Israeli hostages get heartfelt tribute at Tel Aviv drag festival

BERLIN: Thousands of people protested in Berlin on Sunday against plans to limit immigration proposed by opposition conservatives and supported by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Friedrich Merz, the conservatives’ leader who is tipped to become Germany’s next chancellor after a national election set for Feb. 23, sponsored a draft bill with AfD support, breaking a taboo against cooperating with the far-right party.
Around 160,000 gathered at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, next to the Bundestag lower house, according to the Berlin police. The protesters held banners reading “We are the firewall, no cooperation with the AfD” and “Merz, go home, shame on you!.”
Merz, the CDU/CSU’s candidate for chancellor, on Friday tried to push the immigration bill in the lower house but failed to secure a majority as some of the deputies from his own party refused to support it.
Their failure to endorse his draft dealt a blow to the authority of Merz, who had pushed for the law despite warnings from party colleagues that he risked being tarnished with the charge of voting alongside the far-right.
Mainstream German parties had previously joined forces to prevent the AfD, which is under surveillance by Germany’s security services, from achieving legislative power, something they call a firewall against the far-right.
The draft law would have restricted family reunifications for some refugees and called for more people to be refused at the border. Two-thirds of the public support stronger immigration rules, according to a recent poll.
Merz had argued that the bill was a necessary response to a series of high-profile killings in public spaces by people with an immigrant background. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens said the proposals would not have stopped the attacks and violated European law.
On Saturday, tens of thousands took to the streets across many other German cities, including Hamburg, Stuttgart and Leipzig, in similar protests against the CDU/CSU and the AfD.

DOHA: CNN is to strengthen its presence in the Middle East with the launch of a new operation in Media City Qatar, marking a significant expansion of its regional footprint.

The initiative, which was announced on Sunday, is part of the network’s broader strategy to enhance its global and regional content creation capabilities.

The Qatar-based operation will complement CNN’s existing hubs in the region, including its Middle East headquarters in Abu Dhabi — home to “Connect the World with Becky Anderson” — as well as its bases in Dubai, where CNN Arabic is headquartered, and various news bureaus across the region.

Scheduled to go live in the second half of 2025, the new hub in Media City Qatar will focus on developing multi-platform content covering major global trends. A dedicated team of content creators will produce material for digital and social platforms, along with an innovative weekly program for CNN International.

At a time when the Middle East remains central to the global news agenda, CNN’s expansion aims to bolster its coverage of geopolitics, business, technology, sports, culture, and travel, the network said.

It added it will also introduce training programs in journalism and production for students and young professionals in Qatar, further investing in media talent development.

Mike McCarthy, executive vice president and managing editor of CNN Worldwide, said: “CNN has a deep commitment to editorial coverage of the Middle East.

“Whether by adding to our ability to report from the region, providing new, cutting-edge studio facilities, or allowing us to tell a wider range of stories in new ways — including via a brand-new weekly show — this new operation in Qatar both underscores and expands that commitment.”

Phil Nelson, executive vice president of CNN International Commercial, highlighted the network’s ambition to innovate.

He said: “This expansion into Qatar will bolster our regional and global operations, adding to our long-standing footprint in the Middle East.

“We look forward to launching innovative formats and content propositions from this new studio in Media City Qatar in the second half of 2025.”

Sheikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, chairman of Media City Qatar, welcomed CNN’s arrival and stressed Qatar’s growing role as a media and technology hub.

He said: “This expansion signals the continued growth of Qatar’s strategic role in shaping global conversations from the heart of the Middle East — because here, where next is made, we are not only witnessing progress, we are making it happen.”