
'He just can't hack it' - AfD leader Chrupalla attacks Merz on TV
On the war in Ukraine, Tino Chrupalla said on ZDF that Chancellor Merz should have made direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Because he had not done so, Friedrich Merz was "at the cat's table" in the talks organised by US President Donald Trump.
'Russia not an enemy'
Chrupalla said that he did not see Russia as an enemy. "It is precisely this war rhetoric that we must put an end to," explained the AfD politician, who confirmed that he himself had done civilian service in place of serving in the armed forces for his, then still mandatory, time of national service.
When asked about his party's ability to form a coalition, the East German Chrupalla was confident: "In my constituency, we are just short of 50 per cent. (...) Whether we need a coalition partner at all remains to be seen", he said, adding that his party's "Project 40" would play an important role in any elections in Saxony. The next ones for the state assembly are scheduled for 2029
The interview with Tino Chrupalla was broadcast on Sunday evening, but had been pre-recorded after the interview with the co-chair of the parliamentary group, Alice Weidel, was massively disrupted by activists.

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Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
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Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Reactions pour in criticising Israel's killing of Al Jazeera crew
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The broadcaster also noted that al-Sharif was not the first of its journalists to be targeted and killed for their reporting in Gaza and called on Israel to produce "real evidence" to support their claims of their journalists being Hamas operatives. The IDF did provide a spreadsheet alleging a link between al-Sharif and Hamas, which has been widely criticised on social media as people demand Israeli officials provide hard evidence. German, UK governments condemn killing Officials from Germany and the United Kingdom have condemned Israel's targeting and killing of the media crew. German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher said his government was dismayed over the killing, adding that Israel has several questions it must provide answers to. He stressed that Israel must explain why it disregarded the protected status of the journalist it targeted and why the attack also killed his colleagues. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said that he is "gravely concerned" about the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza, asserting that journalists must not be targeted for carrying out their duties. The European Union The EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, has also spoken about the killings. In a post on her social media platforms, Lahbib said she was "horrified" to learn of the killing of the Al Jazeera journalists. "A direct hit on freedom of the press. Since Oct. 2023, at least 186 journalists have been killed. Civilians must be protected, access secured & the press safeguarded. Always," she added. Qatar Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani blasted Israel for its killing of journalists working for the Doha-based broadcaster. In a statement, he said Israel continues to "commit crimes beyond imagination" and criticised the international community and its laws and structures for its inability to "stop this tragedy." The Qatari premier and top diplomat stressed that journalism is not a crime while highlighting that deliberately targeting journalists is a war crime. International organisations The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned the killing of al-Sharif and the Al Jazeera team, calling it a "grave breach of international humanitarian law." "Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists," it said in a social media post, noting that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. "We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists," the office added. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also issued a statement of condemnation following the attack. In a post on X, the organisation slammed Israel for the fatal air strike without providing credible evidence to verify their claims of his Hamas links. They also paid tribute to al-Sharif's journalistic work in the enclave. "A journalist of a rare calibre" Euronews spoke with a member of senior management at Al Jazeera and a former colleague of al-Sharif's, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorisation to comment publicly. He said it was appalling how the international community and media organisations continue to provide impunity for Israeli crimes. "[The assassination] is a test of the world's conscience, but before that, it is a test of the conscience of journalists worldwide," he said. "It is deeply saddening to see today some international media outlets choosing to ignore his killing at the hands of a brutal regime and even echoing the Israeli narrative accusing him of leading a Hamas cell, once again without presenting a single piece of evidence." He added that the evidence Israel provided is not logical, stating that al-Sharif's duties saw him work for long periods, sometimes exceeding 12 hours a day, making it almost impossible to "run a terrorist cell" simultaneously. "Anas spent more than two years almost permanently stationed in the journalists' tent, appearing repeatedly on television, anywhere between 10-15 live crosses daily, and during that time leading no other 'secret' life," he added. They also spoke of al-Sharif's journalistic integrity and accuracy, characteristics he was renowned for since joining the broadcaster. "Anas al-Sharif joined Al Jazeera years ago, initially as a fact-checking investigator in Gaza, where he was of great help to me and my department," he said. "Since he transitioned to television news, and began appearing on screen, no one has been able to question the accuracy of any piece of information he reported. He was thus a model of a journalist of a rare calibre, in an era where falsification has become widespread." Al-Sharif's former colleague says it's "a disgrace" for those who claim to defend the truth to resort to what he called "baseless accusations coming from a party that commits its crimes live on air."

LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
Merz to hold Ukraine talks Wednesday with Trump, Zelensky and European leaders
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