Germany coach Joachim Loew said the team's demise in 2018 was unexpected but part of a normal cycle in sport and he is now focussed on what the former world champions need to do to rise again.

Germany face the Netherlands on Monday in their last Nations League group game, having already been relegated, and are looking to cap a terrible year with a good performance.

They started the year as reigning world champions and overwhelming favourites to retain the World Cup in Russia.

Yet they exited the tournament at their earliest stage in 80 years and are heading into 2019 after a German-record six defeats so far within a calendar year.

Another blow was delivered on Friday when the Dutch beat France to guarantee Germany's relegation in the inaugural Nations League competition.

"We now want to say goodbye (to 2018) with a good performance and show the fans that we are on the right track to recovery," Loew told a news conference.

"We had a decade of rising to the top and there sometimes can be a year where nothing works," said the German.

"It was something completely new for me. Now we have reached a phase where we have to renew things, improve, start from scratch. We need to draw the right conclusions and take the right measures."

Loew started several youngsters in their 3-0 friendly win over Russia on Thursday, as he looks to gradually transform his team to depend less on the core of players who won the 2014 World Cup.

He dropped central defender Jerome Boateng for the two games and left fellow world champions Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels on the bench.

"If you think you can be in the top four in the world for over 20 years then you don't understand football. It is just like life. Sometimes you have to start lower down. We were the top team for a long time," said Loew, who has been in charge since 2006.

On Monday he will likely be without in-form winger Marco Reus, who is nursing a minor injury that also ruled him out against Russia.

"I still don't know if he will play," Loew said. "The decision will be taken tonight or tomorrow. We will see."

Germany coach Joachim Loew said the team's demise in 2018 was unexpected but part of a normal cycle in sport and he is now focussed on what the former world champions need to do to rise again.

Germany coach Joachim Loew said the team's demise in 2018 was unexpected but part of a normal cycle in sport and he is now focussed on what the former world champions need to do to rise again. Germany face the Netherlands on Monday in their last Nations League group game, having already been relegated, and are looking to cap a terrible year with a good performance. They started the year as reigning world champions and overwhelming favourites to retain the World Cup in Russia. Yet they exited the tournament at their earliest stage in 80 years and are heading into 2019 after a German-record six defeats so far within a calendar year. Another blow was delivered on Friday when the Dutch beat France to guarantee Germany's relegation in the inaugural Nations League competition. "We now want to say goodbye (to 2018) with a good performance and show the fans that we are on the right track to recovery," Loew told a news conference. "We had a decade of rising to the top and there sometimes can be a year where nothing works," said the German. "It was something completely new for me. Now we have reached a phase where we have to renew things, improve, start from scratch. We need to draw the right conclusions and take the right measures." Loew started several youngsters in their 3-0 friendly win over Russia on Thursday, as he looks to gradually transform his team to depend less on the core of players who won the 2014 World Cup. He dropped central defender Jerome Boateng for the two games and left fellow world champions Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels on the bench. "If you think you can be in the top four in the world for over 20 years then you don't understand football. It is just like life. Sometimes you have to start lower down. We were the top team for a long time," said Loew, who has been in charge since 2006. On Monday he will likely be without in-form winger Marco Reus, who is nursing a minor injury that also ruled him out against Russia. "I still don't know if he will play," Loew said. "The decision will be taken tonight or tomorrow. We will see."

Germany coach Joachim Loew looking to rebuild after 2018 collapse

Germany will bar 18 Saudis from entering its territory and Europe's Schengen passport-free zone over their alleged links to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday.

Maas said the move was "coordinated very closely with" states France and Britain and the broader EU as they seek more information in Khashoggi's death last month in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Berlin has "decided that Germany should impose an entry ban on 18 Saudi citizens, who are presumed to be in connection with this deed, in the Schengen information system," Maas told reporters.

"We are in close coordination on this issue within the European Union," he said, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels.&nbsp;

"Over the weekend, we stated that we expected further steps to be taken to clarify the situation. We will follow on this closely and reserve further steps for ourselves."

The Schengen zone -- which is composed of 22 EU nations and four non-EU countries. EU member Britain is not part of the passport-free Schengen zone, but shares intelligence through Shengen Information System (SIS) for law enforcement purposes.

Germany called last month for EU countries to follow its lead and suspend arms sales for the moment to Saudi Arabia, prompting a dismissive response from French President Emmanuel Macron.

France is the kingdom's second biggest customer after India.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who was critical of Saudi crown prince Mohamed bin Salman, was killed after going to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve documents necessary to marry his Turkish fiancee.

According to Turkish officials, an audio recording proves that Khashoggi was deliberately killed and dismembered soon after entering the consulate.

Saudi Arabia has offered shifting accounts of what happened, initially saying Khashoggi left the embassy after receiving his documents and later that he was killed when an argument degenerated into a fistfight.

In the latest version, the Saudi prosecutor said a 15-member team went to Istanbul to bring Khashoggi back to the kingdom but killed him instead in a rogue operation.

The prosecutor exonerated the crown prince, after indicting 11 Saudis and sacking five officials, including two members of Prince Mohammed's inner circle.

The United States, traditionally Riyadh's closest ally, has sanctioned 17 Saudis for the crime.

Germany will bar 18 Saudis from entering its territory and Europe's Schengen passport-free zone over their alleged links to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday.

Germany will bar 18 Saudis from entering its territory and Europe's Schengen passport-free zone over their alleged links to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday. Maas said the move was "coordinated very closely with" states France and Britain and the broader EU as they seek more information in Khashoggi's death last month in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Berlin has "decided that Germany should impose an entry ban on 18 Saudi citizens, who are presumed to be in connection with this deed, in the Schengen information system," Maas told reporters. "We are in close coordination on this issue within the European Union," he said, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels. "Over the weekend, we stated that we expected further steps to be taken to clarify the situation. We will follow on this closely and reserve further steps for ourselves." The Schengen zone -- which is composed of 22 EU nations and four non-EU countries. EU member Britain is not part of the passport-free Schengen zone, but shares intelligence through Shengen Information System (SIS) for law enforcement purposes. Germany called last month for EU countries to follow its lead and suspend arms sales for the moment to Saudi Arabia, prompting a dismissive response from French President Emmanuel Macron. France is the kingdom's second biggest customer after India. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who was critical of Saudi crown prince Mohamed bin Salman, was killed after going to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve documents necessary to marry his Turkish fiancee. According to Turkish officials, an audio recording proves that Khashoggi was deliberately killed and dismembered soon after entering the consulate. Saudi Arabia has offered shifting accounts of what happened, initially saying Khashoggi left the embassy after receiving his documents and later that he was killed when an argument degenerated into a fistfight. In the latest version, the Saudi prosecutor said a 15-member team went to Istanbul to bring Khashoggi back to the kingdom but killed him instead in a rogue operation. The prosecutor exonerated the crown prince, after indicting 11 Saudis and sacking five officials, including two members of Prince Mohammed's inner circle. The United States, traditionally Riyadh's closest ally, has sanctioned 17 Saudis for the crime.

Germany says will bar 18 Saudis over Khashoggi murder

Forty-four per cent of German firms expect a further escalation of trade tensions between Europe and the United States, which is likely to continue to dampen new investments, the RND newspaper chain reported, citing a survey by the IW economic institute.

Thirty-four per cent do not see trade ties growing more strained, RND reported.

It said 41 per cent of firms surveyed considered it unlikely that the United States and the European Union (EU) would reach agreement on a transatlantic trade agreement.

US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker struck an agreement in July that should shield European firms from US auto tariffs while the two sides continue to work on trade issues.&nbsp;

But the EU`s trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, last week said any US-EU trade deal would be limited in scope, covering industrial goods, but not agriculture.

Pascal Lamy, the former director general of the World Trade Organisation, last month said the EU should also prepare for its companies to be targeted by US sanctions in a worsening trade dispute between the United States and China.

The IW study said continued uncertainty about the global trade environment would weigh on firms` willingness to invest, which in turn would depress German firms` export prospects in the United States and elsewhere.

"Given worldwide economic developments, the downturn of the German economy is expected to continue," IW said in the study, according to RND.

The DIHK German Chambers of Commerce also sees no signs that the United States will change course and back away from threatened tariffs, a situation that is of particular concern to German automakers, the media group reported.

DIHK President Eric Schweitzer said it was imperative to continue dialogue with Washington, with the goal of negotiating a longer-term free trade agreement that would give industry more certainty and room for manouevre.

"For the moment, we are far from such a reasonable agreement with our second most important trading partner, the United States," he added. 
He said the group had halved its export growth forecast for 2018 to 2.8 per cent, and expected modest growth of just 2.5 per cent next year.&nbsp;

Forty-four per cent of German firms expect a further escalation of trade tensions between Europe and the United States, which is likely to continue to dampen new investments, the RND newspaper chain reported, citing a survey by the IW economic institute.

Forty-four per cent of German firms expect a further escalation of trade tensions between Europe and the United States, which is likely to continue to dampen new investments, the RND newspaper chain reported, citing a survey by the IW economic institute. Thirty-four per cent do not see trade ties growing more strained, RND reported. It said 41 per cent of firms surveyed considered it unlikely that the United States and the European Union (EU) would reach agreement on a transatlantic trade agreement. US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker struck an agreement in July that should shield European firms from US auto tariffs while the two sides continue to work on trade issues. But the EU`s trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, last week said any US-EU trade deal would be limited in scope, covering industrial goods, but not agriculture. Pascal Lamy, the former director general of the World Trade Organisation, last month said the EU should also prepare for its companies to be targeted by US sanctions in a worsening trade dispute between the United States and China. The IW study said continued uncertainty about the global trade environment would weigh on firms` willingness to invest, which in turn would depress German firms` export prospects in the United States and elsewhere. "Given worldwide economic developments, the downturn of the German economy is expected to continue," IW said in the study, according to RND. The DIHK German Chambers of Commerce also sees no signs that the United States will change course and back away from threatened tariffs, a situation that is of particular concern to German automakers, the media group reported. DIHK President Eric Schweitzer said it was imperative to continue dialogue with Washington, with the goal of negotiating a longer-term free trade agreement that would give industry more certainty and room for manouevre. "For the moment, we are far from such a reasonable agreement with our second most important trading partner, the United States," he added. He said the group had halved its export growth forecast for 2018 to 2.8 per cent, and expected modest growth of just 2.5 per cent next year.

Nearly half of German firms expect growing trade strains with US: Survey

Men's Hockey World Cup 2018: All teams and their squad list

The Trump administration hopes that the US-backed fight against Islamic State in its last foothold in northeastern Syria will end within months but American forces will remain to ensure the "enduring defeat" of the militant group, a top US diplomat said on Wednesday.

Ambassador James Jeffrey, the US special representative for Syria engagement, said the United States believes the way forward in Syria includes defeating Islamic State, reinvigorating the political process and winding down the long-running civil war.

Toward that end, he said, the United States hopes to see the formation of a committee before the end of the year to work on a new constitution for Syria as agreed by the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey during their meeting in Istanbul in October.

He said US forces would remain in place after the coalition forces prevail over Islamic State military units to ensure the group does not "regenerate itself."

"The enduring defeat means not simply smashing the last of ISIS’ conventional military units holding terrain, but ensuring that ISIS doesn’t immediately come back in sleeper cells, come back as an insurgent movement," Jeffrey said, using an acronym for the group.

Washington also wants the withdrawal of Iranian military forces from Syria once the underlying causes of the conflict have been resolved, he said, noting that Iran's continued military presence would represent a threat to US partners in the region.

Jeffrey said the final ground combat is along the Euphrates River and is being led by Syrian Democratic Forces assisted by US military personnel.

"The fight is continuing and we hope that it will be over in a few months and that will be the last of ISIS’ terrain that it holds in a quasi-conventional way," he said.

Jeffrey said convening a committee under UN auspices to begin work on a new Syrian constitution was a "critical step" toward advancing the political process. He said the United States would hold Russia to account to use its influence to bring the government of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to the negotiating table.

"Our goal, which again was supported by Russia, France, Germany and Turkey and agreed in the October 27 Istanbul communique, is to establish this constitutional committee by the end of the year," he said.

Jeffrey said getting Iranian forces out of Syria, where they back Assad's rule, was not a US military goal but should be an outcome of the process to end the civil war and the only way to achieve lasting peace.

He said newly reinstated US sanctions against Iran would encourage Tehran to scale back its presence in Syria.

The Trump administration hopes that the US-backed fight against Islamic State in its last foothold in northeastern Syria will end within months but American forces will remain to ensure the "enduring defeat" of the militant group, a top US diplomat said on Wednesday.

The Trump administration hopes that the US-backed fight against Islamic State in its last foothold in northeastern Syria will end within months but American forces will remain to ensure the "enduring defeat" of the militant group, a top US diplomat said on Wednesday. Ambassador James Jeffrey, the US special representative for Syria engagement, said the United States believes the way forward in Syria includes defeating Islamic State, reinvigorating the political process and winding down the long-running civil war. Toward that end, he said, the United States hopes to see the formation of a committee before the end of the year to work on a new constitution for Syria as agreed by the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey during their meeting in Istanbul in October. He said US forces would remain in place after the coalition forces prevail over Islamic State military units to ensure the group does not "regenerate itself." "The enduring defeat means not simply smashing the last of ISIS’ conventional military units holding terrain, but ensuring that ISIS doesn’t immediately come back in sleeper cells, come back as an insurgent movement," Jeffrey said, using an acronym for the group. Washington also wants the withdrawal of Iranian military forces from Syria once the underlying causes of the conflict have been resolved, he said, noting that Iran's continued military presence would represent a threat to US partners in the region. Jeffrey said the final ground combat is along the Euphrates River and is being led by Syrian Democratic Forces assisted by US military personnel. "The fight is continuing and we hope that it will be over in a few months and that will be the last of ISIS’ terrain that it holds in a quasi-conventional way," he said. Jeffrey said convening a committee under UN auspices to begin work on a new Syrian constitution was a "critical step" toward advancing the political process. He said the United States would hold Russia to account to use its influence to bring the government of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to the negotiating table. "Our goal, which again was supported by Russia, France, Germany and Turkey and agreed in the October 27 Istanbul communique, is to establish this constitutional committee by the end of the year," he said. Jeffrey said getting Iranian forces out of Syria, where they back Assad's rule, was not a US military goal but should be an outcome of the process to end the civil war and the only way to achieve lasting peace. He said newly reinstated US sanctions against Iran would encourage Tehran to scale back its presence in Syria.

