Volkswagen’s top executives knew a year ago that some of the company’s cars were markedly less fuel efficient than had been officially stated, German paper Bild am Sonntag reported yesterday.

The families of passengers killed in the Germanwings crash will take legal action against Lufthansa in the United States after rejecting the carrier’s compensation offer as inadequate, the Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported, citing the families’ lawyer.

Germany expects talks with Greece to drag on until the current round of bailout funding runs out and is prepared to play a waiting game until April or May, when the country approaches a cash crunch, a person familiar with the matter said.

A Hamburg daily that reprinted satirical cartoons from French newspaper Charlie Hebdo was hit by arsonists at the weekend, raising security concerns in Germany on the eve of a planned mass rally against Islam in the city of Dresden.

Franck Ribery could face a suspension if he refuses to represent his country again, according to Uefa president Michel Platini.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned he would no longer be able to guarantee that Britain would remain a member of the European Union if European leaders elect Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission chief, Germany’s Spiegel said.

German customs officials have intercepted a package addressed to the Vatican containing 14 condoms filled with cocaine, said the finance ministry.

The drug haul was unremarkable, but the destination raised eyebrows.

The NSA has stepped up its surveillance of senior German government officials since being ordered by Barack Obama to halt its spying on chancellor Angela Merkel, Bild am Sonntag reported yesterday.

ACROSS North Korea, soldiers are gearing up for battle and shrouding their jeeps and vans with camouflage netting.

The leader of the Five-Star Movement has said he wants an online vote on Italy’s membership of the euro, in an interview with a German magazine published yesterday.

Germany’s Finance Minister is insisting that the countries must not use the European Central Bank’s plan to buy unlimited amounts of government bonds as an excuse to let up on economic reforms and deficit-cutting.

Germany’s health minister said today that he is hopeful the worst of an E.coli outbreak blamed on bean sprouts is over – but warned that the death toll, currently 33, may still increase.

Better check your Facebook settings before posting a party invitation online.

Hospitals in northern Germany are being overwhelmed as they struggle to provide enough beds and medical care for patients stricken by an outbreak of E.coli, the German health minister admitted today.

GERMANY has warned that the source of an outbreak of bacteria poisoning blamed for 10 deaths and hundreds of people falling ill, some in other countries, has yet to be pinpointed.

Wolfsburg coach Steve McClaren believes that the sale of Edin Dzeko to Manchester City is a blessing in disguise for his team.

The Togo squad flew home tonight although their African Nations Cup future remains shrouded in uncertainty after it emerged they have asked to return to Angola at a later date.

Uncertainty still surrounds Togo's plans for the African Nations Cup following Friday's armed attack on the team bus, but opening opponents Ghana have confirmed they plan to remain at the competition.

WORLD leaders yesterday insisted that the climate deal clinched at the UN summit was the best that can be done as they returned home to a lashing from critics.

Tommy Hilfiger has said women only need to own one pair of jeans.

Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal is looking to end the speculation surrounding Franck Ribery as he believes “it is not good for the club”.

European countries should not rule out threatening China with an Olympic boycott if violence continues in Tibet, the president of the European Parliament was reported as saying today.

THE Church of Scientology accused a German newspaper of being “grossly irresponsible” yesterday for publishing comments by a historian comparing a speech by Hollywood star Tom Cruise to one by a Nazi minister.

The Church of Scientology has today accused a German newspaper of being "grossly irresponsible" for publishing comments by a historian comparing a speech by Hollywood star Tom Cruise to one by a Nazi minister.

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann will make up his mind on whether to stay in London or move to Borussia Dortmund in the next few days.

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has not ruled out leaving the London club next summer if he does not get the contract he wants – but insists he would rather stay.

Suspects in an alleged plot to blow up US-bound jetliners apparently had some contacts with Germany, a senior German official was quoted as saying today.

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government came under attack yesterday from leaders in her own party as the conservatives fell to a record low in opinion polls amid public anger over rising taxes and stymied reform efforts.

AUSTRIAN Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel believes a continent-wide referendum on the EU constitution could be used to resolve the impasse over the charter, according to a newspaper interview published yesterday.

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel believes a continent-wide referendum on the European Union constitution could be used to resolve the impasse over the charter, according to a newspaper interview released today.

Jose Mourinho has told Michael Ballack to decide before the World Cup if he will join Chelsea.

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel said she opposed banning Iran from the soccer World Cup because of controversial remarks by Iran’s president, saying it would be wrong to punish the players for his words.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leading German figures today pressed for the release of an aid worker kidnapped in Iraq more than a week ago, while the government continued trying to establish contact with her captors.

The former East Germany’s secret police used a total of eight agents over the years to report on Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, the agency that oversees the Stasi’s files said today.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and conservative challenger Angela Merkel square off today in a live televised debate – a crucial encounter that gives both candidates a chance to impress undecided voters two weeks before Germany’s September 18 election.

REAL MADRID midfielder Zinedine Zidane believes his side are in a much stronger position going into the second leg of their Champions League clash with Juventus than they were two years ago.

The European Union will not open membership talks with Turkey unless the country passes a human-rights reform package, EU enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen said today, his strongest remarks on the issue so far.

The search for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq crisis must not be abandoned, German President Johannes Rau says.

Allianz AG said it will lift its ban on writing new flood insurance policies in flood-ravaged areas of Germany soon.