Germany's SPD gives cautious green light to Merkel coalition talks

Martin Schulz’s speech greeted with sarcastic applause and ovations for party leader’s criticsGermany has inched a step closer to forming a new government after the centre-left Social Democratic party (SPD) gave its lukewarm endorsement for a renewed Angela Merkel-led “grand coalition”.At a special SPD congress in Bonn that welcomed a speech by the party’s leader, Martin Schulz, with sarcastic applause and saw standing ovations for his fiercest critics, 56% of the p