Emmanuel Macron said last night he would take the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine despite previously rubbishing the jab – although he would be waiting until next year at the current pace of a roll-out which has left France vulnerable to a third wave. Macron, 43, said that ‘in view of the latest scientific studies, the efficacy of … Read more
German Chancellor Angela Merkel last night warned that new Covid variants risk a third wave of infections sweeping across the country which could provoke another national lockdown. Coronavirus cases have started to increase again in Germany with only four per cent of the public vaccinated, while Britons are already counting down the days to freedom … Read more
Germany‘s biggest-selling newspaper has praised Britain’s vaccine success and Boris Johnson‘s plans to lift the lockdown, with a front-page headline saying: ‘Dear Brits, we envy you!’. The article in Bild said the UK’s ‘successful’ vaccine programme had allowed the PM to promise a brighter future while Germany is ‘stuck in lockdown’ and Angela Merkel‘s government … Read more
German health minister Jens Spahn is said to be ‘fighting for his career’ after overseeing a shambolic vaccine roll-out, clashing with Angela Merkel and failing to deliver on a promised rapid-testing scheme. Spahn, who only months ago was being feted by those marvelling at Germany‘s early success against the pandemic, has seen his approval rating … Read more
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Germany is now in the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, two sources told Reuters news agency. ‘We are now in the third wave,’ Merkel told lawmakers in her conservative party on Wednesday, according to two sources who attended the meeting. The chancellor is also said to have warned … 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 By Ap Published: 10:51 GMT, 16 January 2021 | Updated: 11:08 GMT, 16 January 2021 German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party has elected a new leader to take over ahead of the national elections in … Read more