Category: Feature Stories

When the days start to get longer again and the first blossoms sprout, spring is just around the corner when the trees begin to bear their first tender green leaves. On the one hand, there is the official beginning of spring. Although it does not strictly adhere to the calendar, this is often referred to as the calendrical beginning of spring. It should be called the astronomical beginning of spring because, in principle, it is based directly on the earth’s position about the sun and is, therefore, by definition, very…

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It was a loud signal that the Austrian pop scene gave on Saturday for the war victims in Ukraine at the benefit concert in Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. More than 40,000 fans of known Austrian pop singers attended the benefit concert. They consequently also listened to Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, who thanked them for their willingness to help. Van der Bellen: “This war must be stopped!” “Together we are sending a strong signal for peace, for democracy, a strong signal of solidarity with Ukraine, which was attacked by…

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A previously unknown variant of coronavirus has emerged in Israel. It combines the omicron variant BA.1 and the even more contagious subtype BA.2 but does not appear to cause severe symptoms, the Ministry of Health announced today. The new variant was discovered by PCR testing in two arrivals at Tel Aviv’s airport. Those affected had a fever, headache, and muscle pain but did not require special medical care. According to Israel’s coronavirus adviser, Salman Zarka, combining two virus variants is common. “At this stage, we are not worried that the…

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129,000 Ukrainian refugees had reached Austria by Tuesday – around 85 percent are traveling to other countries, the Interior Ministry said in a background interview. Nevertheless, a lot is going on in Vienna’s Austria Center. After the federal states, the Vienna police have also started the registration process. On Tuesday, about 4,000 people were registered. While the counseling center in Vienna’s Austria Center is busy, a registration center is being set up at the Messe Wien. Only months ago, people waited in queues for their Corona vaccination. Now primarily, women…

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On 27 March 2022, the clock will be turned again: the hands will jump from 2.00 to 3.00 a.m. in Europe. The ball is still in the court of the EU Council of Ministers, which last discussed the abolition of the twice-yearly time change in June 2019; the transport ministers are responsible. Time change should be abolished In March 2019, the European Parliament had voted by a large majority in favor of abolishing daylight saving time as of 2021 – or one year later if there were difficulties for the…

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… This proverb probably never loses its meaning because cheerfulness is a crucial character trait that makes life more substantial and worth living. Unfortunately, many people have forgotten how to keep their zest for life. Even if you have often not been in a cheerful mood due to the pandemic-related restrictions of the past two years, you should not lose your cheerfulness. A smile brings joy, opens hearts, and is healthy. A carefree child is, on average, over ten times more likely to laugh than an adult. In life, many…

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According to a new study, children who become infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are less likely to produce antibodies to the virus than adults, despite having similar symptoms and virus concentrations in their bodies. Children also seem to clear the virus from their bodies much more quickly than adults. The deficient antibody levels suggest that children have a more robust initial immune response to COVID-19 than adults and can clear the infection quickly. However, as antibodies are likely protecting against re-infection, it is unclear how well children may be protected…

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Action Family Fasting Day – Soup Sunday On Sunday, 13 March 2022, parishes invite people to eat soup together through Aktion Familienfasttag to support women in the Philippines with donations. The benefit event “soup sunday” of the volunteer workers from the parish of Leopoldau in Vienna’s 21st District showed that doing good is a lot of fun and brings joy. Aktion Familienfasttag is a development policy organization that helps to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged women in the Global South and, at the same time, raises awareness for development…

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Thursday, 24 February 2022: The date will be etched in our history. Powerlessness, terror, horror, having to think the impossible. Inability to act. War after so many years of peace. Corona is not yet over – and already the next threat. Twenty-four hours we see images from Ukraine, Kyiv, and the borders with Poland. Through private media such as films and mobile phone pictures, ideas are more personal and emotional than all the war images that have reached us far from other war regions. People speak to us in our…

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