Angela Merkel, former German Chancellor, in her newly released memoir, expresses "huge concern" about the rising influence of Elon Musk in former President and President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Merkel reflects on Trump’s leadership and voices unease about the increasing power of Silicon Valley, as reported by The Guardian from extracts of her memoir published in Die Zeit. Trump’s alliance with big tech Angela Merkel reveals her growing alarm over the visible alliance between Donald Trump and major tech giants. In an interview with Der Spiegel, she conveyed her worries about the expanding power of Silicon Valley companies, particularly through their f inancial influence . “There is now a visible alliance between him and the big companies from Silicon Valley, which have enormous power through capital,” Merkel was quoted as saying. Elon Musk’s role and influence in Trump’s administration A central concern in Merkel’s memoir is the expanding role of Elon Musk , CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, in Trump’s second term. Musk, who is advising Trump and leading a newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) focused on government efficiency, has become a key figure in the president-elect's strategy. Merkel, however, cautioned that Musk’s control over significant technological resources could pose serious issues. “If a person like him is the owner of 60% of all satellites orbiting in space, then that must be a huge concern for us along with the political issues,” Merkel was quoted as saying. She stressed the critical role of the political sphere in maintaining a balance of power between the powerful and the general public. Protecting political authority from Corporate influence Merkel further emphasized the importance of safeguarding political authority against undue corporate influence. She warned that if politics were overly influenced by powerful corporations or the ultra-wealthy, it could undermine democratic systems. “If this final authority is too strongly influenced by companies, whether through capital power or technological capabilities, then this is an unprecedented challenge for us all,” she cautioned. The need for checks on Corporate power A central theme in Merkel ’s memoir is the necessity of maintaining checks on corporate power and the ultra-rich in democratic societies. "In a democracy, politics is never powerless against companies," she asserted, underscoring the essential role of governments in ensuring that no individual or corporation gains excessive power over the state. This reflection underscores her concerns about Musk ’s growing influence in the Trump administration. Social media’s role in shaping political discourse Merkel also addressed the impact of social media platforms, particularly those owned by Musk. She acknowledged the disruptive influence of social media on political discourse and emphasized the need for counterbalance. "It is important to counterbalance the furore in social media, such as that stirred up by the AfD in this country," Merkel was quoted as saying. Reflections on US elections and Trump’s leadership In further extracts from her memoir, Merkel shared her emotional response to the US presidential elections, particularly her support for Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. She admitted that their defeats against Trump filled her with sadness. Merkel’s recollections also shed light on Trump’s approach to international relations. She described his diplomatic style as “aggressively transactional,” reminiscent of his past career as a real estate developer, which she found troubling. Moreover, Merkel noted Trump ’s fascination with autocratic leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing him as particularly drawn to politicians with “autocratic and dictatorial traits.” Musk’s influence on Trump’s second term As Trump moves toward a potential second term, Musk ’s role in the president-elect's transition is growing. Musk has become a key figure in managing Trump’s return to the White House, sitting in on calls with global leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Furthermore, Musk has discussed proposals to cut a third of the US federal budget, adding to his controversial influence in shaping US governance.

DAMASCUS (AP) — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad , gathering in the capital's historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly installed interim prime minister delivered the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque, declaring that a new era of “freedom, dignity and justice” was dawning for Syria. The gatherings illustrated the dramatic changes that have swept over Syria less than a week after insurgents marched into Damascus and toppled Assad. Amid the jubilation, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with allies around the region and called for an “inclusive and non-sectarian” interim government. Blinken arrived in Iraq on a previously unannounced stop after talks in Jordan and Turkey, which backs some of the Syrian insurgent factions. So far, U.S. officials have not talked of direct meetings with Syria's new rulers. The main insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has worked to establish security and start a political transition after seizing Damascus early Sunday. The group has tried to reassure a public both stunned by Assad's fall and concerned about extremist jihadis among the rebels. Insurgent leaders say the group has broken with its extremist past, though HTS is still labeled a terrorist group by the United States and European countries. HTS's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in a video message Friday congratulating “the great Syrian people for the victory of the blessed revolution.” “I invite them to head to the squares to show their happiness without shooting bullets and scaring people,” he said. “And then after, we will work to build this country, and as I said in the beginning, we will be victorious by the help of God.” Syrians celebrate in the historic heart of Damascus Huge crowds, including some insurgents, packed the historic Umayyad Mosque in the capital's old city, many waving the rebel opposition flag — with its three red stars — which has swiftly replaced the Assad-era flag with with its two green stars. Syrian state television reported that the sermon was delivered by Mohammed al-Bashir, the interim prime minister installed by HTS this week. The scene resonated on multiple levels. The mosque, one of the world's oldest dating back some 1,200 years, is a beloved symbol of Syria, and sermons there like all mosque sermons across Syria were tightly controlled under Assad's rule. Also, in the early days of the anti-government uprising in 2011, protesters would leave Friday prayers to march in rallies against Assad before he launched a brutal crackdown that turned the uprising into a long and bloody civil war. “I didn’t step foot in Umayyad Mosque since 2011," because of the tight security controls around it, said one worshipper, Ibrahim al-Araby. “Since 11 or 12 years, I haven’t been this happy.” Another worshipper, Khair Taha, said there was “fear and trepidation for what’s to come. But there is also a lot of hope that now we have a say and we can try to build.” Blocks away in Damascus' biggest roundabout, named Umayyad Square, thousands gathered, including many families with small children — a sign of how, so far at least, the country's transformation has not caused violent instability. “Unified Syria to build Syria,” the crowd chanted. Some shouted slurs against Assad and his late father, calling them pigs, an insult that would have previously led to offenders being hauled off to one of the feared detention centers of Assad’s security forces. One man in the crowd, 51-year-old Khaled Abu Chahine — originally from the southern province of Daraa, where the 2011 uprising first erupted — said he hoped for “freedom and coexistence between all Syrians, Alawites, Sunnis, Shiites and Druze.” The interim prime minister, al-Bashir, had been the head of a de facto administration created by HTS in Idlib, the opposition's enclave in northwest Syria. The rebels were bottled up in Idlib for years before fighters broke out in a shock offensive and marched across Syria in 10 days. Similar scenes of joy unfolded in other major cities, including in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Raqqa. US and its allies try to shape a rapidly changing Syria Al-Sharaa, HTS' leader, has promised to bring a pluralistic government to Syria, seeking to dispel fears among many Syrians — especially its many minority communities — that the insurgents will impose a hard-line, extremist rule. Another key factor will be winning international recognition for a new government in a country where multiple foreign powers have their hands in the mix. The Sunni Arab insurgents who overthrew Assad did so with vital help from Turkey, a longtime foe of the U.S.-backed Kurds . Turkey controls a strip of Syrian territory along the shared border and backs an insurgent faction uneasily allied to HTS — and is deeply opposed to any gains by Syria's Kurds. In other developments, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey’s Embassy in Damascus would reopen Saturday for the first time since 2012, when it closed due to the Syrian civil war. The U.S. has troops in eastern Syria to combat remnants of the Islamic State group and supports Kurdish-led fighters who rule most of the east. Since Assad's fall, Israel has bombed sites all over Syria, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. It has also seized a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone. After talks with Fidan, Blinken said there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the U.S. on what they would like to see in Syria. That starts with an "interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said. Fidan said the priority was “establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant” — referring to the Islamic State group and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Ankara considers the PKK within Turkey's borders a terrorist group, as it does the Kurdish-backed forces in Syria backed by the U.S. A U.S. official said that in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Fidan both told Blinken that Kurdish attacks on Turkish positions would require a response. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic talks. The U.S. has been trying to limit such incidents in recent days and had helped organize an agreement to prevent confrontations around the northern Syrian town of Manbij, which was taken by Turkey-backed opposition fighters from the U.S.-backed Kurdish forces earlier this week. In Baghdad, Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, saying both countries wanted to ensure the Islamic State group — also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh — doesn't exploit Syria's transition to re-emerge. “Having put Daesh back in its box, we can’t let it out, and we’re determined to make sure that that doesn’t happen," Blinken said. The U.S. official who briefed reporters said that Blinken had impressed upon al-Sudani the importance of Iraq exercising its full sovereignty over its territory and airspace to stop Iran from transporting weapons and equipment to Syria, either for Assad supporters or onward to the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon. ___ Lee reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report. Albert Aji And Matthew Lee, The Associated Press

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Taoiseach Simon Harris said he also wanted to tell Nikita Hand, a hair colourist from Drimnagh, that her case had prompted an increase in women coming forward to ask for support. Ms Hand, who accused the sportsman of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won her claim against him for damages in a civil case at the High Court in the Irish capital on Friday. The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro (£206,714.31). Mr McGregor said in a post on social media on Friday that he intends to appeal against the decision. That post has since been deleted. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Harris said he told Ms Hand of the support she has from people across Ireland. “I spoke with Nikita today and I wanted to thank her for her incredible bravery and her courage,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that she knew how much solidarity and support there was across this country for her bravery. “I also wanted to make sure she knew of what the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had said yesterday – that so many other women have now come forward in relation to their own experiences of sexual abuse as a result of Nikita’s bravery.” The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said the case has had a “profound effect” on the people the charity supports, and that over the first 10 days of the High Court case, calls to its national helpline increased by almost 20%. It said that first-time callers increased by 50% compared to the same period last year, and were largely from people who had experienced sexual violence who were distressed and anxious from the details of case and the views people had to it. Mr Harris said: “I wanted to speak with her and I wanted to wish her and her daughter, Freya, all the very best night, and I was very grateful to talk with Nikita today. “Her bravery, her courage, her voice has made a real difference in a country in which we must continue to work to get to zero tolerance when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. “I don’t want to say too much more, because conscious there could be further legal processes, but I absolutely want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her courage, for using her voice.” Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand’s bravery and said she had shown “there is light at the end of the tunnel”. She said: “I just want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family. She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.” Ms Hand said in a statement outside court on Friday that she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep “pushing forward for justice”. Describing the past six years as “a nightmare”, she said: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” During the case, Ms Hand said she was “disappointed and upset” when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute the case after she made a complaint to the Irish police. In a letter to her in August 2020, the DPP said there was “insufficient evidence” and there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction. Ms Hand asked the DPP to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was famous. Asked about the DPP’s decision not to prosecute, Mr Harris and Ms McEntee stressed the importance of the DPP’s independence on whether to prosecute. “There are obviously structures in place where the DPP can meet a victim and can outline to them their reasons for not taking the case,” Mr Harris said. “But there’s also always an opportunity for the DPP in any situation – and I speak broadly in relation to this – to review a decision, to consider any new information that may come to light, and I don’t want to say anything that may ever cut across the ongoing work of the DPP.” Ms McEntee stressed that there should “never be any political interference” in the independence of the DPP’s decisions. “I have, since becoming minister, given priority to and enabled a new office within the DPP to open specifically focused on sexual offences, so that this issue can be given the focus and the priority that it needs,” she said.

'There has always been, and there always will be, an economic cycle," noted the British journalist and politician Nigel Lawson. He is right, and if you're a regular reader of this column, you know that arguably the most overlooked yet influential economic cycles are long. Interestingly, each new long cycle seems to not only have a new set of leading-edge technologies to drive growth, but also a secret recipe for how to make a new or established business ride the long wave successfully. Let's explore what I believe this secret success formula will be for the Sixth Wave that has just started. A brief revisit of Long Wave theory: First proposed by the Russian economist Nikolai Kondratiev, Long Wave theory suggests that economies experience long cycles of economic boom and bust sparked by a few leading-edge technologies that rise to dominance over several decades. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the second half of the 18th century, we have seen five long technological cycles, each of which was dominated by a few technologies that rose to prominence to drive economic growth over several decades. The last long cycle that just ended was the Fifth Wave, which saw the rise of information and communication technologies and the internet. Now we are in the early phases of the Sixth Wave of Technology Innovation (2020-45), which will be driven by three technology spaces (digital, clean, and human-centred technologies). What formulas made companies rise to prominence in earlier long waves? The early "industrial age" predominantly played out using a quantitative formula geared towards the mass production of standardised goods to achieve high economies of scale. Unfolding in the "knowledge and information age", the successful recipe of the Fifth Wave was as follows: "Find the most expensive transaction cost that you can, and apply computing technology to it. Make sure there is a networking component so that the more people who use it, the more useful it becomes." (James Moody & Bianca Nogrady, The Sixth Wave). Many internet startups turned corporations used this blueprint to scale up their business successfully during the last long cycle. The secret recipe to Sixth Wave success? Given that the market environment has evolved markedly over the past 30 years, the Sixth Wave is unlikely to continue that pattern and is likely to follow a new, radically different success formula. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY I argue the Sixth Wave will unfold against a major perspective shift from primarily quantitative to predominantly qualitative growth. For me, the secret formula to successfully riding the Sixth Wave is best captured by one of the 10 design principles of the well-known German industrial designer Dieter Rams: less but better. 1. Less but better work (higher productivity and efficiency): "Efficiency is doing better what is already being done," noted the management guru Peter Drucker. With new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and robots in the workplace, it is highly likely work productivity and efficiency will significantly improve in the coming two decades. Productivity is defined as output over time, meaning we will produce more output in a given period or need less time to produce a given output. What does this mean for knowledge workers? We produce significantly more output (if we keep human inputs and the time constant), or need to work fewer hours for the same output (as we can produce the desired work faster), or companies use fewer knowledge workers to complete the human work input required to produce the desired outputs. 