The official Berlin Mietspiegel rent index has been released. It shows average prices grew by 9.6% in the last two years, twice as much as during the previous review. The Mietspiegel determines how much landlords can charge.
The City Hostel in central Berlin has been ordered to shut down because of its ties to North Korea. The hostel is next door to the North Korean embassy, which since 2004 has rented out the building for €38,000 a month. The German Foreign Ministry has ordered the hostel to close or face fines for breaching UN sanctions. The hostel operator says they will fight the order and are still taking bookings.
Berlin S-Bahn ticket machines were caught in the global computer virus Wanna Cry. Many ticket machines across the city were malfunctioning for several days due to the malware. Passengers might not have noticed as S-Bahn machines are hard to use at the best of times.
A project to make the Spree swimmable is progressing. The Verein Flussbad is installing a 42-meter barge near Museuminsel to test a water filtration system. If all goes to plan, we could be swimming in the Spree by the year 2025.
Come along to our next live show on Sunday May 21 at the Comedy Cafe Berlin in Neukölln. Doors open at 17.30, and entry is free.
This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy and Maisie Hitchcock, and brought to you by RadioEins.