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Today in Germany: A round-up of the latest news Tuesday

The Local Germany
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Today in Germany: A round-up of the latest news Tuesday
A snowman wears a face mask in the Taunus mountain range in Germany. Photo: DPA

From new night train connections to stricter coronavirus measures, here's a roundup of the latest news on Tuesday.

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New night connections

Together with three other national railway companies, Deutsche Bahn is planning the following new night train connections through Europe, the company announced on Tuesday:

  • From December 2021 there will be a connection between Vienna, Munich and Paris and between Zurich, Cologne and Amsterdam.
  • In 2023, connections from Vienna and Berlin to Brussels and Paris will follow.
  • From December 2024 it should also be possible to travel from Zurich to Barcelona.

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Stricter measures in Hesse

In parts of Hesse with continually high coronavirus rates, a night-time curfew and a ban on drinking alcohol in public is set to be put place, announced state premiere Volker Bouffier (CDU) on Tuesday in a statement given to state parliament in Wiesbaden.

The curfew would apply to cities or districts with more than 200 new coronavirus infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days. It will go into effect on Friday, and will last from 9 pm until 5 am each day.

Affected areas would include the city and district Offenbach, the Main-Kinzig district and the district of Groß-Gerau, said Bouffier.

Other states around Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony, are also putting stricter measures and curfews in place in order to tackle rising coronavirus figures.

READ ALSO: German state of Saxony to close schools and shops as Covid-19 situation worsens

Photo of the day

Morning fog in Germany is typical, as this panoramic photo (credit: DPA) across the Lower Saxony landscape on Tuesday morning shows.

Row over public broadcasting fees

The so-called Rundfunkbeitrag is to go up by 86 cents to a monthly payment of €18.36. The public broadcasters, which include TV channels ARD and ZDF, have a €1.5 billion hole in their budget. The budget is funded almost entirely through a compulsory payment that every household makes.

This increase is supposed to come into effect on January 1st, but the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt has so far refused to back it, something that is leading to serious friction inside Angela Merkel's CDU party.

It is the only state as of Tuesday which won't get behind higher fees.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to pay Germany's TV tax, or (legally) avoid it

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