Paris, France | AFP | Having finally secured her fourth term as Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel heads to France on Friday for talks with President Emmanuel Macron, who is eager to push ahead with EU overhauls. Macron has called for a major reform drive to reinvigorate the European Union at …
Read More »German parliament confirms Chancellor Merkel for fourth term
Berlin, GERMANY | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel, bruised by half a year of post-election coalition haggling, was Wednesday elected by parliament to her fourth and likely final term at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy. Lawmakers in Berlin’s glass-domed Reichstag voted 364-315 with nine abstentions for Merkel who …
Read More »Merkel says she will visit Macron to discuss EU reform
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday, two days before she is to launch her new government, that she will pay a quick visit to French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss EU reform proposals. Without naming a date, Merkel said she would visit Paris ahead of an …
Read More »Merkel vows swift return to government work to boost Europe
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised Monday that her new government would start work swiftly and lend a strong voice to Europe, a day after she secured a coalition for her fourth term. Germany’s second biggest party, the Social Democrats (SPD), on Sunday finally gave the …
Read More »Merkel to appoint key party critic to cabinet
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided to give a cabinet role to an outspoken critic within her conservative party, as she looks to quell surging discontent in the right wing of the group, a senior party official said Sunday. Merkel is to name 37-year-old Jens Spahn …
Read More »KFC falls fowl in Britain with chicken run
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Hundreds of KFC outlets remained shut in Britain on Wednesday due to a supply crisis, leaving fans craving a fix of deep-fried chicken. The shortages, which are expected to last all week in some parts of Britain, have prompted online mockery and disbelief aimed …
Read More »Some KFC stores to close all week in UK chicken crisis
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Some KFC outlets in Britain are to remain shut for the rest of the week, the fast-food operator said Tuesday as a supply crisis rumbled on, leaving fans craving a fix of deep-fried chicken. About 450 of the chain’s 900 outlets remained closed late …
Read More »New take on real-life hijack drama in ‘7 Days in Entebbe’
Berlin, Germany | AFP | The counter-terrorism plot seems more far fetched than many action thrillers, yet “7 Days in Entebbe”, which premiered at the Berlin film festival Monday, depicts a real-life airline hijack drama. The movie recounts what is often called the most audacious hostage rescue mission ever staged, …
Read More »Merkel’s fate in SPD hands as members vote on power pact
Hamburg, Germany | AFP | Germany’s Social Democrats started campaigning Saturday ahead of a party referendum that spells the last threat to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hopes of forming a new government, five months after an inconclusive election. In a vote expected to be tight, the more than 460,000 members of …
Read More »Record 2017 sales set up Puma to score at World Cup
Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German sportswear firm Puma on Monday reported record revenues in 2017, with celebrity sparkle from Rihanna and the football World Cup set to maintain the leaping-cat brand’s appeal into 2018. Net profit at the Bavaria-based company more than doubled last year, reaching 135.8 …
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