US President Barack Obama today assured German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the US is not monitoring her communications.  This came after Merkel was said to be “livid” after a German intelligence investigation substantiated the report that the US National Security Agency (NSA) was listening in.

At the White House, reporters asked spokesman Jay Carney about the German fears, he responded by saying that “the United States is not monitoring the communications of the chancellor.”

The German news weekly Der Spiegel ran a story about the German investigation, which was instigated by research from the magazine, that Merkel's mobile was targeted by the US electronic eavesdropping agency.  The German chancellor was concerned enough to call the White House and demand clarification.

Meanwhile, US intelligence chief James Clapper sort-of denied reports in France’s Le Monde that the NSA recorded data from 70 million phone calls in France.  The director of national intelligence said the report contained “misleading information”.