Former leader to be only third chancellor to be given Großkreuz, as her energy policy in particular comes under sharp scrutiny

Germany’s former leader Angela Merkel is to be awarded the country’s highest order of merit despite criticism over her legacy.

Merkel will be presented with the honour by the president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in Berlin on Monday evening in recognition of her contribution to German political life at an event to be attended by her political allies, including the current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the former national football coach Jürgen Klinsmann and family and friends.

The ‘traffic light’ parties all want progress but have different ideas about what that means on business and green issues

In Unterleuten, a bestselling novel by the German novelist Juli Zeh, the inhabitants of a village outside Berlin are shocked to find out that a plot of land on their doorstep has been earmarked for a gigantic wind farm.

One of the characters, a birdwatcher called Gerhard Fliess, knows what to do: he calls an old friend at the local environment ministry to remind him that the countryside around Unterleuten is the habitat of an endangered species of sandpiper. Surely that will halt the bulldozers.

Decision not likely to be reached in coming days – with any possible coalition likely to need a third party

Germany’s Green party and conservatives have described initial rounds of exploratory coalition talks as “constructive”.

The comment came after the first formal meeting since last month’s election between the likely chief kingmaker in a future government and the second-placed Christian Democrats (CDU).