Cologne

Cologne -- The musical "KICK LIKE A WOMAN" runs from November 12, 2026 to April 11, 2027 at Depot 1 in Cologne-Mülheim, with TV host Ruth Moschner attending the VIP premiere as its ambassador.

Moschner visited rehearsals before the premiere

After a visit to the rehearsals, Moschner plans to accompany the November 12 premiere in person. She says female role models have always existed and deserve the spotlight. In her view, the pioneers of women's football changed more than the sport.

A true story from the early 1980s drives the plot

In the early 1980s, the German Football Association (DFB) barely took women's football in West Germany seriously. When Taiwan hosted the first, unofficial women's football World Championship, the association declined to take part.

Cologne – October 30, 2026 -- The new social reality series "Vibes – Find Your Fire" arrives in the ARD Mediathek on November 5, 2026, with ten episodes of 50 minutes each. TV star Motsi Mabuse accompanies nine women who spend twelve days together in a villa on Rhodes.

The participants do not know each other and are at very different points in their lives. What they share is a wish for change, sensuality, closeness to themselves and the courage to give their own needs more room.

Mabuse leads the group with two experts at her side

Mabuse acts as confidante and motivator. She listens, asks questions and pushes the women to look at uncomfortable topics. Clinical psychologist and psychotherapist Hedda Hess and sexological bodyworker Stella Sieger support her.

Cologne – October 29, 2026 -- Interior insulation can raise the wall surface temperature in winter by around five degrees Celsius, cutting the risk of condensation and mold in older buildings without touching the facade.

Cold exterior walls encourage condensation and, with it, mold. Anyone who wants to prevent that and protect the building fabric should watch wall surface temperatures. Insulation can raise them, lower mold risk and reduce heat loss. The right choice between exterior and interior insulation depends on the building's structure, its facade and the effort involved.

Cologne – October 29, 2026 -- The WDR Funkhausorchester will play around 50 concerts across the Lippe district from November 9 to 14, 2026, and the concerts at host venues are free. Under the banner "Deine Region – dein Orchester!", the orchestra brings seven formats to daycare centers, schools, senior facilities, companies and unconventional venues.

Hosts who applied turn community spaces into concert halls

The project began in spring with a call for applications. Host venues now include community centers and school auditoriums that are being cleared for the occasion, churches that become concert halls, and a municipal theater opening its doors. Daycare centers are teaming up so more children can attend. Regional orchestras are moving their rehearsal times to take part in masterclasses with members of the WDR Funkhausorchester. Companies are organizing after-work concerts, including for apprentices who rarely get to see an orchestra.

Melville, N.Y. – October 22, 2026 -- A student in Cologne, Germany, has won the 52nd annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition with a photo of ink droplets suspended in midair inside a printer as it prints. Nikon Instruments announced the winners, with first place going to Ole Bielfeldt.

Bielfeldt rebuilt a printer so the paper moves instead of the printhead

Bielfeldt wanted to know how a printer places ink onto paper so precisely. His first attempts failed. The printhead moved too fast to keep a small area in focus, and the droplets were too fast for his camera's shutter speed.

Cologne – October 07, 2026 -- Segway unveiled two new e-scooters, the ZT3 MAX and MAX G3 Pro, at simultaneous launch events in Cologne and Paris, alongside a new standard for verifying advertised range claims.

Segway targets two common rider complaints with new models

The ZT3 MAX is built for mixed terrain and urban roads, using a new Intelligent Combined Braking System (ICBS) for more stable stopping on uneven surfaces. The MAX G3 Pro targets longer daily commutes with a high-capacity battery and built-in fast charging.

Cologne – September 12, 2026 -- Subway has secured a Guinness World Record for the "Largest Inflatable Sculpture of a Potato," unveiling a 9.5-meter-long, 6.6-meter-wide and 4.9-meter-tall potato installation in Cologne's MediaPark. Guinness World Records adjudicator Lena Kuhlmann measured and certified the structure, confirming no larger potato sculpture has ever been built.

The oversized spud, lit from the outside and decorated in Subway's signature branding, is walk-through and open to the public. It marks the launch of the chain's new Baked Potato, now added to the Subway menu in Germany for the first time.

A food truck hands out free Baked Potatoes next to the giant spud

Visitors to the MediaPark can pick up a free, freshly prepared Baked Potato from a food truck parked beside the record-breaking sculpture. A sauce and topping station lets guests customize their potato to taste.

Cologne – September 11, 2026 -- German broadcaster WDR has produced a second batch of 1,000 free "Maus" school-start packages for first-grade classrooms in North Rhine-Westphalia after the initial run sold out within days.

The free kits, tied to the long-running children's show Die Sendung mit der Maus, are designed to ease the transition into elementary school and introduce young children to responsible media use.

Demand exhausted two full print runs in days

The first 1,000 packages were claimed by teachers almost immediately after launch. WDR responded by printing 1,000 more, but those were also fully requested by educators shortly after.

WDR Director General Dr. Katrin Vernau said the response shows strong demand for reliable, child-friendly educational materials, and that the broadcaster plans to expand the program further in 2027.

Cologne – September 11, 2026 -- Rescue dogs got a shot at new homes at a Bark Date event held on September 6 at Beethovenpark in Cologne, where TV presenter Laura Wontorra and dog expert Jochen Bendel helped connect shelter animals with potential adopters.

Bark Date lets people meet rescue dogs on neutral ground instead of in a shelter

The initiative brings together dogs from animal welfare groups and prospective adopters on dog-friendly meadows rather than in traditional shelter settings, allowing animals to show their personality in a relaxed environment before any adoption decision is made.

Around 350 animal welfare associations and more than 1,000 active foster homes now work with Bark Date. Since the initiative launched, over 4,000 dogs have been presented and more than 1,000 have been successfully placed in new homes.

Cologne – September 10, 2026 -- Dyson has unveiled its first hot air styling brush, the Dyson Airsmooth, set to go on sale September 8 for 249 euros (RRP) through Dyson Stores, dyson.de, and select retailers.

The device combines Dyson's airflow technology with a patented dual bristle system designed to dry, smooth, and add volume in a single step, aiming to reduce the mechanical damage, dryness, and breakage common with traditional hot air brushes.

Three bristle types work together to protect hair strands

Anti-Snag bristles use a flexible loop structure to glide through hair and release strands easily, cutting down on tangling. PivotFlex bristles, shaped conically and able to bend up to 90 degrees, direct airflow precisely to reduce frizz and snagging during styling. Anti-Frizz bristles, shaped like a teardrop, stretch curls and smooth lengths while maintaining tension in one motion.