Skip next section Far-right AfD ordered to vacate Berlin headquarters by late 2026
09/26/2025September 26, 2025
Far-right AfD ordered to vacate Berlin headquarters by late 2026
Office space could be opening up in this building now that the AfD has been forced to leave earlyImage: Jörg Carstensen/dpa/picture alliance
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) must vacate most of its Berlin headquarters by September 30, 2026, and the remainder by December 31, 2026, after a landlord dispute over a post-election party.
Berlin regional court Judge Burkhard Niebisch said the party violated its lease by holding the February 23 federal election party in the building’s courtyard but found no grounds for immediate eviction because there had been no prior warning issued to the AfD. The original lease for the property in the northern district of Reinickendorf ran to the end of 2027.
Deputy AfD spokesperson and Bundestag member Kay Gottschalk, representing the party in court, welcomed the decision, calling it “a great day for my party.” The landlord, Austrian investor Lukas Hufnagl, must cover legal costs but retains a title allowing him to call a bailiff if the AfD misses the 2026 deadlines.
Gottschalk said the party hopes to move out even earlier — by June 2026 — and is searching for a more prominent headquarters within 3 to 3.5 kilometers of the Bundestag, possibly for purchase.
The AfD often struggles to find rental or event space because of its far-right stance. Hufnagl’s company has also faced difficulties in finding other tenants and obtaining credit from banks because of its dealings with the AfD, according to media reports.
https://p.dw.com/p/516RY
Skip next section Stuttgart rival to Oktoberfest set to open with traditional keg tap
09/26/2025September 26, 2025
Stuttgart rival to Oktoberfest set to open with traditional keg tap
The world’s second-largest folk beer festival after Munich’s Oktoberfest kicks off later — Stuttgart’s Cannstatter Wasen.
It all begins with the traditional keg tap at 4 p.m. by Mayor Frank Nopper. Last year, he needed just two hammer blows to get the beer flowing.
Baden-Württemberg Premier Winfried Kretschmann from the Green Party and Deputy Premier Thomas Strobl from the conservative Christian Democrats are expected at the opening of the festival’s 178th edition, accompanied by brass bands and fanfare groups.
Around 300 innkeepers and market traders will open up daily until October 12, hoping to match last year’s 4.6 million visitors.
Attendance will hinge on weather and consumer mood, with festival host spokesman Werner Klauss saying economic conditions seem tougher this year. Table bookings for the eight festival tents have remained roughly the same, he said, but in some cases have declined.
The three-week beer festival and traveling funfair is sometimes also referred to by foreign visitors as the Stuttgart Beer Festival, although it is really more of an autumnal fair.
It traces its origins to 1818 as a harvest festival created to celebrate agriculture after years of crop failures and famine caused by the volcanic winter following the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption in Indonesia.
Oktoberfest — which started last Saturday and runs until October 3 — started earlier as a celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria marrying Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810.
https://p.dw.com/p/5162x
Skip next section Warning over false sense of security at German airports
09/26/2025September 26, 2025
Warning over false sense of security at German airports
A German lawmaker who heads up the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight panel has warned against a “false sense of security” at German airports after recent drone incursions at several Danish hubs.
“Airports are key points of critical infrastructure and increasingly targets of hybrid attacks — from drone flyovers to cyberattacks,” Marc Henrichmann told Germany’s Funke Media Group, urging faster responses and greater resilience. He said Germany still has “catching up to do” on protecting sensitive sites such as airports.
Danish authorities have reported multiple drone incidents in recent days but have not identified those responsible.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has announced plans to upgrade drone defenses and reform aviation security law.
Green Party security expert Konstantin von Notz has accused Dobrindt of “massive failures,” saying Germany now sees near-daily drone incursions and needs better detection and countermeasures. He called for a unified national security picture and said a new security council in the chancellery should coordinate police, military and intelligence efforts.
Drone sightings over Denmark raise NATO security concerns
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https://p.dw.com/p/5162z
Skip next section Verdict due in Hanna S. trial over far-left attacks in Budapest
09/26/2025September 26, 2025
Verdict due in Hanna S. trial over far-left attacks in Budapest
The Munich Higher Regional Court will deliver a verdict at 1 p.m. (1100 GMT/UTC) in the case of alleged left-wing extremist Hanna S., accused of joining a militant group that carried out at least five attacks on suspected right-wing extremists in Budapest in February 2023.
Federal prosecutors have sought a nine-year prison term for attempted murder, aggravated assault and membership in a criminal organization. They accuse S. of joining a group with a “militant left-wing extremist ideology.”
Defense lawyers have called for an acquittal of alleged left-wing extremist Hanna S. and requested compensation for the defendant’s pretrial detention.
It is alleged that the group attacked people it viewed as neo-Nazis during the “Day of Honor” event in Budapest in February 2023.
Right-wing extremists from across Europe gather annually to mark a World War II attempt by Nazi soldiers and Hungarian collaborators to break a Red Army siege on the city.
Six other suspects surrendered in Germany earlier this year to avoid trial in Hungary, where they feared excessive sentences and unfair proceedings.
https://p.dw.com/p/515xT
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage09/26/2025September 26, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
We’re picking things up today as a leading lawmaker who spearheads the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight panel raises a red flag after a spate of mysterious drone sightings at Danish airports.
Marc Henrichmann said German airports are also prime targets for everything from drone flyovers to cyberattacks. He added that Germany still has “catching up to do” when it comes to protecting these critical hubs.
Danish officials have reported several recent drone incidents but still don’t know who’s behind them.
We’re covering that and keeping track of other developments in Germany in this blog throughout the day here in this blog.
https://p.dw.com/p/515wz
