Former IMF chief and German president Horst Kohler dies at 81 Politics Horst Kohler, a former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) who became a popular German president, has died aged 81. Kohler, who was head of state from 2004 to 2010, died on Saturday morning in Berlin after a short illness, surrounded by his family, the office of current German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in [...]
How German politics went kaput Opinion After the collapse of its shaky ‘traffic light’ coalition, Germany is once again the sick man of Europe, says Rainer Zitelmann German chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has sacked his finance minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and delivered an aggressive speech personally insulting Lindner. This is a drastic shift in tone for the otherwise calm chancellor, who [...]
Trump’s back and the world must learn to deal with him Opinion Having won a decisive victory, Donald Trump is very unlikely to change tack when it comes to complex geopolitical issues. World leaders should show some humility and instead of criticising his views, try to find their own opportunities within them, says Michael Martins One of my strongest memories from my nearly six years working at [...]
Boris Johnson pockets £150k in 30 mins as former PM skips crucial Commons vote to jet off to Colorado October 13, 2022 Former prime minister Boris Johnson touched down in the USA on Tuesday as the ex-Tory leader gave a speech to an insurance industry group on Tuesday afternoon, thereby reportedly collecting around £150,000 for a 30 mins speech. Johnson addressed conference delegates in Colorado Springs, roughly at the same time while the House of Commons was [...]
Merkel defends blocking Ukraine’s Nato bid as Zelensky criticises her ‘policy of concession’ to Moscow April 5, 2022 Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her decision to block Ukraine’s Nato application, as President Zelensky criticised her “policy of concession” towards Moscow. The former leader was called out by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also took aim at France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy, after mass graves and hundreds of unarmed civilians were found in [...]
German parliament electing Olaf Scholz as chancellor marks Angela Merkel’s last day as leader of Europe’s largest economy December 8, 2021 Germany’s parliament has opened a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure by electing Olaf Scholz as the country’s ninth post-war chancellor. Scholz’s government takes office with high hopes of modernising Germany and combating climate change, but faces the immediate challenge of handling the country’s toughest phase yet [...]
Leaders say ‘danke schön’ at Merkel’s farewell party with surprise appearance from Obama October 23, 2021 Angela Merkel was given a big farewell party by European leaders last night, with former US president Barack Obama making a cameo video appearance. Attending her 107th EU summit, Merkel was feted by friends and foes alike in an informal ceremony behind closed doors, where she was called everything from a “compromise machine” to the [...]
D-Day in Germany: End of the Merkel era as Germans go to the polls in three-way battle September 26, 2021 As polls have opened in Germany and election day has begun for just over 60m eligible voters, Europe’s largest economy is seeing its first three-way contest for the chancellery as the environmentalist Greens join the country’s two traditional big parties in fielding a candidate for the top job. The Social Democrats’ candidate, Olaf Scholz, is [...]
Russia blamed by German foreign ministry for parliament cyber attack September 6, 2021 Russia is responsible for a cyber attack on Germany parliament, a spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry has said today. The attacks come ahead of Germany’s parliamentary election on 26 September, which will see chancellor Angela Merkel depart the helm, and could have prompted the string of violations. The spokesperson, Andrea Sasse, added that a [...]
Merkel ‘deeply shocked’: Germany’s new ambassador to China dies suddenly September 6, 2021 Diplomatic circles across China and the wider APAC region are in shock as Germany’s brand new ambassador to China has suddenly died at the age of 54, the German foreign ministry said this morning. The ministry announced Jan Hecker’s “sudden death” in a short statement in the early hours of today. It did not give [...]
