Six In The Morning Sunday 20 December 2020

 

Europe's coronavirus crisis is resurging. For months, 3 Nordic nations kept it under control — without lockdowns

By Krystina Shveda, Byron Manley, Henrik Pettersson, Susanne Gargiulo and Mark Oliver, CNN

Updated 1304 GMT (2104 HKT) December 20, 2020

Covid-19 vaccines are coming, but in most of Europe, winter is coming faster. In several countries, cases are surging again — after many countries seemed to be turning the tide.

Politicians are desperate to find a balance of restrictions that flatten the curve without flattening the economy or upsetting residents who are eager to reunite for the holidays.

"The key question now is to determine what is the optimal package of policies to maximize the health benefit at least cost," said Thomas Hale, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Oxford. "However, this 'magic formula' will likely differ across different countries and populations, and of course over time as the virus surges or recedes."

Dozens of Al Jazeera journalists allegedly hacked using Israeli firm's spyware

Citizen Lab researchers say cyber-attack using NSO Group software likely ordered by Saudia Arabia and UAE

Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Michael Safi

Sun 20 Dec 2020 20.05 GMT

Spyware sold by an Israeli private intelligence firm was allegedly used to hack the phones of dozens of Al Jazeera journalists in an unprecedented cyber-attack that is likely to have been ordered by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to leading researchers.

In a stunning new report, researchers at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto said they discovered what appears to be a major espionage campaign against one of the world’s leading media organisations, which is based in Qatar and has long been a thorn in the side of many of the region’s autocratic regimes.

The report, written by some of the world’s top digital surveillance researchers, also raises troubling new questions about the apparent vulnerability of the Apple iPhone, which has sought to promote a reputation for security and commitment to privacy.

A Country on the BrinkEthiopia Sinks Deeper into Ethnic Conflict

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised democracy and a new beginning for his country -- and received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his initial efforts. It has been all downhill from there, however, and he is increasingly turning to authoritarian methods.

By Fritz Schaap in Shashemene

On this sunny morning, Falma wanted to speak about hate. About the anger and the rage that has destroyed his city and threatens to tear the country apart. He also wanted to talk about the hope that he and many others had felt when a young prime minister, hardly into his 40s, came into office – and of the disappointment that followed. But Falma isn't supposed to talk, not with anybody – and particularly, it would seem, not with journalists.

Post-Brexit talks stall as both sides demand concessions on fishing

British and EU negotiators had dug in their heels and were each demanding more concessions from the other as post-Brexit trade talks dragged on into Sunday, deadlocked on fishing rights.

Sources from both sides said that unless the other backed down on access to UK waters, Britain would leave the single market at midnight on December 31 without a follow-on deal on cross-Channel commerce. 

“We’re continuing to try every possible path to an agreement, but without a substantial shift from the (European) Commission we will be leaving on WTO terms on 31 December,” a British government source said.

A President Who Can't Put Aside Grudges, Even for Good News

Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin

It was among the most consequential weeks of President Donald Trump’s tenure: Across the country, health care workers began receiving a lifesaving coronavirus vaccine. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers neared a deal on economic relief aimed at averting a deeper recession. And Friday, federal regulators authorized a second vaccine.

Yet Trump was largely absent from those events. It was Vice President Mike Pence who held a call with governors Dec. 14 to hail a “medical miracle” and who received the Pfizer vaccine at week’s end on live television. Legislative leaders were the ones working late into the nights on a stimulus deal.

Germany, Finland repatriate women and children from Syria camps

The two nations say they repatriated 23 of their nationals, some under criminal investigation for allegedly belonging to ISIL.

Germany and Finland say they have repatriated 23 of their nationals, women and children from Syria, some of whom were under criminal investigation for allegedly belonging to the ISIL (ISIS) group.

“I am very relieved that we were able to repatriate another 12 children and three mothers from camps in northeastern Syria yesterday,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement on Sunday.