Society & Politics

Germany shifts to the right after reaching a voter turnout of 82.5% in the 2025 federal election, a record high since the unification of Germany.  On Sunday, voters elected a new Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany and the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, commonly known as CDU/CSU, a centre-right political alliance, top the election result taking 208 seats with 28.5% of the votes.  The far-right nationalist party, Alternative for Germany, or AfD, comes in second with a record 20.8% votes. It now holds 152 seats, according to The Federal Returning Officer. Friedrich Merz, the chancellor candidate of CDU/CSU, is set to become Germany's next leader,and will put together a governing coalition. Prior to the election, CDU/CSU was the largest opposition party in the Bundestag. CDU represented  the alliance in 15 of the 16 states, while CSU only contested in the southeastern state of Bavaria. Mark Schneider, CEO of a startup company and a member of CDU, said he believes the party can form a strong government that is able to make clear decisions. “Germany is facing a downshift in the economy. We are not in the best moment,” Schneider said. “Europe has a lot of challenges, including the war in Ukraine. But the last three years of the government were very weak.” He said he would prefer not to have a coalition government, but he suggested the CDU should ally with the Free Democratic Party, another centre-right political party.  FDP lost all of its current 92 seats with only 4.33% of the votes, and failed to meet the 5% threshold needed for parliamentary representation.  CDU/CSU’s election campaign promised a crackdown on immigration and a deregulation of Germany’s ailing economy. The country’s GDP has decreased for two consecutive years, according to the Federal Statistical …

Ukrainian journalists at the frontline regions of the Russia-Ukraine war shared their challenges in wartime reporting at a seminar at the Danish School of Media and Journalism. Organised by Nordic Journalism Center, a group of Ukrainian journalists were invited to share their experience in operating newsrooms in wartime Ukraine as the war with Russia enters into a third year.  Oleksiy Soldatenko, programme director of the Institute for Regional Media and Information of Ukraine, said journalism in Ukraine has been struggling with the lack of funding and human resources. “We have no equipment, we have energy cuts and blackouts, but we understand that we are part of this profession and we need to work within professional standards," Soldatenko said. He added although working with communities in destroyed cities is difficult, some regional newspapers continue to reach readers. “We work for our communities, but sometimes communities are not there,” Soldatenko said. “We have cities and towns that are completely destroyed, like Pahmo, but the newspaper from Pahmo is still working and going, trying to reach their people wherever they are, across Ukraine and in other countries of the world.” Iryna Synik, editor of Stepova Zorya, a local newspaper based in Russian-occupied Petropavlivka in southern Ukraine, relies on online subscriptions to support operations.  Synik said there is no room for depression because she and her only colleague have to edit and produce all the news pieces. But she remains motivated to run the 95-year-old local newspaper. "Because we are a local newspaper, we can tell stories that would not appear in the national news," Synik said. Marharyta Halich, editor of regional TV broadcaster Suspilne Zaporizhzhya, said finding interesting stories during wartime is challenging because people are tired of hearing negative news about destruction and casualties. Halich said she constantly feels empty and depressed …