Lifestyle

MADRID (AP) — Authorities in Spain’s capital on Tuesday held a ceremony to open part of a 1,000-bed emergency hospital for COVID-19 patients that critics say is no more than a vanity project, a building with beds not ready to receive patients and unnecessary now that the virus and hospitalizations are waning. Around 200 health […]

BERLIN (AP) — Seventy-six Catholic nuns have tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak at a Franciscan convent in northwestern Germany, church authorities said Tuesday. Another 85 nuns received negative test results at the monastery in Thuine, not far from the Dutch border, the convent’s Mother Superior told The Associated Press. “We are grateful that […]

If you’re fortunate enough to be able to donate money this year, plenty of causes need your attention. In a year like 2020, choosing where to direct your dollars is like picking your favorite child. Should your money go toward nonprofits providing basic needs, organizations fighting for social justice or a campaign to help local […]

BERLIN (AP) — The European Medicines Agency will convene a meeting on Dec. 29 to decide if there is enough data about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for it to be approved, the regulator said Tuesday. The agency also said Tuesday it could decide as early as […]

PARIS (AP) — Vendors broke out in applause in the flagship Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris as eager shoppers returned for the first time in a month, after yet another virus lockdown. The reopening won’t be enough to make up for sales lost during the pandemic – but reflects the glimmer of hope that […]

BRUSSELS (AP) — Non-essential shops in Belgium were reopening Tuesday in the wake of encouraging figures about declining daily coronavirus infection rates and hospital admissions. The government is fearful, however, that the change might lead to massive gatherings in the nation’s most popular shopping centers and streets. Over the weekend, pre-Christmas light festivals already led […]

Is shopping in stores safe during the pandemic? There are ways to reduce risk, but health experts advise avoiding it when possible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says holiday shopping in crowded stores is a “higher risk” activity and that people should limit any in-person shopping, including at supermarkets. Instead, the agency […]

ROUEN, France (AP) — The panicked 22-year-old is led to Consultation Room No. 2, with its easy-mop floor and honeycombed meshing over the window. Behind her, the psychiatric emergency ward’s heavy double doors — openable only with a staff member’s key — thud shut. With anxious taps of her white sneakers, she confides to an […]

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday urged residents to stay home as the city grapples with a resurgence of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 600 people in the last week. Lam asked citizens to “refrain from social gatherings” and said that people, in particular the elderly, should remain […]

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Seven people died and more than 130 others were hospitalized in Cambodia after drinking rice wine that health authorities believe was adulterated with a toxic substance. The Health Ministry said the incident happened Saturday in a remote rural area of central Cambodia’s Kampong Chhnang province, where villagers drank the wine […]