The appearance was Ms. Merkel’s first since the start of the disaster, and everyone she encountered appeared pleased that she was there. The chancellor, who is known for her deliberate, cautious approach to handling problems, was in Washington when the worst of the flooding struck on Thursday. She held video conferences with the leaders of the worst-affected regions after she returned on Friday. Instead, most of the German news media have focused on how the candidates to replace her in September’s election have responded to the tragedy. All three of the main candidates in the race visited the stricken areas last week.

Source: New York Times July 18, 2021 12:33 UTC