☀️ Guten Morgen, Berlin!
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Here’s your quick update on what’s happening around the city on Monday, December 01 - from urgent alerts to stories in the subreddit. Today we went through 215 sources so you don't have to.
🫶 Witnessed an act of kindness lately? Berlin can be grey, but the people don’t have to be. Whether it was a stranger returning a lost wallet or a nice chat at the Späti, tell us about a small act of kindness you witnessed lately. Help us brighten the next newsletter by sharing it with the community. Tell us what you saw!
Got feedback? Write us at news@berlindaily.org. Let's dive in.
🇩🇪 Why transit apps are sometimes incorrect
A report from rbb24 describes how Berlin and Brandenburg passengers regularly receive incorrect real time information from public transport apps. The apps, including BVG, S-Bahn and Google Maps, all use data from the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg, which aggregates timetable and punctuality data from 37 companies. Manual data entry during disruptions often causes errors and ghost vehicles. (rbb24)
The scale of Berlin’s rail network magnifies the impact of bad data. S-Bahn Berlin alone carried about 456 million passengers in 2024, after an estimated 473 million in 2023, making it Germany’s busiest S-Bahn system. Demand rebounded to near pre‑pandemic levels in late 2024, increasing reliance on accurate digital information. (S-Bahn Berlin)
Despite passenger frustrations, punctuality statistics remain relatively strong. In 2023, 96.6 % of Berlin S-Bahn trains met the operator’s on‑time definition, compared with a national S‑Bahn average of 92.5 %. BVG buses and trams were less reliable, with punctuality at 88.6 % and 87.1 % respectively, and showing a downward trend over recent years. (IAmExpat)
🇩🇪 Chat with drug dealers using a QR code
In Berlin, drug dealers are increasingly advertising via colorful QR-code stickers on lampposts, ATMs, train doors, and in club districts. Scanning them opens WhatsApp or Telegram chats that offer cannabis, cocaine, ketamine, and amphetamines, with rapid courier delivery even into Brandenburg. Berlin police know the method since 2024 but face legal and technical barriers to investigations. (tagesschau.de)
This new QR code tactic is happening in an environment where drug use is already common. A national survey for 2024 found that 9.8% of adults used cannabis in the last year, while 1% were dependent on it. Dependence rates for amphetamines and cocaine were each 0.1%, showing smaller but significant user groups for the substances now advertised via QR codes. (PubMed)
The stickers show how street‑level dealing is merging with digital platforms, complicating law enforcement while exposing users to new risks. Criminals are already abusing QR codes for broader fraud. In Thuringia alone, authorities logged 38 “quishing” cases in late 2024, causing at least €60,000 in damage through fake payment QR codes on machines and notices. (Welt)
🇩🇪 Berlin AI start-up relieves nursing staff
A Berlin nursing home run by Caritas has replaced much of its paper documentation with the AI voice assistant Voize. Instead of pushing a heavy medication trolley and sorting folders for 90 residents, staff now speak observations and vital signs into smartphones. The system structures entries automatically, saving about 1.5 hours of admin work per day. (rbb24.de)
Germany’s care system faces rising demand as the population ages. The Federal Statistical Office projects that the number of people needing long-term care will grow from about 5 million in 2021 to roughly 6.8 million by 2055, an increase of 37 %. This trend puts sustained pressure on staff and budgets. (Destatis)
The spread of systems like Voize suggests that easing administrative burdens will be central to stabilising elder care. Freeing minutes per patient can collectively offset part of the looming staff gap. The OECD stresses that improving productivity through digital technologies is essential, because ageing societies will otherwise face both care bottlenecks and higher labour market pressures. (OECD)
⚡ Quick Hits
🇩🇪 U9 still interrupted between Rathaus Steglitz and Bundesplatz after fire | Police suspect negligent arson after the Schloßstraße station fire. Massive cable damage means repairs on the U9 line could take several days or longer, disrupting southern Berlin commuters.
🇩🇪 Heavy metal fans donate blood at the Christmas market | Fans linked a visit to the Charité Berlin Christmas market with a blood donation. The event turned a typical festive outing into a low-key fundraiser for hospital patients.
🇬🇧 German firms split on how to deal with far-right AfD | A major family-business association’s decision to engage AfD lawmakers has triggered member exits, consumer boycotts, and comparisons to 1930s industry support for extremists, pressuring German companies to clarify their political red lines.
🇬🇧 Germany tests algorithmic transparency through landmark enforcement cases | German cases against X, TikTok, Amazon, and Meta test how DSA, GDPR, AI Act, and competition rules work together. They could make opaque recommender systems auditable and reshape data-driven advertising models.
🇩🇪 How "buy now, pay later" lures young people into the debt trap | BNPL services like PayPal and Klarna drive impulse buying, especially among 16- to 25-year-olds. Youth overschuldung now reaches 6.95 percent. Planned EU rules will tighten credit checks and limit risky small loans.
🇩🇪 230 cases open at Berlin public prosecutor's office Numerous New Year's Eve proceedings not yet concluded | Berlin prosecutors opened 576 New Year’s Eve cases, mostly firework crimes. Many were dropped, but 230 remain, including serious blast injuries and a contested influencer verdict now under appeal.
📅 Events Today
🎟️ Around the World in 14 Films | November 28 - December 06, 2025 | €12 | An indie festival showcases 14 exceptional films from around the world. Filmmakers present world premieres and provoke fresh perspectives (from Cannes, Venice, Toronto and beyond).
🎟️ Winterquartier Berlin | November 29 to December 31, 2025 | On a donation basis | A Christmas market tempts with handmade gifts and roasted almonds. An ice rink and curling invite playful laps and friendly competition. A disco on ice livens evenings (plus kids' shows).
🎟️ Christmas Market at Charlottenburg Palace | November 24 to December 28, 2025 | Free | A historic palace glows with glittering lights. Wooden stalls sell crafts, roasted treats, and warming meals. Carousels and a small Ferris wheel delight kids.
💬 What Berliners Are Talking About
🗣️ Dogs / new years / fireworks | Berlin dog owners suggest quiet hotels, vet meds, and noise-masking tactics.
🗣️ Best place to buy chocolate in Berlin? | Redditors suggest buying German chocolate from Rausch, Sawade and other Berlin makers.
🗣️ What’s with all the abandoned cards on Columbiadamm? | Locals puzzle over abandoned, often damaged cars, blaming bureaucracy and car-centric culture.
🚦 Word of the Day: Ampelmännchen | Literal: Little traffic light man | Meaning: The iconic figure on pedestrian signals in former East Germany. | Example: In Ost-Berlin sieht man überall das berühmte Ampelmännchen. (In East Berlin, you see the famous little traffic light man everywhere.)
👋 That's a wrap! Thank you for reading.
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