Category: Feature Stories

Pope Francis reads the traditional Christmas message in the Vatican on Christmas Day (Monday, 12:00). From the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, the head of the approximately 1.3 billion Catholics will bless Urbi et Orbi, i.e., the city and the world. It is expected that Francis will condemn the wars in the world. This year’s feast is particularly marked by the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Tens of thousands of believers are expected to gather in St. Peter’s Square. In his Christmas message last year, Francis called in…

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Fear and joy: the angels’ Christmas message speaks of two strong, contradictory feelings. The angels’ Christmas message: “Do not be afraid!” says the angel to the shepherds tending their sheep outside the gates of the town of Bethlehem. If you follow the Christmas story, at first glance, it is the unexpected light that startles the shepherds. The “clarity of the Lord,” who comes into the world and its darkness, is the first thing that spreads fear among us humans—as astonishing as this may sound. But it is not necessary for…

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Christmas and the New Year without alcohol? For many, that sounds unthinkable. But for some, it’s a conscious decision or even a necessity. How the plan can succeed. Whether it is mulled wine at the Christmas market, eggnog under the tree, or champagne at the end of the year, alcohol consumption plays a larger role in society than usual during the holiday season. For people who give up alcohol, whether out of personal conviction or during a withdrawal process, this can be a major challenge. How can the project succeed…

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Time and again, spammers and scammers use text messages to send annoying advertising or dangerous messages. If you have received a suspicious message, you can report the text message. Where is the best place to do this? Who you report a text message to depends on the content. Depending on whether it is “just” annoying advertising or a fake text message with phishing intentions, you should contact a different department. Telekom customers with an iPhone will have a convenient option to report spam text messages at the end of 2023.…

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Despite the fact that the pandemic is over, more than 50,000 Austrians are currently on sick leave due to coronavirus. The current Omicron variants are highly contagious, but demand for the booster vaccine has been hesitant. Until now, there has also been a lack of proof of its effectiveness against currently circulating variants. This has now been provided by the Hannover Medical School (MHH) with a new study. In cooperation with the MHH Institute of Immunology and the German Primate Center Göttingen, researchers have published the world’s first paper on…

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December 22 at 4:27 a.m. is the winter solstice. On this day, the Earth reaches the point in its orbit around the sun where the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun as much as possible due to the Earth’s tilted axis. From our position in relation to the sun, this means that it slips “downwards” as far as possible. Polar night prevails north of the Arctic Circle. This means it is dark all day. However, the shortest day of the year is not also the day with the latest…

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The EU member states agreed on uniform measures to reduce packaging waste across Europe on Monday in Brussels. This is according to a statement from the Council of EU Environment Ministers. Quotas will be set for reusable or recyclable packaging. Some single-use plastic packaging is to disappear completely. This includes, for example, small shampoo bottles in hotels or plastic wrapping for fruit and vegetables. However, the EU countries will be given some leeway for derogations. Furthermore, a reduction in packaging waste of five percent by 2030, ten percent by 2035…

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Criminals are currently trying to defraud iCloud users with fake invoices. Find out how you can protect yourself here.Type of scam: phishing emailTarget of the attacks: iCloud usersRisk classification: HighA new wave of phishing messages targets Apple’s iCloud service users, warns the consumer advice center. With the subject “Your file may be deleted,” this email refers to allegedly full iCloud storage. The content includes an invoice with the invoice date, order number, and other data.However, the exact item or service ordered is not specified. This is followed by the information…

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Austria is continuing extraordinary controls at the Schengen border with the Czech Republic for fear of illegal migration. The Ministry of the Interior announced on Saturday that checks will continue for a further two months after December 17 for the time being. “Border controls are necessary both to combat the smuggling mafia and to take consistent action against internationally active extremists,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). Border controls with the Czech Republic since OctoberAccording to information, border controls between Austria and the Czech Republic were reintroduced on October 18.…

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