Today’s top story: German far-right backs Musk in row with public broadcaster The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Tuesday backed Elon Musk, owner of the X platform and the world’s first trillionaire, in a row with public broadcaster ZDF on the flashpoint issue of migration. In its coverage of last week’s anti-immigrant riots in Belfast, a ZDF programme said that Musk had called for “a migrant hunt” in his social media posts about Northern Ireland. On Monday, Musk called ZDF’s characterisation of his words
a “terrible lie” and said he was pursuing legal action against the broadcaster, which has since removed the contested passage. Joining in on the debate, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel posted on X in support of Musk on Tuesday, saying: “Defamation shouldn’t go without consequences. Don’t let them get away with it.” Belfast saw two nights of riots after a video of a knife attack went viral across social media platforms. The chief suspect in the attack is Sudanese. Musk made a string of posts on
X about the stabbing, including reposting a call to protest posted by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!” Musk said in his post. Musk also boosted anti-immigration posts from Rupert Lowe, leader of the fringe hard-right party Restore Britain, in which Lowe called for “millions and millions” of people to be made to leave the UK. ZDF initially added a disclaimer to the online version of the broadcast in question
in which it admitted that its words were “imprecise and potentially misleading”. On Tuesday the broadcaster said that it had received a cease and desist letter from a lawyer acting for Musk and that it had removed the contested passage entirely. Musk has been a vocal supporter of the AfD in recent years and has also backed other far-right parties in Europe. READ ALSO: Tens of thousands protest against the far right as Musk basks AfD Serena Williams defeated in Berlin ahead of Wimbledon return
Serena Williams suffered a straight sets defeat in the Berlin Open doubles on Tuesday, hours after the confirmation of her return to Wimbledon to play alongside her older sister Venus. Williams and Czech doubles partner Karolina Muchova fell to Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe, of New Zealand, 6-4, 6-4. The duo lost the opening set at the Steffi Graf Stadium in Grunewald after Williams was broken in her second service game. They were broken on Muchova’s serve midway through the second set and failed
to find a way back into the contest. “I felt pretty good out there. I felt actually more nimble and more sturdy and quicker than the first match in Queens,” Williams said after the match. “I felt overall pretty good, just physically and quickness. I think you need a lot of quickness on grass.” The match was the 44-year-old Williams’ second after her shock comeback announcement for Wimbledon earlier in June. AfD lead nine percentage points ahead of CDU/CSU in polls The Alternative for Germany
(AfD) has recorded it’s largest lead over the conservative CDU/CSU in a new YouGov poll. The far-right party stands at 29 percent, one point up from last month – and nine percentage points ahead of the centre-right Union bloc. The CDU/CSU, currently Germany’s largest governing party, fell two points to 20 percent, its lowest level in a YouGov poll since September 2021. The Greens ranked third on 14 percent after gaining one point. The Social Democrats (SPD) and The Left were tied on 12 percent,
although the SPD fell by one point compared with May. According to YouGov, the SPD’s result represents its lowest level of support recorded in the institute’s regular voting-intention survey. Smaller parties remained largely unchanged. The FDP rose to 5 percent, while the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) remained below the five-percent mark at 4 percent. Other parties collectively accounted for five percent of voter support. The poll was conducted online between Friday and Monday and included responses from 2,154 people, with 1,793 participants stating a voting
preference. Similar results have been reported by other polling organisations in recent weeks, with the AfD also leading national surveys by Insa and Forsa. READ ALSO: Alternative for Germany members attend Russia meeting despite criticism Fuel prices fall across Germany Fuel prices across Germany have continued to decline following a period of less tension in the Gulf region. According to Germany’s motoring association, the ADAC, the average price of diesel and petrol has fallen steadily for seven consecutive days, bringing costs closer to levels seen
before the recent conflict. On Monday, diesel prices averaged €1.816 per litre nationwide, while morning figures showed a further drop to €1.764 per litre. E10 petrol also became cheaper, falling to €1.826 per litre. It comes as the German government’s fuel tax discount is set to end on June 30th, raising concerns that prices could rise again in the coming weeks. The measure currently reduces fuel costs by nearly 17 cents per litre. READ ALSO: Germany’s fuel discount will not be extended beyond end of
June German court bans McDonald’s from making climate claim A German court said Tuesday it had banned McDonald’s from claiming in advertising in the country that it will be climate neutral from 2050 after activists took legal action. In a statement to AFP, the US fast-food chain confirmed it had accepted a legal case brought against it by Environmental Action Germany (DUH), but insisted it had not committed “deliberate deception of consumers”. DUH’s case centred on claims by McDonald’s on its website last year that
it would be “climate neutral”, including in its supply chain, from 2050 onward. But the group accused the restaurant chain of making a “grandiose pledge” without giving any details about how it would be achieved, saying that the measures put forward were vague and insufficient. DUH said McDonald’s did amend the ads after receiving a warning from them, but the fast-food chain refused to pledge not to repeat such conduct. This prompted the activists to take the company to court in Munich. McDonald’s did not
fight the case, and accepted the claim against it. According to a judgement handed down earlier this month, McDonald’s must “refrain from advertising that it is committed to the goal of becoming climate-neutral worldwide in its restaurants and in its supply chain by 2050”. The company faces a fine of up €250,000 if it infringes the ban, according to the judgment. Its managers could also face up to six months in jail, it said. Merz gifts Trump German football jersey for his birthday German Chancellor
Friedrich Merz on Tuesday handed President Donald Trump a German national team football jersey in honour of his birthday and the World Cup, pointedly adding “we’re on the same team.” As leaders gathered for the morning of the G7 summit in Evian, Merz produced the shirt of Die Mannschaft and handed it to Trump, who received it smiling as British Premier Keir Starmer looked on. The shirt had the name “Trump” emblazoned on the back along with the number 47, in reference to his status
as the 47th president of the United States. The US is currently co-hosting the soccer tournament. The G7 were seeking to find unity after a year when Trump has troubled allies with sometimes unilateral foreign policy moves and hefty tariffs on imports. “Happy belated 80th birthday, @POTUS,” Merz wrote on X. “After all, we’re on the same team,” he added. READ ALSO: The German words and phrases you need for the 2026 World Cup With reporting from AFP
Elon Musk, ZDF, AfD, Alice Weidel, migration, Belfast riots, Tommy Robinson, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, cease and desist, Rupert Lowe, Restore Britain, Germany news