APRNEWS - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday she expected “contentious discussions” at a G7 summit this week, given differences with US President Donald Trump on trade, climate and security.
Speaking two days before the Canada meeting of the club of major industrialised democracies, Merkel also said the leaders may not necessarily manage to agree on a final joint statement.

REUTERS - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday any retaliation against U.S. sanctions must not hurt the Russian economy or partners that do business in Russia, signaling that a package of counter-sanctions measures being prepared may be watered down.

GUARDIAN - Russian President Vladimir Putin held a rare meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on Thursday and said the situation in Syria is now favourable for the beginning of a “political process” which would lead to the withdrawal of foreign forces.

AFP - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday backed Britain’s charge that Russia was responsible for the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy, saying there was “no other plausible explanation”.

REUTERS - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will promote her most prominent critic from within her conservative party, Jens Spahn, to the cabinet, provided a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) goes ahead, a party source told Reuters on Sunday.

AFP - New regime strikes hit the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Sunday despite a UN Security Council demand for a ceasefire to end one of the most ferocious assaults of Syria's civil war.

REUTERS  - Angela Merkel’s conservatives and their Social Democrat (SPD) partners faced a chorus of scepticism on Thursday as allies and opponents alike criticized a loveless coalition deal that some said showed the German chancellor’s time was coming to an end.

AFP - Germany will limit the number of asylum seeker arrivals to around 200,000 annually under a draft coalition agreement sealed Friday in marathon talks between the country's two biggest parties.

AFP - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives reached a "breakthrough" deal Friday with the country's second biggest party, the Social Democrats, toward building a new coalition government, sources close to the negotiations said.

AFP - Germany signalled Monday it was open to amending a controversial law combatting online hate speech as the justice minister fell victim to the rules he himself championed.