Aug 3, 2018
Berlin’s scorching summer is breaking records. Earlier this week
the city experienced its hottest night ever, with a minimum of
25°C.
The city’s trees are suffering, and residents are being asked to go
out and water them. U-Bahns are getting noisier, as there's no
moisture to lubricate between the metal wheels and tracks. The
drains are stinking, so the water authority is putting “drain
deodorant” down the pipes. The pools are all at capacity. But
Berlin has only 48 public drinking fountains to help citizens
rehydrate.
A Berlin man who tried to become a police officer had his
application rejected because he failed a drug test. A blood sample
showed he had THC in his system. Undeterred, he took the matter to
court, unsurprisingly rejected his case.
The S-Bahn is trialling automatic doors to improve punctuality. All
doors will pop open at stations between Ostkreuz and Hauptbahnhof
from 6am to 8am. Instead of 24 people pushing 24 buttons, one
person pushes one button. Why haven’t they ever done this
before?
This month the new home sharing regulations come into effect in
Berlin. You’re now allowed to rent out up to 49% of your flat
online, but first you have to get a registration number from the
Bürgeramt and display it on the various rental portals.
Just a week to go until the Mobile Kino Summer Camp - the Lakeside
Film Festival in the woods. It’s three nights of movies and music
under the stars out in Brandenburg. We’ll be there recording a live
episode of Radio Spaetkauf.