A weekly round-up of news stories that piqued our interest or made us scratch our heads. This week:
Coronavirus latest: Cases jump to 123 in Berlin including reports of one person infecting 16 others at the Trompete nightclub. Five people are being treated in hospital while the others are isolated at their homes. Performances at large halls in state theatres, opera houses and concert venues will not be held until April 19th, with the Schaubühne's FIND Festival for international new drama an early casualty of the policy. The Berlin health administration has prohibited events with more than 1000 participants until Easter. Myfest and Carnival of Cultures have been cancelled and Berghain has stopped all of its events until April 20th. The elementary section of JFK (John F Kennedy School) was also closed this week until March 18th after a member of staff tested positive for the virus. While universities remain largely open, Technische Universitat has closed its libraries and the Reichstag remains closed for visitors. Berlin-Reinickendorf's medical officer Patrick Larscheid has called for further measures aimed at limiting all social contact. Meanwhile, Angela Merkel warns that up to 70 percent of the German population could contract the virus. Trump has imposed a 30-day ban on Europeans travelling to the USA.
Pankow housing boost Furniture billionaire Kurt Krieger is a step closer to realising his "Pankower Tor" development plan, which began 10 years ago and is now set to bring 2000 new homes to the open land alongside the train tracks just off Pankow S-Bahn station. The district began working on the plan, which also includes amenities such as restaurants, shops, a library and a gallery, this week. But as bulldozers are unlikely to start rolling for two years, it's not going to alleviate Berlin's housing crunch in the short-term.
Berlin to fund centre against antisemitism Berlin is leading the way in supporting Germany's Jewish communities by committing to fund a new advice centre specifically for the victims of antisemitic violence and discrimination, the OFEK in Friedrichsfelde. Berlin is the first state in Germany to put its hands in its pockets for such a project; the centre will receive €120,000 from the city this year. The OFEK offers counselling to individuals and at schools, as well as advice to people working in politics and media.
City to accept up to 100 refugee children Angela Merkel announced on Monday that Germany is willing to take in children from Greek refugee camps, focusing on those who are sick or under 14 years of age. According to interior affairs senator Andreas Geisel, Berlin is set to accept 80-100 refugee children when the German government implements the decision within the next few days. In 2015 Merkel's "open-door" migrant policy welcomed more than a million people that year alone and resulted in a surge of popularity for far-right movements and parties like the AfD. The new numbers indicate a more cautious approach, albeit in the face of a growing humanitarian crisis.
Electrifying costs for green public transport A report from transportation company BVG estimated that it will need to spend €5.4 billion to electrify its bus fleet by 2030. The costs come from not only buying new vehicles but implementing charging infrastructure and the extra staff and bigger fleet needed to sustain routes given e-busses are out of action for longer periods than their diesel equivalents. Going green certainly isn't cheap, but clean air? Priceless.