A certain number of German banks will apply for state aid in the coming days, including some who had said they would not need it, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said in an interview yesterday.
“In the next four to five days a string of financial institutions will ask for our help,” Steinbrueck told the Financial Times Deutschland.
According to the paper, which cited other sources close to the government, major German banks planned to ask as a bloc for support from a financial market stabilization authority that was created by lawmakers on Oct. 17.
The authority can guarantee interbank loans and recapitalize banks with funds of up to 480 billion euros (US$630 billion) as part of a vast sector rescue plan unveiled three weeks ago.
Private banks have until now been reticent to ask for state aid, with the boss of the biggest German bank, Deutsche Bank, saying he would be “ashamed” to call upon the government for help.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper also said yesterday that private banks were preparing a joint request, citing not only Deutsche Bank but also No. 2 Commerzbank, Postbank and Dresdner Bank.
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Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique