In Brief: BVG warning strikes bring trams, buses, subways to a standstill on Tuesday morning
Berlin public transit workers are going on a warning strike on Tuesday from 3 a.m. until noon.
In Brief: Two German ministers self-isolating after contacts test positive for COVID-19
Although Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’ first COVID-19 test was negative, he nevertheless called off an upcoming trip to Jordan.
A look inside Berlin’s new BER airport, 5 weeks before its scheduled opening
After a near decade-long delay and billions in cost overruns, the Berlin Brandenburg Airport is scheduled to open on Oct. 31. KCRW Berlin’s Sylvia Cunningham took part in a test run at the site to see if it’s ready.
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.”
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.
In Brief: Despite rise in COVID-19 cases, Berlin Senate decides against immediate action to tighten rules
Two of the factors in Berlin’s “traffic light” system assessing the threat of COVID-19 to public health are yellow, which is what prompted city officials to consider new restrictions.
In Brief: Civil servants prepare to strike this week across Germany
Trade union Verdi and the German Civil Service Federation are demanding a minimum monthly raise of 150 euros.
In Brief: Hundreds take part in test run at BER airport with grand opening 6 weeks away
KCRW Berlin’s Sylvia Cunningham was one of several hundred people who went to the Brandenburg site on Thursday to take part in a five-hour test run to identify any last-minute glitches.
In Brief: EU emissions reduction plan doesn’t go far enough, critics say
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed in her first speech on the state of the EU on Wednesday to reduce emissions by at least 55% over the next decade compared to 1990 levels.
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?
