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Revelations that the NSA spied on foreign Internet communications are a particularly sensitive issue in Germany, where memories of privacy intrusions under Communist rule in the East remain vivid. But the German government itself is beefing up existing surveillance in the name of fighting terrorism.
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Obama also defended his administration's surveillance programs, saying they've struck the right balance between security and privacy.
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After the G-8 Summit in Northern Ireland, President Obama travels to Germany to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Renee Montagne talks to Zanny Minton Beddoes, of The Economist, about the magazine's upcoming cover story on Germany and its failure to take a leadership role in the European Union.
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Syria's civil war is expected to be a central issue as the U.S. president meets with the world's other major powers. Obama's decision last week to send weapons to the Syrian rebels is supported by Britain and France, but not by Russia.
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Flooding strikes central Europe, with deaths and damage reported in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia.
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Also: T.S. Eliot on cats; LGBT literary awards; and Jonah Lehrer gets back in the game.
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German spelling bees are about to get easier: The longest word in German has been retired. It has 63 letters.
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Fracking is a way of bringing up natural gas by pumping water and chemicals into the ground. Germany's powerful beer industry is worried that fracking would pollute groundwater.
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The keyboardist co-founded the band after meeting Jim Morrison in California. The Doors went on to become one of the most successful rock 'n' roll acts of the 1960s. Manzarek, 74, died in Germany after a long battle with bile duct cancer.
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Germans had to finance bailouts for countries like Greece, and imposed austerity measures in return. Those who disapprove may have struck back. People across the continent and beyond watched the Eurovision song contest. The German entry finished near the bottom, with countries giving the Germans no points at all