Pope Francis celebrated a low-key Christmas Eve Mass made somber by the coronavirus pandemic and said people should feel obliged to help the needy because Jesus himself was born a poor outcast.The Mass was celebrated Thursday in a rear section of St. Peter’s Basilica with fewer than 100 participants and only small number of cardinals and bishops. It is usually held in the main section of the basilica and attended by up to 10,000 people, including the diplomatic corps representing nearly 200 countries.Everyone except the pope and the small choir wore a mask during the Mass, which began two hours earlier than usual so that even the limited number of people who attended could return home by a 10 p.m. curfew.”The Son of God was born an outcast, in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God,” Francis said in his homily.Francis said Christmas should make everyone reflect on “our injustice towards so many of our brothers and sisters” instead of pursuing “our endless desire for possessions” and ephemeral pleasures.”God came among us in poverty and need, to tell us that in serving the poor, we will show our love for him,” said the 84-year-old pope, celebrating the eighth Christmas of his pontificate.In his Christmas messages, Francis promised to visit Lebanon and South Sudan as soon as he could.The pope traditionally mentions countries in his Christmas Day message, but he singled out those two nations with Christmas Eve messages because of difficulties each has faced this year.”I am deeply troubled to see the suffering and anguish that has sapped the native resilience and resourcefulness of the Land of the Cedars,” Francis said, referring to Lebanon, which has been struggling with a deep economic crisis and the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion on Aug. 4 that killed about 200 people.In a separate message written jointly with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican communion, and Church of Scotland moderator Martin Fair, the three church leaders committed to making a previously delayed trip to majority Christian South Sudan “as things return to normalcy.”He is scheduled to visit Iraq March 5-8.On Friday, the pope will read his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message from a hall inside the Vatican instead of from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Square, an event that usually attracts tens of thousands of people.Italians are under a nationwide lockdown for much of the Christmas and New Year holidays. Non-essential shops will be shut between Dec. 24-27, Dec. 31-Jan. 3 and Jan. 5-6. On these days, people are allowed to travel only for work, health or emergency reasons.The restrictions mean people will not be able to go to St. Peter’s Square or the basilica. All papal events between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6 are taking place indoors with little or no public participation and being livestreamed on the internet and broadcast on television.
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For the first time since a fire that nearly destroyed it, the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris played host to a Christmas Eve choral concert, an annual tradition in France.In a concession to the fact that the Gothic cathedral is still being rebuilt, the choristers wore construction hard hats and boiler suits, and there was no audience.The concert was recorded at the cathedral earlier this month and was broadcast on French television just before midnight Thursday.The choristers performed classical pieces by composers Mozart and Schubert, but also a more light-hearted repertoire, including Jingle Bells.”It was very moving,” said cellist Gautier Capucon, describing the experience of recording the concert. Along with an organist, he provided the musical accompaniment for the choir.”It was the first time we had all been back at Notre Dame cathedral since the fire, so it was a moment full of emotion,” he said in an interview with television station franceinfo.The cathedral, a landmark of Gothic architecture dating to the 13th century and a major tourist attraction, caught fire on April 15, 2019. The blaze destroyed the spire and roof.French President Emmanuel Macron undertook to restore the cathedral within five years.But to date, most work on the site has focused on making the building safe, including clearing up toxic lead from the roof and spire that melted in the fire.In the meantime, Notre-Dame is closed to the public and masses are canceled.In April this year, seven people were allowed to attend a religious ceremony in the cathedral to mark Good Friday, when Christians commemorate the death of Jesus Christ.
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When Britons voted in 2016 to leave the European Union after 47 years of membership, Brexiters said striking a free trade deal with the Eu would be simple and “one of the easiest in human history.” It didn’t turn out that way. But Thursday, after four years of talks marked by fractiousness and ill-temper and amid accusations of bullying, delusions and bad faith, there was some holiday cheer after London and Brussels finally struck a deal that will limit the economic damage both Britons and Europeans would have suffered in the absence of any agreement.  Both sides compromised and moved away from frequently emphasized ‘red lines’ to reach the deal. Britain formally exited the EU last January but had a year-long transition period allowing for free trade and free movement of people to continue uninterrupted until December 31. Pro-Brexit headline writers immediately announced “Merry Brexmas” and praised Prime Minister Boris Johnson for delivering what he said he would. “The war is over,” beamed Nigel Farage, Brexit Party leader.  He added: “It’s not perfect, but goodness me, it’s still progress.”  The pound rallied modestly on the news of the deal, but then slipped back.Johnson proclaimed the deal, with an estimated overall value of $900 billion, the biggest trade agreement ever signed by the EU. “Everything that the British public was promised during the 2016 referendum and in the general election last year is delivered by this deal,” a Downing Street official said. Using similar language to what Brexiters promised more than four years ago during the Brexit referendum campaign, he added: “We have taken back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and our fishing waters.” 
 
