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BERLIN (Reuters) - Could an author of children's books or a former trampolinist succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany? Either is possible, and both are from the ecologist Greens. A Greens chancellor is still only an outside chance after a Sept. 26 federal election, but the party has grown into a formidable force that is just a few points behind Angela Merkel's conservatives, who have ruled for 16 years. With the conservatives at odds over who they want to replace Merkel, who is stepping down after the election, the Greens see a chance to win the chancellery for the first time and to stamp their progressive, ecologist brand on Europe's largest economy. "They are within reach of the chancellorship," said political scientist Thorsten Faas. In a sign of how seriously they are taking their push for power, the Greens have agreed to name a single chancellor candidate for the first time since they formed some 40 years ago. Previously, the party picked a leadership duo for ... » Learn More about Analysis: Could Germany get a Green chancellor? It’s within the party’s reach

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel supports demands for a short, tough lockdown in Germany to curb the spread of the coronavirus as infection rates are too high, a German government spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Germany is struggling to tackle a third wave of the pandemic and several regional leaders have called for a short, sharp lockdown while the country tries to vaccinate more people. "Every call for a short, uniform lockdown is right," deputy government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer told reporters, adding Germany was seeing a growing number of intensive care patients. "We need a stable incidence below 100," she said, referring to the number of cases over seven days per 100,000 inhabitants. It is currently 110.1, according to the Robert Koch Institute. She also said that the government was looking at whether nationwide, rather than regional, measures were needed. "The range of regulations does not help acceptance," said Demmer. While some states have imposed ... » Learn More about Merkel backs tougher COVID lockdown in Germany

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's federal government will ask parliament for temporary powers to enforce a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, after several regions failed to impose agreed curbs to bring a third wave of the pandemic under control, a government source said. With infections rising rapidly in some areas, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government is pressing for a change to the Infection Protection Act to enable Berlin to enforce restrictions under certain scenarios. According to the draft law presented to the cabinet on Tuesday, a mandatory nationwide "emergency brake" will be introduced if the number of new infections per 100,000 residents in a district or city exceeds 100 for three consecutive days within a week, according to the source. This includes curfews between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., as well as limiting private gatherings to one household plus one other person. All but essential shops will be required to close, while the opening of cultural and recreational facilities ... » Learn More about German government seeks law change to take back pandemic control from states

A beautiful story of the enduring love shared between a mother and her daughter has claimed the top prize in the Natucair “#DealWithTheSmell” Viral Video Competition, an event focused on highlighting the creativity and vision of Filipino filmmakers. Directed by Rodel Mercado, “Wedding Day” is a touching story of a daughter professing her gratitude and love for her mother on a very special wedding day. The film’s themes of the power of family and finding the courage to choose love again allowed it to take home the grand prize of P100,000. Winning second place was Michael Ian Medico’s “The Smell That Cares,” a heist thriller with a comedic twist. An entry from Cagayan de Oro, it bagged a cash prize of P50,000. Meanwhile in third place was Rico Roman Kamatoy’s “Sangsang,” a funny ghost story about a group of friends on a road trip to the province, which won P25,000. Such was the level of talent on display during the competition that event organizers gave out a special citation to ... » Learn More about Heartwarming mom-daughter film wins Natucair viral video contest

Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich is convinced the holders can beat Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday in their Champions League quarter-final second leg to reach the last four. "I believe that we will progress, because we're the better team," Kimmich told the club's website. Bayern need to overturn a 3-2 defeat from last week's first leg in Munich. "We were the better team in the first leg, but unfortunately the result didn't correspond to the performance," added Kimmich. "Nevertheless, I'm confident that we can still turn it around in the second leg." Despite peppering the PSG goal with 31 shots, 12 on target, Bayern lost the first leg at home after Kylian Mbappe scored twice and Marquinhos also hit the net as PSG had just four shots on target. "In the first leg, they threatened three times and scored three times," said Kimmich. "Apart from that, I don't remember Paris having that many chances. "Overall, our attack had more possession and ... » Learn More about ‘We’re better’: Kimmich insists Bayern can beat PSG

