German election: Merkel battles Steinbrueck in TV duel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's main rival in this month's election has accused her of causing misery by imposing austerity on southern Europe.

In their only head-to-head TV debate, centre-left candidate Peer Steinbrueck called her euro policies a failure.

But Mrs Merkel pointed to Germany's healthy economy, calling it "the motor of growth" in Europe.