• Germany edition
Photo: DPA

Margot Honecker invited to Sandinista party in Nicaragua

Published: 17 Jul 08 08:49 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20080717-13113.html

Margot Honecker, the 81-year-old widow of former East German dictator Erich Honecker, has been invited to attend celebrations by the Nicaraguan leftists the Sandinistas this weekend.

Honecker, who has lived in Chile since 1993 after her husband was deposed shortly before German reunification, will take part in the event alongside the widow of Argentine leftist revolutionary Che Guevara, according to the wife and spokeswoman of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega.

Rosario Murillo said Honecker would also receive the Rubén Diario honour for her husband’s services to the people of the Central American country. “He showed such solidarity and particular caring interest in the free people of Nicaragua,” Murillo said, pointing out that Honecker was a fervent backer of the first Sandinista government back in the 1980s.

Honecker, who like her late husband was an ardent communist, was widely feared in East Germany for her uncompromising personality. She picked up the nickname the “Purple Dragon” for the slight lavender tinge to her hair.

DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

Fark It! Digg This  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This
Today's headlines
Photo: DPA

Germany signs €3 bln in deals with Kazakhstan

Germany and Kazakhstan signed agreements Wednesday worth €3 billion ($4 billion) to cooperate on raw materials, industry and technology in Berlin. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Photo: DPA

Drunken Munich U-Bahn train driver busted

A drunken train driver for Munich’s U-Bahn metro has been relieved of his duties after being busted driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.2 percent. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Photo: DPA, The icy turbo-stalagmites in North Rhine-Westphalia

Arctic cold wreaks quirky havoc across Germany

The bitter cold is wreaking havoc across Germany in unexpected ways, with the subzero temps freezing an ice cream factory, forcing gravediggers to use jackhammers and driving penguins indoors. But Hamburg is having a party. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Merkel helps boost conservatives' popularity

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are flying high in a new opinion poll showing them garnering their best result since her beleaguered coalition took power in 2009. Germans are also more confident the euro crisis can be beat. READ (9 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Action! Babelsberg film studio fźtes 100 years

The world's oldest major film studio celebrates its 100th birthday this month with Hollywood stars and European players ready to toast Germany's mythic Studio Babelsberg outside Berlin. AFP's Deborah Cole reports. READ »

Photo: DPA

Minister calls for school 'Facebook lessons'

Family Minister Kristina Schröder has called on Germany’s high schools to teach the dangers of social networks on the internet. READ (4 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

German papers win paparazzi case in Europe

German media outlets did not infringe on celebrities' privacy rights when they printed sensitive photographs or stories, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday. READ »

Motherhood in the Fatherland
Photo: DPA

Immunisations and anal pharmacists

Motherhood in the Fatherland follows mum Sabine Devins as she navigates the cultural quirks of having a baby in Germany. In the latest instalment, she tackles immunisations and baby pharmaceuticals. READ (7 COMMENTS) »

More Politics
Highlights
Photo: DPA
SOCIETY »
Germany is battling the increasingly widespread phenomenon of "burnout" which is supposedly costing its economy billions of euros each year.
Photo: DPA
OPINION »
The economy in shambles, angry street protests and the government on the brink after passing unpopular reforms. But this is not Greece in 2012 – it was Germany a decade ago. Marc Young looks back to see an agenda for the future.
Photo: DPA
OPINION »
Germany’s public transportation largely operates on the honour system, which makes fare dodging easy. You can have your say on how Germany should deal with the problem.
Photo: DPA
SOCIETY »
Macho German football legend Rudi Assauer says he has Alzheimer’s Disease, an admission one expert told The Local could help stoke discussion of an illness often considered taboo.
Photo: DPA
SOCIETY »
A 64-year-old tub of American lard has been deemed fit for human consumption by food safety authorities in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Photo: Yves Gabriel
LIFESTYLE »
What's on in Germany: February 2 - 8
Photo: Columbia Pictures
LIFESTYLE »
The Local's English-language movie listings for Germany
Photo: DPA
LIFESTYLE »
As Hamburg’s legendary Reeperbahn strip gentrifies, Stephen Lowman reports how the city’s “sinful mile” is changing.
Photo: Bavarian International School
SPONSORED ARTICLE
A global education - a Bavarian community
Photo ECLA
SPONSORED ARTICLE
A truly international education at the heart of Berlin



See all ads | Join the Marketplace

Jobs in Germany, in English

1192 jobs available
838 new jobs this week
171 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Blog
Essentials

Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your style? Find a German sweetheart here.

Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather section.

Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.

Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of charge.

Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »

News from the Goethe-Institut
News from Young Germany
News from DeutschlandOnline

Toytown Germany
Germany's English-speaking crowd
English-speaking educators (native level)

Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!