All articles tagged with #berlin
Germany’s culture ministry is reportedly pushing to replace Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle after a turbulent edition dominated by Gaza-related protests and accusations of anti-Semitism, with a special government meeting expected to decide the festival’s leadership and direction.
German artist Henrike Naumann, who was slated to represent Germany at the Venice Biennale, died in Berlin at 41 after a cancer diagnosis; her German pavilion project with Sung Tieu will still go ahead in May as the Biennale runs May 9–Nov 22.
Berlin’s Administrative Court nullified an emergency ordinance that would have let private individuals use road salt to de-ice pavements, leaving landlords to rely on mechanical clearing. The ruling keeps Berlin’s road-salt ban in place, contributing to ongoing slippery conditions and a spike in accidents (201 incidents reported on Feb. 2; 30–40 daily hospital visits for slip-related injuries). Environmental group Nabu argued the salt harms vegetation and lacked legal basis for an exception. Critics blasted the NGO, while Mayor Wegner called for amending the Street Cleaning Act to allow salt in extreme weather as freezing rain looms.
Germany’s record potato harvest led to a citywide free-potato giveaway in Berlin, with around 4,000 tonnes redirected from landfill to residents, soup kitchens, shelters, schools and even the zoo; 174 distribution points opened, including shipments to Ukraine, as the event—organized with Ecosia and a Berlin newspaper—shows both the abundance of the crop and tensions in food markets, while sparking new potato recipes and debates over surplus farming.
After a bumper national potato harvest, a Saxony farm distributes millions of potatoes for free to food banks, schools and churches, with Berlin receiving about 500,000 kg to help prevent waste; the effort, dubbed the “great potato rescue,” has mixed reactions—praised for reducing waste but criticized by some farmers for market disruption—and funding is expected to dry up later this year.
German authorities, led by the Office of the Federal Prosecutor and the Federal Criminal Police, raided Deutsche Bank’s Frankfurt and Berlin offices as part of a money-laundering probe into past dealings with foreign companies; the investigation names no individuals and provides few details, while Abramovich’s representatives deny any connection. The raids echo a 2018 operation tied to offshore accounts and transfers linked to crime.
German authorities arrested a Lebanese national identified as 'Mohammad S' for allegedly belonging to Hamas and planning attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets; he was stopped at Berlin's Brandenburg Airport after arriving from Beirut and prosecutors say he helped procure 300 rounds of ammunition in August 2025, with a federal judge to decide on pretrial detention. The case ties into earlier Hamas arrests and related searches across Berlin, Leipzig and Oberhausen, and comes amid broader regional tensions.
The 76th Berlin International Film Festival unveiled a 2026 competition lineup of 22 largely arthouse titles with no Hollywood studio releases. Highlights include At the Sea starring Amy Adams; Josephine featuring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan (headlining after Sundance); Nightborn with Rupert Grint; Rose with Sandra Hüller; and Rosebush Pruning, among others. Wim Wenders will head the festival’s jury as Berlin also showcases a robust Perspectives slate for new filmmakers. Josephine will premiere in Berlin after Sundance, with other titles world-premiering; festival runs Feb. 12–22, 2026.
The Memphis Grizzlies will play the Orlando Magic in Berlin on Jan. 15, 2026—the NBA's first regular-season game in Germany—as part of a three-year Europe slate with future games in Manchester and Paris; the Uber Arena matchup will air on Prime Video in the U.S., with NBA House fan events in Berlin and related programming; key storylines include Moe Wagner's return to Germany (potentially alongside Franz Wagner), a Desmond Bane–Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reunion, and a crop of rising All-Stars (Paolo Banchero, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr.).
Moritz (Moe) Wagner returned from ACL surgery to play 10 minutes in his first NBA game in over a year, delivering a spark for the Magic before their trans-Atlantic trip to Germany. Orlando will meet Memphis in Berlin and again in London for the NBA Berlin & London Games 2026, a homecoming moment for the Wagner brothers, with Franz Wagner hoping to rejoin after a high ankle sprain.
WWE SmackDown in Berlin featured major matches including Drew McIntyre winning the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes in a three stages of hell match, along with various other bouts and storyline developments, with spoilers available for U.S. viewers due to live streaming differences.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner faces calls to resign after playing tennis during a major blackout caused by extremists, amid criticism over his handling of the crisis and his priorities, which threatens his political future.
A power outage has caused a significant disruption in Berlin, Germany, highlighting vulnerabilities in the country's electricity infrastructure and affecting daily life across the city.
A left-wing extremist group claimed responsibility for an arson attack on Berlin's power infrastructure, causing a major blackout that affected tens of thousands, with authorities labeling it an act of terrorism that endangers lives and highlights vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure.
A suspected arson attack by left-wing extremists, Vulkangruppe, caused a major power outage in Berlin, affecting around 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses, with power restoration expected by Thursday amid cold weather. The attack targeted infrastructure linked to the fossil fuel industry and was part of a series of similar incidents in Berlin over recent months.