Stories from Frankfurt · Germany

Air rescue services are warning of potential underfunding due to a health insurance savings package.

Lufthansa performed better than expected at the start of the year. The corporation managed to reduce its seasonal losses compared to the previous year. The report noted that the company still has untapped potential. The recovery was driven by robust demand despite the ongoing war in the Middle East. The group reported increased flight volume toward Asia. Swiss, a member of the German group, reported a profit of 30 million francs compared to 3.3 million francs in the previous period.

A technical disruption at DENIC, the German Network Information Center, caused internet connectivity issues for several hours overnight. The issue originated at the DENIC registration office in Frankfurt. DENIC is responsible for managing the routing of German web addresses. The outage is affecting access to numerous German online services. Service has since been restored. The outage began at approximately 08:00 UTC. Users are experiencing widespread connectivity issues. The registry DENIC, based in Frankfurt am Main, confirmed the outage. DENIC manages nearly 18 million such internet addresses. The disruption occurred on the evening of May 5, 2026. Websites using the.de domain extension were unreachable for several hours due to internet disruptions. HR reporter Andreas Gerlach reported on the connectivity issues.

German pharmaceutical company Biotech announced it will halt operations at several production centers located in Germany and Singapore. The company stated that more than 1,800 jobs will be affected by these closures.

The registration authority DENIC reported a disruption involving DNS services. This outage affected the availability of certain digital services. The cause was attributed to a malfunction within the DNS service itself.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde described the European energy situation as unsustainable. She cited a heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels as a primary cause. The assessment comes amid increasing market exposure to shortages and rising risks.

Writer Uwe Timm will be honored with the Goethe Prize on August 28 at the Paulskirche in Frankfurt. The award is presented every three years on the birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt includes a purse of 50,000 euros.

Professional athlete Daniela Blei-Meil completed a triathlon with a finishing time of 8 hours, 59 minutes, and 55 seconds.

German retailers paid out 15 billion euros in cash via card purchases last year. The number of cash withdrawals at checkouts has increased by approximately 15 percent.

Detectives Ivo Bartic and Franz Leitmeier, played by Miroslav Nemec and Udo Wachtfeitel, received an honorary prize at the opening of the German Television Crime Festival. The award recognizes their work in the series Tatort. Reporter Birgitta Söling observed the ceremony.