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A statement by German Finance Minister Schauble that Germany would be able to accept inflation of between 2 and 3% showed the new flexibility of the German position after the election of Hollande in France. Schauble said on April 10, 2012, Germany would find inflation "in the corridor between 2 and 3%" acceptable. The ECB's target is 2%. Earlier the Bundesbank in statements to the German parliament indicated that higher inflation rate in Germany was acceptable if the overall eurozone rate remained near target. This would give other eurozone countries an opportunity to improve competitiveness. Schauble also indicated willingness to accept higher wages in Germany because of years of wage concessions by workers in Germany. France's major parties, unions and industry are in agreement on a plan for reducing wages to avoid layoffs. This gives the normal process of adjustments in free markets a chance to function to restore competitiveness and balance. It also addresses the concerns of workers in Germany who would benefit after a decade of wage concessions, and improve consumption in Germany, as demand for Germany's exports adjusts to a slowdown in the global economy....

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The Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats are both working to scrap alaw that says all 22 of Germany's nuclear plants must be shut down by 2022. The preliminary agreement reached between the two parties will allow th reactors to operate for longer till renewable energy cn fill the gap. According to the German Association of Energy 23% of energy comes from nuclear, 42% from coal plants, 15% from renewable energy,14% from naturual gas, and 6% from other sources.

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India reports over 300,000 cases for the fourth day in a row. German chancellor Merkel passes legislation that gives the federal government the power to set curfews to control the spread of coronavirus. Cases reach 166 per 100,000 in Germany and the government sees lockdowns to be in place till the end of May. Streets in Dusseldorf and other German cities are shown deserted at night.  The European Union deal signed with Pfizer for 1.8 billion doses including booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine, provides new hope for the vigorous vaccination drive needed in Germany and the rest of Europe. 

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Two German military aircraft leave for India Wednesday May 5, with an oxygen plant that can make 400,000 litres of oxygen a day, says the Bundeswehr. Germany's ambassador says German aid is making a difference in saving lives. The central bank of India the RBI announces loans to hospitals, business, the economy and vaccine sector of $6.7 billion. See the video of German aid to India in DW.com. 

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FR24 looks at the SPD's Olaf Scholz in German elections and the future leadership for the European Union with new leaders expected in Germany and France.

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Stanley-Becker of the Washington Post looks at the story of Horst Kasner, Lutheran pastor in East Germany, Angela Merkel's father. In 1954 when Angela was born, her father moved the family to East Germany, then called the German Democratic Republic. The family settled in 1957 near the town of Templin in the Brandenburg countryside. He had an idealism based on the Lutheran faith and believed at the time that it was possible to build a East German Protestanism that reconciled with the professed socialist ideals of the GDR. Over three decades that faith was tested and by 1990 Kasner was known for his dissent to the state repression practiced by the GDR limiting free expression and religious beliefs. He worried about the domination of economic thinking even in the churches after the reunification.   Angela Merkel was close to her mother, Herlind Kasner, who joined the Social Democrats after reunification. Her brother joined the Greens. Merkel joined the movement called the Democratic Awakening in 1989, which merged with the Christian Democrats after reunification. Horst Kasner died in 2011 about 6 years after Merkel became chancellor. Speaking at a church in Templin in 2014, Merkel said what she believes- "God created every human being. We should strive for perfection. But we can make mistakes." To some Merkel remains inscrutable, hard to make out. This may be because she retains some of the thoughtful way her father meditated on what life was about and how best to live it.  ...

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Germany's chancellor visits Argentina, Chile, and Brazil, in an effort to renew German ties with the South American nations. A German business delegation will accompany Scholz on this trip to renew business ties. This happens as US and the EU build closer ties to traditional partners in all parts of the world.

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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says Germany will not be blackmailed. She rejected the idea that Russia is expanding its attacks on Ukraine in response to supply of longer range artillery from the US and Germany saying this was just "new propaganda from the Russian side."

Baerbock also said Germany needs to avoid a situation of being dependent on an aggressor for gas supply. Germany is now "very intensively" looking at its dependencies on China, said Baerbock. This is going to be  for "a sovereign European strategy of independence in critical infrastructure."

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Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visits Ukraine on the way to Moscow for talks with Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. As head of the Greens Party Baerbock brings an independent voice in the German government on issues relating to Eastern Europe. Baerbock favors a firm stance for Germany and NATO in response to Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine.