Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Police say they have found explosive devices near a power plant in Brandenburg
- Germany’s Foreign Minister Wadephul in Algeria for talks on renewable energy and gas
- Wadephul stressed the need to “diversify” energy sources, describing Algeria as a “reliable partner”
- The top diplomat also vowed a measured response to an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport last month
- IG Metall union chief says Volkswagen is making a “big mistake” by mulling further job cuts and plant closures
Welcome to our roundup of news and analysis from and concerning Germany on Tuesday, September 1.
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Skip next section Prosecutors charge 2 suspected members of German right-wing terror group09/01/2026September 1, 2026
Prosecutors charge 2 suspected members of German right-wing terror group
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has brought charges against two suspected members of the violent far-right Last Wave of Defence group for planning to set fire to an asylum seekers’ facility.
The pair are accused of traveling to the accommodation center in Schmölln in central Germany in January 2025 with the intention of setting it on fire. They allegedly smashed windows but failed to set the building alight.
The two suspects, aged 16 and 17 at the time of the incident, were arrested at the end of June.
They have been charged with aiding and abetting attempted murder, attempted arson resulting in death, and attempted aggravated arson.
The Thuringia Higher Regional Court in Jena must now decide whether they will stand trial.
According to the prosecutor’s office, one of the two is currently being held in pre-trial detention.
Last month, a court in Hamburg sentenced seven young members of the terror group to prison terms ranging from one and a half to five years.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Jw4WSkip next section Merz: No coalition, but some kind of interplay with Left Party possible in Saxony-Anhalt09/01/2026September 1, 2026
Merz: No coalition, but some kind of interplay with Left Party possible in Saxony-Anhalt
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expanded on how he hopes a CDU-led coalition — presumably without a clear majority — could still govern in Saxony-Anhalt after Sunday’s elections.
Polls suggest the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) will be by far the largest party, with the CDU a distant second, and the socialist Left Party (die Linke) next in line.
Given that the CDU refuses to join a coalition or formally “work together” with either the AfD on the right or the Left Party, this could make establishing a functioning government extremely challenging.
“With both the AfD and the Left there are such fundamental differences to the [Christian Democratic] Union, that direct cooperation is out of the question,” Merz told the local Mitteldeutsche Zeitung and Magdeburger Volksstimme newspapers on Tuesday.
But Merz said that some kind of CDU-led minority government operating with support from individuals in the Left Party on a policy-by-policy basis had proven viable in other states.
“We see how it’s possible to govern in Thuringia and Saxony,” he said of two other eastern states where the AfD is either the strongest single party, or a close and influential second.
“But it needs to be clear that there are limits,” Merz added, saying he felt these limits lay in holding Cabinet positions and formulating government policy.
Can this also work in Saxony-Anhalt?
Numerically, the parliamentary arithmetic could be more problematic in Saxony-Anhalt than any other state to date, at least based on the opinion polls prior to Sunday’s vote.
In Thuringia the CDU-led government only needs to convince one opposition politician of a policy to command a majority. In Saxony, that figure rises to 10 but there are more oppositon parties to try to woo.
Depending on Sunday’s results, it’s conceivable that a CDU-led minority government without the AfD or the Left Party could command fewer than 40% of the seats, or fewer still if the Greens fail to clear the 5% hurdle and enter parliament. And it would likely only have one party, the Left, to try to win over, assuming it planned to continue to exclude the AfD.
Prior to the vote, the Left in Saxony-Anhalt have said their condition would be having a more direct say on policy plans. How both sides might define this, and what compromises they might be willing to entertain once the results are in on Sunday night, remains unclear for now.
https://p.dw.com/p/5JuaOSkip next section Explosive devices discovered at substation in eastern Germany09/01/2026September 1, 2026
Explosive devices discovered at substation in eastern Germany
Police have found several explosive devices near the Jänschwalde power station in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The devices were discovered at an electrical substation in Turnow-Preilack, southeast of Berlin, after potential damage to a power line was detected at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, police said.
“Evidence is being secured,” a police spokeswoman said. “Bomb disposal experts are on site.”
Police added that there was no immediate danger to the public and that no one was hurt.
The Brandenburg state criminal police office has taken over the investigation of the incident.
Grid operator 50Hertz said “as yet unidentified perpetrators are believed to have caused damage to several power lines” in the transmission grid.
It added that there was a brief power cut but all power lines were back in operation and the general electricity supply was never affected.
Further details were not immediately available.
The apparent attempted attack comes after several incidents targeting power supply in the greater Berlin area.
In January, suspected far-left extremists set fire to high-voltage power lines near a power station in southwest Berlin, causing power cuts to 45,000 homes.
In March 2024, a group set fire to a large electricity pylon needed to supply the Tesla factory in Grünheide near Berlin. That caused a halt in production for several days.
https://p.dw.com/p/5JsCnSkip next section German part-time jobs reach record high09/01/2026September 1, 2026
German part-time jobs reach record high
The share of part-time workers in Germany reached a new high of 40.3% in the second quarter, according to analysis by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
The number of part-time workers increased 0.5% compared to the same period last year, to 16.936 million. At the same time, the number of full-time workers fell by 0.9% to 25.138 million.
The IAB named two reasons for the trend.
It said there had been employment growth in sectors with a high proportion of part-time work, such as health care and teaching. It also cited job cuts in sectors dominated by full-time work, such as manufacturing.
“The economy has recently stabilized, so the working hours of employees are rising slightly again,” said the IAB’s Enzo Weber. “But the crisis-hit manufacturing sector is losing many full-time jobs, meaning that overall fewer hours were worked.”
The average weekly working hours for full-time employees remained constant at 38.32 hours in the second quarter. For part-time workers, it rose slightly to 18.88 hours.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JqUESkip next section Germany to officially blame Russia for attempted drone attack: media reports09/01/2026September 1, 2026
Germany to officially blame Russia for attempted drone attack: media reports
The German government reportedly believes a Russian intelligence service was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport last month.
Various German media reports citing unnamed sources said Berlin would announce the details of its investigation into the incident, including the finding that Moscow was responsible, later on Tuesday.
The government has not commented on the reports, but Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt are scheduled to give a press conference on the matter in the German capital later this afternoon.
Following the discovery of an explosives-laden drone near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport on August 4, Berlin referred to a “hybrid attack” and said only that “foreign powers” could be involved. Some lawmakers pointed the finger at Russia, but the government stopped short of identifying a culprit.
Media outlets also reported on Tuesday that the German government was preparing countermeasures against Moscow as part of its response. According to Spiegel, those measures could include the expulsion of Russian diplomats and the closure of Russia’s consulate in Bonn.
https://p.dw.com/p/5JoD8Skip next section German union slams Volkswagen CEO over potential plant closures09/01/2026September 1, 2026
German union slams Volkswagen CEO over potential plant closures
The head of the IG Metall union has warned Volkswagen’s management it is making a “big mistake” by considering further layoffs and possible plant closures.
Volkswagen is already planning to cut 50,000 jobs by 2030, but the management has said more savings are needed, with the future of several factories uncertain.
In comments published in the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper on Tuesday, union chief Christiane Benner said she would oppose any closure of the carmaker’s plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover or Audi’s Neckarsulm site at an upcoming supervisory board meeting on the cost-cutting plans.
“It is a big mistake by Volkswagen management to put the plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm at risk of closure, seek to cut another 50,000 jobs and at the same time announce that the operating margin must rise from 3.8% most recently to 8%-10% by 2030,” Benner said.
She added that the company was required to honor commitments made to workers under an agreement reached in 2024.
Around 30,000 jobs depend on the Emden plant in northern Germany, Benner said, while the Zwickau site is particularly important for eastern Germany.
She argued there was “plenty of time to develop prospects for both sites” and said announcements about further potential cost-cutting measures had only created confusion and undermined morale among workers.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JlStSkip next section Germany ‘will not be intimidated’ by Russia: Wadephul09/01/2026September 1, 2026
Germany ‘will not be intimidated’ by Russia: Wadephul
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin would offer a measured response to last month’s discovery of an explosives-laden drone near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport.
The German government has not officially said who it believes was behind the August 4 incident, although there has been widespread speculation that Moscow was responsible. Russia’s embassy in Berlin has denied involvement.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said an investigation into the incident was nearing completion and vowed to provide a clear-cut response in coordination with NATO and EU allies.
News outlets Welt and Politico reported on the weekend that the German government was preparing to announce that Russian intelligence was behind the attempted drone attack.
German media have reported on Tuesday that the federal government would issue an announcement later Tuesday.
When asked to comment, Foreign Minister Wadephul said Germany would not overreact and that its response would be “firm.”
“Germany must position itself in such a way that anyone who attacks us knows we will respond. And we are now preparing that response carefully,” he told journalists at a press conference in Algiers.
“Germany will not be intimidated in any way, and that will continue to be the fundamental stance of our policy,” Wadephul said.
When asked whether Berlin should be worried about a potential counter-response from Moscow, Wadephul said: “Russia must know that Germany is a stabilizing force in Europe, one that is always prepared to negotiate, but which will not be intimidated.”
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https://p.dw.com/p/5JjtaSkip next section German Foreign Minister talks gas, energy supply in Algiers09/01/2026September 1, 2026
German Foreign Minister talks gas, energy supply in Algiers
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says gas from Algeria could help replenish Germany’s gas storage facilities in the future.
“Diversification is absolutely the order of the day,” the top diplomat told reporters in Algiers on the second day of his trip to North Africa.
Wadephul described Algeria as a “reliable partner” that was already supplying gas to EU countries Italy and Spain.
“Both in terms of securing critical raw materials and in matters of energy security, we need reliable partners and resilient supply chains, particularly in our immediate neighbourhood,” the minister said.
Wadephul added that Algeria’s potential as a future supplier of green hydrogen would only make the partnership more important.
Energy supply under pressure
Wadephul’s visit comes at a time when the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East is heaping pressure on energy supplies.
“It is quite clear that we must diversify. We need multiple sources of supply,” Wadephul said.
Additionally, Germany’s gas storage facilities are currently only about 50% full, with the government-mandated target of 70% by November seen as impossible to reach. Storage facilities were 67% full at the same time last year. But despite the low levels, the government has said there is no danger of a gas shortage.
Wadephul met with Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab on Tuesday, where his focus was “trying to negotiate long-term contracts for Germany.”
“If that is possible, then we will have another reliable source here, which is of course also important for our gas storage facilities,” Wadephul said.
The foreign minister is traveling with an economic delegation and was also expected to meet representatives from German companies. He was also due to meet with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
On Monday, Wadephul was in Tunisia where he met Head of State Kais Saied and his counterpart, Mohammed Ali Nafti.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5Jk53Skip next section Welcome to our coverage09/01/2026September 1, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Natalie Muller | Wesley Rahn Editor
Guten Tag! from the DW newsroom in Bonn.
You join us as German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul seeks to secure gas contracts on a visit to Algeria.
The top diplomat stressed that Germany needed to diversify its energy sources at a time when the effective closure of the Middle East’s Strait of Hormuz is constraining energy supply and pushing up prices.
We’re also expecting an announcement from Berlin this afternoon outlining a response to the discovery in August of a drone laden with explosives at Leipzig airport.
Meanwhile, the boss of Germany’s IG Metall union has criticized the management of automaker Volkswagen for considering more layoffs and potential plant closures.
Stay with us for all these stories and more.
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