Europe

BERLIN (AP) – The Austrian government on Sunday presented revised plans for its proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which it said will now apply to all residents age 18 and over, rather than 14 as originally intended. Officials said that a phased introduction will give people plenty of opportunity to comply. The government announced nearly two months ago that it would implement a general vaccine mandate early this year, becoming the first European country to do so. In early December, it produced a first draft, calling for the measure to be introduced in February and foreseeing fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,100) for people who flout it. Key aspects of the plan remain in the final version, which the government aims to have parliament approve on Thursday, but officials said consultations with two opposition parties and others showed the need for significant changes to details. Chancellor Karl Nehammer said there had been concern about teenagers being punished, hence the change in … [Read more...] about Austria Outlines Vaccine Mandate Legislation for February Rollout

The Italian constitutional court has ruled that migrants with work permits of just six months or more are eligible to receive a baby bonus as well as a maternity allowance. Italian constitutional court judges determined that the previous rules, which only allowed migrants with long-term residency to qualify for the baby bonus and maternity allowance, were unconstitutional after a hearing earlier this week. According to a report from the European Union-funded website InfoMigrants, the constitutional court found that the previous rules conflicted with two articles of the Italian constitution dealing with equality before the law and the right of asylum. The court also found the previous policy contradicted Article 34 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which states , “Everyone residing and moving legally within the European Union is entitled to social security benefits and social advantages in accordance with Union law and national laws and practices.” Crisis: Italian … [Read more...] about Italy to Grant Baby Bonus to Migrants with Short-Term Work Permits

8 BERLIN (AP) — The Austrian government on Sunday presented revised plans for its proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which it said will now apply to all residents age 18 and over, rather than 14 as originally intended. Officials said that a phased introduction will give people plenty of opportunity to comply. The government announced nearly two months ago that it would implement a general vaccine mandate early this year, becoming the first European country to do so. In early December, it produced a first draft, calling for the measure to be introduced in February and foreseeing fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,100) for people who flout it. Key aspects of the plan remain in the final version, which the government aims to have parliament approve on Thursday, but officials said consultations with two opposition parties and others showed the need for significant changes to details. Chancellor Karl Nehammer said there had been … [Read more...] about Austria tweaks vaccine mandate plan, to come in next month

A nine-year-old boy in Austria was forced to take a test outside in freezing temperatures after his school refused to recognize his exemption from wearing a mask in class. In the Austrian region of Styria in the town of Voitsberg on Tuesday, a nine-year-old boy named Jason was forced to complete a test outdoors in the cold winter weather for violating the elementary school’s Chinese coronavirus rules because he could not wear a mask for medical reasons. The teacher, along with the boy’s parents, agreed to have him work on the test outside as the nine-year-old wished to participate in class. However, despite getting consent from the child’s parents, the Austrian Directorate of Education said that the move was not legal, Kronen Zeitung reports . On Friday, Austrian media reported that the school had rejected Jason’s medical exemption from wearing a mask in the school because it had been signed by a doctor in the city of Graz who was known to be critical of vaccinations. … [Read more...] about Austrian School had Maskless 9-Year-Old Take Test Outside in the Cold

LONDON (Reuters) – The BBC was guilty of serious failings over Jimmy Savile, the late TV presenter revealed to have been one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders, but senior managers did not know what he was up to, a major report said on Thursday. In 2012, British police said Savile, one of the Britain’s best-known celebrities of the 1970s and 1980s, had abused hundreds of victims, mainly youngsters, at hospitals and at BBC premises over six decades until his death aged 84 in 2011. Thursday’s report by former Appeal Court judge Janet Smith, commissioned by the publicly-funded broadcaster in the wake of those revelations, concluded Savile had abused 72 victims in relation to his BBC work over almost 50 years. His crimes included raping a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. Smith said while there were some reports made by staff about Savile’s conduct, these were never escalated due to a culture of “not complaining about anything”, while the BBC’s stars were treated with … [Read more...] about REPORT: BBC Guilty of ‘Serious Failings’ Over Sex Offender Jimmy Savile

Investigations into sexual abuse by late BBC presenter Jimmy Savile have widened after a wave of new allegations, the British Health Secretary said on Thursday. In all 41 National Health Service organisations are now investigating abuse by Savile, one of the biggest TV stars in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s, revealed as a prolific sex abuser after his death. Inquiries at 28 hospitals, published in June, found that Savile abused vulnerable patients in scores of hospitals and claimed to have performed oral sex acts on dead bodies. Lawyers for Savile’s victims said that it was concerning to see new worries emerge. An investigation into alleged abuse by Savile in schools and children’s homes would be delayed, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. The transformation of the image of a once-celebrated TV figure shocked Britain and prompted national soul-searching. A wide-ranging investigation into how British institutions dealt with the protection of children from sexual abuse was … [Read more...] about Former BBC Presenter Savile Abuse Inquiry Widens

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Alekos Fassianos, one of the most important modern Greek painters, died Sunday at his home after a long illness, the state news agency ANA reported. He was 86. Alekos Fassianos was born in Athens on Dec. 16, 1935. He studied violin at the Athens Conservatory and painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts from 1955 to 1960. Shortly after his first exhibition in the early 1960s, he went to Paris on a French state scholarship to study lithography at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He ended up staying in Paris for 35 years. Although some of his paintings, especially the early ones, were in a contemporary style, he mostly drew inspiration from Greek popular art and Ancient Greek mythology. He was also inspired by Byzantine themes, although his colorful paintings have little to do with Byzantine austerity. Besides painting and lithography, he also illustrated books, designed theater costumes and settings and dabbled in sculpture. Fassianos was widely celebrated … [Read more...] about Celebrated Greek painter Alekos Fassianos dies at 86

Wendy Sherman , the top diplomat dispatched by President Biden Joe Biden Carville advises Democrats to 'quit being a whiny party' Wendy Sherman takes leading role as Biden's 'hard-nosed' Russia negotiator Sullivan: 'It's too soon to tell' if Texas synagogue hostage situation part of broader extremist threat MORE to Europe to help ward off a Russian invasion of Ukraine, was speaking on behalf of the United States to close out an extraordinary NATO session when members of the Russian delegation began passing notes and whispering among themselves. Sherman, the No. 2 State Department official, abruptly stopped her remarks and “very crisply asked the Russians for their full attention,” according to a source familiar with the closed-door meeting. “That’s the kind of thing that would come as no surprise for those who know Wendy,” the source added. “She is someone who can convey a powerful message and knows how to convey a powerful message.” ADVERTISEMENT … [Read more...] about Wendy Sherman takes leading role as Biden’s ‘hard-nosed’ Russia negotiator

BERLIN (AP) — The World Health Organization said Sunday that a U.N.-backed program shipping coronavirus vaccines to many poor countries has now delivered 1 billion doses, but that milestone “is only a reminder of the work that remains” after hoarding and stockpiling in rich countries. A shipment of 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Rwanda on Saturday included the billionth dose supplied via the COVAX program, the U.N. health agency said. WHO has long criticized unequal distribution of vaccines and called for manufacturers and other countries to prioritize COVAX. It said that, as of Thursday, 36 of its 194 member countries had vaccinated less than 10% of their population and 88 had vaccinated less than 40%. The program has made deliveries to 144 countries so far, “but the work that has gone into this milestone is only a reminder of the work that remains,” WHO said in a statement. “COVAX’s ambition was compromised by hoarding/stockpiling in rich countries, catastrophic … [Read more...] about COVID program delivers 1 billion doses to poorer countries

Amid growing awareness of inequality and jobs that don’t pay enough to cover child care and housing, California legislators are considering a radical proposal: Allow the state to negotiate wages, hours and work conditions for an entire industry. Proponents in the state Legislature say one solution to inequality is to empower workers to negotiate through unions, but that’s not happening in the fast food industry, where frequent turnover, inexperience and intimidation make it too difficult for workers to organize. Only 3% of fast food and counter workers belong to unions nationwide. In Sacramento, a union-backed Democratic proposal called the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, or Fast Recovery Act , would establish a state-appointed council to enact industry-wide minimum standards for wages, working hours and work conditions. If passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the proposal would also hold corporate franchisors responsible for … [Read more...] about Worker empowerment or government overreach? California’s fast food bill tests labor laws