Frankfurter Allgemeine

European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board member Benoit Coeure told the influential daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that the ECB rejects the Greek government's recent request to issue more short-term debt (via T-bills) because this would be tantamount to illegally financing Greece.

A group of hardliners among German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have urged lawmakers to take a tough stance on a loan extension to Greece, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Wednesday.

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has written to the speaker of the lower house of parliament requesting a vote this week on extending the bailout.

Thaci explains why Albanians are leaving Kosovo

BERLIN -- Hashim Thaci says that thousands of citizens from Kosovo have flocked to the West "because of rumors Germany was generously handing out work permits."

The Kosovo foreign minister spoke for the German conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and was asked why "Kosovo citizens are leaving their homeland."

The European Central Bank on Thursday denied a report in a German newspaper that it would feel more comfortable if Greece introduced capital controls to stem the outflow of deposits from its banks.

The European Central Bank would feel more comfortable if Greece introduced capital controls to stem the outflow of deposits from the country's banks, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Thursday, citing central bank sources.

Merkel against lifting of sanctions

BERLIN -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is against the lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia.

She stated that "the annexation of Crimea" and the events in Eastern Ukraine are violations of international law and shared values.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned German Ambassador to Turkey Eberhard Pohl over a cartoon in German school textbooks that it said “insults President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish community in Germany.”

Hungary could become the world's first country to levy usage of the Internet after its Economy Minister Mihály Varga proposed the move on Wednesday.

A fee of HUF 150 (EUR 0.48) will be imposed on providers for each 1GB of Internet data if the plans are approved.

The measure is not envisaged to affect the consumer, but could possibly push providers to announce bill hikes.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has insisted that his interview for German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeiting contributes to the good relations between the peoples of Bulgaria and Russia.

...

German Ambassador to Ankara Eberhard Pohl was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Aug. 18 following media reports claiming German secret services have been eavesdropping on Turkey for some time. The Turkish Foreign Ministry asked for an explanation from the ambassador and said in a public statement that it would be “grave” if even only part of the media reports were true.