A weekly round-up of news stories that piqued our interest or made us scratch our heads.
Friday I’m on strike Going somewhere for a cheap weekend? You might need to change your flight plans. German Ryanair pilots will strike this Friday over low pay. If it goes ahead, they will join their Irish, Swedish and Belgian counterparts in the biggest pilot strike in the company’s history. You never liked flying with them anyways.
Dangerous dildos? Speaking of airports, Terminal D at Schönefeld airport was evacuated on Tuesday after a suspicious object was found. The source of all this trouble: an unspecified sex toy. A good reminder to always take the batteries out before you travel.
Prenzlauer bomb Builders on Thursday morning received a semi-shock when they discovered a suspicious object in Prenzlauer Berg. A spokesman for the police said that it’s probably a flak grenade, commonly used to take out aircrafts during World War II. Finding old war bits in Berlin isn’t so uncommon, but it’s always an ordeal when it happens and a bomb in this heat may feel hotter than usual.
Keeping it cool It’s been scorching heat, but not everyone gets the prized Hitzefrei (typically schools get off at temps of 35 or more) but two surprising groups got it this week: the Senate Department for Urban Development, who get let off at 2pm on Tuesday, causing a bit of whinge from the CDU, FDP and even the Tax Payer’s Alliance, as there is no expectation for workers to make up these lost hours. The other group? Inmates at Tegel Prison – who were allowed to finish their time in the workshop at noon. That’s one way for them to feel free.
Europe calling The European Athletics championship kicked off in Berlin on Monday. The opening ceremony was held at Breitscheidplatz, officiated by Berlin Mayor Michael Müller and chief organiser Clemens Prokop. The competition hosts 1500 athletics from over 50 different nations. With thousands of people expected to attend events at the Olympiastadion, avoid taking the S9 over the next few days.
Postcards from Prussia Over 1000 letters written by Germany’s last empress were discovered during renovations of the Prussian Castle and Garden Berlin-Brandenburg. Dating over 100 years old, these letters belonging to Crown Princess Auguste Victoria were sent to fellow members of her family. Perhaps the notoriously conservative Kaiserin had a secret lover while Wilhelm was declaring war on all of Europe?
Berlin blues So you think Berlin is toll? Well, not everyone does. One in four Berliners don’t like living here, according to a study by the Forsa Institute. Another 44 percent who came to Berlin after 1999 do not feel welcome here. Whether its the erratic weather, the infamous Berliner Schnauze or too much partying remains to be seen. On the other hand, maybe this will alleviate the housing crisis a bit. 09.08.2018 - 13:37 Uhr
Politics
The EXB news briefing: August 9, 2018
In the German papers this week: Vexing and perplexing news stories from Berlin and beyond...
A weekly round-up of news stories that piqued our interest or made us scratch our heads.
Friday I’m on strike Going somewhere for a cheap weekend? You might need to change your flight plans. German Ryanair pilots will strike this Friday over low pay. If it goes ahead, they will join their Irish, Swedish and Belgian counterparts in the biggest pilot strike in the company’s history. You never liked flying with them anyways.
Dangerous dildos? Speaking of airports, Terminal D at Schönefeld airport was evacuated on Tuesday after a suspicious object was found. The source of all this trouble: an unspecified sex toy. A good reminder to always take the batteries out before you travel.
Prenzlauer bomb Builders on Thursday morning received a semi-shock when they discovered a suspicious object in Prenzlauer Berg. A spokesman for the police said that it’s probably a flak grenade, commonly used to take out aircrafts during World War II. Finding old war bits in Berlin isn’t so uncommon, but it’s always an ordeal when it happens and a bomb in this heat may feel hotter than usual.
Keeping it cool It’s been scorching heat, but not everyone gets the prized Hitzefrei (typically schools get off at temps of 35 or more) but two surprising groups got it this week: the Senate Department for Urban Development, who get let off at 2pm on Tuesday, causing a bit of whinge from the CDU, FDP and even the Tax Payer’s Alliance, as there is no expectation for workers to make up these lost hours. The other group? Inmates at Tegel Prison – who were allowed to finish their time in the workshop at noon. That’s one way for them to feel free.
Europe calling The European Athletics championship kicked off in Berlin on Monday. The opening ceremony was held at Breitscheidplatz, officiated by Berlin Mayor Michael Müller and chief organiser Clemens Prokop. The competition hosts 1500 athletics from over 50 different nations. With thousands of people expected to attend events at the Olympiastadion, avoid taking the S9 over the next few days.
Postcards from Prussia Over 1000 letters written by Germany’s last empress were discovered during renovations of the Prussian Castle and Garden Berlin-Brandenburg. Dating over 100 years old, these letters belonging to Crown Princess Auguste Victoria were sent to fellow members of her family. Perhaps the notoriously conservative Kaiserin had a secret lover while Wilhelm was declaring war on all of Europe?
Berlin blues So you think Berlin is toll? Well, not everyone does. One in four Berliners don’t like living here, according to a study by the Forsa Institute. Another 44 percent who came to Berlin after 1999 do not feel welcome here. Whether its the erratic weather, the infamous Berliner Schnauze or too much partying remains to be seen. On the other hand, maybe this will alleviate the housing crisis a bit.