Latest news with #Linke
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Arcane' cocreator reflects on Season 2 and looks ahead to the future of ‘League of Legends'
Prior to 2021, Riot Games' League of Legends was primarily known as a wildly successful battle arena game. But the characters created for that game became even more popular after Netflix debuted the first season of Arcane, a thrilling animated series that rivaled Pixar in terms of visual flare. After a three-year hiatus, Arcane returned for its second and final season in November 2024. The series' swan song is now potentially a contender to win its second Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. Prior to the voting period, Gold Derby caught up with Christian Linke, the cocreator of Arcane and one of the primary driving voices behind it. Linke shared his thoughts on the origin of the show, Season 2's change in direction, and where the franchise may go in the future. More from GoldDerby 'Prizzi's Honor' at 40: How John and Angelica Huston made history together with his penultimate picture 'So indescribable and special': 'Happy's Place' stars Belissa Escobedo and Melissa Peterman on working with Reba McEntire Sam Rockwell on Frank's 'White Lotus' backstory, Woody Harrelson's influence, and going all in on 'this arc of Buddhist to Bad Lieutenant' Linke noted that most of the story and lore behind Arcane didn't exist before the show. All of that was built around asking questions about the characters as they appeared in the game. "What was there to start to work with was the characters, Vi, Jinx, Jayce, Viktor, Caitlyn, Ekko, That was really the heart of what inspired the show, and frankly made us fall in love with wanting to to work on this project because we had been with these characters for at that point, five or six years. We've been playing the game for hundreds or thousands of hours with these characters. And just over time, you start to have questions. 'Who are they when they're not just these game characters? How do they live their lives? What happened to these sisters that became enemies?' These were just all the questions that started to pop up over time. Jinx — as voiced by Fallout's Ella Purnell — turned out to be one of the show's most popular characters just as she is in the game. That didn't come as s surprise to Linke and his collaborators. "Jinx, to a large degree, inspired the entire show," said Linke. "I think there's always been something about Jinx that is magnetic. When she's on the screen, it's just fun. Her scenes are fun. She's always been one of the most successful characters from our game. So I think there's just something about that wild character and expression that is the ultimate power fantasy of doing whatever you want and being interesting and original. We've always known that Jinx is our powerhouse." However, Linke admitted to being shocked by how much viewers liked Jinx's second adoptive father, Silco (Jason Spisak), who was one of the unambiguously villainous characters in Season 1. "We weren't sure what kind of reaction to expect from Silco," admitted Linke. "He is a manipulative, criminal, ruthless, and at times violent man who does a lot of messed up stuff. I think we were pretty surprised to see how after the first season was out, there were a lot of Silco fans. I think that was a bit of a learning experience for us. It was fascinating to see how there were a lot of people who were willing to forgive a lot of pretty messed up stuff that he was doing as the underground kingpin of Zaun. I think that was perhaps the most interesting reaction we had to process." Netflix If the first season of Arcane was built around introducing the game's characters to a wider audience, Season 2 was meant to find new layers for the champions of the rival cities of Zaun and Piltover. "In many ways, Season 1 was all about getting the characters to that state that they're at in the game," said Linke. "When they're champions of League of Legends. Season 2 was about 'What have we not seen from these characters yet? What have we not seen in the game yet?' "We flipped a lot of the characters on their heads," continued Linke. "Caitlyn, for example, goes from a hopeful character who wants to work with the underground and really becomes an opponent and a very fierce aggressor after her traumatic experiences at the end of Season 1. And Jinx becomes this unlikely icon/hero of Zaun, which she really didn't expect. I think that was really fun to explore." Netflix The two seasons of Arcane were not only filled with emotional story arc, it also had some of the most jaw-dropping animation seen on TV or streaming that rivals Pixar itself. Linke gave full credit for Arcane's unique mixture of 3D and 2D animation to Fortiche, the French animation studio behind the show. "[Mixing 3D and 2D] was always their trademark look and I think it's because they had a lot of artists coming from comics and being in love with traditional 2D animation, 2D VFX," related Linke. "They just always wanted to find this approach that blends things together. It really was just leaning into