Angela Merkel's CDU party scored a convincing win on Sunday in the final regional vote before the first general election in 16 years not to feature the veteran chancellor, giving a major boost to her conservative would-be successor.
The CDU under new party chief Armin Laschet won about 36 per cent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, first results showed, well ahead of the second-placed far-right party AfD on 22.5 per cent.
"This is essentially a sensationally good result," CDU general secretary Paul Ziemiak said.
"The CDU has won this election clearly."
Ms Merkel's party has been a dominant force in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt for decades, topping all but one edition of state elections there since reunification in 1990.
But there had been jitters ahead of the vote as pollsters had foreseen a neck-and-neck race between the CDU and the anti-immigration AfD.
Ralf Brinkhaus, who heads the conservatives' parliamentary group, said Sunday's clear result "gives us tailwind" for the national election.
"That is also a success for Armin Laschet."
Nominated as conservative chancellor candidate in April, Mr Laschet inherited a series of problems including anger over the government's pandemic management and a corruption scandal involving shady coronavirus mask contracts.
At Germany's last regional elections in March – in the states of Rhineland Palatinate and Baden-Wuerttemberg – the CDU suffered its worst ever results in both states.
Mr Laschet himself had also suffered from weak popularity, following damaging infighting within the conservatives for the chancellor candidate nomination.
But the mood has picked up in Germany in recent weeks with the country's vaccination campaign gathering pace and large parts of the country reopening after months of shutdowns.
Mr Ziemiak credited Mr Laschet for the strong showing on Sunday, underlining his participation in the campaign there along with Saxony-Anhalt's state premier Reiner Haseloff.
The result, up from 29.8 in 2016, was "the largest increase (in vote share) in a state election since the victory of the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2017" - a win that Mr Laschet had secured for the CDU.
"The voters in Saxony-Anhalt have given Mr Laschet an invaluable gift. After his lousy start as chancellor candidate, it was clear that he would not be a man drawing euphoric optimism for his campaign. Rather, the motto was to sit it out", said Spiegel Online.
"What he needs above all is calm, and now he has it."
Mr Laschet has promised to maintain the CDU as the "force of the political middle ground" and had vowed not to work with the AfD.
The AfD established a strong foothold in Saxony-Anhalt with 24 per cent of the vote in 2016, having capitalised on anger over Ms Merkel's decision to allow in a wave of migrants from conflict-torn countries such as Syria in 2015.
But the party has failed to improve on its previous score, despite recent moves to attract voters by styling itself as the party opposing Ms Merkel's tough shutdown measures during the pandemic.
For Greens leader Annalena Baerbock, whose party scored a disappointing result in Saxony-Anhalt with between 6 and 6.5 per cent, the CDU's success was down to voters seeking to block out the AfD.
Many people had voted for the CDU because they "did not want right-wing extremists in the government", she said.
She admitted however that the Greens' showing was poorer than hoped, as she blamed the "specific" electoral landscape in Saxony-Anhalt for the performance.
Though an improvement on 2016's 5 per cent, the result could puncture the ecologist party's momentum at the national level – already hurt by a series of gaffes in recent weeks.
Campaigning with a clear focus on climate protection, the party had "not achieved what we set out to do", said Ms Baerbock.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
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LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
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The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Getting%20there%20
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Afro%20salons
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
