Esme Nicholson

"I'm not in the slightest bit concerned about using cash right now," one Berlin shopper says. "I just keep washing my hands. Simple." Cash makes up 75% of Germany's transactions.

EU leaders, still divided on how to help European economies hit by the pandemic, hope German Chancellor Angela Merkel can forge an agreement when they meet in Brussels on Friday.

Poland's conservative president Andrjez Duda, 48, won a second five-year term on Sunday. It was a bitterly fought election, and the opposition might dispute the results.

While the United States debates the reopening of schools, NPR correspondents discuss experiences of Germany, Israel and Thailand as they reopen classrooms during the pandemic.

Germany is Europe's largest economy, but business leaders warn it is in danger of losing its edge because of sluggish Internet connections. The government has promised to speed things up.

Members of Germany's ruling Christian Democrats have chosen Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to succeed Merkel as Germany's next chancellor.

Fellow Jews in the country are baffled by a small Jewish faction within the Alternative for Germany, a party accused of racism and of downplaying the Nazis.

Beijing wants to up its manufacturing game to make high-end technology — so it has gone on a buying spree, acquiring key German tech firms.

Construction began in May on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will enable Russia to boost its natural gas exports to Europe. President Trump has warned that it will make Germany "captive to Russia."

High temperatures and a severe drought have hit food production in Germany and left many farmers there wondering what they can do to survive climate change.