☀️ Guten Morgen, Berlin!
High: 14.8°C | Low: 6.1°C
Chance of Rain: 0%
Sunrise: 7:12 AM | Sunset: 4:27 PM
Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Thursday, November 06 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 160 sources so you don't have to.
💌 Know someone who’d love this? Share the email or send them the URL.
Got feedback? Write us at news@berlindaily.org. Let's dive in.
🇬🇧 New Berlin law promises a million trees by 2040
Berlin’s House of Representatives passed a Climate Adaptation Act committing the city to one million trees by 2040, up from about 440,000 today. Backed by all parties except Alternative for Germany and based on the BaumEntscheid initiative, it makes Berlin the first German state with such a law. The €3.2 billion plan expands green spaces, unseals pavements, and manages rainwater. (The Local Germany)
The urban heat island effect is deadly. A 2023 analysis of European cities estimated that elevated urban temperatures were linked to 6,700 premature summer deaths. Modeling suggested that raising tree cover to 30 percent would cool cities by an average 0.4 degrees Celsius and could prevent about 2,644 deaths, nearly 40 percent of heat‑island mortality. (European Commission)
Scaling up street trees is expensive, however. Berlin’s City Trees campaign estimates purchase, planting, and three‑year establishment care at roughly €3,000 per tree. (Berlin.de)
🇩🇪 Customs investigators seize a ton of marijuana in Spandau
Five Berlin men allegedly smuggled more than a ton of marijuana hidden among coconuts. After the load was flagged in the Port of Hamburg, special units tracked the parcels to Berlin-Spandau and arrested suspects aged 36 to 69. On Tuesday, a judge executed the warrants; investigators called it one of Berlin’s biggest drug finds. (rbb24.de)
The case lands amid shifting drug statistics. In 2024, police recorded a 34.2 percent drop in drug crime, largely due to the Cannabis Act that decriminalized limited possession and home growing from 1 April 2024. Overall, 5.84 million crimes were logged, while cocaine-related figures rose 4.8 percent year on year. (Bundeskriminalamt)
This bust shows legalization has not displaced cross‑border supply chains. Smugglers still exploit high‑volume shipping routes, making port enforcement decisive. In 2024, Hamburg handled 7.8 million standard containers, and container cargo made up nearly 70 percent of total throughput, illustrating the detection challenge. (Hafen Hamburg)
🇬🇧 Inside Germany’s ‘repatriation offensive’ to send back a million asylum seekers
Germany’s new “repatriation offensive” seeks to boost returns of refugees, notably an estimated 700,000 Syrians and 400,000 Afghans. Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Syria is now safe and urges non-citizens to go back; Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul disagrees. The plan combines €1,000-per-person offers and travel money with tougher laws, expanded detention, and curtailed legal aid. (The Telegraph)
Germany recorded a 34 percent drop in asylum requests in 2024, to 213,499 from 322,636. Federal police also logged almost one-third fewer illegal arrivals. The decline coincided with rising support for the far-right Alternative for Germany ahead of the February election. (Reuters)
Germany’s strategy marks a decisive pivot but faces legal, diplomatic, and capacity constraints. Scaling returns will be slow in practice. In 2024, European Union states issued 453,380 orders to leave but carried out just 110,385 returns, roughly a twenty-four percent enforcement rate despite increases in absolute numbers. (Eurostat)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇩🇪 New subway trains for U5 to U9 coming earlier | Berlin’s transit operator says earlier rollout enables up to 236 new cars by early 2027, boosting service: U3 capacity up 30%; U2 back to four-minute intervals in January.
🇩🇪 Only one lane of traffic left on the damaged A100 bridge heading west | An engineering review forced more closures after corrosion; expect heavy jams. Berlin will rebuild 120 bridges in 10 years for €1B.
🇩🇪 Four million people are expected to live in Berlin in 2040 | Officials project modest growth—about 109,000 above 2024—to 4.006 million, with eight districts rising and four shrinking. Gains concentrate in Treptow-Köpenick, Pankow, Lichtenberg; declines drive targeted housing, school, transport planning.
🇩🇪 EU wants to shorten train travel times between major cities | Brussels targets 2040 for a faster high-speed rail network, cutting Berlin–Copenhagen to four hours. Estimated cost: €345B, rising to €546B by 2050, aiming to shift travelers from short flights.
🇬🇧 How can Germany make immigrant nursing staff want to stay? | Germany’s care system relies on migrants. 1 in 4 nursing-home staff are foreign nationals—but retention suffers from €12,000 debts, language barriers, and racism. Researchers urge fair recruitment, flexible shifts, and support.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Photo Book Market at Camera Work | November 06 - 08, 2025 | Free | Hunt rare, signed and out-of-print photography books—new releases, display copies and collector editions—while supporting a children’s hospice; a treasure trove for photo lovers and art collectors.
🎟️ This weekend: Cheese Berlin | November 09, 2025 | Not yet known | Sample artisanal cheeses from across Europe—shepherd-made rarities and farmhouse classics—celebrating endangered cheesemaking traditions and biodiversity while you taste, learn and buy small-producer treasures.
🎟️ This weekend: Fetzenmarkt at MaHalla | November 08 and 09, 2025 | Not yet known | Score standout second‑hand fashion and upcycled gems — curated vintage, unique accessories, a swap corner and a chance to ditch mainstream style guilt‑free.
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ Strange visit from “police” | Homeowner unnerved by apparent police residency check, community advises it's likely legitimate.
🗣️ Berlin culture need your opinion | Berlin residents suggest more affordable, diverse parties and worry about closing venues.
🗣️ Japanische Schreibwaren und Bürobedarf | Locals recommend Bikinihaus, Pappelallee shops, Muji and small boutiques for Japanese stationery.
🔶 Fun Fact: Berlin’s sidewalks tell history – look down for Stolpersteine (“stumbling stones”). Over 10,000 small brass plaques across Berlin mark the last residences of Jewish citizens and others murdered by the Nazis, making the city part of the world’s largest decentralized Holocaust memorial.
👋 That's a wrap! Thanks for reading Berlin News Daily!
Subscribe for free to get tomorrow’s news in your inbox.