In Brief: EU Commission unveils new asylum plan
The body’s president, President Ursula von der Leyen, says it is necessary to overhaul Europe’s asylum policy as the old system “no longer works.”
Wednesday 3 p.m.: ‘Letter’ by Monika Müller-Kroll
Do you remember blue airmail paper? In today’s Wednesday 3 p.m. essay, “Letter,” KCRW Berlin’s Monika Müller-Kroll pays homage to a time when pencil and paper kept people in touch.
Studio Berlin, broadcast Sept. 23, 2020: Can Europe reform its asylum and migration policies?
Two weeks after a fire destroyed the overcrowded refugee camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos, asylum policy is high on the EU Commission’s agenda. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition agreed to take in 1,500 additional refugees from Greece. Host Sylvia Cunningham discusses the current situation on the Greek island of Lesbos and the German aid efforts.
Juno Francis: Swedish Pop Made In Berlin
Angelica Ranåsen and Jacob Fagerstål are the Swedish pop duo Juno Francis. They teamed up in Berlin a couple of years ago to work on their vision of psychedelic 60s and 80s pop.
Studio Berlin, broadcast Sept. 16, 2020: How connected are Germans really 30 years after reunification?
On Oct. 3, 1990, less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany were reunited. For East Germans in particular, reunification meant access to new opportunity and freedoms, but the process of growing together brought trials and tribulations that sowed animosity between East and West Germans. Thirty years later, what does German unity look like?
Leitmotifs: Michael Naumann on supporting culture – there are ‘euros at the end of the tunnel’
Opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg is back with another episode of Leitmotifs, this time with Michael Naumann. He served as commissioner for cultural affairs in the German federal government from 1998 to 2001 and since 2012, Naumann has been the director of the Barenboim-Said Academy.
In Brief: African swine fever confirmed in Germany, posing threat to pork industry
The virus poses no danger to humans, but it is almost always fatal in pigs. Germany is one of the world’s largest pork producers, with 55 million pigs slaughtered in 2019, according to the German meat industry.
In Brief: German politicians urge interior minister to take in people displaced by Greek refugee camp fire
The Moira refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos was officially built for around 2,800 people, but almost 13,000 refugees lived there. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Wednesday 3 p.m.: ‘German’s Chocolate Cake’ by Sylvia Cunningham
In today’s Wednesday 3 p.m. story ‘German’s Chocolate Cake,” KCRW Berlin’s Sylvia Cunningham looks into the history of the famous cake and discovers a man with a sweet secret.
Studio Berlin, broadcast Sept. 9, 2020: Conspiracies in Germany, vigilance in France — What are the latest coronavirus challenges?
Cases of COVID-19 are rising and despite warnings from Berlin to remain alert, a growing number of Germans are pushing back against hygiene and social distancing rules even as their neighbors — the French — embrace those measures to try and avoid another lockdown. Host Sumi Somaskanda explores the subject.
