Germany

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Germany's women's basketball team plays European champion Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinal on Thursday, live from 5:15 PM on MagentaTV and MagentaSport.

Germany enters the match on a three-game winning streak

The German team beat Japan, Mali, and South Korea in the group stage, building momentum ahead of the knockout round in Berlin. Head coach Olaf Lange told MagentaSport he is "very positively excited" about the team's growth, crediting the run of wins for boosting squad cohesion.

Belgium beat Germany by 30 points at EuroBasket 2025

Lange called Thursday's game a chance to move past that result, describing Belgium as an experienced, tactically detailed opponent with a different playing style than Germany's group-stage rivals. His plan: play with tempo to avoid getting caught out by the shot clock, and attack beyond Belgium's first line of defense.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Catawiki is expanding its livestreamed auction format, Catawiki Live, into seven new categories: fashion (bags, sneakers and accessories), minerals, coins, toys, vinyl records, hi-fi & radio, and comics & books.

Live auctions already outperform standard listings

Since launching in May, Catawiki Live has hosted hundreds of livestreams watched by tens of thousands of users over thousands of hours. Thousands of items have sold through the format, and one in three objects sold via Catawiki Live auctions went to someone watching the livestream in real time. Auctions using the Live format have also seen double-digit increases in both the number of bidders per item and total bids placed, compared to Catawiki's standard auctions.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- Homeowners weighing a heating system upgrade are being pointed underground, as geothermal heat pumps promise lower long-term costs despite steeper installation prices. A new short study by consulting firm Prognos, commissioned by the Bundesverband Geothermie, the Erdwärmegemeinschaft Bayern, and the Bundesverband Wärmepumpe (BWP), finds that ground-source systems can undercut air-source heat pumps by roughly 8 percent in total annual costs over a 20-year period.

Ground temperatures stay near 10 degrees Celsius year-round

In Central Europe, subsurface temperatures remain relatively constant at around 10 degrees Celsius throughout the year. This narrow gap between the heat source and the heating system keeps operating conditions favorable even in winter, translating into consistently lower running costs.

Schwerin – September 15, 2026 -- Ulrich "Uli" Durst, 59, from Ostfildern near Stuttgart, has won a pool villa on Lake Plau in Germany's Mecklenburg Lake District through the Omaze house lottery, a prize worth roughly €2.5 million including €100,000 in starting funds.

The win comes just two months after Durst and his wife Carmen, 60, were victims of bank fraud. Criminals created a virtual debit card linked to the couple's account and withdrew about €15,000 across various supermarkets within four days. Durst said his initial reaction to Omaze's visit was disbelief, admitting he first suspected another scam before realizing the house was genuinely theirs.

Berlin – September 15, 2026 -- A new survey from Rover finds that 45 percent of dog owners in Germany say their actual dog-related expenses turned out higher than they initially expected.

The online marketplace for pet care, which commissioned market research firm Pollfish to poll 1,000 dog owners in Germany in August, found that the early stages of dog ownership often carry the biggest financial surprise. More than half of respondents, 52 percent, reported total acquisition and start-up costs of 500 euros or more, while nearly 15 percent spent 2,000 euros or more.

Strasbourg – – September 14, 2026 -- A new three-part documentary series, "USA 1960-1980: The Conservative Revolution," premieres online on ARTE starting September 29, with a TV broadcast set for Tuesday, October 6 at 8:15 PM. Directed by Cédric Tourbe and produced by ARTE France and La Générale de production, the French 2026 series runs three episodes of 53 minutes each.

The series traces how Ronald Reagan popularized the slogan "Make America Great Again" decades before Donald Trump, and how ultraconservative ideas spread through American society across two turbulent decades before Reagan's presidential election in 1980.

Aßlar – September 13, 2026 -- Relationship coaches Jonathan Makkonen and Janine Förster argue that a respectful breakup starts long before any divorce paperwork is filed, not after it. The pair, founders of coaching practice Das Relationship, say the decisions couples make during a healthy relationship determine whether a later separation turns into years of conflict or a manageable transition.

Parenting duties continue even when the couple relationship ends

Berlin – September 13, 2026 -- AULUMU, a design brand specializing in tech accessories, won a "Best of IFA 2026" award from Yanko Design on the opening day of IFA 2026 in Berlin, held September 4-8.

The brand debuted five product lines spanning charging, wearables, and carry gear

AULUMU showcased the G09 Infinite Rotation Dual-Mag Stand, the M10 Multi-Charging Dual-Mag Power Bank, the A18 smartphone case series, the C05 Apple Watch band, and the B01 and B02 functional bags at its Berlin booth.

The M10 power bank packs a 10,000mAh battery with 35W fast charging

The device also supports MagSafe wireless charging, Apple Watch charging, and includes a built-in USB-C cable. Beyond the Yanko Design recognition, the M10 previously won a 2026 Red Dot Design Award and a Bronze Award at the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

Hamburg – September 13, 2026 -- Bulova is releasing a limited-edition version of its Lunar Pilot watch, the model worn by Apollo 15 commander David Scott on the Moon in 1971, with a dial coated in one of the darkest materials available to consumers.

The dial absorbs 99.4 percent of light

The new "Black Hole" edition uses Musou Black, an ultra-black acrylic paint developed in Japan, on its dial. Bulova says the coating absorbs 99.4 percent of incoming light, giving the watch face a flat, void-like appearance rather than a typical glossy black finish.

Geretsried – September 13, 2026 -- Gustavo Gusto is releasing a limited-edition Halloween pizza, capped at 250,000 units, hitting German retail shelves starting October while supplies last.

The pizza uses black carrot to create its dark-colored dough

The frozen pizza features a dark dough made with black carrot, topped with chorizo-style salami, grilled peppers, and firm-textured, lactose-free mozzarella. Brand chief Michael Götz said the goal was a pizza that looks eerie but tastes convincing, describing it as coming from "Frankenstein's oven." He noted the dark color comes from black carrot, not artificial coloring.

Production follows the same method used for Gustavo Gusto's standard pizzas

The dough is left to rise for an extended period, shaped by hand, and pre-baked on stone at around 400°C. The company says it avoids artificial flavors, flavor enhancers, and dyes across the limited edition, consistent with its standard lineup.