The German government rejected suggestions it intentionally misled the public about the US’s willingness to negotiate a “no-spy” agreement between the countries.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says trust between the US and its partners has to be restored following allegations that American intelligence targeted her mobile phone, and insisted that there must be no “spying among friends”.

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel and her rivals scrambled for last-minute votes yesterday before an election that will decide the coalition that must pull Europe’s top economy out of its worst post-war crisis.

ANGELA MERKEL becomes Germany’s eighth post-war chancellor today - but only after being forced into awkward compromises on taxes and welfare-state reforms that could undermine her coalition and slow efforts to fix a lagging economy.