The White House was scrambling to head off a major diplomatic incident after the German Government said it had received information that US spies may have tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal mobile phone for years.

Former SS captain Erich Priebke participated in one of the worst massacres of German-occupied Italy. Now he's died - and no one wants to bury him.

Poor but sexy - you can't argue with Berlin's unofficial slogan. Although it doesn't possess the wealth of other German cities, it has sultry charms.

In an intriguing tour, Pamela Wade gains insight into the horror inflicted on Europe during World War II.

He was Adolf Hitler's devoted bodyguard for most of World War II and the last remaining witness to the Nazi leader's final hours in his Berlin bunker. To the very end, SS Staff Sgt. Rochus Misch was proud of it all.

Kiwis are renowned for our "throw your sausie on the barbie" culture, but we could learn a thing or two from a country that might just love its sausages even more than we love ours.

Richard Wagner's festival city sings with dramatic history, says Adrian Mourby.

She is a rising star in European politics - the one woman who could, it is claimed, succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor.

The German capital's eccentric eateries come with a dash of Kiwi in the shape of decent coffee, finds Eva Buzo.

Europe’s rail network has long enabled travellers to piece together unique itineraries. A new high-speed connection from London to Barcelona will be a welcome addition. Gavin Bertram reports.

In the east German city of Magdeburg, flood waters from the Elbe rose 80cm higher than during 2002's so-called flood of the century.

The Pied Piper has been telling the people of Hamelin for 25 years now that he is not the culprit - meet Michael Boyer.

A famous German World War II bomber nicknamed "the flying pencil" has spent decades submerged in the English Channel after being shot down in the Battle of Britain. Now, divers are braving dangerous tides to bring it to the surface.

Communist East Germany allowed Western drug companies to use its medical patients as unwitting guinea pigs for tests.

Visitors come to see how desperate East Berliners dug their way to freedom.

The MTV European Awards are held each year in a different European city, with past hosts including Belfast in 2011, Madrid in 2010 and Berlin in 2009. German-born supermodel Heidi Klum, 39, hosted this year's event in Frankfurt. Check out the snaps taken on the red carpet.

A New Zealand man who had worked as a top United Nations environmental lawyer has died after a fall from a balcony in Germany.