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A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 27 February 2018

Merkel's party backs coalition deal to form new German gov't

By FRANK JORDANS including more women
Associated Press and one of her most promi-
BERLIN (AP) — German nent critics, 37-year-old
Chancellor Angela Merkel Jens Spahn .
rallied her party Monday The generational shift drew
behind a proposed new cheers from members such
government with the cen- as Catharina Neumeyer, a
ter-left Social Democrats, lawmaker’s aide in her late
receiving overwhelming 20s.
support from delegates for “I think it’s good there are a
a coalition deal she said lot of women and that Jens
speaks directly to her Chris- Spahn was picked,” said
tian Democratic Union's Neumeyer, adding it would
core themes of fam- boost the party’s appeal to
ily, security and economic young, liberal voters.
growth. Others lamented the lack
Of some 1,000 delegates of ministers from eastern
at a convention in Berlin, Germany, where the party
only 27 voted against the has suffered particularly
agreement which had big losses to AfD in recent
drawn criticism from some Party chairwoman German Chancellor Angela Merkel is flanked by her party deputies Armin years.
conservatives in the party. Laschet, left, and Julia Kloeckner at the start of a board meeting of her Christian Democratic Party Ingo Gondro, deputy chair
The convention also saw CDU in Berlin, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Merkel named an ambitious young conservative Sunday as of a recently formed con-
health minister in Germany’s new government, signaling a desire to integrate critics as she em-
delegates approve Merkel barks on her fourth term. servative group within the
ally Annegret Kramp-Kar- (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP) party, said Merkel’s con-
renbauer , a longtime gov- cessions wouldn’t satisfy
ernor in the tiny western tive voters, anguished over key ministries — including live up to its responsibility to critics.
state of Saarland, to take the arrival of more than a interior and finance — will form a government. In a signal to conservatives,
over the party's day-to-day million refugees, defected go to its Bavaria-only sister The agreement still needs she said there would be
management as general to the anti-migrant Alter- party and the Social Demo- approval from the Social zero tolerance for extrem-
secretary. native for Germany party, crats. Democrats' membership ists of any kind and migrants
Disquiet among the CDU's known as the AfD. Merkel acknowledged the to take effect. The result who refuse to integrate into
members has been grow- "We were all disappointed," unease among party sup- of that party's postal ballot German society will feel
ing in recent years, raising Merkel said of Septem- porters, but said it would will be announced March 4 “tangible consequences.”
questions about Merkel's ber's election result, which have been wrong to let co- and is harder to predict. She added that anti-Sem-
future. Though getting the forced her into months of alition talks collapse over Part of Merkel's response to itism has no place in Ger-
most votes, the party post- coalition haggling with oth- the distribution of ministerial disaffected members has many, “whether it’s from
ed one of its worst-ever er parties. Critics within her posts, insisting that as the been to replace several of Muslim immigrants, the AfD
results in last September's CDU have taken particular strongest force in German the party's long-time min- or left extremists.”
election as many conserva- umbrage at the fact that politics her party had to isters with a younger team q

UK Labour opposition seeks softer version of Brexit

By JILL LAWLESS The future of the currently to win a vote in Parliament
Associated Press invisible border between committing Britain to a cus-
LONDON (AP) — Britain's Northern Ireland, which is toms union with the bloc.
main opposition party said in the U.K., and EU member The government said Cor-
Monday that it wants the Ireland is one of the thorni- byn's plan would tie Britain's
U.K. to remain in a customs est issues in Brexit negotia- hands on trade deals out-
union with the European tions. side what will then be the
Union after it leaves the May argues that staying in 27-nation EU while forcing
bloc — a small but signifi- a customs union, which al- the country to comply with
cant shift that could push lows goods to travel freely EU rules over which it had
the government toward a within the EU and imposes no say.
softer version of Brexit. tariffs on many goods from “Labour’s confused poli-
Labour Party leader Jer- outside the bloc, would lim- cy would be bad for jobs
emy Corbyn clarified his it Britain's freedom to strike and wages, it would leave
party's previously convolut- new trade deals around us unable to sign up to
ed position on Brexit, saying Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, centre, gives the thumbs up to the world after it leaves the comprehensive free trade
the U.K. must retain close members of the public during a visit to the town of Stourbridge, EU in 2019.But her stance deals, and it doesn’t re-
economic ties with the EU, England, where he met with police officers from West Midlands has angered some in her spect the result of the refer-
including a tariff-free cus- Police force, on Saturday Feb. 24, 2018. Britain's main opposi- party who support a "soft endum,” said International
toms deal. That is some- tion Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn will say in a speech Brexit" that sees Britain re- Trade Secretary Liam Fox.
thing Prime Minister Theresa Monday Feb. 26, 2018, that the U.K. must retain close economic taining close economic ties May plans to reveal the
ties with the European Union after Brexit, including a tariff-free
May's Conservative gov- customs deal with the European bloc. with the EU, the country's government’s vision of Brit-
ernment appears to have (Aaron Chown/PA via AP) biggest trading partner. ain’s future relationship
ruled out. Corbyn's speech could in- with the EU in a speech on
"Labour would seek to ne- union to ensure there are soever for a hard border in crease the likelihood of Friday.
gotiate a new, compre- no tariffs with Europe and to Northern Ireland," Corbyn Conservative rebels unit- Like the Conservatives, La-
hensive U.K.-EU customs help avoid any need what- said in a speech ing with Labour lawmakers bour is divided over Brexit.q