BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that she would talk with all mainstream parties about trying to form a “good, stable” government after Germany’s watershed election, and vowed to try to win back voters who supported an upstart nationalist force.
Sunday’s election saw the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party poach 1 million votes from Merkel’s conservatives, leaving her without an obvious coalition to lead Europe’s largest economy.
“We had hoped for a better result,” she admitted, referring to her CDU/CSU bloc’s score of 33 percent, its worst outcome since 1949.
Merkel, 63, said she would now seek exploratory talks on an alliance with two smaller parties, the pro-business Free Democrats and the ecologist Greens.
And she said she would extend an olive branch to the Social Democrats, her junior partners for eight of her 12 years in power, who suffered a crushing setback with just 20.5 percent share of the vote and pledged to go into opposition.
The vote marked a breakthrough for the anti-Islam AfD, which with 12.6 percent became the third-strongest party, and it vowed to “go after” Merkel over her migrant and refugee policy.
Merkel herself acknowledged that she had been a “polarizing figure” to many people who ultimately gave their vote to the AfD, noting that voters in the AfD’s strongholds in depressed corners of the ex-communist east felt “left behind.”
She said she believed that not all were diehard supporters of the AfD and that at least some could be won back “with good policies that solve problems.”
News weekly Der Spiegel said Merkel had no one but herself to blame for her election bruising.
“Angela Merkel deserved this defeat,” the magazine’s Dirk Kurbjuweit wrote, accusing her of running an “uninspired” campaign and “largely ignoring the challenges posed by the right.”
The entry of around 90 hard-right MPs to the glass-domed Bundestag chamber breaks a taboo in post-World War II Germany.
While joyful supporters of the AfD — a party with links to the far-right French National Front and Britain’s UKIP — sang the German national anthem at a Berlin club as the results came in late Sunday, hundreds of protesters outside shouted “Nazis out!”
The AfD’s top candidate in the election, Alexander Gauland, said Monday that the party was the one true defender of a Germany for the Germans.
“I don’t want to lose Germany to an invasion of foreigners from foreign cultures,” he said.
He refused to back away from recent comments urging Germans to be proud of their war veterans, and calling for a government official who is of Turkish origin to be “dumped in Anatolia.”
But just hours after its triumph, the party’s long-simmering infighting between radical and more moderate forces spilled out into the open at a dramatic news conference.
The AfD co-leader Frauke Petry stunned her colleagues by saying she would not join the party’s parliamentary group and would serve as an independent MP. Another leading figure in the party, Alice Weidel, accused Petry of “irresponsibility” and urged her to quit.
Political scientist Suzanne Schuettemeyer of Halle University in eastern Germany said the AfD’s presence in parliament would harm the country’s image abroad.
“It’s Germany and it will change the way we are perceived, because AfD will speak a language that we thought... was outside of our political consensus,” she said.
All other political parties have ruled out working with the AfD, whose leaders call Merkel a “traitor” for allowing in more than one million asylum seekers since 2015.
Merkel said that while she was not seeking a repeat of the influx, she stood by her decision made on “humanitarian” grounds.
But the leader of her Bavarian CSU allies, Horst Seehofer, a vocal critic of Merkel’s asylum policy, called the vote outcome a “bitter disappointment” and pledged to close the “open flank” on the right before state elections next year.
The Social Democrats’ leader Martin Schulz, putting a brave face on his defeat, said the 150-year-old party, traditionally the voice of the working classes, would be “a strong opposition force in this country, to defend democracy in this country against those who question it and attack it.”
This will probably force Merkel to team up with two smaller, and very different, parties to form a lineup dubbed the “Jamaica coalition” because the three parties’ colors match those of the Caribbean country’s flag.
One is the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), which with 10.7 percent made a comeback after crashing out of parliament four years ago.
The other is the left-leaning Greens party, which won 8.9 percent on campaign pledges to drive forward the country’s clean-energy transition.
But with marked differences on issues ranging from EU integration to immigration, months of horse-trading could lie ahead to build a new government and avert snap elections.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker urged Merkel to form a stable government as soon as possible.
“Europe needs a strong German government now more than ever, one able to actively shape the future of our continent,” he said.
Merkel vows to win back AfD supporters
Merkel vows to win back AfD supporters
'I have left a legacy': Nadal retires from tennis
- Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, enjoyed a glittering and historic career over the past 23 years
- Nadal was celebrated with a video montage on the many screens around the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga where over 10,000 fans saw his career come to a close
MALLORCA: Rafael Nadal said he has left both a sporting and personal legacy after retiring from professional tennis on Tuesday at the Davis Cup.
The 38-year-old was beaten in the opening singles rubber of the quarterfinals as Netherlands defeated Spain 2-1 to reach the final four.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, enjoyed a glittering and historic career over the past 23 years.
“I leave with the peace of mind that I have left a legacy, which I really feel is not just a sporting one but a personal one,” Nadal told fans in Malaga in a speech during a ceremony to honor his retirement.
“I understand that the love I have received, if it was just for what happened on the court, would not be the same.”
Nadal paid credit to many who have helped him along the way, including his uncle Toni Nadal, who coached him as a child and for a large part of his career.
