German education minister quits in plagiarism row

Germany’s education minister resigned today after a university decided to withdraw her doctorate, finding that she plagiarised parts of her thesis – an embarrassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government as it prepares for elections later this year.

Mrs Merkel said she had accepted “only with a very heavy heart” the resignation of Annette Schavan, who has been her education and research minister since 2005 and was considered close to the Chancellor.