THE Seafarers’ Identity Document (SID) Card of Filipinos is now used as the standard SID template by foreign seafaring nations. This comes after the International Labor Organization (ILO) officially whitelisted the Philippines for fully meeting the minimum requirements of the Revised SID Convention 185. The Philippines was the first ratifying member state to comply with the convention. “We are very proud to be the first country to comply with the Revised SID Convention and that other seafaring nations are using our best practices as a model in their own SID,” said Maritime Industry Authority or Marina Administrator Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad. The SID Convention permits the movement of seafarers all over the world, particularly their shore leaves in various international ports, repatriation to their home country after the completion of contracts and when joining vessels in other countries. “In cases when a seafarer does not have a visa for the country he or she will be ... » Learn More about Intl seafaring nations pattern SID Card after PH

FILIPINO seafarers have been included in the vaccine priority list to ensure their employment and safety of global supply chains. Lawyer Iris Baguilat, president of the Döhle Seafront Crewing (Manila), welcomed the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force to give priority to seafarers (IATF) as vaccination against Covid-19 becomes mandatory for global travel. As part of an international labor force, Filipino seafarers compete with other nationalities who were already vaccinated by their respective countries to be fit to work onboard. “After a long wait, Filipino seafarers finally have the protection they deserve. Finally, all our efforts have come to fruition. Filipino seafarers are now next in line for a vaccination. Currently, the government is vaccinating citizens with comorbidities. If a Filipino seafarer has a chronic respiratory disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, malignancy, diabetes mellitus, and obesity, he should sign up for the ... » Learn More about Seafarers on deck for Covid-19 jab

(Reuters) -Opponents of military rule in Myanmar cancelled traditional new year festivities on Tuesday and instead showed their anger with the generals who seized power through low-key displays of defiance and small protests across the country. The United Nations human rights office said it feared that the military clampdown on protests since the Feb. 1 coup risked escalating into a civil conflict like that seen in Syria and appealed for a halt to the "slaughter". A Myanmar activist group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, says the security forces have killed 710 protesters since the ouster of an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Protesters were out again on the first day of the five-day New Year holiday, known as Thingyan, which is usually celebrated with prayers, ritual cleaning of Buddha images in temples and high-spirited water-dousing on the streets. "We do not celebrate Myanmar Thingyan this year since over 700 of our innocent ... » Learn More about Myanmar activists cancel new year festivities; U.N. urges end to ‘slaughter’

So you’ve reached one of the most important milestones in your life – buying your first home . Before you get all excited browsing through the various property marketing platforms and going to Pinterest to look for your dream theme, let’s look at the most important step that is often overlooked – financing. If you are one of the majority, you’re probably planning to apply for a BTO with your partner. That’s what we were told to do anyway; fill up the online HLE (HDB loan eligibility) and VIOLA! You can then apply for a BTO in a location that you can afford and accept, as simple as ABC right? No. Many have heard of “CPF Accrued Interest OA” – but what is this exactly? From here you can see how you can possibly end up in a dead-end scenario if you have made the wrong financial decision. No one wants to sell their HDB flat only to find out that they have to return hundreds of thousands of dollars plus accrued interest, and even if you don’t sell, to be faced with low ... » Learn More about Why you should not pay for your HDB with CPF

Hideki Matsuyama (right) hugs his caddie, Shota Hayafuji after winning the Masters HONG KONG - The first men's major of 2021 dominates AFP Sport's golf talking points this week: - Take a bow - Hideki Matsuyama had tears in his eyes after his final putt Sunday as he became the first Japanese man to win a major, but his caddie also made headlines. While cameras were trained on Matsuyama, caddie Shota Hayafuji carefully replaced the pin, doffed his cap and bowed solemnly to the Augusta National course. Images of the gracious gesture have gone viral and Matsuyama admitted after that his immediate thoughts upon winning had been for his caddie. "When I saw my caddie, Shota, and hugged him, I was happy for him because this is his first victory on the bag," Matsuyama told reporters through a translator. "And then it started sinking in -— the joy of being a Masters champion." - Big moment for Mac - Left-handers have a great record in the Masters, despite only about five ... » Learn More about Japanese bow, Scots Bob and Welshman on one leg: golf talking points