Germany's economy shrunk for a second consecutive year in 2024, continuing its struggle with internal and external challenges.

Friedrich Merz, the chancellor candidate for the conservative Christian Democratic Union acknowledged the need for a “major effort” to revive the economy as his party pledges to return German growth to 2 percent over the next five years through changes to the welfare and tax systems.

BERLIN (AP) — The German economy, Europe’s biggest, shrank for the second consecutive year in 2024, according to preliminary official figures released Wednesday weeks before an election in which the economy is the top issue.

Germany has not found any further cases of foot-and-mouth disease, agriculture minister Cem Oezdemir said on Wednesday, adding that experts were working day and night to establish the source of the country's first outbreak of the disease in decades.

Germany’s meat exports, mainly pork, have been concentrated on the EU after many countries banned imports after the disease swine fever was discovered in 2020. Germany said on Tuesday it had found no new foot-and-mouth cases following intensive testing around the area around the first case.

The UK has introduced a ban on pigs, sheep and cattle imports from Germany after a case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in the country. The government said on Tuesday it will no longer approve health certificates for animals,

The FBI has also revised the number of people injured in terrorist Shadsud-Din Jabbar’s attack, increasing the number to from 37 to 57.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the driver behind the Bourbon Street attack on New Year’s, researched New Orleans and the deadly Christmas market attack in Germany in the hours and weeks before the attack, the FBI said in an update Tuesday.