A German minister has raged at Ursula von der Leyen’s ‘really s**t’ vaccine strategy and said that Berlin cannot ‘let this s**t repeat itself’ as anger mounts over the EU’s chaotic handling of the roll-out. Vice-chancellor Olaf Scholz attacked von der Leyen by name in a stormy cabinet meeting on Monday, according to Bild. Scholz … Read more
Her rise to the presidency of the EU Commission was confirmation of the old maxim that you only ascend the heights of Brussels politics after first proving your incompetence at home – and the six years Ursula von der Leyen served as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s defence minister were widely considered a disaster. But yesterday even … Read more
The world is marking Holocaust Memorial Day in the midst of the pandemic today as memorial events take place online and vulnerable survivors shield from the coronavirus on the 76th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation. The Auschwitz museum is holding a virtual event emphasising the fate of the 200,000 children who were murdered at the Nazi … Read more
Germany is considering slashing air travel to ‘almost zero’ as queues build up at border checkpoints. Chancellor Angela Merkel told her parties’ legislators she did not want a travel ban, but with the pandemic raging this winter there should be no tourism, sources said. Interior minister Horst Seehofer earlier told the Bild newspaper Merkel had … Read more
Another mutant strain of coronavirus – different to those originating in the UK, South Africa and Brazil – has been discovered in Germany. Health officials said the variant was identified in Bavarian hospital patients, but it isn’t yet known how transmissible it is. Concerns have grown in recent weeks over the spread of the variants, … Read more
BREAKING: Angela Merkel’s centre-right party elects Armin Laschet as new leader to replace her ahead of national elections in September Laschet, governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, is seen as continuity candidate He will lead the Christian Democratic Union party into September’s election Merkel announced two years ago she would step down at the end of her … Read more
Germany passed two million confirmed coronavirus cases today as Angela Merkel prepares to push for even tougher measures to bring down the country’s persistently high infection rate. Among the tougher options on the table are border checks and requirements to wear high-quality FFP2 masks in some places, German media says. The latest daily rise of … Read more
Angela Merkel has warned Germany will see ten times as many Covid cases by Easter if they ‘don’t manage to stop this British virus’. The Chancellor told lawmakers in her conservative party that she expects the latest lockdown to last until April to stop the spread of a more-infectious mutant strain that first emerged in the … Read more
Angela Merkel has warned Germany will see ten times as many Covid cases by Easter if they ‘don’t manage to stop this British virus’. The Chancellor told lawmakers in her conservative party that she expects the latest lockdown to last until April to stop the spread of a more-infectious mutant strain that first emerged in the … Read more
Ambassadors from across Europe today pored over the details of the UK-EU trade agreement, after Boris Johnson last night hailed the historic deal as a ‘Brexit gift’ to Britain in a Christmas video message. As millions across Europe began celebrating Christmas Day, diplomats from each of the 27 EU member state were given a briefing … Read more