Fight against Islamic State in last Syria stronghold may end soon: US envoy

Senior German officials are planning a last-ditch drive to convince the government to consider excluding Chinese firms such as Huawei from building the country's 5G infrastructure amid concerns this could compromise national security.

The behind-the-scenes push in Berlin, which comes after decisions by Australia and the United States to ban Chinese suppliers from 5G, has emerged at a late stage, with Germany expected to start its 5G auctions in early 2019.

Because of this momentum, officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said it was unclear whether the initiative would succeed.

But the push highlights the extent of the concern in some Berlin ministries about a Chinese role in building Germany's next generation mobile network, despite the lack of a vigorous public debate here about the security dimensions of 5G.

"There is serious concern. If it were up to me we would do what the Australians are doing," one senior German official involved in the internal 5G debate in Berlin told Reuters.

Leading the charge are officials in the German foreign and interior ministries, who have held talks with their US and Australian counterparts and share their concerns about the risks of using Chinese suppliers like Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer.

They are pressing for a more serious discussion on 5G before the auction process begins, the senior official said. Some officials suggested this could lead to a delay.

Opposition parties are also pushing back. Last week the Greens submitted a motion in parliament that questioned the government stance that it has no legal basis for excluding certain suppliers from its 5G rollout.

"Excluding all investors from a certain country is the wrong approach," Katharina Droege, a Greens lawmaker who co-authored the Bundestag motion, told Reuters. "But we need to be able to vet individual cases in order to ensure our critical infrastructure is protected. That could lead to the exclusion of Chinese firms from building our 5G infrastructure."

So far the public debate in Germany over 5G has centred around how extensive next-generation mobile network coverage will be rather than questions about security.

Current coverage is patchy and that, combined with delays in building out high-speed internet, has been criticised by business groups as a handicap in the digital era.

INTELLIGENCE LAW

The security concerns centre around China's National Intelligence Law, approved in 2017, which states that Chinese "organisations and citizens shall, in accordance with the law, support, cooperate with, and collaborate in national intelligence work".

This has sparked fears that Huawei could be asked by the Chinese government to incorporate "backdoors" into their equipment that would allow Beijing access, for spying or sabotage purposes.

Some experts also see a risk that Chinese intelligence may develop an ability to subvert Huawei's equipment.

Responding to the Reuters story, a Huawei spokesman said the company rejected any suggestion that it might pose a threat to national security.

"Cyber security has always been our top priority and we have a proven track record of providing secure products and solutions for our customers in Germany and around the world," the spokesman said.

Huawei has called Australia's decision in August to ban it from 5G "politically motivated" and based on a "mistaken and narrow understanding" of Chinese law. It has stressed that it is a private company, with no formal links to the Chinese government.

Last week, after The Australian newspaper published a story saying Huawei staffers had been used by Chinese intelligence to obtain access codes to infiltrate a foreign network, the company denied that it had ever "provided or been asked to provide customer information for any government or organisation".

Huawei has been a partner of Deutsche Telekom and other carriers in Germany for years, establishing a sizeable presence in the German market.

In recent months, a flurry of German politicians -- from the Bundestag as well as state and local governments -- have visited its headquarters in Shenzhen as part of the company's ambitious lobbying efforts.

"Following Australia's decision to exclude the Chinese from their 5G network, there is huge angst at Huawei," said a senior industry official who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

"They fear a domino effect. If it stops with Australia it is not such a big deal. But if it continues it's serious. A 5G setback in Germany could ripple across Europe."

GROWING CONCERN

The debate in Germany comes at a time of growing concern about Chinese investments and influence in Europe. Berlin is in the process of tightening its foreign takeover rules to prevent Chinese rivals from snapping up German tech companies.

The European Commission, meanwhile, has kicked off a debate about strategic autonomy, arguing that Europe must ensure that it does not become overly reliant on the United States or China in the digital age.

But excluding Huawei and other Chinese firms like ZTE is no simple task. Huawei is a global leader in 5G and its technology is among the most advanced and cheapest in the world. European alternatives include Ericsson and Nokia.

"If the conclusion of your strategic autonomy debate is that you as a state must have control over everything then it's going to cost a lot of money," said Paul Timmers, a research fellow at Oxford University and former director of cybersecurity at the European Commission's digital directorate. "You have to think about whether it's realistic and whether you can afford it."

Some officials in Berlin, Washington and Canberra also expressed concerns about whether Germany's fragile coalition government was strong and forward-thinking enough to take a big decision like banning Chinese firms from 5G -- a step that could have major consequences for Germany's relations with China.

"I do worry about this. It may be too late," a second senior German official said, acknowledging that business interests, rather than strategic factors, have driven German policy on such issues for decades.

Senior German officials are planning a last-ditch drive to convince the government to consider excluding Chinese firms such as Huawei from building the country's 5G infrastructure amid concerns this could compromise national security.

Senior German officials are planning a last-ditch drive to convince the government to consider excluding Chinese firms such as Huawei from building the country's 5G infrastructure amid concerns this could compromise national security. The behind-the-scenes push in Berlin, which comes after decisions by Australia and the United States to ban Chinese suppliers from 5G, has emerged at a late stage, with Germany expected to start its 5G auctions in early 2019. Because of this momentum, officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said it was unclear whether the initiative would succeed. But the push highlights the extent of the concern in some Berlin ministries about a Chinese role in building Germany's next generation mobile network, despite the lack of a vigorous public debate here about the security dimensions of 5G. "There is serious concern. If it were up to me we would do what the Australians are doing," one senior German official involved in the internal 5G debate in Berlin told Reuters. Leading the charge are officials in the German foreign and interior ministries, who have held talks with their US and Australian counterparts and share their concerns about the risks of using Chinese suppliers like Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer. They are pressing for a more serious discussion on 5G before the auction process begins, the senior official said. Some officials suggested this could lead to a delay. Opposition parties are also pushing back. Last week the Greens submitted a motion in parliament that questioned the government stance that it has no legal basis for excluding certain suppliers from its 5G rollout. "Excluding all investors from a certain country is the wrong approach," Katharina Droege, a Greens lawmaker who co-authored the Bundestag motion, told Reuters. "But we need to be able to vet individual cases in order to ensure our critical infrastructure is protected. That could lead to the exclusion of Chinese firms from building our 5G infrastructure." So far the public debate in Germany over 5G has centred around how extensive next-generation mobile network coverage will be rather than questions about security. Current coverage is patchy and that, combined with delays in building out high-speed internet, has been criticised by business groups as a handicap in the digital era. INTELLIGENCE LAW The security concerns centre around China's National Intelligence Law, approved in 2017, which states that Chinese "organisations and citizens shall, in accordance with the law, support, cooperate with, and collaborate in national intelligence work". This has sparked fears that Huawei could be asked by the Chinese government to incorporate "backdoors" into their equipment that would allow Beijing access, for spying or sabotage purposes. Some experts also see a risk that Chinese intelligence may develop an ability to subvert Huawei's equipment. Responding to the Reuters story, a Huawei spokesman said the company rejected any suggestion that it might pose a threat to national security. "Cyber security has always been our top priority and we have a proven track record of providing secure products and solutions for our customers in Germany and around the world," the spokesman said. Huawei has called Australia's decision in August to ban it from 5G "politically motivated" and based on a "mistaken and narrow understanding" of Chinese law. It has stressed that it is a private company, with no formal links to the Chinese government. Last week, after The Australian newspaper published a story saying Huawei staffers had been used by Chinese intelligence to obtain access codes to infiltrate a foreign network, the company denied that it had ever "provided or been asked to provide customer information for any government or organisation". Huawei has been a partner of Deutsche Telekom and other carriers in Germany for years, establishing a sizeable presence in the German market. In recent months, a flurry of German politicians -- from the Bundestag as well as state and local governments -- have visited its headquarters in Shenzhen as part of the company's ambitious lobbying efforts. "Following Australia's decision to exclude the Chinese from their 5G network, there is huge angst at Huawei," said a senior industry official who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "They fear a domino effect. If it stops with Australia it is not such a big deal. But if it continues it's serious. A 5G setback in Germany could ripple across Europe." GROWING CONCERN The debate in Germany comes at a time of growing concern about Chinese investments and influence in Europe. Berlin is in the process of tightening its foreign takeover rules to prevent Chinese rivals from snapping up German tech companies. The European Commission, meanwhile, has kicked off a debate about strategic autonomy, arguing that Europe must ensure that it does not become overly reliant on the United States or China in the digital age. But excluding Huawei and other Chinese firms like ZTE is no simple task. Huawei is a global leader in 5G and its technology is among the most advanced and cheapest in the world. European alternatives include Ericsson and Nokia. "If the conclusion of your strategic autonomy debate is that you as a state must have control over everything then it's going to cost a lot of money," said Paul Timmers, a research fellow at Oxford University and former director of cybersecurity at the European Commission's digital directorate. "You have to think about whether it's realistic and whether you can afford it." Some officials in Berlin, Washington and Canberra also expressed concerns about whether Germany's fragile coalition government was strong and forward-thinking enough to take a big decision like banning Chinese firms from 5G -- a step that could have major consequences for Germany's relations with China. "I do worry about this. It may be too late," a second senior German official said, acknowledging that business interests, rather than strategic factors, have driven German policy on such issues for decades.

German officials sound China alarm as 5G auctions loom

Germany's interior minister on Monday forced out domestic spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen, whose controversial comments about racist far-right protesters threw Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government into crisis.

Maassen, 55, was pushed into early retirement - rather than into another government post as earlier planned - after he exacerbated the controversy by blaming "radical left-wing forces" in Merkel's coalition government for his troubles.

Maassen had also criticised Merkel's "naive" immigration policy in a Warsaw farewell speech last month to fellow heads of European domestic intelligence organisations, it emerged at the weekend. &nbsp;

Interior minister Horst Seehofer, who had long defended Maassen, told a press conference Monday that the spy chief's latest comments were "unacceptable" and had left him "personally disappointed".

Seehofer, himself under pressure over the row and over poor regional election results in Bavaria state last month, said he had asked German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to retire Maassen into inactive status.

Maassen -- according to a transcript of his Warsaw speech published by the Bild and Sueddeutsche dailies -- had said he could imagine switching "to business or politics" after quitting the leadership of the BfV security agency.

The Maassen dispute centred on controversial comments he made that played down the severity of far-right racist mob violence in the eastern city of Chemnitz in late August that shocked Germany and the world.

Merkel deplored the xenophobic unrest, but Maassen soon contradicted her and questioned whether any "hunting down" of foreigners had taken place, and whether amateur video footage of the confrontations had been fake.

While his comments were cheered by the far right, the three opposition parties and the Social Democrats (SPD) demanded he be fired for meddling in politics -- sparking a row within the Merkel coalition government that lasted for weeks.

That infighting was partially blamed for poor state election results that led Merkel to announce last week that she would not stand again for the leadership of her Christian Democrats, marking the beginning of the end of her reign.

Maassen, who had been due to move to a top bureaucrat's post in Seehofer's interior ministry, had in his Warsaw speech defended his initial assessment that no "hunting down" of foreigners took place in Chemnitz.

"I have seen a lot of German media manipulation and Russian disinformation," he said in his address.&nbsp;

"But to see politicians and the media freely invent 'hunts', or at least to spread this misinformation without checking it, to me represented a new step in false reporting in Germany."

Germany's interior minister on Monday forced out domestic spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen, whose controversial comments about racist far-right protesters threw Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government into crisis.

Germany's interior minister on Monday forced out domestic spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen, whose controversial comments about racist far-right protesters threw Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government into crisis. Maassen, 55, was pushed into early retirement - rather than into another government post as earlier planned - after he exacerbated the controversy by blaming "radical left-wing forces" in Merkel's coalition government for his troubles. Maassen had also criticised Merkel's "naive" immigration policy in a Warsaw farewell speech last month to fellow heads of European domestic intelligence organisations, it emerged at the weekend. Interior minister Horst Seehofer, who had long defended Maassen, told a press conference Monday that the spy chief's latest comments were "unacceptable" and had left him "personally disappointed". Seehofer, himself under pressure over the row and over poor regional election results in Bavaria state last month, said he had asked German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to retire Maassen into inactive status. Maassen -- according to a transcript of his Warsaw speech published by the Bild and Sueddeutsche dailies -- had said he could imagine switching "to business or politics" after quitting the leadership of the BfV security agency. The Maassen dispute centred on controversial comments he made that played down the severity of far-right racist mob violence in the eastern city of Chemnitz in late August that shocked Germany and the world. Merkel deplored the xenophobic unrest, but Maassen soon contradicted her and questioned whether any "hunting down" of foreigners had taken place, and whether amateur video footage of the confrontations had been fake. While his comments were cheered by the far right, the three opposition parties and the Social Democrats (SPD) demanded he be fired for meddling in politics -- sparking a row within the Merkel coalition government that lasted for weeks. That infighting was partially blamed for poor state election results that led Merkel to announce last week that she would not stand again for the leadership of her Christian Democrats, marking the beginning of the end of her reign. Maassen, who had been due to move to a top bureaucrat's post in Seehofer's interior ministry, had in his Warsaw speech defended his initial assessment that no "hunting down" of foreigners took place in Chemnitz. "I have seen a lot of German media manipulation and Russian disinformation," he said in his address. "But to see politicians and the media freely invent 'hunts', or at least to spread this misinformation without checking it, to me represented a new step in false reporting in Germany."

Germany sacks spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen over immigration remark

German artist remembers WW1 with carpet of poppies

By Daniel Hough 
 
German politics has been dominated by two parties since the end of the war – the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. Yet, recent election results in the southern state of Bavaria and in the central region of Hesse are evidence that they are in big trouble.

This became even more apparent when, the day after the Hesse election, Angela Merkel, Germany’s long-time leader, announced that she would not stand again as Chancellor in the 2021 election and wouldn’t put herself forward for re-election as leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in December.

The logic behind this decision is simple: Merkel recognises that her brand is not the electoral asset that it once was and that the need to groom a successor is getting ever more urgent. All eyes will now be keeping a close on on the likes of Jens Spahn, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Armin Laschet – the three front-runners to take over as CDU leader.

