German economy minister hospitalized

Berlin, Sep 07: German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was taken to a Berlin hospital on Monday evening after attending a dinner of the parliamentary economics committee.

The daily Bild newspaper reported that the 63-year-old was taken by ambulance to Berlin's Charite Hospital at around 9 p.m local time (1900 GMT).

Difficulty finding words, reports

The specifics of his condition have not emerged, but participants told Bild that Altmaier had complained of feeling unwell and having difficulty finding words during the dinner.

Altmaier, a member of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), was appointed Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of Angela Merkel's government in March 2018.

He's considered a close confidante of Merkel, previously serving the head of the chancellery and the environment minister in prior governments.

The incident comes just three weeks before Germans go to the polls to elect a new parliament that will determine the country's next chancellor following Merkel's decision not to seek another term.

Altmaier paid his respects to Jan Hecker

Altmaier began the day by offering his condolences to the family of Jan Hecker, the German ambassador to China who died suddenly on Tuesday.

"Jan Hecker's death is a tragedy and a great loss for everyone who knew him,"Altmaier tweeted. "I have been able to work with him since 2005. His sense of duty, his human and professional competence and deep education were outstanding. Our thoughts are with his family."

Source: DW