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Posts Tagged ‘Chancellor Angela Merkel’

‘Poll leak’ tweets alarm Germans

August 31st, 2009 | No Comments

German voter in Thuringia, 30 August

The apparent illegal leaking of exit polls for German regional elections has raised concerns weeks before the country’s general election.

Forecasts for Sunday’s results in Saarland, Thuringia and Saxony appeared on Twitter 90 minutes before polling stations closed in the three states.

Proven leaks are punishable by a fine of 50,000 euros (£44,000; $71,000).

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats fared badly on Sunday despite their lead in national opinion polls.

Nonetheless, Mrs Merkel says she remains confident of winning the federal election in a month’s time.

Saxony’s state election supervisor, Uwe Reimund Korzen-Krueger, said it was still unclear whether actual exit polls had been leaked.

"If it turns out that the outcomes published before 6pm [on Sunday] were not just based on hearsay but on exit polls," he was quoted as telling German news magazine Der Spiegel, "the legal situation will need to be assessed."

The head of Germany’s federal electoral commission, Roderich Egeler, stressed that no exit poll data could be published before the close of polling stations, whether on Twitter or any other medium.

‘Democracy damaged’

Wolfgang Bosbach, a senior CDU official in the federal parliament, said the reported leaks were "damaging to democracy".

"The assumption is that the information in the Twitter postings was leaked from either within political parties or the media"

Spiegel magazine

"There is a danger that an election could be falsified," he told the Cologne newspaper Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger.

Joerg van Essen of the Free Democrats, Mrs Merkel’s preferred coalition partner, told the same newspaper that such leaks were "unacceptable".

Der Spiegel notes that the results published on Twitter only varied by about a half or one percentage point from the results of the first exit polls shown on television at 1800 (1600 GMT).

"The assumption is that the information in the Twitter postings was leaked from either within political parties or the media, who receive exit poll information earlier in the day so they can prepare speeches or articles," the magazine writes.

One of the Twitter accounts involved belonged to Patrick Rudolph, CDU leader in the Saxon town of Radebeul.

He told Spiegel that he did not know who had written the message and that he had deactivated the account as a result.

The CDU is still enjoying a 15-point opinion poll lead over the Social Democrats for the national election on 27 September.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Decision time

August 24th, 2009 | No Comments

The continuing deadlock over GM’s sale of Opel/Vauxhall places an unhelpful uncertainty over the company’s future.

GM’s board of directors, it would appear, favours the bid from investor group RHJ. That bid has emerged as one in which GM can likely have a greater say in Opel’s future (whether or not there is actually a buy-back clause). The Magna bid, however, comes with concerns over technology transfer, not just to Magna, but to its ambitious Russian partners who want to build and sell Chevrolets in Russia.

Now then, GM as seller, you might think, ought to be free to choose a buyer. But it is a bit more complicated than that. Opel in Germany employs 25,000 directly – over half of GM Europe’s total workforce – and is seen as very important to Germany’s economy. The German government has already made bridging finance available to Opel’s German operations and wants a big say in Opel’s future.

The German government at all levels has swung solidly behind the Magna proposal which is perceived as more sympathetic to maintaining plants and jobs in Germany than RHJ’s.

That means GM’s board and the German government are not exactly seeing eye to eye. In essence, Germany wants Magna and GM now leans towards RHJ.

A federal election due next month has added to German political momentum behind the Magna plan. Pressure is being exerted at all levels and may well become difficult for GM to resist. German Chancellor Angela Merkel would probably like to present a more or less done deal to voters. If she does manage to do that, the devil may well be in the detail.

Whoever the new owner eventually is, restructuring is coming. How many jobs will go, on what timescale and exactly where may well be a fuzzy question to answer for a while yet. The bad news will be easier to deliver when that election is out of the way.

But will Opel/Vauxhall be in the right shape to be competitive? If not, protecting jobs now may well be jeopardising more in the future.

GERMANY: GM indecision over Opel riles Germany

Merkel, Medvedev slam murder in Caucasus

August 15th, 2009 | No Comments

Friendly talks between the leaders of Germany and Russia have been dominated by trade and investment, but also covered human rights. President Dmitry Medvedev and Chancellor Angela Merkel met in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Bosom pals pep up German politics

August 12th, 2009 | No Comments

Controversial <a href= CDU election poster” border=”0″ vspace=”4″ hspace=”4″>

A German politician has unleashed a new weapon to soften up voters in Berlin: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bust, alongside her own.

Vera Lengsfeld, 57, has ruffled feathers in Mrs Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrat (CDU) party with the unauthorised CDU election poster.

