The German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia has the biggest COVID-19 outbreak in Germany, and is therefore introducing stricter measures to ensure social distancing. Among other penalties, restaurants that stay open will have to pay up to 4000 euros in fines, while individuals who meet in groups will have to pay 200 euros.

School is back in session in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populated state. To protect against coronavirus infections, masks are mandatory in school buildings and classrooms. How are the students and teachers dealing with the new requirements? Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

In this German PSA, Javelin throw world champions Johannes Vetter and Christina Obergföll recall the Corona winter of 2020. They longed to be training outdoors while the government was ordering everyone to stay home. After some lazy months of lockdown, they eventually found a way to keep fit.

“The Carolin Kebekus Show” is a Grimme Award-winning satirical variety program. In the first “Forgotten Heroines" segment, we meet the fictional Elisabeth Bemmendorff, who allegedly came up with the idea of putting greasy rémoulade on sandwich rolls — the influence of which on German cuisine should not be underestimated!

In this video you'll learn step by step how to open a bottle of non-alcoholic beer with a lighter — the non-screw-top types, that is! What other objects have you used to open a beer bottle? Add it to the commentaries, and we will forward it to Bierprobierer!

The Beatles spend the last few hours of their German tour in Hamburg – the city that discovered them! Can you find and identify the then popular Hamburg politician and future Chancellor of Germany?

Die Ärtze are a well-known pop-punk group from Berlin who have been making music together since the 80s. "Lasse redn" ("Let them talk") is a song about gossip.

Die Ärzte is one of Berlin's most well-known rock bands. The song "M&F" ("Männer und Frauen") is from their twelfth studio album.

What does the title "Achtung: Bielefeld" (“Attention: Bielefeld”) actually have to do with the topic of boredom — which is what the lyrics are all about? There’s certainly a lot of room for interpretation in this high-energy punk-inspired song!

The German Schlager duo Die Amigos are an excellent example of the kind of music that appealed to your grandparents’ generation, yet for some reason still command an audience today in Mitteleuropa. Strictly for fans of the surreal! Kopfhörer aufsetzen, Musik aufdrehen!

Diane shows us the beautiful Christmas offers at the Karlsruhe Christmas Market.

Diane continues her stroll over the Karlsruhe Christmas Market which even boasts a skating rink for young and old to enjoy.

Roland Emmerich's latest movie "Anonymus" asks the question: Were Shakespeare's plays really written by Shakespeare himself? This video looks for the answer on the red carpet.
Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

For a German language test, students have to conjugate verbs in the present tense, past tense and present perfect.

Today the German students learn how to switch main and dependent clause around using the conjunctions "when/if," "because" and "although." Watch out how the positions of the verb and the subject change!