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Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Friday, October 17 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 100+ articles, posts and events so you don't have to.
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🇩🇪 Berlin economy remains in crisis mode: "We will see more unemployment"
Berlin companies see little light ahead: In a fall survey published yesterday, the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and the Chamber of Crafts (HWK) reported worse business sentiment than in spring. Thirty percent of firms said exports fell—mainly due to United States tariffs—while services held steady; the groups warn of rising job cuts as unemployment already exceeds 10 percent. (Tagesspiegel)
Labor-market data underline the strain: In September 2025, 220,187 people were registered as unemployed in Berlin, equal to an unemployment rate of 10.3 percent, up 0.5 percentage points year over year. Broader underemployment reached 261,821 people, even as vacancies persisted in sectors such as health care, construction, and logistics, according to the regional labor agency. (Bundesagentur für Arbeit)
Looking ahead, economists at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) see only 0.2 percent national growth this year but forecast a firmer 1.7 percent expansion in 2026 as infrastructure and climate-finance packages, higher defense outlays, and tax incentives take effect. They also flag continuing pressure from trade barriers, with global growth projected at 3.7 percent in 2025 before easing to 3.3 percent in 2026. (DIW Berlin)
🇩🇪 Ministry of Transport plans: Simulator and app for a cheaper driving license
Germany’s Transport Ministry unveiled proposals yesterday to make driving school cheaper by allowing app-based theory lessons, reducing mandatory special drives and paperwork, and teaching manual transmission entirely in simulators. The plan also trims the 1,169-question theory catalog by one third and restores the practical test to 25 minutes to help bring the average €3,400 price down. (tagesschau.de)
Costs today are driven by instruction time. The automobile club Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) estimates 45‑minute lessons cost €55–€77 and 12 required special drives €60–€95 each, putting total outlays roughly between €2,500 and €4,500 once exam fees and materials are included. (ADAC)
Next, the ministry will refine the package with federal states and the driving‑school sector; legal changes are targeted for the first half of 2026. It also plans to publish comparable online data on each school’s prices and fail rates to help applicants benchmark cost and quality. (Bundesministerium für Verkehr)
🇩🇪 Major raid against organized crime in Friedrichshain
Berlin authorities carried out a large-scale evening raid yesterday, inspecting 50 businesses across three districts and seizing illegal gambling machines near Ostbahnhof in Friedrichshain. About 60 officers from the public order office, customs and police took part; Justice Senator Felor Badenberg observed as nine illicit devices were hauled away and one worker was led off in handcuffs on suspicion of illegal employment. (Berliner Morgenpost)
The action aligns with Berlin’s broader push against organized crime. The city’s 2023 situation report logged 66 investigation complexes and 485 suspects, with financial damages totaling 57.1 million euros; nearly 90 percent of cases included financial investigations, leading to roughly 10 million euros in assets provisionally secured. (Berlin.de)
What comes next will hinge partly on European enforcement capacity. The European Union’s new Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) began operating in summer 2025. They will start direct supervision on January 1, 2028 and raise the pressure on illicit cash flows. (AMLA)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇬🇧 Merz's 'discriminatory' cityscape migration remark draws ire | Merz's cityscape remark ignites accusations of discrimination and apology demands.
🇬🇧 Central bank: No growth for Germany's struggling economy in Q3 | Bundesbank warns Germany's economy likely stalled in the third quarter amid industrial slump.
🇩🇪 Switch work in Gesundbrunnen hinders S-Bahn services in the north of Berlin | Major switch replacement at Gesundbrunnen disrupts Berlin commuter trains, buses replacing services.
🇩🇪 The new streetcar for Berlin: what it looks like - and when it will finally come to BVG | Berlin’s huge new Urbanliner tram offers space and modern systems, but approvals delay deployment.
🇩🇪 Shooting in Kreuzberg: At least three people injured - BVG bus also affected | A vehicle shooting in Kreuzberg injured at least three, investigators now seeking witnesses.
🇩🇪 Berlin gets three new bus lanes | Berlin approves three new bus lanes, but their actual rollout remains uncertain.
🇩🇪 Mobile citizens' offices open on six days at Berlin universities | Mobile citizen offices will offer full, no-appointment identity and document services at Berlin universities.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Treptower Herbst | October 17 to 19, 2025 | Free | Crunchy autumn vibes, street food, live bands and DJ sets, kids' rides and a jaw-dropping fire show — a seasonal party where families and night owls collide for pure fun.
🎟️ Podfest Berlin | October 17 - 19, 2025 | €54 for 3-day-pass | Podcasters and listeners collide: hands-on workshops, live recordings, and buzzy meetups spotlight Berlin’s international audio scene—learn tricks, make connections, and catch shows before they hit your feed.
🎟️ Jazz in the Minister Gardens | October 17, 2025 | €34, reduced €24 | Modern jazz from across Germany floods historic gardens — trios, quartets, vocal experiments and swinging classics collide, turning an autumn night into Berlin's most elegant, improvised soundtrack.
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ Does anyone here actually claim money back when BVG or DB trains are late? | Many commuters say claiming DB delay refunds is surprisingly easy and worthwhile.
🗣️ Bürgschaft bei den Landeseigenen | Neighbors ask whether municipal housing companies accept guarantors, one reply says no.
🗣️ Genuine question about the airport | Users debate if Berlin airport truly defaults to German or is just anecdotal.
🏖 Fun Fact: Berlin may be landlocked, but it has sandy beaches – the popular Strandbad Wannsee on Lake Wannsee features a 1.2 km long beach with fine sand imported from the Baltic Sea. Berliners have been flocking to Wannsee for a swim since the beach opened in 1907.
👋 That's a wrap! Thanks for reading Berlin News Daily!
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