Berlin’s Left Party lead candidate for governing mayor, Elif Eralp, privately expressed fear of Hamas-linked figures tied to her party’s orbit in internal notes accidentally returned to Der Spiegel, raising sharp questions about her ability to lead the capital’s security structure.
The notes, part of an authorized interview draft sent back with visible internal comments this week, show Eralp writing that she and her husband have “fear of these people.” She asked her team to strike a question and her own answer about the activist Ibrahim Ibrahim, explaining: “I cannot put myself and my family in danger for Der Spiegel. What do we do now? Can we cancel the whole interview?” She added that she “should never have agreed to this interview.”
Eralp cited past advice from Berlin’s State Criminal Police Office (LKA) not to name specific individuals, noting that earlier guidance concerned organized crime and “now it’s about people with contacts to Hamas.”
Ibrahim, a longtime activist linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) — a group designated as a terrorist organization by the EU and United States — appeared at the Left Party’s election victory party in Berlin-Neukölln after the Sept. 20 state election.
He has been described as praising Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a “martyr hero” and has roles in the United Palestinian National Committee, which Berlin’s domestic intelligence service has classified as extremist for supporting Hamas. Parts of the Left Party’s Neukölln base and some politicians have maintained contacts with this milieu; Ibrahim later traveled to Turkey for a gathering involving Hamas-linked figures.
The Left Party emerged as the strongest force with 25.7 percent of the vote in the latest Berlin election. Eralp has sought a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens. Her office has said she faces daily threats and insults, and security authorities advised against naming specific individuals in certain contexts.
Opposition parties seized on the disclosure. Kristin Brinker, chair of the AfD’s Berlin parliamentary group and the party’s lead candidate, said: “That Elif Eralp, albeit involuntarily, admits her fear of the criminal clans throws a glaring light on the state of internal security in our city. If even a top politician no longer feels safe, what are ordinary Berliners supposed to say, who in an emergency have no personal protection standing by?”
She added that the notes from Erlap illuminate the party’s condition, linking it to clan connections beyond known cases involving a Bundestag member and “rampant antisemitism.” Brinker concluded that the Left is “far from any governing capability.”
Brinker urged the Greens and SPD to end talks immediately with the Left to form a ruling government in Berlin.
“This party and this woman must under no circumstances be entrusted with our city,” warned Brinker.
At a press appearance Thursday, Eralp declined to address the Spiegel notes directly, calling them private and internal. She stated she would not be intimidated and pledged to ensure both social and individual security for all Berliners, declaring she would act “with all means against organized crime, against terror, against everything,” including those who glorify violence.
In an interview with German newspaper Junge Freiheit, deputy chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, Sebastian Münzenmaier, said: “The revolution is devouring its children. For years, the left has defamed criticism of clan crime, mass migration, and Islamic glorification of terror as racist. Now, she is suddenly afraid of the ghosts she summoned.”
CDU Berlin leader Stefan Evers asked: “How is Elif Eralp supposed to ensure the security of millions of people as governing mayor if she herself is afraid of the Islamist environment of her party?”
He said the revelations heighten concern about a Left-led government and urged “the reasonable ones among the Greens and SPD” to “finally pull the emergency brake,” warning that fear of Islamists must not influence political decisions.
Referring to clans and organized crime, outgoing Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) stated that a government “must never make its actions dependent on these structures — certainly it must not fear them.”
SPD figures also responded critically. Neukölln district mayor Martin Hikel said the episode shows “how strongly these terror-glorifying, antisemitic forces are anchored in the Left and want to come to power with the help of the Left.” SPD lead candidate Steffen Krach described the situation as shocking and stated there must be no Hamas sympathizers free to move in the city.
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The number of suicides in Germany rose to 11,334 in 2025, the highest level in nearly 30 years, official statistics showed, reversing a long-term decline and prompting renewed calls for stronger prevention measures.
The Federal Statistical Office reported the figure this month, a 9.3 percent increase from 10,372 deaths the previous year and 15.6 percent above the average of the past decade. It was the highest annual total since 1998.
