[Ticker] Merkel: US free trade talks should continue

German chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday she wants EU-US talks on a free-trade deal, TTIP, to continue. She said in an interview with Germany's Funke media group that she is in favour of "waiting until the end of negotiations and then to make an assessment" of the outcome. She said the deal is important for creating jobs in Europe. Last week, France said it wanted the talks to stop.