Germany news: Merz rails against extremism, AfD sympathizers
Published October 7, 2026last updated October 7, 2026
Merz rails against extremism, AfD sympathizers in own ranks
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday addressed the threat of political extremism to the existing social order, accusing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and far-left BSW parties of wanting to wipe out "the DNA of our democracy."
"Extremism," said Merz, "is forcing its way into our state legislatures with a vengeance."
Merz, speaking in Berlin, called this week’s election of an AfD politician as speaker of Saxony-Anhalt's state parliament — the first time a far-right politician has been tapped to lead a statehouse since 1945 — a "historic break."
Moreover, Merz slammed politicians — potentially from his own conservative CDU party — for casting ballots in favor of Tobias Rausch in the Saxony-Anhalt vote.
Rausch received 48 votes but the AfD and BSW only have 44 between them. It is unclear from whom Rausch picked up four extra votes — he was elected in a secret ballot.
Observers assume these came from within the CDU, but Merz said "false flag" attacks also occur in politics, implying the Social Democrats, the Left party and the Greens, all of which are also represented in the state's parliament, could be attempting to weaken or sow division in the CDU.
"Anyone who casts their vote for the AfD is playing the extremists' game and undermining credibility," said Merz. "In any case, this is incompatible with the values of my party, the CDU."
https://p.dw.com/p/5Nuzc
Skip next section IN DEPTH: German spy scandal threatens national securityOctober 7, 2026
IN DEPTH: German spy scandal threatens national security
The arrest of August Hanning, former president of Germany's foreign intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), and his former chief-of-staff, Manfred D., is threatening to cause a major rupture in Germany's intelligence relationships, according to analysts, as the full scale of the scandal begins to be understood abroad.
Read all about it in this article by DW's Ben Knight: German spy scandal threatens national security
https://p.dw.com/p/5NupP
Skip next section Police warn of potential puma on the loose near Munich airportOctober 7, 2026
Police warn of potential puma on the loose near Munich airport
Police in Oberding, Bavaria, on Wednesday warned residents in Notzinger Moos near Munich airport to remain vigilant and urged them to keep children and small animals indoors amid a spate of puma sightings.
"According to initial expert assessments," a spokesperson for the local government said, "it could be a puma."
Authorities say it is unclear where such a cat would have come from, adding that no circuses are currently operating in the area.
It is unclear what actions — if any — local police will take.
Police have reportedly received one photo of the animal, though they have not yet published it.
Authorities encouraged anyone with information on the animal, its location or origin to contact police in the city of Erding.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NuZB
Skip next section Frankfurt Book Fair kicks off with literature, politics and AI debatesOctober 7, 2026
Frankfurt Book Fair kicks off with literature, politics and AI debates
Emilio Reynoso
The Frankfurt Book Fair opened with the Czech Republic as guest of honor. The program ranges from presentations of literary works to political debates. In addition, Latin America's 50th anniversary as the first guest of honor at the fair will be commemorated on a special stage, and Chile will present its plans as the guest country for 2027.
"Our future guest country, Chile, will have a strong presence, contributing to the program with 14 authors and illustrators," said Ines Bachor, the fair's director of public relations, at a press conference. "In addition, there will be a truly broad program featuring works from a wide range of countries, from Argentina to Guatemala, including comics."
The fair will be attended by prominent literary figures, such as the French-British essayist, lawyer and novelist Philippe Sands, who will receive the German Booksellers' Peace Prize on Sunday. On Saturday, he will participate in a roundtable discussion on the possibilities of prosecuting war crimes and the destruction of ecosystems.
The organization Writers in Exile will present some of its scholarship recipients who have found refuge in Germany, such as the Chinese philosopher Zhang Xiaomao and the Afghan writer Maryam Kishawarz, who will speak about the situation of women in her country.
Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski will also take part in a debate on the repression of critical literature in his country.
Another key topic will be the impact of artificial intelligence on issues related to intellectual property and historical memory.
The "Frankfurt Calling" program of the 78th Frankfurt Book Fair will feature 120 cultural events.
