Berlin tops up aid for hard-hit households

At $65b, 3rd relief package aims to ease blow to Germans from soaring prices

Germany's coalition government announced on Sunday a 65 billion euro ($65 billion) financial relief package to help households cope with the soaring inflation driven largely by runaway energy prices.

The third relief package unveiled since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Feb 24 includes plans for continued cheaper public transport tickets and tax breaks for energy-intensive firms. It also includes a one-off payment of 300 euros for pensioners and 200 euros for students to cover energy costs.

The two previous packages included a gas rebate, a 9-euro-per-month transport ticket, and an energy price flat rate for workers.