Cape Times

German minister plays Sudoku while Athens squirms

-

GERMAN Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was criticised yesterday for playing Sudoku on a small computer during a crucial parliament­ary debate on Greece, becoming a lightning rod for the growing opposition in Germany to the latest bailout.

His spokesman defended him against charges of arrogance for playing the game while on the government bench during the debate, saying Schaeuble had worked tirelessly for 10 consecutiv­e days on behalf of German interests.

Schaeuble has been one of the most popular members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government for his no-nonsense style and his tight grip on spending, but his arm-twisting of legislator­s in his party to support Greece has made him vulnerable to attacks.

An opinion poll on Sunday in Bild am Sonntag found Germans, who are making the largest contributi­on to the euro zone bailout for Greece, overwhelmi­ngly oppose further aid to Athens.

German public broadcaste­r ARD first aired pictures on Monday evening of a smiling Schaeuble appearing to play Sudoku on his partly concealed computer while a member of the centrerigh­t coalition spoke in favour of the second Greek rescue package.

“Caught! The finance minister was playing Sudoku during the debate,” ARD said. Schaeuble’s spokesman, Martin Kotthaus, said the network later apologised for airing the close-up of Schaeuble’s computer, a violation of parliament­ary rules. – Reuters

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa