Austria's centrist parties reach deal to govern without far right
STORY: :: Austria's centrist parties agree to form a coalition without the far-right election winner Freedom Party
:: February 27, 2025
:: Andreas Babler, SPO leader
:: "I am very happy and proud to be able to stand here with you both today to present our joint government programme. And not just because this cohesion and cooperation keeps Herbert Kickl and the right-wing extremist FPO out of the most important institutions of our country. Not only because this government will safeguard the rule of law and democracy in Austria. Not only because this long phase of forming a government has finally come to an end. No, but because we are now doing the right thing together."
:: Vienna, Austria
In a deal that should bring to a close Austria's longest wait for a new government since World War Two, the center-right, liberal and center-left parties unveiled a program including tax rises on banks and energy companies, spending cuts and immigration curbs.
The three parties had already tried and failed to form a coalition, after which the eurosceptic, Russia-friendly Freedom Party (FPO) was given a chance to form a government but also failed.
The coalition plans to increase a tax on banks and extend taxes on windfall profits of power fossil-fuel companies, as well as scrapping environmental measures such as a value-added tax exemption for solar panels.
Spending would be trimmed through pensions reform, and immigration curbed by halting family reunification visas for immediate relatives of refugees.
The three-party government, Austria's first since the late 1940s, is due to take office on Monday, provided all parties approve the deal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
24 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia's Africa Corps to remain
DAKAR, Senegal — The Russia-backed Wagner Group said Friday it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country. Despite Wagner's announcement, Russia will continue to have a mercenary presence in the West African country. The Africa Corps, Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force, said on its Telegram channel Friday that Wagner's departure would not introduce any changes and the Russian contingent will remain in Mali.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla's largest EV plant in the world suffers eighth straight month of declining demand as May sales sink 15%
Outbound volumes from Tesla's GigaShangai factory, which includes exports, sank 15% in May. The drop follows similarly bleak figures out of most of Europe. Although Tesla is increasingly viewed as an AI company, roughly three-fourths of its revenue and gross profit come from selling cars. With two-thirds of the second quarter now in the books, the chance Tesla's EV sales could rebound from its terrible start to the year is swiftly waning. On Thursday data continued to pour in from across the world showing demand for Elon Musk's cars is shrinking in most major markets. One sign of that emerged out of China, where aggregate sales of EVs made in Tesla's largest manufacturing plant worldwide suffered an eighth straight month of declines. According to China's CPCA industry association, outbound volumes from its GigaShangai factory, including exports, sank 15% in May to 61,662 vehicles. It follows similarly bleak figures out of most of Europe. Tesla may have successfully rebranded itself as an AI and robotics company in the eyes of investors, but EV sales still matter because they pay the bills. Its core business accounted for 72% of both revenue and gross profit in the first three months of this year, when volumes dropped to their lowest level in three years. Yet just as sales are crashing, the stock is paradoxically ballooning, with the price rallying by a third since April's terrible Q1 earnings. At $1 trillion, Musk's company is now the ninth most valuable company in the world, worth more than the next 15 largest global carmakers combined. Multiples well above 100 times next year's consensus earnings estimates, like Tesla's, are typically reserved for companies about to see stratospheric earnings growth. In this case, it reflects optimism that Musk is poised to capture Uber and Lyft's ride-hailing market with its robotaxi service scheduled to roll out in the second half across much of the United States. Yet there is no evidence its driverless technology already matches, let alone outperforms, autonomous vehicle leader Waymo, and one well-known Tesla bull sold the remainder of his stockholdings as a result. Citing valuation 'disconnected from underlying fundamentals', Future Fund money manager Gary Black said late last month he exited his position for the first time since 2021 given the risks are firmly to the downside. There are a few bright spots for Tesla car sales, like Norway, the world's most EV-friendly country, that remains loyal to the brand. Australia, a key market where Tesla must compete directly with Chinese brands for western consumers without the help of steep tariffs, likewise saw a 9% gain in May amid soaring demand for the refreshed Model Y. But these individual data points are not reflective of the broader Tesla trend. In most other parts of the world, the picture looks radically different. On Thursday, the United Kingdom followed Germany with an identical 36% decline in Tesla registrations for last month. That leaves Tesla EV sales trackers such as TroyTeslike, one of the most reliable, warning Q2 will likely see a drop of 11% to 395,000 cars in a best-case scenario for Tesla. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
37 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia's Africa Corps to remain
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Russia-backed Wagner Group said Friday it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country. Despite Wagner's announcement, Russia will continue to have a mercenary presence in the West African country. The Africa Corps, Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force, said on its Telegram channel Friday that Wagner's departure would not introduce any changes and the Russian contingent will remain in Mali. 'Mission accomplished. Private Military Company Wagner returns home,' the group announced via its channel on the messaging app Telegram. It said it had brought all regional capitals under control of the Malian army, pushed out armed militants and killed their commanders. Mali, along with neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. As Western influence in the region has waned, Russia has sought to step into the vacuum, sweeping in with offers of assistance. Moscow initially expanded its military cooperation with African nations by using the Wagner Group of mercenaries. But since the group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash in 2023, after mounting a brief armed rebellion in Russia that challenged the rule of President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has been developing the Africa Corps as a rival force to Wagner. Africa Corps is under direct command of the Russian defense ministry. According to U.S. officials, there are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps. Beverly Ochieng, a security analyst specializing in the Sahel for Control Risks consultancy, said the Russian defense ministry had been negotiating with Mali to take on more Africa Corps fighters and for Wagner mercenaries to join Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force. 'Since the death of Prigozhin, Russia has had this whole plan to then make the Wagner Group fall under the command of the Ministry of Defense. One of the steps they made was to revamp or introduce the Africa Corps, which is the way in which the Russian paramilitaries would retain a presence in areas where the Wagner group has been operating,' Ochieng said. Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers to help fight the militants. But the Malian army and Russian mercenaries struggled to curb violence in the country and have both been accused of targeting civilians. Last month, United Nations experts urged Malian authorities to investigate reports of alleged summary executions and forced disappearances by Wagner mercenaries and the army. In December, Human Rights Watch accused Malian armed forces and the Wagner Group of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians over an 8-month span. The announcement of Wagner's withdrawal comes as the Malian army and the Russian mercenaries suffered heavy losses during attacks by the al-Qaida linked group JNIM in recent weeks. Last week, JNIM fighters killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in central Mali. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the major losses might have caused the possible end of Wagner's mission. 'The lack of an official and mutual announcement from both the Malian authorities and Wagner indicate possible internal dispute which led to this sudden decision. Simultaneously, this could point to a new framework for Russian presence in the country,' he said. Replacing Wagner with Africa Corps troops would likely shift Russia's focus in Mali from fighting alongside the Malian army to training, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 'Africa Corps has a lighter footprint and focuses more on training, providing equipment and doing protection services. They fight less than the 'Rambo-type' Wagner mercenaries,' Laessing said. ___ Associated Press writer Monika Pronczuk in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.
