Coronavirus: Augsburg coach not on the bench due to Corona violation

Passenger numbers on buses and trains have plummeted due to the Corona crisis.

With many transport companies restricting connections and people staying away for fear of infections, the figures fell 11 percent in the first quarter, the Federal Statistical Office estimated on Wednesday. The Wiesbaden authority has evaluated the data of some large transport companies.

Consequently, the number of passengers in local rail traffic, including the S-Bahn, was especially reduced. Here, statisticians expect less than 15 percent compared to the same period last year.

The number of passengers in streetcar traffic, which includes trams, elevated and subway trains, as well as suspension trains, and in bus traffic decreased by 9 percent. In long-distance rail transport, statisticians calculated a 13 percent decrease in the January-March period.

While the number of passengers on local and long-distance trains reached the usual level in January and February, they decreased by around 40 percent in March.

The “711 Stuttgart Side Thinking” initiative has announced another major demonstration against Corona regulations for next Saturday.

As can be seen on the initiative’s home page, the “twentieth vigil of the Basic Law” will be held again from 3:30 p.m. at 5:30 p.m. on the Cannstatter Wasens grounds.

This time the organizer registered a whopping 500,000 participants!

More information >>> here

The planned German application to track infection chains in the coronavirus pandemic is taking shape.

On Wednesday morning, Europe’s largest software company SAP and Deutsche Telekom released a first concept on the Github platform. Github is the world’s largest platform for developing open source software.

Archives on Github show that the two federally commissioned companies rely on the knowledge and program code of three existing projects.

The app should be available in mid-June. You must comply with the European and German data protection regulations. The two companies in charge now emphasize that they only “process the necessary data in the application, with the sole purpose of informing users if they have been in close contact with other already infected users, without revealing their respective identities.”

They promised an understandable privacy policy to make users as transparent and clear as possible. “Since we are developing the application as an open source project, the community can review this.”

CDU internal politician Armin Schuster calls for freedom of travel for the border population to be restored, but for borders not to be opened in general in view of the crown pandemic.

“It would help a lot of trade, it would help social relations. And I think the greatest emotional pressure would also be removed,” the union president told Deutschlandfunk on Wednesday in the Bundestag’s internal committee.

“But removing border controls is therefore premature.” The crisis has not yet been overcome. He does not want to send the signal of open borders in Europe, especially on Pentecost.

Schuster hopes to have freedom of travel for people in border regions later this week or early next, as he said. The federal cabinet deals with the matter in the morning.

In Brussels, the EU Commission also wants to present its ideas on border measures. Passing controlled borders to Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark currently requires a valid reason: this includes, for example, transporting goods or a job across the border, but not a private visit or excursion.

Like Deutsche Post, the parcel company Hermes delivered significantly more packages than usual during the peak phase of the crown pandemic.

After the initial falls, shipments in April rose about 40 percent compared to original expectations, the company said ahead of the release of its trade figures by the German Press Agency on Wednesday.

Despite this rapid development, more than 90 percent of all shipments nationwide were delivered consistently the next day.

“The crown pandemic is an unprecedented stress test and demands on society, politics and business,” said Hermes Europe supervisory board chairman and Otto Group Services board member Kay Schiebur.

“At the same time, with respect to the parcel service, it is once again evident how elemental functional competition is in the marketplace and the associated options for customers.”

In the fiscal year 2019/20 that ended at the end of February, Hermes’ consolidated sales increased by nine percent to € 3.5 billion compared to the previous year. Hermes employs more than 15,500 people worldwide, including some 10,200 in Germany.

Japan’s sumo sport mourns the death of a wrestler who died of the coronavirus. The Japanese man by the ring name Shobushi died Wednesday at the age of just 28 years old due to multiple organ failure as a result of the virus, the Sumo Association announced.

Shobushi was the first sumo wrestler to become infected with the virus and the first to die from it.

