Germany

(Reuters) --- Germany's foreign minister said on Monday the European Union should abolish the right of individual member states to veto foreign policy measures as the 27-nation bloc could not allow itself to be "held hostage".

His comments, which came days after a more junior official criticised Hungary by name, reflect growing frustration in Berlin at the way in which EU member countries can prevent the bloc from acting in matters on which almost all members agree.

BERLIN, June 6. /TASS/: Russian-Chinese cooperation is becoming closer and is "a new dimension and a serious challenge" for the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag.

"We consider that Russia and China have developed closer political and military cooperation lately," Stoltenberg said. According to him, Moscow and Beijing are more often coordinating their steps in international organizations, including in the United Nations.

(Reuters) --- The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt started votingon Sunday in the last test of public opinion before September’s national election, one which could deal a blow to conservative Armin Laschet’s hopes of succeeding Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Surveys in the state show a small lead for the Christian Democrats (CDU) of Laschet and Merkel, but the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was running just one percentage point behind in the final poll published on Friday.

(Reuters) --- Armin Laschet, Chancellor Angela Merkel's would-be successor, desperately needs his Christian Democrats to win a regional vote on Sunday to avoid questions resurfacing about whether he is the right candidate to lead them into September's federal election.

The sparsely-populated eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt is home to just 2.2 million people, but Sunday's election has outsized significance as the last regional vote before Germans elect a government for the post-Merkel era on Sept. 26.

BERLIN (AP) — The European Union’s top court ruled Thursday that Germany “systematically and persistently” exceeded limits on nitrogen dioxide, a harmful gas produced by diesel engines, in many regions between 2010 and 2016.

The European Court of Justice faulted Germany for exceeding annual limits on NO2 in 26 out of 89 areas assessed — including the Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Munich and Stuttgart areas. It found that hourly limits also were exceeded in Stuttgart and the Rhine-Main area, which includes Frankfurt.

(Reuters) --- Germany on Tuesday rejected calls for arms deliveries to Kyiv, after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked Berlin for assault rifles, radio equipment and armoured vehicles.

"I am convinced the conflict (in eastern Ukraine) can only be resolved by political means," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told journalists ahead of a video conference with his NATO counterparts.

"This will remain the guideline of our engagement with Ukraine, and there will be no change: Arms deliveries won't help," he added.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s health minister says he is “anything but happy” that Syria’s government — which has waged a devastating, deadly decade-long war against dissenters — has been selected for a seat on the World Health Organization’s executive board.

Health Minister Jens Spahn said Tuesday that the choice of Syria, which was confirmed with no debate or dissent at a meeting of WHO member nations in Geneva over the weekend, reflected the need to work with some governments for the benefit of their people — especially on health matters.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Eurozone inflation rose to 2.0% in May, driven higher by rising oil prices as other inflationary pressures appeared to remain subdued.

The modest price rise in Europe compares with a much stronger jump in the US that has led to discussion about the inflationary impact of stimulus and relief policies from government spending and central banks.

BERLIN, May 30. / TASS /: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) needs to speed up the certification of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 jab, German federal state of Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Soeder stated on Sunday in the Bild am Sontag newspaper.

"The vaccination pace cannot be slowed down. First of all, we need to fast-track the process of Sputnik V’s [registration in the EU]," the Bavarian prime minister said. According to him, this process cannot be delayed "solely for ideological reasons".

BERLIN, May 30. /TASS/: President of the European Union Parliament David Sassoli has called for tightening anti-Russian sanctions, he said in an interview published in the newspapers of Germany’s Funke media group on Sunday.

"We have to tighten the sanctions against Russian officials, but also establish closer contacts with the population and civil society and support Russian dissidents, NGOs and independent media," Sassoli said.