Tough at the top

It’s certainly not implausible that German party politics is undergoing a seismic shift. The Christian Democrat parties – CDU and their regional partner the CSU – and the Social Democrats (SPD) continue to govern nationally as part of a longstanding grand coalition but are seeing their vote shares and opinion poll ratings slump to historic lows. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is, since the Hesse election, now present in all 16 regional parliaments plus the European Parliament and the Bundestag. Both the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the socialist Left Party have solid bases of support that see them maintaining a firm presence in national politics. The Greens, meanwhile, are flying high in the national opinion polls and have performed admirably in recent regional elections.

The two main parties do nonetheless now have some time to try to shape the national narrative in a way that suits them. The CDU will try to do that under a new party leader, the SPD almost certainly with the leaders they currently have. That both parties are managing a way out of the unloved grand coalition is clear, but that way out cannot begin any time soon. Both parties are desperate to find alternatives to governing with each other, but, for now, these alternatives are not clear enough and reliable enough to be viable. The only option is to keep calm and carry on.

The CDU/CSU and SPD are helped by the fact that Germany is moving into a period of relative electoral tranquillity. There are no major electoral contests between now and May 2019, the date of both elections to the European Parliament and also to the smallest of Germany’s 16 states, Bremen. The next major regional elections take place in the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony on September 1 2019. They are quickly followed by another contest in Thuringia (again in the east) on October 27 2019.

This gives the German government some breathing space. Politicians in both the CDU and the SPD are well aware that internal bickering has badly hamstrung the government. Stories of scandal and intrigue far outweigh discussions of any substantive achievements. Both Merkel and Andrea Nahles (the leader of the SPD) know that simply has to change.

Neither Merkel nor Nahles has the slightest interest in collapsing the coalition and calling new elections. That way electoral disaster lies for both parties. They, and majorities in their parties, know that they somehow have to make the national government work. Nahles announced that this will involve a (newly declared) mid-term assessment of whether there’s enough evidence of SPD achievements to merit carrying on. In reality, this will be for internal consumption as the SPD will – in all likelihood – still be a long way from strong enough to risk pulling out of the coalition and prompting new elections. The two parties are subsequently doomed to govern together for at least the medium term.

2019: a bellwether year? 
 
The fact that 2019 will be the year of eastern regional elections will be significant. German national elections are often won and lost in the east. The Greens’ two impressive successes in 2018 have both come in western regions where their post-materialist supporter base is much stronger. This shouldn’t deflect from the considerable achievements of the Greens in Bavaria and Hesse, but eastern Germany will be a totally different challenge.

It’s worth remembering that in the last regional election in Brandenburg in 2014 the Greens polled 6.2 per cent. In both Saxony and Thuringia (also in 2014) they managed identical scores of 5.7 per cent. At the 2017 national election the Greens managed 5 per cent, 4.6 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively in those three states. Compare this to 19.5 per cent in Hesse and 17.5 per cent in Bavaria and it’s clear that the Greens have a long way to go before they are flying as high in the East as they currently are in the West.

An interesting indicator of where Germany may ultimately end up by autumn 2021 (the date of the next scheduled federal election) could come in where disgruntled CDU voters go in each of the 2019 eastern elections. In Hesse, Infratest Dimap, one of Germany’s leading opinion poll agencies, estimated that around 99,000 former CDU voters opted to support the Greens. Around 96,000 went to the AfD. Only 35,000 went to the CDU’s long-time ally in federal politics, the Free Democrats.

In Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia the CDU doesn’t have as much to lose as it did in Bavaria and Hesse, having polled 26.7 per cent, 26.9 per cent and 28.8 per cent last time out. But, since 1990 the eastern electorate has been – at times markedly – more volatile than that in western Germany. Voters can and do change their preferences, and sometimes quite drastically. If the Greens are again able to pick up around the same number of voters from the CDU as the AfD does, then we can take that as a fair indication that their supporter base really is growing nationally. Given that the AfD is no newcomer in those three states (it took 12.5 per cent, 9.7 per cent and 10.6 per cent of the vote respectively in each of the last regional elections in those states), it won’t be the fresh upstart that it has been until now.

Predicting national trends from regional polls can be a dangerous game. But given that the German government now has the best part of a year to look and act like a government that knows what it’s doing, the three eastern regional elections will be an excellent time to take stock of what all the trends that have appeared in 2018 actually mean. Until then, expect to see muddling along aplenty.

(Daniel Hough is Professor of Politics, University of Sussex)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/angela-merkel-to-step-aside-heres-what-it-means-for-germany-and-what-to-expect-next-105875">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Daniel Hough German politics has been dominated by two parties since the end of the war – the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. Yet, recent election results in the southern state of Bavaria and in the central region of Hesse are evidence that they are in big trouble.

By Daniel Hough German politics has been dominated by two parties since the end of the war – the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. Yet, recent election results in the southern state of Bavaria and in the central region of Hesse are evidence that they are in big trouble. This became even more apparent when, the day after the Hesse election, Angela Merkel, Germany’s long-time leader, announced that she would not stand again as Chancellor in the 2021 election and wouldn’t put herself forward for re-election as leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in December. The logic behind this decision is simple: Merkel recognises that her brand is not the electoral asset that it once was and that the need to groom a successor is getting ever more urgent. All eyes will now be keeping a close on on the likes of Jens Spahn, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Armin Laschet – the three front-runners to take over as CDU leader. Tough at the top It’s certainly not implausible that German party politics is undergoing a seismic shift. The Christian Democrat parties – CDU and their regional partner the CSU – and the Social Democrats (SPD) continue to govern nationally as part of a longstanding grand coalition but are seeing their vote shares and opinion poll ratings slump to historic lows. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is, since the Hesse election, now present in all 16 regional parliaments plus the European Parliament and the Bundestag. Both the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the socialist Left Party have solid bases of support that see them maintaining a firm presence in national politics. The Greens, meanwhile, are flying high in the national opinion polls and have performed admirably in recent regional elections. The two main parties do nonetheless now have some time to try to shape the national narrative in a way that suits them. The CDU will try to do that under a new party leader, the SPD almost certainly with the leaders they currently have. That both parties are managing a way out of the unloved grand coalition is clear, but that way out cannot begin any time soon. Both parties are desperate to find alternatives to governing with each other, but, for now, these alternatives are not clear enough and reliable enough to be viable. The only option is to keep calm and carry on. The CDU/CSU and SPD are helped by the fact that Germany is moving into a period of relative electoral tranquillity. There are no major electoral contests between now and May 2019, the date of both elections to the European Parliament and also to the smallest of Germany’s 16 states, Bremen. The next major regional elections take place in the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony on September 1 2019. They are quickly followed by another contest in Thuringia (again in the east) on October 27 2019. This gives the German government some breathing space. Politicians in both the CDU and the SPD are well aware that internal bickering has badly hamstrung the government. Stories of scandal and intrigue far outweigh discussions of any substantive achievements. Both Merkel and Andrea Nahles (the leader of the SPD) know that simply has to change. Neither Merkel nor Nahles has the slightest interest in collapsing the coalition and calling new elections. That way electoral disaster lies for both parties. They, and majorities in their parties, know that they somehow have to make the national government work. Nahles announced that this will involve a (newly declared) mid-term assessment of whether there’s enough evidence of SPD achievements to merit carrying on. In reality, this will be for internal consumption as the SPD will – in all likelihood – still be a long way from strong enough to risk pulling out of the coalition and prompting new elections. The two parties are subsequently doomed to govern together for at least the medium term. 2019: a bellwether year? The fact that 2019 will be the year of eastern regional elections will be significant. German national elections are often won and lost in the east. The Greens’ two impressive successes in 2018 have both come in western regions where their post-materialist supporter base is much stronger. This shouldn’t deflect from the considerable achievements of the Greens in Bavaria and Hesse, but eastern Germany will be a totally different challenge. It’s worth remembering that in the last regional election in Brandenburg in 2014 the Greens polled 6.2 per cent. In both Saxony and Thuringia (also in 2014) they managed identical scores of 5.7 per cent. At the 2017 national election the Greens managed 5 per cent, 4.6 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively in those three states. Compare this to 19.5 per cent in Hesse and 17.5 per cent in Bavaria and it’s clear that the Greens have a long way to go before they are flying as high in the East as they currently are in the West. An interesting indicator of where Germany may ultimately end up by autumn 2021 (the date of the next scheduled federal election) could come in where disgruntled CDU voters go in each of the 2019 eastern elections. In Hesse, Infratest Dimap, one of Germany’s leading opinion poll agencies, estimated that around 99,000 former CDU voters opted to support the Greens. Around 96,000 went to the AfD. Only 35,000 went to the CDU’s long-time ally in federal politics, the Free Democrats. In Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia the CDU doesn’t have as much to lose as it did in Bavaria and Hesse, having polled 26.7 per cent, 26.9 per cent and 28.8 per cent last time out. But, since 1990 the eastern electorate has been – at times markedly – more volatile than that in western Germany. Voters can and do change their preferences, and sometimes quite drastically. If the Greens are again able to pick up around the same number of voters from the CDU as the AfD does, then we can take that as a fair indication that their supporter base really is growing nationally. Given that the AfD is no newcomer in those three states (it took 12.5 per cent, 9.7 per cent and 10.6 per cent of the vote respectively in each of the last regional elections in those states), it won’t be the fresh upstart that it has been until now. Predicting national trends from regional polls can be a dangerous game. But given that the German government now has the best part of a year to look and act like a government that knows what it’s doing, the three eastern regional elections will be an excellent time to take stock of what all the trends that have appeared in 2018 actually mean. Until then, expect to see muddling along aplenty. (Daniel Hough is Professor of Politics, University of Sussex) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Here's what Angela Merkel's decision to step aside means for Germany

Volkswagen will on Thursday get a taste of the anger felt by duped German diesel drivers when consumer groups file the country's first class-action suit over an emissions cheating scandal.

Their legal action has been made possible by new legislation taking effect on November 1 that was hurried through to beat a year-end statute of limitations for claims against VW.

"Volkswagen will remember this day as the moment the kid gloves of the politicians were replaced by the boxing gloves of consumer advocates," Klaus Mueller of Germany's VZBV consumer federation told DPA news agency.

Justice Minister Katarina Barley said "an estimated two million" VW owners could benefit from the new law, although the suit will start on a smaller scale. 
Germans have grown increasingly irritated by "dieselgate" fallout as they face plummeting resale values of diesel cars and looming driving bans in big cities due to pollution concerns.

"They have played us for fools," said Christian Saefken, who was "shocked" to discover his Skoda Oktavia was among the rigged VW cars.

"I wish they had been more honest from the start," added the 42-year-old, who might join the lawsuit.

The German government has also come under fire for being slow to take on a car industry that employs 800,000 people, even as cheating suspicions spread to other automakers.

VZBV and Germany's largest auto club ADAC will kick off the US-style class action suit by lodging a complaint Thursday with the higher regional court in Brunswick, near VW's iconic Wolfsburg headquarters.

In line with legal guidelines, the initial complaint will represent just 10 disgruntled VW drivers.

If judges deem the case admissible, a decision expected in no more than two weeks, judicial authorities will open a register allowing others to join the collective action.

Eligible is anyone who bought a Volkswagen car or one of the group's Audi, Skoda or Seat brands with a diesel EA 189 engine from November 2008.

Lawyer Ralf Stoll, who is coordinating the suit for VZBV, expects "several tens of thousands" of people to sign up for a case he called a legal "milestone". Taking part in the suit is free of charge.

A collective suit has the benefit of letting plaintiffs bundle their complaints against a defendant, saving the time and cost of suing the accused individually -- although some 26,000 Germans have already started their own lawsuits against VW.

The German class action law has nonetheless come in for criticism because unlike in the US, judges only rule on whether or not damages should be awarded -- without determining an amount.

So even if German judges find that VW should compensate drivers, each plaintiff would still have to go back to court to enforce their individual claim -- unless VW proposes an overall settlement.

Volkswagen has been mired in legal woes since it admitted in 2015 to installing software in 11 million diesels worldwide to dupe pollution tests, allowing the cars to spew harmful gases far beyond legal limits.

The company has already shelled out more than 28 billion euros ($32 billion) in "dieselgate" costs.

A large chunk has gone to around half a million US drivers, who were offered buybacks and up to $10,000 in compensation.

VW says it has no legal obligation to repeat the deal elsewhere, and that doing so could bankrupt the 81-year-old titan.

In Germany, VW has paid 1.8 billion euros in fines to authorities but affected customers have only been offered software updates.

The group is already embroiled in consumer class-action suits in other countries, including Australia and Britain.

VW appears intent on fighting the German consumer suit as well, insisting it has "no legal basis".

"All the cars are technically sound and roadworthy," VW said in a statement, adding that it had complied with all recall requirements.

Volkswagen will on Thursday get a taste of the anger felt by duped German diesel drivers when consumer groups file the country's first class-action suit over an emissions cheating scandal.

Volkswagen will on Thursday get a taste of the anger felt by duped German diesel drivers when consumer groups file the country's first class-action suit over an emissions cheating scandal. Their legal action has been made possible by new legislation taking effect on November 1 that was hurried through to beat a year-end statute of limitations for claims against VW. "Volkswagen will remember this day as the moment the kid gloves of the politicians were replaced by the boxing gloves of consumer advocates," Klaus Mueller of Germany's VZBV consumer federation told DPA news agency. Justice Minister Katarina Barley said "an estimated two million" VW owners could benefit from the new law, although the suit will start on a smaller scale. Germans have grown increasingly irritated by "dieselgate" fallout as they face plummeting resale values of diesel cars and looming driving bans in big cities due to pollution concerns. "They have played us for fools," said Christian Saefken, who was "shocked" to discover his Skoda Oktavia was among the rigged VW cars. "I wish they had been more honest from the start," added the 42-year-old, who might join the lawsuit. The German government has also come under fire for being slow to take on a car industry that employs 800,000 people, even as cheating suspicions spread to other automakers. VZBV and Germany's largest auto club ADAC will kick off the US-style class action suit by lodging a complaint Thursday with the higher regional court in Brunswick, near VW's iconic Wolfsburg headquarters. In line with legal guidelines, the initial complaint will represent just 10 disgruntled VW drivers. If judges deem the case admissible, a decision expected in no more than two weeks, judicial authorities will open a register allowing others to join the collective action. Eligible is anyone who bought a Volkswagen car or one of the group's Audi, Skoda or Seat brands with a diesel EA 189 engine from November 2008. Lawyer Ralf Stoll, who is coordinating the suit for VZBV, expects "several tens of thousands" of people to sign up for a case he called a legal "milestone". Taking part in the suit is free of charge. A collective suit has the benefit of letting plaintiffs bundle their complaints against a defendant, saving the time and cost of suing the accused individually -- although some 26,000 Germans have already started their own lawsuits against VW. The German class action law has nonetheless come in for criticism because unlike in the US, judges only rule on whether or not damages should be awarded -- without determining an amount. So even if German judges find that VW should compensate drivers, each plaintiff would still have to go back to court to enforce their individual claim -- unless VW proposes an overall settlement. Volkswagen has been mired in legal woes since it admitted in 2015 to installing software in 11 million diesels worldwide to dupe pollution tests, allowing the cars to spew harmful gases far beyond legal limits. The company has already shelled out more than 28 billion euros ($32 billion) in "dieselgate" costs. A large chunk has gone to around half a million US drivers, who were offered buybacks and up to $10,000 in compensation. VW says it has no legal obligation to repeat the deal elsewhere, and that doing so could bankrupt the 81-year-old titan. In Germany, VW has paid 1.8 billion euros in fines to authorities but affected customers have only been offered software updates. The group is already embroiled in consumer class-action suits in other countries, including Australia and Britain. VW appears intent on fighting the German consumer suit as well, insisting it has "no legal basis". "All the cars are technically sound and roadworthy," VW said in a statement, adding that it had complied with all recall requirements.

