BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday there could be no guarantee of stability in the euro zone without changes to the European Union treaty, brushing aside European Commission criticism of her plans.

Merkel, whose deal with French President Nicolas Sarkozy to press for changes to the bloc’s treaty to enforce tougher budgetary rules was branded “completely irresponsible” by a senior EU commissioner, struck a defiant tone in parliament ahead of an EU summit.

BERLIN (Reuters) – The United States has dropped out of the “top 20″ in a global league table of least corrupt nations, tarnished by financial scandals and the influence of money in politics, Transparency International said on Tuesday.

Somalia was judged the most corrupt country, followed by Myanmar and Afghanistan at joint second-worst and then by Iraq, in the Berlin-based watchdog TI’s annual corruption perceptions index (CPI).

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) – Protests over a new high-tech rail project in a hub of German industry have pitted the ruling elite against an unlikely coalition of engineers, punks and even a masked woman with deer antlers on her head.

The demonstrators in central Stuttgart against a plan to redevelop the city’s train station have become a common sight in a local campaign that has swelled into a broad protest movement threatening to engulf Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.

By Dave Graham

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters Life!) – Spend a couple of hours overdubbing a scene from Star Wars for a laugh, post it online, and you may end up with so many work offers that you’ll wish you were in outer space. Just ask Dominik Kuhn.

Since Kuhn spent “two hours, at most” one morning redubbing a tiny part of the popular science fiction film and uploaded it onto video sharing website Youtube, marketing executives have flocked to hire him — even though he was making fun of them.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Iran is showing increased readiness to resume talks about its disputed nuclear programme but has not indicated any willingness to make compromises yet, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Friday.

Western powers hope the imposition of tougher U.N., U.S. and European sanctions since June on Iran, the world’s No. 5 oil exporter, will persuade it to enter serious negotiations and ultimately agree to curb uranium enrichment.

By Dave Graham

DUMFRIES, Scotland (Reuters Life!) – When Heinz Roestel was separated from his younger sister Edith aged six, he little thought it would be nearly 80 years before he saw her again.

Nor did the German ex-soldier expect that when he did, he would be lying in a Scottish hospital bed using an interpreter to communicate because he had forgotten his native tongue.

BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) – A militant plot to stage coordinated attacks in Europe has been disrupted in its early stages by drone strikes in Pakistan, but it is not clear if the threat has been completely eliminated, security sources said on Wednesday.

Germany said it knew of information pointing to possible al Qaeda attacks in Europe and the United States, and intelligence sources said security agencies had disrupted plans by Pakistan-based militants for simultaneous strikes in London, as well as in major cities in France and Germany.

BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) – Germany said on Wednesday it knew of intelligence pointing to possible al Qaeda attacks in Europe and the United States, and U.S. officials said Washington was working closely with its allies on terrorist threats.

Intelligence sources said security agencies had disrupted plans by Pakistan-based militants for simultaneous strikes in London, as well as in cities in France and Germany.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany said on Wednesday it was aware of intelligence pointing to threatened al Qaeda attacks in Europe and the United States, and had exchanged information with allies.

A German security source said there were “increasing rumblings” about potential attacks, but the interior ministry said there was no reason to raise the national alert level.

By Dave Graham

BERLIN (Reuters Life!) – Four decades after recording one of the most influential German rock albums ever, Michael Rother of Neu! can finally play it live the way he always wanted to.

At the age of 60, the guitarist of the Duesseldorf duo who pioneered the controlled, linear, driving “motorik” sound that became a hallmark of the 1970s West German rock scene often called “Krautrock,” has never been in such high demand. After watching his career all but grind to a halt in the 1980s, Rother’s fortunes have undergone a marked renaissance — built on the legacy of the three albums he cut as Neu! (New) with the late Klaus Dinger on drums between 1971 and 1975.