COVID-19 signage at the South Western Sydney Vaccination Centre on July 26, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images) In many countries around the world, government attempts to impose coronavirus-related restrictions on public activity have encountered resistance and mass protest movements aimed at lockdowns. With the fast-spreading delta variant threatening a new wave of infections among the unvaccinated and slow, unequal vaccine rollouts globally, governments may yet again be forced to consider implementing restrictions on public activity. Majorities in most of the 17 advanced economies Pew Research Center surveyed in spring 2021 say the restrictions that had been imposed…
Author: World News Intel
Germany’s pandemic response and role in EU also rated positively Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Chancellery in Berlin in March 2020. (Michael Kappeler/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) Confidence in German Chancellor Angela Merkel among people around the world has remained relatively high throughout her nearly 16-year tenure. In her last year in office, as Germans prepare to vote for her replacement, a new Pew Research Center survey finds all-time high ratings of the German leader in most of the 16 advanced economies surveyed in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Public opinion of Germany is also positive; most hold a…
Dissatisfaction with functioning of democracy is linked to concerns about the economy, the pandemic and social divisions A woman votes at a polling station on Oct. 4, 2021, in Turin, Italy. (Stefano Guidi/Getty Images) As citizens around the world continue to grapple with a global pandemic and the changes it has brought to their everyday lives, many are also expressing a desire for political change. Across 17 advanced economies surveyed this spring by Pew Research Center, a median of 56% believe their political system needs major changes or needs to be completely reformed. Roughly two-thirds or more hold this view…
Family is preeminent for most publics but work, material well-being and health also play a key role What do people value in life? How much of what gives people satisfaction in their lives is fundamental and shared across cultures, and how much is unique to a given society? To understand these and other issues, Pew Research Center posed an open-ended question about the meaning of life to nearly 19,000 adults across 17 advanced economies. From analyzing people’s answers, it is clear that one source of meaning is predominant: family. In 14 of the 17 advanced economies surveyed, more mention their family…
Most see their society as more divided than prior to the pandemic – and this view is especially common in the U.S. Protestors gather in Buffalo, New York, in response to requirements that truck drivers be vaccinated for COVID-19 before entering Canada from the U.S., on Feb. 12, 2022. (Dustin Franz/AFP via Getty Images) Publics are increasingly satisfied with the way their country is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey in 19 countries. A median of 68% think their country has done a good job dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, with majorities saying…
Mr. Pedersen feared the ramp-up in military operations has the potential to unravel a strategic stalemate in the war that has brought relative calm for almost three years. ‘Escalatory dynamics’ “In repeated briefings, I have warned of the dangers of military escalation in Syria. I am here in person today to tell you that escalatory dynamics are taking place, and this is worrying and dangerous,” he said. He reported that in recent months, mutual strikes have slowly increased in the north between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on one side, and Türkiye and armed opposition groups on the other, with…
The extremely successful Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui has appointed Jasjit Assi as General Manager. Jasjit, or JJ as he is more commonly known, has nearly two decades of hospitality industry experience, including more than 15 years with Four Seasons. JJ’s career with Four Seasons began when he joined the pre-opening team of Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai in 2006. After five successful years establishing the Food and Beverage operations in Mumbai, he was transferred to his first overseas assignment as Director of Food and Beverage at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. After demonstrating a keen business acumen…
Free press advocates this week urged people to contact Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office and ask the New York Democrat to pass legislation protecting journalists from government abuses during the closing days of the current Congress.”Now is crunch time to make the PRESS Act the law of the land before this Congress adjourns.””The time between an election and the inauguration of a new Congress—or the lame-duck, as it is affectionately known—is ironically a time when things can happen on the Hill, in part because departing members don’t have to worry about reelection,” Emily Hockett, a Technology Press Freedom Project…
In late November, when the United States and England played to a scoreless draw in the group stage of the World Cup, several Washington Commanders suddenly seemed to care about soccer.Even though the team is made up of men between the ages of 22 and 32 — part of a key demographic fueling the rise of soccer popularity in the U.S. — only a handful of players care for the sport. The TVs in Washington’s locker room rarely show soccer games, and most players aren’t following the World Cup. The few soccer fans on the Commanders watch games on their…
CAIRO — Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Sudanese leaders Wednesday that the United States will impose a travel ban on any individuals who threaten to derail Sudan’s fragile democratic transition.The announcement comes two days after Sudan’s two ruling generals, Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, and its main pro-democracy group, the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, signed a ‘’framework agreement.’’ The deal would see its military step back from power and the establishment of a new civilian-led transitional government. Various other political parties and organizations also signed the deal.In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Blinken commended…