Month: January 2022

Terror, shattered glass and thanks: Lawmakers recall Jan. 6

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By ALAN FRAM and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year later, their voices still quavered and they gratefully credited the U.S. Capitol Police with saving their lives. And, perhaps, preserving American democracy as well.

On the anniversary of last year’s Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, dozens of lawmakers gathered Thursday to share their stories of that day’s terror and resilience.

It was an insurrection aimed at stopping lawmakers from officially affirming Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over Trump. Some people died, scores were injured, the Capitol was damaged and the House and Senate counting of ballots was delayed for hours but not deterred.
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Europe’s shared notes and coins turn 20 at New Year’s

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank is celebrating the 20th anniversary of euro notes and coins as member countries wrestle with the pandemic’s impact on the economy and the European Union forges a new level of financial cooperation to help boost the recovery.

The event is being marked at midnight New Year’s Eve with a light display in blue and yellow, the colors of the EU, projected on its skyscraper headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany.

The introduction of notes and coins in 12 countries on Jan. 1, 2002, was a massive logistical undertaking that followed up on the introduction of the euro for accounting purposes and electronic payments three years earlier, on Jan. 1, 1999. Today, the euro is used in 19 of 27 EU countries.
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Omicron’s New Year’s cocktail: Sorrow, fear, hope for 2022

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People celebrate during New Year’s celebrations at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol in downtown Madrid, Spain, early Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

By JOHN LEICESTER and NICK PERRY Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Sorrow for the dead and dying, fear of more infections to come and hopes for an end to the coronavirus pandemic were — again — the bittersweet cocktail with which the world said good riddance to 2021 and ushered in 2022.

New Year’s Eve, which used to be celebrated globally with a free-spirited wildness, felt instead like a case of deja vu, with the fast-spreading omicron variant again filling hospitals.

“We just need enjoyment,” said Karen Page, 53, who was among the fed-up revelers venturing out in London. “We have just been in so long.”

The mostly muted New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world ushered in the fourth calendar year framed by the global pandemic. More than 285 million people have been infected by the coronavirus worldwide since late 2019 and more than 5 million have died.
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