Angela Merkel: How a poor girl from East Germany rose to become the ‘Empress of Europe’

Perched on the edge of a 3-metre diving board, Angela Kasner was paralysed by fear.

With her class waiting below, the nine-year-old stared down into the swimming pool for 45 minutes, hesitating on whether to take that next step.

But as the school bell trilled to mark the end of the lesson, she finally …