Greens are currently riding high in the polls ahead of Germany's Sept. 26 election, with a very good chance of joining the next coalition government or even taking over the chancellery.

BERLIN (AP) — German investors are increasingly optimistic about the country’s economy as the latest surge of new coronavirus infections seems to be slowing, a closely-watched survey showed Tuesday.

The Mannheim-based ZEW institute said its indicator of economic expectations for Germany over the next six months increased 13.7 points in May over the previous month to a reading of 84.4, the highest value since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last time the indicator was at a higher level was in February 2000.

(Reuters) --- The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be broken, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Friday, as social distancing measures and an accelerating vaccination campaign help lower the infection rate.

"The third wave appears to be broken," Spahn told a regular weekly news briefing on Germany's pandemic management.

BERLIN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that the EU-China investment treaty was an "important undertaking" despite "all the difficulties that will certainly arise in the ratification process."

"It is a very important undertaking because it gives us more reciprocity in market access, because we have decided to comply with the labor standards of the International Labor Organization and other things with which trade can be developed to the benefit of both parties," said Merkel at a digital conference of the Union Party parliamentary group.