Countries introduce mandatory corona testing for China travellers

Given China’s current Corona infection wave, more countries are tightening their controls on people entering the country from the People’s Republic. Spain and South Korea also announced testing obligations on Friday. The German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) considers that currently “not yet necessary” but announced a close-meshed “variant monitoring” at European airports. In Austria, no compulsory testing is currently planned, according to the Ministry of Health. After nearly three years of strict precautions, China’s leadership abruptly ended its zero corona policy on December 7. According to officially unconfirmed internal…

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Parking tickets in Vienna will become expensive in 2023: all info on prices, zones etc.

As of January 1, 2023, parking tickets in Vienna will become more expensive. One hour in a short-term parking zone will cost 2.50 euros instead of 2.20 euros. Here is an overview of all information on prices, zones and the exchange of old parking tickets in Vienna. As of January 1, 2023, Vienna’s fees for short-term parking will increase by 0.15 euros (14 percent) per half hour, according to ÖAMTC. “Old” parking tickets with rates valid until December 31, 2022, can still be used for six months (until June 30,…

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How to distinguish corona, flu and a cold

What are the symptoms of the corona, flu or cold? The differences are hard to tell. We must be prepared for more and more periods of illness in the winter months, especially when there is an increase in colds, flu infections and corona. This year’s flu wave is, unfortunately, already in full swing. Corona, gastrointestinal viruses and typical cold viruses are also present. In Vienna, you can get a free flu vaccination since November 2. But what if you are already sick? What is the difference between the symptoms of…

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More money from January 2023 – what you need to know now

It is a prestige project of the present Austrian government: the abolition of the “cold progression.” Taxpayers will already feel it in their January pay slips. “A historical package for the Republic”: this is how euphorically Finance Minister Brunner announced the abolition of “cold progression,” i.e. the creeping tax increase. The details: Higher initial tax rate: Previously, no taxes were paid on incomes up to 11,000 euros. Starting from 1 January 2023, payments starting from 19,693 euros are taxable. New tax brackets: The limits for the other tax brackets are…

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Exchange of unsuitable Christmas gifts: These are the things you should look out for

And bang, Christmas is already over again. While many have been given plenty of presents and are happy about them, others can’t do anything with their gifts. Many therefore ask themselves anew every year: Can certain things be returned, and how does an exchange work best? Even the Christ Child makes mistakes from time to time. Whether it’s unnecessary last-minute purchases that don’t bring you joy, clothes that don’t fit, books that you now own in duplicate, or electrical appliances that you don’t need at all, when it comes to…

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New Year’s Eve superstition: these 5 foods bring bad luck

On New Year’s Eve, luck is conjured up for the following year. But beware: with these five foods, you can also bring bad luck into your house. Even if you don’t think much of superstition otherwise, everything is different on New Year’s Eve! Why else do we give our loved ones lucky little charms, marzipan and cast monstrosities made of lead or wax to predict the future? Everyone wants to have luck in the new year! And if you can conjure it up with certain foods, such as lentils –…

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Superstition: Why not hang out laundry over New Year’s Eve?

The most exciting and bizarre customs and traditions circulate during the New Year. Hanging out laundry over New Year’s Eve: why?The belief that you should not leave laundry hanging on the clotheshorse over the New Year has (as so often) to do with ghosts. There are a few versions of this: According to ancient tradition, evil spirits come into the world of the living after the “winter solstice.” First and foremost, Wotan, the skin god of the Germanic tribes or god of the dead and storm, is on the move…

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Carolers support women and girls in Kenya in 2022/23

The focus of the next carol singing campaign 2022/23 of the Dreikönigsaktion (DKA) is in northern Kenya, in the regions of Marsabit and Samburu. In this desert-like region, 80 percent of the people live as pastoralists. Attacks on cattle herds by rival tribes, child marriage and genital mutilation are still social problems in the region, reported a group of “Yarumal Missionaries” from the Samburu region in an interview with Kathpress.The DKA partner organization aims to improve the living conditions of women and girls through education and empowerment work. The project…

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Corona: “New phase” but no end, according to prominent virologist

Virologist Andreas Bergthaler sees the development at Corona during the year as a “new phase,” but one cannot speak of an end. Bergthaler also has something to say about German virologist Christian Drosten’s statement that the covid pandemic is shifting toward “endemicity.” He said that the development has reached a “new phase” during the year, in which the risk of system overload from the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen is definitely “massively reduced.” However, given “Long Covid” and the continuing heavy burden on the health care system, he said, one cannot speak of…

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