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00:00German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Elon Musk's endorsement of Germany's AFD party
00:06ahead of the country's upcoming elections.
00:09A Russian animal rescue group says at least 32 dolphins have been killed in an oil spill
00:17in the Kerch Strait.
00:22German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Elon Musk's endorsement of Germany's far-right
00:27AFD party ahead of the country's upcoming elections.
00:31The crucial thing is that Mr. Musk has supported a right-wing extremist party in parts, and
00:38as you can see, not only here in Germany, but also in this direction, and that is something
00:44that we are not only not in agreement with, I reject that.
00:49Scholz has largely disregarded personal criticism from Musk.
00:53The chancellor, however, is far more concerned with the U.S. billionaire's attempt at seemingly
00:57trying to get involved in the general election.
01:02Scholz also voiced his concern over the role social media algorithms play in shaping public
01:08opinion.
01:09We are used to the fact that rich media companies are of a different opinion than the Social
01:14Democratic Party.
01:15This is nothing new.
01:17What is new is certainly the fact that algorithms are not sure how the opinion-making takes place,
01:24which is organized by the structures of these systems.
01:29Musk repeatedly backed AFD both online as well as in German media.
01:33This previously led to election interference allegations made by government officials.
01:42Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen announced he will meet with the right-wing
01:46Freedom Party's leader, Herbert Kickl, after multiple failed government coalition attempts.
01:54It comes after he met with Chancellor Karl Niehammer, who previously announced his intention
01:58to resign after failed coalition attempts between his conservative Austrian People's
02:03Party, the center-left Social Democrats and the liberal NEOs.
02:08During these talks, it turned out that the voices within the People's Party, which are
02:15in cooperation with a FPĆ under Herbert Kickl, have become much quieter.
02:23This, in turn, means that a new path may open up, which did not exist before.
02:31Van der Bellen said Niehammer is to remain in his position until he appoints a new chancellor.
02:36Meanwhile, Austria's ruling Conservative Party nominated its General Secretary Christian Stocker to succeed Niehammer.
02:49At least 32 dolphins have died since oil spilled out of two stricken tankers three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait.
02:56The waterway separates the occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia's southern Krasnodar region.
03:02Russia's Delfa Dolphin Rescue and Research Center said the deaths are most likely related to the fuel oil spill.
03:09Two Russian oil tankers were badly damaged in a storm in the Kerch Strait in mid-December, with one vessel breaking in two.
03:16State media reported that both tankers were carrying around 62,000 barrels of oil products in total.
03:23In late December, officials said more than 3,300 tons of low-grade fuel had been spilled into the strait.
03:30Officials in Crimea declared a regional emergency on Saturday after oil was detected on the shores of Sevastopol.
03:37That came a week after a similar declaration was made in Russia's southern Krasnodar region after fuel oil began washing up there.
03:48Heavy snow and freezing rain brought widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday,
03:53particularly in Germany, where the extreme weather caused major disruption to transport.
03:59Frankfurt Airport canceled 120 of its 1,090 planned take-offs and landings on Sunday, according to the Fraport Press Office.
04:08While at the Munich Airport, only one runway was open.
04:12Authorities say they have issued black-ice warnings for drivers and pedestrians, advising people to stay home where possible.
04:21The extreme weather also brought widespread disruption across the UK, leaving many key roads in the north of England and Wales unnavigable.
04:30The UK's Met Office has issued eight weather warnings,
04:33while authorities in Ireland issued two weather alerts for some areas across the country following the overnight snowfalls.
04:41According to local media, up to 30,000 homes and businesses suffered power outages in Ireland as a result of the weather conditions.