On the last leg of her five-day trip Chancellor Angela Merkel travelled to Kazakhstan. She wanted her visit to "signal the start of an even more dynamic partnership". Kazakhstan was Germany's most important economic partner in Central Asia, she said. "Today, documents worth a total of two billion euros were signed," Merkel reported. In addition, the OSCE chairmanship gave Kazakhstan the opportunity to strengthen freedom, democracy and human rights.

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao have opened a new chapter in German-Sino relations. “We can place this relationship on a completely new level,” stated Merkel.  In the future, both countries want to hold government consultations once a year.

During her trip to Russia, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel once again requested to solve the murder of Russian civil rights activist Natalya Estemirowa. “In this regard, it is important to continue to work toward solving the matter”, she said. According to Merkel, the case is of great importance for the condition of human rights and civil society.

In Germany, immigrants are finding employment faster than in many other countries.  This positive conclusion was reached by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its latest report on migration.

The German government is pursuing "with determination and persistence" its goal of gradually winding down its military presence in Afghanistan and of handing over responsibility. Ahead of the International Conference on Afghanistan to be held in Kabul on 20 July Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle explained the government's Afghanistan policy in the German Bundestag.

"Integration in Germany is gathering momentum," declared Minister of State Maria B?hmer. Progress has been made both in terms of improving migrants' language skills and in the fields of education and training. Yet the situation of many migrants both on the labour market and in the education sector remains dramatic. "Over the next few years we will have to focus our attention more on these vitally important aspects of integration."

The Cabinet has adopted the draft budget for 2011 and the financial plan covering the period 2010 to 2014.

Christian Wulff is Germany's new Federal President. On Wednesday evening in the third round of voting, 625 of the 1,244 women and men from every corner of the country who make up the electoral college known as the Federal Convention voted for the 51-year-old. On Friday, the man who was until yesterday state premier in Lower Saxony is to be sworn in as the tenth President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

At their summit in Canada this weekend the leading industrialised nations (G8) discussed how the global economy can grow sustainably. The G20 summit which followed on focused a new international financial architecture, that can prevent future economic and financial crises.

Годовое собрание акционеров "Газпрома" оказалось богатым на новости по инвестпроектам, в которых холдинг участвует или планирует участвовать, не менее важным стало возвращение дивидендов к докризисным уровням. Тем не менее, многие миноритарии сочли, что этого мало, поэтому руководству пришлось объяснять, что рост прибыли в 3,6 раза произошел в основном за счет "бумажной прибыли".