German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday the time was nearing for sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, as Tehran has rejected Western efforts to find a negotiated solution. Speaking to reporters after meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Merkel said: "I made clear that we are coming to the phase where there should be sanctions against Iran." "Iran ...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her foreign minister on Friday after accusations that he used recent foreign trips to promote the business interests of his partner, his family and party donors. "The chancellor is convinced that ministers, and in this case the foreign minister, take their decisions in accordance with the rules," Merkel's spokeswoman Sabine Heimbach told reporters. Reports ...

Emergency aid from a proposed European Monetary Fund should come with strict conditions and a "prohibitive" price tag to boost market confidence, Germany's finance minister wrote in an article published Friday. Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, with Chancellor Angela Merkel's backing, is a prime mover behind proposals ...