Around 3,300 people gathered in the western German city of Dortmund on Sunday to protest against a visit by a fascist politician from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party — and an even bigger protest is expected in Düsseldorf on Monday.
Worldwide, autocracies are on the rise, populists are gaining momentum, democratic societies are under pressure. Wars, inflation and fear of economic decline are causing great uncertainty.
Haxhimusa's house is located in the mountain village of Doganaj in the southeast of Kosovo. It is a two-story family home with a garden with old fruit trees in front and fields behind. The winter sun shines brightly onto the facade and windows. It is warm in the living room.
Skip next section Closing summary February 21, 2026 Closing summary After reelecting Chancellor Friedrich Merz as their party leader on Friday, CDU delegates voted on a slew of political proposals Saturday.
Müge Tuzcu Karakoc is certain that without an integration course, she would probably still not have properly settled in Germany by now. The Turkish journalist has been living in Germany for seven years.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is holding its national conference — and one of the major themes up for discussion is what Merz sees as an "exaggerated" work-life balance. Too many people are working part-time, he has repeatedly said, and for Germany to be prosperous, they must transition to full-time jobs.
Who were the big winners and losers? Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway is the undisputed king of the Milan Cortina Olympic Games. With six gold medals, the 29-year-old cross-country skier equaled the record of US speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid.
China has overtaken the US as Germany's most important trading partner, according to figures released by Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Friday. The sum of exports and imports between the two countries last year totaled €251.8 billion ($296.6 billion), a 2.1% increase, according to Destatis. China was Germany's most important trading partner from 2016 all the way through to 2023.
Around 1.9 million people with university-level qualifications were at risk of poverty in 2025, an increase of 350,000 compared with 2022. The figures from Germany's official statistics office were released in response to a request from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). The rise comes as the number of graduates grew to 21 million nationwide.
Skip next section Merz takes aim at far-right AfD February 20, 2026 Merz takes aim at far-right AfD Merz criticized his party's main challenger, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)Image: Thomas Kienzle/AFP/Getty Images During the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party conference on Friday, Merz largely attacked his rivals on the right — according to him, the
Is Christine Lagarde leaving the ECB early? Officially, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is not quitting her job early as head of the 21-member eurozone's central bank. However, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Lagarde has told people close to her that she is considering stepping down before her eight-year term ends in 2027.
The populist far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) likes to present itself as anti-establishment and as the voice of ordinary people. Nepotism in political parties, they believe, never goes down well with voters.