. . . And the Chancellor Needs a Laundromat

By DAVID ELLIS

German leader Helmut Kohl, whose popularity has plunged as his countrymen have become aware of just how much unification is going to cost, is losing his patience. Walking through the shabby central square in the town of Halle earlier this month, Kohl caught the people's disaffection right in the face. Irate citizens pelted him with eggs while shouting, "Liar! Liar!" The enraged Kohl, egg yolks dripping from his head and lapels, shook off security personnel and plunged into the crowd to confront the hecklers. Just as the burly Bundeskanzler was taking a swing, his guards dragged him away.

With reporting by Sidney Urquhart