French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke for "over two hours" with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts Sunday, the Elysee said, with the latest ceasefire deadline in Ukraine looming.

During the telephone exchange with Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's leader Petro Poroshenko, the leaders discussed "the importance of making new concrete advances in the security situation on the ground, prolonging the ceasefire and putting in place the peace plan" presented by Ukraine, the French president said in a statement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute on Saturday to the army officers who attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler towards the end of the Second World War.

Speaking ahead of the 70th anniversary of the failed plot, Merkel said those responsible had acted "in accordance with their conscience".

Thomas Mueller scored his fourth goal of the World Cup on Friday as Germany defeated the United States 1-0 to win Group G ahead of the Americans, who also advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup despite losing.

With two wins and a draw, Germany topped the group with seven points, while the U.S. progressed with four. Portugal beat Ghana 2-1 but both were eliminated. Portugal also finished with four points but the U.S. had a better goal difference.

Russia must take "concrete" steps to resolve the Ukraine crisis, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday, warning Moscow could easily reinstate its parliamentary approval for military intervention.

Russian President Vladimir Putin must publicly call for pro-Moscow rebels to lay down their arms and cut support to them, Kerry said, adding: "There are many concrete things that would make a difference on the ground."

Consumer confidence in Germany is rising again, buoyed by the European Central Bank's recent decision to cut interest rates, a new poll found on Wednesday.

"The additional cut in interest rates by the ECB and the decision to charge banks for parking their money at the central bank has given the consumer climate an extra boost and is the main reason behind the rise in consumer confidence," market research company GfK said in a statement.

Running up new debt would be "the worst possible" thing to do, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Tuesday as a debate resurfaces over an easing of EU fiscal rules.

"Running up new debt would be the worst possible mistake we could make," Schaeuble told German public radio InfoRadio in an interview. 

Two people were feared dead after their light aircraft collided with a Eurofighter jet during an exercise they were both taking part in over central Germany on Monday, officials said.

The pilot and passenger aboard the military-chartered Learjet were missing after their small plane crashed in a hilly rural area close to several homes and burst into flames.

Germany's former foreign minister and head of the pro-business Free Democrats Guido Westerwelle is suffering from acute leukemia, the foundation he heads said Friday.

Westerwelle, 52, "is undergoing medical treatment in order to fully recover", the head of office at the Westerwelle Foundation Alexander Vogel said in a statement.

The number of people driven from their homes by conflict and crisis has topped 50 million for the first time since World War II, with Syria hardest hit, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday.

The UNHCR said there were 51.2 million forcibly displaced people at the end of 2013, a full six million higher than the previous year.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated support for Jean-Claude Juncker as the European Commission's next head Thursday but indicated a willingness to consider concessions to Britain, which opposes him.

Merkel told a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt that Germany supported the former Luxembourg prime minister for the job.