that. They have this identity already as artists and it felt like it made 2D work on the big screen. It was a cool blend and I just always loved it. I tried to enable them to lean into that." Netflix According to Linke, Arcane was always going to run for only two seasons. But the League of Legends universe lives on. Regarding a potential live-action League of Legends, Linke said "there are explorations." He also said that the team has considered making an Arcane movie. "[Making an animated movie] has crossed our minds," admitted Linke. "We'll see. Now, we're exploring follow-up projects, and there are a bunch of features among them. Which ones will actually go? It's still a big TBD. In the last few weeks, when you have these screenings going on awards consideration, Arcane really holds up well on the big screen. That was a wonderful experience for us. Definitely everybody is excited to think about what future projects could look like on the big screen." For the present, Linke noted that Riot wants to keep the team behind Arcane intact as they decide what the next project will be. "What we're starting with is the people," said Linke. "We've worked together now for 10 years on Arcane. We're very inspired by Pixar, where people started working together on Toy Story, and then after that, people became captains of their own ships, because you learn from each other. That's where we're at. Right now, we want to invest in a few key people that worked on Arcane to explore new stories and see what they're drawn to. We still have to prove that we have strong stories and worthy stories to invest in. We're really investing in the talent that made Arcane. Best of GoldDerby Sam Rockwell on Frank's 'White Lotus' backstory, Woody Harrelson's influence, and going all in on 'this arc of Buddhist to Bad Lieutenant' Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh admit they 'never had the audacity to realize' a show like 'Deli Boys' was possible From 'Housewives' overload to the 'shadiest queens' alliance: The dish on 'The Traitors' Season 4 lineup Click here to read the full article.
Edmonton Journal
20-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton AI conference sells out of tickets in its fourth year running
Cam Linke is a leader in Canada's technology and startup community and CEO of Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. His research is focused on AI adapting behaviours to improve their own self-learning. Linke was at Upper Bound, the AI conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Photo by Shaughn Butts / Postmedia For the first time since its inception, Upper Bound AI Conference was sold out with more than 6,000 attendees flocking to the Edmonton Convention Centre for opening on Tuesday to learn more about the colossal industry that keeps growing, including a new grant from Google Canada. 'It's definitely bigger than we thought it was going to be four years ago,' said Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII) CEO Cam Linke. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors When AMII first started its annual AI conference, it was initially just simply called 'AI Week,' recalled Linke, and the whole conference was held at the AMII office, which was able to host the smaller crowd from the early days. Several years later, and now known across Canada as Upper Bound, the conference is well-respected by researchers, investors and businesses alike, with an expanding crowd reflective of the growth in the industry. Part of the surge in the industry was an announcement by Google Canada that a $5 million grant will be given to AMII to help foster greater integration of AI education into post-secondary curricula across the country. The key to the announcement for Linke was to ensure AI literacy across different disciplines. 'Regardless of the degree or diploma, you're coming out with a solid understanding and literacy in AI, so you can start to leverage that in your job going forward,' said Linke. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We need as many informed voices in the discussion as possible as we're deciding as a country on what the impact of AI is going to be, and how we're going to lead in that. And so for us to be able to help, increasing literacy across the country is something we're really proud to be a part of.' Last year, when Postmedia attended Upper Bound, a common theme was discussions about safety in AI. This year the Google grant announcement falls in line with what Linke said is the prominent theme of this year's convention — adoption in the workforce. Previously, discussions surrounding AI in the workplace centred around trying to convince the decision-makers that using AI is valuable, but now Linke says the conversation has already changed. Now, boards and bosses already expect AI to be part of the plan forward. Upper Bound, an AI conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre hosted by AMII, lands for the third year in a row with more than 6,000 attendees on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The main hall can accommodate up to six speakers at the same time because attendees pick a presenter to watch and tune their headphone by colour to match the stage. Shaughn Butts/Postmedia Photo by Shaughn Butts / 10108058A Of course, another big topic of this year's conference is getting the chance to hear Richard Sutton, a University of Alberta professor and chief scientific adviser with AMII, speak after being awarded as the co-recipient of the 2024 Association for Computing Machinery A.M. Turing Award, which is often referred to as the 'Nobel Prize in computing.' The award is the highest distinction in the world of computer science, which is sure to spur a crowd on Thursday, when Sutton is set to speak. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While Upper Bound provides opportunities for attendees to learn, create, and experience various elements of AI, Linke is most heartened by the conference's growing role as a space for vital collisions between members of different sectors that might typically be siloed. Across the country, Linke called for better adoption of AI, which he said Canada has been slow to do compared to other countries. 'The impact that AI can have on companies' operations, on their bottom line, is really big on productivity. We know there's a productivity challenge in Canada,' Linke said. Overall, he said that in order to get the most out of AI as a tool, more adoption is needed while also investing in research to keep driving the industry forward in new ways. He hopes AMII and Upper Bound will continue to assist. 'We'll be here again next year, hopefully creating more collisions between those researchers, between that talent, between the companies trying to adopt (AI) or learning more about it. And we just think, the more that we can create that gravity here, we're going to build something really special,' Linke said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. zdelaney@ Read More Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun. Cult of Hockey Sports Politics Columnists Cult of Hockey
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Solopreneurship: Becoming your own lead magnet & cash cow
A faculty member at UC Berkeley, teaching as a solopreneur course creator. Also serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Alchemist. Tired of the 9-to-5 wage labor grind? Dreaming of calling your own shots? Today, we're talking about transforming yourself into a solo profit machine. No matter where you are in the employee-to-entrepreneur spectrum, no matter the success of your business or career, being a one-trick pony is unresilient. If your one thing becomes obsolete or automated, you'll be destroyed like a taxi driver in a ride sharing world. A lead magnet is a resource you give away in exchange for contact info (email). A cash cow is a product or service that generates reliable profits with minimal investment. Let's get down to business. Building your solo fortress: Automation is your superpower In this day and age, trying to do everything manually is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Automation isn't a luxury; it's your survival gear. Think of it as building your own personal fortress, brick by digital brick, where you're the commander-in-chief with an army of tireless digital assistants. The beauty of automation is that it preserves your self-sufficiency. You don't need to hire a team and deal with the headaches that come with managing people. Instead, you leverage tools to handle repetitive tasks, freeing you up to focus on the high-level stuff: the strategy, creativity, and results you deliver. Remember this solopreneur principle – never let a human be your point of failure if a machine can do it better, faster, or cheaper. How to generate a profitable business idea for yourself So, you're ready to go solo. Awesome! But where do you even begin? Many of us have such diverse skills and interests, that summarizing you into an elevator pitch is like fitting an elephant through the eye of a needle. The key is to look inward and become self-aware. Think about your Founder-Market Fit; where do your background, identity, and experiences give you a natural advantage? Are you a student solving a student problem? Are you an incumbent in a niche market? Next, consider your Founder-Problem Fit. What challenges have you personally faced? There's a million-dollar idea in you. It's all about packaging what you can offer in the most lucrative and compelling way. Maybe you have a better way to organize your tasks, a more efficient method for a specific skill, or a solution to a common industry pitfall. That pain point could be your goldmine. Start by listing markets where you fit and problems you understand, then look for the sweet spot where they intersect. If you were an item, not a human, how would you sell yourself at the highest possible price point? Automate & systematize your lead generation & sales Now, let's talk about getting those customers rolling in. You can't wait for them to magically appear. They will not meet you in the middle; you must meet them where they're at. Start by discovering and curating leads using tools like Apollo and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Leverage niche databases relevant to your industry. Don't be afraid to get a little 'gray hat' and scrape contacts from your competitors using tools like Phantombuster. The goal is to build a segmented list of potential customers. Once you have your leads, it's time for automated outreach. Use Phantombuster and Apollo to set up personalized email sequences and social actions. Track your results, A/B test your messaging, and send automated follow-ups. Tools like Seamless AI can also help with this process. Remember, the aim is to work less and earn more. Use the latest no-code automation tools & AI hacks The barrier to entry for solopreneurship has never been lower, thanks to the rise of no-code tools and AI. You don't need to be a tech wizard to build a professional online presence and automate key aspects of your business. For branding, tools like Namelix, Brandmark, and Canva can get you set up in no time. For content creation, explore AI-powered platforms like SEOBotAI and OpusClip to generate and repurpose content. Building a landing page? SquareSpace, Durable, and Gumroad offer user-friendly solutions. Stay updated on the latest AI tools and automation tactics by checking out resources like There's an AI for That, AppSumo, and ProductHunt. Discover your niche & activate your zone of genius With automation handling the grunt work, you can focus on what truly sets you apart: your niche and your zone of genius. Don't try to be everything to everyone. Find a specific problem for a specific audience that you are uniquely qualified to solve. This is where your Founder-Market and Founder-Problem fit really shine. Think about your unique skills and strengths – your 'spikes,' as I like to call them. What can you deliver confidently and profitably right now? What can you talk about for hours without any preparation? Go-to-market lessons to get your first customer Alright, you've got your idea, your automation in place, and you know your niche. Now, how do you land that first paying customer? The key is to test your offers and market assumptions relentlessly. Use tactics like Wizard of Oz testing or a Concierge MVP to validate your offer before investing heavily. Create a simple landing page to gauge interest – this is your 'smoke test.' Make small bets in order to learn about your next decision. When it comes to pricing, consider starting with fee-based contracts to test the waters and prove your value. Focus on building lasting client relationships, even if it means sacrificing some short-term profit. Your first customers are crucial for momentum and morale. Ready to go solo? Venture forth! Going solo is not about being alone. It's about being empowered. Solopreneurs need mentors and compatriots to jam with and lean on. By leveraging the right automation tools, understanding your unique strengths, and iteratively validating your ideas, you can build a thriving business on your own terms. So, stop dreaming and start building. Most people die with more potential energy than kinetic. Make sure you go kinetic, so you leave no regrets behind at the end of your career. If you want to learn how, check out the UC Berkeley Solopreneurship Online Course and begin with the free Solopreneur Starter Kit. If you haven't noticed, the free guidebook I shared is my lead magnet. The course is one of my cash cows. With just a couple of assets, you can also begin your solo venture. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Local Germany
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
Why more than 1,600 Berliners sued the citizenship office last year
In 2024, the number of Berlin residents who resorted to legal measures to address delays in their citizenship applications surged dramatically. According to recent data, 1,662 individuals filed formal complaints, known as "inactivity lawsuits" (Untätigkeitsklagen), against the German immigration authorities last year. This marks a staggering 313 percent increase compared to the 402 complaints lodged in 2023. These statistics were disclosed in response to a parliamentary inquiry by Elif Eralp from the leftist Linke party, which was obtained and reported on by regional newspaper Taz. Untätigkeitsklagen provide a legal avenue for individuals to challenge government agencies when they fail to act within a reasonable timeframe. In the context of citizenship applications, applicants can file such a lawsuit if they have not received a decision within three months of submitting their paperwork, though costs for lawsuit only tend to be reimbursed after six months of waiting. Why have there been so many complaints? Berlin's immigration offices have been struggling with chronic understaffing and an influx of naturalisation requests for years, leading to huge backlogs and delays in process applications. In an effort to address the issue, the city's senate announced in late 2022 that it would centralise citizenship applications in a newly established center under the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), rather than relying