German leader Merkel says 'I'm fine' after shaking at events

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: "I'm fine."

Merkel said Saturday at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan that included a long-distance flight and grueling negotiations with other world leaders that "I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again."

The 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Last week, Merkel's whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president. Merkel said afterward that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she "apparently needed." </s> BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: "I'm fine."

Merkel said Saturday at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan that included a long-distance flight and grueling negotiations with other world leaders that "I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again."

The 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Last week, Merkel's whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president. Merkel said afterward that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she "apparently needed."

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: 'I'm fine.'

Mrs Merkel said at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan which included a long-distance flight and gruelling negotiations with other world leaders: 'I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again.'

The 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday.

The health scare came just hours before she was due to board the plane for Japan, sparking new questions about her health.

A German government spokesman said Merkel would not cancel any appointments in the next two days - saying 'The chancellor is well.'

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert later tweeted she was on the way to Osaka for the G20 summit, and that 'numerous bilateral talks with other leaders are planned'.

The 64-year-old chancellor's arms and body could be seen noticeably trembling as she met Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

For around two minutes, she continually folded her arms in an apparent attempt to stop her hands and body from violently juddering.

Close-up footage showed the difficulty she was having trying to keep the quivering under control as she gripped her arms together.

And last week, her whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mrs Merkel said afterwards that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she 'apparently needed'.

Today, the German chancellor was pictured at the G20 summit in Osaka speaking with French president Emmanuel Macron.

And she also greeted Turkish president Recep Tayipp Erdogan.

What was causing Angela Merkel to shake? German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been seen shaking twice in two weeks. Two weeks ago, she blamed dehydration for her trembling as she stood in the sun in Berlin next to Ukraine's new president Volodymyr Zelensky. And last week, her spokesman claimed she was 'fine' after footage showed her shaking while standing next to president Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Dr Sarah Brewer, a GP and medical director of Healthspan, told MailOnline Merkel's shaking could be caused by having an over-active thyroid. The condition is 10 times more likely to strike women than men, according to the NHS. Dr Brewer added that shaking could be a side effect of some medication. The US National Library of Medicine lists 17 different drugs that can cause the shakes, including caffeine, antibiotics, antidepressants, alcohol or nicotine. Experts are divided over the suspected cause of Angela Merkel's mysterious shakes. One said the jolts were 'not a sign' of Parkinson's, which is often associated with tremors (stock) Shaking, which is uncontrollable, can also be a sign of low blood sugar - a serious complication often seen in diabetic patients. The shakes can also be caused by a fever, fear, stress or a medical condition called essential tremor. The neurological disease strikes up to four per cent of people over the age of 40 in the UK, data suggests. It is unclear how common it is in Germany. After watching the footage of Merkel shaking the first time, Peter Garrard, a professor at St George's, University of London, said her symptoms 'seem to fit with a diagnosis of orthostatic tremor' - a rare neurological condition. When asked again today, he told MailOnline: 'I still think it’s orthostatic tremor.' The disorder, previously referred to as Shaky Legs Syndrome - according to orthostatictremor.org, tends to strike people in their sixties. Merkel is 64. Patients often suffer with tremors in one or more parts of their body, which is often worse when they stand. The progressive disorder generally causes 'shaky' or 'frozen' legs, which usually disappear when the patient sits, walks or lies down. Stress can make the shakes worse, which then becomes a vicious cycle as tremors cause the patient to become increasingly uneasy. Or the tremors, which can last just a few seconds, can come on for no apparent reason. Over time, the condition can cause fatigue, pain and immobility. There is no cure but drugs like Clonazepam can ease the symptoms. Walking aids like scooters, sticks or even wheelchairs in extreme cases, may eventually be required. Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, a GP, told The Telegraph the body often shakes when fighting an infection. This helps to raise the body's temperature to 'kill' an invading bacteria or virus. 'Rigors tend to last a few minutes and then once the heat is generated, you’d be right back to normal,' he said. However, Dr Philippa Kaye, a London-based GP, told MailOnline that she would hope any infection Merkel may have had 'would have been treated by now'. What experts say definitely aren't causing Merkel to shake Parkinson's - Ley Sander, a professor of neurology at University College London told MailOnline the shakes Mrs Merkel had was definitely 'not a sign' of Parkinson's - a condition often associated with tremors. Dehydration - Dr Paul Jarman, a consultant neurologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told MailOnline: 'What I can say for sure is that it was not due to dehydration.' The NHS does not list shivering as a known symptom of dehydration - when the body loses more fluid than it takes in. </s> OSAKA, Japan — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said she had "nothing special to report" about her health.

Merkel was seen shaking at two separate public events — during a state visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on June 18 and at the swearing-in of Germany's new justice minister on Thursday. The shaking stopped on both occasions when she started walking.

Asked during a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit whether she had seen a doctor and whether she could explain what was going on, Merkel said: "I understand your question but I have nothing to report. I'm fine."

"I’m convinced that as this reaction has occurred, it will also go away again," she added. </s> Osaka, 29 June 2019 (dpa/MIA) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday she was feeling fine, two days after she experienced a second bout of severe shaking in public, raising fresh concerns about her health.

“I’m certain that just as this reaction surfaced, it will pass again,” Merkel said during a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

Merkel, 64, was asked by journalists if she could explain the shaking and if she had consulted a doctor about it.

She answered that while she could understand the questions she had “nothing particular to report – other that I’m doing well.”

