GA English on Sunday News in Brief for the Weekend

Bonn · The existing problems with card payments are not over, so have some cash with you when you go out shopping; for instance at the 25th international pottery market today at Münsterplatz; Juvenile fish have sadly been dying in large numbers at the lake in the Rheinaue; and there was a motor yacht drifting on the Rhine on Saturday. Luckily no one was harmed.

 The problems with card payments in many German supermarkets could last for days.

The problems with card payments in many German supermarkets could last for days.

Foto: dpa/Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

Problems with card payments likely to continue for days

The problems with card payments in many German supermarkets could last for days.

The Frankfurt-based service provider Payone announced on Saturday that there is now an update for the affected payment device from the US manufacturer Verifone. However, the version is not stable enough to be used nationwide.

Since Tuesday, many thousands of customers have not been able to pay with giro or credit cards at German retailers. Among others, branches of Aldi Nord, Edeka and the Edeka subsidiary Netto are affected. The reason is a malfunction in the widely used Verifone H5000 device. It is used by Payone and its competitor Concardis, among others. The service providers provide the devices and process the payments. The terminals themselves and the software for them come from Verifone. The company had declared on Friday that it would provide an update "shortly".

To get the devices up and running again, manual intervention on site by either the retailer or a technician would be necessary, Payone said, referring to Verifone. It said it had already pulled together all available resources for the update. "Nevertheless, we assume that this process cannot be carried out ad hoc in the area, but will probably take a few days," a Payone spokeswoman said. Regardless, alternatives would be worked out so that cards could be accepted again as soon as possible, she added.

Verifone said it was working with customers and partners on the solution. This has been available since Friday. "We would like to emphasise that the problem is not related to the expiry of a certificate or a security vulnerability and does not represent a security threat," it said in a statement. Rather, it was a software malfunction, it said. Previously, there had been speculation that the problems could be due to an expired certificate that confirms the identity of a computer or other electronic device.

The disruption has been causing trouble in the retail sector for days. Many customers can only pay for their purchases with cash. If the giro card (formerly EC card) does not work, withdrawing cash at the supermarket checkout is also no longer possible.

Cashless payments have received a boost in Germany due to the pandemic. The share of sales accounted for by card payments in bricks-and-mortar retail rose from 50.5 per cent in 2019 to 58.8 per cent last year, according to a study published in early May by the Cologne-based retail research institute EHI.

Contactless payments, where cards or smartphones are held in front of the terminal, have also become commonplace as a result of the pandemic. For smaller amounts, it is often not necessary to enter the PIN, so customers do not have to touch the payment terminal.

45 pottery studios and ceramic artists show their work in Bonn

Bonn. For the 25th time, 45 pottery studios and ceramic artists from Germany and abroad are meeting on Bonn's Münsterplatz this weekend to demonstrate their skills and present a diverse range of products.

Above all, kitchenware made of stoneware and porcelain are in high demand at the market. But the traders have also brought things for the summer garden: from plant and herb pots, sculptures and decorative balls to birdbaths and fountains, the product range is diverse. Porcelain jewellery, hand-painted unique tiles, wall lamps and steles round off the offer.

The 25th Bonn Potter's Market takes place on Sunday, 29 May 2022 from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Münsterplatz.

Stadt retrieves numerous dead fish from Bonn's Rheinauensee lake

A large number of dead juvenile fish have been retrieved from the lake in the Rheinaue. According to the city administration, it was not possible to completely prevent the animals from dying under the current conditions.

In connection with the redevelopment of the Rheinauensee, a video recently surfaced in a Bonn Facebook group showing numerous fish floating lifelessly on the surface of the water. The makers of the video speak of more than 100 animals. According to the administration the death of the fish could not have been completely prevented.

"Sadly, a few days ago dead fish were found in two sections of the lake that have been recently drained and fished. The city regrets this very much," Markus Schmitz from the press office says. From the point of view of the experts involved, this could unfortunately not have been completely prevented under the current conditions. "Most of the fish were juveniles, which were virtually impossible to catch near the surface at the time," Schmitz continues. In addition, high temperatures at the end of last week had led to a lack of oxygen in the low water levels. "If the city were to forego the clean-up, the well-known problems of previous years would continue to occur, resulting in repeated deaths of animals," Schmitz concludes.

As previously reported, the lake clean-up is being closely monitored by various specialist offices and the Lower Nature Conservation Authority. Fish were relocated by biologists. The restoration is necessary to keep the body of water in a stable condition in the long term. An important component is desilting the 15-hectare lake. This is taking longer than planned: Initially, the work was scheduled to end at the end of May. Now the environmental agency has scheduled completion for August.

Motor yacht drifting on the Rhine triggers major operation by fire service

On Saturday afternoon, a motor yacht drifted on the Rhine between Kennedybrücke and Südbrücke, unable to manoeuvre, triggering a major operation by the fire brigade. The engine of the small boat had failed for reasons that are not yet known.

At around 4:50 p.m., about 40 emergency personnel came to the aid of the motor yacht. A multi-purpose boat from the Bonn fire brigade finally towed the vessel into the harbour in Mondorf.

There was no danger to persons or to other boats. The emergency services warned other vessels so that they could keep their distance from the yacht, which was unable to manoeuvre. Thus, the rescue services were able to recover the ship safely and tow it to Mondorf.

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