The German government does not expect allegations that U.S. secret services used a German intelligence official as a double agent to threaten ongoing talks on a free trade deal between the European Union and United States, a spokeswoman said. "The Americans are important partners for Germany including of course in economic terms, so the TTIP (Translatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) talks ... are not in question or in doubt," said government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz. (Reuters)