Men accounted for 7,846 of the deaths, or 69.2 percent, while women accounted for 3,488, or 30.8 percent. The increase was sharper among women, up 17.9 percent from 2024, compared with a 5.8 percent rise among men. The overall rate for men stood at about 19 per 100,000 people and for women at 8.2 per 100,000.
Nearly half of the suicides involved people aged 65 and older. Deaths in that age group rose by 558 to 5,510. Officials and prevention groups also noted a continued increase in assisted suicides, which major organizations reported numbering more than 1,200 in 2025.
Germany’s ongoing economic malaise could also be a major factor, with bankruptcies rising and personal credit stress growing. Young people are also feeling the pain, with the Youth in Germany 2026 study showing nearly one in four respondents, or 23 percent, reported being in debt, the highest level ever recorded in the study.
The recent survey also highlighted a concerning mental health crisis among young people. Some 29 percent of respondents said they needed psychological support, another record high. The figure rose to 34 percent among young women, 32 percent among students, and 42 percent among unemployed respondents.
Now, after decades of generally falling numbers, suicides have risen by nearly 23 percent since 2020, according to the National Suicide Prevention Program and the German Academy for Suicide Prevention. The groups described the 2025 total as a warning sign.
Suicide accounted for 1.1 percent of all deaths in Germany last year. More people continue to die by suicide each year than from traffic accidents, homicides, and AIDS combined, statisticians said.
The German Society for Suicide Prevention called for rapid passage of a well-funded national suicide prevention law, saying existing efforts must be placed on a firmer legal footing so that people in crisis receive timely help.
The German Depression Aid and Suicide Prevention Foundation has pointed to population aging and the rise in assisted suicides as factors. However, the organization is actually warning against measures that could lower barriers to suicide.
Regional rates varied, with higher figures recorded in northern and eastern states. Currently, the southern states of Germany, such as Bavaria, are seen as the wealthiest and most successful, while the eastern states have struggled economically in comparison to the west of Germany for years.
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The number of migrants living in Germany under temporary tolerated status has risen again after several years of decline, reaching 200,601 at the end of September, according to government figures.
More than 256,000 people were obliged to leave the country at the same point, with the large majority unable to be deported for practical or legal reasons.
People with a “Duldung” — a formal suspension of deportation — remain obliged to leave Germany but cannot currently be removed, for example because of missing travel documents, family ties, illness, or other obstacles. The status is always temporary and can be extended.
At the end of 2025, 190,974 of 232,067 people obliged to leave held such status. By the end of 2022 the figure had been about 248,000. Roughly 45,000 people received tolerated status for the first time in 2026, including about 13,460 minors. Only 402 people were recorded with a training-related “tolerated status” and 17 with an employment-related one, according to Welt newspaper.
The earlier drop was linked in part to the Opportunity Residence Law introduced by the previous coalition, which allowed some long-term residents with tolerated status a path toward more secure residence under conditions including self-sufficiency and language skills. That pathway has now expired for many, and lower recognition rates in asylum procedures have also been cited as contributing factors to the renewed rise.
CDU interior policy spokesman Alexander Throm has criticized the high share of tolerated cases.
“That four out of five people who are actually obliged to leave have a tolerated status is a scandal,” he said. “It is too easy to just stay here. The issuance of tolerated status by local foreigners’ authorities must be made significantly more difficult.”
People with tolerated status are generally entitled to benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, which covers basic needs, accommodation, and limited medical care. After 36 months, these can approach levels closer to regular social assistance under certain conditions.
In 2025, gross expenditures under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act across Germany totaled about €6.16 billion, down from €6.72 billion the previous year.
Federal government spending related to refugees and asylum has run in the tens of billions of euros annually in recent years, though official statistics do not isolate the precise share attributable only to those with tolerated status versus those still in the asylum procedure or with other forms of protection.
As Remix News reported, government data shows that migration cost German taxpayers approximately €400 billion since 2026, with some estimates putting the sum much higher.
