Diverting our eyes away from Trumpworld for a moment this week, attention shifted to Germany where Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance came out on top in the country’s federal elections.
For many though, the story of the night belonged to the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, which received more than a fifth of the vote and came top in virtually the entire eastern side of the country. Merz’s alliance did not win an outright majority so, having previously vowed not to work with the AfD, the chancellor-in-waiting must now try to form a grand coalition with other mainstream parties, which is likely to include Olaf Scholz’s heavily defeated SPD.
Amid surging support for the far right, Ashifa Kassam and Deborah Cole report from Berlin, where many people from immigrant backgrounds feel real fear for the future. Kate Connolly looks at Merz’s bulging in-tray as likely new leader of the EU’s largest economy, while in an opinion piece Musa Okwonga writes powerfully about the extent of anti-migrant feeling and xenophobia in Germany’s “time of the cowards”.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Ukraine’s mineral dilemma
A deal appears to have been struck with the US over the country’s untapped riches – but fears persist among Ukrainians that Trump’s demands may be extortionate, reports Luke Harding
Technology | The fight to keep kids safe online
Following Australia, more calls are growing internationally to ban under-16s from accessing social media. But could it cause more problems than it solves? By Chris Stokel-Walker
Feature | Every step you take
Gathering data used to be a fringe pursuit of Silicon Valley nerds. Now we’re all at it, recording everything from menstrual cycles and mobility to toothbrushing and time spent in daylight. Is this just narcissism redesigned for the big tech age? Tom Faber investigates
Opinion | Former friends of the US take note: the old global order is over
There is a clear Trump doctrine. Those who can’t see it won’t have a say in reshaping the world, argues Nesrine Malik
Culture | Interview with Oscar-winning film director Bong Joon-ho
How do you follow up a universally acclaimed triumph like Parasite? The South Korean auteur tells Ellen E Jones about being inspired by Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, and why it’s hard being a “middle-aged film-maker”
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What else we’ve been reading
• On yet another grey, cold and drizzly weekend, the latest Blind Date (‘I was hoping to meet a total babe. She was a total babe’) brought some much-needed warmth and joy. I’m sure I’m not the only reader hoping that Gráinne and Alexander enjoy many more happy evenings together. Clare Horton, assistant editor
• Jonathan Wilson neatly encapsulated the dilemma facing English football’s small band of “mezzanine clubs” – too strong for the second-tier Championship but not good enough for the Premier League – and their yo-yo existence between the two divisions. Graham Snowdon, editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Can the ‘special relationship’ survive Donald Trump? – podcast
• Gallery | A new branch of photography? Found images of women in trees
• Interactive | German election 2025: results in full
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