Volker Kauder

German lawmakers will decide Friday whether to legalize same-sex marriage, according to CNN affiliate NTV. The snap vote comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that she would like to see parliament move towards a "vote of conscience" on the issue.

Germany's Bundestag lower house of parliament will not need to hold a full debate on paying out the next tranche of aid to Greece, the leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative group in parliament said on Tuesday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Greece would manage to ‘stand on its feet’ again only if the reforms were implemented, in an interview to German TV station ZDF to be aired Sunday night.

Meet “Game of Greece”, a play on the international television phenomenon “Game of Thrones”, as seen by “Die Zeit”, which comes complete with 10 “episodes” dating to the country’s first “covenant” to join the future currency union.

German leaders right and left unleashed a barrage of criticism at Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday for rejecting an offer that could have unlocked rescue funds to resolve the debt crisis.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's allies and the leaders of her center-left coalition partners condemned Greece's leftist government, reflecting pent-up public frustration.

By Renee Maltezou & Andreas Rinke

Greece and its creditors stuck to their positions on Monday after the collapse of talks aimed at preventing a default and possible euro exit, while Germany?s EU commissioner said it was time to prepare for a ?state of emergency.?

The German parliament will not back any agreement to rescue Greece if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not taking part, the parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) said on Monday.

By Michelle Martin

German politicians kept up the pressure on Greece over the weekend to implement reforms, with Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel warning Athens in an interview that a third aid package would not be on the cards unless the Greeks made some changes.

Greek demands for billions of euros in reparations for the brutal Nazi occupation in World War Two may be falling on deaf ears in the German government, but some legal experts say Athens has grounds for a case.

Greece has to present detailed proposals on how it wants to complete its current bailout program and should not expect special treatment from its euro zone partners, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted on Friday as saying.