On Friday and over the weekend, the fair will open its doors to the general public, with authors signing books and presenting new releases.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NuJf
Skip next section IN DEPTH: Ex-spy chief Hanning in pretrial detentionOctober 7, 2026
IN DEPTH: Ex-spy chief Hanning in pretrial detention
The arrest of August Hanning, the former head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency, on charges of espionage and treason has sent shockwaves through the country.
He has now been sent to prison awaiting trial.
DW looks at the latest developments surrounding Hanning in this article: Germany: Ex-spy chief sent to pretrial detention on treason charges
https://p.dw.com/p/5Nu8z
Skip next section IN DEPTH: Did CDU lawmakers vote for AfD speaker Rausch?October 7, 2026
IN DEPTH: Did CDU lawmakers vote for AfD speaker Rausch?
The question of which lawmakers besides those of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and populist BSW voted to elect the AfD's Tobias Rausch as parliamentary speaker in Saxony-Anhalt on Tuesday continues to fuel speculation — and outrage.
The choice of a far-right figure to preside over a state parliament for the first time since World War II has been described as a "breaking of taboos" by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
Most observers suspect that politicians from the center-right Christian Democrats are the most likely to have backed Rausch, despite their party's official adherence to the "firewall" principle rejecting cooperation with the AfD.
DW looks at the growing mystery surrounding the affair in this article: Germany: Did CDU lawmakers support the far-right AfD?
https://p.dw.com/p/5Nu5N
Skip next section New Hannover-Hamburg rail line set to be built by 2050October 7, 2026
New Hannover-Hamburg rail line set to be built by 2050
As mentioned at the start of this blog, railroad woes are one major theme in our Germany coverage.
But here is some very positive news for once: The parliamentary transport committee has finally endorsed a plan by railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) to build a new line linking Hannover and Hamburg by 2050.
The project for what is one of Germany's most important transport routes is planned to cost at least €9 billion ($10 billion) and had prompted years of wrangling.
It still requires backing by the full Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, on Thursday, but that is likely to be a formality.
High-speed train line
The new two-track line will be designed for speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour), cutting journey times between the two cities by 18 minutes.
However, it will be some time before construction begins: The preliminary planning report that forsees submitting approval documents in 2034, with construction to start in 2036.
Renovation of the existing line between the two cities is also planned for 2029 under the agreement.
According to DB, that route is already heavily congested, carrying up to 147% of intended capacity.
The agreement was reached despite opposition from lawmakers representing constituencies affected by the new construction, including Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil of the Social Democrats (SPD).
https://p.dw.com/p/5NtoO
Skip next section Final day of Backstreet Boys mania in DüsseldorfOctober 7, 2026
Final day of Backstreet Boys mania in Düsseldorf
Emilio Reynoso
US group the Backstreet Boyswill play their final of 10 concerts in Düsseldorf tonight, capping off a week of street parties and sing-alongs to celebrate the band.
"We'll take you on a trip back in time," member Howie Dorough promised.
To the rhythm of "Larger Than Life", Nick, Howie, Brian, AJ and Kevin appeared floating above the venue, crossing the Merkur Spiel-Arena on hoverboards each night.
Against the backdrop of a giant screen displaying futuristic graphics, accompanied by pyrotechnics and a laser show, the American stars have almost finished their short German residency.
The five musicians had already presented the show, Into The Millennium, at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
According to Live Nation, the event organizer, around 450,000 tickets have been sold for the performances. These 10 concerts are the only shows the band will perform in Europe on this tour.
The Boys' return to Germany
The concert series carried the subtitle Homecoming: Live in Germany, because the band have enjoyed a loyal fan base since their early days in Germany, as the singers emphasized in Düsseldorf.
"Germany, you were our first love. You loved us before everyone else, and we loved you," Kevin Richardson said. "So many years, so many memories," Nick Carter added.
