Welcome to Alles Gute, the SPIEGEL newsletter with only good news from the week. It's great to have you here!
It was the week of state visits to Africa: Federal Minister of the Interior Faeser in Morocco, Federal Chancellor Scholz in Nigeria and Ghana, Federal President Steinmeier in Tanzania and Zambia. German interest in the continent has been rekindled, and that is good news. In 2050, 2.5 billion people are expected to live in Africa, a huge sales market also for German companies. Germany is dependent on the continent, it needs the voices of African countries in the UN, it needs raw materials such as lithium and cobalt to master the climate transition. And yes, in view of the demographic development in this country, Germany will also be dependent on labour migration from Africa in the future.
Although Scholz looked rather pinched in view of the reception by colorfully dressed dancers in Ghana, his statements remained non-committal as usual. But the German government has now understood that the old teacher's attitude towards Africa no longer works, and is trying to be more humble. This is a good and important step, my colleague Heiner Hoffmann notes in his commentary.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier showed his backbone in Tanzania: he travelled to the site of German colonial crimes, where up to 300,000 Tanzanians lost their lives when German troops brutally crushed an uprising. Unlike King Charles III, who was also in Africa this week, Steinmeier explicitly apologised for the actions of the past and asked for forgiveness. It is the important beginning of a long reappraisal.
What else was good this week – for the world:
Inflation continues to
fallInflation in Germany has fallen to its lowest level since 2021. Thanks to lower energy prices, it is now only 3.8 percent. And the trend continues to be downward. Food prices, on the other hand, rose again.
France wants to enshrine
the right to abortion in the constitutionIn the USA, the right to abortion has been overturned – Emmanuel Macron wants to prevent this for his country. France's president has therefore announced that the right to abortion will be included in the constitution.
More free time with full pay: Can we afford the four-day week?
Working less for the same pay, that sounds like a dream. Calls for the implementation of the four-day week are increasing, and a pilot project is imminent. What potential there is in it and what can go wrong.
Ugly Shoes: Uglier is always
possibleHamster flip-flops, Crocs cowboy boots or sneakers without heels with shock absorber heels. Ugliness can have a liberating effect – and is very much in vogue, at least when it comes to shoes. In this article, you'll learn what this has to do with Instagram and TikTok – and see the shocking photos of the models described.
When homeless people move
back into their own apartmentIn Germany, tens of thousands of people live on the streets. Recently, more of them have been placed in apartments again. How do they feel about it? Five people report. One of them says, "The first night I slept on the chair."
What's good – for you:
Which series and films are coming in November – and what's already worthwhile
Autumn is here and with it the weather for cozy cuddle evenings in front of the screen. Here's what's coming to streaming providers next month – and which classics deserve a second look.
»Sleeping outside for a night, that's easy«
But it shouldn't be too comfortable, every now and then you have to go out. Survival formats such as "7 vs. Wild" awaken the urge for adventures in nature in many couch heroes. Here, scene star and ex-soldier Otto Bulletproof talks about ways out of the comfort zone.
What helps when the world is broken and the job seems
pointless Functioning in times of war: The crises of this world do not stop when the working day begins. How to deal with the feeling of dissonance – and why it's okay not to be okay.
How best to deal with boredom
We all get bored, sometimes even during periods of stress – but we are reluctant to admit it in front of others. Boredom researcher Silke Ohlmeier explains in the ideas podcast "Smarter leben" how we can become happier in everyday life.
What helps women who suffer
from premenstrual syndrome Anger, hopelessness, nervousness: almost one in ten women of childbearing age suffers from premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Psychologist Almut Dorn researches the symptoms – and knows what helps.
And what else?
On November 7, SPIEGEL will present the Social Design Award for the tenth time; The award honors projects that make social coexistence more inclusive, fairer and more just. In an interview, juror Friedrich von Borries notes that the word design is often associated with status symbols – spectacular houses, expensive furniture or extravagant fashion. In this context, design encompasses the design of our entire living environment: "In this sense, social design is an invitation to go through the world with open eyes, to become creative in order to make it a little better. You don't have to be a design professional to do that."
Every year, the award shows how creative and successful projects by amateurs can be – from the urinal as a neighbourhood meeting point to the chatbot for sex counselling.
"The world can only be changed if you support ideas that at first glance seem completely weird," says von Borries. "That's when I think of the initiative that wants to convert the Nuremberg city motorway into a canal – with electric commuter ferries, outdoor swimming pools and gardens on the banks. Completely utopian, and yet: it opens up spaces for thought and brings people together. I think that's great. By the way, the initiative was one of last year's winners.«
If something beautiful has happened to you, if you have experienced, seen, heard something that you would like to share: write to us. By e-mail to GuteNachrichten.Newsletter@spiegel.de . It can be something small or something life-changing. In the next few weeks, we will present another submission here.*
Have a nice weekend, don't let it get you down! And if you haven't signed up for this new weekly newsletter yet, you can order it for free here.
Yours sincerely, Nicola Abé, Team and Project Manager »Global Society« in the International Department
Collaboration: Heiner Hoffmann
*By submitting your submission, you agree to anonymous publication on SPIEGEL.de and all other media of the SPIEGEL Group.
This article is part of the Global Society project
SectionWhat is the Global Society Project?expand
Under the title "Global Society", reporters from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe report on injustices in a globalised world, socio-political challenges and sustainable development. The reports, analyses, photo series, videos and podcasts are published in a separate section in the foreign section of SPIEGEL. The project is long-term and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
A detailed FAQ with questions and answers about the project can be found here.
AreaWhat does the funding look like in concrete terms?expand
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been supporting the project since 2019 for an initial period of three years with a total sum of around 2.3 million euros – around 760,000 euros per year. In 2021, the project was extended by almost three and a half years until spring 2025 on the same terms.
Is the journalistic content independent of the Foundation?expand
Yes. The editorial content is created without any influence from the Gates Foundation.
Do other media outlets have similar projects?expand
Yes. Major European media outlets such as "The Guardian" and "El País" have set up similar sections on their news sites with the support of the Gates Foundation, "Global Development" and "Planeta Futuro" respectively.
Have there already been similar projects at SPIEGEL?expand
In recent years, SPIEGEL has already implemented two projects with the European Journalism Centre (EJC) and the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: the "Expedition ÜberMorgen" on global sustainability goals and the journalistic refugee project "The New Arrivals", which has produced several award-winning multimedia reports on the topics of migration and flight.
SectionWhere can I find all publications on the Global Society?
The pieces can be found at SPIEGEL on the topic page Global Society .