☀️ Guten Morgen, Berlin!
High: 10.6°C | Low: 3.8°C
Chance of Rain: 85%
Sunrise: 7:21 AM | Sunset: 4:19 PM
Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Tuesday, November 11 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 177 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.
🇬🇧 Germany mulls ban on buying sex to fight exploitation
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner is pushing to ban prostitution and sex purchases in Germany, backed by Health Minister Nina Warken, who favors a "Nordic model" targeting clients. This reopens debate on Germany's 2002 legalization, which critics argue failed to stop exploitation. Many sex workers, estimated in the thousands, remain unregistered. (DW)
The Nordic model is a legal approach that decriminalizes selling sex but criminalizes buying sex and organized procurement, often alongside exit assistance. In Sweden, buying or attempting to buy sexual services is punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison under the Penal Code, Chapter 6, with broad coverage across venues. (European Commission)
Fresh federal data confirm the scale and composition of the legal market. Destatis reports 32,300 registered sex workers at end‑2024, up 5.3 percent from 2023 but still below 2019’s 40,400. Only 17 percent (5,600) were German citizens; the largest groups came from Romania (11,500) and Bulgaria (3,400). Authorities licensed 2,250 prostitution businesses nationwide. (Statistisches Bundesamt)
🇬🇧 Winter jackets wanted: Stadtmission collects for those in need
Berlin City Mission is collecting clean, intact, and warm coats and jackets for people in need. The items will be distributed through the Mission’s clothing store, which reports up to 180 visitors daily. The initiative, called “WrapUp Day,” originated in the United Kingdom and is taking place in Berlin for the third time. Berlin.de)
Germany’s federal homelessness report shows the scale of need. As of late January to early February 2024, about 531,600 people were homeless nationwide. Roughly 439,500 were in the housing assistance system, some 60,400 stayed with relatives or friends, and about 47,300 had no shelter at all. (BMWSB)
🇩🇪 Professional, cold, unscrupulous: how fake police officers trick even smart senior citizens
An elderly couple from Berlin-Pankow fell victim to a sophisticated "fake police" scam in May. After a three-hour call from an alleged chief inspector and a supposed public prosecutor, who warned of an imminent break-in, two women appeared and accompanied the couple to their safe. They stole 100,000 euros in cash and jewelry worth about 40,000 euros and fled. Two days later, suspects were arrested during another attempt in Mahlsdorf. Three women (22, 28, 41) are now on trial for organized and commercial fraud. (Berliner Zeitung)
A "shock call" is a telephone scam that creates fear and massive time pressure to gain access to assets. Perpetrators often pose as police or public prosecutors and demand cash, gold, or jewelry "for safekeeping." Police advises to hang up, verify through known numbers, never hand over valuables. (Polizei-Beratung)
Preventive real-time measures and trained contacts significantly reduce damages. In "Operation Pandora," police monitored 1.3 million fraudulent calls in real-time and "prevented some €10 million in damages" in around 6,000 attempted crimes. At the same time, there were 21 arrests and raids on twelve call centers. (DW)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇩🇪 New construction work on Berlin's BVG subway line 2 interrupted again - traffic chaos looms from January | BVG (Berlin transit operator) will close Nollendorfplatz station mid-January for four months. Experts say a dangerously damaged tunnel ceiling makes the work urgent.
🇩🇪 Cold weather aid in Berlin: an overview of the current offers | A Berlin webpage maps nightly shelters, warming buses and hotlines for people sleeping rough and advises calling the Kältebus (mobile outreach van) or 112 for emergencies.
🇩🇪 Due to pest infestation and lack of accessibility CDU in Berlin-Lichtenberg lashes out at Howoge | Howoge is the city-owned housing company managing over 80,000 Berlin apartments (about two thirds in Lichtenberg). Residents report rats and bedbugs and slow responses to maintenance requests.
🇩🇪 Gang rape in Berlin-Hellersdorf? 17-year-old abused | A 17-year-old was found injured in Berlin in an apparent group sexual attack. One suspect was arrested and released. Greens' women's policy spokesperson Bahar Haghanipour demanded restored victim support.
🇩🇪 The queen who will not return | In 1912 Borchardt unearthed the painted bust of Nofretete, an ancient Egyptian queen. Egypt sees the 1913 export as morally illegitimate and seeks the bust's return.
🇩🇪 New advisory network offers help on dealing with wild animals | IZW, the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, coordinates the network to support volunteers and extend hotline hours. It provides phone advice and a Wildtiermobil to treat injured wildlife.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Berlin Freedom Week | November 08 - 15, 2025 | Varies depending on the event | Artists, activists, scholars and eyewitnesses interrogate freedom through talks, films, workshops and exhibitions. The program provokes debate and fresh perspectives. It celebrates memory, resistance and public conversation.
🎟️ Afrikamera | November 11 - 16, 2025 | Varies depending on the event | Contemporary African films confront social change. The program spotlights female and female-identified directors. Bold perspectives challenge power and open new paths.
🎟️ Italian Film Festival | November 11 - 16, 2025 | Not yet known | Italian cinema charms with sharp humor. It premieres new films (including German debuts) and revives classics. The program celebrates wit, realism and pure joie de vivre.
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ Coworking day on Weds for unemployed/jobseekers | Group organizing a welcoming library coworking meetup to combat unemployment loneliness.
🗣️ Interesting unskilled jobs? | Burned-out creative seeks low-stress Berlin jobs; commenters suggest options like film extras.
🗣️ Hallo Ringbahn?! Whats wrong with you?! | Angry commuters vent about repeated Ringbahn failures and call for change.
🚗 Word of the Day: Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung | Literal: Motor-vehicle-liability-insurance | Meaning: The mandatory car liability insurance. | Example: Vergiss nicht, deine Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung zu bezahlen. (Don't forget to pay your motor-vehicle-liability-insurance.)
👋 That's a wrap! Thanks for reading Berlin News Daily!
Subscribe for free to get tomorrow’s news in your inbox.