Berlin- As fears of recession grow, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to meet this week with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss the financial markets crisis, her spokesman said Monday.

The two are to meet Thursday in London and speak to the media afterwards, spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said. Merkel is also to pay a call at Buckingham Palace to visit Queen Elizabeth II.

Munich  - Horst Seehofer, who is expected to be appointed premier of Bavaria on Monday, has promised his party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), he will exert heavy pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He was speaking Saturday to a party congress in Munich of the Bavaria-only CSU, which elected him party leader. He was the sole candidate. Of the 939 delegates, 786 voted in his favour and 84 against, with the rest not voting or spoiling their ballots.

Berlin - Two of Germany's 16 states were on the verge Friday of gaining new premiers, with politicians striking coalition deals to set up new governments in Bavaria and Hesse.

Both moves, which will require confirmation in the states' legislatures, could usher in a more fractious period in the final year of Chancellor Angela Merkel's federal coalition government before September 2009 elections.

The two state coalitions are likely to be viewed by voters as test subjects for the next federal government.

Beijing - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday urged greater transparency and firmer controls over financial markets as part a solution to the global financial turmoil.

Merkel made a four-point proposal to Asian and European leaders discussing the financial crisis in Beijing, according to an advance copy of her speech.

She listed greater transparency in financial markets as the highest priority for supporting a global recovery.

Second on the list of proposals to 45 leaders at the biannual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was the need for a new structure of incentives.

Beijing - International activist groups urged German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday to raise the issue of Tibet during her visit to China.

"At this critical juncture in relations between Europe and China, Chancellor Merkel must press Chinese President Hu Jintao for tangible results from the dialogue between the Dalai Lama's representatives and Chinese officials," said Kate Saunders of the London-based International Campaign for Tibet.

Beijing - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in China on Thursday for talks that were expected to focus on the global financial crisis.

Merkel was scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later in the day before the two leaders join some 40 other heads of state at the biannual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on Friday and Saturday.

German officials said the fact that Merkel was one of the few foreign leaders making a formal state visit to China for the ASEM summit showed the importance of ties between the two nations.