Germany updates: Far-right AfD told to leave Berlin HQ

The world's second-largest folk and beer festival after Munich's Oktoberfest kicked off on Friday — Stuttgart's Cannstatter Wasen.

Around 300 innkeepers and market traders will open up daily until October 12, hoping to match last year's 4.6 million visitors.

Read more about the Cannstatter Wasen here.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Germany and its EU partners still rely far too much on software from the United States.

Speaking at a business summit in Berlin, he urged Europe to strengthen digital sovereignty and build its own data centers.

"I want us in Europe, not just us in Germany, but we in Europe as a whole, to become more independent, more sovereign, and to develop some of our strengths ourselves," he told an audience.

The Munich Higher Regional Court has sentenced left-wing extremist Hanna S. to five years in prison for aggravated assault and membership in a criminal organization over two attacks on suspected right-wing extremists in Budapest. 

Judges found that S. joined a group that used batons, a hammer and pepper spray against victims during the February 2023 "Day of Honor," when far-right groups from across Europe commemorate a 1945 Nazi and Hungarian attempt to break a Red Army siege. One victim suffered serious head injuries; others had bruises and lacerations.

The court rejected federal prosecutors' call for a nine-year sentence on attempted murder charges.

Defense lawyer Yunus Ziyal had described the event as a "neo-Nazi show" and sought acquittal and compensation for pretrial detention.

The case is part of the wider "Budapest complex," in which several others are under investigation. Seven suspects surrendered to authorities in January, and six face charges before the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf.

The German pharmaceutical industry has reacted sharply to US President Donald Trump's announced 100% tariffs on medicines.

"If the plans are implemented as announced from October 1, this would be a severe setback for the pharmaceutical sector in Germany and Europe," the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (VFA) said.

The announcement contradicts previous trade agreements between the United States and the EU, which set a tariff ceiling of 15%.

"The announced import tariffs of 100% would have serious effects on international supply chains, drive up the cost of medicine production, and endanger patient care in both the US and Europe," said VFA President Han Steutel. "We are already seeing investments in Germany being frozen."

Finding quick solutions for Europe and Germany is now crucial, Steutel added.

Germany's pharmaceutical sector employs about 130,000 people and includes global names such as Bayer and Merck. The US is its most important export market. In 2024, goods worth €27 billion ($31.5 billion)— around 25% of German pharmaceutical exports — went to the United States.

According to Trump, companies that invest in medicine production in the US would be exempt from the announced drug tariffs.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) must vacate most of its Berlin headquarters by September 30, 2026.

It would need to leave 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 (about 2 miles) 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.

The world's second-largest 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 state 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.

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.

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.

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.