September 2026

The AfD is leading in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, while the CDU is projected to fall below the five-percent threshold, a result that would be a historic disaster for the party. The ARD projection sees the CDU under the five-percent hurdle, and the SPD is narrowing the gap with the AfD, which remains the strongest party. A coalition of SPD, Left Party, and Greens could achieve a majority, potentially allowing SPD Minister-President Manuela Schwesig to form a government.

In the Berlin state election, the Linke has become the strongest party in the capital for the first time, according to projections. The CDU currently has no power option in the state parliament. The election took place alongside the state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

German intelligence officials expect Russian aggression on NATO territory within the next few months, according to reports. The warnings focus on suspicious troop movements near the NATO border and on Gotland, where Russia is reportedly preparing thousands of additional hospital beds.

Volkswagen AG updated its forecast for the 2026 financial year, cutting its profit guidance significantly. The company also recorded a billion-euro writedown on Porsche. The announcement was published on Volkswagen's corporate website.

Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil announced a course correction for the federal government following the state elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The announcement came as the SPD coalition partner moved to drop the abolition of the retirement age at 63, a policy that had been a contentious point within the coalition.

Union parliamentary group leader Frei has said that federal coercion (Bundeszwang) against an AfD-led state government is conceivable as an ultima ratio. The statement comes amid a debate over what the federal government can do if the AfD takes power in Saxony-Anhalt. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is simultaneously under pressure, with questions raised about his position.

Attacks have forced the shutdown of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, a development that German outlets describe as highly relevant for the global oil market. The Houthi militia's campaign is the context for the closure, with fighting in Yemen displacing around 76,000 people. The pipeline shutdown has put Saudi Arabia under pressure.

Steffen Krach, the SPD's top candidate for Berlin's state election, is under investigation by the Berlin public prosecutor's office in two cases on suspicion of corruption. The proceedings concern an initial suspicion of accepting benefits (Vorteilsannahme). The investigation centers on a donation that Krach says was returned immediately after it was received.

The AfD parliamentary group has filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz over a statement he made about remigration. The party is pursuing the case as "verleumderische Beleidigung" (defamatory insult). The complaint follows Merz's remark on the AfD's remigration policy.

OpenAI has announced that its AI system solved the Navier-Stokes problem, one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems in mathematics. The claimed breakthrough was achieved with substantial computational resources and millions in investment. The result, if verified, would mark a historic moment in mathematics.

Russia has ordered the closure of Goethe-Institut branches in the country, a move described as retaliation for German sanctions imposed after a drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The Kremlin's action targets German cultural institutions, with reports also mentioning the closure of a German consulate.

Bavarian state police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a construction site in Munich, believing it may have targeted defense companies Rohde & Schwarz and another unnamed firm. The attack occurred on a building site, and authorities have not yet confirmed the motive or the extent of the damage.

German police discovered six launch devices near a substation in Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, following an attack on the facility. The devices were found close to the Umspannwerk, and authorities are treating the incident as sabotage targeting critical infrastructure.

Boris Palmer, the mayor of Tübingen and former Green politician, has described a possible AfD-led government in Saxony-Anhalt as a 'chance' and a 'Glücksfall' (stroke of luck). He said that 'now one can try out what happens' and sees the situation as a 'Bewährungsprobe' (test) for the party.

Berlin's SPD top candidate for the state election, Krach, is under investigation for suspected bribery. Police searched his premises as part of the probe, which centers on a donation that Krach says was immediately returned.