"We have more to offer" is the slogan on the poster, 750 copies of which were hung in Kreuzberg district of Berlin.

Mrs Lengsfeld faces an uphill struggle against a popular Green politician.

"I needed to come up with something to even be noticed," Mrs Lengsfeld said, adding that the posters had massively boosted traffic to her website.

FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE

Mission creep

August 4th, 2009 | No Comments

By Damien McGuinness
BBC News, Berlin

Soldiers stand in front of photographs of German soldiers killed in Afghanistan during a commemoration service in Bad Salzungen, Germany, 2 July 2009

For many Germans, deployment in Afghanistan meant delivering aid and reconstruction to the country’s relatively peaceful north.

But now the situation is becoming increasingly dangerous. And Germany seems to have found itself unwillingly dragged into a war.

This is a pivotal moment in German military deployment abroad.

Berlin has just changed the rules of military engagement for troops abroad, giving soldiers more leeway to use lethal force. This is seen as important in northern Afghanistan, where attacks by Taliban insurgents are becoming more frequent.

In July, German troops carried out their first major military offensive against the Taliban. Dubbed Operation Adler (Eagle) the aim was to bring stability to an area near Kunduz in northern Afghanistan in time for presidential elections on 20 August.

In a joint action with Afghan forces, 300 German soldiers used heavy firepower for the first time in a bid to flush out Taliban insurgents who are moving into the region.

Unpopular war

Back home, meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel last month awarded four soldiers the Bundeswehr’s new cross of honour.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel with German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung and (from L to R) Staff Sergeant Jan Berges, Sergeant Major Markus Geist, Staff Sergeant Alexander Dietzen and Staff Sergeant Henry Lukacz of the German Bundeswehr on July 6, 2009 in Berlin, Germany

It was the first time since the end of World War II that Germany had awarded medals for bravery – a remarkable change in attitude considering post-war Germany’s traditional wariness of military symbols.

But although the German government looks set to get tough on the battlefield, popular opinion is heading in the opposite direction.

German military involvement abroad is extremely unpopular back home – and becoming more disliked all the time.

According to the most recent polls, almost 70% of Germans now want their troops to pull out of Afghanistan.

"The war is so unpopular that politicians won’t even call it a war," said Alan Posener, political correspondent for the German daily newspaper Die Welt.

"We are now using armoured personnel carriers and light tanks to fight the Taliban. But politicians are saying, no, it’s not a war, it’s a peace mission. If they didn’t say that, they would get flayed alive by their voters."

Thirty-five German soldiers have now died fighting in Afghanistan. Although this number is lower than US, British and Canadian fatalities, the sight of military funerals has taken Germany by surprise.

Many Germans feel they have been misled. They were originally told the mission was about humanitarian aid and reconstruction in relatively peaceful northern Afghanistan. Now the Taliban has moved in to that region, and suddenly the country is at war.

Political tightrope

With a general election due in Germany on 27 September, the campaign trail is a particularly difficult place for politicians to appear bellicose.

"(The war) means an increase of hate and opposition"

Paul Schaefer
Defence spokesman, Left Party

Christian Democrat Chancellor Angela Merkel, who supports German deployment and looks set to stay in power, is not taking any risks by talking war on the podium.

Meanwhile, her Social Democrat opponent Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is currently foreign minister, would look inconsistent if he suddenly took an anti-war stance.

But the smaller opposition parties, particularly the Green Party and the Left Party, are keen to win votes by calling for an immediate troop withdrawal.

"(The war) means an increase of hate and opposition," says Paul Schaefer, defence spokesman for the Left Party. "You can only realize a negotiation process and a reconciliation process within Afghanistan when there is a clear and concrete exit strategy."

Reluctant deployment

Some analysts in Germany warn, however, that it is dangerous to make political capital out of the conflict.

"We’re supposed to flick a switch and suddenly be proud of our military heroes again"

Alan Posener
Political correspondent, Die Welt

They fear the Taliban will target German troops: an increase in military fatalities could make German deployment so unpopular that the government would be forced by public pressure to withdraw from Afghanistan.

But why are Germans so reluctant to send their troops into foreign combat

"You have to go back a bit in German history, to the obvious place: the Second World War," said Mr Posener.

"We didn’t only lose the war, in no uncertain terms. We were told it was our fault, and we were paying."

After half a century being told by the international community to be a non-threatening pacifist nation, Germany is now under pressure to become an effective military partner.

"Germans have had a hard time adjusting to all these mind-set changes that they are supposed to go through," said Mr Posener.

"Now we’re supposed to flick a switch and suddenly be proud of our military heroes again."

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Merkel challenger promises jobs

August 3rd, 2009 | No Comments

Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, Germany, 3 August 2009

German Vice-Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier has outlined his party’s election manifesto, vowing to bring full employment to Germany.

The leader of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) is set to challenge Chancellor Angela Merkel in the country’s 27 September polls.

The economic crisis is a key campaign issue and Mr Steinmeier said his party would create four million jobs by 2020.

Critics say the plan lacks focus and is unrealistic in recession-hit Germany.

Recent polls suggest the SPD is trailing Mrs Merkel’s conservative bloc by as much as 10 points.

"We need to finally move beyond all this crisis talk and develop a clear outlook for the next decade," Mr Steinmeier told reporters ahead of the manifesto’s launch on Monday.

"Particularly amid this crisis, it is essential to say that we have the potential to create these four million jobs."

Unrealistic pledges

Recent German jobs figures suggest nearly 3.5 million people are unemployed in Germany – Europe’s largest economy – and economists say that figure could rise by as much as one million in the next year.

According to the German weekly newspaper Der Spiegel, the SPD’s 67-page manifesto – entitled Plan for Germany – says environmentally friendly schemes such as the building of electric cars would employ two million Germans.

"People are sick of being bombarded with pledges during election campaigns"

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg
Economy Minister

Another million would be employed in the health industry to cater for the country’s ageing population, while boosting creative industries would create a further million jobs.

Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, from Mrs Merkel’s conservative CDU party, criticised the pledges, saying they were short of detail.

"People are sick of being bombarded with pledges during election campaigns," Mr Guttenberg was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. "They are right to expect specific proposals. There are very few of those in the SPD plan."

The centre-left SPD has been the junior partner in Mrs Merkel’s coalition for the past four years.

But when the German chancellor launched her party’s election manifesto in June, she voiced hopes her party would do well enough to allow it to jettison its coalition partner.

Mrs Merkel’s campaign is centred on a pledge to cut taxes, which the SPD has condemned as a "tax gift" giveaway.

Mrs Merkel hopes to get enough votes to replace the SPD with the pro-market Free Democrats (FDP).

Despite the ongoing economic crisis, Mrs Merkel remains popular in Germany, but opinion polls have suggested the CDU and FDP may not be able to garner enough votes to work together.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper: Must it be Business as Usual as the People of Iran Hang in the Balance?

July 20th, 2009 | No Comments

Citizen lobbies and elected representatives have to ask this simple question: do we have to do business with people who do business with the Mullahs?

GM receives three bids for Opel

July 20th, 2009 | No Comments

Flags

Would-be buyers of General Motor’s Opel business have until later on Monday to lodge plans for the firm’s future.

Canadian-Austrian car parts maker Magna International is favourite to buy Opel – which includes Vauxhall in the UK.

Magna, backed by Russia’s Sberbank, wants to use Opel to make an aggressive push into the Russian market.

However, Belgium-based investor RHJ International is manoeuvring to try to make a successful bid – with plans to restructure Opel’s operations.

GM was forced to put Opel up for sale as part of its massive restructuring which saw it go into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US – before emerging as a leaner company with less debt.

Opel has been placed under the ownership of a trustee in which both GM and the German government have a stake – making the process of deciding a buyer complex.

Vauxhall commitment

The Magna consortium had looked to certain to win the battle for Opel since May – when the German government’s supported the move.

And last week, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev voiced their support for Magna.

However, Opel’s future has become less clear-cut after RHJ, which is backed by US private equity firm Ripplewood, said last week that its negotiations with GM and Germany were "at an advanced stage".

Both firms’ plans are thought to involve cutting about 10,000 Opel jobs – and protecting all four German car-making plants.

Magna has now said that "no immediate plant closures are contemplated" at the Vauxhall sites at Luton and Ellesmere Port, which employ about 5,000 people. However, that commitment has only been made to 2013.

RHJ is also expected to support saving both Vauxhall factories – but may ask workers to take pay cuts.

GM is expected to give its preliminary findings on the final bids to the German and other European governments on Wednesday.

Next week GM is expected to have a recommendation ready on which bid to accept. That will be put before its board and the US Treasury, which has a majority stake in GM.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Kremlin tribute to dead activist

July 16th, 2009 | No Comments

People hold portraits of Natalia Estemirova at a rally in Moscow, 16 July

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has paid tribute to human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, whose murder has caused international concern.

Speaking in Germany, as her funeral was being held in Chechnya, he promised a thorough investigation and pledged those responsible would be caught.

