1st
variant of fear
It seems as if the corona crisis followed the same rules as the "Hunger Games" books - things can still be dreary, cruel, and hopeless.
In Germany, the Air Force has to help move intensive care patients.
The number of infections is rising to new highs every day, and the vaccination rate is stagnating.
After all, the booster campaign is gaining momentum.
But the realization is becoming clearer and clearer: the fourth wave will not be slowed down by 3G and 2G.
"The new prognoses from the modelers, virologists and clinicians are bleak," report my colleagues Veronika Hackenbroch and Rafaela von Bredow.
"Germany is facing a disaster." Only one thing could help: fewer contacts, perhaps a new shutdown for everyone.
The health minister and the RKI boss sounded similar today.
"The situation is dramatically serious, more serious than at any point in this pandemic," warned Spahn.
“The number of contacts has to go down, significantly down.
It's all of no use. "(More on this here.)
Enlarge image
Photo: Michael Bihlmayer / IMAGO
As if that weren't bitter enough, it seems to be becoming a reality, something that many experts have long warned against: A new virus variant is emerging that could be even more contagious and perhaps more dangerous. Yesterday B.1.1.529 dominated the headlines, it is spreading in South Africa, there are individual infections in Israel and Hong Kong (there in a quarantine hotel - the whole story here). Today it is clear: the mutant has also arrived in Europe, Belgium reports the first case. Several countries, including Germany, are restricting air traffic to South Africa. The EU Commission proposes that all trips from countries in southern Africa to Europe be prohibited for the time being.
Experts have found 32 mutations in the important spike protein in the genome of the new virus variant alone. "B.1.1.529 shares some of the mutations with the alpha, beta, delta or gamma variant," report my colleagues Irene Berres and Nina Weber. There are also other changes in the virus’s genetic makeup, which researchers also classify as potentially dangerous. “It is feared that some mutations could lead to greater resistance to neutralizing antibodies. Others could help the virus enter human cells more easily. "
It will be a few more weeks before it can be precisely assessed how dangerous B.1.1.529 actually is. "Among other things, it has to be observed how seriously infected people get sick and how often vaccination breakthroughs occur," report Irene and Nina. But there won't be that much time to react to the threat. "If it is a false alarm, we can reverse our reactions to it in a few weeks," writes Christina Pagel from University College London on Twitter. "But now is our time window to act."
It seems to me that the future federal government has not yet received the urgency.
Except perhaps with Karl Lauterbach, who tweeted today: "Nothing is worse than a new variant in a running wave." That sounds like dystopia, but it is reality.
Read here what is known about the variant: The fear of B.1.1.529
2.
You forgot the iPhone
In the Greens there is a quarrel about the ministerial posts;
Lindner and Habeck watch each other in the new government alliance;
You can read about the oh-so-harmonious traffic light negotiations that especially Greens and Liberals clashed again and again (more on this here in the new SPIEGEL cover story).
But nobody doubts that the party congresses of the SPD and FDP as well as the members of the Greens will agree to the coalition agreement - and that the Bundestag will elect Olaf Scholz as the new Federal Chancellor, the fourth Social Democrat in this office, in just under a week and a half.
Pick up the certificate of appointment, take the oath of office, maybe even a little pathos.
Read the full issue here
Photo:
[M]: Dominik Butzmann;
Andreas Chudowski / DER SPIEGEL
Before the big hello for Scholz, there is a celebratory goodbye for Angela Merkel: As for Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder before her, the Bundeswehr will bid her farewell with a big tattoo.
In 1998, at Kohl's request, the music corps played “The Great Elector's Riding March” (Kuno Graf von Moltke), the chorale “Nun danket alle Gott” and Beethoven's “Ode to Joy”, which is also known as the European anthem.
In 2005 Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schröders, wanted the “Moritat of Mäckie Messer” by Kurt Weill, “Summertime” by George Gershwin and the “Comme d'habitude” composed by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, which later became known around the world as Frank Sinatra's “My Way” (Schröder's wife at the time had selected the pieces for him; his current one ensures that he appears on Instagram).
Enlarge image
Chancellor at Zapfenstreich (for Christian Wulff)
Photo: Hannibal Hanschke / dpa
Merkel's song requests have been treated almost like a state secret in the last few days, even the management level of the Bundeswehr has not been inaugurated. My colleague Matthias Gebauer received Merkel's playlist anyway. "I was pretty flabbergasted when I saw the list, I wouldn't have thought the Chancellor had that much emotion," says Matthias. On Thursday evening in the courtyard of the Ministry of Defense, the soldiers are supposed to allude to Hildegard Knef's "For me it should rain red roses." In addition to the German hymn "Great God, we praise you", the staff music corps of the Bundeswehr is also rehearsing the song "You forgot the color film", with which Nina Hagen had a hit in 1974 in the GDR. The somewhat bumpy pop song from the seventies is a real challenge for the music corps.My colleague Judith Horchert from our Netzwelt department thinks: "That at least somehow fits the state of digitization."
At one of her last appearances as Chancellor in the Bundestag, Merkel said in June: "When I became Chancellor, the iPhone didn't exist." Now nobody believes us how nice it was here haha, haha.