Germans to vent Volkswagen fury in mass 'dieselgate' suit

The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey stressed the importance on Saturday of a lasting ceasefire in Syria, and said a committee to create a new constitution should meet by the end of the year.

The leaders of the four countries gathered for a summit in Istanbul to discuss Syria, where violence this week in the last remaining major rebel stronghold has highlighted the fragility of a deal to avert a massive government offensive.

Ankara, which has long backed rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow, Assad's principal foreign ally, brokered a deal last month to create a demilitarised zone in the northwest Idlib region.

Idlib and adjacent areas are the last stronghold of the rebels, who rose up against Assad in 2011. The area is home to an estimated 3 million people, more than half of whom have already fled other areas as government forces advanced.

"Russia and Turkey have negotiated an agreement that must be strictly implemented. Assurances were made on this point... We will all be extremely vigilant to ensure that these commitments are met and that the ceasefire is stable and sustainable," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters.

"We are counting on Russia to exert a very clear pressure on the (Syrian) regime which very clearly owes it its survival."

Shelling in Idlib killed at least seven civilians on Friday, the largest one-day loss of life there since Russian air strikes stopped in mid-August, a war monitor said.

Under their deal last month, Turkey and Russia agreed to set up a buffer zone running 15-20 km (9-13 miles) into rebel territory that had to be evacuated of all heavy weapons and all jihadist fighters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Turkey was fulfilling its obligation regarding the agreement on Idlib. The process was not easy, and Russia plans to continue cooperating, he said.

Macron, Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called for the convening of a constitutional committee by the end of the year, according to their joint communique.

Erdogan told reporters that should be done "as soon as possible", adding he hoped it would be before the end of the year.

Participants at a Syrian peace conference in Russia in January agreed to form the 150-member committee to rewrite the Syrian constitution, with a third chosen by the government, a third by opposition groups and a third by the United Nations.

UN&nbsp;envoy Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council on Friday that Damascus now wants the United Nations to facilitate the writing of the constitution, but does not want it to name a third of the committee members.

The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey stressed the importance on Saturday of a lasting ceasefire in Syria, and said a committee to create a new constitution should meet by the end of the year.

The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey stressed the importance on Saturday of a lasting ceasefire in Syria, and said a committee to create a new constitution should meet by the end of the year. The leaders of the four countries gathered for a summit in Istanbul to discuss Syria, where violence this week in the last remaining major rebel stronghold has highlighted the fragility of a deal to avert a massive government offensive. Ankara, which has long backed rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow, Assad's principal foreign ally, brokered a deal last month to create a demilitarised zone in the northwest Idlib region. Idlib and adjacent areas are the last stronghold of the rebels, who rose up against Assad in 2011. The area is home to an estimated 3 million people, more than half of whom have already fled other areas as government forces advanced. "Russia and Turkey have negotiated an agreement that must be strictly implemented. Assurances were made on this point... We will all be extremely vigilant to ensure that these commitments are met and that the ceasefire is stable and sustainable," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters. "We are counting on Russia to exert a very clear pressure on the (Syrian) regime which very clearly owes it its survival." Shelling in Idlib killed at least seven civilians on Friday, the largest one-day loss of life there since Russian air strikes stopped in mid-August, a war monitor said. Under their deal last month, Turkey and Russia agreed to set up a buffer zone running 15-20 km (9-13 miles) into rebel territory that had to be evacuated of all heavy weapons and all jihadist fighters. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Turkey was fulfilling its obligation regarding the agreement on Idlib. The process was not easy, and Russia plans to continue cooperating, he said. Macron, Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called for the convening of a constitutional committee by the end of the year, according to their joint communique. Erdogan told reporters that should be done "as soon as possible", adding he hoped it would be before the end of the year. Participants at a Syrian peace conference in Russia in January agreed to form the 150-member committee to rewrite the Syrian constitution, with a third chosen by the government, a third by opposition groups and a third by the United Nations. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council on Friday that Damascus now wants the United Nations to facilitate the writing of the constitution, but does not want it to name a third of the committee members.

Russia, Germany, France and Turkey call for lasting ceasefire, constitutional meeting for Syria

The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey gathered in Istanbul on Saturday for a summit on Syria, where violence this week in the last remaining major rebel stronghold highlighted the fragility of a deal to avert a massive government offensive.

Ankara, which has long backed rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow, Assad's principal foreign ally, brokered the deal last month to create a demilitarised zone in the northwest Idlib region.

Idlib and adjacent areas are the last stronghold of the rebels, who rose up against Assad in 2011. The area is home to an estimated 3 million people, more than half of whom have already fled other areas as government forces advanced.

Shelling in Idlib killed at least seven civilians on Friday, the largest one-day loss of life there since Russian air strikes stopped in mid-August, a war monitor said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Erdogan are due to have four-way talks in Istanbul on Saturday. Putin spoke ahead of the summit by phone to Macron and Erdogan.

UN&nbsp;Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is stepping down at the end of next month for family reasons, is also taking part.

Under their deal last month, Turkey and Russia agreed to set up a buffer zone running 15-20 km (9-13 miles) into rebel territory that had to be evacuated of all heavy weapons and all jihadist fighters.

The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey gathered in Istanbul on Saturday for a summit on Syria, where violence this week in the last remaining major rebel stronghold highlighted the fragility of a deal to avert a massive government offensive.

The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey gathered in Istanbul on Saturday for a summit on Syria, where violence this week in the last remaining major rebel stronghold highlighted the fragility of a deal to avert a massive government offensive. Ankara, which has long backed rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow, Assad's principal foreign ally, brokered the deal last month to create a demilitarised zone in the northwest Idlib region. Idlib and adjacent areas are the last stronghold of the rebels, who rose up against Assad in 2011. The area is home to an estimated 3 million people, more than half of whom have already fled other areas as government forces advanced. Shelling in Idlib killed at least seven civilians on Friday, the largest one-day loss of life there since Russian air strikes stopped in mid-August, a war monitor said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Erdogan are due to have four-way talks in Istanbul on Saturday. Putin spoke ahead of the summit by phone to Macron and Erdogan. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is stepping down at the end of next month for family reasons, is also taking part. Under their deal last month, Turkey and Russia agreed to set up a buffer zone running 15-20 km (9-13 miles) into rebel territory that had to be evacuated of all heavy weapons and all jihadist fighters.

Russia, Germany, France and Turkey meet for four-way Syria summit

Britain, France and Germany on Sunday said Saudi Arabia must clarify how dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi died inside its Istanbul consulate, and its account must "be backed by facts to be considered credible".

"There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened on October 2nd -- beyond the hypotheses that have been raised so far in the Saudi investigation, which need to be backed by facts to be considered credible," the three countries said in a joint statement.

"We thus stress that more efforts are needed and expected towards establishing the truth in a comprehensive, transparent and credible manner," they added.

"We will ultimately make our judgement based on the credibility of the further explanation we receive about what happened and our confidence that such a shameful event cannot and will not ever be repeated."

After a fortnight of denials, Saudi authorities admitted Saturday that Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and prominent critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after entering the consulate in Turkey on October 2.

But it has faced a growing chorus of incredulity over its belated explanation that he died in a "brawl", as world powers demand answers and the whereabouts of his body.

"The threatening, attacking or killing of journalists, under any circumstances, is unacceptable and of utmost concern to our three nations," added the European allies' statement.

"The quality and significance of the relationship we have with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also rests with the respect we have for the norms and values to which the Saudi authorities and us are jointly committed under international law," they warned.

Britain, France and Germany on Sunday said Saudi Arabia must clarify how dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi died inside its Istanbul consulate, and its account must "be backed by facts to be considered credible".

Britain, France and Germany on Sunday said Saudi Arabia must clarify how dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi died inside its Istanbul consulate, and its account must "be backed by facts to be considered credible". "There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened on October 2nd -- beyond the hypotheses that have been raised so far in the Saudi investigation, which need to be backed by facts to be considered credible," the three countries said in a joint statement. "We thus stress that more efforts are needed and expected towards establishing the truth in a comprehensive, transparent and credible manner," they added. "We will ultimately make our judgement based on the credibility of the further explanation we receive about what happened and our confidence that such a shameful event cannot and will not ever be repeated." After a fortnight of denials, Saudi authorities admitted Saturday that Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and prominent critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after entering the consulate in Turkey on October 2. But it has faced a growing chorus of incredulity over its belated explanation that he died in a "brawl", as world powers demand answers and the whereabouts of his body. "The threatening, attacking or killing of journalists, under any circumstances, is unacceptable and of utmost concern to our three nations," added the European allies' statement. "The quality and significance of the relationship we have with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also rests with the respect we have for the norms and values to which the Saudi authorities and us are jointly committed under international law," they warned.

'Urgent need for clarification' on Khashoggi death: UK, France, Germany

World champions France fought back from a goal down to edge Germany 2-1 with a double from Antoine Griezmann in their Nations Cup match at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old forward cancelled out Toni Kroos' first-half penalty with a fine header just past the hour and then scored with a spot-kick himself late in the game to kill off the visitors' hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

The French found themselves on the backfoot in the first half but did not lose confidence even when the Germans came close to a second goal.

"This is the difference between a team with a lot of confidence and a team like Germany which lacks some confidence and is maybe not as efficient," France coach Didier Deschamps told reporters.

"There is nothing better for my team, my players, than this. The best vitamin is victory and tonight we had a difficult game and won against a difficult team."

France top the League A Group 1 standings with seven points from three games above the Netherlands on three from two and Germany with one.

The Germans, with five changes to the team that lost 3-0 away to the Netherlands on Saturday, had their share of chances and overall looked sharper despite their sixth defeat of 2018.

Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry added much-needed speed to Germany's game and the overall performance offered coach Joachim Loew some respite after recent setbacks.

"We should not be disappointed tonight after such a performance," said Loew, who has been under pressure since his side's World Cup flop in June.

"We were on the same level with the world champions and we should have scored a second goal in the first half. But the French have a lot of quality and scored two goals from just a handful of chances."

After crashing out at the group stage in the World Cup in Russia, Germany, world champions in 2014, are still looking for their first victory in UEFA's the Nations League competition.

World champions France fought back from a goal down to edge Germany 2-1 with a double from Antoine Griezmann in their Nations Cup match at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

World champions France fought back from a goal down to edge Germany 2-1 with a double from Antoine Griezmann in their Nations Cup match at the Stade de France on Tuesday. The 27-year-old forward cancelled out Toni Kroos' first-half penalty with a fine header just past the hour and then scored with a spot-kick himself late in the game to kill off the visitors' hopes of reaching the semi-finals. The French found themselves on the backfoot in the first half but did not lose confidence even when the Germans came close to a second goal. "This is the difference between a team with a lot of confidence and a team like Germany which lacks some confidence and is maybe not as efficient," France coach Didier Deschamps told reporters. "There is nothing better for my team, my players, than this. The best vitamin is victory and tonight we had a difficult game and won against a difficult team." France top the League A Group 1 standings with seven points from three games above the Netherlands on three from two and Germany with one. The Germans, with five changes to the team that lost 3-0 away to the Netherlands on Saturday, had their share of chances and overall looked sharper despite their sixth defeat of 2018. Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry added much-needed speed to Germany's game and the overall performance offered coach Joachim Loew some respite after recent setbacks. "We should not be disappointed tonight after such a performance," said Loew, who has been under pressure since his side's World Cup flop in June. "We were on the same level with the world champions and we should have scored a second goal in the first half. But the French have a lot of quality and scored two goals from just a handful of chances." After crashing out at the group stage in the World Cup in Russia, Germany, world champions in 2014, are still looking for their first victory in UEFA's the Nations League competition.

UEFA Nations League: Griezmann double gives France comeback win over Germany

Britain, France and Germany called on the Saudi and Turkish authorities on Sunday to mount a "credible investigation" into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying they were treating the incident with "the utmost seriousness".

"There needs to be a credible investigation to establish the truth about what happened, and - if relevant - to identify those bearing responsibility for the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, and ensure that they are held to account," foreign ministers from the three countries said in a joint statement.

"We encourage joint Saudi-Turkish efforts in that regard, and expect the Saudi Government to provide a complete and detailed response. We have conveyed this message directly to the Saudi authorities," the statement by British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, France's Jean-Yves Le Drian and Germany's Heiko Maas said.

Britain, France and Germany called on the Saudi and Turkish authorities on Sunday to mount a "credible investigation" into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying they were treating the incident with "the utmost seriousness".

Britain, France and Germany called on the Saudi and Turkish authorities on Sunday to mount a "credible investigation" into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying they were treating the incident with "the utmost seriousness". "There needs to be a credible investigation to establish the truth about what happened, and - if relevant - to identify those bearing responsibility for the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, and ensure that they are held to account," foreign ministers from the three countries said in a joint statement. "We encourage joint Saudi-Turkish efforts in that regard, and expect the Saudi Government to provide a complete and detailed response. We have conveyed this message directly to the Saudi authorities," the statement by British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, France's Jean-Yves Le Drian and Germany's Heiko Maas said.

Britain, France, Germany call for 'credible investigation' into Khashoggi disappearance

Joachim Loew is facing the biggest crisis of his 12-year tenure as Germany's head coach after their embarrassing 3-0 defeat away to the Netherlands.&nbsp;

Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk gave the Dutch a first-half lead before late goals by Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum capped a golden night for the Oranje at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena.

