Germany

Berlin – September 11, 2026 -- Home cooks can stop waiting until the end of cooking to salt dried legumes -- new guidance confirms salt can go into the water from the very start without affecting how soft beans become.

Soaking dried legumes takes eight to twelve hours, not constant attention

Whole dried fava beans, field peas, soybeans and sweet lupins need roughly eight to twelve hours of soaking before cooking. The practical approach is to set them in water overnight and continue preparation the next day. Soaking causes the seeds to swell, which shortens the later cooking time. Peeled fava beans and peeled field peas can skip this step entirely, since removing the seed coat allows them to be cooked directly -- packaging instructions specify the exact method for each product.

Munich – September 11, 2026 -- RTLZWEI airs a new double episode of its social documentary series "Hartz, Rot, Gold" on September 8, 2026, at 8:15 p.m., with the episode available seven days earlier on RTL+.

Jessica and Olaf face a health scare ahead of their second child's birth

The Hamburg couple already has a crib for their baby, thanks to a furniture donation, and 55-year-old Olaf plans to build a shelf himself. He is also considering a job at the Hamburg Dom fair. But a visit to the gynecologist brings alarming news: doctors detected a lump on the baby's heart. Jessica tries to stay calm while Olaf grows increasingly worried.

Nuremberg -- German lifestyle furniture brand LOBERON will open two pop-up stores on October 1, 2026, marking its first physical retail presence after years online. The locations sit in prime city-center spots: Viktualienmarkt 6 in Munich and Mönckebergstraße 19 in Hamburg.

Both stores run for four months, closing January 30, 2027. The Munich space covers 477 square meters and opens Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Hamburg location spans 255 square meters and is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Shoppers can buy small items on the spot, order furniture online

Small accessories can be purchased and taken home directly from the stores. Larger furniture pieces and other items from the collection are ordered through LOBERON's online shop with staff assistance, and the standard shipping fee is waived for orders placed this way.

Giengen an der Brenz – September 10, 2026 -- Steiff is opening its archive to celebrate World Teddy Bear Day on September 9, showcasing rare international collector's pieces that trace more than 120 years of the toy's global appeal.

Five archival bears highlight the toy's worldwide reach

Steiff selected five discontinued collector's pieces to illustrate how different cultures have shaped the design of the teddy bear. The lineup includes the 2005 Carmen bear, inspired by Georges Bizet's opera, and the 2018 Great Escapes New York bear, modeled after the Statue of Liberty.

Also featured are the 2019 Great Escapes Edinburgh bear, dressed in a kilt with traditional Scottish design elements, the 2000 Tomato bear tied to Dutch heritage, and the 2025 Tang Dynasty Prosperous bear, drawing on Chinese imperial history. None of these five pieces remain commercially available.

Berlin – September 10, 2026 -- Germany's nature conservation groups NABU and its Bavarian partner LBV have opened public voting to choose the country's Bird of the Year for 2027, with anyone able to cast a ballot online at vogeldesjahres.de through October 15 at 11 a.m., when the winner will be announced the same day.

Five candidates are competing to succeed the grey partridge, the current title-holder. NABU bird protection expert Martin Ruemmler said the candidates show the diversity of the country's bird life, noting that some migrate as far as Africa each winter while others stay put year-round, and that each finalist highlights a conservation issue deserving attention.

Five finalists each carry a distinct conservation message

The common raven, campaigning under the slogan "Black feathers, bright mind," is the world's largest songbird and mates for life, but faces threats from shootings and poisonings by people who dislike it.

Bonn – September 10, 2026 -- The Deutsche Rheuma-Liga has released a free app called "Team Rheuma," available on the Apple App Store and Google Play since early September 2026. The app bundles the organization's digital services into one place, open to anyone interested regardless of membership status.

The app centralizes news, events, and patient connections

Users can access news, event listings, publications, and calls for clinical studies directly through the app. Push notifications alert users to new content so they don't have to check manually. Members can also read the association's magazine "mobil" within the app.

Corinna Elling-Audersch, President of the Deutsche Rheuma-Liga, said digital tools can meaningfully supplement in-person self-help efforts. She noted that staying in touch with fellow patients matters especially when in-person meetings aren't possible.

Munich – – September 10, 2026 -- Ten years after a truck attack killed victims at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz Christmas market, German broadcaster ARD will release a six-part fictional thriller series revisiting the events leading up to the tragedy. "Breitscheidplatz 19/12" streams on ARD Mediathek starting Friday, October 30, 2026, airs on Das Erste on Sunday, November 1 at 9:45 p.m., and continues on Friday, November 6 at 11:55 p.m.

The series had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and its German premiere at FilmFest Hamburg.

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.

Munich – September 10, 2026 -- The fifth and final season of "Babylon Berlin" premieres September 10 on the ARD Mediathek streaming platform, closing out a decade-long series with eight new episodes.

Ten years and five seasons come to a close

The crime drama follows detectives Gereon Rath and Charlotte Ritter through 1920s Berlin, with the finale marking the end of a production that has run since its debut. Cast members reflected on the show's decade-long journey ahead of the release.

Volker Bruch, who plays Gereon Rath, said the character has followed him "like a shadow" for ten years, describing how the storyline often intertwined with his own perception of reality. Liv Lisa Fries, who portrays Charlotte Ritter, said she can now let the character go "with gratitude" after a decade in the role.

Berlin – September 10, 2026 -- Fitness brand Merach used its IFA Berlin 2026 appearance to launch the UltraWalk W60 Plus walking pad in Europe, alongside a new knee-protection cushioning system called KneeGuard(TM).

The W60 Plus ships September 20 with an early-bird discount

The UltraWalk W60 Plus, flagship of Merach's W60 series, is built for home offices and light indoor training. It goes on sale September 20, 2026 for a recommended retail price of 459.99 euros, with pre-orders available until then at an early-bird price of 379.99 euros through merachfit.de.

The device runs on a brushless motor rated for up to 15,000 hours of use, with noise capped at 53 decibels. Its running surface measures 420 by 1,050 millimeters and supports electric inclines up to 8.75 percent across twelve settings. Extras include an RGB light bar, a 5-watt Bluetooth speaker, and a triple-LED display tracking six metrics.