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Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Tuesday, November 18 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 180 sources so you don't have to.
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🇬🇧 Up to 100,000 euro fine for illegal waste disposal
Berlin has sharply increased penalties for littering and illegal dumping after the Senate approved a new fine catalog on November 4, now published in the Amtsblatt. Cigarette butt fines rise to €250–€3,000, bulky items like mattresses can cost up to €11,000, and hazardous construction or chemical waste can reach €100,000 per case. (Berlin.de)
Officials also cite environmental harm, especially from small items. A 2024 study by Berlin’s Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology found that improperly discarded cigarette butts significantly raise nicotine levels in urban waters after rainfall, sometimes increasing concentrations sixteenfold and risking damage to aquatic organisms. (Leibniz‑IGB)
The new Berlin fines underline how urban cleanliness policy is shifting from appeals to much stronger financial pressure on polluters. This mirrors a broader European trend to treat environmental harm as a serious offense. The EU’s updated Environmental Crime Directive, in force since May 2024, targets illegal waste dumping as a growing, highly profitable crime sector worth up to €230 billion annually. (European Commission)
🇩🇪 CDU and SPD tighten plans for Berlin police law
A dispute erupted in Berlin's parliamentary committee over last-minute amendments to the police law. The opposition (Greens, Left, AfD) received over 170 changes late and unsuccessfully tried to postpone the debate, but the ruling CDU/SPD coalition forced it through.
The core controversies involve expanding biometric facial recognition searches online to include not just dangerous individuals but also their contact persons. Critics, including Berlin's Data Protection Officer, call this a "disproportionate" infringement on fundamental rights. Furthermore, the reform now permits police to use self-learning AI systems for data analysis. The coalition passed the measures, citing security needs.(rbb24)
Berlin’s reform debate signals how fast powerful surveillance tools are moving into routine policing, while legal safeguards struggle to keep pace. The Federal Criminal Police Office’s system handled 117,894 searches in 2023, up from 91,767 in 2022, and stored more than 7.2 million facial images of about 5.1 million people by March 2024. (digit.site36.net)
🇩🇪 Internal BVG report: Why the streetcars keep getting stuck despite record numbers
Berlin’s tram network operated by BVG reported strong growth in 2024, carrying 226.1 million passengers, nearly 13 % more than the previous year. Yet an internal BVG report shows reliability fell to 96.54 %. Unplanned disruptions surged by two-thirds, caused by a doubling of demonstrations (5,463), 6,015 traffic accidents, and disruptive construction. The number of temporary "slow zones" also more than doubled to 183. The BVG report criticizes a lack of traffic prioritization, noting optimized traffic lights are missing, slowing average speeds. (Berliner Zeitung)
Crowded trams are also a consequence of broader shifts in how Berliners move. The city’s climate plan targets a 35 % public‑transport share and a 76 % “environmental alliance” share (public transport, walking, cycling) of all trips by 2030. To reach this, the Senate plans major tram extensions into western districts and new priority lanes on key corridors. (Land Berlin – Mobilitätsgesetz Monitoring)
The BVG findings suggest a growing mismatch between political goals and operational reality. Berlin wants more residents to switch from cars to trams and buses, yet the network remains vulnerable to protests, construction and missing priority at signals. In 2024, BVG reported that average tram speed slipped to 17.3 km/h, as around 30 traffic lights ran almost continuously without tram priority. (Berliner Senatskanzlei / BVG-Qualitätsbericht)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇩🇪 The great office void | Berlin’s office vacancy has jumped to about 8 percent, with 1.75 million square meters empty. Hybrid work cuts demand, pushing rents down and forcing owners toward upgrades or tricky conversions.
🇩🇪 Easing on the German real estate market - but Berlin slides into the next construction crisis | Germany’s property investment is expected to recover modestly by 2026, yet a financing gap of €8.5 billion persists. Berlin lags rivals as bureaucracy, vague building rules and climate requirements stall urgently needed housing construction.
🇩🇪 Successful tests for underground heat storage in Berlin-Adlershof | Researchers validated a deep groundwater layer as a 95 °C heat store. The future Adlershof facility could recover about 85% of stored energy and supply over 30 GWh renewable heat annually.
🇩🇪 New Friedrichstrasse! Parking spaces gone, trees there | Berlin plans to turn Friedrichstraße into a greener boulevard. Parking spaces will be removed, new trees and seating added, and traffic kept to one lane per direction at 30 km/h.
🇩🇪 Public transport price check: Berlin slips to last place | Berlin now ranks as Germany’s most expensive city for local transport. A day ticket costs 10.60 euros. Further fare hikes are planned. Only student transport remains free.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Winter Dream in Niederschöneweide | November 07 to December 28, 2025 | Free | A winter carnival mixes Ferris wheel romance, carousels for kids and adrenaline rides. Food stalls and mulled wine keep cheeks rosy.
🎟️ 25 years of town twinning Windhoek – Berlin | November 17 - 23, 2025 | Usually free of charge | Berlin and Windhoek mark 25 years of partnership. The program confronts colonial history, celebrates Namibian art and film, and sparks future-facing cultural collaborations (including a European musical premiere).
🎟️ This weekend: Berliner Jazztreff | November 23, 2025 | Not yet known | Over 60 bands and 400 musicians ignite three stages with swing, blues, Latin and bold experiments. Young players compete while veterans jam and debate (from soloists to big bands).
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ Witch club in berlin has the best soundsystem ? If already had been to berghain and rso but is there something comparable or even better ? | Debate pits Globus' clarity against Berghain's chest‑thumping sound and subjectivity.
🗣️ Magician needed for social work project (volunteer) | Volunteer magician sought in Berlin to teach and perform for special-needs youth.
🗣️ Free Jazz, Ambient, Deep Listening Spots? | Traveler seeks free jazz and ambient deep-listening spots; locals recommend cozy venues.
🎋 Fun Fact: Berlin is home to the largest Chinese garden in Europe – the “Garden of the Recovered Moon” (2.7 hectares) in Marzahn’s Gardens of the World, complete with a tea house and traditional pavilion.
👋 That's a wrap!
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