Latest news bulletin | September 2nd – Morning
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00:00A spokesperson for the far-right AFD says the party is ready to talk to everyone to
00:06form a state government for Thuringia.
00:11The Pope is heading on his longest papal tour ever as he heads to Asia to rally the region's
00:16growing Catholic community.
00:20Eighty-five years after the outbreak of World War II, a commemorative event took place in
00:25Poland at the site of the attack which sparked the conflict.
00:33Sunday marked the very first time since the Nazis were in power that the far-right has
00:37won a state election in Germany.
00:40Far-right party Alternative for Germany, or the AFD, celebrated coming first place in
00:45Thuringia and second place in Saxony, according to the first exit polls.
00:50We expect this to be a starting signal for a political change in the entire Federal Republic,
00:57and it will be obvious, especially in the east of the republic, because here the dynamics
01:01in politics are simply greater than in the west.
01:03We have set out today to support the Brandenburgs and we will be able to see just as great historical
01:09results there in three weeks.
01:12AFD applauded their historic results, according to Sunday's exit polls.
01:17But will they be able to form a coalition?
01:20Well, the next step is the government negotiations.
01:24As the strongest force, we are basically entrusted with making the necessary offers
01:29according to parliamentary needs.
01:31And it will show whether the established politics, whether the other forces continue their previous
01:39concepts, which have actually failed, or whether they are actually ready to come into conversation
01:44with us.
01:46A counter-protest was held outside the Erfurt parliament as exit results came in.
02:17Voter turnout was much higher this year compared to the previous elections in 2019.
02:30The main losers of this election were the current coalition parties, Social Democrats,
02:35Greens and the Liberals.
02:39The Pope is beginning his longest, furthest and most challenging trip ever to Asia.
02:45Pope Francis will be visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore
02:49during his 11-day trip.
02:51Travelling tens of thousands of kilometres, the journey will far surpass any of his previous
02:56trips, being one of the longest papal tours ever.
03:00I will begin an apostolic journey in some Asian countries.
03:05Please pray for the fruit of this journey.
03:11During his trip, the Pope will deliver 16 speeches and hold several giant masses as
03:16he seeks to rally the region's growing Catholic community.
03:20While attempting to bolster ties with local Catholics, the Pope also aims to bridge religious
03:26divides in a majority Muslim country like Indonesia, during a visit to an iconic mosque.
03:31Francis also faces challenges like addressing growing discrimination amongst religious minorities
03:37in Indonesia and a sexual abuse scandal in East Timor.
03:41The Pope is expected to address some of the key issues that have marked his tenure as
03:45head of the Catholic Church, including the environment.
03:49A commemoration marking the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II took place
03:55in the northern Polish city of Gdansk.
03:58Veterans, troops and delegations from across Poland participated in the event alongside
04:03Polish politicians at the location where the war was triggered decades ago.
04:08Nearly 6 million Poles died in the conflict, which killed more than 50 million people overall.
04:15Poland's current pro-EU government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has urged Germany
04:20to provide financial compensation over losses the country sustained at the hands of Nazi troops.
04:27According to Polish media, discussions between the two countries on financial compensation
04:32to living victims are underway, with Poland estimating up to 70,000 people would be eligible.
04:39Speaking at the ceremony, Tusk said the lessons of the world war were not an abstraction
04:44and drew parallels with the ongoing war in neighbouring Ukraine.