Germany's domestic intelligence agency will step up monitoring for political extremism of the far-right AfD party (pictured) ahead of an election later this year.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who took over from Angela Merkel as leader of the CDU last month, has appealed for Britain to stay in the EU, calling it Britain’s ‘home’.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the pact, inked in the ancient western German city of Aachen today, aims to build a 'common military culture' between Germany and France.

Alexander von Schoenburg - editor of Bilt, Germany's largest newspaper - makes an impassioned plea to EU leaders to allow Britain to exit the European Union with its head held high - it's the least Europe owes it.

The findings, which suggest car workers would be most at risk (pictured, the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg), give voice to Brexiteer hopes that EU leaders will have to give ground in Brexit talks.

Berlin's budget plans will see defence spending drop well below the two per cent of GDP expected from NATO members in what U.S. envoy Richard Grenell (pictured) called a 'worrisome signal'.

Body language expert Judi James suggested May's 'pantomime over-reaction' showed her desire to gain approval from the German leader, 'like you would your boss'.

Lubeck is a tiny delight of a medieval city, an hour from Hamburg. The Daily Mail's Kate Johnson visited its most famous sweet shop, Niederegger, where they have floors or truffles and marzipan.

Prince Charles is asking politicians to protect Britain's historic bond with Germany. Some see the move as a push for a softer Brexit as he says he wants the friendship with Germany to continue.

At a Berlin summit in 2016, Theresa May was offered a choice of red wine – one Italian, one German – and chose the latter. Angela Merkel told her: ‘Have the Italian wine like me. German red is no good.'

President Donald Trump passed on an opportunity to criticize German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying 'she has to say what she has to say' about him to stay in power.

German politician Walter Luebcke, who was known to have pro-migrant views, was found dead at his home in the city of Kassel. Investigators fear his killing had a far right motive.

Children will only be admitted to kindergarten or school if they have had the jabs, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday.

German GDP fell by 0.1 per cent between April and June and today the Bundesbank in Frankfurt said that 'industrial production is expected to shrink markedly in the current quarter as well'.

The pair had a notoriously hostile relationship when they were both in power, and used language about each other which shocked diplomats.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has begged Poland for forgiveness on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War at a service in Weilun, Poland.

Stefan Jagsch (pictured), of the far right-wing extremist National Democratic Party (NDP), was elected on Thursday for Waldsiedlung after the post remained vacant for weeks.

CRAIG BROWN: As his girth attested, Helmut Kohl liked his food. In fact, he could be called something of a glutton. His favourite dish was Saumagen, which literally means 'sow's stomach'.

Merkel's decision to welcome a million Syrian migrants in 2015 has tarnished her political standing, but the idea of a 'safe zone' could reduce the outflow of refugees from the war-torn country.

While popular premier far-left Die Linke party easily retained the top spot with about 30 per cent, the Alternative for Germany scored at least 23 percent - more than doubling its result in 2014.

Björn Höcke's party surged to 23 per cent of the vote in Thuringia, a state in the former East Germany, beating Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling CDU into third place.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) has told her fellow EU leaders that the projected rise would make Germany the largest per-capita contributor, overtaking the Netherlands.

Angela Merkel has urged Europe to defend 'democracy' and 'freedom' as Germany is today marking 30 years since the Berlin Wall fell.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the United States to be a 'mutually respectful partner' and reject nationalism as Germany marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Saskia Esken, a new left-leaning leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has proposed setting a national speed limit of 80mph in a move to appease climate-conscious voters.

ALEXANDER VON SCHOENBURG (Editor at large for BILD): For years, EU leaders insisted Brexit would be a disaster. But that narrative is starting to look like a delusion.

The swing towards right-wing ideology began as a backlash to the 2015 migrant crisis, when Chancellor Angela Merkel threw opened Germany's borders to some one million migrants.

The Robert Koch Institute, a German government agency responsible for disease control, made the claim on Tuesday as it strengthened the threat risk for Germany from 'moderate' to 'high'.

Angela Merkel urged Germans to heed the stringent confinement measures imposed this week as the number of infections soared over 11,000 today, including 28 deaths.

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel will quarantine herself at home after being treated by a doctor who has since tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig is carrying out blood tests in order to identify antibodies associated with Covid-19 (pictured, medics treat a patient in Hamburg).

Angela Merkel's government wants to test all suspected cases in Germany and the entire circle of people who have come into contact with a confirmed patient.

Movie lovers in their hundreds turned up at a drive-in cinema in Essen, west Germany, to enjoy a film from their car - while all other movie theatres in the country are closed.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has ordered people not leave their homes unless they have an exceptional reason. A distance of at least five feet must be kept from others at all times.

Germany has begun reopening schools and non-essential shops while Spain has announced children will be allowed out of the house as lockdowns ease, as their leaders urged caution.

Clubs in the German top flight have returned to training in the hope that the rest of the season can be finished off - providing Chancellor Angela Merkel gives the green light for action to resume.

Germany has eased some lockdown measures but is seeing a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, with infections rising for the fifth day in a row. Pictured: Graph of Covid-19 cases in Germany.

Germany 's number of coronavirus cases has dropped following five days of rising infections after the government eased the country's lockdown measures earlier this week.

Social distancing was the first lesson on the timetable in Dortmund this morning where pupils lined up at 5ft intervals in the playground.

The regional government in North Rhine-Westphalia, said there had been a spike in coronavirus cases after 150 of 1,200 employees  tested positive at a slaughterhouse in Coesfeld.

The German head of state, accompanied by Chancellor Angela Merkel, stuck to social distancing guidelines at they laid down their wreaths yesterday at the Neue Wache Memorial in Berlin.

While he did not inexplicably name Nazi Germany, it was clear that Chris Matthews was equating the Democratic establishment to the French during World War II.

Abdul Mobin D, who stabbed ex Mia V to death, was found hanged in his cell at a juvenile prison in Schifferstadt, Germany, early on Thursday, though authorities said they have not found a suicide note.

The 24-year-old forward is one of the hottest prospects in Europe following impressive performances for the Bundesliga side. He has been heavily linked with a move to England.

F1 COLUMN - JONATHAN MCEVOY: It was a superlative race in Hungary but there was one nagging concern: the lack of Nico Rosberg’s form and Lewis Hamilton's dominance

A stunning picture of a hare standing in a field at dusk has won the German Society for Nature Photography's 2020 Nature Photographer of the Year contest.

On 8 May, 1945, news of the German surrender slowly spread around the world. Here, details on how it was greeted in New York, Paris and Berlin.

At the daily No10 briefing this evening, Dominic Raab pointed to the experience in Germany as he warned that easing the draconian restrictions too early risks 'undoing all the hard work'.

For four years we have been treated to something special. It was as though their football was from another planet. But I sat in the Nou Camp and watched Bayern Munich complete a staggering 7-0 aggregate victory over Barcelona.

Germany's foreign minister Andreas Michaelis has revealed that the country has 40,000 intensive care beds, 30,000 of which could be used with ventilators.