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, TUE., OCT. 6, 2026No. 2 · 6:00 p.m. CEST6 p.m. CEST
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Politics · Saxony-AnhaltPress ✓ 8 outlets · CDU votes unproven, the ballot was secret

For the first time, an AfD politician heads a German state parliament: Tobias Rausch becomes state parliament president in Magdeburg

48 of 82 votes cast were enough for the AfD candidate. By the numbers, at least four members of other parliamentary groups must have voted for him. The SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag marched through Berlin in protest.

At the opening session of the new state parliament in Magdeburg, members elected Tobias Rausch president on Tuesday at midday. Rausch has sat in the state parliament since 2016, trained as a real estate agent, and was nominated unanimously by his parliamentary group. According to t-online, 82 members cast a vote and 48 voted for Rausch. The AfD group and the BSW, which had announced its support for him, together hold only 44 seats. Because it was a secret ballot, there is no way to say who cast the remaining votes; by the numbers, at least four members from other parliamentary groups must have been among them. It is the first time in the history of the Federal Republic that an AfD politician presides over a state parliament. The vice president also comes from the AfD: Hans-Thomas Tillschneider. The SPD candidate clearly missed the majority.

In Berlin, the SPD reacted sharply. Its Bundestag group held a spontaneous protest march through the city, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius struck up the national anthem. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil called the vote a breach of taboo and demanded that the CDU explain how it came about. Thorsten Frei (CDU) pointed out that the ballot was secret and that, in principle, any member could have voted for Rausch. AfD politician Bernd Baumann spoke of a breakthrough and of the end of the “firewall” (Brandmauer). Several outlets report indications of arrangements between CDU and AfD members; so far this is unproven. In December the state parliament is due to elect the minister-president, and the AfD has named Ulrich Siegmund as its candidate.

Open the story and DailyDrop’s take
By the numbers
48votes for Rausch out of 82 cast (t-online)
44seats held by the AfD and BSW together, so at least 4 votes came from other groups
1.AfD state parliament president in the history of the Federal Republic
Security · JusticeSource ✓ Federal Prosecutor General · Press ✓ 7 outlets

Former BND chief August Hanning arrested on suspicion of spying. Presumption of innocence applies

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) arrested the former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), August Hanning, on Tuesday morning, along with his former chief of staff Manfred D. The Federal Prosecutor General accuses them of treasonous espionage, the gathering of state secrets, attempted treason and working as agents for a foreign intelligence service. According to the prosecutor, Manfred D. is alleged to have obtained information for Hanning from spring 2010 onward, which Hanning used for his private consulting work; between 2010 and 2022 it is said to have amounted to almost 2,000 documents. In one case Hanning is alleged to have prepared an analysis for an employee of a foreign security apparatus; whether it reached him is unclear. Investigators got onto the trail through a search by the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office in the Christina Block case in September 2025. Hanning headed the Federal Intelligence Service from 1998 to 2005. The chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel, Marc Henrichmann (CDU), commented on the arrest.

Open
Word of the day
Treasonous espionageCriminal law

Anyone who obtains state secrets in order to pass them on to, or make them known to, a foreign power or its intermediaries can be prosecuted under the Criminal Code for an offense of treason. An arrest is not a verdict; the presumption of innocence applies.

France · EuropePress ✓ 9 outlets · turnout figures differ by source

Hundreds of thousands of students demonstrate in France. Macron calls a crisis meeting at the Élysée

In France on Tuesday, 256,000 people demonstrated according to the Interior Ministry, 56,000 of them in Paris. The education unions put the figure at 450,000. The student protests target learning conditions: missing teachers, overcrowded classes, dilapidated buildings, poor canteen food and expensive travel passes. The Education Ministry counted 891 high schools with classes wholly or partly cancelled, while the high school union USL speaks of 1,800 blocked or closed schools. Parents, teachers and unions now support the movement.

According to reports by BFMTV, Le Monde and Le Parisien, President Macron called a crisis meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Education Minister Édouard Geffray. Lecornu announced an address for Wednesday evening; Geffray launched an online platform where students can report problems. The situation remains tense: on Tuesday there were 488 arrests, and since the protests began there have been 5,060 according to the Justice Ministry, 87 percent of them minors. A 15-year-old lost a hand during protests, and a police officer has been charged.

