Olaf Scholz appointed German Chancellor

(News 1st); Olaf Scholz has been confirmed as Germany's new chancellor, leading a three-party Government that takes over from Angela Merkel after 16 years in office. He was voted in by the German Parliament, where his coalition has a substantial majority. This handover of power marks an end to Merkel's 31-year political career. The new Government has stated that it has ambitious plans to fight climate change by phasing out coal early and focusing on renewable energy. However, their initial priority will be on tackling the coronavirus pandemic. Health authorities have recorded another 69,601 cases in the past 24 hours and a further 527 deaths in Germany, which is the highest number recorded since last winter.