Germany's elections may be generating shrugs of apathy at home, but they are being watched closely by electorates and governments all around Europe, who know that these elections perhaps matter more to Germany's neighbours and partners than they do to its own citizens. From the Mediterranean countries, with their shell-shocked economies, desperate for a bit of respite from austerity, to the northern nations wondering how serious Angela Merkel is about institutional reform of the European Union, a whole continent is waiting to see how the votes come in, and what it will mean for them.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to reassure voters on Sunday that Greece would not need a debt writedown but left open the option of more aid for Athens as she struggled to contain a dispute which could hurt her in next month's election. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble provoked a storm last week when he told a campaign rally that a new rescue for Greece was inevitable in comments that contradicted Merkel, who has said it is too early to discuss additional aid. The subject has dominated the election campaign ever since.

Raising the ante in the confrontation with the Assad regime and its international supporters, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius this week called for the use of force in Syria. Across the Rhine Valley in Berlin, however, his German equivalent Guido Westerwelle urged caution: "Before speaking of consequences we must first have clarification." French daily newspaper Le Monde ran the outsized headline "Toxic Gas Massacre in Damascus". Most German newspapers that day led with the Bradley Manning verdict.

Criticising cuts to arts budgets in Britain, Karl Jenkins said increased public funding was needed to invest in the “cultural future” of a country. Describing Government cuts to the creative sector as “tragic”, the 69-year-old Welsh composer, whose works include Adiemus and The Armed Man, said: "In Germany it's just the opposite - increasing funding.”

Two German cabinet ministers have added to criticism of Russia's anti-"gay propaganda" law, saying President Vladimir Putin appeared to be leading his country into a "flawless dictatorship." The words chosen by the two members of the Free Democrats (FDP), the party of the Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, himself gay and a critic of the legislation, play on comments by former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that Putin was a "flawless democrat".

Community workshops dubbed "hackerspaces" originated in Germany more than a decade ago. After a slow start, they're now appearing in cities around the world, including United States. In North America, the word "hacker" most commonly refers to someone who illegally breaks into computer networks. But hackerspaces are social clubs for activities that include tinkering, machine tooling, and 3-D printing.

Germany’s largest cable operator Kabel Deutschland is make BBC World News available for free to subscribers across major parts of Germany. The channel will now be available in more than 35 million households across Germany. Kabel Deutschland operates cable networks in 13 German federal states and supplies its services to approximately 8.5 million households.