A nationalist, anti-migration party has powered into three German state legislatures in elections held amid divisions over chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal approach to the refugee crisis.

TWO developments yesterday highlighted the contrasting responses of EU states to the financial crisis.

A German documentary has claimed Russian leader Vladimir Putin regularly subjected his ex-wife to domestic abuse and was seen as a drunken letch by his Soviet superiors in his early days.

Greece’s leftist-led government said it will today submit a request to the eurozone to extend a “loan agreement” for up to six months, raising prospects of a last-minute deal to keep the heavily indebted country afloat.

A children’s animation series produced by an Irish company has been snapped up by TV stations in Britain and Germany and a book based on it has secured international distribution.

The Gulf nation of Qatar has hit back at suggestions that it supports the Islamic State extremist group, saying that “determined, collective action” is needed to end sectarian violence gripping Iraq and Syria.

German-US relations are facing a new test over a German intelligence employee who reportedly spied for the US, with Germany’s president saying if the allegations are true, that kind of spying on allies must stop.

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Angela Merkel’s conservatives triumphed in Germany’s election and could even win the first single-party majority in more than 50 years.

A satirical party has spiced up a dull German election campaign with a television advertisement depicting a 90-second sex scene, blurred but leaving little to the imagination.

Meet Ruediger Gamm. You don't need to understand German to be gobsmacked by what he can do.

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova confirmed after his side’s 7-0 aggregate Champions League semi-final loss to Bayern Munich that star forward Lionel Messi was not injured but did not feature in the second leg for fear of getting injured.

An Irish documentary has beaten huge competition to be nominated for two Emmy Awards.

German chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday dashed any lingering hope in financial markets that Europe would issue common eurozone bonds to underpin its single currency after Spain formally sought a financial rescue.

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp admits he is honoured to be linked to the vacant Chelsea job, but says he has no interest in moving to London.

A meeting of the finance chiefs of the 17 eurozone countries to discuss Greece’s second multibillion bailout planned for Wednesday has been called off after Athens failed to deliver on several demands made by its partners in the currency union.

Nearly four-fifths of Germans believe the euro will survive the financial crisis – and more than half think Chancellor Angela Merkel is doing a good job of handling it – according to a survey.

The possibility of Greece leaving the eurozone cannot be ruled out, the general secretary of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s junior coalition partner said today.

FIFA should re-examine Qatar’s victory in the vote for the 2022 World Cup, according to the head of German football.

Millions of German TV viewers saw a man seriously injure himself trying to jump over a car on a live show.

Real Madrid have had an offer for Werder Bremen midfielder Mesut Ozil turned down by the Bundesliga club.

Germany captain Michael Ballack admits his World Cup dream is over, despite being approached by several doctors who claim they could cure him within a fortnight.

Germany coach Joachim Low is anxiously awaiting news over the fitness of his captain Michael Ballack after he picked up an ankle injury in Chelsea's FA Cup final win.

Jermaine Jackson said today that he wants his brother, Michael, to be reburied at Neverland Ranch.

GERMAN investigators who have hunted Nazi war criminal Aribert Heim for decades said yesterday that new information indicating the former concentration camp doctor died in Egypt in 1992 appears credible and that they will attempt to find his body.

MORE than 340 journalists from around the world will be reporting from Ireland tomorrow on the Lisbon treaty, including several media groups from as far away as Japan and the US.

Chelsea veteran Claude Makelele will only play in the club’s most important games after reaching an agreement with manager Avram Grant over his selection.

Germany captain Michael Ballack hopes to be back in action next month.

A roadside bomb tore through a Nato vehicle in Afghanistan, killing six Canadian soldiers and their Afghan interpreter, officials said.

Group of Eight member states have agreed on a programme worth more than €44bn to combat the spread of HIV/Aids in Africa, Germany’s development minister said today.

THIS weekend’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations are set to give a €60 million shot-in-the arm for traders throughout the country.

German defence minister Franz Josef Jung today said that six suspects were under investigation in the scandal over pictures of German soldiers posing with a skull in Afghanistan.

Nato defence ministers yesterday approved an extension of the alliance’s Afghan security mission across the entire country, taking in the volatile eastern region and bringing up to 12,000 more US troops under allied command.

GERMANY’S transport minister met representatives of train manufacturer Transrapid yesterday to discuss the crash of a “maglev” high-speed train that killed 23 people and injured 10.

German prosecutors are examining recordings of railway radio communications today, following the horrific high-speed train crash that killed 23 people.

A stuntman drowned when he failed to escape from a car sinking into a canal while he was making a film in Germany.

FRANK LAMPARD can point to the numbers if Michael Ballack wants to know what it takes to become a Chelsea legend, but the impending arrival of the Bayern Munich star has not stopped Lampard tearing through the record books.

Frank Lampard can point to the numbers if Michael Ballack wants to know what it takes to become a Chelsea legend.

Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack has denied reports he has already agreed a move to Chelsea.

Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack has agreed a four-year deal with Chelsea, according to media reports in Germany.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today she was “very optimistic” that diplomacy could solve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.

HUNDREDS of tourists are expected to flock to Cork and Kerry this summer after 7.7 million people in Germany watched a television drama shot in the southern counties.