
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, has ordered that parliament be dissolved and has set the date for a new election on February 23. The move comes in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s power-sharing government. Scholz lost a confidence vote on December 16 and is now barely holding his minority government together after the unpopular three-party coalition fell to pieces on November 6. Steinmeier announced his decision after meetings with party leaders, stating that there was no agreement among Germany’s political leaders and that it was impossible for the country to continue without decisive leadership. Most Read on Euro Weekly News Berlin wants to make Bolt and Uber increase minimum fares Berlin chefs celebrate diverse food scene German police knew about Magdeburg killer Germany needs stability, and majority in parliament He stated that stability requires a government capable of taking action on a multitude of issues currently faced by the country, and a reliable government majority was needed immediately in parliament. As the post-World War II constitution does not allow the Bundestag to dissolve itself by vote, Steinmeier had 21 days to decide whether or not to dissolve parliament and call the election. The election must be held within 60 days of dissolution. Alternative for Germany looking like contender for parliament Meanwhile, The controversial Alternative for Germany party has presented its candidate for chancellor in the country’s upcoming election. Alternative for Germany (AfD), founded in 2013, has been getting strong approval ratings and is currently the second strongest party in the country after the Christian Democrats. This is the first time the AfD has nominated its own candidate for chancellor. Alice Weidel , a 45-year-old economist, said she would put Germany’s ailing economy on track again, turn back Germany’s climate-friendly energy transition, and cut down harshly on immigration.Global Launch of JETOUR T2 i-DM: Reshaping the Hybrid SUV Market
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Eddie Howe wants even more from in-form Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. The 25-year-old Sweden international took his goal tally for the season to 12 in the 3-0 Boxing Day win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park, 10 of them in his last 10 Premier League games, after a challenging start to the new campaign. Isak managed 25 goals in a black and white shirt last season to further justify the club record £63million the club paid to bring him to Tyneside from Real Sociedad during the summer of 2022, but as delighted as he is with his big-money signing, head coach Howe is confident there is even more to come. Murph 🔗 Alex Isak Different game. Same link up. 💪 pic.twitter.com/OMhZf7dtKZ — Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 27, 2024 Asked where the former AIK Solna frontman currently ranks in world football, he said: “My biggest thing with Alex is I am evaluating his game on a daily and weekly basis and I just want to try to push him for more. “Everyone else can say where he is in the pecking order of world football. His game is in a good place at the moment. “My job is to not sit back and appreciate that, my job is to try and find areas he can improve, push him towards that and never stop pushing him. He has all the ingredients in there. Football never stops evolving and changing and he has to evolve with it. “There is a lot more to come from him. Our job is to help him deliver that. “Of course the main responsibility is for Alex to keep his focus, ignore the plaudits and keep helping the team, not be selfish. It is about Newcastle and he plays his part.” It is no coincidence that Newcastle have prospered as Isak has rediscovered his best form, and they will head for Manchester United – where they have won only once in the top flight since 1972 – on Monday evening looking for a fifth successive win in all competitions. He has scored in each of the last five league games having grown into the mantle of the Magpies’ main man, a role performed with such distinction in the past by the likes of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer, and he has done so with the minimum of fuss. Asked about his character, Howe said: “He is calm, cool – he is what you see on the pitch. “He doesn’t get overly emotional, which for a striker is a great quality because that coolness you see and calmness in front of goal is part of his personality, part of what he is. He seems to have an extra half a second when other players don’t. “With Alex, the beauty of his attitude is that he wants to improve. We give him information and he is responsive. He is not a closed shop. “He is in no way thinking he has arrived at a certain place. He knows he has to keep adding to his game. The challenge is great for him to keep scoring freely as he is now.”Lake Michigan waves could be a clean power source for remote spots like Beaver Island
Arthur D. Cashin Jr., a longtime Wall Street executive and noted philanthropist, passed away at the age of 83. Born in Jersey City in 1941, Cashin built a career spanning over six decades in finance while dedicating himself to charitable initiatives. Cashin began his career in 1959 at the brokerage firm Thomson McKinnon at just 17 years old, following the unexpected death of his father. By 23, he became a partner at P.R. Herzig & Co., earning recognition as one of the youngest members of the New York Stock Exchange. In 1976, Cashin briefly left Wall Street to run for mayor of Jersey City, seeking to tackle corruption in his hometown, although his campaign was unsuccessful. He was quoted as saying, “once they discovered I was honest, there wasn’t much chance I was going to get elected.” He then returned to finance and joined PaineWebber in 1980 to manage its floor operations, continuing in this role after UBS acquired the firm in 2000. Cashin was also a prolific market historian and storyteller. His daily commentary, Cashin’s Comments , was distributed for more than 40 years, blending historical anecdotes with market analysis. For over 25 years he was also a regular contributor on CNBC, delivering accessible analyses of complex financial trends with wit and clarity. “Once they discovered I was honest, there wasn’t much chance I was going to get elected.” window.zone_load_1932545442 = function(z, d) { if (!d.count) document.getElementById('zone_load_1932545442').style.display = 'none'; }; Cashin was deeply involved in charitable activities at the New York Stock Exchange, founding the NYSE Christmas Dinner Fund in 1982 to provide meals for underprivileged families during the holidays. The initiative once delivered meals to 185,000 individuals in a single year and received a special citation from President Ronald Reagan in 1987. Cashin also chaired the NYSE Fallen Heroes Fund, which raised over $6 million for the families of first responders following the 9/11 attacks. He received numerous accolades for his work, including the Good Scout Award from the Greater New York Boy Scouts and induction into the Xavier High School Hall of Fame in 2010. In addition to his philanthropic contributions, Cashin was a member of several organizations, including the Bond Club of New York, Mensa, and the Knights of Malta. Cashin is remembered for his enduring influence on Wall Street and his significant charitable efforts, which impacted countless lives. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Arthur D. Cashin Jr. Memorial Scholarship at Xavier High School. Contributions may be sent to Xavier High School, 30 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011.
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Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It's a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It's all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person's response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn't happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It's not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn't respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I'm hoping it's slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press