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
Oil Updates — prices set for weekly gain on China stimulus optimism
RIYADH: Oil prices were little changed on Friday but were set for a weekly rise amid optimism that economic stimulus efforts will prompt a recovery in China, but a stronger dollar capped gains, according to Reuters.
Brent crude futures fell 2 cents to $73.24 a barrel by 08:35 a.m. Saudi time. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.61, down 1 cent, from Thursday’s close. However, on a weekly basis, Brent was up 0.4 percent and WTI rose 0.2 percent.
The World Bank on Thursday raised its forecast for China’s economic growth in 2024 and 2025, but warned that subdued household and business confidence, along with headwinds in the property sector, would keep weighing it down next year.
China, the world’s biggest oil importer, revised upwards its 2023 gross domestic product estimate by 2.7 percent, but also said the change would have little impact on growth this year.
Chinese authorities have agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, Reuters reported this week citing sources, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive a faltering economy.
However, a stronger US dollar weighed on oil prices and capped gains. The greenback has risen about 7 percent this quarter and remained pinned at a near two-year peak against major peers after the Federal Reserve signaled slower rate cuts in 2025.
A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.
The latest weekly report on US inventories from the American Petroleum Institute industry group showed crude stocks fell last week by 3.2 million barrels, market sources said on Tuesday. API/S
Traders will be waiting to see if the official inventory report from the US Energy Information Administration confirms the decline. The EIA data is due at 9 p.m. Saudi time on Friday, later than normal because of the Christmas holiday.
Analysts in a Reuters poll expect crude inventories fell by about 1.9 million barrels in the week to Dec. 20, while gasoline and distillate inventories are seen falling by 1.1 million barrels and 0.3 million barrels respectively.
‘Dangerous new era’: climate change spurs disaster in 2024
- This year was hottest in history, with record-breaking temperatures in atmosphere, oceans acting like fuel for extreme weather
- World Weather Attribution said nearly every disaster they analyzed over the past 12 months was intensified by climate change
PARIS: From tiny and impoverished Mayotte to oil-rich behemoth Saudi Arabia, prosperous European cities to overcrowded slums in Africa, nowhere was spared the devastating impact of supercharged climate disasters in 2024.
This year is the hottest in history, with record-breaking temperatures in the atmosphere and oceans acting like fuel for extreme weather around the world.
World Weather Attribution, experts on how global warming influences extreme events, said nearly every disaster they analyzed over the past 12 months was intensified by climate change.
“The impacts of fossil fuel warming have never been clearer or more devastating than in 2024. We are living in a dangerous new era,” said climate scientist Friederike Otto, who leads the WWA network.
That was tragically evident in June when more than 1,300 people died during the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia where temperatures hit 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit).
Extreme heat — sometimes dubbed the ‘silent killer’ — also proved deadly in Thailand, India, and United States.
Conditions were so intense in Mexico that howler monkeys dropped dead from the trees, while Pakistan kept millions of children at home as the mercury inched above 50C.
Greece recorded its earliest ever heatwave, forcing the closure of its famed Acropolis and fanning terrible wildfires, at the outset of Europe’s hottest summer yet.
Climate change isn’t just sizzling temperatures — warmer oceans mean higher evaporation, and warmer air absorbs more moisture, a volatile recipe for heavy rainfall.
In April, the United Arab Emirates received two years worth of rain in a single day, turning parts of the desert-state into a sea, and hobbling Dubai’s international airport.
Kenya was barely out of a once-in-a-generation drought when the worst floods in decades delivered back-to-back disasters for the East African nation.
Four million people needed aid after historic flooding killed more than 1,500 people across West and Central Africa. Europe — most notably Spain — also suffered tremendous downpours that caused deadly flash flooding.
Afghanistan, Russia, Brazil, China, Nepal, Uganda, India, Somalia, Pakistan, Burundi and the United States were among other countries that witnessed flooding in 2024.
Warmer ocean surfaces feed energy into tropical cyclones as they barrel toward land, whipping up fierce winds and their destructive potential.