He fought in the fourth highest division of traditional Japanese sports. The summer tournament for sumo wrestlers, scheduled to take place in Tokyo from May 24 to June 7, was canceled due to concerns about the further spread of the crown virus.

The Olympic Games planned for the summer in the capital of Japan were also postponed to 2021 due to the global pandemic.

Commerzbank went into the red in the first quarter due to fear of many loan defaults as a result of the Corona crisis.

In the first three months, less than € 295 million was recorded, as announced by the Frankfurt MDax group on Wednesday.

Analysts expected an average loss of 240 million euros. Provisions for bad loans for possible defaults had to quadruple to EUR 326 million (previous year: EUR 78 million).

CEO Martin Zielke’s board of directors had already announced in mid-February that the administration was exploring “greater savings potential.” The most recent speculation was in press reports of a significant decline in the branch network from 1,000 locations to 400 to 500 branches.

Starting Wednesday afternoon, the Executive Board will explain to the shareholders of the institute, which has been partially nationalized since the financial crisis, why the meager dividend initially announced for last fiscal year will not be paid. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Annual General Assembly will be fully organized as an online event.

Before the start of the ghost games, the German Football League advises first and second division clubs to comply with all official regulations.

“Only with the highest degree of discipline and meticulousness can we achieve our common goal, the end of the 2019/20 season,” says the “Operation of the Special Circular Organization Game” for clubs.

The 35-page document lists in detail what preventive and hygienic measures should be implemented.

You can find out which ones are >>> here.

After the usual winter losses, the Tui Group faces an extremely difficult 2020 summer season and plans to cut several thousand jobs.

Due to uncertainties caused by the Corona crisis, administrative costs at the world’s largest travel operator must be reduced by 30 percent, Chief Executive Officer Fritz Joussen said Wednesday when the figures for the first half of the year shopping ended in Hannover.

“Globally, this will have an impact on around 8,000 jobs that we do not fill or eliminate.”

From October to March, Tui’s adjusted earnings before interest and taxes fell nearly 175 percent year-on-year to minus 828.7 million euros.

Losses during this period are typical in the industry, companies make more money in the summer. This brings special problems in the current year: Tui had to suspend its program in March, travel restrictions continue to apply worldwide, and the summer program is only fully booked up to 35 percent.

But Joussen is assuming a recovery: “Summer vacations in Europe can now gradually become possible, responsibly and with clear rules. The season starts later, but it could take longer.”

The resumption of business is being prepared. The Group does not dare to give a more accurate forecast.

The German-Austrian border, closed due to the crown pandemic, will reopen on June 15, according to information from the Austrian news agency APA.

Starting this Friday, there will only be random border checks, the Chancellor’s Office in Vienna confirmed at the APA on Wednesday.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) had called Merkel on Tuesday. The Federal Government wants to discuss new steps at its meeting on Wednesday.

Austrian Chancellor Kurz had already said on Tuesday night on “10vor10” on Swiss television that he expected a border opening in June. As also announced by the Federal Chancellery in Vienna, Austria is also striving to liberalize the border regime with its other neighboring countries.

The Austrian tourism industry is highly dependent on German vacationers. Above all, the industry pushed for clarity regarding the summer season. He referred to regular German customer reservations that made it difficult for new Austrian guests to make promises.

The EU Commission wanted to adopt its guidelines for a gradual opening of the border on Wednesday.

Twitter is preparing for permanent change in the world of work due to the crown crisis. Employees who can and want to work from home never need to return to the office, the American company decided.

More information >>> here.

Bundesliga referee Marco Fritz would not punish violations of hygiene rules on the field with a yellow card.

“I have to lead the game and I am not responsible for following hygiene rules on the field,” said the 42-year-old “Sport Bild” (Wednesday).

If a pro spits after the season restart, “I would probably point this out to the player, but that’s not a disciplinary story for the referee,” Fritz said. “That also applies to hugging when the goal is celebrated.”

