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Far-right German politician backs Trump in US elections
One of the leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has come out in favour of a victory by Donald Trump in the US presidential elections in November, citing his opposition to the war in Ukraine. "I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed for Donald Trump," Alice Weidel told national public broadcaster ZDF. Incumbent President Joe Biden was "obviously not in control of his intellectual powers" and should leave office, the AfD co-leader said. Weidel noted that Trump had pledged to withhold US financial support from Kiev. "And I believe he will keep his word," she said. But she also described the entire US election campaign as a disaster. "I would have wished for completely different candidates to stand, if possible," she said.
Hamilton ends long wait with emotional British Grand Prix triumph
Lewis Hamilton made the most of a spot-on Mercedes strategy in wet conditions to claim an emotional first Formula One victory since December 2021 and a record-breaking ninth at one race at his British home grand prix on Sunday. Seven-time world champion Hamilton won in front of jubilant Silverstone fans from season leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull who passed McLaren's Lando Norris for second with four laps left. Two rounds of rain led to plenty of excitement and several changes at the top before Hamilton secured his 104th career victory and first in the 57th race since topping the Saudi Arabia GP in December 2021. "It means a lot to get this one," Hamilton said via team radio. Hamilton also became the first man to win one race nine times, movinng one ahead of Michael Schumacher, who won the French GP eight times. Hamilton also has eight wins in Hungary. But there was not complete joy for Mercedes because last week's Austria winner and Silverstone pole sitter George Russell had to retire the car midway through the race.
Barcelona residents demonstrate: 'Tourists go home'
Around 2,800 Barcelona residents held a second demonstration on Sunday against mass tourism, according to official reports in the Spanish tourist hotspot. The protestors cited rising accommodation and other costs in calling for restrictions on Spain's lucrative tourism sector, the La Vanguardia newspaper reported. Patrons of restaurants popular with tourists were sprayed with water from water pistols. Similar demonstrations have been held on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, on the Canary Islands in the Atlantic and in Málaga in southern Spain over recent weeks. The protestors point to environmental pollution, traffic jams, overcrowding, water shortages and the overloading of health and refuse removal...
Far-right German leader pledges anti-migrant measures if victorious
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) will introduce internal border checks if it takes power in two states following elections in September, co-leader Tino Chrupalla told national public broadcaster ARD on Sunday. The anti-immigration party would also immediately suspend the mechanism agreed for distributing migrants between the 16 states, he said. "That for example would be a programme for the first 100 days, where we say quite clearly: restrictive border controls," Chrupalla said. The AfD would no longer be bound by the migrant distribution agreement, he insisted. The agreement is based partly on the tax income and partly on the population of the respective states. Leaving the agreement was important in order to put pressure on the federal government to change its policy, he said. "We have to ensure that migration in its current form finally belongs to the past." The AfD is riding high in the polls in the states of Thuringia and Saxony, where observers believe forming a workable coalition government without them could be all but impossible. To date the other parties have refused to cooperate at state level with the AfD.
Iran's Rowhani says new leader Pezeshkian could reopen nuclear talks
Former Iranian president Hassan Rowhani has described the election of reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian as an opportunity to revive negotiations with the West on the country's nuclear programme. Pezeshkian won Iran's presidential election after beating his ultra-conservative rival Saeed Jalili in a run-off vote on Saturday. Iran's electoral authority said that Pezeshkian, a former health minister, received 53.7% of the votes cast to Jalili's 44.3%. The Shargh newspaper quoted Rowhani, who was president from 2013 to 2021 and is widely seen as a centrist, as calling Pezeshkian's victory a "popular referendum in favour of productive dealings with the global community." Citing parliamentary delegates,...
Germany's ailing Die Linke seeks new leaders and new directions
Germany's hard-left Die Linke (The Left) party is to see a leadership change in the autumn, according to reports from a party crisis session following a collapse in support in the European Parliament elections, dpa learned on Sunday. Co-leaders Martin Schirdewan and Janine Wissler have made clear that they do not intend to continue in office. They have led the party together since 2022. A working group has been appointed to chart the way forward to party positions on content, strategy and leadership ahead of the annual congress in Halle to the south-west of Berlin in October. The party traces its origins through...
Delays in issuing passports frustrating Germans as holidays start
Long delays in issuing passports as the holiday season begins are causing frustration, according to an association that represents German towns and cities. "There are rumbles in the cities' passport and identity document sections," association head Helmut Dedy told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland German media group on Sunday. "It is currently taking up to eight weeks before passports are delivered, while normally it is only two or three," Dedy said. Many people were being taken by surprise, he added. In response to a dpa query, the Interior Ministry said there were problems at the official printers and that there had been a sharp rise in the number of passport applications since the start of this year. "For the first time ever, far more than 600,000 passports were ordered within four weeks," a spokeswoman said. The official printers were in the process of purchasing new machinery, she added. In the meantime, temporary passports valid for most countries could be issued by city authorities and then returned on receipt of the regular passport.
Co-leader of Germany's AfD rules out 'power struggle' before election
Tino Chrupalla, the co-chairman of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), on Sunday said there would be no "power struggle" between party leaders, as the party prepares for national elections in 2025. Speaking in German public broadcaster ARD's annual summer interview, Chrupalla said his co-chairwoman Alice Weidel would be a "good candidate for chancellor," while maintaining that "a party conference or the grassroots" of the party would make the final decision. Weidel, meanwhile, said she could "think of many candidates" to lead the anti-immigrant party in the national election campaign. The pair were re-elected as party co-leaders for a further two years at...
France logs high vote turnout as Le Pen's National Rally seeks power
There was a high turnout in Sunday's decisive second round of France's parliamentary elections, with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally hoping to achieve an absolute majority in the National Assembly, although surveys suggest it will fall short. Voter turnout was 59.71% at 5 pm (1500 GMT), according to the Interior Ministry in Paris, up from 38.11% at the same time of the last election in 2022. In the first round a week ago the overall turnout was 66.71%. According to the television channel BFMTV, this could be the highest voter turnout since 1997. Polling stations for the run-off elections are set...
Marine Le Pen criticizes football star Kylian Mbappé as France votes
Marine Le Pen on Sunday criticized football star Kylian Mbappé for his public call on French voters to prevent her far-right National Rally party from winning the second round of parliamentary elections. "The French are tired of being lectured and advised on how to vote," the politician told the CNN broadcaster. She added: "Mbappé does not represent French people from an immigrant background, because there are many more of them who live on the minimum wage and cannot afford housing and heating than people like Mr Mbappé." The Real Madrid player has repeatedly commented on the political situation in his home country...
Haug and Ditlev set Ironman bests in Roth Challenge triumphs
Germany's Anne Haug and Magnus Ditlev of Denmark set new Ironman world best marks with victories at the famous triathlon event in Roth. Haug bettered the women's mark by almost six minutes to 8 hours 2 minutes 23 seconds after 3.8 kilometres swimming, 180km cycling and a marathon run of 42.195km in front of a German home crowd. Ditlev shaved more than a minute of his previous record when he clocked 7:23:24 hours in the men's race. Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway recorded 7:21:12 in 2021 in Mexico but due to a strong current in the swimming part this result is not accepted...
Injured Pedri to remain with Spain squad, accepts Kroos apology
Spain midfielder Pedri has commented for the first time on his injury-related Euro 2024 exit and accepted an apology from Germany's Toni Kroos who caused the knee injury. Kroos tackled Pedri heavily early in Friday's quarter-final Spain won 2-1 in extra time, and the Barcelona player limped off in the eighth minute with what was later diagnosed as a knee strain. Kroos apologised via social media and wished him a speedy recovery, and Pedri responded on Instagram on Sunday. "Thank you Toni Kroos for your message. That's football and these things happen. Your career and your record remain forever," Pedri told former Real...
Erdogan names Demiral ban political; praises team at Euro 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has named a two-match ban for national team player Merih Demiral for a controversial gesture purely political and a punishment for the whole country, adding that it casts a shadow over the Euro 2024 tournament. Demiral was sanctioned by UEFA for making the wolf salute gesture after scoring against Austria in the quarter-finals. The wolf salute is attributed, among other things, to a far-right extremist movement. The movement known as “Ülkücü” or “grey wolves” are linked to political allies of Erdogan, the ultra-nationalist MHP in Turkey. Erdogan comments for the first time on retur flight There was outrage in...
