AI-generated summary
The state elections in Saxony-Anhalt took place on Sunday, with the AfD achieving a strong result. Putin initially described the result as an internal German matter, but later changed his statement.
The outcome of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt was apparently also followed closely in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed what he calls Western globalists for the electoral success of the right-wing extremist AfD in Saxony-Anhalt and other developments in Europe. "I think that everything that is currently happening in Europe is fundamentally due to systemic mistakes of the so-called West - to mistakes made by Western globalists in politics, security and economics," Putin said on Friday, the first day of his visit to India, according to accompanying journalists.
Initially, Putin described the AfD's strong performance in the state elections on Sunday as a purely domestic matter and did not want to comment beyond that. However, he then added that Western elites were to blame for developments in Europe, including this election result. They also provoked the Ukraine war by putting pressure on Russia and trying to draw Ukraine into NATO.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The federal government will officially reject Putin's statements and dismiss the allegations as disinformation.
Very likely · Within days

The deposed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was sentenced to 25 months in prison in Turkey for insulting a public servant and was banned from political activity. The ruling could result in his loss of office and the city council's appointment of a new mayor if it becomes final.
A Turkish court has sentenced Ekrem Imamoglu, the deposed mayor of Istanbul and prominent opponent of President Erdogan, to 25 months in prison for insulting a public servant. The ruling includes a ban on political activity, which, if legal, would mean his loss of office. The EU and the German government criticize the procedure as a democratic setback.

On September 12, 2026, the SPIEGEL live blog will reconstruct the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. It is reported that US President George W. Bush has left the bunker in Nebraska and is assessing the extent of the destruction in Washington, while firefighters in New York continue to search for survivors.
After a drone attack from Iraq, Saudi Arabia has suspended operations on its important east-west pipeline as a precautionary measure. The Iraqi government condemned the attack and launched an investigation, while Saudi Arabia refrained from responding to give Baghdad time. The attack comes in the context of previous US and Saudi airstrikes against Iran-backed militias based in Iraq, which regional sources say receive support from Yemen's Houthis. At the same time, the Houthis captured the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which has become increasingly important for Saudi oil exports across the Red Sea, particularly due to the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
On the 25th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, the US secret service CIA released previously classified reports from the three years before the attacks. The 70 documents show that agents warned about al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden before the attacks, but the information was "sparse, vague and incomplete." Relatives are now demanding investigations.
At least 44 people were injured in a train accident in Normandy between Rouen and Caen, including a woman with serious injuries. The regional train collided with an unknown object, overturned and partially derailed. Over 140 rescue workers are on duty, the route is closed and the power supply is switched off.