Germany today (Fri 6 Nov): Driving licence reform passes the Bundestag, industrial orders up 4.4% in September, dm recalls organic pine nuts, Leverkusen lose 0-1 to Marseille

Good morning! Here's your German news for Friday, 6 November. If you have a bag of dm organic pine nuts in your kitchen cupboard, read item 3 first. The driving licence reform we told you about yesterday has passed the Bundestag — but it's not a done deal yet.

1. [Politics] Driving licence reform, stage 1 passes the Bundestag — now it's the Bundesrat's turn

• Passed by the Bundestag on Thu 5 Nov — the first stage of the reform we covered yesterday (changes to the Road Traffic Act and the Driving Instructors Act) was voted through by the governing coalition (CDU/CSU and SPD)
• Not final yet — the Bundesrat still has to agree. The Transport Ministry's regulation for stage 2, which changes the special drives and the theory and practical tests, also needs the Bundesrat's approval. Its next session is on 20 November
• "Several hundred euros, up to €1,000 at best" — that's Transport Minister Steffen Bilger's (CDU) estimate of the savings. A car licence currently costs about €3,400 on average
• Practising with your parents (Laienausbildung) — on top of lessons at a driving school, learners will be able to do extra practice with a private companion such as a parent. The coalition says this has already worked in Austria
• Plenty of criticism — even coalition partner SPD said "we don't know yet how much cheaper it will be", the Greens say it "just lowers standards", and the driving instructors' association warns road safety will suffer. What it means for you: if you're planning to start your licence, wait and see what the Bundesrat decides

Source: t-online.de (dpa) · beck-aktuell.de · finanzen.at (dpa-AFX)

2. [Economy] Industrial orders up 4.4% in September — the summer slump is over

• Announced by the Federal Statistical Office on 5 Nov — new orders in manufacturing rose 4.4% in September compared with August, and were 3.3% higher than a year earlier
• 5.1% even without big orders — leaving out large-scale orders such as aircraft and ships, the rise was even bigger. That means orders came in across the board
• Car industry up 10.5% — orders for the automotive sector grew especially strongly
• August was -10.1% — slightly revised from the first figure of -10.6%. So orders fell sharply over the summer and have now recovered
• What it means for you — orders turn into production and jobs a few months later. September's industrial production figures are also out this morning

September 2026, seasonally and calendar adjusted

Source: destatis.de · onvista.de (dpa-AFX)

3. [Society] dm recalls organic pine nuts (dmBio Pinienkerne) — possible salmonella

• Announced by dm on Thu 5 Nov — the drugstore chain is recalling "dmBio Pinienkerne, 60g" as a precaution, because they may contain salmonella
• Only best-before dates from 31 May to 2 July 2027 — the date is printed on the side of the pack. Pine nuts with other dates are not affected
• Don't eat them — take them back — opened or unopened, bring them to any dm store and you'll get your money back
• Symptoms? — usually within 48 hours: diarrhoea, stomach ache, sometimes vomiting and a slight fever. Babies, young children, older people and anyone with a weak immune system should be especially careful; see a doctor if symptoms are severe
• What it means for you — if you bought pine nuts for salads or pesto, check the date now. dm's customer service is free on 0800 365 8633 (Mon–Sat, 8:00–20:00)

Source: dm press release · t-online.de

4. [Culture] Daniel Kehlmann's new novel "Afrika" is out today

• Published by Rowohlt on Fri 6 Nov — the new novel by the author best known for "Die Vermessung der Welt" (Measuring the World, 2005)
• Set in Berlin in the winter of 1884 — against the backdrop of the Berlin Congo Conference (1884/85), which Bismarck called to discuss the division of Africa
• The hero is an Austro-Hungarian diplomat — he represents his country at the conference, but is hiding a swindle of his own
• First reading at the Berliner Ensemble on 15 Nov — the tour then goes to Düsseldorf, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich, Hamburg and other cities, and ends in Vienna on 11 March next year
• What it means for you — how Germany remembers its colonial past comes up often these days. Readings (Lesungen) are a very common cultural event in German bookshops and theatres, and well worth trying once

Source: news.de (dpa) · tagesspiegel.de · jpc.de

5. [Arts] Tilda Swinton on stage at the Berliner Ensemble — tickets by lottery only

