Helmut Kohl, father of German reunification, dies

Helmut Kohl, the former German chancellor who seized the chance to reunite his country after years of Cold War separation, was a colossus of contemporary European history who became celebrated as an architect of the continent's integration.Germany's longest-serving postwar leader, Kohl, who died Friday at 87, was a passionate European who was also central to creating the euro, despite appearing earlier in life as an unlikely candidate to emerge as a pivotal figure.When a 52-year-old Kohl -- whos