Germany's Munich Security Conference on Friday added more high-profile guests to the bill for its online edition on 19 February, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, dpa reported.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Wednesday agreed to continue the shutdown put in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic until at least 7 March, news wires reported. Earlier on the day the federal government had pushed for an extension of the current shutdown to 14 March. But several state premiers called for it to end earlier on 7 March.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to meet with the country's 16 state premiers on Wednesday to discuss how to proceed in containing the coronavirus pandemic. According to a draft paper seen by dpa ahead of the meeting, it was likely that current restrictions would be extended, possibly until March, as they expire on 14 February.

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday defended her government against criticism that Germany’s vaccine roll-out was too slow, Reuters reported. Asking for more patience from a pandemic-weary public, she stuck to her government’s pledge to offer all German adults a Covid-19 vaccination by the end of the third quarter.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the coronavirus crisis as a "huge effort" for families in the face of the weeks-long lockdown and appealed for patience, dpa reported. "We are not yet ready to reopen daycare centres and schools," she said in her weekly video podcast released on Saturday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel invited new US President Joe Biden to Germany during their first official phone call after Biden's inauguration, dpa reported. Speaking on Monday, Merkel assured Biden of Germany's cooperation in tackling international challenges, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

More than 20 world leaders and business representatives are to discuss the consequences of climate change at an international summit on Monday, dpa reported. The Climate Adaptation Summit (CAS) takes place upon invitation of the Dutch government but will be held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Germany’s coronavirus fatalities passed 50,000, underscoring the urgency facing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to tackle the spread of the disease and the new mutations, news wires reported. 1,013 people died from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths to 50,010. Pandemic-related fatalities have doubled in the past month.

Centrist Armin Laschet was elected chairman of Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU) on Saturday, succeeding Angela Merkel and putting him on course to run as the conservative party’s candidate for chancellor in federal elections in September. The son of a miner, Laschet, who is committed to continuing Merkel's centrist policies was seen as the party establishment's candidate.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party is choosing a new leader this weekend, a decision that will help shape German voters' choice of a successor to Merkel at the helm of the EU's biggest economy after her 16-year reign, AP reported.