#104: Berlin's €9 ticket, charges in racist attack, BER security
... and furry, cuddly hamsters
Hey 20 Percent!
It’s supposed to be both hot and stormy today, but you may already know that as you read this. I’m short on opinions in this heat but a quick note that we read your emails — it’s why I’ve started adding (some) event listings and I actively look for cheerful news — like the hamsters in this addition, though their endangered status isn’t too cheerful.
But we hear you.
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The Berlin corona stats for Friday, August 26
Received booster: 63.1% (63% Tuesday)
New cases in one day: 2,070 (2,875 Tuesday)
Total deaths: 4,753 (+8 over Tuesday)
🔴 7-day Covid-19 incidence (cases per 100,000): 251.6 (293.1 Tuesday)
🔴7-day hospitalization incidence (also per 100,000): 14.4 (16.1 Tuesday)
🟢 Covid-19 ICU patient occupancy: 3.3% (5.6% Tuesday IT’S GREEN AGAIN!!!)
Source: Berlin’s corona page
A new €9 ticket, sort of
The center-left SPD in Berlin wants a monthly ticket for Berlin public transport zones A and B to cost just €9 beginning in October, which feels like a mediocre consolation prize. According to the Morgenpost, the ticket wouldn’t include the C zone — it also wouldn’t be valid outside of Berlin or on regional Deutsche Bahn trains. How would it be financed? By the bump in tax income because of inflation, so we’re paying for it anyway. There continues to be much discussion about a permanent, €9 nationwide ticket but very little action — in part because the business-friendly (ahem, car-friendly) FDP is part of Germany’s three-way ruling coalition. At least Berlin’s trying.
Charges from racist February attack
Berlin prosecutors want to charge six adults for a racist attack on a 17-year-old in Pankow in February. The three men and three women could face charges of insults, threats and assault after the teenager with Turkish roots was attacked at the Greifswalder Strasse tram stop, according to Der Spiegel. The case gained international attention when the victim — who also took video of parts of the assault — took to Instagram from her hospital bed to clarify misleading police releases on the assault. A court must determine if the alleged perpetrators can be charged.
Hamsters!
The Tierpark zoo said it’s got its first generation of new European hamsters after it earlier this year dedicated a new area to ensuring the survival of the critically endangered European rodent. Yes, Europe has native wild hamsters. The zoo launched the area with seven adults and on August 1 discovered its population had grown to eight. No pics yet of baby Helga but their family is gorgeous (helps if you say that with a Moira-from-Schitts-Creek accent).
Some BER news
Just like BER, we can’t help you with your lost luggage. But, the airport will now allow you to book a time online to go through security. It has the catchy name BER Runway and the airport has set aside a special security lane for the free service in Terminal 1 — you need to be there 10 minutes before or after your booked time. Sign up here. They still say you need to be at the airport 2.5 hours before your flight. Also, the number of direct flights out of Europe from BER are climbing. Norwegian discount flyer Norse now offers direct flights to NYC and LA and, starting in December, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And Hainan Airlines now offers a once-a-week flight direct to Beijing. Singapore’s Scoot has been offering direct flights to its home country three times a week since last year. Our small-town airport sometimes acts like a real airport. Sometimes.
Factoid
Ok, it was yesterday, but yesterday in 1992, the three pols above signed the Hauptstadtvertrag — the contract to make Berlin the capital of a reunified Germany. The move was controversial and the federal government was supposed to be divided between the then-capital Bonn and Berlin but can anyone even find Bonn on a map anymore?
Weekend ideas:
Get a dose of ballet and the Spree all while enjoying your Friday after-work. From Berlin with Love is a Staatsballett Berlin production where dancers perform parts of their actual productions … on a ship. The boat will cruise along the river slowly this evening allowing you to enjoy a tour jeté, pirouette and a tutu or two from the shore. Starts at 6pm at Haus der Kulturen der Welt and ends there at 7.40pm as well. Free, more info here.
Saturday is the Long Night of Museums — the annual event where one ticket gets you into nearly every museum in town. There’s an exhaustive programme of events in various languages, from dance performances to DJ sets to movies. Times: 3pm-3am. Tickets: €18/€12 (concessions). All the info.
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Appreciate the current info on BER!
Thanks, Constanze
Consolation prize? The furthest I went with current 9-euro ticket are BER and Potsdam, all other rides were within AB. I think that is the case for most people (with ABC for those living in C zone). That nationwide validity feels more like FOMO than anything :)
If every city / region had separate tickets with single-digit price and unlimited rides for a reasonably long duration, I'd take that gladly.