Johnson tweeted a photograph of himself in Downing Street with two thumbs up. “The deal is done,” he announced.The deal is done. pic.twitter.com/zzhvxOSeWz— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 24, 2020Later at a press conference in London Johnson appeared triumphant, saying: “We have taken back our laws and destiny.” He added the deal will “protect jobs across this country” by allowing goods to be sold “without tariffs and quotas” in the EU. He said Britain will now control every “jot and tittle of our regulations.” 
 
The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dubbed the deal “fair and balanced,” as she announced, with obvious relief at a press conference in Brussels, “we have finally reached a deal.”European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are seen on a computer screen while giving live a statement on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 24, 2020.She said the EU and Britain also will cooperate when it comes to climate action and security. She said the negotiations had been a “long and winding road” but added, “we have a good deal to show for it.” Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, said he was happy the clock is “no longer ticking.” He added that today is a “day of relief” but one tinged by “some sadness.” British politicians who opposed Brexit said they were relieved a deal had been struck, but they warned Britain would be losing a lot from exiting the bloc.  Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted: “Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland’s will. And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation.” Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland’s will. And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation.— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost gives a thumb up as he arrives at the British Embassy during negotiations, in Brussels, Dec. 24, 2020.For days both sides had indicated they were on the verge of a breakthrough. And starting Saturday, diplomats were telling reporters a deal was “imminent.” An announcement had been planned for Wednesday, and then early Thursday morning, only for hours to pass and diplomats to say some tweaks in the 2,000-page agreement were still necessary. The delay in announcing a deal in the past 24 hours was mainly because of fishing quota numbers when it emerged the European Commission had been using out of date figures to calculate the reduction in the amount of fish stocks that EU fishermen will be permitted to catch in British waters as part of the trade deal. The deal gives British exporters “zero-tariff, zero-quota” access to Europe’s Single Market. Any future disputes between Britain and the EU will not be adjudicated by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), a key point for Brexiters, who said if the ECJ policed the agreement it would undermine British sovereignty.  But British firms will have curtailed rights to sell services to the EU after January, affecting the banking and insurance sectors. Service industries account for 80 percent of total British economic output. Some international banks likely will shift more of their operations to EU countries because of the deal, analysts say. Beginning in January there also will be additional customs checks on food, chemicals and medicines exported to the EU by Britain, which will add red tape and costs for British firms, likely reducing their price competitiveness, say analysts. FILE – Fishing boats are moored adjacent to the South Pier of Bridlington Harbour fishing port in Bridlington, north east England, Dec. 11, 2020.On fishing in British waters, Britain made major concessions allowing the EU fishing industry to give up only 25 percent of its current quota, a change that will be phased in over the next five and a half years, meaning that the EU fishing catch in British waters will decline 4.5 per cent annually. Even though politicians breathed a sigh of collective relief on both sides of the English Channel, the “deal is far from the deep and ambitious relationship” both sides said they were aiming for shortly after the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to Sally Jones, a trade expert at Ernst & Young, an Anglo-American multinational professional services consultancy. The hugely complex deal now will be pored over by trade lawyers and businesses. The agreement runs to more than 1,000 pages, plus hundreds of pages of annexes that cover future arrangements for trade, security and fishing, as well as scientific cooperation and regulatory alignment The biggest sticking points in the haggling during the last few years between London and Brussels have been over regulatory alignment and fishing. Both sides were at loggerheads over shared regulatory rules, competition and safety standards, workers’ rights and environment laws and restraints on state subsidies to private businesses.  Europeans were determined to ensure British firms did not secure an unfair competitive edge over EU rivals. Lower standards and watered-down regulations mean lower costs and lower prices for finished goods. The British Parliament will have to ratify the deal, but it already has recessed for Christmas. British lawmakers are likely to be recalled on December 30 to approve the last-minute agreement. 
 An EU official told Reuters news agency a provisional application of the deal will need to be approved by member states because there’s not enough time for the EU Parliament to ratify the agreement before the December 31 deadline, when Britain’s transition period.  
