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Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Friday, November 07 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 155 sources so you don't have to.
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🇩🇪 How the police are tackling gun violence in Berlin
Berlin police are targeting a surge in gun violence, with over 400 shooting incidents recorded by late October, already surpassing the total for 2024. Authorities believe the spike is caused by turf wars among criminal groups, often over drug territories and dominance, fueled by significant profits. (rbb24)
Germany’s federal data show firearm-enabled crimes have been rising since 2021. In 2024, police recorded 9,460 offences involving guns. Officers reported 4,685 threats with firearms and 4,775 actual shots fired. Berlin registered the most incidents of shots fired among states. The broader category of weapons law offences totalled 36,056 cases in 2024. (BKA)
A special unit of up to 100 officers is conducting targeted operations day and night. They are focusing on known individuals and hotspots like cafes and betting shops. The primary goal is to disarm these groups immediately, seize illegal firearms, and prevent further public shootouts. (n-tv)
🇩🇪 "Berlin car-free" bill rejected - initiative wants to bring about referendum
Berlin’s parliament rejected the “Volksentscheid Berlin autofrei” bill, clearing the way for a signature drive in early 2026. Organizers will start in January and must collect support from seven percent of voters within four months. A vote could coincide with the 20 September state election. The plan would curb car use inside the S-Bahn ring after four years. (Tagesspiegel)
Mobility data suggest the inner city is less car-dependent than many assume. The 2023 “Mobility in Cities” survey logged about 40,000 Berlin participants. It found motorized individual transport at 22 percent of trips citywide and about 10 percent in the inner city, with walking at 38.5 percent and cycling at 22 percent. (Berlin.de)
The campaign will test how far Berliners are willing to trade private car access for climate and safety goals. It also pressures policymakers to offer credible alternatives for commuters and deliveries. Germany’s expert council found the transport sector exceeded its 2023 emissions limit by 12.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. (Deutscher Bundestag)
🇩🇪 Coke by QR-code: New drug scam floods Berlin
A new drug-dealing trend is spreading across Berlin using QR code stickers disguised as street art. Scanning the codes leads users to anonymous messenger chats with menus for cocaine and other drugs, often promising delivery within ten minutes. This "drug taxi" system, which functions like a routine delivery service, was previously seen in Hamburg, where police are already investigating a network. (Berliner Zeitung)
The method also poses cybersecurity risks through quishing, which is phishing executed with QR codes. Scans can redirect to counterfeit banking or payment pages or trigger malware downloads. Germany’s financial regulator advises scanning only when the destination is known and enabling link previews. It urges caution with codes in emails or messages. (BaFin)
This hybrid street‑to‑chat model lowers barriers for buyers and strains enforcement and youth protection. It also blurs cybercrime and drug dealing. The scale of supply underscores the challenge. In 2023, European Union states seized a record 419 tonnes of cocaine, including 43 tonnes in Germany, with trafficking shifting to smaller loads. (European Union Drugs Agency)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇬🇧 The solar panels Germans are plugging into their walls | The panels plug into wall outlets and feed power into homes. They produce less than rooftop arrays but cost far less.
🇩🇪 Closure in Berlin: Torstraße in Mitte will be a construction site for five years - the consequences | Work will start in 2026 and last about five years on the two-kilometre Torstraße. The plan keeps two lanes in each direction but 40 trees will be cut down and replanted.
🇬🇧 A Leap in Faith: Why are Berliners turning back to belief? | Young Berliners are turning to faith for community and ritual amid loneliness, stress and uncertainty. Belief is rising among young people globally. In the UK, for example, the share of 18-to-24-year-olds who believe has more than doubled, from 22% to 45%.
🇩🇪 Demolition of Schönhauser Allee Bridge starts earlier than planned | Demolition will begin late 2026, earlier than planned. Reconstruction is now expected to take at least six years with an initial cost estimate of €34.5 million (likely to rise).
🇬🇧 Germany news: Interior Ministry bans 'Muslim Interactive' | The group had called for a caliphate to replace the German state. The police union urged deportations and residence-status reviews of non-citizen members.
🇬🇧 Should Germany return Nefertiti bust to Egypt? | The bust was excavated in 1912 and has been displayed in Berlin since then. A petition at Cairo’s new national museum is pushing for its return.
🇬🇧 Medieval treasure was found under the center of Berlin, but no one knows who buried it | Archaeologists uncovered five and a half 13th-century denarii (small medieval silver coins) at Molkenmarkt. The hoard confirms coin use in the 1200s and informs urban planning.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Lithuanian Cinema Goes Berlin | November 06 - 09, 2025 | Varies depending on the event | Dive into Lithuanian cinema: shorts, features, documentaries and Berlin premieres reveal Baltic stories, female-driven voices, celebratory films and a sharp panel on cinematic intelligence — a rare, intimate look at Lithuania’s film soul.
🎟️ This weekend: Berlin Comic Book Fair | November 09, 2025 | €6, Children up to 12 years free | A buzzing comic-book marketplace where publishers, illustrators and collectors collide — hunt rarities and original art, flip through new releases and manga, meet cartoonists and dive into panels on graphic storytelling.
🎟️ *This weekend: Weddingmarkt * | November 09, 2025 | Free | Hundreds of handmade treasures: ceramics, prints, jewelry, indie fashion and wildflower bouquets from local artists, plus daring street-food stalls — shop local, snag one-off designs and eat your way through creativity.
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ FEX Berlin zuverlässig/reliable? | Commuters debate FEX punctuality, many report frequent delays disrupting connections.
🗣️ Wtf is wrong with the M41 bus? The problem is not that it’s late the problem is that it doesn’t even exist at the first station at HBF. | Commuters joke and gripe as M41 vanishes, official outage confirmed.
🗣️ Best Bourbon Selection? | Locals recommend several Berlin spots — shops and bars — for bourbon enthusiasts.
🗣️ Word of the Day: Tratschtante | Literal: Gossip-aunt | Meaning: A gossip-monger. | Example: Die Nachbarin ist die größte Tratschtante im ganzen Haus. (The neighbor is the biggest gossip-aunt in the whole building.)
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