Major hurricanes pummelled the United States and Caribbean, most notably Milton, Beryl and Helene, in a 2024 season of above-average storm activity.
The Philippines endured six major storms in November alone, just two months after suffering Typhoon Yagi as it tore through Southeast Asia.
In December, scientists said global warming had helped intensify Cyclone Chino to a Category 4 storm as it collided head-on with Mayotte, devastating France’s poorest overseas territory.
Some regions may be wetter as climate change shifts rainfall patterns, but others are becoming drier and more vulnerable to drought.
The Americas suffered severe drought in 2024 and wildfires torched millions of hectares in the western United States, Canada, and the Amazon basin — usually one of Earth’s wettest places.
Between January and September, more than 400,000 fires were recorded across South America, shrouding the continent in choking smoke.
The World Food Programme in December said 26 million people across southern Africa were at risk of hunger as a months-long drought parched the impoverished region.
Extreme weather cost thousands of lives in 2024 and left countless more in desperate poverty. The lasting toll of such disasters is impossible to quantify.
In terms of economic losses, Zurich-based reinsurance giant Swiss Re estimated the global damage bill at $310 billion, a statement issued early December.
Flooding in Europe — particularly in the Spanish province of Valencia, where over 200 people died in October — and hurricanes Helene and Milton drove up the cost, the company said.
As of November 1, the United States had suffered 24 weather disasters in 2024 with losses exceeding $1 billion each, government figures showed.
Drought in Brazil cost its farming sector $2.7 billion between June and August, while “climatic challenges” drove global wine production to its lowest level since 1961, an industry body said.
Sound judgement: The best Arab alternative albums of 2024
- Bojan Preradovic’s pick of records released by indie artists from the Arab world this year
Tayar
‘Kol Shi Sar’
Tayar consists of Amman-based songwriters Ahmad Farah and Bader Helalat, who is also a producer and filmmaker. Since 2020, the pair have released a string of singles and EPs, often using their music as a means of processing life in a region immersed in grave injustice and trauma. Their first LP is a genre-defying record that oscillates effortlessly between indie rock, earworm electronica, and delectable, quartertone-laced neo-psychedelia. Between gorgeous, piano-driven interludes, Farah and Helalat snake their way through a sonic canvas of exquisite vocal harmonies, irresistibly danceable beats, synth-soaked laments, and lusciously arranged instrumentals narrated by the likes of double bass, oud, and trumpet.
Fulana
‘ground:from — Chapter One’
Vancouver-born, Jeddah-raised artist Nadine Lingawi’s evolution as a songwriter since signing with Saudi Arabia’s Wall of Sound in 2020 has been remarkable, culminating in this month’s ‘ground:from,’ an enlightened exploration of brooding indie pop and instantly iconic electronica. Collaborating with Abdulmajeed Alwazna and Husam Al-Sayed — Saudi duo Input/Output — Lingawi employs her lyrical prowess to convey deep, existential ruminations on themes such as death and rebirth. While watery, delay-drenched guitars drive tracks such as opener ‘the burn’ and ‘decompose’, and memorable synth melodies are an indelible feature of ‘letter #9’ and ‘marigold’, it’s Lingawi’s soulful vocal delivery and tasteful harmonies that power the album’s allure. An immensely talented up-and-comer to watch out for.
Tamara Qaddoumi
‘Sorry Signal’
The Kuwaiti-born singer-songwriter moves on from her dalliance with trip-hop into the glacial embrace of profound, reliably infectious cold pop. “Sorry Signal” sees Qaddoumi bristle with brilliance, as she reflects on lost innocence and the insidious, shape-shifting nature of grief. From the crystalline harmonies elegantly wrapped around disquieting introspections of “Cold In The Mourning” to the heaving torrents of synths and rhythmic beats of the title track, Qaddoumi weaves the threads of seemingly insurmountable desolation into a compellingly hopeful requiem that looks to a brighter tomorrow.
