Stories from Berlin · Germany

Ensemble member Chiandra is making her role debut as Marietta and Erscheidung Mariens.

Inflation has stopped in Germany, a development linked to the price of gold.

NDR Kultur and Deutschlandfunk Kultur are broadcasting a live performance where the character Marie emerges from a bathtub with bloody forearms. In this staging, Marie has apparently committed suicide.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) released a report titled "Im Press" focusing on vaccine hesitancy. Nora Schmid-Küpke from the RKI stated that vaccine-hesitant individuals constitute a relatively large group.

A minister in Germany is striving for stable contribution rates and plans to investigate additional measures. She explained these intentions in an interview with the Rheinische Post. The German Foreign Minister delivered a keynote speech, stating that the European Union must undergo fundamental changes. This address said the necessity for basic alterations within the EU structure. Discussions regarding fundamental changes within the European Union are focusing on security questions and the existing unanimity principle. The Minister proposed that EU states could bypass unanimity in certain areas using Passerell clauses, for instance, to decide on sanction packages with a qualified majority. The German Foreign Minister stated that the previous consensus on security questions is no longer sufficient, and unanimity should only be a last resort for very national interests.

Among the future ministers in the upcoming cabinet, there will be four women for the first time. The inclusion of four women among the future ministers has been confirmed by a German broadcaster.

Sebastian Rohloff, a Social Democratic Party (SPD) member of the German Bundestag, stated that a specific law has not yet been passed.

The CSU and SPD parties discussed the "Entlastungspremie," or relief premium, in the coalition committee. Bavarian Minister President and CSU leader Markus Söder, who participated in negotiations for the relief premium, voted against it in the Bundesrat. He has now called for cooperation within the coalition in an interview with Welt am Sonntag. The discussion regarding the future of the relief premium continues following the Bundesrat's failure. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the government would undertake further deliberations on the matter.

An association is accused of not repaying federal support received during the Corona pandemic. This non-repayment has contributed to an underestimation of nursing care fund expenditures.

Reports from German broadcasters indicate that the non-profit sector is being targeted. Concurrently, the administration is undergoing politicization, suggesting a shift in governmental processes and civil society engagement.