On Thursday, just hours before she was due to leave for the summit, Merkel experienced a public bout of severe shaking in Berlin.

The bout occurred at a ceremony at the official residence of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during the appointment of Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht. Merkel shook for around two minutes, during which she kept folding her arms.

Just over a week earlier, Merkel was seen shaking as she stood alongside the new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at an event in Berlin. She said later that she had failed to drink enough during the hot weather at the time.

Two German newspapers, the Stuttgarter Zeitung and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten, on Friday cited government sources describing the second bout of shaking was “psychological”.

“The memory of the incident in the previous week led to the situation today, that is to say it was a psychologically occurring process,” they reported. </s> The well-being of the 64-year-old German chancellor, who has been leading Europe’s largest economy for years, has become a topic of speculation after being spotted trembling during two public events over the last month. Officials stated that one of the incidents was caused by dehydration, while the other was "psychologically driven”.

One Western nation’s leading secret service is sure that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s health issues are “associated with a neurological problem”, the German tabloid Bild reports. The outlet claims that the hunt for the chancellor’s medical records has surely started as foreign intelligence agencies have mobilised their efforts to gain insights into the matter.

Merkel, who has repeatedly been proclaimed the world’s most powerful woman during her time as chancellor, has recently attempted to stop the speculations about her health issues, fuelled by the two shaking episodes, stating "I have nothing special to report. But I'm fine”.

"I'm convinced that just as this reaction has appeared, so too it will pass”, Merkel told reporters on the sidelines of the second day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

However, as The Daily Mail pointed out, she “appeared at times to have been sidelined” and strayed away from confronting other heads of state.

Angela Merkel was spotted shaking on 18 June when she greeted newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which prompted debates about the German head of state’s condition. The bout was explained by dehydration.

About a weak after the first episode, speculations flared up again when she was observed shaking during a ceremony for outgoing Justice Minister Katarina Barley on 27 June. Officials, however, insisted that "the chancellor is well" and said that the recent bout was "psychologically driven”. </s> BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: "I'm fine."

Merkel said Saturday at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan that included a long-distance flight and grueling negotiations with other world leaders that "I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again."

The 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Last week, Merkel's whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president. Merkel said afterward that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she "apparently needed."

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) takes part in the presentation of the appointment and dismissal certificate as Federal Minister of Justice to Katarina Barley (SPD) and the new Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht (SPD) by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Castle in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) takes part in the presentation of the appointment and dismissal certificate as Federal Minister of Justice to Katarina Barley (SPD) and the new Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht (SPD) by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Castle in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, looks at her watch as Russian President Vladimir Putin visits her for the talks during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, western Japan, Saturday, June 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) </s> OSAKA (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived on Friday (June 28) at the Group of 20 meeting in Osaka amid fears over her health after she suffered a second public bout of uncontrollable shaking in just over a week.

Dr Merkel's plane touched down in the western Japanese city with a German government spokesman stressing: "She is doing well. Nothing is wrong."

The German leader, who turns 65 next month, sparked renewed fears for her health on the eve of the summit, as she began to tremble at a speech given by the German president in Berlin. The shaking lasted around two minutes, according to a DPA photographer present.

A previous bout of uncontrollable shaking last week was blamed on dehydration on a hot summer's day.

Officials sought to play down the fears over her health.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said she would not cancel any of her engagements in the coming days, which promise to be hectic.

Dr Merkel is to participate in the two-day G-20 gathering and numerous bilateral meetings. These include what is shaping up to be a fractious tete-a-tete with United States President Donald Trump, who called Germany "delinquent" before he left for Osaka.

She flies from Osaka straight to a crunch European Union summit on Sunday, where leaders will seek to clinch agreement on who will lead the bloc's institutions.

Frequently hailed as Europe's most influential leader and the world's most powerful woman, Dr Merkel has enjoyed relatively robust health during a long career at Germany's helm.

She has said she will leave politics at the end of her term in 2021. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Angela Merkel seen shaking during ceremony in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is "fine" following two bouts of shaking in public that have sparked concerns about her health.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Osaka, she said she was convinced that "this reaction will disappear just as it has arisen", German news agency DPA said.

Asked what lay behind it and whether she had seen a doctor, she said she had "nothing in particular to report".

On Thursday she was seen shaking for two minutes at a ceremony in Berlin.

The chancellor, who turns 65 next month, gripped her arms until she became steadier. She was offered a glass of water but did not drink it.

The previous incident - which she later blamed on dehydration - saw her shaking while standing next to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in hot sunshine.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 18 June: Mrs Merkel was seen trembling and later said she had been dehydrated

In 2017 she had an earlier bout of shaking in hot weather on a visit to Mexico as she was attending a military honours ceremony.

Reports said that subsequent medical checks had found nothing to be wrong.

In Osaka, Mrs Merkel has been attending G20 sessions and holding bilateral meetings with leaders such as US President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted a video of her making a speech covering topics such as extremism, women's empowerment and climate change. It showed her standing and speaking in a relaxed manner.

Mrs Merkel is now in her fourth term as chancellor, a role she began in November 2005. She has said she will leave politics when her current term ends in 2021.

She has a reputation for remarkable stamina - during intensive late-night discussions at EU summits, for example.

She has been in good health while in office, and even worked from home after a knee operation in 2011; she suffered a fall while skiing in 2014. Her absences were only brief on those occasions. Her mother died earlier this year.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she's "fine" following two bouts of shaking in public that have sparked concerns about her health.