Stories from Furt · Germany

The Eurozone recorded a slight economic growth increase of 0.1 percent in the first quarter compared to the previous year. This represents a slight decline relative to the last quarter. Germany reported a 0.3 percent growth rate for the same period. The DAX index rose 0.7 percent to reach 24,122 points following an initial negative start. The European Central Bank is monitoring whether rising energy prices will lead to broader inflation across other sectors like food and travel. Eurozone inflation rose to 3.0 percent in April, according to a report from Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Eurostat reported that Eurozone and European Union GDP grew by only 0.1 percent in the first quarter of the year.

The RadiGame research project won a special jury prize at the German Computer Game Prize awards. The project investigates how extremists utilize highly visited gaming platforms on the internet.

Deutsche Bahn will close a section of the Kossakowische Bahn in southern Frankfurt during May for construction work. The closure affects the segment between Frankfurt-Forsthaus and Niederath.

The Federal Employment Agency reported a weak spring recovery for the German labor market. Germany has had more than 3 million unemployed individuals since January. In March, the number of unemployed people reached 3,021,000 with an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent. It remains uncertain if the number of unemployed individuals fell below 3 million in April as hoped by the federal government. The current economic crisis may weaken the impact of any potential decrease. There is uncertainty regarding whether the figure will fall below the government's target of 3 million in April due to the current economic crisis. Experts anticipate only a very weak seasonal spring recovery in the labor market this month.

Outgoing central bank chief Christine Lagarde announced she will remain at the European Central Bank as a simple director. This decision follows pressure from US President Trump for interest rate cuts.

The union representing approximately 9,000 Postbank employees is increasing pressure in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. The union is demanding an 8% salary increase or a minimum monthly raise of 300 euros. Postbank has declined to comment on the negotiations.

Police are investigating a school project in which ninth-grade students were instructed to create collages using magazines containing explicit sexual content. The school halted the project following the discovery. Both the school and the sponsoring foundation have issued apologies regarding the incident. The AfD party leadership has raised the issue in the Bundestag. The project reportedly included a gay magazine depicting sexual intercourse between two men. A school halted a collage project involving 9th-grade students after it was discovered to include imagery from a gay magazine depicting sexual acts. The project was supported by the Amadeo Antonio Foundation.

Culture Minister Wolfram Weimar announced plans to stop the expansion project for the National Library in Frankfurt am Main. The project involves a fifth expansion building to accommodate 6 additional kilometers of shelving. Library Director Neuer expressed dismay, noting that work on the expansion has been planned since 2018. The library's founding roots are in Leipzig.

A survey of 5,211 residents in the Hessen region found that 638 million unpaid overtime hours were recorded in 2024 alone.

The company is working with Goldman Sachs to facilitate the sale of a 74% stake held by German-based BiVar. Chief Executive Gareth Edgecom stated that the sale process and the original turn effect are separate and largely coincidental.