BBC News Briefing

21 September, 2026

Doug has short ginger hair and wears glasses with a black frame. He is wearing an orange jumper.

Doug Faulkner

Hello. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under scrutiny after his party saw more election losses to rivals on both the left and the right. In Russia, there's been a far more predictable outcome to an election. Russia editor Steve Rosenberg tells us what it means. And the US has released another batch of UFO files - can you spot alien life in them?

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Election defeats leave Merz hanging on

Friedrich Merz looks serious as he looks ahead. He is wearing a blue suit and tie with dark-rimmed glasses

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to stay on in the top job. Credit: Reuters

A local election defeat for Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has been described as a "disaster" by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but he has vowed to remain in post. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is on course to win the most votes in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with that CDU performing even worse than expected and failing to meet the threshold to enter parliament. In Berlin, the CDU was on course to be beaten by Die Linke (The Left). Asked by the BBC how long Merz has left in office, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said: "Pretty soon, he's going to leave." The latest results come two weeks after the CDU saw its votes halved in Saxony-Anhalt, with the AfD taking a major victory.

Find out more

AfD on the rise: Europe editor Katya Adler looks at the significance of the far-right party's recent successes.

'Reclaim' the flag: New Germany football coach Jurgen Klopp says his team can help ensure "national pride is not entrusted to the wrong people".

Under pressure: We took the public mood ahead of the elections with speculation mounting over the chancellor's future.

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