Long-term residents with tolerated status often remain on benefits for extended periods when they cannot secure employment or documents for return.
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A 29-year-old Syrian national was arrested Tuesday after attacking an off-duty police officer with a kitchen knife in Vienna’s Ottakring district, according to police. The officer, who was finishing a jog, fought off the assailant in a struggle that left the knife blade broken.
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. on Oct. 27 in a driveway on Hasner Strasse.
“The officer was jogging around 2:45 p.m. and finished with stretching exercises in a driveway on Hasnerstraße. Out of the corner of his eye he observed the 29-year-old, who was approaching him rapidly. The officer also noticed the kitchen knife in his hand,” police spokeswoman Julia Schick said.
Without speaking, the attacker lunged at him.
“The unknown man attacked the officer with the knife without saying a word. The 37-year-old defended himself vigorously and screamed for help. The blade broke multiple times because of the intensity of the struggle. This and the resistance meant the injuries were less severe than they otherwise would have been,” police said.
Passersby alerted by the cries caused the attacker to break off and flee on foot toward the Ottakring U-Bahn station. Emergency services treated the officer at the scene and transported him to a hospital, according to Wien ORF news outlet.
Police recovered the damaged kitchen knife and launched a search based on a detailed description and surveillance-camera images from a nearby building. Officers from the Wattgasse and Brunnengasse stations located the suspect shortly afterward in Wernhardtstraße and took him into custody.
The man, a Syrian citizen, confessed to the attack during questioning but offered no motive. “The Syrian citizen confessed to the act but did not comment on his motive. He appeared psychologically distressed during the interrogation,” police said. However, there is no report that the man suffers from mental illness.
The two men did not know each other, according to media reports.
On the order of the Vienna public prosecutor’s office, the suspect was placed in detention.
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) May 14, 2026
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Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller said Donald Tusk could win next year’s parliamentary elections yet still fail to form a governing majority, allowing the conservative opposition led by Jarosław Kaczyński to take power. However, he does provide a strategy to help head off this outcome.
In an interview on Wirtualna Polska, Miller was asked to name the greatest success of Tusk’s government. “That it exists,” he replied. He said he had urged Tusk, then serving in Brussels, to return to Polish politics and was pleased when Tusk decided to do so. Since that decision, Tusk managed to secure power in Poland, but Miller warns that a second run may prove harder.
Miller argued that the 2027 elections could mirror those of 2023, when Kaczyński’s Law and Justice (PiS) party won the most votes but could not assemble a parliamentary majority.
“It’s not like Kaczyński lost the election. He won, but he did not have the ability to form a parliamentary majority,” Miller said. “And now it may be the other way around. Donald Tusk may win, but he will not have the ability to obtain a majority.”
Miller stressed that post-election arithmetic will matter more than campaign promises.
“Before elections, a lot of time is spent on appropriate advertising of the program and candidates. Everyone drives around, telling us what they will do for the happiness of society. But immediately after the elections it ceases to be important, because arithmetic appears, which is the queen of the Sejm,” Miller said, referring to the 231 votes needed for a majority in the lower house of Parliament. “It may turn out that Tusk won, but he does not have 231 votes, while Kaczyński does.”
Miller said Tusk must decide how to construct electoral lists. Tusk could include weaker coalition partners on a single list or risk some of them falling below the 5 percent threshold needed to enter parliament. Most of the polls show that under current conditions, Tusk will not have enough coalition partners to win an election. Many of his current partners falls below 5 percent, which means they have no chance of entering parliament.
Combining these parties into one electoral list may be a solution for Tusk.
“PSL will pressure Tusk to go together, because they themselves are wandering around 3-4 percent,” he said, referring to the Polish People’s Party. “Hołownia 2050 is a tragedy in general; they can’t survive without Tusk.”
If The Left holds a stable 7-8 percent, it can run independently and will not need Tusk, Miller added. But if its support drops, it too may seek a joint list. In that case, “the head of this list and the man who decides on the places is Donald Tusk.”
Miller led the Democratic Left Alliance and served as prime minister from 2001 to 2004. Tusk, leader of Civic Coalition, has been prime minister since late 2023.
