By , BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany, set to take over the European Union’s rotating presidency on July 1, will put the rule of law at the heart of the bloc’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, a policy note said in an apparent swipe at Poland and Hungary.Slideshow Germany will take the EU helm for six months as the 27 member states debate a mass stimulus programme to kickstart growth on the continent amidst a series of feuds that could hold up the required unanimous agreement.Lines in the sand against making access to EU funds conditional on rule of law standards have...…By , BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany, set to take over the European Union’s rotating presidency on July 1, will put the rule of law at the heart of the bloc’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, a policy note said in an apparent swipe at Poland and Hungary.Slideshow Germany will take the EU helm for six months as the 27 member states debate a mass stimulus programme to kickstart growth on the continent amidst a series of feuds that could hold up the required unanimous agreement.Lines in the sand against making access to EU funds conditional on rule of law standards have...WW…

By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany changed course on Sunday over which type of smartphone technology it wanted to use to trace coronavirus infections, backing an approach supported by Apple and Google along with a growing number of other European countries.Countries are rushing to develop apps to give a detailed picture of the risk of catching the coronavirus, as the chain of infection is proving hard to break because it can be spread by those showing no symptoms.Chancellery Minister Helge Braun and Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a joint statement that Berlin would adopt a “decentralised”...…By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany changed course on Sunday over which type of smartphone technology it wanted to use to trace coronavirus infections, backing an approach supported by Apple and Google along with a growing number of other European countries.Countries are rushing to develop apps to give a detailed picture of the risk of catching the coronavirus, as the chain of infection is proving hard to break because it can be spread by those showing no symptoms.Chancellery Minister Helge Braun and Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a joint statement that Berlin would adopt a “decentralised”...WW…

By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin is trying to stop Washington from persuading a German company seeking a coronavirus vaccine to move its research to the United States, prompting German politicians to insist no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccine.German government sources told Reuters on Sunday that the U.S. administration was looking into how it could gain access to a potential vaccine being developed by a German firm, CureVac.Earlier, the Welt am Sonntag German newspaper reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had offered funds to lure CureVac to the United States, and the...…By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin is trying to stop Washington from persuading a German company seeking a coronavirus vaccine to move its research to the United States, prompting German politicians to insist no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccine.German government sources told Reuters on Sunday that the U.S. administration was looking into how it could gain access to a potential vaccine being developed by a German firm, CureVac.Earlier, the Welt am Sonntag German newspaper reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had offered funds to lure CureVac to the United States, and the...WW…

By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel in planning a “lockdown light” that will focus on closing bars, restaurants and public events to slow a second wave of COVID-19 infections in Germany, Bild newspaper reported on Monday.Slideshow Shops will stay open, with some restrictions, under the plan and schools will keep operating, apart from in areas with particularly high numbers of cases, the mass-selling daily reported.A government spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the report and said no final decisions had been made.Infections have almost doubled in the past week in Germany...…By , BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel in planning a “lockdown light” that will focus on closing bars, restaurants and public events to slow a second wave of COVID-19 infections in Germany, Bild newspaper reported on Monday.Slideshow Shops will stay open, with some restrictions, under the plan and schools will keep operating, apart from in areas with particularly high numbers of cases, the mass-selling daily reported.A government spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the report and said no final decisions had been made.Infections have almost doubled in the past week in Germany...WW…

By , , (Reuters) - France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.The United States gave the WHO a year’s notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to...…By , , (Reuters) - France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.The United States gave the WHO a year’s notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to...WW…

By , , (Reuters) - France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.The United States gave the WHO a year’s notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to...…By , , (Reuters) - France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.The United States gave the WHO a year’s notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to...WW…

By , , LONDON/BERLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - If Donald Trump loses in November, it’s no secret that most European policymakers will be happy to see his back. But as they envision the possibility of a post-Trump future, many are wondering how quickly the trans-Atlantic alliance can be fixed.Despite U.S. opinion polls showing Biden ahead, officials in capitals across Europe say they are making no assumptions about the likely outcome of the U.S. election.Having failed to anticipate Trump’s first victory, “the German government already burned its fingers,” said Jürgen Hardt, foreign affairs...…By , , LONDON/BERLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - If Donald Trump loses in November, it’s no secret that most European policymakers will be happy to see his back. But as they envision the possibility of a post-Trump future, many are wondering how quickly the trans-Atlantic alliance can be fixed.Despite U.S. opinion polls showing Biden ahead, officials in capitals across Europe say they are making no assumptions about the likely outcome of the U.S. election.Having failed to anticipate Trump’s first victory, “the German government already burned its fingers,” said Jürgen Hardt, foreign affairs...WW…

People queue outside a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test site at a city's shopping zone, during pandemic lockdown, in Berlin, Germany, March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBERLIN, April 9 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to take control from federal states to impose restrictions on regions with high numbers of new coronavirus infections, a government spokeswoman said, in a battle to curb a third wave of the pandemic.The federal government plans to introduce draft legislation next week, she said.Finance Minister Olaf...…People queue outside a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test site at a city's shopping zone, during pandemic lockdown, in Berlin, Germany, March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Fabrizio BenschRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comBERLIN, April 9 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to take control from federal states to impose restrictions on regions with high numbers of new coronavirus infections, a government spokeswoman said, in a battle to curb a third wave of the pandemic.The federal government plans to introduce draft legislation next week, she said.Finance Minister Olaf...WW…

By BERLIN (Reuters) - As many as 60,000 computer systems in Germany were exposed to a flaw that allows unauthorized users to access systems in Microsoft Corp’s email software, the head of its cybersecurity watchdog said on Wednesday.More than half of the vulnerabilities were addressed following a warning last weekend by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), but around 25,000 systems still need to be fixed, BSI chief Arne Schoenbohm said.“The warning has worked. In Germany, many Exchange servers have been secured by downloading patches,” Schoenbohm said in written comments to...…By BERLIN (Reuters) - As many as 60,000 computer systems in Germany were exposed to a flaw that allows unauthorized users to access systems in Microsoft Corp’s email software, the head of its cybersecurity watchdog said on Wednesday.More than half of the vulnerabilities were addressed following a warning last weekend by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), but around 25,000 systems still need to be fixed, BSI chief Arne Schoenbohm said.“The warning has worked. In Germany, many Exchange servers have been secured by downloading patches,” Schoenbohm said in written comments to...WW…

By , (This February 22 story corrects timeline for expected vaccine deliveries to by April 4 (not by March 4)BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government is reworking its strategy to vaccinate the nation against COVID-19 as its campaign, which has faltered due to a lack of supply, also faces public resistance to the shot from AstraZeneca Plc.As schools and kindergartens start to reopen from a lockdown imposed in November, federal and state health ministers on Monday reworked vaccination rules so that teachers will now get priority access to the AstraZeneca vaccine.“Children, the young, and...…By , (This February 22 story corrects timeline for expected vaccine deliveries to by April 4 (not by March 4)BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government is reworking its strategy to vaccinate the nation against COVID-19 as its campaign, which has faltered due to a lack of supply, also faces public resistance to the shot from AstraZeneca Plc.As schools and kindergartens start to reopen from a lockdown imposed in November, federal and state health ministers on Monday reworked vaccination rules so that teachers will now get priority access to the AstraZeneca vaccine.“Children, the young, and...WW…