Sylvia Cunningham is the deputy editor at KCRW Berlin and co-host of the weekly current affairs show, "Studio Berlin." She also contributes to weekday newscasts and produces the monthly storytelling show, "The Bear on KCRW Berlin." She first joined the team in October 2017 as a Fulbright grantee.
Before moving to Berlin, Sylvia worked in New York for "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt." She also contributed to NBCNews.com, covering topics such as the impact of Muhammad Ali’s death on the Louisville community, Michelle Obama’s final commencement speech as First Lady, and blood donation regulations in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida.
In Berlin, the Plansche im Plänterwald water playground in Treptow has been temporarily closed after 30 children complained of itching and skin rashes. In other news, CDU politician Octavian Ursu defeated AfD candidate Sebastian Wippel for mayor in the Saxony town of Görlitz this Sunday.
In a ruling Thursday, Germany’s Federal Administrative Court said the process of killing male chicks shortly after hatching can continue — but only until an alternative is found.
Over the next six weeks, a robot will answer simple travel questions at Berlin’s main train station. The hope is this kind of AI technology will free up customer service employees for more complex inquiries. Find out more in your KCRW Berlin News Brief.
The Volksbühne finds their new artistic director, the opening of the Humboldt Forum will be delayed until 2020, and Späti owners will take to the streets on Sunday to protest against rules limiting their business hours on Sundays.
Next Tuesday’s Senate meeting to decide whether or not Berlin rent prices should be frozen for five years has propelled the owner’s association Haus und Grund to publish a countdown clock on their website, alerting members that this week could be their last to increase rent prices.
ALDI’s move to start charging one cent for customers to bag their produce in plastic has been called “insufficient” by the Deutsche Umwelthilfe (Environmental Action Germany). Also, Federal Health Minister says gay “conversion therapy” makes people sick and is not healthy.
The Federal Supreme Court rules in an anti-competition lawsuit against a number of pharmacies, new report finds low rates of plastic recycling in Germany. Find out more in your KCRW Berlin News Brief.
On Thursday, a taxi driver protest at Jannowitzbrücke brought traffic to a standstill. Also, there are new details related to the conviction of the ex-nurse found guilt of killing 85 patients. Read more in your KCRW Berlin News Brief.
The city makes strides in creating a so-called rent cap, and the EU Commission is cracking down on Italy’s debt. Find out more in your KCRW Berlin News Brief.
A verdict has been reached in a mass murder case in Lower Saxony, and protesters rally as federal and state officials are in Leipzig for a two-day conference on health care. Find out more in your KCRW Berlin News Brief.
