Shifting tectonic plates in German politics are set to mark a second regional election in as many weeks Sunday, threatening fresh aftershocks for Chancellor Angela Merkel's battered Berlin coalition.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Germany Thursday for a controversial three-day state visit that both sides hope will help rebuild relations that have been battered in recent years.

German police have arrested a 20-year-old woman on suspicion of serving in the Islamic State group.

Federal prosecutors said Friday the German-Algerian woman, identified as Sarah O. for privacy reasons, is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist organization.

Germany is ready to contribute to rebuilding Syria if a political solution was found for fair elections in the country, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Friday.

Germany's second biggest party, the Social Democrats, on Friday named their ministers in Chancellor Angela Merkel's next government, completing a cabinet lineup in which they snatched the trophy finance and foreign affairs portfolios.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday called for an end to the "massacre" in Syria after fresh air strikes on a rebel-held enclave in the war-torn country killed another 13 people.

Turkey on Friday freed a German-Turkish journalist held for more than a year in jail without facing trial, in a surprise move which may help repair severely eroded ties between Ankara and Berlin.

German industrial production lost some momentum in December, but not enough to cloud the generally bright outlook for Europe's largest economy, official data showed Wednesday.

Talks between the top German parties on forming a new government for Chancellor Angela Merkel's fourth term spilled into overtime Monday but confidence appeared to be growing they would strike a deal.

More than four months after Germany's general election, marathon weekend negotiations failed to yield the desired breakthrough on all outstanding differences. However both sides sounded upbeat about the chance for an agreement by a self-imposed Tuesday deadline.

A 58-year-old man tried to commit suicide on Christmas Eve by ramming his car into the headquarters of Germany's Social Democratic Party in Berlin, police said on Monday.