Another Covid Christmas for Europe and the U.S.
New COVID-19 coronavirus instances are surging within the U.S., prompting governors and mayors to as soon as once more reintroduce restrictions. Federal officers say that the brand new Omicron variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus now accounts for three-quarters of recent instances within the nation.
In Europe, international locations are break up between imposing new measures to curb the unfold, because the Netherlands and Denmark have achieved, or adopting a wait-and-see strategy. France has dominated out lockdowns, curfews or closures, betting on its excessive vaccine and booster protection. Britain has but to announce whether or not it would impose a lockdown earlier than Christmas.
In all of those international locations, financial and political considerations — simply days earlier than the vacations — are additionally guiding governments, amid uncertainty about simply how massive a danger the variant poses. Epidemiologists have warned that even when Omicron is ultimately proven to trigger much less extreme sickness, its fast unfold might nonetheless ship big numbers of individuals to hospitals.
Quotable: “It’s annoying, but this year there’s at least more of a Christmas spirit than last year, when we had a curfew,” stated one Parisian. “We couldn’t go out and enjoy Christmas decorations.’’
Foreign drones tip the balance in Ethiopia’s civil war
A stunning military victory this month for Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s embattled prime minister, was made possible by a fleet of combat drones, recently acquired from foreign allies who hope to keep him in power. The drones pummeled Tigrayan rebels, erasing months of battlefield gains and resulting in their withdrawal.
Over the past four months, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iran have quietly supplied the Ethiopian leader with some of the latest armed drones, even as the U.S. and African governments urged a cease-fire and peace talks, according to Western diplomats who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The motives of Abiy’s allies vary: Some hope to make money, while others aim to gain an edge in a strategic region or to back a winner in the spiraling conflict that has engulfed Africa’s second most populous nation.
Response: Debretsion Gebremichael, the Tigrayan leader, has called for a cease-fire followed by peace talks. “We trust that our bold act of withdrawal will be a decisive opening for peace,” he wrote in a letter to the U.N. secretary basic.
How China manipulates Facebook and Twitter
Documents reviewed by The Times have revealed in stark element how Beijing faucets personal companies to generate content material on demand, draw followers, observe critics and supply different providers for info campaigns. That operation more and more performs out on worldwide social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which the Chinese authorities blocks at residence.
The recordsdata — a part of a request for bids from contractors that was posted by the police in Shanghai — supply a uncommon glimpse into how China works to unfold propaganda and sculpt opinion on world social media, together with by the usage of pretend accounts and thru focused campaigns towards on-line critics of the state. The paperwork had been taken offline after The Times contacted the Chinese authorities about them.
The request instructed that police officers understood the necessity for sturdy engagement with the general public by profiles-for-hire. The deeper engagement lends the pretend personas credibility at a time when social media corporations are more and more taking down accounts that appear inauthentic or coordinated.
Telltale indicators: Bot networks which have been linked to China’s authorities stand out for his or her lack of engagement with different accounts, consultants say. Though they can be utilized to troll others and increase the variety of likes on official authorities posts, most have little affect individually as a result of they’ve few followers.
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A toddler with a rash. A farmer with ringworm. A person with a throat an infection. Each visited Joe Gallagher, a publican and seventh son within the Irish village of Pullough in County Offaly, who laid his fingers on the affected areas, carried out the signal of the cross and recited some prayers.
He is only one of a whole lot of individuals throughout Ireland who’re stated to have “the cure,” an strategy to well being care that interweaves residence cures with mysticism, superstition, faith and a sprinkle of magic.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Life on set: His favourite moments had been the mundane ones, “like getting our hobbit feet taken off because we had to vacate set as it started to snow” and weekend surf journeys “with the other hobbits and Orlando” Bloom, who performed the elf Legolas.
On the present movie panorama: “Peter and the larger team were allowed to make the movies the way that they wanted to make them without much outside perspective,” Wood stated, referring to the trilogy’s 16 consecutive months of filming in New Zealand. “I don’t know if he would be able to make them in the same way now.”
Keepsakes: Wood saved a pair of furry hobbit ft. “I’m sure over time they will degrade because I don’t think latex lasts forever,” he stated. “But they were in good shape the last time I looked.”
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That’s it for at present’s briefing. Thanks for becoming a member of me. — Natasha
P.S. Leah Askarinam is becoming a member of the On Politics publication from National Journal.
The newest episode of “The Daily” is about a teen in Afghanistan who fled a pressured marriage to a Taliban member.
You can attain Natasha and the workforce at briefing@nytimes.com.