“The titles, the numbers are there, so people probably know that, but the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person, from a small village in Mallorca,” continued Nadal.
“I had the luck that I had my uncle that was a tennis coach in my village when I was a very, very small kid, and a great family that supports me in every moment...
“I just want to be remembered as a good person, a kid that followed their dreams and achieved (even) more than what I had dreamed.”
Nadal was celebrated with a video montage on the many screens around the Martin Carpena arena in Malaga where over 10,000 fans saw his career come to a close.
Former rival Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams and other tennis greats left messages in the video, alongside former Spanish football stars including Raul and Andres Iniesta, who retired from playing in October.
“I leave the world of professional tennis having encountered many good friends along the way,” said Nadal in his emotional speech.
The Spaniard said he hoped to be a “good ambassador” for tennis in the years to come and was not afraid to begin his retirement.
“I am calm because I have received an education to take on what is coming next,” he explained.
“I have a great family around me who help me with everything that I need every day.”
Pakistan approves winter power package to spur demand, cut gas use
- Move to provide relief to businesses and citizens after steep increases in electricity tariffs following energy reforms pushed by IMF
- Utilities in Pakistan, many of which have had to curtail or completely cease operations in winter months, will also benefit
ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Pakistan government on Tuesday formally approved subsidy-neutral discounted electricity rates during winter in a bid to boost consumption and cut the use of natural gas for heating, the finance ministry said.
The move is expected to provide relief to businesses and citizens, who have suffered from steep and sudden increases in electricity tariffs following energy sector reforms suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Utilities in Pakistan, many of which have had to curtail or even completely cease operations in winter months due to demand dropping by up to 60 percent from peak summer levels, will also benefit from the move.
Pakistan relies heavily on expensive natural gas and burning wood for heating during winter. Power consumption in Pakistan has declined 8-10 percent year on year over the past three quarters, according to energy ministry figures.
The new winter package, which will apply between Dec. 2024 to Feb. 2025, has been approved for the industrial, domestic, commercial and general services consumers of state distribution companies (discos) and K-Electric, the main utility in the port city of Karachi, “to enable optimum use of system generation capacity besides reducing gas demand due to shifting of favorabe demand toward electricity.”
“The ECC discussed the proposal and approved it, calling the subsidy-neutral interim relief initiative worked out by the Power Division as being timely and relevant in view of recent surge in electricity tariffs and the reduced demand across various consumer categories,” the finance division statement added.
The package would apply to incremental consumption over the past years and includes 18-50 percent discounts depending on various consumer categories and consumption slabs.
Incremental consumption will be calculated using a weighted average formula based on the last three years’ usage.
According to the power division, the base rate for domestic consumers is a minimum of Rs37.49 per unit and a maximum of Rs52.07 per unit, but additional consumption would be charged at Rs26.07 per unit for both categories. This would be 30 percent cheaper (Rs11.42 per unit) compared to a minimum rate of Rs37.49 and 50 percent (Rs26 per unit) compared to the maximum rate.
The energy ministry has previously said the move to slash winter tariffs will help industries reduce electricity costs by 7-8 percent at an optimal level, while stimulating industrial growth in the process.
Pep Guardiola reportedly agrees to contract extension at Manchester City
- City have not commented on several reports that the 53-year-old Guardiola would extend his stay into a 10th season with the deal including an option for an additional year
- Guardiola’s apparent decision to stay also comes as City face a slew of alleged financial breaches
MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola has agreed to a contract extension to stay at Manchester City for at least another season, according to British media reports Tuesday.
The City manager, whose contract was due to expire at the end of this season, has overseen a period of unprecedented dominance since joining the club in 2016. City have won six Premier League titles in seven years and won the Champions League.
City have not commented on several reports that the 53-year-old Guardiola would extend his stay into a 10th season with the deal including an option for an additional year.
Under the Catalan coach, City became the first team to win four straight English league titles. He also led City to the treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in one season — matching Manchester United’s achievement in 1999.
Guardiola’s apparent decision to stay also comes as City face a slew of alleged financial breaches. Punishment could be as extreme as expulsion from the league.
City face more than 100 charges ranging over a nine-year period when it was trying to establish itself as the biggest force in English soccer.
The club denies the charges and Guardiola had said in September — when a closed-door hearing was scheduled — that he welcomed the chance to clear the club’s name. A verdict is not expected until next year.
Olympic champion Tebogo aims to inspire next generation of African athletes
- The unassuming Botswanan, 21, was one of the standout performers in Paris this year, becoming the first African to win the men’s 200m and silver in the 4x400m relay
- As a sign of his new-found status, Tebogo is one of two finalists for the men’s track athlete of the year award, along with Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen
LONDON: After upstaging powerhouses the US and Jamaica to win a rare Olympic sprint gold for Africa, Letsile Tebogo aims to unleash the “deadly” untapped potential of athletes from the continent.
The unassuming Botswanan, 21, was one of the standout performers in Paris this year, becoming the first African to win the men’s 200m and silver in the 4x400m relay.