Erdogan: Demiral ban is purely political and casts shadow over Euros
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has named the two-match ban for national team player Merih Demiral political and a punishment for the whole country, adding it casts a shadow over the Euro 2024 tournament. Demiral was sanctioned by UEFA for making the wolf salute gesture after scoring against Austria in the quarter-finals. The wolf salute is attributed, among other things, to a far-right extremist movement. The movement known as “Ülkücü” or “grey wolves” are linked to political allies of Erdogan, the ultra-nationalist MHP in Turkey. There was outrage in Turkey but Erdogan did not comment on the ban until returning from attending the...
'Nightmare' Weghorst makes Dutch dream at Euros
Super-sub Wout Weghorst is a key reason why the Netherlands have reached the Euro 2024 semi-finals against England. Weghorst, 32, came on for the second half against Turkey on Saturday and gave his side the necessary drive to overturn a 1-0 deficit for a 2-1 victory. He was fielded as a substitute in all four previous games as well, and scored the 2-1 winner against Poland with his first touch. He also has one assist and despite playing for only 89 minutes his value is immense. "It's a nightmare when you play against him," team-mate Nathan Aké said of the Burnley striker who...
Pope Francis says world's democracies 'not in good health'
Pope Francis on Sunday expressed concern about the state of the world's democracies at an event in the northern Italian city of Trieste. "Let's be honest: in today's world, democracy is not in good health," said the head of the Catholic Church, while stressing the importance of participation in democratic processes, including voting. "Indifference is a cancer for democracy," he added. Francis was speaking at the end of the Social Week of Italian Catholics, a week-long series of events focused on social issues. In front of a crowd of around 1,200 participants, he said: "Everyone must feel part of a community project....
Germany winger Sané thanks fans for Euro 2024 support
Germany winger Leroy Sané has thanked the home fans for their big support at Euro 2024 where the team was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Spain. To be so close and still fail is incredibly painful," Sané said on platform X on Sunday in the wake of Friday's 2-1 extra-time defeat from Mikel Merino's 119th minute winner. "Nevertheless, I don't want to miss the opportunity to thank you for the incredible support. It's impossible to describe the atmosphere you created and the energy you gave us. "Even though we were unfortunately unable to fulfil our shared dream, I am proud of how we pursued a goal together as a team and as a nation. Thank you for your support." Bayern Munich's Sané was part of the squad despite nagging pubis bone problems. He came on as a substitute in the three group matches and was a starter against Denmark in the last 16 and against Spain, where he was taken off at half-time.
Iran's Rowhani says new leader Pezeshkian could reopen nuclear talks
Former Iranian president Hassan Rowhani has described the election of reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian as an opportunity to revive negotiations with the West on the country's nuclear programme. Pezeshkian won Iran's presidential election after beating his ultra-conservative rival Saeed Jalili in a run-off vote on Saturday. Iran's electoral authority said that Pezeshkian, a former health minister, received 53.7% of the votes cast to Jalili's 44.3%. The Shargh newspaper quoted Rowhani, who was president from 2013 to 2021 and widely seen as a centrist, as calling Pezeshkian's victory a "popular referendum in favour of productive dealings with the global community." Like many politicians from...
Midday turnout in French election at just over 26% of eligible voters
In the decisive second round of parliamentary elections in France, just over one in four eligible voters had cast their ballots by midday. Voter turnout was 26.63% at noon (1000 GMT), according to the Interior Ministry in Paris. In the first round of voting a week ago, the overall turnout was 66.71%; at noon it had stood at 25.9%. In the last regular parliamentary election in 2022, the turnout at midday was 18.99% in the second round. The last polling stations close at 8 pm on Sunday.
Orbán's far-right alliance reaches European Parliament group status
A new far-right alliance in the European Parliament, launched just a week ago by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has enough parties to achieve group status. The Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), Belgium's Vlaams Belang and the Danish People's Party announced their intention to join the alliance over the weekend. Their declaration means seven countries are now represented in the alliance called Patriots for Europe, an important condition to form a parliamentary group in the EU legislature. As well as representing a quarter of EU countries, a political group must have 23 EU legislators, according to European Parliament rules. It is not permitted to belong to more than one group. Orbán's Fidesz party, Austria's far-right Freedom Party and the Czech ANO party were the first members the Patriots for Europe alliance when it was first announced. The group's manifesto has the usual far-right focus on retaining national sovereignty vis-à-vis the European Union, fighting illegal migration and pushing back EU measures to reduce climate change.
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