German Chancellor A. Merkel signals her political exit +++ 189 die in Indonesian plane crash +++ J. Bolsonaro wins Brazilian presidency

29. November 2018, 02:00

German Chancellor A. Merkel signals her political exit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told other leaders of her Christian Democrats that she will not seek re-election as party chairwoman at a party conference in early December, but that she does plan to remaining chancellor until the end of the current parliamentary period, which ends in September of 2021. Merkel has led the party since 2000 and has been chancellor since 2005. Giving up the chair is expected to start a race within the CDU to replace her as chancellor. Today’s announcement comes one day after state elections in Hesse. The CDU remained the top party, but lost 11 percent of previous support.

189 die in Indonesian plane crash

In Indonesia, 189 people have been killed after a Lion Air jetliner crashed into the sea, shortly after take-off from Jakarta on a flight to the island of Sumatra. The Boeing 737 Max 8 was delivered to the airline in August. Lion Air’s CEO, Edward Siriat, says the airline had fixed a technical problem on a previous flight: “This plane last flew from Bali to Jakarta. There was a report about a technical problem, but we solved that issue based on the procedures set down by the aircraft manufacturer.” Lion Air is Indonesia’s largest low-budget airline and, until recently, had been banned from flying to the European Union and the United States because of safety violations.

J. Bolsonaro wins Brazilian presidency

In Brazil, far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro has won the country’s presidential election with 55 percent of the vote. His critics accuse the former army captain of being racist and homophobic and have condemned him for defending Brazil’s former military government. Bolsonaro has promised to uphold democracy and the constitution. His main rival, Fernando Haddad of the left-wing Workers’ Party, says he will fight for Brazil’s democracy in opposition: “We have a commitment to the prosperity of this country. We who helped build democracy, one of the biggest in the world, we must have a commitment to maintain it.”

Pittsburgh shooter faces death penalty

In the United States, the man charged with shooting 11 people to death at a synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday will make his first court appearance later today. 46-year old Robert Bowers faces 29 criminal charges, including several which could result in the death penalty. Six others were wounded in the attack. Police say Bowers has a long history of posting anti-Semitic statements online. A inter-religious memorial ceremony was held last night in Pittsburgh for the victims. Among those speaking was Naftali Bennett, Israel’s minister for diaspora affairs: “Jew-hating is not a distant memory. It’s not a thing of the past. Anti-Semitism is a clear and present danger.”

The weather

The weather will remain mostly cloudy with heavy rainfall in the west and south, where there is also the danger of flash flooding and landslides. Highs today are ranging from 9 to 22 degrees.

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