Botswana’s first Olympic gold medalist in any sport, he ran an African 200m record of 19.46 seconds, placing him fifth on the world all-time list and beating US star Noah Lyles into third place.
It came just months after he suffered the trauma of losing his mother, Seratiwa, who died in May — he credits her as being the “powerhouse, the drive” behind his success.
As a sign of his new-found status, Tebogo is one of two finalists for the men’s track athlete of the year award, along with Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Since the end of a successful Diamond League season he has been spending his downtime farming in Botswana but in the coming weeks he will start building toward the next season.
“The Olympics have taken me to a different level,” Tebogo told AFP on a chilly autumnal morning in London. “It has opened a lot of doors for me.
“It has created more empowerment for the youth back in the country, back in the African continent, because now a lot of youth want to engage in sporting activities, not just athletics, because I’ve shown them that anything is possible.”
Tebogo is building on the legacy of Frankie Fredericks, considered the trailblazer for modern African sprinters.
But he has already gone a step further than the Namibian, who had to settle for silver medals at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and he hopes his success can inspire others.
“I believe there’s true potential in Africa, just that we don’t have as many resources as other countries,” he said.
“So if we have the resources, then Africa could be one of the deadliest continents.”
Tebogo wants public money to go toward training coaches, improving facilities and stadiums to encourage young athletes.
“Once you find a gem in Africa, you don’t know when you’re going to find the next gem,” he said. “Because we have the talent, but we don’t have the coaches.
“That could help us nurture that talent into something very big.”
Botswana erupted in celebration after Tebogo’s success in Paris, with then president Mokgweetsi Masisi declaring a half-day public holiday, and he was given two houses by the government.
But he does not fit the usual mold of a preening, extroverted sprint star — he is not interested in emulating Lyles’s showy entrance to the track, previously describing his US rival as “arrogant” and “loud.”
“I mean, I just let my legs do the talking because I’m a more reserved person,” said Tebogo, who was making a flying visit to London for an event with his sponsor, law firm DLA Piper Africa.
“So if he does what he does, because that’s him, we have to accept the way he is and then just move on.”
He is less than impressed with the focus of the latest episodes of the Netflix show “Sprint,” tweeting that it is an “American show,” too obsessed with US stars.
Tebogo, who announced himself on the global stage with 100m silver and 200m bronze at the 2023 world championships in Budapest, admits his new-found fame brings with it positives and negatives.
“The positive is that you get recognized everywhere you go,” he said. “Now you can open doors for yourself with your name.
“And then the negative side of being famous, I believe, is that you’re not a free human being. Everybody’s looking up to you, every step that you take, everybody’s looking if you’re stepping on the right stone, you’re not going to fall down.”
The Botswanan, a keen footballer as a youngster who decided to focus on athletics relatively late, admits he is not yet the finished article but believes things will “click” in 2025.
“We haven’t sat down with the coach and the team to discuss our plans for the 2025 season, but I believe one is going to be making Africa proud,” he said.
“That’s the first one that will never change, no matter what year, what season we get into.”
Pakistan approves ‘comprehensive’ military operation against separatists militants in Balochistan
- The remote province has seen an increase in strikes by separatist ethnic militants this year
- Islamabad says hostile neighbors support the insurgency to impede economic development
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday approved a “comprehensive military operation” against separatist militant groups operating in its southwestern Balochistan province, amid a surge in attacks across the region.
The remote province, Pakistan’s largest by area but least developed, is home to a decades-long insurgency by separatists who carry out frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region to press their demands for a share in regional resources. The state denies it is unfair in its treatment of Balochistan.
Last month, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of separatist groups operating in the province, claimed a suicide bombing that targeted Pakistani army troops at a railway station minutes before they were due to board a train to return home for vacations. It killed 27, including 19 soldiers, who were in civilian clothing.
Last week, militants stormed a paramilitary checkpoint in Balochistan’s mountainous Kalat district, some 150 km south of the provincial capital of Quetta, killing seven troops and wounding at least 18. In October, in two separate incidents, five people were killed in an attack by armed men on the construction site of a small dam, while 21 miners working at privately run coal mines were also gunned down. The BLA group also claimed a recent suicide bombing outside the southern Karachi international airport, in which two Chinese engineers were killed.
“The participants approved a comprehensive military operation against terrorist organizations operating in Balochistan including the Majeed Brigade, BLA, BLF and BRAS who are targeting innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan’s economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers,” said a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office after a meeting of the National Action Plan’s apex committee in Islamabad, attended by the cabinet, provincial chief ministers and the three armed services chiefs, including Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir.
“COAS reiterated the Pakistan Army’s unwavering resolve to eliminate all threats to national security and provide robust support to the government’s initiatives aimed at ensuring peace and stability.”
The statement did not give any details of the military operation such as when it would be launched and in which parts of the province and which security agencies will participate.
Ethnic Baloch insurgents say they are fighting what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s mineral and gas wealth by the federation at the center. The province is home to major China-led investment projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine.
The Pakistani government and military deny they are exploiting Balochistan and have long maintained that neighbors such as India, Afghanistan and Iran foment trouble in the region and support and fund the insurgency there to impede its development and economic potential.
