On Tuesday March 26, at 7pm, Prof. Dr. Eduardo Ros and Dr. Sambaran Banerjee, who both work at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and at the Argelander Institute for Astronomy, will discuss “How to photograph a Black Hole” (in German) and “Juggling Blackholes: Gravitational Waves and more” (in English) at the Fiddlers Pub (Frongasse 9, Bonn-Endenich). This event is part of the the worldwide initiative called Astronomy on Tap, where a professional astronomer explains diverse topics about the Universe in a friendly atmosphere. The event is free and open to all the public, everybody is invited to come and meet the local astronomers for some talks, quizzes and prizes. For more information check out Facebook and Youtube (Astronomy on Tap Bonn), Instagram & Twitter (@aotbonn). This special black hole edition will start with the talk in German, followed by an exciting guessing game and then the talk in English. Remember that the event is open to all the public and it is free.

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At the 51st "Model United Nations" students of the Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium represented San Marino. The young people must imagine their way into the foreign nation. San Marino is not only this small country, against which great football nations usually score many goals. Probably the oldest republic in the world, San Marino is also a member of the United Nations. High school students of the Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium (NCG) have been involved with this 33,000-inhabitant country since last summer, as they were supposed to represent it at the 51st "International Model United Nations" in The Hague. The simulation with young people from all over the world was held at the end of January, and the pupils from Plittersdorf received their certificates of participation on Friday.

(Original text: Stefan Knopp)

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Joschka Merz from Bonn has initiated the project "Elephant Feet" and is committed to the construction of wells in Africa. The 23-year-old is modelled on his father Tom Schmidt, who worked as a student in a slum in Chile.

Although still young in years, the 23-year-old, who grew up in Friesdorf and went to school in Bad Godesberg, has already made a name for himself in Bonn and beyond the city limits: Together with his parents, he founded the Elefantenfüße association, which builds drinking water wells in Cameroon. Joschka Merz travelled to Africa for the first time as a development aid worker after graduating from high school in 2014. In the village of Mebomeza, where he lived with a host family, catastrophic conditions prevailed with regard to the supply of drinking water. Instead of going to school, the village children had to carry the water from far away. Often it was so polluted that the inhabitants became ill. In a very short time, Merz in Bonn had collected around 7000 euros in donations through the association - the first drinking water well was built.

In 2020, the 23-year-old wants to pass his state examination and return to Cameroon as a development aid worker. He could well imagine working as a judge later. "You need a honors degree for that. So I have to make an effort," he says and grins. He is supplementing his financial budget as a student assistant at the Mathematical Institute. The 23-year-old has moved away from home and lives in his own apartment in Kessenich. He also likes to spend money on clothes. "I like to dress smartly. And I have 20 pairs of shoes. That's the only thing my parents don't understand about me," he admits frankly. And where would he like to live in the long run? "I think I will stay in Bonn. I just feel very comfortable here."

(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen)

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A house fire in Bonn-Holzlar on Saturday morning ended well for the resident. However, her dog could not be saved. The dog had presumably saved the life of the 75-year-old by barking.

On Saturday morning around 9.50 a.m. the fire brigade was called a house in the street Am Hang in Bonn-Holzlar, because of a fire. The rescue forces had to use respiratory protection during the operation due to the enormous smoke emission.

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Disappeared parcels, delivery to distant branches, and mix-up of Packstation numbers: Time and again, Bonners have trouble with DHL. Now a parcel was delivered to Hennef instead of Beuel.

The annoyance for Bonn customers about the parcel delivery of the postal subsidiary DHL continues. After several readers complained about deliveries to branches or parcel shops far away from home, there is now another case: a small parcel addressed to a packing station on St. Augustiner Strasse in Beuel by a reader from Geislar landed instead in a branch on Bonner Strasse in Hennef - about ten kilometres as the crow flies from the planned delivery location.

(Original text: Matthias Kirch)

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Stadtwerke Bonn and Nextbike have agreed that the bicycle rental system in Beuel will be tested for its suitability for everyday use. However, SWB and Nextbike are very satisfied with the rental figures.

The Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) and the Nextbike company agreed on Friday at a local meeting in Beuel that the bicycle rental system on the right bank of the Rhine would be tested for its suitability for everyday use. The CDU were invited to this meeting because ten days ago it had drawn up a list of shortcomings and forwarded suggestions for improvement to SWB.

(Original text: Holger Willcke)