Germany

Mainz – September 09, 2026 -- A new ZDF documentary examines how the global matcha craze is driving up prices, causing supply shortages, and fueling a market flooded with fake products. "Matcha – Genuss mit Beigeschmack" ("Matcha – A Bitter Aftertaste") streams on the ZDF platform starting Friday, September 11, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., and airs on ZDF television Sunday, October 13, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.

Reporter Victoria Reichelt travels to Japan for the film, directed by Laura Hohmann, to trace matcha from tea field to social media feed.

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- ECOVACS has picked up two Gold Awards at the 2026 IDG Global Product Technology Innovation Awards, presented during IFA Berlin, for robots that push automated cleaning beyond the living room floor.

The WINBOT W2S PRO OMNI wins for window-cleaning innovation

The window-cleaning robot took the Window Cleaning Robot Innovation Gold Award. Judges cited its intelligent frame detection, systematic deep-cleaning routine and enhanced safety mechanisms, features designed to handle hands-free window maintenance in households without user supervision.

The T1000 4WD Pro lawn mower earns edge-trimming recognition

ECOVACS' T1000 4WD Pro smart robotic lawn mower received the Smart Edge Trimming Technology Innovation Gold Award. The mower's four-wheel-drive mobility and intelligent path planning are built to navigate complex, uneven lawn layouts while trimming edges with high precision.

Cologne – September 09, 2026 -- Social-impact brand share and RTL Deutschland have launched a joint campaign to support equal opportunities for children, centered on a new share x RTL snack bar sold at six major German retailers.

Every bar purchased triggers a donation from the "Stiftung RTL - Wir helfen Kindern e.V." to breakfast4Kids e.V., a nonprofit that provides a healthy breakfast to roughly 1,400 children daily across 35 schools and daycare centers in the Aachen and Cologne region.

TV presenters Frauke Ludowig and Jan Köppen front new campaign spots

Two TV ads airing across RTL Deutschland channels feature Ludowig and Köppen being approached by children who highlight unequal opportunities faced by many kids in Germany. The ads frame each bar purchase as a direct contribution toward better chances for those children.

Stuttgart – September 09, 2026 -- Stationery maker LEITZ ACCO Brands has rolled out a new range of notebooks and pads designed to catch fleeting ideas before they disappear, arguing that good thinking rarely happens at a desk.

Ideas often strike away from the office, the company says

According to LEITZ, flashes of inspiration tend to arrive in the shower, on the commute, or over coffee -- moments when a laptop typically isn't within reach. The company positions its new hardcover notebooks and spiral-bound pads as tools meant to travel: into meetings, onto trains, or into cafés.

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- Dreame Technology unveiled a new lineup of kitchen appliances at IFA 2026, spanning air fryers, coffee machines, blenders, stand mixers, toasters and ice cream makers.

Dual-zone air fryer cooks two dishes without mixing flavors

The flagship FeastTM Dual-Zone Crispy-Tender air fryer uses a 'Dual-Drive' airflow system with two independent air circuits to limit flavor transfer between foods cooked simultaneously. Its CrispZone relies on 18 wide blades and a vertical 3D airflow to cut oil use by up to 88.5%, according to Dreame Lab testing, while the TenderZone uses 20 high-density fan blades for horizontal airflow that locks in moisture. A SYNC cooking system paired with two extra racks lets users prepare two different flavors and up to four dishes at once.

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- ABOK GmbH is showcasing a new lineup of home battery storage and portable power systems at IFA 2026, aiming to help households and small businesses store and manage solar energy more efficiently.

ABOK sets up shop in Hall 2.2 at Booth H2.2-179

The company is displaying four product lines: the Brio balcony solar storage system, the Elux and Ark portable power stations, and the foldable Asp-series solar panels. The goal is to link solar generation, storage, and smart energy management into a single connected system for everyday use.

Brio targets balcony solar owners looking to store excess power

Designed for households with balcony solar setups, the Brio system lets users store surplus solar electricity generated during the day and use it later, rather than losing unused output back to the grid. ABOK says this can significantly increase how much self-generated solar power a household actually consumes.

Berlin – September 09, 2026 -- PayPal and Netflix are launching a joint cashback campaign in Germany starting September 3, 2026, timed to the premiere of the second season of "The Gentlemen." PayPal customers can get 50% cashback on the first three months of a Netflix Standard with Ads subscription when they activate the offer in the PayPal app and pay through PayPal.

The promotion runs through September 30, 2026, or until 80,000 customers have signed up, whichever comes first.

Customers save up to 10.50 euros over three months

Cashback is capped at 3.50 euros per month, paid as e-money into the customer's PayPal balance, for a total of up to 10.50 euros across the three-month period. After that, the Netflix subscription continues at the standard price of 6.99 euros per month and can be cancelled monthly.

The offer is only available to PayPal customers who have not made a Netflix transaction through PayPal in the past 31 days.

Munich – September 09, 2026 -- A new two-part investigative docuseries, "Seelenfänger: Der falsche Heiler," premieres October 13, 2026 in the ARD Mediathek and airs October 19, 2026 at 11:30 p.m. on BR Fernsehen, documenting families who lost loved ones after they trusted the pseudo-medical theory known as "Germanische Neue Medizin" (Germanic New Medicine).

The theory rejects evidence-based cancer treatment

Germanic New Medicine frames cancer not as a disease but as the physical manifestation of an unresolved psychological conflict. Followers of the theory are encouraged to reject conventional, evidence-based medical treatment -- a choice the docuseries links directly to preventable deaths.

Cologne – September 09, 2026 -- After weeks of beach trips and long highway drives, cars often need as much recovery as their passengers, according to the ACV Automobil-Club Verkehr, which has outlined a five-step routine to get vehicles clean and roadworthy again.

Unloading comes first, down to the smallest crumb

ACV advises drivers to fully empty the car and any roof box, checking the glove compartment, door pockets, and under seats where small items and food get overlooked. Roof boxes and bike racks that are no longer needed should be removed too, since the added weight and drag increase fuel or energy consumption. Mounting points should then be checked for damage.

Itzehoe – September 09, 2026 -- While the Dax and Dow Jones post fresh records and corporate profits climb on AI enthusiasm, rising bond yields are quietly reshaping the risk calculus for stock investors, according to Jörg Wiechmann, managing director of the Itzehoer Aktien Club.

Yields on long-term government bonds have surged globally in recent weeks. Investors can now earn more than 5 percent on 30-year US Treasury bonds, while Germany's government must pay nearly 4 percent interest to its creditors.

US national debt surpasses $40 trillion

Wiechmann points to ballooning government debt as a key driver of the bond market unease. The United States has just crossed the $40 trillion debt threshold, and rising interest rates mean the cost of servicing that debt is projected to reach $1.2 trillion this year.