Hello Psychaleppo
‘Cipher’
The Syrian producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Samer Eldahr has audaciously pushed the boundaries of the very foundation of traditional Arabic music for the past decade. With his third LP, he has fully alchemized his own brand of electro-tarab, sharpening any rough edges into a well-rounded, unmistakably unique sound. The album features illustrious guest appearances, including former Mashrou’ Leila frontman Hamed Sinno, and DJ, producer, and singer Anas Maghrebi (formerly of Khebez Dawle), whose vocals grace the feverish beats and synths of the album opener, “Katha Altawq.” “Cipher” is a towering addition to Hello Psychaleppo’s already impressive catalogue.
Snakeskin
‘They Kept Our Photographs’
Julia Sabra — frontwoman of Lebanese dream-pop outfit Postcards — has a long history with producer Fadi Tabbal — who has shepherded countless indie artists in his Beirut-based Tunefork Studios. Their sophomore album as Snakeskin perfects the distinctive formula of Sabra’s ethereal, instantly recognizable vocals and Tabbal’s visionary production and electronic experimentation. The pair are at their most imperious on tracks like “Bodies,” which rattles off a machine-gun beat as a scene-setter for Sabra, who vocalizes with both fragility and poise to the aqueous, hypnotic soundscapes of synths engineered by Tabbal. This is a mournful, beautiful record, to be listened to with headphones in the twilight of a dying day, or just before the dawn of a new one.
Garwasha
‘Garwasha’
Saudi Arabia isn’t known for its jazz, but Riyadh-based, alternative fusion band Garwasha aim to change that with their debut album — a dexterous combo of jazz, rock, and experimental instrumentation, with nods to elements of traditional Arabic music. The LP is brimming with musicianship, as the four-piece storm through vibrant, frequently playful tracks. The eight-minute “Consolacao” is a mélange of jazzy progressions, funky breakdowns, and showcases of virtuosity. Meanwhile, song titles such as “Dancing Delicately Along the Dichotomies of Reverse Orientalism” follow a curious naming convention often deployed by post-rock bands that, like Garwasha, communicate their message effectively solely through the strength of their music.
Seera
‘Al Mojallad Al Awal’
All-female Saudi foursome Seera’s debut LP is an amalgam of psychedelic and indie rock that employs nuances of traditional Arabic music, stylishly ornamented by cathartic guitar parts, keyboard passages reminiscent of The Doors and the artistic exuberance of the late Sixties, and tinges of everything from blues to electronica. With an anonymous drummer who goes only by ‘Thing’ and wears a mask symbolizing Saudi heritage, Seera’s rise embodies the ongoing cultural change within the Kingdom, the blossoming spirit of creative freedom, and female empowerment.
Thunder run streak to 9 games as Shai ties career high with 45 points
- In a Florida showdown, Tyler Herro sank a jump shot with 0.1 of a second remaining to give the Miami Heat an 89-88 NBA thriller triumph over the host Orlando Magic
WASHINGTON: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career high with 45 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Indiana Pacers 120-114 on Thursday, stretching their NBA win streak to nine games.
The 26-year-old Canadian guard made 15-of-22 shots from the floor, 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and all 11 of his free throws while adding seven rebounds, eight assists, two blocked shots and a steal in a maestro performance.
“It’s the extra plays that put you over the edge,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have a group of guys that are hungry to do whatever it takes to win and that’s why we win.”
Jalen Williams added 20 points and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder in his 11th double-double of the season.
The Western Conference-leading Thunder are 24-5 and on a roll despite a loss in the NBA Cup final to Milwaukee that didn’t count against them in the regular season.
“The main thing is it’s genuine,” said Hartenstein. “We’re not coming in trying to fake something. We really all support each other.
“We’re not trying to put something on for the TV or for the world to see. We’re really supporting each other and I think that’s what makes it special.”
Andrew Nembhard led the host Pacers (15-16) with 23 points. Indiana took a 61-53 half-time lead before the Thunder struck in the second half and closed the game on a 17-7 run for the victory.
“We didn’t get off to the start we wanted,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But that’s what good teams do, play through situations and because we did that we got the W.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who set his career high of 45 points last month in a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, sank a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma City a 114-109 edge with 59 seconds remaining and sank six free throws in the final 36 seconds to seal the triumph.
