Germany says new reports of U.S. spying harm security ties

By Michael Nienaber and Lesley Wroughton BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Germany is taking seriously the latest reports about U.S. spying on senior government ministers and they are putting strains on vital security cooperation between the two countries, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said on Thursday. German media have reported that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) bugged several senior government members, including the economy and finance ministers, as well as Merkel. The repor