on the overstretched boroughs. It also digitalised its processes and launched a new online application system. However, this transition led to a temporary halt in processing, leaving a backlog of approximately 40,000 applications - some of which had been pending for half a decade or more. When the centralised office finally opened in January 2024, it partly lived up to it promises, processing new applications at breakneck speed. Previously contacted by The Local, the LEA said it had approved 21,802 applications for naturalisation last year, compared to the 8,000 that were processed the year before. However, the citizenship office refused to say how many of these applications were part of the previous 40,000 backlog, and there is strong evidence to suggest that online applicants have been prioritised over their predecessors in order to skew the statistics. 'Presenting high naturalisation figures for online applicants was, unfortunately, more important than a just process for everyone,' Eralp told Taz. He added that many older applicants had been told to re-submit an application online, which involved an additional admin fee of €255. A woman checks her card details while completing a purchase online. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/ZHPH Production / Stocksy United | N26 GmbH In a recent post on the Einbürgerung in Berlin (Naturalisation in Berlin) Facebook group, one applicant revealed that she originally submitted her application in May 2023 and waited more than a year and a half before deciding to sue. After filing an Untätigkeitsklage through a lawyer in January, she received an email within a matter of weeks, informing her that she could pick up her certificate of naturalisation in the near future. How legal action can speed up the process Under German law, most administrative processes like naturalisation applications should be handled and completed within three months. As The Local has repeatedly reported, it's rare that the authorities meet this deadline, but that doesn't mean the courts take a lenient approach when applying the law. In fact, administrative courts in Germany have consistently ruled that staffing shortages, high application volumes, and time constraints are not valid excuses for excessive delays in naturalisation. This legal stance has empowered many long-waiting applicants to take action. Frustrated by the apparent two-class system at the LEA citizenship office and the lack of progress on their cases, a significant number of individuals have turned to Untätigkeitsklagen as a last resort. If these lawsuits are successful, the authorities reimburse legal and administrative fees and must process the application in question within a matter of weeks. If not, the person who files the suit is liable for their own legal costs and must continue waiting for their application to be processed. According to Eralp, the naturalisation issue is particularly important in Berlin, where the number of residents who don't hold a German passport leads to "massive democratic deficits". For foreigners who move to Germany and settle in Berlin, a visit to the Berliner Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) is ultimately unavoidable. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Britta Pedersen Around a quarter of the capital's 3.8 million residents are non-Germans, meaning they don't have voting rights in the majority of elections. "These people are not involved in decisions that affect them," the Die Linke politician said.
The Guardian
18-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘The lurch to the right scares me': could the left surprise in German election?
As the world's richest person meddles at will on behalf of the far right in the German election campaign, a leftist party calling for taxing billionaires out of existence has risen from the ashes in the race's final stretch. The far-left Linke, successor to the East German communists who built the Berlin Wall and just months ago on life support after an internal schism, has had a surprise resurgence before the 23 February poll. As it responds to a radically shifting zeitgeist, the Linke is attracting strong new support from women and young voters with its call for 'democratic socialism' marked by affordable housing, income equality, climate protection and pacifism. One of its rising stars, MP Heidi Reichinnek, 36, recently went viral on social media eviscerating the conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz in parliament for accepting support from the far right for his hardline immigration proposals. 'You've made yourself an accomplice and today you've changed this country for the worse,' Reichinnek, her forearm decorated with a tattoo of the revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg, said in a rousing speech as the CDU leader tried to laugh off the frontal attack. 