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Stella Tennant, the aristocratic British model who was a muse to designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace, died suddenly at the age of 50, her family said Wednesday. Tennant, the granddaughter of a duke, rose to fame in the 1990s while walking the runway for Versace, Alexander McQueen and other designers. FILE – Model Stella Tennant poses during a photocall before Chanel Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2018 fashion collection presented in Paris, Jan. 23, 2018.In a statement, her family said: “It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant on Dec. 22.”  “Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed,” it said.  The family asked for privacy and said arrangements for a memorial service would be announced later. They did not disclose her cause of death.  Police Scotland said officers were called to an address in the Scottish Borders town of Duns on Tuesday following the sudden death of a 50-year-old woman. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.  The granddaughter of the 11th Duke of Devonshire Andrew Cavendish and his wife Deborah Mitford of a glamorous, unconventional aristocratic family, Tennant was one of the leading British models of the 1990s. Late in the decade, Lagerfeld announced her as the new face of Chanel, with an exclusive modeling contract, and she became a muse to the designer. Fashion house Versace paid tribute to Tennant on Twitter, saying: “Versace is mourning the death of Stella Tennant. Stella was Gianni Versace’s muse for many years and friend of the family. We will miss you forever, Stella. Rest in peace.”  Donatella Versace posted a photo of Tennant on Instagram in a tribute to the model.”Stella, I cannot believe you are gone,” she wrote. “You have left us way too soon. We met when you were at the beginning of your career. I cherish every moment we spent together. Ciao. Rest in peace.” FILE – Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre, right, acknowledges applause on the catwalk with top model Stella Tennant, in Milan, March 2, 2003.Stella McCartney said she was “speechless” after hearing the news.”What sad, horrific news to end this already shocking year!” McCartney wrote in a post on Instagram that included a photo of her and Tennant. “Rest in peace, you inspiring woman. Your soul and inner beauty exceeded the external perfection, Stella.” Tennant also appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Chanel, Hermes and Burberry.  In 1999, Tennant married French photographer David Lasnet. She is survived by him and their four children. “From the first time I met Stella I was completely blown away,” fashion designer Marc Jacobs said on social media. “Her beauty, style and body language combined with her manners, kindness, sense of humor and personality were like no other. … My condolences to David and her family. What a terrible, heartbreaking loss.” 
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European Union and British negotiators are nearing a trade deal as Britain’s New Year’s Day exit from the 27-nation bloc approaches, EU officials said Wednesday.Two officials said negotiators are working to resolve as early as midnight Wednesday a fishing rights issue in British waters in hopes of avoiding a messy economic break between the two sides.One of the sources, who asked to remain unidentified because the talks were still ongoing, said talks had entered the final phase. “I expect to see some white smoke tonight,” the official said.Since formally leaving the EU on January 31, Britain immediately entered an 11-month economic transition period, giving negotiators time to reach a free trade deal to ease its exit from the Single Market and the Customs Union at the end of this year.EU, UK Each Demand Concessions as Post-Brexit Talks StallSources from each side said that unless the other backed down on access to UK waters, Britain would leave the single market at midnight December 31 without a deal on cross-channel commerceNegotiators are attempting to reach a deal that ensures the annual trade of goods between the two sides worth nearly $1 trillion remains exempt from tariffs and quotas. Britain is calling for quotas for EU vessels in British waters, and sources from both sides have reported progress in the talks.An EU diplomat said negotiators previously reached a compromise over EU concerns that Britain would weaken the bloc’s social, environmental and state aid rules to gain an unfair advantage with its exports to the EU. Britain maintained that EU rules would have undercut its sovereignty.It is unclear how trade between the two sides would take place if they fail to meet the January 1 deadline.
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The U.S. departments of Treasury and State on Wednesday announced sanctions and visa restrictions on dozens of Belarusian citizens and several entities for their alleged roles in what the U.S. calls a fraudulent Aug. 9 election and the violent crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters that followed.
 
“The election included a myriad of irregularities that made it neither free nor fair, including barring opposition candidates, denying access to poll observers, and certifying inaccurate vote tallies,” the Treasury Department said in a news release.
 
Treasury officials accused leaders of the Central Commission of the Republic of Belarus on Elections and Holding Republican Referenda — led by Chairwoman Lidziya Yarmoshina, Deputy Chairperson Vadzim Ipatau, and Secretary Alena Dmukhayla — of fraud. All three had already been sanctioned Oct. 2. 
 
