German Prez dissolves parl, sets election for February 23
Frankfurt, Dec 27: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday ordered parliament dissolved and set new elections for February 23 in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition, saying it was the only way to give the country a stable government capable of tackling its problems. Scholz lost a confidence vote on December 16 and leads a minority government after his unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party coalition collapsed on November 6 when he fired his finance minister in a dispute over how to revitalise Germany’s stagnant economy. Steinmeier said he made the decision because it was clear after consultation with party leaders that there was no agreement among Germany’s political parties on a majority for a new government in the current parliament. (AP)
Chinese man gets death sentence for killing 35
Beijing, Dec 27: A Chinese court has sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into crowd, in an attack that raised national concern about mass killings. The court in the southern city of Zhuhai handed down the sentence on Friday to Fan Weiqiu, saying the nature of the crime was extremely vile, the means were particularly cruel and the consequences were particularly severe. The court found that Fan was venting anger because he was unhappy with his divorce settlement. In the days after the attack, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered local governments to take steps to prevent future “extreme cases.” (AP)
Suzuki Motor’s former boss Osamu Suzuki dies at 94
Tokyo, Dec 27: Osamu Suzuki, the charismatic former boss of Suzuki Motor Corp. who helped turn the Japanese mini-vehicle maker into a globally competitive company, has died, the company said Friday. He was 94. Suzuki was known for his candid remarks and friendliness, calling himself an “old guy from a small to mid-size company.” He became CEO of Suzuki in 1978 and was leading the company when it became the first Japanese automaker to start local production in India, where its cars proved hugely popular. Born on January 30, 1930 as Osamu Matsuda, Suzuki worked in banking after graduating from Tokyo’s Chuo University School of Law. He joined Suzuki Motor, which is based in the central Japanese city of Hamamatsu, in 1958 when he married a daughter of the company’s then-president Shunzo Suzuki, who belonged to the company’s founding family. As is sometimes the custom in such situations, Matsuda adopted his wife’s maiden name. In 1979, a year after he became Suzuki Motor’s fourth company president, he launched an affordable minicar, which became a big hit and was promoted to world markets. (AP)