"Something has changed -- as globalisation has marched on, (political) debate is taking place in a completely new media environment. "Today we have fake sites, bots, trolls -- things that regenerate themselves, reinforcing opinions with certain algorithms and we have to learn to deal with them." Merkel, 62, said the challenge for democrats was to "reach and inspire people -- we must confront this phenomenon and if necessary, regulate it." Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats are the odds-on favourites to win the German national election, expected in September or October 2017. It is currently polling at around 12-13 per cent which could complicate the complex maths of coalition building after the poll.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 23, 2016 10:13 UTC