Giffey rules out three-way coalition for Berlin
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Berlin’s coalition-building has hit a familiar wall as Franziska Giffey, the capital's economy senator and former mayor, rejected moving forward with a red-green-red alliance. While Giffey expressed strong reservations about her potential partners, opposition leader Friedrich Merz was busy in the federal sphere, suggesting that the current debate over the presidency reveals the Chancellor’s growing weakness.
The morning's industrial news is no more settled. Audi’s third-quarter profits fell by 87%, a collapse the carmaker blamed on disruptions in China; there is now talk that its Neckarsulm plant is at risk. Sportswear brand Puma also reported losses and confirmed it will spend less on investments, though the company noted this decline was exactly what they had expected.
Elsewhere, storm tides have left a large hole in the main beach at Wangerooge, and emergency services in Schleswig-Holstein are investigating why a school bus carrying 20 children crashed into a building. In a more successful display of power, Jan-Lennard Struff managed a rare upset over Novak Djokovic, with the world number one admitting he had never seen the German play so well.