On 4 May 2026 — the same day the WHO officially confirms the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius — Germany’s tagesschau airs a 99-second explanatory clip in its vertical social-media format. A young presenter stands before a glowing blue world-map backdrop with the tagesschau wordmark above her. Cut in: a statement by Stefan Schmiedel — “Infektiologe und Tropenmediziner” (infectious disease specialist and tropical medicine physician), identified in the lower third without further context. In substance, he is the leading Hamburg-UKE voice on imported tropical disease.
On 25 February 2026, the VII Civil Senate of Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH), presided by Judge Pamp, with judges Halfmeier, Graßnack, Borris and Dr Hannamann, issued a decision that, in the broadcasters whose entire funding mechanics it directly affects, has to this day never been reported. Case number: VII ZB 29/24. Matter: enforcement by Bavarian Broadcasting (Bayerischer Rundfunk, BR) against an individual fee debtor in Allgäu over unpaid broadcasting fees. Outcome: the enforcement is declared inadmissible, the creditor — the BR — bears the costs. Both lower courts, the local court of Kaufbeuren and the 4th Civil Chamber of the regional court of Kempten, had ruled the opposite way. The Federal Court overturned them both.
