Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Two blasts overnight in Frankfurt damage small businesses
- Diesel prices in Germany hit all-time high
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz is attending a CDU campaign event in Berlin
Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Thursday, September 17, 2026:
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Skip next section Merz to campaign in Berlin ahead of critical state election 09/17/2026September 17, 2026
Merz to campaign in Berlin ahead of critical state election
Chancellor Friedrich Merz will appear on Thursday at joint campaign event with lead Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate Stefan Evers, ahead of the Berlin House of Representatives election on Sunday.
Merz is facing pressure for the CDU to perform in Berlin after the CDU’s state election drubbing earlier this month in Saxony-Anhalt.
On Wednesday, all eight Christian Democratic Union (CDU) state premiers publicly backed Merz amid growing unease over his leadership.
In Berlin, only a few percentage points separate the top four parties: the conservative CDU, the Left Party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the environmentalist Greens.
The CDU’s lead candidate, state finance minister Stefan Evers, has managed to keep the conservatives’ chances afloat, with the party is polling around 20%, narrowly behind The Left and just ahead of the AfD.
A state election in nearby Mecklenburg- West Pomerania will also take place Sunday, with polling showing the CDU barely hanging on at around 7%, which is dangerously close to the 5% threshold needed to win seats in parliament.
Although the CDU has not traditionally performed well in the northeast German state, a 7% result at the polls would be the worst CDU election performance since World War II.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MjwWSkip next section Diesel prices in Germany hit record high Published 09/17/2026Published September 17, 2026last updated 09/17/2026last updated September 17, 2026
Diesel prices in Germany hit record high
Figures from the ADAC motoring organization released on Thursday show German diesel prices have surged to a new record, reaching an average price per liter of €2.45 ($2.81).
For US readers, that is equivalent to over $10.60 per gallon.
Since the Iran war started, fuel prices in Germany have surged. On Wednesday, the ADAC reported the price of ordinary gasoline at another record high of €2.314 ($2.65) per liter on average.
Measures to provide price relief in the spring expired in June, but German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that the government would “react to price gouging.”
No new measures have yet been announced. Coalition partners the Social Democrats (SPD), have called for a windfall tax on oil companies, an idea Merz has rejected.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MjyQSkip next section Mysterious explosions reported in Frankfurt 09/17/2026September 17, 2026
Mysterious explosions reported in Frankfurt
Residents in two Frankfurt neighborhoods were shaken from sleep early Thursday morning by mysterious explosions.
Police said explosives were set off shortly after 4 a.m. in front of a cafe in the city’s “Nordend” neighborhood, and a few minutes later in front of a kiosk in the city center.
No injuries were reported. Images of the cafe showed a shattered glass facade and shards blown out onto the street.
“We have officers on the scene,” a police spokeswoman told Germany’s DPA news agency. “We’re working hard on it,” she added, referring to the ongoing investigation.
Police have not released any information about a motive or possible suspects.
In the past few days, there had been two explosions in Frankfurt and one in nearby Offenbach. Both caused minor damage and no injuries.
Early Monday morning, there was an explosion at an apartment building in Frankfurt-Bockenheim.
Early Sunday morning, there were also explosions in Frankfurt’s Sachsenhausen district and in Offenbach. A bar, a cafe, and a newsstand were damaged in the incidents.
Following the explosion in Sachsenhausen, a 15-year-old suspect was arrested and is currently in pretrial detention.
This week’s blasts come after repeated explosions in the Rhine-Main region over the past weeks and months.
Police have attributed several of these incidents to organized crime and the phenomenon of “violence as a service,” in which teenagers and young adults are specifically recruited to carry out these acts, local public broadcaster HR reported.
Authorities have not said whether they consider Thursday morning’s explosions to be one of these cases.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MjhOSkip next section Welcome to our coverage09/17/2026September 17, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Elizabeth Schumacher Editor
Guten Morgen from Bonn as we launch our coverage of what Germany is talking about today.
Overnight in Frankfurt, two separate explosions caused minor damage to small businesses. Police have not released information on suspects or a possible motive.
And in Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz will attend a conservative campaign event ahead of a critical state election on Sunday.
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