Around two-thirds of Germans of voting age are backing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the presidential elections in the United States, according to a survey by the Ipsos research institute published on Monday.
Only 12% would back Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November 5 elections, while 12% expressed no preference.
There was majority support for Harris among all political parties in Germany, apart from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), where 42% of followers backed Trump against 31% for Harris.
German men were more likely to support Trump, with 16% expressing support for him against just 8% of women.
The Ipsos poll conducted an online survey of 1,000 German nationals aged between 18 and 75 on October 2 and 3.
AI framework to be best in Europe
Meanwhile, the German government hopes to create the framework conditions for Germany to become the leading artificial intelligence (AI) country in Europe, ministers said on Monday.
Steps include a business-friendly implementation of the European Union’s new AI regulations and better data availability for innovative start-ups, said Digital Minister Volker Wissing at the government’s Digital Summit in Frankfurt.
Germany has received international praise and recognition for its academic training of AI experts, but experts say there are major deficits in the use of AI applications in business and administration in the country.
There is not a single company from Germany among the world’s leading AI companies.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that the summit showed that Germany was on the right track.
“But the competition is fierce and we have to keep stepping on the gas. We need AI companies that can hold their own in global competition and bring AI applications to the wider German economy,” he said.
The United States, with players such as OpenAI and Google, and China, with companies such as Baidu and Alibaba, are regarded as leading AI firms worldwide.
The largest AI companies in Europe to date have come from France, the home of Mistral AI and Contentsquare.
In Germany, the Heidelberg-based start-up Aleph Alpha and the Cologne-based language specialist DeepL are among the leading AI companies.
Wissing referred to a study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which showed Germany in second place after the United States in terms of AI patents and ahead of Japan and China.
Pizza with a side of cocaine: German police bust alleged drug ring
A pizzeria in the German city of Dusseldorf delivered pizzas with a side of cocaine to customers, German police said on Monday after arresting the 36-year-old restaurant operator.
The pizzeria, located in Dusseldorf’s historic old town centre, allegedly listed the special pizza as option No. 40 on the menu.
“That was one of the best-selling pizzas,” senior police officer Michael Graf von Moltke said in a statement.
When police officers rang the doorbell of the 36-year-old’s flat to arrest him last Thursday, he is said to have thrown a bag of drugs out of the window.
“It fell right into the arms of the police officers,” Graf von Moltke said.
In total, police seized 1.6 kilograms of cocaine, 400 grams of cannabis and €268,000 ($291,000) in cash.
During further investigations, police officers came across three suspected drug suppliers and 12 other suspects.
A total of 150 police officers were deployed last week in raids across the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which includes Düsseldorf.
Police also discovered two cannabis growing operations in the nearby cities of Mönchengladbach and Solingen and seized knives, cash and expensive watches.
-dpa