The boy band was founded in 1993 in Orlando, Florida and was part of the pop boom of the late 1990s.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ntfy
Skip next section Germany blocks sale of Hamburg logistics firm to China's COSCOOctober 7, 2026
Germany blocks sale of Hamburg logistics firm to China's COSCO
The German government has said the acquisition of a majority of shares in Hamburg logistics company Zippel by China's state-owned shipping giant Cosco could pose a security threat and has blocked the sale.
The purchase of 80% of shares in Zippel by a Chinese company "would have deepened dependencies and jeopardized the resilience of Germany’s and the EU’s supply chains," an Economy Ministry spokesman said.
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting in Berlin, the spokesman said that although Germany welcomed foreign investment in general, "there may be investments that threaten the country's security."
Reports at the end of April said that the BfV domestic intelligence agency already had reservations about the takeover, which had been approved by the Cartel Office in February.
The business daily Handelsblatt reported at the end of September that the government was intending to block the sale, though this was not confirmed by Berlin at the time.
Cosco already holds a 24.99% stake in the Hamburg container terminal Tollerort.
That deal prompted a debate at the time about China's participation in critical infrastructure in Germany.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ntcj
Skip next section Majority finds Merz a failure as chancellor — surveyOctober 7, 2026
Majority finds Merz a failure as chancellor — survey
Most people in Germany consider that Chancellor Friedrich Merz is not up to the job, a new survey has shown.
In all, 67% of respondents in the survey by the Ipsos institute were either wholly or fairly in agreement with the statement "The chancellorship of Friedrich Merz has failed."
A whole 48% completely agreed on Merz's insufficiency as leader, according to the survey published in the Spiegel news magazine.
There were regional differences in assessment's of Merz's performance, with 80% of people in eastern states completely or somewhat dissatisfied compared with 64% in the west.
However, there was much less agreement on which conservative politician could replace him if he were to step down or be ousted.
The survey gave a choice between the leader of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), Markus Söder, his party colleague Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt or the premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst.
Altogether 43% of those surveyed said none of those named came into question, while some 14% responded with "Don't know."
Söder was, however, the favorite with 20% support, followed by Wüst on 16%.
Dobrindt lagged far behind on just 5%.
Merz under pressure: CDU lawmaker on election setbacks
https://p.dw.com/p/5NtBa
Skip next section SPD questions CDU, BSW role in election of far-right speakerOctober 7, 2026
SPD questions CDU, BSW role in election of far-right speaker
The co-leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), Lars Klingbeil, says coalition partner the Christian Democrats (CDU) has questions to answer after the election of Tobias Rausch, a politician from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), as parliamentary speaker in Saxony-Anhalt.
"The fact that the candidate of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, which is classified as 'confirmed right-wing extremist,' was elected as state parliament speaker with considerably more than just AfD votes raises very urgent questions," said Klingbeil, who is also deputy chancellor and finance minister.
"Electing right-wing extremists to such positions breaks with a taboo," he said.
"Not just the BSW, but also the CDU must urgently explain how this could happen."
The SPD federal parliamentary party staged a march through Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Tuesday to protest at the election result.
The state chapter of the AfD, which won a landslide victory at September elections, is classified as "confirmed right-wing extremist" by domestic intelligence.
Far-right AfD wins first state parliament speaker post
Mysterious extra votes for Rausch
Rausch was elected speaker with 48-29 votes, though just 44 votes for him would have resulted if only his party (39 seats) and the populist BSW (five seats), which had pledged to back him, had voted in his favor.
The CDU parliamentary leader, Sven Schulze, had recommended that the 15 parliamentarians in his party abstain from voting, but there were only five abstentions altogether in the secret ballot. One CDU member was absent.
The other three parties represented in the legislature — the SPD, the Left Party and the Greens — had all declared their opposition to Rausch.
Schulze said he could not believe that the four extra votes for Rausch came from the ranks of the CDU, although there has been widespread speculation that this was the case.