These are dark days for the Germans in the wake of their dismal World Cup display when they crashed out after finishing bottom of their group.

They are now bottom of Nations League Group One and Loew must avoid defeat against world champions France in Paris on Tuesday, knowing his future will be debated at home.&nbsp;

"Yes, I understand that there is a debate and we have to deal with it," Loew told broadcaster ZDF.

"In the next two days, I will focus entirely on preparing the team before the match in Paris against France, and not on the debates in public, although these debates are normal, very normal."

"We have to show character against France and win the return match against the Dutch or we are going down.

"We had good chances, but couldn't put them away, which would have been good for confidence. It's bad that we fell apart at the end," he added.

After ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack said he was "surprised" Loew kept his job after their woeful World Cup display, the Dutch defeat ramps up the pressure.

Once again, Loew trusted his senior players to deliver a win, but his Bayern Munich axis of Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Mueller failed to deliver.

Both Muller and his second-half replacement, Manchester City starlet Leroy Sane, squandered clear chances either side of he break.&nbsp;

Hummels admitted the team can expect a backlash from the German public after the defeat.

"We'll get it in the neck now, but we have no one to blame but ourselves," said Hummels.

"We lost 3-0, even though we actually had to win the game. "We had a lot of bad luck, but it's not down to any one player."

Germany have now conceded goals in their last 19 internationals.

"We made too little of our chances, although we could have gone ahead early on," said goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer. "At the end, we were too open and made mistakes."

Neuer put the blame firmly on the players: "Before the game, every player signalled to the coach that they were ready to play."

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos said the Germans lost their structure after falling behind.

"The structure was missing after the first 30 minutes, but it's hard heading home without having scored," said Kroos.

"You need a reward for the good work you do and that's not happened. "We have to keep going, we have the next chance on Tuesday and concentrate on the good things we did."

The Dutch were delighted with their first win over the Germans for 16 years.

"Sometimes you need a bit of luck, but we deserved the win, fought for every inch and defended well," said Dutch coach Ronaldo Koeman. "It's an unbelievable result, especially as the Germans weren't that bad.

"It's 16 years since we beat Germany and we are on the right way with a talented, young team."

Joachim Loew is facing the biggest crisis of his 12-year tenure as Germany's head coach after their embarrassing 3-0 defeat away to the Netherlands. Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk gave the Dutch a first-half lead before late goals by Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum capped a golden night for the Oranje at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena.

Joachim Loew is facing the biggest crisis of his 12-year tenure as Germany's head coach after their embarrassing 3-0 defeat away to the Netherlands. Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk gave the Dutch a first-half lead before late goals by Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum capped a golden night for the Oranje at Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena. These are dark days for the Germans in the wake of their dismal World Cup display when they crashed out after finishing bottom of their group. They are now bottom of Nations League Group One and Loew must avoid defeat against world champions France in Paris on Tuesday, knowing his future will be debated at home. "Yes, I understand that there is a debate and we have to deal with it," Loew told broadcaster ZDF. "In the next two days, I will focus entirely on preparing the team before the match in Paris against France, and not on the debates in public, although these debates are normal, very normal." "We have to show character against France and win the return match against the Dutch or we are going down. "We had good chances, but couldn't put them away, which would have been good for confidence. It's bad that we fell apart at the end," he added. After ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack said he was "surprised" Loew kept his job after their woeful World Cup display, the Dutch defeat ramps up the pressure. Once again, Loew trusted his senior players to deliver a win, but his Bayern Munich axis of Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Thomas Mueller failed to deliver. Both Muller and his second-half replacement, Manchester City starlet Leroy Sane, squandered clear chances either side of he break. Hummels admitted the team can expect a backlash from the German public after the defeat. "We'll get it in the neck now, but we have no one to blame but ourselves," said Hummels. "We lost 3-0, even though we actually had to win the game. "We had a lot of bad luck, but it's not down to any one player." Germany have now conceded goals in their last 19 internationals. "We made too little of our chances, although we could have gone ahead early on," said goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer. "At the end, we were too open and made mistakes." Neuer put the blame firmly on the players: "Before the game, every player signalled to the coach that they were ready to play." Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos said the Germans lost their structure after falling behind. "The structure was missing after the first 30 minutes, but it's hard heading home without having scored," said Kroos. "You need a reward for the good work you do and that's not happened. "We have to keep going, we have the next chance on Tuesday and concentrate on the good things we did." The Dutch were delighted with their first win over the Germans for 16 years. "Sometimes you need a bit of luck, but we deserved the win, fought for every inch and defended well," said Dutch coach Ronaldo Koeman. "It's an unbelievable result, especially as the Germans weren't that bad. "It's 16 years since we beat Germany and we are on the right way with a talented, young team."

UEFA Nations League: Netherlands beat Germany for first time in 16 years

US pastor Andrew Brunson was flown out of Turkey on Friday after a court freed him from two years of detention, in a step that could improve US-Turkish ties strained by disputes over Syria, Iran and Ankara's planned purchase of Russian military equipment.

Evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife were greeted by US Ambassador Richard Grenell during a refuelling stop in Germany, the envoy said on social network Twitter. US media said the meeting took place at Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany.

"He's almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump," Grenell wrote. "When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I welcomed Pastor Brunson &amp; his wife to Germany on their refueling stop. He’s almost home thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>. 
When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/agratefulnation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#agratefulnation</a> <a href="https://t.co/b82gA7PXVr">pic.twitter.com/b82gA7PXVr</a>
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1050904034310275073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Brunson was expected to land at Joint Base Andrews near Washington at around noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Saturday after a stop in Germany for a medical check-up. President Donald Trump said Brunson would probably visit the White House Oval Office on Saturday.

Brunson was jailed two year ago and had been under house arrest since July. He was accused of links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey's government for a coup attempt in 2016.&nbsp;

The Turkish court sentenced Brunson to three years and 1-1/2 months in prison on terrorism charges, but said he would not serve any further jail time and freed him.

US pastor Andrew Brunson was flown out of Turkey on Friday after a court freed him from two years of detention, in a step that could improve US-Turkish ties strained by disputes over Syria, Iran and Ankara's planned purchase of Russian military equipment.

US pastor Andrew Brunson was flown out of Turkey on Friday after a court freed him from two years of detention, in a step that could improve US-Turkish ties strained by disputes over Syria, Iran and Ankara's planned purchase of Russian military equipment. Evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife were greeted by US Ambassador Richard Grenell during a refuelling stop in Germany, the envoy said on social network Twitter. US media said the meeting took place at Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany. "He's almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump," Grenell wrote. "When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it." I welcomed Pastor Brunson & his wife to Germany on their refueling stop. He’s almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump. When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it. #agratefulnation pic.twitter.com/b82gA7PXVr — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 13, 2018 × Brunson was expected to land at Joint Base Andrews near Washington at around noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Saturday after a stop in Germany for a medical check-up. President Donald Trump said Brunson would probably visit the White House Oval Office on Saturday. Brunson was jailed two year ago and had been under house arrest since July. He was accused of links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey's government for a coup attempt in 2016. The Turkish court sentenced Brunson to three years and 1-1/2 months in prison on terrorism charges, but said he would not serve any further jail time and freed him.

Freed pastor Brunson greeted by US Ambassador at stopover in Germany

Germany said Friday it was extending by another half year border controls with Austria, which were reintroduced in several places in the passport-free Schengen zone in response to the migrant influx.

German interior ministry spokeswoman Eleonore Petermann said the new measure would begin on November 12 and apply for six months.&nbsp;

"It is important to say in this context that it is still our aim to return to a Schengen without borders, without border controls," Petermann told reporters.

"Travel without border controls is one of the greatest achievements (of the European Union). But we still see problems with the protection of the EU's external borders and we still have high numbers for illegal secondary migration" between member states.

Since 2015, several countries in the 26-nation Schengen zone have reintroduced border controls due to the largest migrant crisis since World War II -- effectively suspending its principle of open-borders travel.

EU rules say countries in exceptional circumstances can reintroduce border controls for up to two years, in periods of up to six months at a time.

Petermann said more than 7,000 people crossed the German-Austrian border illegally this year until August, of whom nearly 4,000 were turned back.

The decision was ordered by Germany's hardline Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, whose conservative party is facing a tough election in the border state of Bavaria on Sunday.

Seehofer nearly toppled Chancellor Angela Merkel's shaky coalition government over the summer with a threat to unilaterally turn back migrants at the border with Austria. Arrivals there have dropped off steeply since 2015-2016.

The dispute was resolved with a more moderate compromise plan involving bilateral agreements between Germany and EU member states.

Merkel's spokesman said Friday that Seehofer's decision on the border checks had been agreed with the rest of the government.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Germany said Friday it was extending by another half year border controls with Austria, which were reintroduced in several places in the passport-free Schengen zone in response to the migrant influx.

Germany said Friday it was extending by another half year border controls with Austria, which were reintroduced in several places in the passport-free Schengen zone in response to the migrant influx. German interior ministry spokeswoman Eleonore Petermann said the new measure would begin on November 12 and apply for six months. "It is important to say in this context that it is still our aim to return to a Schengen without borders, without border controls," Petermann told reporters. "Travel without border controls is one of the greatest achievements (of the European Union). But we still see problems with the protection of the EU's external borders and we still have high numbers for illegal secondary migration" between member states. Since 2015, several countries in the 26-nation Schengen zone have reintroduced border controls due to the largest migrant crisis since World War II -- effectively suspending its principle of open-borders travel. EU rules say countries in exceptional circumstances can reintroduce border controls for up to two years, in periods of up to six months at a time. Petermann said more than 7,000 people crossed the German-Austrian border illegally this year until August, of whom nearly 4,000 were turned back. The decision was ordered by Germany's hardline Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, whose conservative party is facing a tough election in the border state of Bavaria on Sunday. Seehofer nearly toppled Chancellor Angela Merkel's shaky coalition government over the summer with a threat to unilaterally turn back migrants at the border with Austria. Arrivals there have dropped off steeply since 2015-2016. The dispute was resolved with a more moderate compromise plan involving bilateral agreements between Germany and EU member states. Merkel's spokesman said Friday that Seehofer's decision on the border checks had been agreed with the rest of the government.

Germany extends Austria border controls over migrants

German police have arrested a man suspected of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/bulgaria-detains-suspect-over-murder-of-journalist-source-170462">rape and murder of Bulgarian television journalist </a>Viktoria Marinova, Bulgarian officials said Wednesday.

But Bulgarian prosecutors said that, at least for now, the killing does not appear linked to her work as a journalist.&nbsp;

The body of 30-year-old Marinova -- who presented a current affairs talk programme called "Detector" for the small TVN television channel -- was discovered on a riverside path in the northern Bulgarian town of Ruse on Saturday.

Authorities said she died from blows to the head and suffocation. She was also raped.

The Bulgarian suspect was picked up late Tuesday at the request of Bulgarian authorities, Interior Minister Mladen Marinov told a news conference.

"We have enough proof linking this person to the scene of the crime," he said.

German police confirmed a 20-year-old man was arrested in the town of Stade near Hamburg on suspicion of raping, robbing and killing Marinova. 
A German police statement said that the process of extraditing the man to Bulgaria had begun and that a request had been filed with the relevant regional court.

Such procedures under the European arrest warrant can take anything from a few days up to several weeks to complete.

Bulgaria's chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov named the suspect as Severin Krasimirov, born in 1997, and said he was already sought in connection with another rape and murder.

"At this stage, we do not believe that the murder is linked" to Marinova's work, Tsatsarov said. "But we are continuing to look at all hypotheses."

"The evidence that we have at this stage leads us to believe it was a spontaneous attack to sexually abuse the victim."

Politically motivated?

The attack has shocked the country and drawn international condemnation amid speculation the murder could be linked to Marinova's work as a journalist.&nbsp;

An episode of her programme aired on September 30 featured interviews with two investigative journalists from Bulgaria and Romania who had been working on corruption allegations.

She is the third journalist to be murdered in Europe in the past 12 months after Jan Kuciak in Slovakia in February and Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta in October 2017.

However, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov lashed out at international bodies and rights groups which had been quick to assume a political motive behind the murder.&nbsp;

"In just three days, I've read monstrous things about Bulgaria. None of them true," he told the news conference.&nbsp;

"We, as a country, did not deserve to be smeared like this... while everyone has been working (to solve the crime) not 100, but 1,000 percent."

European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans had been among the first to suspect a political motive.

"Shocked by the horrendous murder of Victoria Marinova. Again a courageous journalist falls in the fight for truth and against corruption," he tweeted Sunday, not long after the news of the murder broke.&nbsp;

And the UN's cultural agency, UNESCO, similarly said that "attacks on journalists erode the fundamental human right to freedom of expression and its corollaries, press freedom and free access to information."

Bulgaria is regarded as a laggard in the EU in terms of press freedom, ranking 111th out of 180 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Widespread corruption, shady media ownership and suspected collusion between journalists, politicians and oligarchs have made objective reporting a constant obstacle course, according to RSF.

Candlelight vigils

The Bulgaria-based Association of European Journalists said reporters from small regional and local media are under particular pressure and even face threats from local businessmen and politicians, often leading to self-censorship.

But a number of experts in Bulgaria were more sceptical about a political motive, arguing that Marinova was not an investigative journalist and the way the killing was carried out did not fit in with such a scenario.

Violence against women has also been widespread in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee rights group said 19 women have already been killed in the country so far this year as a result of abuse.&nbsp;

Several hundred people, many in tears, attended a vigil in Ruse on Monday, lighting candles and laying flowers in front of a portrait of Marinova. A similar tribute was held in Sofia.

German police have arrested a man suspected of the rape and murder of Bulgarian television journalist Viktoria Marinova, Bulgarian officials said Wednesday. But Bulgarian prosecutors said that, at least for now, the killing does not appear linked to her work as a journalist.

