BONN/REGION. A special initiative launched by the GA-Weihnachtslicht campaign to raise money for the victims of the flooding disaster has cracked the six-million-euro mark. A total of 6,003,249.26 euros have been received so far. 

“I am stunned,” said Bernd Leyendecker, Chairman of the Weihnachtslicht association. “We never imagined that so many GA readers would help the people in the regions along the Ahr and Swist rivers affected by this disaster.” The flood relief campaign is also such a great success because every cent donated goes to those affected. The administration costs of the campaign are paid by the GA publishing house. “Many thanks to all donors,” says Leyendecker. 

Further information can be found (in German) at www.ga.de/weihnachtslicht. 

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NRW The new Corona Test and Quarantine Ordinance of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia came into effect on Saturday, 11 September. The quarantine rule for household members and contacts of infected people has been relaxed. Self-isolation may now end after 10 days instead of 14. It can also be ended earlier with a negative COVID test. Either a PCR test can be carried out on the fifth day of quarantine, or a rapid test on the seventh day. School pupils and nursing staff who participate in mandatory regular testing at least twice a week are allowed to take a rapid test on the fifth day.

The state has adapted the rules in line with the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute, a spokeswoman from the NRW Ministry of Health stated. 

(Original text: ga)  

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DÜSSELDORF/KÖLN. The RheinCleanUp campaign aims to clear tons of waste from German rivers, in particular along the river Rhine, from its source in Switzerland to its mouth in the Netherlands. In 2020, around 300 groups took part, and the number of litter pickers was estimated at 35,000.

The clean-up campaign took place again this year, with organisers expecting up to 40,000 volunteers along many of the rivers in Germany and neighbouring countries. In North Rhine-Westphalia thousands of volunteers collected rubbish along the banks of the Rhine this weekend, as well as along the Ruhr in Essen and on the banks of the Main and Moselle rivers.

More than three tonnes of rubbish were collected at one point in Stammheim alone, said Christian Stock from KRAKE, a rubbish collecting organisation in Cologne. A 20-metre-long district heating pipe that had washed up near Stammheim was sawn up with a hacksaw. “This is floating waste from the Ahr valley,” said Stock. He had expected the large amounts of rubbish in the Rhine following the severe floods. “Something had to be done urgently after the flood disaster,” he said. Around 500 volunteers took part in the two campaigns organised by KRAKE in Cologne.

(Original text: dpa)  

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BONN. The Beethovenfest due to be held in 2020 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in Bonn had to be cancelled due to the corona pandemic. Organisers confirmed the success of the 2021 festival, with around 12,200 visitors attending the concerts. Of the 53 events held, 24 were sold out. The average attendance rate was 84 percent.

Many of the events that were actually planned for the anniversary year were able to take place this year. For the last time, the Beethovenfest was the responsibility of artistic director Nike Wagner, the great-granddaughter of Richard Wagner.

In addition to the live concerts, seven concerts were streamed in cooperation with Deutsche Welle and reportedly received more than 130,000 views. 

(Original text: dpa)  

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)