Germany
Germany pledges support to Afghanistan after combat troops leave
BERLIN - Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged on Friday to support Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his new unity government after NATO combat troops withdraw from the country at the end of more than a decade of fighting Islamist insurgents.
Germans resist ECB money-printing move, but Draghi gets key support
FRANKFURT/VIENNA - European Central Bank policymaker Ewald Nowotny on Friday backed ECB President Mario Draghi on steps to revive the euro zone economy with new stimulus, while Germany firmly maintained its opposition to buying sovereign bonds.
Antitrust pressure could push Liberty out of Germany - sources
FRANKFURT - Pressure from competition regulators could prompt Liberty Global to abandon Germany if it can no longer pursue its growth ambitions in Europe's biggest cable market, sources have told Reuters.
German man jailed for almost four years for joining IS
FRANKFURT - A 20-year-old German man was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison on Friday after he admitted joining Islamic State militants in Syria, in the first trial in Germany of a home-grown jihadi accused of membership of the insurgent group.
Communist comeback fears hang over German state vote
BERLIN - The Cold War has flared up again in Germany ahead of a tight and unpredictable state assembly vote on Friday in the eastern state of Thuringia, where the reform communist Left party is yearning to take control of a regional government for the first time.
German accused of fighting for Islamic State to be sentenced
FRANKFURT - Judges will give their verdict on Friday and sentence a 20-year-old German accused of fighting for Islamic State in Syria in the first case of its kind in Germany, where dozens of suspected home-grown jihadis are awaiting trial.
BMW expects further sales growth in 2015
MUNICH - Germany's BMW expects its luxury car sales to increase in 2015, building on this year's solid expansion, even as economic growth in core European markets stalls and geopolitical risks persist.
UK lifts Western Europe cars sales in November as France, Germany falter
LONDON - Western Europe car sales rose 1 percent in November compared with a year earlier as strong demand in Britain and Spain helped offset falls in Germany, France and the Netherlands, according to industry data compiled by LMC Automotive.
Lufthansa pilots to strike again on long-haul on Thursday
FRANKFURT - Pilots at Deutsche Lufthansa AG said they would strike again on Thursday on long-haul and cargo flights, after a two-day stoppage on Monday and Tuesday stranded thousands of travellers. | Video
Germany wants NATO-Russia channel to avoid accidental escalation
BRUSSELS - Germany urged NATO on Tuesday to set up an early warning system with Russia to prevent any military accident from spiralling out of control.
Protests against police violence flare for third night in New York
NEW YORK - Protesters in New York and other U.S. cities rallied for a third straight night on Friday denouncing the use of deadly force by police against minorities, as prosecutors said they would consider charges against an officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man in November. | Video