German police have arrested a man suspected of the rape and murder of Bulgarian television journalist Viktoria Marinova, Bulgarian officials said Wednesday. But Bulgarian prosecutors said that, at least for now, the killing does not appear linked to her work as a journalist. The body of 30-year-old Marinova -- who presented a current affairs talk programme called "Detector" for the small TVN television channel -- was discovered on a riverside path in the northern Bulgarian town of Ruse on Saturday. Authorities said she died from blows to the head and suffocation. She was also raped. The Bulgarian suspect was picked up late Tuesday at the request of Bulgarian authorities, Interior Minister Mladen Marinov told a news conference. "We have enough proof linking this person to the scene of the crime," he said. German police confirmed a 20-year-old man was arrested in the town of Stade near Hamburg on suspicion of raping, robbing and killing Marinova. A German police statement said that the process of extraditing the man to Bulgaria had begun and that a request had been filed with the relevant regional court. Such procedures under the European arrest warrant can take anything from a few days up to several weeks to complete. Bulgaria's chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov named the suspect as Severin Krasimirov, born in 1997, and said he was already sought in connection with another rape and murder. "At this stage, we do not believe that the murder is linked" to Marinova's work, Tsatsarov said. "But we are continuing to look at all hypotheses." "The evidence that we have at this stage leads us to believe it was a spontaneous attack to sexually abuse the victim." Politically motivated? The attack has shocked the country and drawn international condemnation amid speculation the murder could be linked to Marinova's work as a journalist. An episode of her programme aired on September 30 featured interviews with two investigative journalists from Bulgaria and Romania who had been working on corruption allegations. She is the third journalist to be murdered in Europe in the past 12 months after Jan Kuciak in Slovakia in February and Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta in October 2017. However, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov lashed out at international bodies and rights groups which had been quick to assume a political motive behind the murder. "In just three days, I've read monstrous things about Bulgaria. None of them true," he told the news conference. "We, as a country, did not deserve to be smeared like this... while everyone has been working (to solve the crime) not 100, but 1,000 percent." European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans had been among the first to suspect a political motive. "Shocked by the horrendous murder of Victoria Marinova. Again a courageous journalist falls in the fight for truth and against corruption," he tweeted Sunday, not long after the news of the murder broke. And the UN's cultural agency, UNESCO, similarly said that "attacks on journalists erode the fundamental human right to freedom of expression and its corollaries, press freedom and free access to information." Bulgaria is regarded as a laggard in the EU in terms of press freedom, ranking 111th out of 180 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Widespread corruption, shady media ownership and suspected collusion between journalists, politicians and oligarchs have made objective reporting a constant obstacle course, according to RSF. Candlelight vigils The Bulgaria-based Association of European Journalists said reporters from small regional and local media are under particular pressure and even face threats from local businessmen and politicians, often leading to self-censorship. But a number of experts in Bulgaria were more sceptical about a political motive, arguing that Marinova was not an investigative journalist and the way the killing was carried out did not fit in with such a scenario. Violence against women has also been widespread in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee rights group said 19 women have already been killed in the country so far this year as a result of abuse. Several hundred people, many in tears, attended a vigil in Ruse on Monday, lighting candles and laying flowers in front of a portrait of Marinova. A similar tribute was held in Sofia.

Germany arrests suspect over killing of Bulgarian journalist

Italy will close its airports to unauthorised planes carrying migrants from Germany, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Sunday, ratcheting up a dispute between the EU partners over how to share responsibility for asylum seekers.

The two countries have been working on a deal under which Germany would send back to Italy migrants who have already applied for asylum there, but the accord has yet to be signed.

Italian daily La Repubblica reported on Saturday that Germany's refugee agency had sent "dozens of letters" to migrants advising them of a planned transfer back to Italy, possibly via charter flights. The first such transfer is planned for Oct. 9, it said.

"If someone, in Berlin or Brussels, thinks of dumping dozens of immigrants in Italy via unauthorized charter flights, they should know that there is not and there will be no airport available," Salvini said in a statement.

"We will close the airports as we closed the ports."

Germany's interior ministry and the refugee agency could not immediately be reached for comment on the report in La Repubblica.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said last month that a deal with Italy had been reached and that he expected it to be signed shortly. But Salvini denied that a day later, demanding more concessions from Germany.

The Italian minister said at the time that he had received reassurances from Germany that for every migrant it returned to Italy the German authorities would accept a bonafide asylum seeker from Italy.

But Salvini wants concessions on two other issues - a revision of both the EU's Dublin Treaty on how Europe handles asylum requests, and of the EU's Sophia naval mission which is patrolling the Mediterranean.

Seehofer urged German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to intervene to end the standoff.

"The agreement has been negotiated and follows the same principle as with Greece," Seehofer told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. "We return refugees back to Italy, but we must take in the same number from sea rescues."

He added: "But now Salvini is suddenly saying: I will only sign if Germany backs Italy's position on asylum in the European Union. The heads of government are required to act (to solve this)."

Italy is seeking an overhaul of the Dublin Treaty so that there is an automatic distribution of asylum seekers throughout the EU, instead of requiring them to stay in the country where they first touch European soil, as is the case now.

It also wants to change the mandate of Operation Sophia, which at present says that all migrants picked up in the Mediterranean must be taken to Italy.

Italy has become the main route into Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers arriving by sea since the other main route from Turkey to Greece was largely shut in 2016. However, numbers have fallen dramatically over the past 12 months. 
&nbsp;

Italy will close its airports to unauthorised planes carrying migrants from Germany, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Sunday, ratcheting up a dispute between the EU partners over how to share responsibility for asylum seekers.

Italy will close its airports to unauthorised planes carrying migrants from Germany, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Sunday, ratcheting up a dispute between the EU partners over how to share responsibility for asylum seekers. The two countries have been working on a deal under which Germany would send back to Italy migrants who have already applied for asylum there, but the accord has yet to be signed. Italian daily La Repubblica reported on Saturday that Germany's refugee agency had sent "dozens of letters" to migrants advising them of a planned transfer back to Italy, possibly via charter flights. The first such transfer is planned for Oct. 9, it said. "If someone, in Berlin or Brussels, thinks of dumping dozens of immigrants in Italy via unauthorized charter flights, they should know that there is not and there will be no airport available," Salvini said in a statement. "We will close the airports as we closed the ports." Germany's interior ministry and the refugee agency could not immediately be reached for comment on the report in La Repubblica. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said last month that a deal with Italy had been reached and that he expected it to be signed shortly. But Salvini denied that a day later, demanding more concessions from Germany. The Italian minister said at the time that he had received reassurances from Germany that for every migrant it returned to Italy the German authorities would accept a bonafide asylum seeker from Italy. But Salvini wants concessions on two other issues - a revision of both the EU's Dublin Treaty on how Europe handles asylum requests, and of the EU's Sophia naval mission which is patrolling the Mediterranean. Seehofer urged German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to intervene to end the standoff. "The agreement has been negotiated and follows the same principle as with Greece," Seehofer told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. "We return refugees back to Italy, but we must take in the same number from sea rescues." He added: "But now Salvini is suddenly saying: I will only sign if Germany backs Italy's position on asylum in the European Union. The heads of government are required to act (to solve this)." Italy is seeking an overhaul of the Dublin Treaty so that there is an automatic distribution of asylum seekers throughout the EU, instead of requiring them to stay in the country where they first touch European soil, as is the case now. It also wants to change the mandate of Operation Sophia, which at present says that all migrants picked up in the Mediterranean must be taken to Italy. Italy has become the main route into Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers arriving by sea since the other main route from Turkey to Greece was largely shut in 2016. However, numbers have fallen dramatically over the past 12 months.

Italy will close airports to unauthorised migrant flights: Interior Minister Salvini

A Maldives opposition leader has returned home after being exiled in Germany for months to escape a prison sentence on charges of plotting to overthrow the government.

Qasim Ibrahim was welcomed at the airport on Thursday by President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Ibrahim was among dozens of political opponents who were jailed by outgoing strongman Yameen Abdul Gayoom following trials criticized for lack of due process. He went into exile in Germany after undergoing heart surgery in Singapore.

He is the first exiled opposition leader to return home after Yameen's election defeat last month. Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president, is set to return next month.

Ibrahim was arrested last year and sentenced to more than three years in prison.

A Maldives opposition leader has returned home after being exiled in Germany for months to escape a prison sentence on charges of plotting to overthrow the government.

A Maldives opposition leader has returned home after being exiled in Germany for months to escape a prison sentence on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. Qasim Ibrahim was welcomed at the airport on Thursday by President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Ibrahim was among dozens of political opponents who were jailed by outgoing strongman Yameen Abdul Gayoom following trials criticized for lack of due process. He went into exile in Germany after undergoing heart surgery in Singapore. He is the first exiled opposition leader to return home after Yameen's election defeat last month. Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president, is set to return next month. Ibrahim was arrested last year and sentenced to more than three years in prison.

Maldives opposition leader returns from exile in Germany

Angela Merkel, who has been chancellor of Germany since 2005 and currently serves her fourth term, is a contender for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.

Her decision in 2015 to allow more than a million migrants into the country has earned her respect worldwide and increasing criticism at home.

The move was largely to blame for the rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) in last year's election.

More recently, she has been plagued by in-party fighting and her so called grand coalition government of her CDU, the CSU and the SPD was on the brink of collapse twice since its inauguration.

Only some ten days ago, Merkel admitted she had misjudged her response to allegations of far-right sympathies against Germany's spymaster, after resolving a row over his redeployment that threatened to pull her government apart.

BfV intelligence agency head Hans-Georg Maassen's political views came under the microscope this month after he questioned the authenticity of video footage showing radicals hounding migrants in the eastern city of Chemnitz.

Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) sister party and the third coalition partner - the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - agreed last week to transfer Maassen to a senior role in the Interior Ministry.

But that prompted a public blacklash when it emerged that Maassen would also get a pay rise. The coalition rescinded the hike, after some members of the SPD called for their party to quit the alliance if it stayed in place.

Born Angela Kasner in Hamburg in 1954, she moved with her family to East Germany when she was only a toddler after her father, a Protestant pastor, was offered a job in the state of Brandenburg, north of Berlin. She grew up in the town of Templin, in the Uckermark region with its lakes and rolling hills.

Merkel studied physics at the University of Leipzig, earning a doctorate, and became politically active after the Berlin Wall fell, joining the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in 1990. Only a year later she became the youngest member of Chancellor Helmut Kohl's cabinet as minister for women and youth.

In 1994, she became German environment minister and in 2000 she was elected CDU leader after the party and Kohl were rocked by a scandal over illegal funding.

Merkel became Germany's first woman chancellor and the country's first leader to have grown up in the former communist East Germany in 2005, when her conservatives narrowly defeated Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD).

Angela Merkel, who has been chancellor of Germany since 2005 and currently serves her fourth term, is a contender for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Her decision in 2015 to allow more than a million migrants into the country has earned her respect worldwide and increasing criticism at home.

Angela Merkel, who has been chancellor of Germany since 2005 and currently serves her fourth term, is a contender for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. Her decision in 2015 to allow more than a million migrants into the country has earned her respect worldwide and increasing criticism at home. The move was largely to blame for the rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) in last year's election. More recently, she has been plagued by in-party fighting and her so called grand coalition government of her CDU, the CSU and the SPD was on the brink of collapse twice since its inauguration. Only some ten days ago, Merkel admitted she had misjudged her response to allegations of far-right sympathies against Germany's spymaster, after resolving a row over his redeployment that threatened to pull her government apart. BfV intelligence agency head Hans-Georg Maassen's political views came under the microscope this month after he questioned the authenticity of video footage showing radicals hounding migrants in the eastern city of Chemnitz. Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) sister party and the third coalition partner - the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - agreed last week to transfer Maassen to a senior role in the Interior Ministry. But that prompted a public blacklash when it emerged that Maassen would also get a pay rise. The coalition rescinded the hike, after some members of the SPD called for their party to quit the alliance if it stayed in place. Born Angela Kasner in Hamburg in 1954, she moved with her family to East Germany when she was only a toddler after her father, a Protestant pastor, was offered a job in the state of Brandenburg, north of Berlin. She grew up in the town of Templin, in the Uckermark region with its lakes and rolling hills. Merkel studied physics at the University of Leipzig, earning a doctorate, and became politically active after the Berlin Wall fell, joining the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in 1990. Only a year later she became the youngest member of Chancellor Helmut Kohl's cabinet as minister for women and youth. In 1994, she became German environment minister and in 2000 she was elected CDU leader after the party and Kohl were rocked by a scandal over illegal funding. Merkel became Germany's first woman chancellor and the country's first leader to have grown up in the former communist East Germany in 2005, when her conservatives narrowly defeated Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD).

German Chancellor Angela Merkel possible contender for Nobel Peace Prize

Germany will host the Euro 2024 soccer tournament after beating Turkey in a two-horse contest on Thursday.

Germany, which previously staged the event as West Germany in 1988, won the vote among 17 members of UEFA's executive committee.

The decision, announced by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, was a bitter disappointment for Turkey who also failed with bids to host the 2008, 2012 and 2016 tournaments.

"The procedure was transparent, the vote was democratic. Every democratic decision is the right decision," Ceferin said.

"We have amazing stadiums, fans who love football, first and foremost we have people who love celebrating with other Europeans," said former Germany captain Philipp Lahm, an ambassador for the German bid.

Germany will host the Euro 2024 soccer tournament after beating Turkey in a two-horse contest on Thursday. Germany, which previously staged the event as West Germany in 1988, won the vote among 17 members of UEFA's executive committee.

Germany will host the Euro 2024 soccer tournament after beating Turkey in a two-horse contest on Thursday. Germany, which previously staged the event as West Germany in 1988, won the vote among 17 members of UEFA's executive committee. The decision, announced by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, was a bitter disappointment for Turkey who also failed with bids to host the 2008, 2012 and 2016 tournaments. "The procedure was transparent, the vote was democratic. Every democratic decision is the right decision," Ceferin said. "We have amazing stadiums, fans who love football, first and foremost we have people who love celebrating with other Europeans," said former Germany captain Philipp Lahm, an ambassador for the German bid.

Football: Germany pip Turkey to host Euro 2024

Defending champions&nbsp;Germany qualified for the finals in style, they registered 10 wins from 10 in UEFA qualifying Group C and became the second team in history to manage that feat after Spain in 2010.

With Joachim Low (Jogi) factor and team's strength in depth, Germany is likely to win the World Cup 2018. Their star defender Manuel Neuer has recovered in time for World Cup campaign. Although, he played just 360 minutes for Bayern Munich last season because of a second metatarsal fracture but Neuer is one player worth gambling.

The German national soccer team travelled to Russia on Tuesday to defend the FIFA World Cup title with a squad of newcomers and veterans, a mixed team somewhat different than the squad that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Germany coach Joachim Low brought 14 new players to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, moving on from older players such as Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gotze, who scored the winner against Argentina in 2014 final.

