Germany’s public-service broadcaster
A drone carrying an explosive device found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle Airport has been defused after investigators removed its detonator. Flights were suspended and several aircraft diverted as Germany’s security services treat the incident as a new hybrid threat linked to foreign powers. Investigations are underway to determine the culprits and potential links to a broader network.
The AfD has surged in Saxony-Anhalt, threatening to win an outright majority in the state election. CDU trails and coalition dynamics loom as parties weigh their options in the wake of a results shock that could reshape Germany’s political landscape.
The AfD has topped voting in Saxony-Anhalt and is forming talks to lead the state government, while about 150,000 demonstrators across 20 cities protest calls to ban the party. Berlin hosts a counter-rally as mainstream parties face pressure over the rise of Germany’s far right.
Regional ballots in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have shown heavy losses for Friedrich Merz’s CDU and strong gains for the far-right AfD, following the AfD’s landslide in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks earlier. Merz has cancelled travel, called a CDU leadership meeting and cleared his calendar as party figures warn the results will increase pressure on his leadership today, 20 Sep 2026.
Voters in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have delivered a severe setback for the CDU and boosted the AfD, while Berlin’s ballot shows Die Linke gaining ground. Merz vows to push ahead with reforms as the far-right gains momentum across Germany.
Elif Eralp’s Die Linke has won Berlin’s state election, placing her on track to become the city’s governing mayor. The victory marks the Left’s strongest Berlin showing and comes as the far-right AfD makes gains in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Eralp, a migrant from a Turkish family, pledges housing reform, rent controls, and rules to boost social inclusion while facing coalition hurdles.