Pomp, punk and pandemic see Merkel out of office

BERLIN (AP) — Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel is being treated to a traditional sendoff involving a military ceremony with a brass band playing her choice of music. The pieces are reported to include a Nina Hagen punk song from the 1970s. The military tattoo performed in Merkel’s honor will take place Thursday evening at the Defense Ministry rather than in a more public setting, reflecting the constraints and limited guests dictated by the pandemic. German daily taz reported that Merkel has requested three songs, two of which the band had to scramble to arrange. Merkel, who is caretaker chancellor until her successor is sworn in, said the song was “a highlight of my youth” and was set in her former constituency on the Baltic Sea.