• 8 performances, 9–14 February 2027 — British actor Tilda Swinton stars in Manfred Karge's one-person play "Man to Man" (Jacke wie Hose), a co-production with London's Royal Court Theatre
• Berlin is the only stop in continental Europe — after that it goes to New York. It's performed in English with German surtitles
• All tickets by lottery — you can enter for free in the Berliner Ensemble (BE) app until 22 November. The draw takes place from 23 to 27 November
• Up to 2 tickets per person — you can pick up to 3 dates, and if you win you have 6 hours to pay. Tickets cost €10–124
• What it means for you — entering is free, so if you love theatre, download the app and give it a go

Source: tagesspiegel.de (dpa) · visitberlin.de

6. [Entertainment] A posh rehab clinic on Sylt — ARD improv comedy "Die Friesenjunkies" out today

• In the ARD Mediathek from Fri 6 Nov — "Die Friesenjunkies" is an eight-part improvised (impro) comedy series, with 30-minute episodes
• On TV next week — Das Erste shows it on Fri 13 Nov at 23:50 and Sat 14 Nov at 23:40
• Made by twin brothers — Oskar and Emil Belton direct it and act in it themselves. It's set in an upmarket rehab clinic on the island of Sylt
• Sylvie Meis's first lead in a German series — Martin Brambach, Peter Kurth and Stephan Luca also star. It premiered at the Hamburg film festival in September
• What it means for you — the Mediathek is free. Because the dialogue is unscripted, it's great for hearing real spoken German (try turning on German subtitles too)

Source: presseportal.de (ARD) · serienjunkies.de

7. [Sports] Europa League — Leverkusen's first defeat, a draw for Hoffenheim, a win for Freiburg

• Leverkusen 0-1 Marseille — Amine Gouiri scored the winner in the 77th minute. It was Leverkusen's first defeat after winning their first three games in the competition, and Marseille's first win
• Crystal Palace 1-1 Hoffenheim — Alexander Prass put Hoffenheim ahead in the 7th minute, but Daichi Kamada equalised in stoppage time (90+1') for a Palace side down to ten men
• Trabzonspor 0-1 Freiburg — in the Conference League, Lukas Kübler's 14th-minute goal won it. That's three wins in a row and 6 points
• Bundesliga matchday 9 this weekend — it starts tonight at 20:30 with Hamburg v Mönchengladbach. On Saturday at 15:30 it's Mainz v Bayern and Dortmund v Elversberg, and on Sunday at 15:30 the "Rhine derby" Cologne v Leverkusen
• The title race — Bayern and Dortmund are level on 18 points, with Freiburg third on 16

Source: beinsports.com · flashscore.com · skysports.com · sky.de · bundesliga.com · anstosszeiten.de

Weather

City	Sat 7 Nov	Sun 8 Nov	Mon 9 Nov
Berlin	☀️ 8° / 1° mostly sunny	🌤️ 8° / 2° sunny spells	⛅ 5° / 1° mostly cloudy
Hamburg	☁️ 3° / 1° cloudy	☁️ 7° / 1° cloudy	⛅ 8° / 2° mostly cloudy
Munich	🌦️ 9° / 4° cloudy, light rain in places	⛅ 8° / 3° mostly cloudy	☁️ 9° / 3° cloudy
Cologne	🌦️ 9° / 4° cloudy, light rain in places	☁️ 11° / 6° cloudy	☀️ 10° / 4° mostly sunny
Frankfurt	☁️ 7° / 3° cloudy	☁️ 10° / 6° cloudy	🌤️ 10° / 5° sunny spells

Tip: High pressure system "KLAUS" is staying put, so the weekend will be mostly calm. The east gets some sunshine, while the west sees cloud and a little drizzle. At night, fog and ground frost form in places, so take care if you drive or cycle in the morning. From early next week, low pressure moves in and rain becomes more frequent. (Forecast: wetter.com; Berlin checked with wetter.de)

German from today's news

Word	Meaning	Example from the news
der Rückruf	product recall	dm startet einen Rückruf für Pinienkerne.
das Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum	best-before date	Bitte prüfen Sie das Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum.
der Bundesrat	Federal Council (the states' chamber)	Der Bundesrat muss noch zustimmen.
der Auftragseingang	new orders	Der Auftragseingang ist im September gestiegen.
die Lesung	(author's) reading	Die erste Lesung ist im Berliner Ensemble.
die Verlosung	lottery, prize draw	Die Tickets gibt es nur per Verlosung.

Watch out for the morning fog this weekend — Schönes Wochenende! 🇩🇪