The U.S. department also says Deputy Minister of the Interior and Chief of the Criminal Police Henadz Arkadzievich Kazakevich “was responsible for the actions of the Criminal Police in their role of carrying out previously sanctioned Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s policy of violently cracking down on pro-democracy protests in Belarus.”
 
The Minsk Special Purpose Police Unit, the Main Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee, and KGB Alpha, an elite unit of Belarus’s secret services, are all being sanctioned for their roles in the violent crackdowns, Treasury said.
 
“The Belarusian people continually seek to peacefully exercise their basic democratic rights, and the state repeatedly responds with violent crackdowns,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin in a press release. “This action, in conjunction with those taken previously by the United States and our international partners, continue to hold accountable the individuals and organizations carrying out these unacceptable actions.”
 
After Treasury’s announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced more sanctions via Twitter.
 
“This morning, I imposed visa restrictions on 39 individuals and @USTreasury sanctioned additional officials and entities for their roles in the fraudulent August 9th election and the violent crackdown in Belarus. The Belarusian people deserve free and fair elections.”
 
Earlier this month, Belarusian security forces detained dozens of people across the country as street protests calling on authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko to resign continued.
 
Demonstrators have gathered in Minsk and other Belarusian cities in nearly continuous protests since the disputed presidential election in August.
 
The Aug. 9 vote gave Lukashenko a sixth presidential term, but the opposition believes candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was the real winner of the election and is calling for the strongman’s resignation, the release of all political prisoners, and a new election.
 