The new blood is personified in defender Joshua Kimmich, who is to play in the same position as retired Lahm, a captain in 2014, while forward Timo Werner is to fill the gap of left by Klose.

However, despite the cuts, Low's squad - nicknamed Die Mannschaft - mainly depends on the 2014 champions, including defenders Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, midfielders Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil and forward Thomas Muller.

Germany qualified for this summer's tournament after winning its 10 qualifying matches, in addition to claiming the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

More recently, German confidence took a hit after suffering two friendly-match defeats against Brazil and Austria and three draws against England, France and Spain, as well as a single unconvincing 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia.

The following players are likely to start for Germany in Russia: Manuel Neuer, Kimmich, Boateng, Hummels, Jonas Hector, Kroos, Khedira, Muller, Ozil, Reus and Werner.

Germany, which is set to compete in Group F along with Mexico, Sweden and South Korea, is to debut in the World Cup against the Mexican squad "El Tri" on June 17.

With Joachim Low (Jogi) factor and team's strength in depth, Germany are likely to win the World Cup 2018

Defending champions Germany qualified for the finals in style, they registered 10 wins from 10 in UEFA qualifying Group C and became the second team in history to manage that feat after Spain in 2010. With Joachim Low (Jogi) factor and team's strength in depth, Germany is likely to win the World Cup 2018. Their star defender Manuel Neuer has recovered in time for World Cup campaign. Although, he played just 360 minutes for Bayern Munich last season because of a second metatarsal fracture but Neuer is one player worth gambling. The German national soccer team travelled to Russia on Tuesday to defend the FIFA World Cup title with a squad of newcomers and veterans, a mixed team somewhat different than the squad that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Germany coach Joachim Low brought 14 new players to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, moving on from older players such as Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose and Mario Gotze, who scored the winner against Argentina in 2014 final. The new blood is personified in defender Joshua Kimmich, who is to play in the same position as retired Lahm, a captain in 2014, while forward Timo Werner is to fill the gap of left by Klose. However, despite the cuts, Low's squad - nicknamed Die Mannschaft - mainly depends on the 2014 champions, including defenders Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng, midfielders Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil and forward Thomas Muller. Germany qualified for this summer's tournament after winning its 10 qualifying matches, in addition to claiming the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. More recently, German confidence took a hit after suffering two friendly-match defeats against Brazil and Austria and three draws against England, France and Spain, as well as a single unconvincing 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia. The following players are likely to start for Germany in Russia: Manuel Neuer, Kimmich, Boateng, Hummels, Jonas Hector, Kroos, Khedira, Muller, Ozil, Reus and Werner. Germany, which is set to compete in Group F along with Mexico, Sweden and South Korea, is to debut in the World Cup against the Mexican squad "El Tri" on June 17.

Defending champions Germany stronger than four years ago

Germany and France on Sunday sharply criticised U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to abruptly withdraw his support for a Group of Seven communique, accusing him of destroying trust and acting inconsistently.

Trump's announcement on Twitter, after he left the G7 summit in Canada early, that he was backing out of the joint communique torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on a trade dispute between Washington and its top allies.

Trump also took aim at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and said he might double down on import tariffs by hitting the sensitive automobile industry, throwing G7 efforts to show a united front into disarray.

G7 members Germany and France said they stood by the communique despite Trump's decision.

"In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said when asked about Trump's U-turn, adding it would take much longer to rebuild lost trust.

Trump's conduct was "actually not a real surprise, we have seen this with the climate agreement or the Iran deal", Maas, a senior member of the Social Democrats (SPD), a partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition, told reporters.

Trump withdrew the United States from the global deal reached in Paris in December 2015 to curb global warming, and last month from world powers' July 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, asserting that it was one-sided in Tehran's favour.

SPD leader Andrea Nahles accused Trump of turning the G7 summit into a disaster with his tweets and bowing out of his international responsibilities. "President Trump is creating chaos. Reasonable and reliable policy is not possible that way."

France and Europe are standing by the G7 communique, a French presidency official said, adding anyone departing from the commitments made at the summit would be showing their "incoherence and inconsistency".

"International cooperation cannot depend on being angry and on sound bites. Let's be serious," the French official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Trump has infuriated the European Union, Canada and Mexico by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, accusing all of having shortchanged the United States in trade deals. They strongly deny this.

Trump and European allies are also at odds over Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the deal in which Iran curbed its disputed nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, and the Paris climate change accord.

"We have to keep a cool head now and draw the right conclusions," Maas said. Europe's answer must be to stick even closer together, defend its interests and strengthen alliances with countries such as Japan and Canada, he said.

"Europe united is the answer to America First," Maas added.

A German government spokesman also said that Berlin stands by the jointly agreed G7 communique in which leaders underlined the crucial role of a rules-based international trading system and promised to fight protectionism.

In Washington, the top White House economic adviser accused Canada's prime minister on Sunday of betraying Trump with "polarising" statements on U.S. trade policy that risked undermining the American leader on the eve of a historic summit with North Korea.

Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, lashed out at Trudeau as "amateurish" and "sophomoric" for a news conference the prime minister gave after Trump left the G7 summit on Saturday.

Trudeau told reporters that he had spoken of retaliatory measures that Canada would take next month in response to Trump's decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

Trump's announcement on Twitter, after he left the G7 summit in Canada early, that he was backing out of the joint communique torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on a trade dispute between Washington and its top allies

Germany and France on Sunday sharply criticised U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to abruptly withdraw his support for a Group of Seven communique, accusing him of destroying trust and acting inconsistently. Trump's announcement on Twitter, after he left the G7 summit in Canada early, that he was backing out of the joint communique torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on a trade dispute between Washington and its top allies. Trump also took aim at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and said he might double down on import tariffs by hitting the sensitive automobile industry, throwing G7 efforts to show a united front into disarray. G7 members Germany and France said they stood by the communique despite Trump's decision. "In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said when asked about Trump's U-turn, adding it would take much longer to rebuild lost trust. Trump's conduct was "actually not a real surprise, we have seen this with the climate agreement or the Iran deal", Maas, a senior member of the Social Democrats (SPD), a partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition, told reporters. Trump withdrew the United States from the global deal reached in Paris in December 2015 to curb global warming, and last month from world powers' July 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, asserting that it was one-sided in Tehran's favour. SPD leader Andrea Nahles accused Trump of turning the G7 summit into a disaster with his tweets and bowing out of his international responsibilities. "President Trump is creating chaos. Reasonable and reliable policy is not possible that way." France and Europe are standing by the G7 communique, a French presidency official said, adding anyone departing from the commitments made at the summit would be showing their "incoherence and inconsistency". "International cooperation cannot depend on being angry and on sound bites. Let's be serious," the French official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Trump has infuriated the European Union, Canada and Mexico by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, accusing all of having shortchanged the United States in trade deals. They strongly deny this. Trump and European allies are also at odds over Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the deal in which Iran curbed its disputed nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, and the Paris climate change accord. "We have to keep a cool head now and draw the right conclusions," Maas said. Europe's answer must be to stick even closer together, defend its interests and strengthen alliances with countries such as Japan and Canada, he said. "Europe united is the answer to America First," Maas added. A German government spokesman also said that Berlin stands by the jointly agreed G7 communique in which leaders underlined the crucial role of a rules-based international trading system and promised to fight protectionism. In Washington, the top White House economic adviser accused Canada's prime minister on Sunday of betraying Trump with "polarising" statements on U.S. trade policy that risked undermining the American leader on the eve of a historic summit with North Korea. Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, lashed out at Trudeau as "amateurish" and "sophomoric" for a news conference the prime minister gave after Trump left the G7 summit on Saturday. Trudeau told reporters that he had spoken of retaliatory measures that Canada would take next month in response to Trump's decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

Germany, France blast Trump over Group of Seven U-turn

Manuel Neuer, popularly known as the 'Sweeper-Keeper', is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains both, Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all times. Under his guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014. Here are some lesser known and very interesting&nbspfacts that you did not know about Manuel Neuer:

1. He has grown up following his childhood hero, former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. He is also compared with the likes of former German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, and even said to be the 'right hands' to fill the Van Der Sar’s gloves. But Neuer says that Lehmann is the greatest of all time.

2. He won €500,000 in November 2011 on "Wer wird Millionar?" The German version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

3. He was born as a football freak, something that comes from his 'genes', and got his first football when he was only 2. He and his brother Marcel used to spend hours playing in the streets of their hometown. Now, Neuer is the goalkeeper of Germany's national side and also, of Bayern Munich. And Marcel is currently a referee in the Verbandsliga. Neuer played his first game when he was 4 years and 341 days old, on March 3, 1991.

4. An amazing fact about him is that he is known as “sweeper-keeper”. His teammates have given him this name because of his great goalkeeping skills.

5. Another impressive fact about him is that, falling behind only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo he grabbed the third slot in FIFA Ballon d'Or Award in 2014.

6. He has won Footballer of the Year in Germany Award twice. The first time he grabbed the title in 2011 and second time in the year of 2014.&nbsp

7. He has been the winner of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year Award due to his impressive performance in UEFA Champions League. Even noticeable fact is that he has grabbed the title thrice in a row for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively.

8. He holds the record of being the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time only behind Gianluigi Buffon. In 2011, he was picked up by Bayern offering him a five-year contract and an amount worth €22 million. This made him second most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

9. A very inspiring fact about Manuel is that he runs a charity foundation for children titled Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation which actively works for the betterment of children.&nbsp

"I want to give back to disadvantaged children in my home region something of what I was lucky enough to have in my own youth: opportunities and prospects in life," said Neuer.

10. His career at international level is quite sound. He has won 1 FIFA World Cup for the year 2014 and 1 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the year 2009.

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Under Neuer's guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014

Manuel Neuer, popularly known as the 'Sweeper-Keeper', is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains both, Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all times. Under his guidance, Germany team lifted FIFA World Cup trophy in 2014. Here are some lesser known and very interesting&nbspfacts that you did not know about Manuel Neuer: 1. He has grown up following his childhood hero, former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. He is also compared with the likes of former German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, and even said to be the 'right hands' to fill the Van Der Sar’s gloves. But Neuer says that Lehmann is the greatest of all time. 2. He won €500,000 in November 2011 on "Wer wird Millionar?" The German version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." 3. He was born as a football freak, something that comes from his 'genes', and got his first football when he was only 2. He and his brother Marcel used to spend hours playing in the streets of their hometown. Now, Neuer is the goalkeeper of Germany's national side and also, of Bayern Munich. And Marcel is currently a referee in the Verbandsliga. Neuer played his first game when he was 4 years and 341 days old, on March 3, 1991. 4. An amazing fact about him is that he is known as “sweeper-keeper”. His teammates have given him this name because of his great goalkeeping skills. 5. Another impressive fact about him is that, falling behind only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo he grabbed the third slot in FIFA Ballon d'Or Award in 2014. 6. He has won Footballer of the Year in Germany Award twice. The first time he grabbed the title in 2011 and second time in the year of 2014. 7. He has been the winner of UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year Award due to his impressive performance in UEFA Champions League. Even noticeable fact is that he has grabbed the title thrice in a row for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. 8. He holds the record of being the second most expensive goalkeeper of all time only behind Gianluigi Buffon. In 2011, he was picked up by Bayern offering him a five-year contract and an amount worth €22 million. This made him second most expensive goalkeeper of all time. 9. A very inspiring fact about Manuel is that he runs a charity foundation for children titled Manuel Neuer Kids Foundation which actively works for the betterment of children. "I want to give back to disadvantaged children in my home region something of what I was lucky enough to have in my own youth: opportunities and prospects in life," said Neuer. 10. His career at international level is quite sound. He has won 1 FIFA World Cup for the year 2014 and 1 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the year 2009. ×

Here are 10 lesser-known facts about German 'sweeper-keeper' Manuel Neuer

France have appeared at 14 World Cups, claiming their best result when they won the title on home soil in 1998 led by then captain and current coach Didier Deschamps, as Les Bleus beat Brazil 3-0 in the final at the Stade de France.

After&nbsp;finishing third in 1958, France had to wait until the 1980s to become title contenders once more, twice falling at the semi-final stage to West Germany in 1982 and four years later.

France reached the final again in 2006, inspired by talismanic midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who scored and was then sent off in the title match after his remarkable head butt on Marco Materazzi as Italy won on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

<hr />
Coach: Didier Deschamps

Deschamps is France's most decorated player at club and national team level, having captained the team to the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000 titles.

He also won the Champions League twice, with Olympique de Marseille and Juventus as a steely holding midfielder, which earned him the nickname 'water carrier' by Eric Cantona.

He became France coach in 2012 when he succeeded his former France team mate Laurent Blanc, taking Les Bleus to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and the Euro 2016 final at home.

Prior to his international managerial stint, he gained promotion to Serie A with Juventus, took Monaco to the Champions League final and led Marseille to their first title in 18 years.

Deschamps started his playing career at Nantes and also represented Chelsea, Valencia and Bordeaux. His performances and his qualities as team leader earned the 49-year-old 103 caps for France.

<hr />
Key players:

Antoine Griezmann: Griezmann's stellar campaign with Atletico Madrid has seen him strongly linked with a move to Barcelona during the close season. After scoring 19 goals from 30 La Liga games and six in 13 European ties, the striker heads to Russia in the form of his life.

Paul Pogba: France's chances could largely depend on Pogba's form after the Manchester United midfielder endured a patchy season under coach Jose Mourinho, who was not afraid to drop him following poor performances. Deschamps will also be prepared to keep Pogba on the bench if his performances waver in Russia.

Olivier Giroud: Giroud has often been dismissed by fans as too clumsy and one-dimensional to lead the France attack yet the Chelsea striker, Europe's most prolific in the air over the past three seasons, has always saved some of his best performances for the national side.

<hr />
Form guide:

France have conceded six goals in their last three games, including in a 3-2 home defeat in a friendly against Colombia, indicating that Les Bleus have a problem in defence. They did bounce back with a convincing 3-1 away win against Russia but Deschamps will be hoping centre backs Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane are on their best form when the competition starts.

<hr />
How they qualified:

In a group featuring Sweden and the Netherlands, France were strong favourites and they progressed in a relatively straightforward manner with seven wins, two draws and a defeat, scoring 18 and conceding six goals.

