Germany embarks on tricky search for post-Merkel government
The Hindu
Germany is embarking on a potentially lengthy search for its next government after the centre-left Social Democrats narrowly beat outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right bloc in an electi
Germany is embarking on a potentially lengthy search for its next government after the centre-left Social Democrats narrowly beat outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right bloc in an election that failed to set a clear direction for Europe's biggest economy under a new leader.
Leaders of the parties in the newly elected parliament were meeting on Monday to digest a result that saw Ms. Merkel's Union bloc slump to its worst-ever result in a national election, and appeared to put the keys to power in the hands of two opposition parties.
Both Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who pulled his party out of a years-long slump, and Armin Laschet, the candidate of Merkel's party who saw his party's fortunes decline in a troubled campaign, laid a claim to leading the next government. Mr. Scholz is the outgoing Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister and Mr. Laschet is the Governor of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Everyone talks about the Airport Metro, but one look at the pillars and completion seems nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, a faster, cheaper, roomier alternative called the Suburban Rail Airport Corridor is finally getting off the drawing board. This dedicated corridor with its specialised coaches will link the airport to vast stretches of Bengaluru, where the metro connection is still years away.