Ms Estemirova was abducted in the Chechen capital Grozny and shot dead.

Russia’s leader said it was "obvious" to him that her murder was linked to her professional work.

"She gave a very open and sometimes very tough evaluation of what’s happening in the country"

Dmitry Medvedev
Russian president

Obituary: Natalia Estemirova

Remembering Natalia

The UN has urged a transparent investigation into the killing on Wednesday, while the White House says it is "disturbed and saddened" by the crime.

Memorial, the Russian human rights group which employed Ms Estemirova, has accused Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed President, Ramzan Kadyrov, or his close associates of responsibility for the murder.

Mr Kadyrov denied any involvement and promised to investigate the killing personally.

‘She spoke the truth’

"It is obvious to me that this murder is linked to her professional work and this work is necessary for any normal state," Mr Medvedev said after talks outside Munich with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"She did something very useful. She spoke the truth, she gave a very open and sometimes very tough evaluation of what’s happening in the country.

"And that is the value of human rights campaigners, even if they make those in power feel uncomfortable."

Unlike his predecessor Vladmir Putin, President Medvedev has moved fast to publicly and explicitly condemn the murder of another prominent Russian human rights worker, the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield Hayes reports from Moscow.

He is perhaps aware of the wave of international outrage generated by her killing, our correspondent says.

Ms Estemirova was abducted from her home in Chechnya and her bullet-riddled body was found dumped in a forest a few hours later.

For years she had documented appalling human rights abuses carried out by the Moscow-backed regime in Chechnya, our correspondent says.

Mourning in Grozny

About 100 mourners gathered outside Memorial’s Grozny office on Thursday, some of them weeping.

Ramzan Kadyrov

The dead woman’s daughter Lana, 15, said she was stunned by her mother’s killing.

"I can’t imagine [she] won’t be around any more and that I won’t be making a morning coffee for her any more," she was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Taus Dzhankhotova, 50, said she had been unaware of the killing when she showed up at the office carrying a pizza and melon she wanted to give to Ms Estemirova in thanks for legal help she had provided.

"What for What for" she said, crying. "They kill only the good people here. If she was bad, they wouldn’t have touched her."

Later, about 50 men and women walked in a slow procession along Prospekt Putin, a central Grozny street, to accompany the dead woman’s body, which was being carried in a yellow minivan to a cemetery in western Chechnya.

While Mr Kadyrov denies he had anything to do with her killing, many of her colleagues in Russia’s human rights community are unconvinced, our correspondent says.

Oleg Orlov, Memorial’s chairman, blamed the Chechen president personally in a statement on the group’s website.

Mr Kadyrov had, he said, "already threatened Natalia, insulted her, considered her a personal enemy".

The Chechen leader condemned Ms Estemirova’s killers on Thursday saying they "must be punished as the cruellest of criminals". </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

UK backs Blair for EU president, Kinnock says

July 16th, 2009 | No Comments

â€¢ Kinnock says government will support former PM
â€¢ Tories say: ‘He should be let nowhere near the job’

Tony Blair is a leading contender to become the first president of the EU and has the full backing of the British government for the job, the new Europe minister, Lady Kinnock, announced today.

In 10 years as prime minister, Blair shunned the single currency, backed Bush over Brussels and went to war in Iraq. Many in Europe have never forgiven him.

But the long-held suspicion in European politics was confirmed when Lady Kinnock, the Europe minister in Strasbourg for the parliament’s opening session, said that although Blair had not formally declared his candidacy, it was “certainly” the government position to support him.

“I am sure they would not do it without asking him,” she said. “The UK government is supporting Tony Blair’s candidature for president of the council.”

It was the first definite statement on the matter. The Blair camp, in Jerusalem as he continues his current job as a Middle East envoy, was caught off guard. “Nothing has changed. The job doesn’t exist, so there is nothing to be a candidate for,” said a Blair spokesman.

The post will be created under the Lisbon treaty, streamlining the way the EU is run, if the Irish endorse it in a referendum in early October. Blair would be the first sitting president of the EU, appointed by European government chiefs for a minimum of 30 months and a maximum of five years.

If the Irish vote yes on 2 October, EU leaders are expected to decide who will get the top job at a summit at the end of October.

“Blair is seen by many as someone who has the strength of character, the stature,” said Kinnock.

“People know who he is and he would be someone who would have this role and step into it with a lot of respect and I think would be generally welcomed.”

British diplomats were also caught off-guard and cautioned that Kinnock’s remarks remained speculation.

