Bahn wants to increase security forces for the European Football Championship

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Bahn is increasing security forces for the European Football Championship

In view of the European Football Championship, Deutsche Bahn has announced that it will increase its security forces at stations and on trains. As the company announced on Thursday, the pool of security forces is to be expanded by around 20 percent or 900 people. The railway explained that the ten train stations at the venues and the trains there benefited from this.

According to the company, almost 6,000 federal police officers and 4,500 railway security guards are currently on duty around the clock. Around the European Championships, the railway is expecting tens of thousands of additional travelers on the trains to the venues. “The safety of our employees and passengers is our top priority,” it said.

In the “Tagesspiegel”, the EVG railway union threatened consequences for the European Football Championship in view of violence against its employees. If the security situation does not improve before the European Championships, “we will ensure that the trains do not run,” EVG board member Kristian Loroch told the newspaper. The employees could then collectively reduce overtime during the tournament, warned Loroch. In a survey by EVG, 64 percent of the almost 4,000 respondents said they had suffered violence or hostility in the past twelve months.

Eight years in prison for 15-year-old after murdering Joel

After the violent death of six-year-old Joel from Pragsdorf in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a 15-year-old was sentenced to a youth sentence of seven years and nine months. The Neubrandenburg regional court found the teenager guilty of murder on Thursday. The hearing took place behind closed doors due to the defendant’s age.

Last week, the teenager’s comprehensive confession caused a surprise. According to the representative of Joel’s parents, lawyer Christine Habetha, the defendant – unlike before – said that he had acted alone.

Joel’s murder sparked horror across the country.Image: dpa / Bernd Wüstneck

The parents of Joel, who was killed, reacted with relief to the conviction. “We are very satisfied that there really is murder in it,” Joel’s father told the German Press Agency on Thursday. Given the youth criminal law, he had temporarily expected a significantly lower sentence. The murder verdict also explains the case better to Joel’s siblings.

According to the prosecution, the then 14-year-old allegedly hit Joel in the face several times in the bushes at the football field in Pragsdorf last September and stabbed him with a knife.

Next rejection at FC Bayern: Rangnick will not be the new coach

Ralf Rangnick remains coach of the Austrian national team and will not coach at FC Bayern Munich. The coach, who was recently considered the top favorite, surprisingly rejected a corresponding offer. The Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) also confirmed this on Thursday.

“I would like to expressly emphasize that this is not a rejection of FC Bayern, but a decision for my team and our common goals,” explained Rangnick himself on Thursday. Bayern’s sports director Christoph Freund was confident on Wednesday that an agreement between Rangnick and FC Bayern could be imminent. But he now wants to concentrate fully on the challenges for the Austrian team at the 2024 European Championship.

For FC Bayern, the search for Thomas Tuchel’s successor continues. Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and DFB coach Julian Nagelsmann recently rejected corresponding offers.

After a long dispute: Universal Music is coming back to Tiktok

After a month-long dispute over royalties and licenses, the music label Universal Music Group (UMG) and Tiktok have agreed on a joint agreement. According to an official statement from Universal, the two companies signed a “multi-dimensional licensing agreement” that will lead to the return of the corresponding music on the platform.

At the beginning of the year, music by Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Drake, among others, was no longer available on Tiktok due to the dispute. The background was UMG’s accusation that the musicians under contract were not financially sufficiently compensated by Tiktok, especially in comparison to other online platforms.

Taylor Swift’s music is now available again on Tiktok.Bild: IMAGO images/AAP

“Music is an integral part of the Tiktok ecosystem, and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group,” said Tiktok CEO Shou Chew in a press release. The companies also want to work on new campaigns to use Tiktok’s reach to promote individual artists.

May 1st: Peace in Berlin, riots in Stuttgart

There was a “peaceful and relaxed atmosphere” for the police officers in Berlin on May 1st. At the “Revolutionary May 1st Demonstration” and around 20 other demonstrations, there were only a few disruptions and arrests, said police chief Barbara Slowik on RBB television on Wednesday evening.

Previously feared incidents or outbreaks of violence as in previous years did not occur. According to police estimates, almost 12,000 people took part in the demonstration. The organizers – left-wing and left-wing autonomous groups – spoke of 25,000 to 30,000 demonstrators. This time there was no big black block to be seen, said Police Chief Slowik. Against the background of the conflict situation in the Middle East, there were many pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the streets.

According to police reports, May 1st in Berlin was quieter than expected.Image: dpa / Sebastian Gollnow

May 1st was significantly less peaceful in Stuttgart. According to the police, emergency services were suddenly attacked with pepper spray, roof battens with screws, other striking tools, punches and kicks. The police said on Wednesday evening that 25 emergency services and three police horses were injured. “It was only a short-term use of pepper spray and batons as well as the use of police horses and police dogs that made it possible to bring the situation back under control.” The demonstration was eventually broken up.

USA accuses Russia of using chemical weapons

The USA has accused Russia of using a chemical weapon in Ukraine. Russia used “the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian armed forces” in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the US State Department said on Wednesday (local time). Russia also used irritants as a means of warfare in Ukraine.

The use of such chemicals is not an isolated case. The Russian troops probably wanted to push Ukrainian forces out of fortified positions and make tactical advances on the battlefield, the US State Department said.

Russia has declared that it no longer has a military chemical arsenal. However, the country is under pressure to create more transparency about the use of toxic weapons accused of Russia. According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), chloropicrin is used as a combat agent and as a pesticide. There is therefore a health risk when inhaling.

(with material from dpa and afp)

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