Second newspaper accuses German President of making threats

The scandal surrounding the German President deepened yesterday after Die Welt disclosed that last summer Christian Wulff had threatened one of its journalists with "unpleasant consequences" if the newspaper published a potentially compromising article about his family.

The day before, it was revealed that President Wulff had behaved in a similar manner towards the editor of Bild. In December, he threatened to sue that newspaper unless it withdrew plans to publish an article about a questionable €500,000 home loan supplied by a friend.

The latest claims fanned the growing scandal around the President and led opposition politicians to demand that Mr Wulff suspend his presidency while he explains himself. He has denied misleading state deputies over the home loan.