Germany

(Reuters) --- Germany will not let down its Afghan staff as the international military mission in the country winds down after nearly two decades of war, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer pledged on Sunday.

"I feel it is Germany's sincere duty to not leave these people without protection now that we will permanently withdraw," the defence ministry in Berlin said on Twitter, quoting extracts from an interview with German news agency DPA.

BERLIN (AP) — Pressure mounted Saturday on the two contenders hoping to lead German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc into September’s national election to end their power struggle and agree which of them will run to succeed her.

Armin Laschet, the leader of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, and Markus Soeder, the head of its smaller Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, have both declared their interest in running for chancellor.

BERLIN, April 17. /TASS/: Austria will consider it a great honor, if Russia and the United States decide to hold a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden in Vienna, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Saturday.

Austria is already in contact with Russia and the United States on the issue of discussing a potential venue for the Putin-Biden summit, he said.

BERLIN, April 16. /TASS/: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has received the first component of AstraZeneca’s anti-coronavirus jab, German Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert reported on his Twitter page on Friday.

The statement quotes the chancellor: "Today, I received the first shot of the AstraZeneca drug. Thank you to everyone who works on the inoculation campaign and who participates in it. Vaccination is the key to overcoming the pandemic."

(Reuters) --- German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged lawmakers on Friday to approve new powers that would allow her to force coronavirus lockdowns and curfews on areas with high infection rates, saying a majority of Germans were in favour of stricter measures.

"The third wave of the pandemic has our country firmly in its grip," said Merkel, whose speech in parliament was interrupted by heckling from lawmakers of the far-right Alternative for Germany party opposed to lockdowns.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Euro zone citizens expect the European Central Bank’s proposed digital euro to be private, safe and cheap, a survey showed on Wednesday, as the ECB warned that any launch was still several years away.

The ECB is studying an electronic form of cash to complement banknotes and coins in a bid to stem competition from cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Tether and Facebook’s proposed Diem.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she was keeping out of a debate in her conservative bloc over whether Christian Democrat party chairman Armin Laschet or Bavarian premier Markus Soeder should be the candidate to succeed her.

“I wanted to, want to and will stay out of it,” Merkel told reporters when asked if she feared the struggle between Laschet and Soeder could damage their conservative alliance so much that they lose the chancellery after a Sept. 26 federal election.

BERLIN (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that he is expanding the U.S. military presence in Germany by 500 troops, suggesting he will not carry out a Trump administration order to withdraw thousands of them.

“This planned increase in U.S. personnel underscores our commitment to Germany and the entire NATO alliance,” Austin said in a notable counterpoint to the Trump administration’s repeated complaints that Germany is a weak partner on defense and security.

BERLIN (AP) — Nearly a year after President Donald Trump ordered thousands of troops to leave Germany, capping a series of setbacks for U.S. relations with major allies, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin began an inaugural tour of Europe to shore up partnerships that are a cornerstone of the post-World War II order.

BERLIN (Reuters) -The head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, who wants to be their next candidate for chancellor in a September election, said on Sunday the party should make their choice of candidate very soon.

Christian Democrat (CDU) leader Laschet lags behind Markus Soeder, head of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), in opinion polls, but enjoys the support of some powerful state premiers.