Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Chancellor Angela Merkel says her ‘heart bleeds’ to see the AfD’s rise and the CDU’s fall in Saxony-Anhalt’s vote on Sunday
- German students score poorly in the latest PISA international academic assessment, prompting political soul-searching
- The government plans to send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine to try to fend off Russian air attacks
- A German lobby group says gas reserves are at historically low levels and could run out in the event of a cold winter
Here are the latest headlines from across Germany on Tuesday, September 8:
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Skip next section Cologne: Mother and daughter convicted of plotting to kill daughter’s husband09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Cologne: Mother and daughter convicted of plotting to kill daughter’s husband
A court in Cologne has convicted a 36-year-old woman and her 62-year-old mother to four-and-a-half years each in prison for trying to arrange the murder of the younger woman’s husband. The verdict can be appealed.
They hatched the alleged plot amid a difficult breakup and custody battle over the couple’s son.
The case revolved around alleged attempts to arrange the murder last September. At the time both the mother and the man were in Mallorca.
The court said that the woman had sought contact with a restaurant owner, asking if he knew anybody who would be prepared to kill her son-in-law.
The man answered in the affirmative but “only as a sham,” as the court put it. A fee of €5,000 (roughly $5,800) was agreed for the supposed middleman, with the woman paying €1,000 up front. She gave him photos of the target and his residential address.
The restaurant owner then recorded their follow-up meeting, both to warn the target and to gather evidence, the judge said. One comment in this recording — “I want to see him dead” — was mentioned in particular by the judge as evidence of the desire to kill and not just to arrange a beating, as the defendants at one point asserted.
The court considered the younger woman’s complicity proven because of the contents of extensive chat communications between her and her mother.
“She was more or less there in real time,” the judge said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MHpNSkip next section Merkel says her ‘heart bleeds’ as CDU politician to see AfD win in former East09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Merkel says her ‘heart bleeds’ as CDU politician to see AfD win in former East
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel made a comparatively rare public appearance at Deutsche Telekom’s Digital X trade fair in Cologne on Tuesday.
Asked about Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt, Merkel said the result was “simply shocking.”
Although the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) had long been expected to fare well in the state election, it did slightly better than anticipated while Merkel’s party the Christian Democrats (CDU) fell even further than expected.
“As a CDU member my heart bleeds,” Merkel said of the result in the one of the states from former communist East Germany, where she grew up. “This is a cut, a real cut in modern German history that we’re experiencing.”
Merkel, chancellor from 2005 to 2021, advised politicians to reassess their communication strategies, saying that “individually addressing citizens” by various means was becoming more and more important in politics.
She also voiced alarm at what she thought was voters placing less value on facts and more on their feelings.
As an example, she cited what she said was factually accurate claims of unemployment numbers falling in Saxony-Anhalt and individual wellbeing levels rising, but said “and then the leading candidate [of the AfD, Ulrich Siegmund] comes along and says ‘maybe, but it doesn’t feel like that.’”
Merkel said that such attitudes could not be allowed to permeate society as a whole:
“The main progress of the enlightenment was that the majority of people could agree on facts,” she said. Should feelings ever claim the upper hand against facts that would constitute civilizational regression, she said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MHpoSkip next section Renewables accounted for almost 60% of German electricity production in first half of year09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Renewables accounted for almost 60% of German electricity production in first half of year
The share of German electricity generated using renewable sources continues to gradually climb.
Figures published on Tuesday by the Destatis federal statistics office said that 59.1% of electricity generated in Germany hailed from renewable sources in the first half of 2026. That’s a slight increase on 58.0% in the first half of 2025.
Overall electricity generation was also up by 4.5% year-on-year during the six-month period.
Wind remains Germany’s largest renewable electricity source, at 29.4% of the national total. It’s also the fastest-growing power source. Solar power accounts for 17.8% and biogas for 5.8%, with smaller shares from hydroelectric power and other renewable sources.
Destatis said the large boost in wind power generation was not attributable to major changes in capacity but rather to weather fluctuations.
“In long-term comparisons the wind power electricity generation for the first half of 2026 was in line with averages, the prime cause for the considerable increase compared to the previous year was a first quarter of 2025 with unusually light winds,” the agency said.
The largest conventional electricity contributor is coal — albeit with the share falling compared to last year’s figures — at 21.4%, with natural gas accounting for 16.5%. Despite government plans to gradually shutter coal plants, for now it remains the country’s second largest source of power.
Germany shut down its nuclear power plants in recent years after a political back-and-forth lasting decades.
The country’s ovrall electricity deficit shrank markedly in the first half of the year. Germany’s net electricity import total, after subtracting its exports, only stood at 0.6 billion kilowatt hours — compared to 8.3 billion kilowatt hours in the first half of 2025.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MHddSkip next section In pictures: Vote for Germany’s 2027 bird of the year opens online 09/08/2026September 8, 2026
In pictures: Vote for Germany’s 2027 bird of the year opens online
Voting for Germany’s 2027 bird of the year has begun, in an annual competition organized by the Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and Bavaria’s LBV bird and nature protection agency.
Two of the five candidates are considered endangered, the house martin or Mehlschwalbe and the western pied flycatcher or Trauerschnäpper.
But the other three hopefuls looking to unseat the 2026 winner, the common partridge or Rebhuhn, are not currently on protected lists in Germany.
As well as the northern raven or Kolkrabe, the Eurasian crane or Kranich and the common or white-breasted dipper or Wasseramsel have both made the 2027 shortlist.
Voting is open until October 15, and if there’s any geoblocking involved, it’s not immediately apparent on the website, so any readers from further afield with strong avian opinions might as well give it a shot!
https://p.dw.com/p/5MHAvSkip next section Germany to send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Germany to send more Patriot missiles to Ukraine
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says Berlin will provide Ukraine with additional interceptor missiles from Bundeswehr stocks as Kyiv seeks to bolster its defenses against Russian aerial attacks.
“I decided to deliver urgently needed PAC-2 interceptor missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine,” Pistorius told a video meeting of defense ministers from countries supporting Kyiv.
He also urged other Ukraine backers to examine their own inventories and consider similar deliveries.
Pistorius said Germany would also increase supplies of air-to-air missiles and continue providing drones and long-range ammunition to Ukraine.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MGxvSkip next section Hotel fire alarms disturb teams at Berlin women’s basketball World Cup 09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Hotel fire alarms disturb teams at Berlin women’s basketball World Cup
For the second time in a matter of days, a morning fire alarm has interrupted the rhythm of teams competing in the women’s basketball World Cup in Berlin.
The fire alarm went off around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, forcing hotel guests to wait outside for around half an hour until the all-clear was given.
A similar situation led to the hotel being emptied much earlier in the morning on Sunday.
All the teams are staying at the same hotel, except for the star-studded favorites from the US, who made their own accommodation arrangements on rather different budgets to many of the competitors.
The tournament is headed into its crucial phases and involves a hectic schedule.
Germany’s national team, for instance, played its last group game against Mali on Monday, and will be in action on Tuesday once more in the play-in round, taking on South Korea in a bid to reach the quarterfinals.
There’s no known sign or suspicion of foul play or horseplay so far.
The knockout rounds of the competition continue throughout the week, culimating in the third-place playoff and then the final on Sunday.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MGx0Skip next section PISA study reactions: Education Minister Prien says widening social divide ‘not acceptable’ 09/08/2026September 8, 2026
PISA study reactions: Education Minister Prien says widening social divide ‘not acceptable’
Saim Dušan Inayatullah Editor
Politicians of all stripes are responding with alarm after Germany’s poor performance in the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, study.
It has always been a sore political topic in Germany — a country that prides itself on its school and university system — ever since it was first held in 2000 and Germany placed below the average of the then-31 countries assessed.
Education Minister Karin Prien, a Christian Democrat, said it was “not acceptable” that the “social divide is widening further and not closing.”
She said it was “nothing new” that there were large gaps in competence between the socioeconomically advantaged and disadvantaged, but said that signs of this gap widening were “extraordinarily unsettling.” She said an array of steps were needed at the state and federal levels, including more early-years assistance, putting resources “where they are particularly required,” and “swift action” on things like age limits for online activity by minors.
The Social Democrats (SPD), junior partners in the federal coalition, called for an emergency meeting of federal, state and municipal authorities. Germany’s schooling system, like its policing and many other public services, is federalized and varies from state to state.
The SPD’s Dagmar Schmidt told the DPA news agency that the party “now expects Education Minister Karin Prien to take the initiative,” and said that “federalized education cannot be an excuse for stagnation.”
Meanwhile, the German government’s integration commissioner, Natalie Pawlik, said the results showed the need for a compulsory year in group education prior to the start of elementary school.
“Language skills and social competences are two key preconditions for daily school life,” Pawlik said. An obligatory year in group classes could help children in families with migrant backgrounds meet these standards, she said.
The opposition Greens said the results showed “how unjustly opportunities are divided within our education system,” calling for more investment in daycares in particular. The socialist Left Party called the results “the check for years of failure in education policy.”
You can read more about this year’s PISA results from Elizabeth Grenier on our culture desk here.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5MGk1Skip next section Budget battle: Long-term investment plan? Or ruinous debt trap?
09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Budget battle: Long-term investment plan? Or ruinous debt trap?
German parliamentarians began debate on the country’s 2027 budget on Tuesday, with Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil of the SPD defending what he called “painful compromises” as opposition parties railed against new debt.
“My vision is a Germany of the future that is sovereign and resilient in times of crisis. A strong country that is innovative and also socially just,” said Klingbeil.
Since taking office in mid-2025, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has ratcheted expenditures to record levels in an effort to revive a flagging economy and rearm Germany’s military.
The draft 2027 budget provides for spending of €555.4 billion ($645 billion), up slightly from 2026.
Total new borrowing is set to exceed €200 billion.
The government has earmarked €118 billion for investments in AI, data centers, research and development, rail, bridges and tunnels, as well as hospitals and schools.
Opposition parties universally criticized the new spending, a clear departure from years of tight budgets that hewed to the sacrosanct “black zero,” meaning zero debt.
Now, the Merz government is on track to rack up roughly €1 trillion in debt by the end of its term, something the Left Party’s Dietmar Bartsch called “madness.”
The Greens and the AfD also accused Klingbeil of using “unconstitutional accounting tricks” to get around debt rules.
Klingbeil argued the country had no other choice but to incur debt if it planned on defending itself, noting that infrastructure in the country had also been sorely under-financed over the years as well.
The budget will come up for a vote in November and many changes are expected over the next several weeks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MDS8Skip next section READ: Police arrest suspect in power grid sabotage case09/08/2026September 8, 2026
READ: Police arrest suspect in power grid sabotage case
German police arrest suspect in power grid sabotage case — reports
https://p.dw.com/p/5MA2VSkip next section Protester shot in face with airgun at anti-AfD rally09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Protester shot in face with airgun at anti-AfD rally
A protester was shot in the face with an airgun at an anti-AfD rally in the eastern German city of Halle late Monday according to a police statement issued on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred at the end of a march attended by roughly 850 people and authorities say the 25-year-old was not seriously injured.
Police secured evidence at the scene and searched two nearby apartment buildings, though a perpetrator has yet to be identified.
An investigation into the incident has been opened.
https://p.dw.com/p/5M9G1Skip next section German pop singer Xavier Naidoo to be tried for incitement09/08/2026September 8, 2026
German pop singer Xavier Naidoo to be tried for incitement
Xavier Naidoo, a German pop singer, will face trial for incitement in an incident involving public antisemitic insults directed at a member of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation — which bills itself as an independent NGO dedicated to strengthening democratic civil society and combating neo-Nazism, right-wing extremism, antisemitism, racism and other forms of bigotry and hate in Germany.
On Monday, a state court in the city of Mannheim, where the musician was born, announced that it would allow state prosecutors to take their case against Naidoo to trial.
Prosecutors sought to bring charges against the celebrity in separate cases in 2023 and 2024, which the court previously rejected for lack of evidence. Prosecutors have lodged a complaint with the Higher Regional Court in Karlsruhe to force the lower court to hear their case on further points.
Monday’s decision regards one charge brought in 2023. No trial date has been set.
A popular figure in Germany in the 2000s, Naidoo later made headlines for espousing conspiracy theories, railing against Coronavirus safety measures and hurling antisemitic insults.
In 2021, Germany’s top court ruled that Naidoo could be referred to as an antisemite for his song texts.
In 2022, he released a video statement apologizing for the “many mistakes” he had made over the years, including for “troubling statements,” saying he regretted having ever made them.
https://p.dw.com/p/5M8rJSkip next section Germany’s exports lose momentum09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Germany’s exports lose momentum
Emilio Reynoso
Germany’s exports were down for the first time in months, the German Federal Statistical Office has confirmed.
For the first time since January, German exports fell by 0.8% due to lower demand from Europe and China.
Germany’s shipments to China dropped by 9.5%, while exports to the Eurozone declined by 2.8%. Meanwhile, exports to the United States increased by 19%, continuing a slow recovery following President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Industrial production also declined in July, adding to growing concerns about fuel supplies in the country.
https://p.dw.com/p/5M8GfSkip next section German students post dismal scores in latest PISA academic assessment09/08/2026September 8, 2026
German students post dismal scores in latest PISA academic assessment
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its 2025 PISA study in Paris on Tuesday and the results are shocking.
According to the study, overall proficiency in reading, math and science has fallen significantly among 15-year-old pupils in 90 countries, with German pupils faring particularly poorly — posting their worst scores ever in the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment, which has tracked the academic performance since 2000.
“We are seeing historically low levels of proficiency,” said Samuel Greiff of the Technical University of Munich.
Released every three years, the 2025 assessment documented a major drop in German students’ reading proficiency as well as significant dips in math and science skills since 2022.
“We aren’t dramatically behind,” said Greiff. “But we are not living up to our own standards as an education nation. We are not among the top performers.”
Among the factors contributing to Germany’s poor scores were the education system’s failings regarding early childhood education, teaching staffing, and digitalization.
Social media use was cited as a particular problem, leading Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Drug Issues and Addiction Hendrik Streeck to ask, “How much scientific evidence do we need before we do something? Studies show that early, problematic social media consumption measurably impacts scholastic performance.”
Roughly one-third of German students also told pollsters they considered school a “waste of time.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5M8CCSkip next section AfD victory prompts protests, opposition to party cooperation09/08/2026September 8, 2026
AfD victory prompts protests, opposition to party cooperation
Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) landslide electoral victory in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday has sparked impromptu protests across the country, with several thousand people turning out in various cities.
The largest of these took place in Berlin, where regional elections will take place on September 20, drawing an estimated 5,000 participants who exclaimed “fascism is not an alternative.”
In a survey conducted by the polling outfit YouGov on Monday, September 7, nearly half of respondents spoke out against political parties working with the AfD to form a state government.
Of the 1,862 people aged 18 and over polled by YouGov, 47% opposed cooperation with AfD, whereas 38% looked favorably upon the proposition.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt branch — which won nearly 44% of Sunday’s vote but failed to secure a ruling majority — as “confirmed right-wing extremist.”
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https://p.dw.com/p/5M7pJSkip next section Storage association warns Germany’s gas reserves are dangerously low09/08/2026September 8, 2026
Storage association warns Germany’s gas reserves are dangerously low
Germany’s gas and hydrogen storage association INES (Initiative for Energy Storage) on Tuesday said the country’s gas storage facilities are at historically low levels as summer heat fades and winter approaches.
In a paper presented in Berlin, INES said reserves were at 53% of capacity as of early September, the lowest they have been at this point in time over the past 15 years.
The lobby group said levels could be brought up to 77% by November but only if input is dramatically increased.
INES said 77% capacity would be enough to cover consumer and industry needs if winter temperatures remain normal but added, “77% capacity will not be enough in the event of extremely cold temperatures.”
With profit margins minimized by the wars in Russia and Iran, traders have little financial incentive to store natural gas according to INES. Storage facility operators are therefore calling on the German government to lower storage fees.
The Federal Ministry of Economy on the other hand, sees no reason for panic, adding that new LNG terminals off the German coast and pipeline deliveries from Norway can easily cover any potential shortages.
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