Merkel applauds ‘impressive’ women protesters in Belarus

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has praised women in Belarus for staging peaceful protests in the wake of the country’s disputed presidential election. Merkel also said Wednesday that she plans to meet soon with the main opposition candidate. Her comments came a day after French President Emmanuel Macron met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Lithuania. Tsikhanouskaya  went into exile there after the Aug. 9 presidential election that Belarus officials claimed Preside