2. Less but better consumption (more mindful consumption): "Buy less, choose well," the British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood recommended. In the next 10 years, I predict we will see a major shift towards more consumers becoming more conscious of their consumption choices. In other words, we use fewer but better products. Better can mean better quality (more functional or durable), or less harmful to humans or the environment. We already see this in some areas, such as the organic food industry, the vegan food movement, and the rise of electric vehicles. Brands such as Patagonia have built a tribe of loyal fans by contrasting their high product quality and environmental responsibility with those of other fashion brands. 3. Less but better production (higher resource efficiency): In the excellent book The Sixth Wave, Moody and Nogrady highlight that greater resource efficiency is key to the Sixth Wave's sustainable, clean technology space. Coupled with the inclusion of digital technologies such as AI, robots and the Internet of Things, we can also expect significant improvement in production processes: fewer inputs in men, machines and materials; less waste; less downtime; faster lead times; and better outputs. Picture Toyota's famed lean manufacturing system amplified by the latest digital technologies, and you get an outlook on the future of production. I presume "less but better" is a fitting prognostic maxim for spotting future technological, economic and social business opportunities to ride the Sixth Waves successfully in the coming 20 years. But what prophet am I? So, forgive me if I am wrong. Dr Detlef Reis is the Founding Director and Chief Ideator of Thinkergy (www.THINKERGY.com), the creative breakthrough company in Asia. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University and an Innovation Advisor at the Institute for Knowledge & Innovation - Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA), Bangkok University. He can be reached at dr.d@thinkergy.com

Imran backs Bushra as govt blasts bid to 'wreck Pak-Saudi friendship'Taoiseach Simon Harris said he also wanted to tell Nikita Hand, a hair colourist from Drimnagh, that her case had prompted an increase in women coming forward to ask for support. Ms Hand, who accused the sportsman of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, won her claim against him for damages in a civil case at the High Court in the Irish capital on Friday. The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro (£206,714.31). Mr McGregor said in a post on social media on Friday that he intends to appeal against the decision. That post has since been deleted. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Mr Harris said he told Ms Hand of the support she has from people across Ireland. “I spoke with Nikita today and I wanted to thank her for her incredible bravery and her courage,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that she knew how much solidarity and support there was across this country for her bravery. “I also wanted to make sure she knew of what the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had said yesterday – that so many other women have now come forward in relation to their own experiences of sexual abuse as a result of Nikita’s bravery.” The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said the case has had a “profound effect” on the people the charity supports, and that over the first 10 days of the High Court case, calls to its national helpline increased by almost 20%. It said that first-time callers increased by 50% compared to the same period last year, and were largely from people who had experienced sexual violence who were distressed and anxious from the details of case and the views people had to it. Mr Harris said: “I wanted to speak with her and I wanted to wish her and her daughter, Freya, all the very best night, and I was very grateful to talk with Nikita today. “Her bravery, her courage, her voice has made a real difference in a country in which we must continue to work to get to zero tolerance when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. “I don’t want to say too much more, because conscious there could be further legal processes, but I absolutely want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her courage, for using her voice.” Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand’s bravery and said she had shown “there is light at the end of the tunnel”. She said: “I just want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family. She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.” Ms Hand said in a statement outside court on Friday that she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep “pushing forward for justice”. Describing the past six years as “a nightmare”, she said: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” During the case, Ms Hand said she was “disappointed and upset” when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute the case after she made a complaint to the Irish police. In a letter to her in August 2020, the DPP said there was “insufficient evidence” and there was not a reasonable prospect of conviction. Ms Hand asked the DPP to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was famous. Asked about the DPP’s decision not to prosecute, Mr Harris and Ms McEntee stressed the importance of the DPP’s independence on whether to prosecute. “There are obviously structures in place where the DPP can meet a victim and can outline to them their reasons for not taking the case,” Mr Harris said. “But there’s also always an opportunity for the DPP in any situation – and I speak broadly in relation to this – to review a decision, to consider any new information that may come to light, and I don’t want to say anything that may ever cut across the ongoing work of the DPP.” Ms McEntee stressed that there should “never be any political interference” in the independence of the DPP’s decisions. “I have, since becoming minister, given priority to and enabled a new office within the DPP to open specifically focused on sexual offences, so that this issue can be given the focus and the priority that it needs,” she said.