All mainstream parties in Germany have so far officially stated that they reject any form of cooperation with the AfD in keeping with the so-called "firewall."
https://p.dw.com/p/5NsqZ
Skip next section Ex-spy chief August Hanning to face court for allegedly selling state secretsOctober 7, 2026
Ex-spy chief August Hanning to face court for allegedly selling state secrets
Emilio Reynoso
August Hanning, the former president of Germany's foreign intelligence service (BND), who was arrested on suspicion of espionage, is due to appear on Wednesday before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe, who will decide whether he should remain in custody pending trial.
Hanning, who stepped down as head of the BND in 2005, is under investigation on suspicion of espionage-related offenses, including high treason, obtaining state secrets, attempted high treason, and acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NsoF
Skip next section Merz reaffirms solidarity with Israel amid October 7 commemorationsOctober 7, 2026
Merz reaffirms solidarity with Israel amid October 7 commemorations
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reaffirmed Germany's support for Israel in remarks on the anniversary of the deadly October 7, 2023 attacks led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"Germany stands firmly by Israel's side. Our Israeli friends can count on our commitment to ensuring that such a crime is never repeated," Merz said.
"We stand for the security and existence of Israel — this is a lesson drawn from the Shoah [Holocaust] and part of German identity," he said.
Merz said Germany believed that the two-state solution was the best way to establish peace in the region.
He also said the German government would do all in its power to combat rising antisemitism, adding that Jews had to be able to live in Germany without fear.
Merz said his thoughts on the anniversary were with the victims and their families, survivors and former hostages.
"And we hope that the deep pain and wounds inflicted by this day — by these monstrous, barbaric acts — can heal," he said.
Several events are being held in Berlin to mark the anniversary.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas led attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others abducted.
The attacks triggered the ongoing war on Hamas in Gaza, which left some 74,000 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians.
https://p.dw.com/p/5NsLc
Skip next section Cabinet mulls bill criminalizing rape videos, sexual deepfakesOctober 7, 2026
Cabinet mulls bill criminalizing rape videos, sexual deepfakes
The German government is planning a bill that criminalizes the possession, production and distribution of videos depicting rape.
The Cabinet will be discussing the bill, which also includes new offences covering identity misuse and the unauthorized creation and distribution of sexual deepfakes, at a meeting on Wednesday.
Currently, German law does not generally prohibit the possession and production of videos showing rape, and whether this is a criminal offence depends on what is shown, how and where they were recorded and who receives them.
Under the draft legislation, it would also be a criminal offence to take or distribute unauthorized images of someone else's naked genitals, buttocks or of female breasts.
The bill, which has been put forward by Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig, would also criminalize the use of a fake profile under the name of a real person for the purpose of damaging that person's reputation.
Fact check: Female politicians hurt by sexualized deepfakes
https://p.dw.com/p/5NsHr
Skip next section Plan for railroad revamp sets goals to 2030October 7, 2026
Plan for railroad revamp sets goals to 2030
The German Transport Ministry has presented a five-year "Infraplan" setting out goals for the improvement of the derelict railroad system.
Transport undersecretary Ulrich Lange said the plan was to be the central compass for the goverment.
"We specify the direction, set priorities and monitor the progress of the implementation," he said as he handed the plan to Philipp Nagl, the chairman of railway operator Deutsche Bahn's infrastructure division, DB InfraGO.
The 160-page plan, which is to be revised each year, covers the period from 2026 to 2030.
The planned renovation measures include repairs, digitization and electrification of routes, reconstruction of stations, noise control and the extension or new construction of lines.
The plan sets out a performance indicator system to make possible a transparent evaluation of the developments in the railroad infrastructure.
There are eight indicators with mandatory targets, such as how many kilometers (miles) of new tracks are laid per year, how many kilometers have been electrified and how many minutes delay are caused by infrastructure defects.
One of the targets set out in the plan is to build 155 kilometers (96 miles) of new track by 2030.
The plan does not, however, contain provisions for financing the railroad renovations, which currently depend on the government budget.
The Transport Ministry is working on a law on a railroad fund that secures financing for several years.
As an example of the problems currently facing train passengers, in September, nearly every second long-distance train was delayed.
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