The parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's junior coalition partner, the Free Democrats (FDP), and a former German economics minister publicly criticized the French government under Socialist President François Hollande Thursday in a move that highlights the tension between the two countries. more...
Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman has tried to quash speculation that she may step down in 2015 if she wins the September election. "The chancellor is of course standing for the full legislative period," Steffen Seibert told reporters at a government news conference on Monday. more...
Will Angela Merkel step down in 2015? A new biography of the German chancellor by Nikolaus Blome, the chief political correspondent of tabloid newspaper , is likely to fan speculation that the chancellor won't serve a full third term even if she does win the general election in September. Bild more...
When it comes to the integration of Germany's Muslim minority, the center-left Social Democrats tend to be much less hard-line than Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives. But on Wednesday evening, SPD chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück may have gone a step too far when he waded into what in the past has been a hornet's nest of controversy in Germany. He expressed support for physical education classes in German schools to be divided by gender. more...
In July 1991, two youths punched Karamba Diaby in the face and chased after him in a racist attack in Halle, an eastern German town with a significant neo-Nazi problem. Now he's about to campaign in the city to become the first black member of the German parliament in the September general election. more...
One almost begins to feel sorry for Peer Steinbrück, the Social Democratic candidate for the Chancellery in elections this fall. He has developed a reputation for bumbling and jamming his foot deep into his mouth. And now, attention is being paid to his every move. To wit: Steinbrück now finds himself embroiled in a controversy over which football team he roots for. more...
He's not François Hollande, but one could be forgiven for believing he has taken his cue from the Socialist French president. On Monday, Peer Steinbrück, the chancellor candidate for the center-left Social Democratic Party, said he wants to significantly increase taxes for Germany's top earners if elected in September. more...
Anti-euro political parties in Europe in recent years have so far tended to be either well to the right of center or, as evidenced by the recent vote in Italy, anything but staid. But in Germany, change may be afoot. A new party is forming this spring, intent on abandoning European efforts to prop up the common currency. And its founders are a collection of some of the country's top economists and academics. more...
What a difference a year makes. In April 2012, Germany's Pirate Party was the new darling of the political scene, the center of attention in Berlin and the object of adulation among (male) twenty-somethings. Now, however, the Pirates look as though they have lost their treasure map, having become , backstabbing and a lack of direction. And on Wednesday evening, the party's chief policymaker, Johannes Ponader, resigned as a result. consumed with internal bickering more...
Now, even the clowns themselves are involved. Three days after Peer Steinbrück, the Social Democratic candidate to challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel in elections this autumn, referred to Italian political leaders Silvio Berlusconi and Beppe Grillo as "clowns," the head of Germany's most famous circus has expressed his displeasure at being compared to the former Italian prime minister. more...
Austerity: European Spring
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Police: Freedom Museum fire was arson
Bossi Jr’s Yacht in Tunisia
Two Carabinieri Shot in Piazza Colonna as Government is Sworn In
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