Germany

The number of new COVID-19 infections in Germany remains far too high but there are signs that the country's "lockdown lite" is working and could reduce numbers soon, health officials said on Thursday.

Germany accused Russia and China on Tuesday of preventing a United Nations Security Council committee from determining whether North Korea has breached a U.N. cap on refined petroleum imports by the isolated Asian state.

Europe will not be able to provide for its own security without U.S. and NATO help for decades to come, Germany's defence minister said on Tuesday, rejecting French President Emmanuel Macron's call for an independent European defence strategy.

Bird flu has been found on another chicken farm in Germany and a programme to slaughter up to 70,000 poultry is being prepared, authorities said on Tuesday.

The coronavirus situation in Germany is still very serious even though infection numbers are not rising so fast, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, after federal and state leaders postponed until Nov. 25 a decision on further lockdown measures.

The European Commission wants to reach a deal with Moderna Inc for the supply of millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate for a price below $25 per dose, an EU official involved in the talks said.

Germany's Public Prosecutor General (GBA) said on Monday charges of espionage have been filed against an Egyptian-born German citizen who worked at the German government press office and gathered information for an Egyptian intelligence agency.

Germany's Daimler AG and its China commercial vehicle partner Beiqi Foton Motor Co plan to invest 2.75 billion yuan ($415.32 million) to build Mercedes-Benz-branded Actros heavy trucks for the first time in China, a document showed.

Germany's health minister said on Thursday he expects restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic will continue through winter, with life unlikely to get back to normal in December or January even if infections fall.