Read more here: Red roses for Merkel
And here you can find the playlist on Spotify
3.
Winter is coming
Helps against November mood
Photo: Getty Images
Corona variant, booster stress, delivery problems with Christmas gifts - the bad mood is rampant.
But there is an effective antidote: Hardly anything helps against November gloom better than the series "Gilmore Girls", even if you can speak the dialogues by heart like at least two members of my household.
In one episode, Lorelai pulls Luke out of bed into the cold early in the morning, even before the fur alarm purrs.
"I smell snow," she says.
He doesn't believe it, the weather reports predicted the cold.
The first flakes fall.
Maybe a bit banal.
But how else should I pack the message that the German Weather Service expects up to 30 centimeters of snow for the weekend, especially for the Berchtesgadener Land and the Allgäu.
Can you smell it yet?
Read more here: It should snow on the weekend
(Would you like to receive the »Situation in the evening« conveniently in your inbox by email? Here you can order the daily briefing as a newsletter.)
What else is important today
AfD cancels federal party conference due to a pandemic:
The AfD wanted to hold its federal party conference in Wiesbaden in mid-December.
But because of the pandemic, the federal board unanimously decided to reject it.
The power struggle for leadership has thus been postponed.
"We will do whatever you want":
ruler Alexander Lukashenko shows himself on the border with Poland with refugees.
The people are stuck there - and the dictator who brought them into the country continues to play with their hopes.
Bahn brings 20 extra-long ICEs on the rails:
As many passengers as in three short-haul flights: With 20 new XXL ICEs, Deutsche Bahn wants to compete with the airlines on domestic German routes.
Travel times are to be shortened through Sprinter connections.
France's interior minister cancels meeting with British counterpart:
British Prime Minister Johnson wrote a letter to French President Macron in the dispute over how to deal with migrants in the English Channel - and published it on Twitter.
In Paris, this causes violent reactions.
What we recommend today at SPIEGEL +
Will Karl Lauterbach become Minister of Health, Ms. Esken?
How does the traffic light fight the corona pandemic?
Saskia Esken requires vaccinations in pharmacies and dental practices and does not rule out compulsory vaccinations.
The SPD leader is critical of a general lockdown.
How EU millions ended up with alleged Hezbollah financiers:
A good six million euros in EU funds went to a construction company in the Congo.
SPIEGEL research shows: It is linked to a company that is on a US sanctions list - as a front company of Hezbollah.
How the general meeting escalated at FC Bayern:
Uli Hoeneß called it the "worst event" he had ever experienced at his club: The FC Bayern general meeting escalated on the subject of Qatar.
The new club bosses gave a disastrous picture.
No sparkling wine, but it tastes good:
Not all sparkling wine is sparkling.
High-quality alternatives also provide enjoyable experiences: with little or hardly any alcohol, magical apple notes or, for the brave, savory and savory.
Which is less important today
American fire day:
US presenter
Jimmy Kimmel
, 54, has published a selfie of himself, which is nothing unusual in itself.
Under his cap, however, a scorched hairline can clearly be seen.
"Happy Thanksgiving to all of you," he wrote.
"Try not to burn your hair and eyebrows while lighting the stove."
Typo of the day
, now corrected: "Oliver Kahn entete scornful laughter"
Cartoon of the day:
traffic light
And on the weekend?
You could hear the Beatles.
Admittedly, an unimaginative recommendation.
You do anyway. Or you could start watching Peter Jackson's miniseries "Get Back," which the director of "The Lord of the Rings" cut from stacks of rolls of film.
The eight hours and three parts, which have been on Disney + since Thursday, show how the Beatles tried in January 1969 to get a bunch of unfinished songs into shape within a few weeks, to record them and at the same time for their first live show in two and a half years to study.
Enlarge image
Pop stars McCartney, Lennon, Harrison on the roof of the Apple record label 1969
Photo:
Ethan A. Russell / Apple Corps Ltd
My colleague Philipp Oehmke has tried several times over the past twelve years to discuss the fate of the Beatles with Paul McCartney. The first time for the 50th anniversary of the band's founding in spring 2010 for a cover story. "Back then, McCartney received me for an interview in a backstage cloakroom that was specially equipped for him with Indian furniture before a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles," reports Philipp. McCartney has put together an arsenal of beautiful sentences over the decades, which he could say about himself and John Lennon and the Beatles without really meaning anything. “The sentences were either so banal that they would have blown anyone who was not Paul McCartney's name, or they had a tendency towards the absurd, for example that Paul sometimes spoke to John on the phone after the Beatles split up:›We then talked about how to bake the best bread and exchanged recipes.‹ «
Now Philipp has watched Peter Jackson's documentary.
"The sessions turn out to be unexpectedly bright and light, at least in Peter Jackson's polished version," he says.
"And McCartney himself is looser, more patient and more emphatic with his band members (and even with John Lennon's girlfriend Yoko Ono) than he has always been accused of." (Read more here.)
Have a nice weekend with laughter and rooftop stories.
Sincerely
yours, Oliver Trenkamp
Here you can order the "Lage am Abend" by email.
