Meme Of The Day: Merkel & Trump

Today In Awkward Body Language

President Trump with German Chancellor Angela Merkel today at the White House.

How about that body language?

At the :50 mark, catch Merkel ask Trump, "Do you want to have a handshake?"

No reply from Trump.

No handshake, no smiles, no nothing.

#awkward

No handshake. No talking to one another.

That Trump-Merkel pool spray was pretty awkward. —via @MSNBC pic.twitter.com/DIkEyfNJUq

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 17, 2017

No Same-Sex Marriage For Germany Despite 75% Approval For Marriage Equality

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel

Germany will not be following in Ireland's footsteps in joining the 21st century by legalizing same-sex marriage.

Reuters reports that Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition has agreed to small improvements in the country's domestic partnership laws, but according to spokesman Steffen Seibert, "Same-sex marriages are not a goal of this government."

Although there are growing divisions within the party, Merkel's Christian Democrats are still overwhelmingly opposed to same-sex marriages partly due to fears it could upset voters on the right.

However, polls show 75 percent of Germans are in favour of legalising gay marriages, as are the Social Democrats (SPD) and all opposition parties.

Merkel's cabinet gave same-sex couples more rights but this move was dismissed by critics as inadequate for a country that in 2001 became one of Europe's first to allow registered civil partnerships.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas, of the SPD, sounded disappointed that Germany could not take a bigger leap.

"Expanding rights for registered partnerships is another step toward giving same-sex unions the same rights as marriages," said Maas. "We haven't reached the goal yet."