German state premier on defensive over close ties with VW

By Andrea ShalalBERLIN (Reuters) - The government of Germany's Lower Saxony, which holds a fifth of Volkswagen'svoting rights, on Sunday denied a newspaper report that its premier softened speeches critical of the carmaker in the diesel emissions scandal at the company's request.Premier Stephan Weil, already facing an unexpected election after the defection of a member of his ruling coalition to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, is under fire for what some see as a too-cozy relationship