This is Berlin's news podcast. Tonight: Oranienplatz has been cleared out. The refugee camp has been replaced by a police camp. Politicians are claiming victory, and crass young conservatives are photographing themselves in front of the demolished camp. Now that the protesting refugees are hidden away in a hostel, will the city forget about their plight? Police have been busy lately. They also helped evict a man from his Neukölln apartment, after he failed to pay his rent on time, due to an error by the Jobcenter. Over 120 protesters failed to prevent his eviction. He is now homeless. It has also been revealed that Berlin police are sending hundreds of thousands of ghost SMS messages to track suspects in a NSA-style operation. Human statues have been ordered to shuffle away from Pariser Platz. The Mitte city council decided that costumed characters posing with tourists in front of the Brandenburger Tor are a nuisance, and must clear off. Another example of the fun police in action? Don't forget to register to vote in the European elections by May 5! You can get the form here:http://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/Kurzmeldungen/EN/2014/02/european-elections-2014.html And don't forget to support Joel's European Freelancers Movement campaign by adding your name here: www.freelancers-europe.org Music tonight from Dylan III: https://soundcloud.com/dylaniii

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin's news update in English. Tonight: The old Spreepark has been bought by the city for €2M, ending years of uncertainty about its ownership. It is now likely to be resold and reopened as a theme park. What did the Planetarium sound like before it closed last weekend? Joel went along and recorded the retro soundtrack of the now-under-renovation DDR treasure. Why are protesters standing with dead animals in front of Brandenburger Tor? Andrew met the initiators of Animal Equality Berlin to find out. It is cycling season again, and police are reporting an increase in bicycle theft. Those thieves will soon be hearing a new sound when the police catch them: the city's cop cars will be equipped with a new siren imported from the USA. Some Berliners aren't happy about the police siren noises being Americanized. www.radiospaetkauf.com

Radio Spätkauf is Berlin's English-language news programme. This week: Did you sign the Tempelhof petition? If you're not German, you weren't entitled to, as only citizens are allowed to have a say at regional and national elections and referendums. We talk to Walhrecht Für Alle about who can and can't vote. This month is your last chance to visit the Zeiss Planetarium in Prenzlauer Berg before it closes its doors for a year. The 30-year old Cosmorama projector needs to be replaced. A series of free events on the last weekend of March will let you experience this DDR gem. Music this week comes from Robyn Hitchcock, a renowned British singer-songwriter who is playing at Monarch bar in Berlin on March 27. Full disclosure - Robyn is Maisie's dad, and Joel is the support act. Links: http://wahlrechtfüralle.de/ https://www.facebook.com/events/448810325218909/

On this episode of Radio Spätkauf: as Berlin's building boom continues, will a new mega-hotel in Neukölln eclipse the skyscraper planned for Alexanderplatz? Does Marzahn really need a ski lift? And was a branch of Netto sacrificed for a higher purpose? Also on the show: Berlin's fare dodgers walk in the steps of Nazi resisters , Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg cleans up it's advertising act and the city gets a new, pop-savvy culture secretary. Plus music from Fenster.

On this episode, we interview a Japanese man who was attacked in Kurfurstendamm. Instead of seeking to punish his assailant, he attempted to offer him a job. In other news, the city government is cracking down on the infamous beer bikes by banning them from all major city streets, except for those leading east to Friedrichshain. Where should Berlin build new bike lanes? You can nominate a deserving street at www.fahrradnetz-berlin.de Plus: a group launches a new program for people riding trains without tickets. It's called Ticketteilen. They are encouraging people to wear a button to indicate if they hold a umweltkarte, which is a kind of yearly travel card that lets you take another person after 8pm or on weekends. Hear this episode with music at radiospaetkauf.com

A special update from Radio Spaetkauf: Opposing the obligatory TV and Radio fee. Have you recently received a letter demanding 18€ per month for your television and radio license, even if you don't use either service? It seems this has happened to many of us in Berlin over the last few weeks. This contribution towards broadcasting has become mandatory since January 2013 but one group thinks it's unfair. Hear all about the group "Remote Control" and their campaign "Der Rundfunkbeitrag-Zahlungsstreik" (payment strike). Listen to the update to hear how to oppose the fee and not get yourself caught up in back-payments.

Radio Spaetkauf is Berlin's English-language news and interview podcast. Tonight we bring you an update on the Tempelhof petition intiative: the movement against development on the former airport has gained enough signatures to trigger a referendum, but politicians are stalling by scrutinizing every signature. Clown and sex worker advocate Harvey Rabbit tells us about her upcoming show, Variete Ridiculous, which as well as being a night of great cabaret entertainment, is also a space for the demystification of sex workers. Variete Ridiculous is on Friday January 31 at Keller Neukölln. Joel presents a taste of the kinds of music you can hear at the cabaret night by playing one of his songs live in the studio, an act of shameless self promotion only allowable because Maisie's away tonight.

On the first episode of Radio Spaetkauf for 2014, the Ordnungsamt has introduced a new fine for throwing sneakers over dangling wires or posts. It'll cost you €30 if you're caught. So don't do it, or don't get caught. Other new price hikes for the year include public swimming pools: it now costs €5.50 to take a dip in peak times, which has had its hours inverted. We re-visit the Amt für Werbefreiheit und Gutes Leben, who want all outdoor advertising banned from the city. They've gathered a lot of support, but they had a mixed reaction from their elected politicians. Another citizen's initiative not getting any political support is 100% Tempelhofer Feld, which looks likely to fail in its attempt to prevent development on the old airport site. The initiative has fallen short of the number of required signatures on its petition. The BVG has revealed it employs 120 ticket checkers on the U-Bahn. We're searching for a maths genius to use this number to figure out the likelihood of getting caught without a ticket at any given time.

On this week's Radio Spätkauf: Berlin city's scientists have warned Christmas market shoppers to beware of bad glühwein. After testing market stalls, they found 8.6 per cent of mulled wine is not what it purports to be. Jöran Mandik has dispatched his final audio architectural tour (sadly, he's moving to Australia in the new year). He takes us on a walk around the concrete monolith that is the International Congress Centrum, which will close its doors in mid-2014 for renovations, and may never reopen. We play some clips from the archives. Drinkers in a Neukölln pub attempt to define the difference between a döner and a schwarma. Our song of the week is another from Sean Nicholas Savage, a Berlin resident who channels 80s pop icons.

Berlin's fast-rising rents may be slowed by two political developments. The federal coalition between the CDU and SPD has promised to put in new controls on rental prices. Even new rental contracts, which have previously been uncapped, will now be limited to a 10 per cent increase. And on a local level, the Berlin senate has introduced tough new restrictions on the commercial use of apartments for holiday flats. By banning ferienwohnung, the city hopes to release more apartments for residential use. In another positive move for poorly-paid Berliners, the new federal coalition has also agreed to implement a minimum wage of 8.50 EUR an hour. But the wage won't come into effect until 2015, and even when it does it will not be a huge improvement. The Radio Spaetkauf team has another solution - why not start a campaign for a London-style living wage that reflects the real cost of working in the city? Maisie interviews Bo Van, an architect who has created the Unreal Estate House, a temporary mobile construction that he invites anyone to stay in for free, to challenge the idea of property ownership and encourage civic participation. Tonight's song comes from Bra Bra Bra, an all-female band from Berlin.