Bonn
Photo: Thomas Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- 4d ago
Europe grows more reliant on foreign digital technology while China and US cut theirs
A University of Bonn study finds Germany ranks 25th of 51 countries on its Digital Dependence Index, with digital platforms the region's biggest weakness.
- 5d ago
Juli Zeh gives up her Brandenburg constitutional court seat three years early
Novelist Juli Zeh has asked Brandenburg's state parliament to release her from her honorary judgeship, citing her workload as an author. Her regular ten-year term would have run until 2029.
- Oct 19
Berlin's Left, SPD and Greens advance coalition talks as Merz opposes landlord expropriation
The SPD and Greens in Berlin backed formal coalition talks with Die Linke, which must approve them at a party congress about two weeks after 20 October. The parties' plan to nationalise assets of landlords with more than 10,000 apartments has drawn sharp criticism from the CDU and CSU.
- Oct 19
Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica and Orange team up for European satellite spectrum
Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica and Orange signed a letter of intent on Monday, 19 October, to bid jointly for radio frequencies for mobile satellite services in Europe. The spectrum is expected to become free in 2029 and is currently used for purposes such as in-flight internet.
- Oct 16
Merz warns CDU over AfD votes in Saxony-Anhalt and rejects coalition at any price
At the Junge Union's Deutschlandtag in Bonn on Saturday, 17 October, Merz threatened party expulsion over AfD cooperation and pressed for a first Bundestag reading of the pension reform before year-end.
- Oct 16
Berlin's Left, Greens and SPD plan to socialize large housing firms, sparking federal backlash
Linke, Greens and SPD in Berlin agreed on 17 October to socialize housing companies with at least 10,000 apartments, while federal Union and SPD politicians warn of risks to intelligence cooperation.
- Oct 15
Customs at Cologne/Bonn airport seize 37 venomous snakes and 55 lizards from Mexican traveller
Officers found the animals hidden in shampoo bottles and socks in a suitcase belonging to a 45-year-old man who had flown in from Mexico City via Istanbul. About thirty of the reptiles died during the journey, customs said.
- Oct 9
German regulator BaFin fines Volkswagen 1.2 million euros over late forecast disclosure
The fine concerns a 2023 outlook that was well above market expectations but was published only as a press release instead of an ad hoc notice. Volkswagen can file an appeal against the penalty notice.
- Oct 7
Galeria employees may receive insolvency wages despite recent 2024 restructuring
Germany's Federal Employment Agency is evaluating insolvency wage claims for Galeria staff after an operating company transfer created a legal pathway to state-backed wage support.
- Oct 5
Deutsche Telekom targets €2.5 billion in AI savings and €800 million in revenue by 2030
At an investor meeting in Bonn, CEO Timotheus Höttges outlined plans to cut indirect non-US costs by €1.1 billion by 2027, reinvesting part of the proceeds into Germany's fiber-optic network.
- Oct 4
German EV charging points top 209,000 as Stuttgart leads urban density
Germany recorded over 209,000 public EV charging points on 1 September 2026, a 24% rise since July 2025, with Stuttgart and Kreis Mettmann leading urban and district density rankings.
- Oct 2
Düsseldorf prosecutors seek up to 13 years in prison in €11M 'Rich Kids' drug trial
Public prosecutors in Düsseldorf requested prison sentences of up to 13 years for six defendants from wealthy Rhineland backgrounds accused of running an 11 million euro narcotics syndicate.
- Oct 2
Germany selects five new Excellence universities and consortia for 2027 funding
Three universities and two regional alliances in Germany won funding of up to 28 million euros annually starting in January 2027 following a three-year review in Bonn.
- Oct 2
Russian operative linked to failed Leipzig airport drone attack on Ukrainian cargo plane
Intelligence files identify Russian-Latvian national Oleg Levushkin as the organizer behind an August 2026 attempt to detonate 1.8 kilograms of Semtex against a Ukrainian Antonov aircraft in Germany.
- Sep 30
Edeka wins clearance for 178 Tegut stores as Monopolies Commission warns of market power
Germany's Federal Cartel Office approved Edeka's acquisition of 178 Tegut branches after the retailer agreed to exclude 24 sites, prompting market concentration warnings from antitrust advisors.
- Sep 22
Amateur detectorist unearths 934 Roman silver coins near Wesseling in Germany
Specialists excavated 3.1 kilograms of Roman silver denarii dating from 148 BC to AD 125 after Oliver Riedl located the first coins in a farm field south of Cologne, placing the collection on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn.
- Sep 12
German Inquiry Links Russian GRU Operative to Failed Leipzig Airport Drone Attack
German investigators identified a Russian military intelligence operative and a Belarusian accomplice behind an explosive drone plot targeting Ukrainian cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle airport.
- Sep 7
Russia orders closure of German consulate in St. Petersburg following Leipzig drone dispute
Moscow ordered Germany to close its St. Petersburg consulate by September 18 and shutter Goethe-Institut branches, retaliating against Berlin's closure of Russian diplomatic sites following an airport drone incident.
- Sep 2
Germany blames Russia for Leipzig airport drone attack and shuts Bonn consulate
German authorities identified two Russian-linked suspects behind an explosive drone plot targeting a Ukrainian Antonov transport plane at Leipzig/Halle airport, prompting Berlin to close Russian diplomatic offices.
- Sep 1
Germany blames Russia for Leipzig airport drone plot and shuts Bonn consulate
German authorities have formally attributed an August drone attack attempt targeting Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle airport to Russian intelligence, ordering the closure of Russia's Bonn consulate and canceling the lease of the Russian House in Berlin.