His crucial 3-pointer came after extra work on his outside shooting and confidence to keep firing after a miss.
“It feels good, but that’s what the work is about,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It went in because I took the shot.
“In the past, I probably would have gotten discouraged missing one and not shooting it, but I would like to think I’ve grown a bit, enough to trust in my work, take a shot, stay true to it and it paid off tonight because of that.
“But it’s about continuing to push forward. I’m going to miss some and I’m going to make some. You’ve always got to stay shooting.”
In a Florida showdown, Tyler Herro sank a jump shot with 0.1 of a second remaining to give the Miami Heat an 89-88 NBA thriller triumph over the host Orlando Magic.
Herro scored 20 points to lead the Heat, whose president Pat Riley said hours earlier that the team has no plans to trade All-Star forward Jimmy Butler.
At Washington, the NBA-worst Wizards improved to 5-23 by beating Charlotte 113-110 as Jordan Poole scored 25 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer for Washington with 8.1 seconds remaining.
Host Atlanta got 30 points and 15 rebounds from Jalen Johnson and 27 points and 13 assists from Trae Young in a 141-133 triumph over Chicago. Zach LaVine had 37 points in a losing cause.
The Houston Rockets, led by 30 points from Jalen Green and 27 off the bench by Cam Whitmore, beat host New Orleans 128-111.
With stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard out due to illness, the Milwaukee Bucks lost at home to Brooklyn 111-105 as Cameron Johnson led the Nets with 29 points.
Zach Edey had 21 points and 16 rebounds and Jaren Jackson added 21 points and 11 rebounds to spark the Memphis Grizzlies over visiting Toronto 155-126.
‘Champion of democracy’: Pakistan PM hails late premier Benazir Bhutto on 17th death anniversary
- The South Asian country of over 240 million people has been ruled by its powerful military for nearly half of its 77-year history
- In 2006, Bhutto and his archrival Nawaz Sharif has signed a landmark deal to prevent further military interventions in the country
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday paid a tribute to Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan’s first woman premier, on her 17th death anniversary, describing her as a “champion of democracy.”
Pakistan, a country of more than 240 million people, has been ruled by its powerful military for nearly half of its 77-year history and many believe that political parties and figures rise and fall in the South Asian nation with the backing of the military.
Bhutto was elected PM twice before being assassinated on Dec. 27, 2007, in a gun and bomb attack during a rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, following her return to the country after eight years in exile. She had had a complex and often adversarial relationship with Sharif’s elder brother, three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif, marked by both rivalry and cooperation.
Despite their differences, both Bhutto and Nawaz united in 2006 to sign the “Charter of Democracy,” which aimed to strengthen democratic institutions and prevent military interventions in the South Asian country. The charter remains a significant chapter in Pakistan’s political history, symbolizing the potential for dialogue and reconciliation between political rivals.
“Today, we commemorate the 17th anniversary of the martyrdom of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,” PM Sharif said in a post on X. “A champion of democracy, and a staunch advocate of the power of dialogue and reconciliation in the political process, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto remains an icon of courage and resilience.”
Sharif underlined that the Charter of Democracy signed between Bhutto and Nawaz stood “as a testament to her enduring legacy.”
He extended his respects to Bhutto’s family, including President Asif Ali Zardari, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and her party’s supporters who continue to “proudly carry forward her vision and advance her ideals.”
In his statement, President Zardari, Bhutto’s husband, urged the nation to draw inspiration from the late premier and work together to realize her dream of a peaceful, progressive, and democratic Pakistan.
“On this day, we honor a leader who embodied the very spirit of hope, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the ideals of democracy and justice,” he was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
“Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a trailblazer who dreamt of a Pakistan where the rights of all citizens, irrespective of color, class and creed, would be protected.”
The president said the late premier had envisioned a Pakistan where every child could access education, where women could progress as equals, and where justice was not a privilege but a right, reaffirming his commitment to advancing her vision.
