The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has topped a nationwide opinion poll. Meanwhile, Kenyan athletes won both the men’s and women’s races at the Berlin Marathon. DW has the latest from Germany.
Germany slashes aid and development budget
Germany has cut its budget for international development by 8% and emergency aid has been halved. Aid agencies warn of drastic consequences.
Mayoral race in Frankfurt on the Oder headed for runoff
The race for mayor in Frankfurt on the Oder, in the eastern state of Brandenburg, is headed for a runoff between independent candidate Axel Strasser and Wilko Möller of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Official figures say Strasser, 48, took 32.4% of the vote in Sunday’s first round.
Möller, 58, who is a member of the state parliament, won 30.2%.
The second round between Strasser and Möller is set for October 12.
A win for Möller would make him the right-wing extremists’ first ever city mayor.
Desiree Schrade, of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the senior coalition partner in the federal government, followed in third place with 28.8% of the vote.
The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the CDU’s junior coalition partner, trailed in fourth with 8.6%.
Germany sends two Eurofighters to track Russian aircraft
Germany’s air force on Sunday sent two Eurofighters to follow a Russian IL-20m military aircraft that had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea, before handing the escort over to NATO partners in Sweden.
“Once again, our quick reaction alert force, consisting of two Eurofighters, was tasked by NATO with investigating an unidentified aircraft without a flight plan or radio contact in international airspace,” Germany’s air force said in a statement.
“It was a Russian IL-20M reconnaissance aircraft. After visual identification, we handed over escort duties for the aircraft to our Swedish NATO partners and returned to Rostock-Laage.”
NATO’s North Atlantic Council will meet on Tuesday to talk over Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace, two officials familiar with the matter told the news agency Reuters on Sunday.
Russian drones or aircraft have allegedly violated the airspace of at least three NATO members recently, further raising tensions in Europe which have been heightened over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Harry Styles runs Berlin Marathon incognito in under 3 hours
British pop star Harry Styles ran the Berlin marathon on Sunday.
Competing under the false name of Sted Sarandos, the 31-year-old completed the 42.195 kilometers (26.2 miles) through the German capital in 2:59:13.
Styles, who rose to fame as a member of former boyband One Direction, wasn’t the only global star to be seen pounding the streets of Berlin on Sunday.
German World Cup winner Andre Schürrle also finished the 51st iteration of the event, crossing the finish line near the Brandenburg Gate in a time of 3:21:25.
The men’s race was won by 29-year-old Sabastian Sawe with a time of 2:02:15 — five months after his victory in the London marathon — while the women’s race was won by Rosemary Wanjiru with a time of 2:21:05.
Man drives into group of people at fair, injuring five
A 41-year-old man drove a car into a group of people at a fair in the village of Niederdorla, in the central state of Thuringia, injuring five people, a police spokesman said.
The incident occurred on Saturday night, with the man, a German national, arrested.
The exact circumstances, such as the man’s motive, are not yet known, although police said they were no indications that the act had any political background.
Police said the man had been observed behaving suspiciously before the incident, and had been reported to police for reckless driving.
An investigation into attempted murder is currently underway.
Germany has seen multiple car rammings since the summer of 2024.
Dortmund: 400 football fans brawl in organized fight
Around 400 football hooligans appear to have been involved in what local police suspect may have been a pre-arranged fight near Dortmund on Saturday evening.
At about 10 p.m., a train carrying supporters of second-division side Schalke 04 back from their team’s 2-0 win away at Magdeburg was twice brought to a halt just east of Dortmund after an emergency break was pulled.
The second time, a large group of Schalke “risk fans” reportedly exited the train and headed into a wooded area where police believe they encountered a group of “violently inclined” rival fans of Borussia Dortmund and FC Cologne.
Police later stopped around 300 Schalke fans, 90 Dortmund fans and five Cologne fans, many of whom had red marks on their hands and faces, according to a police spokesman.
Officers also reportedly found mixed martial arts (MMA) gloves, boxing handwraps, gum-guards and balaclavas in the area, and have charged some of those allegedly involved with breach of the peace, grievous bodily harm and interference with rail traffic.
The rivalry between neighbors Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 is one of the most intense in Germany but, with the latter currently in Bundesliga 2, the two haven’t met for a men’s first-team “Revierderby” since a 2-2 draw in March 2023.
Despite the rivalry, derby matches generally pass off peacefully, but small elements of both clubs’ fanbases are inclined towards more violent confrontations.
It’s not uncommon for hooligans to pre-arrange fights with similarly-minded rivals in secluded areas such as woodlands, a practice which is nevertheless illegal.
After drawing 4-4 away at Juventus in the Champions League in midweek, Borussia Dortmund host VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday evening.
Kenya celebrates double triumph at Berlin Marathon
The first athletes have crossed the finish line in the Berlin Marathon, with both the men’s and women’s races being won by athletes from Kenya.
The men’s race was won by 29-year-old Sabastian Sawe with a time of 2:02:15 — five months after his victory in the London marathon — while first place in the women’s race went to compatriot Rosemary Wanjiru with a time of 2:21:05.
Despite Berlin’s reputation as the fastest marathon route on the world circuit, both times were significantly off world-record time (Sawe 1:40 slower, Wanjiru 11:49 slower).
This can likely be attributed to the unusually humid late-summer conditions in the German capital.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/germany-updates-afd-tops-poll-with-highest-support-ever/live-74072701