BONN. The banks of the Rhine near the city centre in Bonn have always been a popular meeting place for young people in the summer months - much to the displeasure of local residents who regularly complain about the noise. According to the police, young people from Bonn and the surrounding areas regularly get together along the left bank of the Rhine promenade when the weather is nice - especially at the weekend. Alcohol-related fights are also a regular occurrence. The police and the public order services have been regularly monitoring this area for some time to prevent such gatherings from taking place.

From 10pm on Saturday night, forces from police inspection unit 1, the dog handlers' squadron, the criminal investigation department as well as officers of the Bonn mobile squad were on duty at the Brassert, Moses-Hess and Erzbergufer. Police and the public order service were also in attendance on the other side of the Rhine, where several large groups of people had also gathered around the Kennedy Bridge in Beuel. Up until 3am the police had checked the identities of 139 people along the promenades of both sides of the Rhine, and 36 people were officially expelled. Small amounts of illegal drugs were found and seized from five persons and criminal charges filed against them. Amongst a larger group of people on the banks of the Rhine in Beuel, a young woman is said to have been sexually harassed around 11pm. The victim contacted police officers from the mobile squad shortly afterwards and possible suspects were identified. Investigations are continuing.

(Original text: Michael Wolber)

BONN. From 16 July, up to 2000 guests will be able to attend live concerts, theatre, cabaret and comedy in the Rheinaue, according to the ambitious plans of the Bonn organisers Fünfdrei Eventagentur and Rheinevents. The two brothers Julian and Simon Reininger (Green Juice Festival) and Sandro Heinemann (Panama Open Air) and their team, who recently organised the drive-in concerts at the Westwerk, want to offer Bonners an open air experience which is unique in Germany. Their concept, the ‘Kulturgarten’ (Cultural Garden) allows up to ten people to book a plot of land that is separated from others by waist-high cords and 1.50-metre-wide quarantine strips. Within this area, visitors can make themselves comfortable with picnic blankets. There will also be deck chairs directly in front of the stage and 160 beer benches behind it for up to eight people.

“We are very pleased that the city of Bonn has approved our concept within a matter of weeks and that we can therefore offer Bonn residents a stage,” Heinemann said at a press conference. “In this way, we aim to create a beer garden atmosphere. This also includes service staff from the Park Restaurant Rheinaue going around and taking orders. Unfortunately, it's not possible to collect food and drinks from the counter due to the corona regulations.”

A one-way street will direct the flow of visitors, and masks must be worn outside the plots. At the same time, the organisers do not want to rule out the possibility of sharing the plot with strangers: “If you only need four seats, others can of course buy tickets for the remaining six,” explained Reininger. “There's also enough space within the plots to keep the minimum distance if necessary.” As a further precaution all tickets will be personalised.

Similar to the drive-in concerts, the stage will be open for music as well as theatre and cabaret. The current programme starts in mid-July and will run until the end of August. More artists are to follow, the organisers are waiting for booking confirmations. Advanced booking opens on Monday, 29 June at 10 a.m. via www.bonnlive.com. Here you will also find further information and the current programme (in German).

(Original text: Thomas Kölsch)

BAD GODESBERG. Bonn police are asking for information concerning an unknown attacker who hit and slightly injured a 35-year-old woman at 7 am on Saturday morning along the John-Jay-McCloy-Ufer in Bonn-Mehlem. According to current investigations, the 35-year-old woman was walking with two friends on the upper footpath along the John-Jay-McCloy-Ufer from Austraße towards the Rüngsdorf open-air swimming pool.

By the tennis courts, a 55-60 year old man suddenly stood in their way and demanded cash from her in English. When she did not comply with the demand, he struck the woman's upper body with his hand, injuring her slightly. She was able to run away with her friends to the nearby cycle path. The suspect, who was wearing a blue jacket, walked away towards the street. The injured woman was treated by paramedics who were called to the scene. According to witnesses, the man has a white beard. Anyone with information is requested to contact the Bonn Criminal Investigation Department on 0228 / 150.

(Original text: Michael Wrobel)

BONN. The Independent Bonn International School e.V. (I.B.I.S) has become the first school in Germany to receive the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools Bronze Award.

Over the past 12 months, I.B.I.S. has worked to embed mental health and wellbeing throughout their school community, with a view to raising the profile of mental health and reducing stigma. Wellbeing Lead for the school, Sarah Tann, stated: “As a school community, we identified mental health and wellbeing as an area we wanted to invest in for our staff, students and parents. The Mental Health Award provided us with a framework to identify our areas of strength and areas that needed development. We are thrilled to have achieved the Bronze Award, acknowledging that we are a mental health friendly school and we are excited about continuing to build on the strengths we have. Supporting the wellbeing of our school community is something we are very passionate about. Evidence suggests that resilient students will overcome any barriers to learning easier allowing them to accomplish their potential.”

The Award Assessor, Liz Dawson of Leeds Beckett University, stated: “The whole school has worked together to break down barriers and there has been a shift in culture. Display boards and theme days have prompted conversations with parents, the children and their staff. People share their worries and staff are more transparent about their own concerns and share with others. There are one-to-one meetings available for the pupils and drop-ins. The children are having their voices heard. The wellbeing champions programme has empowered the children to share what is working well and what is missing and has proved very powerful. On a personal level, I congratulate I.B.I.S. on becoming the first school in Germany to achieve this award.”

BONN. The final session of the monthly public astronomy talks will be held live on YouTube (www.youtube.com/c/AstronomyonTapBonn/live) on Tuesday 30^th June at 7pm. The season two finale event will feature some astronomers from around the world: 1) Prof Nicolás Bernal on "Looking for Dark Matter”; 2) Dr Martha Irene Saladino on “Martian Chronicles” and 3) Andrea Guzman Mesa on “In Search of New Worlds”. The event also includes an online bilingual quiz. The lucky winner will receive their prize by mail. After the summer break, season three of Astronomy on Tap Bonn will be launched on 29^th September at 7pm at the Fiddlers Pub in Bonn-Endenich.

For more information about Astronomy on Tap Bonn:

www.facebook.com/aotbonn, twitter.com/aotbonn, www.instagram.com/aotbonn/,

www.youtube.com/channel/UCbgE4FNKT3Ax_OoMw2dcCAA

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)