“The reality is Lisbon has not entered into force,” said a diplomat. “Blair has yet to say whether he will stand.”

Downing Street went further than it had in confirming that Blair was the government’s candidate, if he wanted it, but indicated Kinnock had gone further than No 10 had wanted.

“What the prime minister supports is Tony Blair’s candidature for the president of the European council if Tony Blair decides that that is what he would like to do and as and when such a position exists.

“I’m not sure I would characterise it [Kinnock's remarks] as an announcement. I don’t think it is any surprise that the Europe minister in this government has said that we would support Tony Blair as a candidate.”

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said the post would be “enormously damaging” for Europe. “Any holder is likely to try to centralise power for themselves in Brussels and dominate national foreign policies. In the hands of an operator as ambitious as Tony Blair, that is a near certainty. He should be let nowhere near the job.”

The founder of New Labour will almost certainly encounter stiff opposition, although he has few peers in Europe who could match him for international name recognition or contacts.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister who took over the rotating presidency of the EU this month and who will chair the October summit, is known to be strongly opposed to a “President Blair”.

He told the Guardian todaythat he would not get into any discussion of names for the post, while a senior European diplomat said that the Europe president post would be “the absolute top subject” at the October summit.

JosÃ© Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish PM who takes over the EU presidency after Reinfeldt in January, is also an opponent. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany is not believed to be keen. France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy, an early fan of Blair for the role, might calculate that it would be better to side with German and Spanish leaders than support the British.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

German brothel offers cyclists discount

July 14th, 2009 | No Comments

Maison d’Envie in Berlin rewards ‘green commitment’ with a discount, but what else would encourage you to ride a bike?

The Germans have always been one step ahead of the rest of us when it comes to the environment. They are European champions when it comes to wind power, recycling rates and installing combined heat and power boilers. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is a former environment minister.

So it should come as no surprise to learn that a German businessman has pushed the concept of green rebates to the next logical level: Thomas Goetz, owner of a Berlin brothel called Maison d’Envie, is currently offering a discount to any customer who arrives by bicycle or public transport.

“The recession has hit our industry hard,” Goetz told Reuters. “Obviously we hope that the discount will attract more people. It’s good for business, it’s good for the environment â€“ and it’s good for the girls.”

Any punter who arrives by bike â€“ the puns readily spring to mind with this story â€“ or who can prove they’ve travelled by public transport qualifies for the discount (they must present a valid ticket and a map of Berlin’s public transport network upon arrival). The room hire for a 45-minute “session” is normally â‚¬70 (Â£60), but cyclists qualify for a â‚¬5 “eco” discount. Customers with, er, less time on their hands can opt for the 15-minute session which normally costs â‚¬30, but with that eco discount it drops down to â‚¬25. (For unexplained reasons, though, no eco discount is available for a 60-minute session. The mind boggles.)

In the name of research, I had a quick look around the brothel’s website to verify that the offer really does exist, and, yes, there it is in black and white. “The Maison d’Envie offers one major advantage over other establishments: it is perfectly accessible by public transport. Both S-and U-Bahn stations are within walking distance and well-maintained bicycle paths also allow for a more environmentally friendly journey. And because we want to reward your green commitment, we have â€“ and it’s unique in Berlin â€“ an environmental discount.” It’s the sort of statement you might expect to hear from your local council, not an establishment â€“ very much legal in Germany â€“ that offers the services of “nice, motivated models” in a “very pleasant, almost family atmosphere”.

It seems to be working, though, as Goetz says the offer is attracting three to five new customers every day, adding that the incentive has helped to reduce traffic and parking congestion in the local area.

So, what would it take to get you going by bike more often? What other innovative incentives could help boost the number of people cycling?

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

“New conditions for new EU members”

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier says that the EU must create the conditions in order to be able to accommodate any new members. Asked in an interview with Vienna daily Der Standard whether he agreed with Chancellor Angela Merkel that the EU should suspend further enlargement once Croatia gained membership, he replied that it was true that any further enlargement had to be â€œwell considered and conducted only with solid pre-conditions.â€œ

Posts Tagged ‘Chancellor Angela Merkel’

‘Poll leak’ tweets alarm Germans

Decision time

Merkel, Medvedev slam murder in Caucasus

Bosom pals pep up German politics

Mission creep

Merkel challenger promises jobs

Rabbi Abraham Cooper: Must it be Business as Usual as the People of Iran Hang in the Balance?

GM receives three bids for Opel

Kremlin tribute to dead activist

UK backs Blair for EU president, Kinnock says

German brothel offers cyclists discount

“New conditions for new EU members”

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