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Denmark and Belgium may have held this title in 2024, but France once again has taken the lead as the European country with the highest tax/GDP ratio.
Under the pressure of immense debt and weak economic growth, France’s burden jumped to 46 percent last year from 43.5 percent. The European average is 40.7 percent, according to Fdesouche, citing Le Figaro.
The tax-to-GDP ratio measures the total amount of tax revenue a country collects relative to the size of its economy. It is calculated by dividing total tax revenues (including income taxes, corporate taxes, VAT, and compulsory social security contributions) by the country’s gross domestic product, or GDP.
It was France’s low growth of just 0.8 percent that really hurt it last year, versus just over 1 percent in 2024. Denmark saw its 2025 GDP grow by 2.9 percent versus 3.5 percent in 2024, with its tax/GDP ratio decreasing slightly to 45.1 percent from 45.2 percent.
As the costs mount from the latest round of riots, and everybody eyeing a possible debt ratings downgrade, the prospects do not look bright, even if those in government seem far from worries.
National Rally presidential candidate Marine Le Pen blasted French Finance Minister Roland Lescure for claiming he is little concerned about the taxes imposed on fuel.
“The Minister of the Economy explains that the taxes on fuels ‘do not keep him from sleeping.’ Know this, Mr. Lescure, that they keep millions of workers, entrepreneurs, retirees, and families from sleeping and even from living. Your disdain is unbearable,” she posted on X.
Le ministre de l’économie explique que les taxes sur les carburants ne « l’empêchent pas de dormir ». Sachez, M. Lescure, qu’elles empêchent des millions de travailleurs, d’entrepreneurs, de retraités et de familles de dormir et même de vivre. Votre dédain est insupportable. https://t.co/MscRVc3bGV
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) October 28, 2026
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The Spanish National Police have submitted video footage to the National Court that allegedly features undercover Moroccan agents during the late-July border crossing into Ceuta.
According to documentation from the National Center for Immigration and Borders (CENIF), the footage suggests the mass illegal crossing was a coordinated operation involving both uniformed police and plainclothes operatives rather than a spontaneous event.
As part of the evidence submission, as reported by The Objective, CENIF provided Judge María Tardón with 34 visual files tracking Moroccan personnel. Ten files show uniformed officers, while the remaining 24 document individuals whose behavior differed significantly from the migrants.
La Policía Nacional ha entregado a la Audiencia Nacional un vídeo en el que aparecen reflejados varios individuos que los investigadores identifican como presuntos agentes marroquíes durante la entrada masiva en Ceuta. Toda la información: https://t.co/aKG2LfPYlF https://t.co/f8Mg8xCngV
— THE OBJECTIVE (@TheObjective_es) October 27, 2026
The core material consists of a 3-minute video of uniformed personnel and a 7.5-minute video of alleged plainclothes “facilitators.”
Numerous social media posts have since posted videos they claim show Spanish police helping migrants along.
— okdiario.com (@okdiario) October 27, 2026
Investigators state these plainclothes individuals embedded themselves in the crowd or stood by Moroccan checkpoints to direct the movements of the roughly 90,000 migrants. Some were filmed walking against the crowd flow, monitoring the influx, and guiding people toward specific routes.
The court is now investigating whether these individuals were passive observers or active organizers. As a central part of this inquiry, Judge Tardón has scheduled three Moroccan witnesses to testify before the National Court this Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Remix News reported on news that some 70 percent of recent asylum applications filed by Moroccan migrants in Ceuta were claiming to be persecuted homosexuals.
In August, soldiers on the ground stated that they were “helpless” against migrant ambushes and “feared for their lives.” There have also been reports out of Spanish police that the waves of migrants pouring into the enclave are being planned by the Moroccan government.
The migrant surge last July saw nearly 50,000 illegal migrants enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco within 24 hours. Remix News reported in early August that a dozen illegal migrants who entered Ceuta in that wave had previously been investigated for jihadist terrorism in Spain before being deported to Morocco.
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