According to the concept of the German Football League, clapping after a goal or a substitution is prohibited.

According to Chinese media reports, the central Chinese city of Wuhan wants all of its eleven million residents to be tested for coronavirus in record time. Several Chinese media reported Tuesday.

Authorities decided to take the action after six new infections were found in a residential area in Wuhan earlier this week after a long period without disease in the city. As the business magazine “Caixin” reported, people in Wuhan should be tested within ten days.

In late April, Wuhan, where the virus may have broken out in November, had evaluated about one million people, according to the report.

The Chinese website “The Paper” reported that city districts should develop a plan on how the mass test can be carried out.

China says it has a lot of control over the virus, but is struggling with local outbreaks. A double-digit number of new infections was also recently reported from Jilin province in northeast China.

The governments of Austria and Switzerland expect a breakthrough in the debate on opening borders in the near future.

“We are in a very good exchange with the Swiss government. Our goal is that we can agree on a significant relaxation in the next few days and that border controls can be completely completed in June,” Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) told the Swiss . SRF television on Tuesday.

Talks with Germany would also go well. However, according to the 33-year-old man, Bavaria slows the issue compared to Austria and Switzerland.

A spokesperson for Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter told the Keystone-SDA news agency that summer vacations in Germany, Austria and France would be more likely for the Swiss.

According to the agency, an opening of the Swiss border to Italy is not yet planned.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) sees the pandemic crown as a serious danger to the move to renewable energy.

The “unprecedented decline in demand”, price fluctuations and pressure to quickly cushion the consequences for the economy and society “called into question the short-term goals of the shift,” the foundation said when it published its new index of energy transition.

At the same time, the crisis could also be an opportunity, if the government’s stimulus packages implement long-term strategies.

“The coronavirus pandemic provides an opportunity to consider unorthodox energy market intervention and global cooperation to support a recovery that accelerates energy change as the acute crisis wears off,” said Roberto Bocca, energy expert at WEF . This “extensive reset” enables strategies that ultimately support growth of the global economy in a sustainable and fair manner.

The 2020 energy transition index compares 115 countries: Germany is ranked 20, three places behind the previous year.

The World Economic Forum certifies the Federal Republic of a “moderately positive” trend.

“Germany has demonstrated a strong commitment to removing coal and decarbonising the industry by introducing clean hydrogen, but the financial viability of energy services was a challenge.” In terms of electricity prices, Germany lags far behind in the ranking.

Due to the long interruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, only a small part of the festival’s program for Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday (1770-1827) could take place.

To save a large chunk of the approximately 300 projects, including concerts, dances, and new compositions, the anniversary will run until 2021 and will not end as originally planned on December 17, 2020. This is the 250th day of the baptism of the person born. at Bonn Composers.

Günter Winands, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH, said that Beethoven’s year would last 250 days until mid-September 2021. A total of € 30 million is available for the composer’s national celebrations, of which the federal government will pay 27 million euros.

The number of deaths related to the coronavirus is increasing in Brazil.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health in Brasilia on Tuesday afternoon (local time), more than 800 corona deaths were recorded in 24 hours for the first time.

The number of victims recorded from Monday to Tuesday was 881. This is a new negative record in the South American country for this 24-hour period.

According to official figures, a total of 12,400 people have died from the virus to date in Brazil. 177,589 infected people have been reported.

Brazil has already lost more nurses in the Corona crisis than Spain and Italy combined, which has to do with their sometimes precarious work situation.

There are no national gymnastics championships this year in the United States. The competition scheduled for early June in Fort Worth, Texas, will not take place due to the crown crisis and will be postponed for a year, the US gymnastics association announced Tuesday (local time) on its website. .

Listen to the advice of health experts and the wishes of athletes, he said. According to the Los Angeles Times, the championships have been held annually since 1942. American gymnast Simone Biles is the absolute star in the industry.