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SPD wins a narrow victory in German election

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SPD's Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz speaking at the Global Citizen Festival 2017 in Hamburg Image: Frank Schwichtenberg/wikipedia.org CC BY-SA 4.0

The Social Democrats (SPD) is declared the winner of the German election with 25.7 percentage of the votes, according to official preliminary results published early Monday morning by Germany’s federal returning officer. The conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) was able to only capture 24.1 percentage of the votes, it’s showing in its seven-decade history.

But the name of the country’s next chancellor is still unknown as both SPD’s candidate Olaf Scholz and the CDU/CSU’s candidate Armin Laschet voiced their intentions to form a ruling coalition.

The Green party, in a jubilant mood after winning 14.8% in its best result in a national poll, despite having lost the lead it held early on and dropping about 13 points since April, was confident of becoming a kingmaker in the upcoming coalition talks.

Both its candidate, Annalena Baerbock, at 40 the youngest chancellor candidate by some way, and the SPD’s Scholz expressed their willingness to work together, with Scholz quickly moving to congratulate the environmentalists and saying there were plenty of areas in which the parties overlapped.

But he said in the so-called “elephant round”, a television debate involving all the lead candidates two hours after polling booths closed, “out of respect for the citizens of this country, we cannot make any final decisions”. Scholz said his wish was for “constructive discussions so that the whole country can recognise itself in the future government”.

With current, no individual party has gained a majority in the election, which leaves the main two parties to form coalitions to control the majority in the parliament. A possible coalition can be consisting of SPD, the Greens and the FDP or CDU/CSU, the Greens and the FDP, and a possible coalition consisting of two major parties SPD and CDU/CSU. It’s highly unlikely that SPD and CDU/CSU will create a coalition due to the desires of both parties not to share power with each other.

The German constitution does not specify that the chancellor has to belong to the largest parliamentary group. It’s up to the parties to figure out how to form a ruling coalition.

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Maldivian FM meets Qatari PM; both commit to stronger ties

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Maldives and Qatar reaffirm the commitment to strengthening the partnership between the two countries on Sunday, in a meeting between Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar.

Zameer, who is on an official visit to Qatar, met with Al Thani on Sunday morning.

At the meeting, Zameer reflected on the growing Maldives-Qatar partnership, and thanked Qatar for the generous assistance in Maldives’ socio-economic development.

According to a statement released by the Maldivian Foreign Ministry, both Zameer and Al Thani reiterated the commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Zameer also conveyed appreciation for Qatar’s role in the mediation process on the Gaza crisis.

Both reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the partnership in the multilateral fora on matters of global concern.

Zameer was accompanied at the meeting by Secretary, Bilateral, Dr. Hala Hameed, Ambassador-at-Large, Dr. Fazeel Najeeb, and Assistant Director, Lamha Saleem.

This year will mark the 40th anniversary of bilateral relations between the Maldives and Qatar.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Zameer is also scheduled to meet with other senior officials from the Qatari government to explore opportunities to enhance cooperation in various sectors between the two countries.

Zameer’s latest trip comes at the heels of a similar visit to India last week.

Source(s): sun.mv

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President recognises forefront services of nurses

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President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has praised the dedicated efforts of nurses, stating that they fulfil a national obligation by providing forefront services. He made the remarks on a social media post, commemorating International Nurses Day.

In the post shared on social media, President Dr. Muizzu recognised the unwavering commitment of nurses, characterising their contributions and services as a valuable, significant responsibility for humanity. The president additionally commended the dedication of nurses for ensuring the provision of cutting edge care.

The International Nurses Day is annually celebrated on May 12, aiming to acknowledge the pivotal role nurses play, as they are the backbone of the healthcare system. The theme for International Nurses Day 2024 is “Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care.” The purpose of selecting the theme was to emphasise the significance of reshaping perceptions of the economic and societal advantages of the nursing field, such that nursing can be seen as an investment rather than a cost.

Source(s): PsmNews

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Government launches Hope Island for crime-exposed kids

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The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has announced the launch of Hope Island, a rehabilitation initiative aimed at children exposed to crime.

Speaking at a collaborative press briefing involving agencies under the homeland ministry, Minister Ali Ihusaan outlined the planning efforts for Hope Island. He emphasised the provision of fundamental education and religious guidance for the children residing there. He also highlighted the implementation of psychosocial intervention and sports programmes on the island.

Additionally, Minister Ihusaan disclosed that children would reside on Hope Island until they turn 18 years, and serve a designated term in either the Maldives Police Service (MPS) or the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). Subsequently, he said that they would be granted opportunities to pursue their chosen careers.

Furthermore, Minister Ihusaan announced a reduction in the age of criminal responsibility to 15 years, with previous advocacy for lowering it to 12 years. He cited instances of 12-year-olds engaging in criminal activities and revealed ongoing legal initiatives, in collaboration with the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), to effect the change.

Moreover, Minister Ihusaan revealed plans to direct 12-year-old offenders to Hope Island for rehabilitation, with a dedicated facility established to mitigate exposure to criminal influences. He also disclosed intentions to develop a separate island specifically for this rehabilitation facility.

Source(s): PsmNews

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