🌤️ Guten Morgen, Berlin!

Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Thursday, August 28 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 100+ articles, posts and events so you don't have to. Let’s dive in.

🇬🇧 98% of inspected Berlin rental contracts charge illegally high rent

Berlin’s Rent Price Review Office said 93 of 95 rental contracts it assessed in Q2 2025 charged illegally high rents, including 61 at least 50% above the cap and one at 150%.

Berlin caps rents via the Mietspiegel comparative index. Exceeding the cap by 50% is deemed rent exploitation and may bring criminal charges; going 20% over can carry fines up to €50,000.

Authorities will evaluate cases for fines or prosecution and continue audits, with further scrutiny of Berlin’s rental market expected. (IamExpat in Germany, 2 minute read)

🇩🇪 Drug checking in Berlin: almost every second drug sample is conspicuous

Berlin's health administration said its two-year drug-checking program tested 3,596 samples, posted warnings for 48% over contamination, mislabeling, or high doses, and found 73% of users reconsidered consumption after counseling.

The service, evaluated with Charité, targets harm reduction; over 80% of users engaged with addiction services for the first time. MDMA, ketamine, and cocaine accounted for most tests.

The Senate supports extending the €200,000-per-year program, but funding beyond 2025 depends on the still-pending 2026/27 budget. (rbb24, 2 minute read)

🇩🇪 Federal Cabinet adopts new military service law

Germany’s federal cabinet approved a draft law to introduce a new military service model to boost Bundeswehr recruitment, stopping short of reinstating peacetime conscription.

The plan targets 18- to 25-year-olds, beginning with an interest survey and selective medical screening to expand the reserve and address staffing shortfalls. Officials say Germany needs about 80,000 more troops to reach NATO’s roughly 260,000 target; pay would exceed €2,000 net monthly.

Parliament must debate and vote; if passed, registration of young men begins next year, with mandatory mustering planned from 2027; any future activation of conscription would also require Bundestag approval. (rbb24, 4 minute read)

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💡 Fun Fact: Berlin has been a city of inventors: the first programmable computer (the Z3 by Konrad Zuse in 1941) was built in Berlin, and the city is also where the thermos flask (vacuum flask) and the electric torch (flashlight) were invented.

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