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Thousands march for refugee rights in Italy Several thousand protesters marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday to protest Italyʼs new antimigrant laws. Italyʼs new government has pursued a hard-line position on migrants, having shouldered a large burden during the influx of refugees. Most recently, leader of the far-right League Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini spearheaded a move to tighten asylum laws. The so-calledSalvini decreestrips humanitarian protection for migrants not approved for refugee status but who cannot be deported. About 25 percent of asylum seekers have two-year humanitarian protection permits, allowing them to live in state-run reception centers and access training and educational programs and find work. The lower level of protection is based on Italian, rather than international law and protects people who fail to meet the threshold for full refugee status.
How the European Film Awards could boost their image Europe can probably only blame itself. Why do the European Film Awards, to be awarded this Saturday, December 15 in Seville, Spain, remain in the shadow of the Oscars? The American awards naturally have a longer tradition as they have been awarded since 1929. The European Film Awards, on the other hand, have only existed since 1988. Still, that means they have been around for 31 years. Word should have long gotten out that the Europeans also have "Oscars" of their own. European cinema is more diverse But thatʼs not the case. Global media focuses on the Oscars long in advance of the ceremony, but not on the European Film Awards. Why is that? Certainly not due to the quality of the films. On the contrary, one could even claim that European cinema as a whole is much more diverse, colorful and artistically appealing than the English-speaking continent of North America — even if it is less commercially productive.
285/2018 • 17 DECEMBER, 2018
Heart attack risk highest on Christmas Eve, study says While the researchers couldnʼt explain why, they did have a hunch
A study has singled out quite possibly the most dangerous holiday of the year: Christmas Eve. Swedish scientists have found that people are most at risk of suffering a heart attack on December 24, often observed as Christmas Eve, than any other day during the holiday season, saida study published on Wednesdayin the medical journal BMJ. The team of researchers, led by David Erlinge, professor of cardiology at Swedenʼs Lund University, examined data from more than 280,000 people who were hospitalized in Sweden due to a heart attack between 1998 and 2013. According to the study, peak risk occurred around 10:00 pm on Christmas Eve. On that day, the risk of a heart attack was "37 percent higher than during the control period," which accounted for two weeks before and after a holiday. Risks were also higher on Christmas and New Yearʼs Day, but not New Yearʼs Eve. The study said that it was more likely to manifest "in older and sicker patients, suggesting a role of external triggers in vulnerable individuals." While the scientists said they did not have enough information to determine the
cause for the heart attacks, they did have a hunch. "Previous metaanalyses have shown that acute experience of anger, anxiety, sadness, grief and stress increases the risk of myocardial infarction and thus possibly explains the higher risk in our study," the scientists said. This is not the first time the Swedish scientists have found links between seemingly unrelated external factors and heart attacks. A study published earlier this year found that cold and cloudy weather could increase the risk of having a heart attack. Swedish scientists have found that people are most at risk of suffering a heart attack on December 24, often observed as Christmas Eve, than any other day during the holiday season, saida study published on Wednesdayin the medical journal BMJ. The team of researchers, led by David Erlinge, professor of cardiology at Swedenʼs Lund University, examined data from more than 280,000 people who were hospitalized in Sweden due to a heart attack between 1998 and 2013.
Nicaragua journalists attacked by police At least seven journalists were beaten by police in Nicaragua on Saturday as authorities ramped up a campaign of media suppression. Independent journalism has been suffering under a months-long crackdown due to escalating protests against President Daniel Ortega. Journalists led by the well-known editor Carlos Fernando Chamorro had gathered outside police headquarters in the capital Managua on Saturday, to demand answers over the ransacking of Chamorroʼs offices. Chamorro is the editor of the Confidencial news site, which takes a confrontational approach towards the government. Photographs of Confidencialʼs headquarters in Managua on Friday showed empty shelves, papers and folders strewn all over the floor. Chamorro claimed that officials had confiscated numerous computers. Buildings used by several civil society organizations banned by the government were also ransacked.
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries strike deal Almost 200 countries on Saturday reached an agreement on implementing the Paris Climate Accord after two weeks of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations. The result of the tortured negotiations in the Polish city of Katowice is a 156page rulebook on how countries will report and monitor their national pledges to curb greenhouse gas emissions and update their emissions plans.
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