'Resist fascism in this country. To the barricades,' she cried, quoting the old leftist anthem in a video watched more than 30m times in its first week online, according to the Linke. With Elon Musk and the US vice-president JD Vance openly courting the anti-immigrant, anti-Islam Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), the German election campaign has undergone a dizzying scramble of traditional alliances. As hard right populists succeed across much of Europe and incumbents such as Germany's Social Democrat (SPD) chancellor, Olaf Scholz, fail to meet the moment, many leftist voters in particular have said they feel unsure where to turn, creating an opening for the once down-and-out Linke. 'The explosion of rents in cities has hurt so many people and the Linke is the only party really addressing it,' said Michael Müllich, 26, at a standing-room-only campaign event last week in the Treptow district of eastern Berlin. Asked whether a Linke vote may be wasted given its slim chances of entering government, the computer science student said the party's 'tax the rich' message was crucial. 'And I'm counting on it to stand up to the AfD when it becomes the biggest opposition party,' Müllich added. Syrian-born Marah Abo Zraa, who works in administration for the city government, said she was 'excited' to vote for the Linke in the first national election since she became a German citizen in 2023. 'The lurch to the right really scares me, although I couldn't be better integrated [into German society],' said the 19-year-old, who arrived with the 2015 refugee influx. 'The Linke is the one party really rejecting hate and incitement. All the other parties seem to want to fight the AfD by imitating it.' The unpopular Scholz's fractious government collapsed in November but refused to step aside in favour of his defence minister, Boris Pistorius, potentially setting up the SPD for its worst result since the second world war in Sunday's snap election. With climate protection slipping from the agenda as the economy, Europe's largest, limps along in recession, the Greens have returned to the low double digits in the polls – kingmakers at best. Meanwhile, Sahra Wagenknecht, the left's most prominent face before Reichinnek, defected from the Linke and formed her own party a year ago with a nativist call for slashing immigration, increasing social welfare benefits for German citizens and reviving ties to the Kremlin. After a strong run in June's European elections and three eastern state polls in September, however, her BSW party's national campaign has since fizzled amid internal divisions. Robert Ketel and Sarah Knothe, a couple doing their grocery shopping in Hennigsdorf, a traditional SPD stronghold north of Berlin where the AfD has made significant inroads, said they were both still undecided. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion 'I know I'm going to vote for a leftist party but the SPD with Scholz has been a disappointment in reducing inequality and working with our neighbours. We need new leadership – that's obvious,' said Ketel, 34, who is unemployed. 'I was tempted by the BSW and voted for it in the state election [in September] but Wagenknecht just attacks the other parties rather than making the case for her own,' said Knothe, 35, a teaching assistant. 'It's become more of a cult of personality – it's always about her.' The Linke, the BSW and the pro-business Free Democrats were just weeks ago all teetering on the 5% hurdle to parliamentary representation in opinion polls. But the Linke, which has had to hunt for bigger campaign venues in the last two weeks to accommodate the crowds, is now seen as most likely to get over the line after growing to 6-7% support, according to polling. Reichinnek has argued the BSW split allowed the Linke to staunch years of internal squabbling and focus on its core cost of living issues. The party has also softened key foreign policy stances including opposition to Nato, now condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine while calling for a 'diplomatic' solution to the conflict. Linke membership has surged to the highest level since the 2009 financial crisis and pollsters say that some of the ground lost to the far right in the former communist east has been regained among west German intellectuals, particularly students. Merz, who has positioned his CDU/CSU bloc far to the right of where it was under the former chancellor Angela Merkel, has ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, which is polling in second place with about 20%. But many voters say they were unsettled by Merz's gambit to solicit far-right votes for a tougher border policy in response to the arrest of an Afghan asylum seeker after a deadly knife attack. Analysts say the drive to the right may have in turn reinvigorated the left, with the Linke best placed to benefit. Just as the AfD's strength has alarmed the conservatives, the far-left renaissance may serve as a wake-up call to the weakened SPD and the Greens that they risk losing touch with younger voters. A mock election held among the under-18s last week showed the Linke coming in first place with more than 20%, followed by the SPD on 18%, the CDU/CSU and the AfD nearly tied at almost 16% each. The Greens came in a distant last place among the main parties with just over 12%.
