Germany news: Berlin leftists seek to pave way for coalition

Germany news: Berlin leftists seek to pave way for coalition Published October 1, 2026last updated October 1, 2026What you need to know - The Left Party, the Greens and the Social Democrats (SPD) in Berlin are to test the ground for a possible coalition - Talks will center on accusations that the Left Party is antisemitic and has links to organized criminality, which it denies - A fuel tax cut aiming to reduce costs for motorists goes into effect for the second time this year Here is a rundown of the stories from and about Germany that are hitting the headlines on Thursday, October 1, 2026: f you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google so you'll always see our verified news first. Suspected IS member arrested Federal police arrested a suspected member of the "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group in central Germany on Wednesday morning. Prosecutors allege that the man joined the group in Iraq at the latest by early 2016, fighting in its ranks until early 2017. He was detained in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district, north of Frankfurt, and is now being held in pre-trial detention after appearing at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe. Berlin Left Party, Greens and SPD meet for clarifying talks Politicians from the socialist Left Party, the environmentalist Greens and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in Berlin are set to meet on Thursday to talk through several contentious issues before embarking on possible coalition negotiations. Among other things, the talks will focus on accusations of antisemitism leveled at the Left Party, which won recent elections. The party has also been accused of cultivating links to organized crime. The accusations were fueled by the attendance by the head of an Arab clan with alleged criminal ties and a controversial pro-Palestinian activists at an election night event held by the Left Party in the Neukölln district of the city on September 20. The Greens and the Left Party have said reaching agreement on these contentious issues is a "basic prerequisite" if formal exploratory talks on a coalition are to begin. If the Left Party were to end up leading a coalition in the German capital, its lead candidate and parliamentary group co-leader, Elif Eralp, could become the first female governing mayor of Berlin. Welcome to our coverage A hearty guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn as the new month gets underway! We will be looking at the pre-preliminary talks between the Left Party, the Greens and the Social Democrats (SPD) on possibly forming a coalition in the capital, Berlin. The parties are approaching the matter with great caution amid accusations that the Left Party, which won recent elections, is antisemitic and maintains contacts with organized criminality. This comes as another party, the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), changes its name to the catchy "Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason", while retaining the BSW abbreviation. Meanwhile, motorists should be seeing prices at gas stations take a sudden fall as a fuel tax cut goes into effect. Read on to find out more about these and other German stories.