December 2020

Paris City Hall fined for too many women in leadership

The French civil service ministry has demanded to impose a fine on the city hall of the French capital, accusing it of violating the rules of gender parity, according to the newspaper Le Monde.

The city administration will now have to pay € 90,000 for the appointment of a disproportionate number of men and women to leadership positions. According to the department, in 2018, 11 women and 5 men were appointed to the positions of directors and their deputies.

Thus, 69% of the main posts are now held by the fair sex, while the ratio of men and women when appointed to positions, according to the law, should be at least 60% to 40%, and better – evenly.

The head of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is outraged by the corresponding decision, in her opinion, this punishment is unfair and even dangerous.

“We must vigorously promote women, because there is a serious lag across France, and in order to achieve parity, it is necessary to accelerate the pace,” said the mayor.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian authorities have proposed amendments to the country's Constitution, according to which a person's sex can be determined at birth and for life.

Germany recorded the maximum death rate from coronavirus per day

The number of deaths of patients with coronavirus in Germany per day increased by 952, this is the maximum for the entire period of the pandemic, TASS reports.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, the total number of deaths is 23,427. Over the past day, 27,728 cases of infection were recorded in the country, for the entire time of the pandemic – 1,379,238.

The country is now going through the most serious period of a pandemic.

Earlier, Merkel outlined the timing of Germany's return to normal life. According to Merkel, the winter is going to be difficult, but by the fall of 2021, the epidemiological situation is expected to stabilize. At the same time, as she emphasized, much will depend on the results of vaccination of the population.

Meanwhile, the German authorities have agreed to introduce strict quarantine in the country no later than December 16. Restrictive measures may last until January 10. So, on Wednesday, hairdressing salons and all stores, except grocery ones, will be closed on the territory of the state.

Joe Biden and Pete Buttidzic

US President-elect Joe Biden has invited Democrat Pete Buttidzic to take over as Minister of Transport in the government. Writes about this CNN.

Buttidzic is 38 years old. This is a former US naval intelligence officer, ex-mayor of South Bend (Indiana), he is openly gay. He also wanted to be nominated for the post of Secretary of Commerce and US Ambassador to one of the countries, CNN claims.

The Democrat was Biden's rival in the 2020 presidential election, but left the race in March. As mayor, Buttigieg distinguished himself with his infrastructure projects and criticized the administration of former United States President Donald Trump for underdeveloping the industry.

Now the Senate must approve the Democrat's candidacy. In addition to Buttigieg, Chicago Mayor Ram Emanuel, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti are running for the post.

Biden received the electoral college votes needed to win the presidential race. He received 55 electoral votes in the state of California, thus gaining 302 votes. To win the presidential race, it was necessary to obtain 270 electoral votes. The Democrat called the electoral college's decision a clear victory over then-incumbent President Donald Trump.

The mayor's office of Paris was fined 90 thousand euros for too many women in leadership positions in the city administration. This was stated by the head of the city, Anne Hidalgo, reports TASS.

Under French law, the ratio of men to women in appointments must be at least 60 to 40 percent and aim for parity. However, the Ministry of Civil Service found that the city had appointed 11 women and five men to leadership positions, bringing the percentage of women to 69 percent.

Hidalgo called the issued fine absurd and said that she would share it with all the employees of the General Secretariat of Paris.

In February, Muslim women spoke of the discrimination they face in France for wearing the hijab. For example, Hania Chalal, a 26-year-old student in Strasbourg and head of a union of Muslim students in France, cited the example of a story when she was denied a lifeguard certificate renewal because of her hijab. In addition, the French woman was forbidden to wear a Muslim swimsuit burkini in the pool, which, like the hijab, is not allowed in public places.

More than a quarter of the Americans surveyed decided not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. This is evidenced by research data of the non-profit organization Kaiser Family Foundation.

According to polls, at least 27 percent of Americans are opposed to vaccinations. They will most likely refuse it, even if the drug is free or proven to be safe. It is noted that the majority of those who refuse vaccination are members of the Republican Party (42 percent) between the ages of 30 and 49 (36 percent).

In addition, the Kaiser Family Foundation disclosed the most popular reason for not being vaccinated – concerns about potential side effects (59 percent of those surveyed). Another reason is distrust of federal agencies involved in the drug approval process.

The number of Americans who are definitely or most likely to be vaccinated against the coronavirus has grown. Now their share is 71 percent (8 percent more than three months ago).

The study was conducted from November 30 to December 8 and involved 1,676 people across the United States.

On December 15, biotech company Moderna's vaccine was reported to be 95 percent effective. Among the unpleasant consequences, experts call painful sensations at the injection site, fatigue and headaches.