Germany today (Fri 23 Oct): Trains won't get more punctual until 2029, CSU backs Aigner as first woman president, VW and unions meet again

Hello! Here is the news for Friday, 23 October. If you're tired of delayed trains, today's rail story won't cheer you up — but it explains a lot. One story from each area: politics, economy, society, culture, arts, entertainment and sport.

1. [Politics] CSU conference opens — and pushes Ilse Aigner for president

• CSU party conference, 23–24 Oct, Munich trade fair grounds — Chancellor Merz speaks on Saturday (24 Oct)
• The CSU wants Ilse Aigner — The president of the Bavarian state parliament would be the first woman and the first CSU politician to become Federal President, succeeding Frank-Walter Steinmeier
• The CDU is holding back — Merz hasn't openly backed her, and no formal nomination is expected at the conference
• The vote is on 30 January 2027 — Steinmeier's term ends on 18 March 2027. The president isn't elected by the people but by the Federal Convention, made up of Bundestag members and delegates from the states

Source: zdfheute.de · regionalheute.de (dts) · tagesspiegel.de (dpa) · evangelisch.de (election date)

2. [Economy] VW and unions sit down for a second "promise check"

• Second review meeting on 23 Oct — Workers want to know if VW still keeps its 2024 promises (no plant closures, no forced layoffs, investment). These aren't wage talks yet
• Row over a "pay freeze until 2030" — According to IG Metall, VW wants to freeze pay for about 660,000 staff worldwide until 2030. VW declined to comment
• 50,000 more jobs to go worldwide — On top of existing cuts; about half could be in Germany
• IG Metall wants 5% more pay — The no-strike obligation ends on 31 December, so real talks must start by late November or early December
• What it means — If talks go badly, warning strikes at VW plants are possible early next year

Source: nord24.de (dpa) · zdfheute.de · autohaus.de · wiwo.de

3. [Society] German trains: no real improvement until 2029

• Rail infrastructure chief's outlook — Philipp Nagl, head of DB InfraGo, told Die Zeit that 2029, when the biggest line renovations end, will be the turning point
• Long-distance punctuality fell from 64% to about 60% — between 2023 and 2025, and 2026 is expected to be worse
• Old equipment is the main problem — Switches, overhead lines and signal boxes break faster than they can be fixed; infrastructure-related disruptions rose 40% in 2026
• Renovation timeline — Hanover–Berlin until the end of 2027, Hamburg–Hanover in 2029
• What to do — Plan extra time for long trips. A delay of 60+ minutes gets you 25% of the fare back, 120+ minutes 50% (strikes included; exceptions for major natural disasters or people on the tracks)

Source: nw.de (dpa) · vol.at · tagesspiegel.de (dpa)

4. [Culture] Prize for exile literature goes to Belarusian poet Julia Cimafiejeva

• Presented on 20 Oct at Heidelberg town hall, €15,000 — The Hilde Domin Prize goes every three years to writers living in exile in Germany who publish in German
• Poet and translator, born in Belarus in 1982 — She left Belarus in 2020 for political reasons, together with her husband, the writer Alhierd Bacharevič
• Named after Hilde Domin (1909–2006) — a poet who fled the Nazis and later returned to Germany
• Worth a read? — Her poems about exile and memory are a good challenge for intermediate learners: short, clear and personal

Source: mrn-news.de · heidelberg.de · heidelberg.de (ceremony)

5. [Arts] Berlin: first big Tanja Ostojić show opens in Kreuzberg

• Opens today (23 Oct) at 5 pm, runs until 14 February 2027 — at Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien on Mariannenplatz
• Free entry — the artist's first comprehensive exhibition in Germany
• 25 years of work — performance, video, installation, photography, drawing, textiles and new projects
• Bodies, borders, resistance — migration and border regimes, gender, and power in the art world
• Why go? — If you've ever queued at the Ausländerbehörde, the theme of borders and belonging will feel very close

Source: kunstraumkreuzberg.de · berliner-zeitung.de · tip-berlin.de

6. [Entertainment] Blauer Panther TV award: Netflix's "Unfamiliar" is best series

• Presented on Wednesday (21 Oct) at BMW Welt, Munich — part of the MEDIENTAGE media week, for German-language TV and streaming
• Best series: "Unfamiliar" (Netflix) — accepted by producer Andreas Bareiss
• Acting awards — Derya Akyol for "Euphorie" (RTL+) and Johannes Hegemann for "Olivia" (ZDF)
• Audience favourites — Joko & Klaas's "Ein sehr gutes Quiz" won best family show; Johannes B. Kerner received the honorary award
• Weekend tip — The winners list doubles as a German-language watchlist; the show is in the ARD Mediathek

Source: presseportal.de · nachrichten-muenchen.com · abendzeitung-muenchen.de

7. [Sport] Leverkusen perfect in Europe, first win for Hoffenheim

• Leverkusen win 2-0 in Crete — Jonas Hofmann scored in the 35th and 38th minutes; three wins from three, 8 goals scored, none conceded
• Hoffenheim beat Lyon 3-0 — Kramarić, Daghim and Hložek scored; their first win after two defeats
• Freiburg lose 3-0 at Monaco — in the Conference League, with two late goals
• This weekend — back to the Bundesliga, where the European week will be felt in tired legs

Source: zdfheute.de · uefa.com · bundesliga.com · zdfheute.de (Freiburg)

Weather

City	Sat 24	Sun 25	Mon 26
Berlin	🌦️ 11° / 7° cloudy, drizzle later	⛅ 13° / 7° sunny spells, windy	🌦️ 13° / 8° morning showers
Hamburg	🌧️ 11° / 8° light rain	🌦️ 12° / 8° light rain	☁️ 13° / 8° cloudy
Munich	☁️ 11° / 6° cloudy	🌧️ 13° / 4° rain	☁️ 14° / 5° cloudy
Cologne	🌧️ 13° / 8° light rain	🌧️ 14° / 11° rain	🌦️ 14° / 8° light rain
Frankfurt	🌦️ 13° / 7° light rain	🌦️ 14° / 8° showers	☁️ 14° / 6° cloudy

Tip: Sunday is the windiest day, especially on the North Sea coast, where a storm surge is possible. And remember: at 3 am on Sunday the clocks go back to 2 am! (Forecasts: wetter24.de, 14-tage-wettervorhersage.de, wetter.com)

German from today's news

Word	Meaning	Example from the news
die Pünktlichkeit	punctuality	Die Pünktlichkeit soll ab 2029 besser werden.
die Generalsanierung	complete renovation	Die Generalsanierung dauert bis Ende 2027.
die Bundespräsidentin	(female) Federal President	Aigner könnte die erste Bundespräsidentin werden.
die Nullrunde	pay freeze	Die IG Metall kritisiert Nullrunden bis 2030.
das Exil	exile	Sie lebt seit 2020 im Exil.
die Ausstellung	exhibition	Die Ausstellung ist kostenlos.

Hold on to your hat this weekend — and leave early for the train. Schönes Wochenende! 🇩🇪