<hr />
Prospects:

France should have little trouble advancing from Group C where they will face Australia, Denmark and Peru. They will, however, be wary of Peru as the last time they played a South American side (Colombia), they lost. If they qualify for the last 16, they will take on one of the top-two finishers in Group D, which features Argentina, Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria. Should they make the quarter-finals, Les Bleus could face either Spain or Portugal, who beat them in the Euro 2016 final.

<hr />
France's fixtures

June 16

03:30 PM | France vs Australia | Kazan Arena, Kazan

June 21

08:30 PM | France vs Peru | Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg

June 26

07:30 PM | South Korea vs Germany | Kazan Arena, Kazan

<hr />
Squad

Goalkeepers:&nbsp;Alphone Areola (Paris St Germain), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille)

Defenders:&nbsp;Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St Germain), Benjamin Pavard (VfB Stuttgart), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Adil Rami (Olympique de Marseille), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)

Midfielders:&nbsp;Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich)

Strikers:&nbsp;Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St Germain), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Nabil Fekir (Olympique Lyonnais), Florian Thauvin (Olympique de Marseille), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia_7.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/fifa%202018%20Russia_7.jpg" width="770" />

&nbsp;

France have appeared at 14 World Cups, claiming their best result when they won the title on home soil in 1998

France have appeared at 14 World Cups, claiming their best result when they won the title on home soil in 1998 led by then captain and current coach Didier Deschamps, as Les Bleus beat Brazil 3-0 in the final at the Stade de France. After finishing third in 1958, France had to wait until the 1980s to become title contenders once more, twice falling at the semi-final stage to West Germany in 1982 and four years later. France reached the final again in 2006, inspired by talismanic midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who scored and was then sent off in the title match after his remarkable head butt on Marco Materazzi as Italy won on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Coach: Didier Deschamps Deschamps is France's most decorated player at club and national team level, having captained the team to the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000 titles. He also won the Champions League twice, with Olympique de Marseille and Juventus as a steely holding midfielder, which earned him the nickname 'water carrier' by Eric Cantona. He became France coach in 2012 when he succeeded his former France team mate Laurent Blanc, taking Les Bleus to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and the Euro 2016 final at home. Prior to his international managerial stint, he gained promotion to Serie A with Juventus, took Monaco to the Champions League final and led Marseille to their first title in 18 years. Deschamps started his playing career at Nantes and also represented Chelsea, Valencia and Bordeaux. His performances and his qualities as team leader earned the 49-year-old 103 caps for France. Key players: Antoine Griezmann: Griezmann's stellar campaign with Atletico Madrid has seen him strongly linked with a move to Barcelona during the close season. After scoring 19 goals from 30 La Liga games and six in 13 European ties, the striker heads to Russia in the form of his life. Paul Pogba: France's chances could largely depend on Pogba's form after the Manchester United midfielder endured a patchy season under coach Jose Mourinho, who was not afraid to drop him following poor performances. Deschamps will also be prepared to keep Pogba on the bench if his performances waver in Russia. Olivier Giroud: Giroud has often been dismissed by fans as too clumsy and one-dimensional to lead the France attack yet the Chelsea striker, Europe's most prolific in the air over the past three seasons, has always saved some of his best performances for the national side. Form guide: France have conceded six goals in their last three games, including in a 3-2 home defeat in a friendly against Colombia, indicating that Les Bleus have a problem in defence. They did bounce back with a convincing 3-1 away win against Russia but Deschamps will be hoping centre backs Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane are on their best form when the competition starts. How they qualified: In a group featuring Sweden and the Netherlands, France were strong favourites and they progressed in a relatively straightforward manner with seven wins, two draws and a defeat, scoring 18 and conceding six goals. Prospects: France should have little trouble advancing from Group C where they will face Australia, Denmark and Peru. They will, however, be wary of Peru as the last time they played a South American side (Colombia), they lost. If they qualify for the last 16, they will take on one of the top-two finishers in Group D, which features Argentina, Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria. Should they make the quarter-finals, Les Bleus could face either Spain or Portugal, who beat them in the Euro 2016 final. France's fixtures June 16 03:30 PM | France vs Australia | Kazan Arena, Kazan June 21 08:30 PM | France vs Peru | Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg June 26 07:30 PM | South Korea vs Germany | Kazan Arena, Kazan Squad Goalkeepers: Alphone Areola (Paris St Germain), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille) Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St Germain), Benjamin Pavard (VfB Stuttgart), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Adil Rami (Olympique de Marseille), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) Midfielders: Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich) Strikers: Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St Germain), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Nabil Fekir (Olympique Lyonnais), Florian Thauvin (Olympique de Marseille), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of France

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier called on Friday for Europe to remain unified in the face of rising trade tensions with the United States, saying it was unclear how a summit of the Group of Seven rich nations would end.

"We have a serious situation, not just since last night or this morning, but rather the entire last few weeks," Altmaier told broadcaster ZDF.

He underlined the importance of European unity on free trade and economic interests, especially since domestic debate was continuing in the United States about punitive sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump on G7 allies like Canada, Japan and the European Union.

Leaders of G7 nations meeting in Canada from Friday are more divided than at any time in the group's 42-year history, with Trump's "America First" policies at risk of causing a global trade war and deep diplomatic schisms.

Trump has already imposed hefty tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and threatened to do the same for cars. His decisions to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and a global climate change accord have also fueled tensions.

Altmaier said the EU had long resisted imposing tariffs of its own but had shown it would do so if left with no other choice.

European leaders remained committed to continuing the dialogue with the United States if both sides were willing to make concessions, he said, although there was no sign of that at the moment.

A business leader also expressed concern. Joe Kaeser, chief executive of the engineering group Siemens, warned against deepening the transatlantic trade dispute. "Escalation was never a good answer. That's why we must try to find areas of agreement," he said in Munich.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the United States remained Germany's closest partner outside Europe. However, there were significant differences that could not be ignored, and Europe needed new partnerships, he told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

He took aim at Trump's actions on the Iran deal, trade and climate change, saying the president was willfully ignoring the negative consequences that his decisions would have on Europe and focusing solely on U.S. interests.

"None of that will make the world better, safer or more peaceful," he told the newspaper. "We were used to relying on what had been agreed. That has fundamentally changed."

Maas called for creation of a European security council, an idea backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and said ending the current requirement for unanimous decisions on foreign policy and security issues would make the EU more agile.

Maas also called for Europe to forge alliances with other regions, including countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

"We have a serious situation, not just since last night or this morning, but rather the entire last few weeks," Altmaier told

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier called on Friday for Europe to remain unified in the face of rising trade tensions with the United States, saying it was unclear how a summit of the Group of Seven rich nations would end. "We have a serious situation, not just since last night or this morning, but rather the entire last few weeks," Altmaier told broadcaster ZDF. He underlined the importance of European unity on free trade and economic interests, especially since domestic debate was continuing in the United States about punitive sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump on G7 allies like Canada, Japan and the European Union. Leaders of G7 nations meeting in Canada from Friday are more divided than at any time in the group's 42-year history, with Trump's "America First" policies at risk of causing a global trade war and deep diplomatic schisms. Trump has already imposed hefty tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and threatened to do the same for cars. His decisions to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and a global climate change accord have also fueled tensions. Altmaier said the EU had long resisted imposing tariffs of its own but had shown it would do so if left with no other choice. European leaders remained committed to continuing the dialogue with the United States if both sides were willing to make concessions, he said, although there was no sign of that at the moment. A business leader also expressed concern. Joe Kaeser, chief executive of the engineering group Siemens, warned against deepening the transatlantic trade dispute. "Escalation was never a good answer. That's why we must try to find areas of agreement," he said in Munich. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the United States remained Germany's closest partner outside Europe. However, there were significant differences that could not be ignored, and Europe needed new partnerships, he told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. He took aim at Trump's actions on the Iran deal, trade and climate change, saying the president was willfully ignoring the negative consequences that his decisions would have on Europe and focusing solely on U.S. interests. "None of that will make the world better, safer or more peaceful," he told the newspaper. "We were used to relying on what had been agreed. That has fundamentally changed." Maas called for creation of a European security council, an idea backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and said ending the current requirement for unanimous decisions on foreign policy and security issues would make the EU more agile. Maas also called for Europe to forge alliances with other regions, including countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Germany urges European unity in face of trade tensions with US

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he will huddle with the leaders of Britain, Germany and Italy to forge a common approach on how to handle Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Canada.

Macron will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new Italian premier Giuseppe Conte on Friday at 10:30 am (1430 GMT), just before the formal start of the summit in La Malbaie.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU president Donald Tusk will also attend, the French leader said.

Macron will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new Italian premier Giuseppe Conte on Friday

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he will huddle with the leaders of Britain, Germany and Italy to forge a common approach on how to handle Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Canada. Macron will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new Italian premier Giuseppe Conte on Friday at 10:30 am (1430 GMT), just before the formal start of the summit in La Malbaie. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU president Donald Tusk will also attend, the French leader said.

Macron to meet Britain, Italy, German leaders before G7

Weak demand from domestic and eurozone clients led to a fourth straight monthly drop in&nbsp;German&nbsp;industrial&nbsp;orders&nbsp;in April, suggesting factories in Europe's largest economy will shift into a lower gear over coming months.

Contracts for&nbsp;German&nbsp;goods were down 2.5 per cent from March after a downwardly revised drop of 1.1 per cent the previous month, Thursday's Federal Statistics Office data showed.

The April reading significantly undershot a Reuters poll of analysts, who had predicted a 0.8 per cent rise.

DIHK economist Sophia Krietenbrink said it might signal a loss of economic momentum despite the fact that order backlogs at&nbsp;German&nbsp;manufacturers were still high.

"Trade&nbsp;conflicts, in particular, are causing considerable uncertainty from outside," she said.

The decline was driven by a drop in domestic demand, though&nbsp;orders&nbsp;from clients in other eurozone countries also fell.

A sector breakdown of the figures showed demand for capital and consumer goods fell while demand for intermediate goods rose.

The release followed a string of strong economic data that included retail sales posting a bigger-than-expected jump in April, unemployment reaching a record low in May and business morale steadying despite the threat of a global&nbsp;trade&nbsp;war.

Germany's VDMA industry association said on Wednesday that engineering&nbsp;orders&nbsp;had jumped 12 per cent in April compared to a year before, with surging domestic demand offsetting a drop in contracts from eurozone partners.

The&nbsp;German&nbsp;economy grew 0.3 per cent on the quarter in the first three months of the year and is expected to pick up speed in the April-June period. For 2018 as a whole, the government forecasts 2.3 per cent growth.

DIHK economist Sophia Krietenbrink said it might signal a loss of economic momentum despite the fact that order backlogs at German manufacturers were still high

Weak demand from domestic and eurozone clients led to a fourth straight monthly drop in German industrial orders in April, suggesting factories in Europe's largest economy will shift into a lower gear over coming months. Contracts for German goods were down 2.5 per cent from March after a downwardly revised drop of 1.1 per cent the previous month, Thursday's Federal Statistics Office data showed. The April reading significantly undershot a Reuters poll of analysts, who had predicted a 0.8 per cent rise. DIHK economist Sophia Krietenbrink said it might signal a loss of economic momentum despite the fact that order backlogs at German manufacturers were still high. "Trade conflicts, in particular, are causing considerable uncertainty from outside," she said. The decline was driven by a drop in domestic demand, though orders from clients in other eurozone countries also fell. A sector breakdown of the figures showed demand for capital and consumer goods fell while demand for intermediate goods rose. The release followed a string of strong economic data that included retail sales posting a bigger-than-expected jump in April, unemployment reaching a record low in May and business morale steadying despite the threat of a global trade war. Germany's VDMA industry association said on Wednesday that engineering orders had jumped 12 per cent in April compared to a year before, with surging domestic demand offsetting a drop in contracts from eurozone partners. The German economy grew 0.3 per cent on the quarter in the first three months of the year and is expected to pick up speed in the April-June period. For 2018 as a whole, the government forecasts 2.3 per cent growth.

German industrial orders plunge as trade war fears weigh

France, Britain, Germany and the EU on Wednesday sent the United States a joint official request for their companies to be exempt from punitive measures resulting from fresh US sanctions on Iran.

"As allies, we expect that the United States will refrain from taking action to harm Europe's security interests," said the letter to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said the three countries and the EU were asking the US "to exempt European businesses doing legitimate trade in Iran from all extraterritorial American sanctions".

"Those businesses must be able to pursue their activities," he wrote on Twitter.

The plea comes as European leaders scramble to save the hard-fought deal signed between Iran and world powers in 2015 under which Tehran agreed to limits on its nuclear capacities in exchange for relief from crippling economic sanctions.

US President Donald Trump announced he was abandoning the deal last month -- which will mean new sanctions on the Islamic republic and punitive measures for those who trade with it.

Analysts say European firms which have rushed to invest in Iran after the lifting of sanctions over the past three years have the most to lose from the renewed sanctions.

Several major companies including France's Total and the Netherlands' Maersk have already said it will be impossible to stay in Iran once the sanctions are fully reimposed over the next six months, unless they receive explicit exemptions from Washington.&nbsp;

French automaker PSA said Monday that it would pull out of two joint ventures to sell its cars in Iran to avoid the risk of punishing fines.

'As allies, we expect that the United States will refrain from taking action to harm Europe's security interests,' said the letter to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

France, Britain, Germany and the EU on Wednesday sent the United States a joint official request for their companies to be exempt from punitive measures resulting from fresh US sanctions on Iran. "As allies, we expect that the United States will refrain from taking action to harm Europe's security interests," said the letter to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said the three countries and the EU were asking the US "to exempt European businesses doing legitimate trade in Iran from all extraterritorial American sanctions". "Those businesses must be able to pursue their activities," he wrote on Twitter. The plea comes as European leaders scramble to save the hard-fought deal signed between Iran and world powers in 2015 under which Tehran agreed to limits on its nuclear capacities in exchange for relief from crippling economic sanctions. US President Donald Trump announced he was abandoning the deal last month -- which will mean new sanctions on the Islamic republic and punitive measures for those who trade with it. Analysts say European firms which have rushed to invest in Iran after the lifting of sanctions over the past three years have the most to lose from the renewed sanctions. Several major companies including France's Total and the Netherlands' Maersk have already said it will be impossible to stay in Iran once the sanctions are fully reimposed over the next six months, unless they receive explicit exemptions from Washington. French automaker PSA said Monday that it would pull out of two joint ventures to sell its cars in Iran to avoid the risk of punishing fines.

France, Germany, Britain, EU formally request US exemptions from Iran sanctions

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