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...Aviation giant Airbus is to file a criminal complaint over alleged US industrial espionage, following German media reports, AFP news agency says.

Leaks from a secret report by Germany's national intelligence agency, the BND, suggest it collected information on European firms at Washington's behest.

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...Chancellor Angela Merkel's government – which has long complained of being a target of snooping by the US – is now facing a series of embarrassing reports that German spies themselves acted on behalf of the NSA to monitor allies like France as well as German companies.

Economic espionage targets Airbus

Citing intelligence agency documents, the Bild daily reported on Monday that Merkel's office was informed in 2008 – during Merkel's first term – of German involvement in US economic espionage.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung also reported that spying on companies took place in isolated cases as the United States searched for "information on illegal exports".

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