Germany admits Taliban representatives as deportation policy expands amid political turbulence
The German government confirmed Monday it has authorised Taliban government representatives to enter Germany to facilitate deportations of Afghan nationals, marking a significant shift in Berlin's approach to migration policy under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
A foreign ministry spokesman stated the representatives would help coordinate consular services for approximately 450,000 Afghan nationals residing in Germany and assist with deportation operations. The officials underwent security checks but are not accredited diplomats and will depart after a brief stay, the spokesman said.
The move reflects Berlin's hardened stance on migration after accepting large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers in recent years. Germany resumed deportations to Afghanistan in August 2024 after a three-year suspension following the Taliban's return to power in August 2021. The first flight carried 28 convicted criminals to Kabul.
While the Merz government initially said deportations would focus on criminals, last week's flight included 23 Afghan men, some without criminal convictions. The coalition government agreement signed by the CDU, CSU and SPD explicitly stated deportations would start with criminals and security threats but would not be limited to those categories. Since taking office in May 2025, the government has deported 173 Afghan men, all with prior criminal records, before expanding the policy to include non-criminals.
Human rights organisations have sharply criticised deportations to Afghanistan, where the Taliban are accused of severe human rights violations.
Merz keeps distance from eastern campaign
Chancellor Merz made a rare campaign appearance in Saxony-Anhalt on Monday, joining CDU top candidate Sven Schulze in the small Harz Mountains town of Quedlinburg ahead of Sunday's state election. Merz warned that Saxony-Anhalt must not become an experiment for angry citizens.
The appearance was notable for its limited scope. Merz avoided the state's largest cities of Magdeburg and Halle, as well as bigger centres like Dessau and Wittenburg, instead visiting Quedlinburg and scheduling a stop in Leuna, a town of just 14,000 residents. The cautious approach reflects concerns about Merz's political standing, as his approval rating plunged to a historic low of 16 percent in May 2026, the lowest ever recorded for a sitting German chancellor since polling began in 1997.
The far-right Alternative for Germany currently polls at approximately 41-42 percent in Saxony-Anhalt, leading the CDU by roughly 20 percentage points. If the AfD reaches those levels and smaller parties fall below the five percent threshold, it could potentially secure an outright majority of seats in the state parliament for the first time in postwar Germany.
The political landscape has shifted dramatically since 2021, when the CDU won decisively with a 16-percentage-point lead over the AfD, largely attributed to the personal popularity of then-Minister-President Reiner Haseloff.
On September 5th, one day before the election, Merz is scheduled to appear at an event in Hanover in neighbouring Lower Saxony rather than in Saxony-Anhalt itself.
Swiss rave shooting suspect arrested
Swiss police arrested a suspect Monday following a shooting at a techno rave near the German border. The incident, which occurred after midnight Sunday morning in the canton of Aargau, killed a 22-year-old Italian woman and injured five people aged 24 to 31.
The arrested suspect is a 43-year-old Swiss man whom authorities believe acted alone. The shots were fired after the party of about 3,500 people had ended, though more than 100 people remained on site. The proximity to Germany's border ensured widespread coverage in German media during the manhunt.
Inflation accelerates on energy costs
German consumer prices rose 2.9 percent in August compared to the previous year, according to preliminary figures from statistics agency Destatis, up from 2.8 percent in July. The increase was driven primarily by energy costs, which surged 10.5 percent overall, while food and services inflation eased slightly.
The acceleration comes as the war against Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have sent global energy costs soaring. Iran shut the strait on February 28, 2026 in response to US-Israeli strikes, blocking a critical trade route that normally carries about 25 percent of the world's seaborne oil trade and 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas.
Eurozone inflation stood at 2.9 percent in July, above the European Central Bank's two percent target, fuelling expectations of interest rate increases next month.
Shots fired at Cologne café
Police in Cologne launched a manhunt Monday after multiple shots were fired at a café in the Südstadt district. Witnesses reported the incident at approximately 7:30 am on Bonner Straße. No injuries were reported, though bullet holes were found at the scene.
The male suspect fled on foot toward the train station, prompting a large-scale police operation in the area.