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Markets · CurrenciesSource ✓ dpa-AFX closing report, ECB reference rate · Press ✓ 5 outlets

DAX gains 0.77 percent to 25,449 points as the bond market calms. The euro recovers to $1.1269

The DAX closed on Tuesday 0.77 percent higher at 25,449.19 points, according to dpa-AFX, and at times stood above 25,500. It was supported by a slight easing in the bond markets, where growing government debt and political uncertainty in France had previously driven yields sharply higher, and by technology stocks such as SAP. The MDax rose 0.38 percent to 30,543.27 points, and the Euro Stoxx 50 gained 0.48 percent to 6,272.23. The defense stocks Rheinmetall and Renk fell significantly; Hensoldt lost 4.5 percent even though Jefferies recommended buying. SGL Carbon jumped almost eleven percent after raising its forecast. In the US, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 reached record highs.

The euro recovered from its low below 1.12: the ECB set the reference rate at $1.1269, after 1.1204 on Monday. The orders received by German industry, which fell surprisingly sharply in August, hardly dampened sentiment. The DAX had fallen as low as 24,831 points the week before; analysts regard the 25,500 mark as a hurdle. The day teaches one thing above all: the bond markets are setting the pace right now, not the economic data.

Open
Domestic politicsPress ✓ 5 outlets · decisions still pending

Ahead of the coalition committee: SPD demands a wealth tax, calls for a higher inheritance tax grow in the CDU

One day before the coalition committee, pressure is growing on the Union (CDU/CSU) and the SPD. According to Handelsblatt reports, the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag is demanding a wealth tax in a position paper, distancing itself from the Union; the tax is not agreed in the coalition agreement, and the Union rejects it. At the same time, the SPD expects no decisions from the meeting. A surprising push came from the CDU: Stefan Nacke, head of the employee group of the Union parliamentary group, which has 62 members, is calling for higher inheritance taxes on large fortunes. More than 90 entrepreneurs demand something similar. Until now, a higher inheritance tax counted as a red line in the CDU and CSU.

Chancellor Merz has so far said that the coalition agreement stands and that taxes will not be raised. Handelsblatt authors counter that the government is not delivering on its promise of relief. In addition, a poll shows Hendrik Wüst clearly ahead of Markus Söder on the chancellor question, a snapshot of the mood in the Union on the chancellor question.

Open
In brief
  • Paramount completes its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery; HBO, CNN and CBS News under one roofHandelsblatt · Spiegel · Tagesschau
  • Zverev is on the verge of reaching number one in the tennis world rankings, Sinner ends his season because of knee treatmentSpiegel · Zeit
  • Italy’s government under Meloni wins the first confidence vote on the new electoral lawSZ · Handelsblatt
  • Transport Ministry presents “Infraplan” for rail renovationZeit · Tagesschau
  • Frankfurt Book Fair opens, with protests and standing ovations; topic is AI in the literary worldTagesschau · Zeit
  • Germanwings crash: court dismisses relatives’ suit for damagesTagesschau · Zeit
  • France tests a modernized intercontinental missile from a nuclear submarine for the first timeSpiegel · SZ
  • Theo Müller dairy closes two plants in Saxony and Saxony-AnhaltHandelsblatt · Zeit
Seven minutes every evening, one front page — see About

Unverified — what we could not confirm

“Merz and Macron agree on a deal over the combustion-engine ban.” FAZ reports plans for a surprise deal. We found no second source and no confirmation from the governments.
“CDU and AfD arranged Rausch’s election in advance.” There are indications and statements from the AfD. The ballot was secret; all that is established is that more votes were cast than the AfD and BSW have seats.
“Hanning spied for Russia.” The Federal Prosecutor General names no recipient state; whether the analysis for a foreign service reached it is unresolved. The presumption of innocence applies.
Glossary · dotted words — economics, law, security and science terms explained in the context of the story. The list grows every day.
INSIDEFor the first time, an AfD politician heads a German state parliament: Tobias Rausch becomes state parliament president in MagdeburgPolitics · Saxony-AnhaltFormer BND chief August Hanning arrested on suspicion of spying. Presumption of innocence appliesSecurity · JusticeHundreds of thousands of students demonstrate in France. Macron calls a crisis meeting at the ÉlyséeFrance · EuropeDAX gains 0.77 percent to 25,449 points as the bond market calms. The euro recovers to $1.1269Markets · CurrenciesAhead of the coalition committee: SPD demands a wealth tax, calls for a higher inheritance tax grow in the CDUDomestic politics