Category: Feature Stories

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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Climate researcher Helga Kromp-Kolb takes stock of a year full of extremes such as droughts, fires and floods. Action must be taken in 2023, experts say. For many people, the 2022 climate crisis has become a climate catastrophe. Among the worst events was the heat wave that lasted for weeks in India and Pakistan in April, bringing peak temperatures above 50 °C. It was also boiling in Canada, Argentina and Europe. Peak temperatures above 40 °C in some cities in the U.K. are equivalent to 1500-year events. The year 2022…

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In addition to Venice, other countries also want to charge additional fees for entry from 2023. In many countries around the world, this is already practiced. The Italian lagoon city of Venice plans to require tourists to book their trip to the old town in advance by the summer of 2023. In 2023, visitors should buy a ticket to visit the historic center. In this way, the municipality wants to plan better how many people will be in the city. Over the years, excessive tourism has led to overcrowding and…

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Does the added convenience come at a price? Rinse aid for dishwashers is suspected of triggering various chronic diseases. One ingredient is considered potentially toxic. It saves a lot of time and water and makes housework much more straightforward: the dishwasher. Especially because nowadays, thanks to modern dishwashing detergents, the machine can usually get to grips with even the worst soiling. And the rinse aid makes the dishes shiny again without the need for re-polishing. Rinse aid can damage the protective layer in the intestinesThe rinse aid is suspected of…

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After Christmas, an XXL asteroid is coming dangerously close to us. If it hits Earth, it could cause tremendous damage.If it goes after the web page of the “Center for Near Earth Object Studies” of the US space agency NASA, a gigantic asteroid comes dangerously close to the Earth after Christmas. However, no one should be afraid of a catastrophe. The asteroid “2010 XC15” reached the closest point to Earth on its trajectory at around 6:15 p.m. on December 27. Then the rocky chunk is only about 770,000 million kilometres…

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At Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. But even after 2,000 years, it is still unclear when he was born. In any case, there is no information in the New Testament about the exact date. So why exactly December 25 was chosen as his birthday is still a matter of debate among scientists today. People worldwide celebrate Christmas on December 25, except for those Orthodox who follow the Julian calendar. They don’t celebrate the holiday until Jan. 6 or 7. Christmas has long been celebrated on December 25 –…

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On Christmas Eve, presents are a must in most households. Unwrapping colorful packages makes children and adults happy. Many people are even more comfortable than giving presents themselves when they make someone else happy – as science has shown. Once again, this year, many Austrians have been searching for the perfect Christmas gifts for their family, friends, and acquaintances. Receiving gifts makes people happy, but according to Viennese psychologist and happiness researcher Heide-Marie Smolka, in many cases, this is only partly due to the gift itself. Especially with close friends…

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The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is here to stay. But that should not obscure the view of other vaccine-preventable diseases. Now the “Vaccination Plan Austria 2023” of the Ministry of Health has been published. It warns, in particular, against influenza and less measles vaccination protection in children. The latter may prove to be a risk again with some delay. Every year, a broad panel of experts has summarized the status and recommendations on immunizations in the Austrian Immunization Plan. The current paper, which came out Tuesday (Dec. 20), outlines the current situation…

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