Month: January 2022

France has lowered the age of its mask mandate to 6-year-old children, officials announced Saturday. The news comes just days before schools reopen Monday, following the winter holiday break. While the mandate requires children to wear masks in indoor public places, the mandate will also include outside locations in cities like Paris and Lyon where an outside mandate is already in place. The wildly contagious omicron variant, French authorities said Saturday, has resulted in four consecutive days of over 200,000 new infections. The chief executive of Britain’s National Health Service Confederation told the BBC Saturday that the surge in COVID …

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The European Union has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as “green” investments after a yearlong battle between governments over which investments are truly climate-friendly. The European Commission is expected to propose rules in January deciding whether gas and nuclear projects will be included in the EU “sustainable finance taxonomy.” This is a list of economic activities and the environmental criteria they must meet to be labeled as green investments. Green label By restricting the “green” label to truly climate-friendly projects, the system aims to make those investments more attractive to private capital and …

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The Holocaust survivor Gertrude Pressburger, who became famous during Austria’s 2016 presidential campaign with a video message in which “Mrs. Gertrude” warned of hatred and exclusion triggered by the far right, has died at 94. Pressburger died Friday after a long illness, her family told the Austrian press agency APA on Saturday.  Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tweeted that “the death of Gertrude Pressburger fills me with deep sadness … Mrs. Pressburger had the courage to tell her story as a Holocaust survivor. She had the courage to stand by her opinion. To address facts. To speak the truth.” …

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Pope Francis ushered in the new year Saturday by praising the skills women bring to promoting peace in the world, and he equated violence against women to an offense against God. The Roman Catholic Church marks Jan. 1 as a day dedicated to world peace, and a late-morning Mass in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Basilica paid tribute to the Virgin Mary’s special place in the faith as the mother of Jesus. Mothers “know how to overcome obstacles and disagreements, and to instill peace,” Francis said during his homily. “In this way, they transform problems into opportunities for rebirth and growth. …

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Britain recognized the scientists and medical chiefs at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 in Queen Elizabeth’s annual New Year’s honors list, while James Bond actor Daniel Craig was given the same award as his famous onscreen character.  Craig, who bowed out from playing the fictional British spy after five outings following the release of “No Time to Die” this year, was made a Companion in The Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film.  Bond was also a CMG, so the honor means Craig has now matched all his titles, …

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U.S. President Joe Biden will speak Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a White house official said Friday, a day after Biden spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on reducing tensions on the Ukraine-Russia border.  Biden told reporters later Friday that he had again emphasized to Putin that a move on Ukraine would draw sanctions and an increased U.S. presence in Europe, where tensions are high amid Russia’s military buildup at the border.  The U.S. and Russian leaders exchanged warnings over Ukraine in a 50-minute call on Thursday to address Russian military actions.  “I made clear to President Putin that …

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