Germany's center-left Social Democrats won the biggest share of the vote in national elections in a closely fought race that will determine who succeeds the long-time leader.
After 16 years in office, the German chancellor is stepping down. Early results show a razor-thin margin in what is expected to be one of the closest outcomes in years.
On Sunday, German voters will choose a successor to Angela Merkel, who is stepping down as chancellor after 16 years. Some of her earliest supporters recall the day in 1990 when they first met her.
With the Greens now leading the polls, their candidate, Annalena Baerbock, 40, is seen as a serious contender. She's moved the once single-issue environmentalist party into the political center.
Germany is heading into a partial lockdown. Berlin already imposed closing hours to its nightlife for the first time in decades as Germany's leader asked youth to think of their grandparents.
Thousands of shops have reopened in Austria, and Denmark's elementary schools and day cares will be open Wednesday. Governments are aiming to bolster their economies without endangering their people.
"I regard this decision with great respect, though I greatly regret it," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced that she won't run for chancellor.
More than 13,000 people have been killed in the Russian insurgency since it began five years ago. The Ukrainian president entered the talks in a tricky position, wanting peace but lacking leverage.
It was the German leader's first official trip to the Nazi concentration camp. "These crimes are and will remain part of German history," she said, "and this history must be told over and over again."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a standing ovation for a speech that critiqued U.S. foreign policy. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Pence defended U.S. global leadership.
Chancellor Angela Merkel will step down as Christian Democratic Union leader next month. Here's a look at the contenders to lead the party — and likely become its next candidate for chancellor.
Merkel announced that she will step down from leading the Christian Democratic Union after her party struggled in a regional election. Her current term as chancellor runs into 2021.
German leaders have dismissed the rise of the far-right as an electoral fluke that can be overcome by shifting policies a bit to the right. But if polls are to be believed, the approach isn't working.
The German chancellor hopes to find some answers to that question at a European Union summit beginning Thursday. The parties she counts as allies have been deeply divided over how to treat newcomers.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition partner wants to bar migrants from entering Germany if they've applied for asylum elsewhere, and has given her two weeks to tighten asylum rules.
Handshakes and cheek kisses from the U.S. president surprised onlookers, but they were the only unanticipated events to happen during Friday's two-hour talk between the world leaders.
