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'Prosperous years in Germany are over' - AfD blast 2026 budget, warn of €1 trln debt spiral as Bundestag approves €524.5 bln bill

'Prosperous years in Germany are over' - AfD blast 2026 budget, warn of €1 trln debt spiral as Bundestag approves €524.5 bln bill

"Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers lashed out at the proposed 2026 budget on Friday, as the Bundestag approved over €180 billion ($208 billion) in new debt. "The prosperous years in Germany are over, people need to be told this, due to the dismantling of the steel industry, the coal industry, the lignite industry, the chemical industry, and now even the automotive industry," Kay Gottschalk stated. "You have let this budget degenerate into a shell game and should truly be ashamed at this point. You have sinned against the people up there and against the economy," he continued. Meanwhile, Stephan Brandner called the budget 'a full-throttle crash into a wall,' warning that Germany's debt could reach 'one trillion euros' by 2029. "What our country has accumulated over the past 76 years, you are adding half of that again in the next four years. Whoever even remotely understands this must necessarily reject this budget," he stressed The lawmaker also highlighted the long-term burden of interest payments tied to the borrowing. "In the coming years and decades, citizens will pay tens of billions of euros monthly just to service the interest. The BlackRockers will probably be pleased. At some point, the debts have to be repaid. That is not happening," he said. The 2026 budget package sets total spending at €524.5 billion ($608 billion) and provides over €97.7 billion ($113 billion) in new loans - about €8 billion ($9.3 billion) more than center-right coalition experts had projected. The bill authorises borrowing of roughly €180 billion, the second‑highest level in German history outside the pandemic, and about $25 billion more than this year. Germany's debt brake limits annual borrowing to 0.35% of GDP, a threshold the government is again set to exceed."

'Prosperous years in Germany are over' - AfD blast 2026 budget, warn of €1 trln debt spiral as Bundestag approves €524.5 bln bill

'Prosperous years in Germany are over' - AfD blast 2026 budget, warn of €1 trln debt spiral as Bundestag approves €524.5 bln bill

"Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers lashed out at the proposed 2026 budget on Friday, as the Bundestag approved over €180 billion ($208 billion) in new debt. "The prosperous years in Germany are over, people need to be told this, due to the dismantling of the steel industry, the coal industry, the lignite industry, the chemical industry, and now even the automotive industry," Kay Gottschalk stated. "You have let this budget degenerate into a shell game and should truly be ashamed at this point. You have sinned against the people up there and against the economy," he continued. Meanwhile, Stephan Brandner called the budget 'a full-throttle crash into a wall,' warning that Germany's debt could reach 'one trillion euros' by 2029. "What our country has accumulated over the past 76 years, you are adding half of that again in the next four years. Whoever even remotely understands this must necessarily reject this budget," he stressed The lawmaker also highlighted the long-term burden of interest payments tied to the borrowing. "In the coming years and decades, citizens will pay tens of billions of euros monthly just to service the interest. The BlackRockers will probably be pleased. At some point, the debts have to be repaid. That is not happening," he said. The 2026 budget package sets total spending at €524.5 billion ($608 billion) and provides over €97.7 billion ($113 billion) in new loans - about €8 billion ($9.3 billion) more than center-right coalition experts had projected. The bill authorises borrowing of roughly €180 billion, the second‑highest level in German history outside the pandemic, and about $25 billion more than this year. Germany's debt brake limits annual borrowing to 0.35% of GDP, a threshold the government is again set to exceed."

Colombo reels from relentless downpours, flooding as deadly Cyclone Ditwah sweeps through Sri Lanka

Colombo reels from relentless downpours, flooding as deadly Cyclone Ditwah sweeps through Sri Lanka

"Cyclone Ditwah wreked havoc across Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo, with relentless downpours and strong winds flooding homes, submerging roads, swallowing fields and unleashing landslides across the island. Footage filmed in affected districts on Friday shows roads under water, houses half-submerged, and uprooted trees blocking roads. Dozens of displaced families were moved to temporary shelters, where they received emergency food and water supplies. Sri Lanka has been battling severe weather since last week, but conditions sharply deteriorated on Friday, pushing the death toll to 56 while dozens remain missing. Ditwah is now moving north and north-west toward Tamil Nadu, carrying wind speeds of around 65 km/h. The island has been hit by unprecedented rainfall, with the Meteorology Department reporting that 20 of Sri Lanka's 25 districts are severely affected. More than 60,000 families are now directly impacted, prompting authorities to issue an island-wide red alert. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said fatalities increased after rescuers recovered more bodies in the heavily affected central region, where several victims were buried alive in mudslides earlier this week. Rainfall reportedly reached 360 millimetres in 24 hours in some areas. With conditions worsening, the government ordered the closure of all schools and government offices on Friday. Overflowing reservoirs and rivers have cut off major routes, forcing authorities to halt passenger trains, shut highways, and close multiple roads due to fallen rocks, mud and trees. Railway tracks in several regions are completely flooded. The weather department warned that Cyclone Ditwah could intensify further over the next 12 hours as it moves across the island. Nationwide, the DMC confirmed that 43,991 people have been evacuated to schools and public shelters."

Colombo reels from relentless downpours, flooding as deadly Cyclone Ditwah sweeps through Sri Lanka

Colombo reels from relentless downpours, flooding as deadly Cyclone Ditwah sweeps through Sri Lanka

"Cyclone Ditwah wreked havoc across Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo, with relentless downpours and strong winds flooding homes, submerging roads, swallowing fields and unleashing landslides across the island. Footage filmed in affected districts on Friday shows roads under water, houses half-submerged, and uprooted trees blocking roads. Dozens of displaced families were moved to temporary shelters, where they received emergency food and water supplies. Sri Lanka has been battling severe weather since last week, but conditions sharply deteriorated on Friday, pushing the death toll to 56 while dozens remain missing. Ditwah is now moving north and north-west toward Tamil Nadu, carrying wind speeds of around 65 km/h. The island has been hit by unprecedented rainfall, with the Meteorology Department reporting that 20 of Sri Lanka's 25 districts are severely affected. More than 60,000 families are now directly impacted, prompting authorities to issue an island-wide red alert. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said fatalities increased after rescuers recovered more bodies in the heavily affected central region, where several victims were buried alive in mudslides earlier this week. Rainfall reportedly reached 360 millimetres in 24 hours in some areas. With conditions worsening, the government ordered the closure of all schools and government offices on Friday. Overflowing reservoirs and rivers have cut off major routes, forcing authorities to halt passenger trains, shut highways, and close multiple roads due to fallen rocks, mud and trees. Railway tracks in several regions are completely flooded. The weather department warned that Cyclone Ditwah could intensify further over the next 12 hours as it moves across the island. Nationwide, the DMC confirmed that 43,991 people have been evacuated to schools and public shelters."