Sunday Shopping Ban Debate: Germany is weighing an end to its century-old Sunday shop closures, with tourism coordinator Christoph Ploss and the FDP arguing flexible hours would help retailers and keep city centres competitive against online shopping. Functional Food Ingredient Watch: Baobab is pushing further into beverages, bars and cereals as manufacturers chase “food-as-medicine” and gut-health trends; the global baobab market is cited at $91.9m with strong growth projections. Cockroach Control Rethink: New research on German cockroaches suggests neonates learn colony smell and use chemical cues from feces, helping explain why traps and baits can underperform—pointing to new pest-control targets. Wine & Tasting Scene: Langtons unveiled an inaugural Classification of International Wine based on five years of secondary auction data, highlighting strong competition and investor interest in fine wine as an asset. Beer Retail Culture: A German-focused beer festival item notes Germany’s biggest beer event is set to expand abroad, while a separate beer-day piece highlights how specialty bottle shops keep rotating rare and craft picks. Tourism & Food Events: Antigua and Barbuda’s Ian Joseph is among participants at Germany’s Afrika Festival in Tübingen, where gastronomy and beverages sit alongside tourism and trade networking.