#angela-merkel

#angela-merkel

WASHINGTON Pranksters posing as President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine tricked the chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome H. Powell, into having a conversation with them in January, according to video clips covered on Russian state television and posted online.The ruse apparently carried out by two Russian comedians who support President Vladimir V. Putin involved asking Mr. Powell questions about the American and global economy.

Germany would plough 100 billion into revamping the army, send weapons to Kyiv and wean itself off Russian energy.But a year after Russian troops marched onto Ukrainian soil, Scholz is finding himself struggling to put his ambitious plans into practice and to make them palatable to all in the country.

1) Fernsehturm alias Telespargel Berlin's TV tower.Photo: DPA Berlin's Fernsehturm (Television tower) dominates the largest square in the middle of Berlin, the Alexanderplatz.Completed in 1969 and standing at 368 metres tall, the Fernsehturm loomed large over the divided city and was built to display Socialist supremacy.

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Russian pranksters posing as Ukraine's ex-President Petro Poroshenko managed to contact Angela Merkel by phone to discuss developments in Ukraine and Belarus, although the former German chancellor was wary about the entire call, Merkel's office said Monday.

Criticism of Kate Forbes over her views on issues such as gay marriage has nothing to do with faith, Scotland's deputy first minister has said.John Swinney said he profoundly disagreed with Ms Forbes despite also having "deep religious faith".He questioned whether it would be appropriate for someone with her views to be SNP leader.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SNP lead candidate Kate Forbes said she would have voted against gay marriage in Scotland at the time it was made legal almost a decade ago.The finance secretary, one of the two frontrunners to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland, said in an interview that she would not have backed the legislation, but would have respected and defended the democratic choice that was made.

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Scotland's SNP members will next month decide the country's next first minister after Nicola Sturgeon announced she would be stepping down from the role.Following her shock resignation as party leader, scrutiny has turned to the three candidates - who have until Friday to secure 100 nominations - vying to replace her.

SNP leadership frontrunner Kate Forbes has said she believes having children outside of marriage is wrong.The devout Christian attributed her views to her faith as a member of the Free Church of Scotland and said it was something she would personally seek to avoid.Her comments come hours after the favourite to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as leader was engulfed by controversy after saying she would have voted against gay marriage if she had been an MSP when it became law in Scotland in 2014.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails David Smith liked Russia.A lot.And he wasn't shy about expressing his feelings to colleagues at the British embassy in Berlin.The 58-year-old security guard kept a poster affixed to the inside of his work locker's door so that every time he opened it, he was greeted with a cartoon of a muscled Vladimir Putin, who was holding a bayonet in one hand and using the other to drag Angela Merkel by the neck.

Vladimir Putin has faced setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine, but he might be happy to hear of cracks in the relationship between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.After a canceled summit and a not-quite-convincing handshake and working lunch, the two leaders are struggling to rekindle the magic of Franco-German unity.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, hosted the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for lunch on Wednesday as they sought to iron out significant differences on energy and defence that have weakened their relationship at a time of war in Ukraine.Both leaders, whose countries are seen as the joint driving force of the European Union, made an effort to smile as Scholz emerged from his black Mercedes at the Elysee Palace to shake hands, but the German chancellor appeared to sidestep Macron's attempts to put an arm around him.

Amid disagreements over energy, foreign policy, arms procurement and more, a joint cabinet meeting has been pushed back to January, while a parliamentary gathering of French, German and Polish MPs was cancelled at the weekend.There have always been difficult moments in the relationship, said France's former ambassador to China, Britain and Russia, Sylvie Bermann.

Angela Merkel has insisted that her position as a lame duck in the last months of her time in office made it more or less impossible for her to influence the behaviour of Vladimir Putin.The former German chancellor appeared both defensive and quietly defiant about her inability to change the course of the Russian president's decision-making in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine in February.

BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 20: Protesters, many of them expatriate Ukrainians living in Berlin, protest under the motto: "Free the Leopards" outside the Chancellery to demand that Germany send Ukraine Leopard battle tanks on January 20, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, facing increasing pressure from Germany's allies, has indicated he is willing to allow the delivery of the German-made tanks to Ukraine under certain conditions.

FILE - Angela Merkel, former German Chancellor, and husband Joachim Sauer arrive for the opening of the Bayreuth Richard Wagner Festival at the Festspielhaus on the Gruener Huegel in Bayreuth, Germany, July 25, 2022.Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a longtime opera buff, is offering her thoughts on Richard Wagner's Ring cycle in a new podcast, the latest in a series of sporadic appearances since she left office a year ago.

7 minutes ago7 minutes ago A survey has found that a year after Merkel's departure from politics, the majority of Germans do not want her back in office.A clear majority of Germans do not want Angela Merkel to become Chancellor again, a survey conducted by the Civey Institute for the Funke Media Group revealed on Saturday.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz' government coalition tried to resolve a argument on nuclear power plants between the Greens and the FDP last week.The efforts were not successful.But a solution is needed right now.Berlin, October 17th, 2022 (The Berlin Spectator) - In order to improve Germany's energy security in the ongoing crisis, the center-right FDP, one of the three parties that are part of Olaf Scholz' government coalition, wants to extend the operating times of three nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic.