Germany news: Left-leaning Berlin coalition talks break down

October 13, 2026

Why have the Berlin exploratory talks broken down within a week?

The breakdown in the exploratory talks can be traced back to concerns about the often highly critical stance on Israel adopted by some members of the Left Party, coupled with criticism of the appearance of a figure linked to organized crime at an election night party. 

The Left scored well with parts of Berlin's population, not least the young and communities with more people of migrant backgrounds, with an unusually stern line on Israeli wars in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East by the often muted standards of German politics. 

But comments from its more outspoken members and controversies like an organized crime boss attending an election-night after-party led to questions — particularly in some newspapers and from the conservative Christian Democrats — about whether center-left parties could work under the Left's leadership. 

In a bid to settle this, the Greens, SPD and Left drafted a joint statement on antisemitism, Israel's right to exist and maintaining a distance from organized crime before starting their talks. 

But the text subsequently faced criticism from within the Left's own ranks. 

On Tuesday, as 44 Left Party members of the new Berlin parliament met, they instead signed off on a different text more closely aligned to the party's past internal position papers. 

"We stand by Israel's right to exist and for equal rights for all people in Israel. Equally we stand by Palestine's right to exist and for equal rights for all people in Palestine," the Left Party's text read. 

Among other things, this omits a reference in the joint text to Israel's right to exist being "non-negotiable," and to listing potential sanctions for transgressions potentially extending as far as being ejected from the party. 

The CDU — which emerged as the second-largest party in the vote, well adrift of the Left on 18.8% — argue that the SPD and Greens should negotiate a coalition government with them instead. 

Chancellor Merz had also weighed into the discussion, saying that the allegations of impropriety facing the Left Party cannot be "dismissed with a piece of paper." In the meantime, the party's state lawmakers appear to have disavowed that piece of paper anyway. 

October 13, 2026

Berlin: SPD and Greens halt exploratory coalition talks with Left Party

Berlin's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and environmentalist Greens have halted exploratory coalition talks with the socialist Left Party , which followed last month's regional elections. 

The two parties' lead candidates from the state elections, Werner Graf of the Greens and Steffen Krach of the SPD, announced the move in a joint statement on Tuesday evening.

They referred to Left Party meetings earlier in the day in which party members signed a statement on handling antisemitism and on Israel's right to exist, but using a text that differed from a statement the three parties had jointly agreed to when opening the negotiations. 

"We have taken note that the Left Party have reached a different arrangement within their own party," Graf and Krach's statement said. 

However, the SPD and Greens also made clear that they were not closing the door on the Left Party entirely. 

"This means that at this point we have to interrupt the coalition negotiations, so as to evaluate whether or not our agreement from last week still stands," they wrote. "We expect the Left Party to make clear to us to what extent they take the agreements they made seriously and intend to implement them." 

The Left Party emerged as the largest party Berlin's close-fought election last month, claiming just under 26% of the vote, faring particularly well with young voters.

The Greens won just over 14% and the SPD just over 12% — meaning that the three left-leaning parties would command a slim majority if combined. 

In theory, the SPD and Greens could also ally with the conservative CDU, but this would yield an even more fragile majority in the city-state's parliament, with stiff populist opposition from the AfD on the far-right and the Left on the other flank.

October 13, 2026

Astronaut Adenot: Mars voyage with current tech would be 'disaster'

French astronaut Sophie Adenot spoke to reporters at the European Space Agency (ESA) headquarters in Cologne on Tuesday, shortly after her return from the International Space Station. 

She said that based on her experiences, it was too early to consider a mission to Mars the likes of which Elon Musk has been touting for years. 

"We are not ready, we need technological breakthroughs," Adenot said, recalling her thoughts on landing in the Pacific Ocean five days ago after months in orbit.

"The moment the capsule opened, the first thing I said was, 'send me back to space,' because I was getting seasick on the waves," Adenot said. "But the second thing I said was that we are not ready to fly to Mars."

Adenot explained how around half of astronauts experienced symptoms like she did on returning from a long stretch in space, like pronounced frailty and nausea. 

"With the technology that we currently have, a very long mission, a journey to Mars lasting months — just imagine the disaster," Adenot said. 

Adenot said that technological breakthroughs were needed, either to drastically shorten the travel time, "or for example to artificially generate gravity," perhaps by having the spacecraft in a permanent state of rotation. 

Adenot spent eight months on the International Space Station — a comparable amount of time that it would theoretically take to fly to Mars with current propulsion methods.

But she said that on the ISS there was much more space and much better facilities for exercise and movement than any transport vessel could offer. 
 

October 13, 2026

Boateng 'proud and happy' in Trabzonspor coaching role after Bayern job fell through

Former Germany defender Jerome Boateng has confirmed reports of him taking up a coaching role with Turkish top-flight club Trabzonspor. 

"I am very proud and happy to be a part of the coaching staff," Boateng wrote on Instagram, saying it meant "a great deal to me" to learn from Trabzonspor's German head coach and his team every day.

The 2014 World Cup winner Boateng also said the role allowed him to share his experience and work with players "on and off the pitch, which is very valuable to me." 

One of those Trabzonspor players is Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, who joined from Liverpool in the offseason and has hit the ground running scoring a goal a game. 

Boateng's appointment follows around a year after a planned start to his coaching career at his former club Bayern Munich fell through. 

Boateng retired as a player in September 2025. He was then invited by head coach Vincent Kompany to gain experience with the Bundesliga champions. But after vocal fan protests, Boateng said he had decided to focus on other matters given the "recent discussions about me." 

The protests appeared to be linked to a 2024 Munich court ruling, which found Boateng guilty of intentionally causing bodily harm to a former girlfriend and issued him a formal warning. Boateng denies ever having hit a woman.

October 13, 2026

Ukraine allies in Poland after 'very difficult few days' with Trump

The foreign ministers of Germany, Norway, Poland and the UK spoke at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday.

They expressed criticism and skepticism about US President Donald Trump's approach to the conflict in Ukraine in the past week. 

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul bemoaned the US decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel as part of a deal to supply the US — seemingly struck as Trump panics about fuel prices with the Iran war still unresolved and a month to go until mid-term elections. 

"I would say this is not the time to lower the sanctions regime but to strengthen this," Wadephul said.

"We are keeping our course," he said, adding that Europe was asking the authorities in Washington to do the same. 

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband arguably found even clearer words. 

"Within the bounds of diplomacy we should acknowledge that it's been a very difficult few days," Miliband said in the Polish capital that's just a few hours' drive from Ukraine's western border. 

He lauded Zelenskyy for showing "extraordinary leadership ... in the most difficult of circumstances" since Putin's 2022 full-scale invasion, shortly after Trump's call — mirroring Russian messaging — for presidential elections in war-torn Ukraine. 

However, Miliband also said the notion of an "energy ceasefire" raised by Trump — seemingly unilaterally — was nevertheless worthy of consideration given the attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the onset of winter. 

"So let us take up this idea of the full energy ceasefire and let us seek with President Trump to hold Putin to this full energy ceasefire, because that is what we need." 

Miliband noted how Zelenskyy had expressed a willingness in theory, even if Russia was yet to do so. 

Published October 13, 2026last updated October 13, 2026

IMF nearly doubles German growth forecast to 1.3%

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast for German economic growth this year to 1.3%, almost double the 0.7% it predicted in July.

It now expects Europe's largest economy to expand by 1.1% in 2027, an upward revision of 0.1 percentage points.

The figures match the German government's forecasts released last week. The Economy Ministry said the economy had proved more resilient than expected despite higher energy prices and uncertainty over US tariffs.

Government investment in infrastructure and defense, alongside stronger exports, has helped support the recovery. German suppliers are also benefiting from investment in artificial intelligence.

The IMF slightly raised its global growth forecast for 2026 to 3.1%, from 3.0%, while keeping its projection for next year unchanged at 3.4%.

Strong investment in AI has helped offset the energy shock caused by the war in the Middle East. Higher oil production outside the Gulf, releases from strategic reserves and weaker demand in China have also cushioned the impact.

The IMF raised its eurozone growth forecast for this year by 0.2 percentage points to 1.1%. It still expects growth of 1.2% in 2027.

However, higher energy prices and weak consumer confidence continue to weigh on the currency bloc's economy.

October 13, 2026

Berlin airport cuts outlook as Ryanair scales back

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) expects passenger numbers to fall this year and next as Ryanair cuts its services, airport chief Aletta von Massenbach said.

The airport now forecasts 25.7 million passengers in 2026, down from 26.1 million last year, a decline von Massenbach described as the "Ryanair effect."

Other airlines would partly offset Ryanair's cuts, but would not fill the gap entirely, she said.

The airport is reviewing all costs and postponing investments in response.

"This is a heavy blow," von Massenbach said of Ryanair's decision to close its BER base, comprising seven aircraft and their crews, on October 24.

Europe's largest budget airline will continue flying to Berlin but will cut roughly half its services, removing around 2.5 million seats a year, she said.

Ryanair has called BER "Europe's most unsuccessful airport." Von Massenbach said she understood the airline's frustration over high costs in Germany, interpreting its criticism as primarily directed at the federal government.

"Everything they say against BER, they are saying against Germany," she said.

The aviation industry has long criticized Germany's comparatively high taxes and fees, arguing that they are a main reason air traffic has recovered more slowly from the pandemic than elsewhere in Europe.

October 13, 2026

Fighter jets escort plane to Nuremberg airport

German fighter jets escorted a passenger plane from Greece to Nuremberg, prompting a temporary airport closure. Police later gave the all-clear, saying everyone on board was safe.

Read more about the story here.

October 13, 2026

Pistorius says Trump has his 'back against the wall'

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says US President Donald Trump is under severe domestic political pressure and that his threats should be viewed in the context of the upcoming US midterm elections.

Trump has his political "back against the wall," Pistorius, of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), told an employers' conference in Berlin.

History shows that leaders under pressure at home seek opportunities abroad to score political points, he said, adding that he believed the strategy would backfire.

October 13, 2026

Four reportedly detained over Starlink fire in Poland

Police have detained two more people in connection with a fire at a Starlink station in Poland, bringing the total to four, Polish private broadcaster RMF FM reported, citing anonymous sources.

The broadcaster first reported that German police had detained a woman in Berlin. It later reported a fourth detention without providing further details.

Polish authorities said two Turkish men had already been detained in Germany on suspicion of being responsible for the blaze.

The September fire at the station in central Poland engulfed its power system and backup generator. Polish authorities blamed Russia, saying they believed it was sabotage aimed at disrupting internet services, including for Ukraine's military.

October 13, 2026

Merz says Germany's strengths are overlooked at home

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Germany is viewed much more positively abroad than at home, arguing that Germans underestimate their country's economic strengths.

Speaking at the German Employers' Day in Berlin, Merz said his meetings and travels had shown him a striking difference between perceptions of Germany at home and abroad.

"Germany is viewed very differently from the outside than we see ourselves from the inside," he said.

He said Germany was seen internationally as an attractive place to invest, despite its problems, and called for greater recognition of its economic potential.

The chancellor acknowledged that reforms were proving difficult, particularly because of disagreements within his governing coalition, but insisted that progress was being made.

He pointed to measures already passed into law and efforts to speed up planning and approval procedures for major infrastructure projects.

"The money is there, the rules are there, now we can build," Merz said.

October 13, 2026

Merz: 'I have no intention of becoming the nation's darling'

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he is not interested in being popular, insisting that his priority is to push through difficult reforms rather than improve his personal approval ratings.

An ARD-DeutschlandTrend survey published on October 1 found that just 10% of voters were satisfied with Merz's performance, the lowest rating for any German chancellor since the survey began in 1997. Some 88% were dissatisfied.

"I have no intention of becoming the nation's darling," Merz told an audience at the German Employers' Day in Berlin on Tuesday.

"My intention is to get this country back on track so that we can offer a reasonable perspective again, especially for the younger generation."

Merz made the remarks after being asked whether he was prepared to confront opposition to potentially unpopular reforms aimed at making Germany more competitive.

"I am right in the middle of this conflict," he said. "If I weren't, my personal poll ratings would be better."

October 13, 2026

German inflation rises to highest level since late 2023

Germany's annual inflation rate rose to 3.3% in September as sharply higher fuel and heating oil prices pushed up living costs, the Federal Statistical Office said

It was the highest rate since December 2023, up from 2.9% in August and 2.8% in July.

"The rise was again driven by energy prices," said the office's president, Ruth Brand, highlighting increases at petrol stations and in heating oil costs.

Energy prices climbed 14.9% compared with September last year, their steepest increase since February 2023. Motor fuel prices rose 37.1%, while heating oil jumped 74.9%.

However, electricity prices fell 5.5%, natural gas prices dropped 2.8% and district heating became 1% cheaper. The office attributed those declines partly to government measures introduced at the start of the year.

Services prices rose 2.7%, with the pace of increases easing slightly again. Food prices edged up 0.4%, although eggs, fresh vegetables, fish and seafood became noticeably more expensive. Butter, fresh fruit and dairy products cost less.

October 13, 2026

Wadephul urges Europe to increase pressure on Russia

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called for greater pressure on Russia ahead of talks with his Polish, Norwegian and British counterparts in Warsaw, warning that Moscow's attacks on Ukraine threaten Europe as a whole.

"We are also in the crosshairs," he said before departing for the Warsaw Security Forum.

"Now is the time to increase pressure on Russia rather than lower our own guard," Wadephul added.

The meeting is intended to signal European unity following controversial remarks by US President Donald Trump after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced and announced an agreement for Russia to supply hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel.

Wadephul said European countries were taking joint responsibility "to ensure that Europe's freedom is also defended by us Europeans."

October 13, 2026

Germany arrests two over Starlink sabotage in Poland

Two Turkish citizens have been arrested in Germany over a suspected arson attack on a Starlink satellite internet station in Poland, the Polish government has said.

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the suspects would face charges of sabotage on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.

German newspaper Bild reported that special police units stopped one of the suspects in a vehicle in Berlin's western Staaken district. Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office did not immediately comment.

The fire in central Poland in September damaged the station's power supply and backup generator. Polish authorities suspected sabotage intended to disrupt internet access, including for Ukraine's military.

"We have no doubt that Russian services are behind this act of sabotage," said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland's minister responsible for coordinating intelligence services. He said Russian intelligence was increasingly recruiting people from criminal circles.

Ukraine's military relies on tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and drone operations. Elon Musk's SpaceX activated the service for Ukraine after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Poland says it pays for Ukraine's subscriptions.