Angela Merkel

With a hit by the "godmother of punk" Nina Hagen, Germany's military saluted a visibly moved Angela Merkel during a ceremonial farewell on Dec. 2, just a week before she is due to bow out of politics after 16 years in office.

German interim government will introduce harsh measures for unvaccinated people in order to curb COVID-19 and alleviate the pressure on hospitals due to a new variant of the virus - omicron variant.
On Thursday, German regional prime ministers agreed with outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel to impose strict restrictions on those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

World Leaders Bid their Farewell to Merkel

The German army will honor with a farewell parade Chancellor Angela Merkel for her 16 years of rule, DPA reported.

Merkel, who is stepping down, will deliver a short speech ahead of a ceremony scheduled for tonight.

By Yannis Kartalis

We are in a period of international tumult as global geopolitical balances have not settled after the end of the bipolar world.

At a time when there is a predominance of authoritarian leaders, untrammelled populism, and dangerous military moves, the overarching question for Greece in terms of security is, "What exactly is Turkey up to?"

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday. The issues discussed included the situation in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood and the Polish-Belarusian border, the EU’s common position on migration pressure, and the build-up of Russian military on the border with Ukraine.

Europe remains "in the firm grip" of COVID and the continent's death toll could top 2.2 million this winter if current trends continue, the World Health Organization warned on Nov. 23.

Europe is battling an upsurge in the pandemic that saw Austria return to lockdown this week while Germany and the Netherlands are poised to announce new restrictions.

Germans were warned on Nov. 22 they would be "vaccinated, cured or dead" from COVID-19 by the end of winter, as Europe battles an upsurge in the pandemic that prompted a U.S. travel advisory.

Belgium and the Netherlands are still reeling from clashes that rocked weekend protests against new anti-COVID measures.

Hope for de-escalating the crisis, which has seen thousands camping in desperate conditions on the border for weeks, had been mounting in recent days, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko twice by phone.

Germany's disease control agency reported 52,826 new coronavirus cases on Nov. 17, a number that has roughly doubled in two weeks, stoking calls for fresh measures to curb the country's steadily rising infections.

Leaders of the world's biggest economies on Oct. 30 endorsed a global minimum tax on corporations, a linchpin of new international tax rules aimed at blunting the edge of fiscal paradises amid skyrocketing profits of some multinational businesses.