Category: Feature Stories

This is not the first time Pope Francis has visited an Islamic country: he was in Turkey in 2014, followed by Azerbaijan (2016), Egypt (2017) and Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (2019), where he signed a “document of human brotherhood” together with Islamic leaders. And yet the Pope’s visit to Iraq, which begins Friday, is singular in several respects – and not only because of the precarious security situation and the Corona pandemic, which is anything but under control in Iraq. The visit is aimed first of all at…

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About 17 percent of food sold worldwide ended up in the trash in 2019, according to a UN report. That’s 931 million tons of food that ended up in the trash cans of private homes, restaurants, stores and other food service providers, according to the report published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). That’s the equivalent of about 23 million fully loaded trucks that, lined up, would reach seven times around the world, it said. Per Earth citizen, 121 kilograms of food waste was generated at the consumer level,…

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On Wednesday, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober gave an update on Corona vaccinations. The statistical figures show that the states are vaccinating as specified in the vaccination schedule. To date, 695,000 vaccinations have already been recorded in the e-vaccination passport – with over seven million more to follow by summer. So far, residents and employees of nursing homes and homes for the elderly in particular have been almost completely vaccinated – as stipulated in the vaccination plan. In the coming weeks and months, the federal government’s vaccination campaign is now expected…

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In a reversal of trends, the number of new cases of Covid-19 increased by seven percent worldwide last week. The World Health Organization (WHO) released figures Tuesday evening in Geneva on the first increase after six weeks of decline. According to the figures, 2.6 million cases were reported to the UN agency in Geneva in the last week of February. This development could have to do with the spread of more contagious virus variants, the WHO wrote in a report. It cited the relaxation of health measures and Corona fatigue…

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Good news from Israel: the vaccine not only provides a high level of protection against disease, but also against the transmission of Sars-CoV-2 It’s been the big sticking point since the first Corona vaccines were approved: how well can they prevent transmission of Sars-CoV-2? The clinical trials were focused entirely on the question of how well the vaccines protect against disease with covid-19 – and they do, to a very high degree of up to 95 percent. However, it remained unclear whether vaccinated people could nevertheless pass on the virus…

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The researchers from the bioinformatics company Innophore, acib (Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology) and the University of Graz are using screening methods based on artificial intelligence (AI). This approach could enable vaccine manufacturers to adapt vaccines more quickly to the most serious mutations. Mutations – changes in the genetic material of an organism – can occur spontaneously or be caused by external influences. Some give the organism advantages such as better adaptation to changing environmental conditions. In the case of viral mutations, this can sometimes have a direct impact on…

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The Biontec/Pfizer vaccine also prevents infection with coronavirus, according to an analysis of British data. The risk of infection is likely to fall by about 70 percent after the first of the two doses provided, and by about 85 percent after the second, Public Health England announced yesterday, citing preliminary data not yet reviewed by independent experts. “This suggests that the vaccine may also help to interrupt transmission of the virus, because you can’t pass it on if you’re not infected,” the statement said. The reported levels stem from the…

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Those who had covid-19 may suffer symptoms for months after the disease has subsided. Experts warn that the long-term consequences are still drastically underestimated. Because Covid-19 is a disease of the entire vascular and immune system, a wide variety of symptoms can linger or reappear anywhere in the body. Even hair loss can be a consequence of Covid-19, as some sufferers develop autoantibodies against their own hair roots. Long Covid: An underestimated problemChinese studies from the first wave of the Corona pandemic show that of patients previously treated in clinics,…

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It happens again and again: Unexplained credit card charges appear on the bank statement. Often, such transactions are the result of fraudulent activities, explain consumer protection experts. It is not uncommon for those affected to fall victim to so-called phishing e-mails. Scammers use fake e-mails to ask their victims to click on a link in the message and then enter certain data on a form. Required bank or credit card details are requested, which are then used for fraudulent purposes. Therefore, it is important to check account statements regularly. Unauthorized…

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