Today’s sanctions come just six days after the European Union unveiled fresh sanctions against dozens of Belarusians, including Deputy Prime Minister Anatoli Sivak, and the head of state television.
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A Turkish court has convicted journalist Can Dundar on espionage and terror-related charges for a news report.
The court in Istanbul on Wednesday found Dundar guilty of “obtaining secret documents for espionage” and “knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization without being a member,” sentencing him to a total of 27 1/2 years in prison. Dundar’s lawyers did not attend the hearing in protest, saying the proceedings violated the rules of fair trial and impartiality.  
Dundar, the former editor-in-chief of opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, was on trial for a 2015 story accusing Turkey’s intelligence service of illegally sending weapons to Syria. Dundar fled to Germany in 2016 and was being tried in absentia.  
The story included a 2014 video that showed men in police uniforms and civilian clothing unscrewing bolts to open the trucks and unpacking boxes. Later images show trucks full of mortar rounds. The Associated Press cannot confirm the authenticity of the video.
The news report claimed that the Turkish intelligence service and Turkey’s president did not allow the prosecutor to begin an investigation into arms smuggling.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was infuriated by the publication, filing criminal charges against Dundar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul. Erdogan said the trucks carried aid to Turkmen groups in Syria and that Dundar would “pay a high price.”  
Turkey later interfered directly in the Syrian civil war, launching four cross-border operations.  
Dundar is accused of aiding the network of U.S.-based Fethullah Gulen, who the government says masterminded Turkey’s 2016 failed coup. The prosecutor who ordered the trucks stopped and others, including military officers, have been charged with links to Gulen. Gulen denies the allegations and remains in Pennsylvania.  
Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency reported that the court thought Dundar’s news report aimed to present Turkey as a “country that supports terror” domestically and internationally. The court said that perception helped Gulen’s network, which also used the story in its own publications.  
Dundar and Gul were arrested in 2015 and spent three months in pre-trial detention. In 2016, a court convicted them to five to six years in prison for “obtaining and revealing secret documents to be used for espionage.” Dundar was attacked outside the courthouse on the same day as the verdict but was uninjured.
After Dundar appealed the conviction, the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the sentences in 2018 and ordered a retrial with harsher sentences. The retrial began in 2019.
Dundar’s property in Turkey is in the process of being seized.
Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey at 154 out of 180 countries in its 2020 Press Freedom Index.
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The Russian parliament’s lower chamber has approved several controversial bills that human rights watchdogs and the opposition have said undermine democratic processes. Among the legislation approved by the State Duma on December 23 was a series of amendments to the controversial law on “foreign agents” that requires organizations that have received the designation to report their activities and face financial audits. The changes expand the scope of individuals and groups that can be designated “foreign agents,” introduce new restrictions and registration and reporting requirements, and oblige the media to note the designation whenever they mention these individuals or groups. The new law says individuals, including foreign journalists, involved in Russia’s political developments or collecting materials and data related to Russia’s defense or national security issues must be included on the list of foreign agents. It also says that individuals labeled as “foreign agents” would be banned from joining the civil service or holding a municipal government position, while forcing them to mark their letters to authorities and other material with a “foreign agent” label. Last month, Amnesty International slammed the proposed legislation saying it would “drastically limit and damage the work not only of civil society organizations that receive funds from outside Russia but many other groups as well.” Another bill related to “foreign agents” and approved on December 23 lays out a punishment of up to five years in prison for individuals or organizations labeled as foreign agents who fail to inform official entities about their status, and/or refuse to report their activities to Russian authorities. The “foreign agent” law, originally passed in 2012, requires designated organizations to report their activities and face financial audits. Critics say the law has been arbitrarily applied to target Russian civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and political activists, including outspoken Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. The State Duma also approved in a final reading on December 23 a bill that would allow the state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, to block websites that “discriminate against Russian media.” FILE – The logo of Russia’s state communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, is reflected in a laptop screen in this picture illustration taken Feb. 12, 2019.Roskomnadzor would be allowed to partially, fully restrict, or slow access to websites found in violation of the law. The bill is seen affecting major social-media websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The State Duma also approved a bill on introducing jail terms for people found guilty of making slanderous comments on the Internet or in the media. Under the legislation, a person convicted of slander on the Internet could face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $13,300. People accused of making “slanderous” accusations of rape or other grave crimes could face up to five years behind bars, according to the bill. Among other bills approved on December 23 is one that bans financial support of public events by foreign entities. That legislation includes prohibiting the financing of public events in Russia by foreign governments, organizations, citizens, stateless citizens, individuals and organizations labeled as foreign agents, Russian citizens younger than 16, anonymous contributors, and Russian organizations that were registered less than one year before providing financial support to a public event. All of the bills approved on December 23 must still be approved by the parliament’s upper chamber, the Federation Council, before they are endorsed into law by President Vladimir Putin. 
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France began allowing people to enter the country from Britain again Wednesday after several days in which it and other European nations imposed travel bans to contain a COVID-19 variant spreading in Britain. Those arriving in France must have a negative COVID test that is less than 72 hours old. The ban not only halted the flow of people across the border, but also caused massive disruptions to shipping between the two countries and sparked fears of shortages of food and other goods. FILE – Security guard the entrance to the ferry terminal in Dover, England, Dec. 21, 2020, after the Port of Dover was closed and access to the Eurotunnel terminal suspended following the French government’s announcement.Britain, France and the European Union reached an agreement late Tuesday to clear the way for the ban to be lifted. The European Commission had recommended earlier in the day that countries end their bans that began Sunday, while also discouraging nonessential travel to and from Britain at this time.   British authorities discovered the new strain last week and have been working closely with the World Health Organization. Preliminary indications are that the virus spreads more quickly than earlier strains, but WHO officials said at a news conference on Monday there is zero evidence the strain is more severe or deadly.      The officials said viruses develop new strains all the time, and the best way to prevent that from happening is to keep it from spreading.    EU officials say the variant has been detected in a few cases in Belgium, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.     The head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Disease Control said Tuesday that given those facts, it is likely the strain has spread to Germany, as well. 
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Russia has sent 300 military instructors to the Central African Republic at the request of the country’s leadership to help counter a surge in rebel violence ahead of Sunday’s election, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.Officials and a security source in the Central African capital Bangui said earlier on Monday that Rwanda and Russia had dispatched troops and supplies.The 300 Russian instructors coming at the request of Bangui authorities are to provide training to the national army.They could bolster security forces and over 12,000 United Nations peacekeepers as armed rebel groups, some of whom fought one another in the country’s prolonged conflict, have formed an alliance and are threatening to march on the capital.”We are carefully following the unfolding situation in the Central African Republic,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. “We are seriously concerned that the events of recent days have led to a sharp deterioration in the security situation in this country.”The mineral-rich but deeply impoverished country has struggled to regain stability since 2013 when then-President Francois Bozize was ousted by a rebellion of mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.Alleged human rights abuses by the Seleka sparked reprisals from the mostly Christian Anti-balaka militia, plunging the landlocked country into a spiral of tit-for-tat violence.Clashes surged in the days after the country’s highest court barred Bozize from running in Sunday’s election.President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s government has accused Bozize of plotting a coup.Some political parties have called for the election to be postponed due to the spate of violence, while the International Crisis Group think tank urged neighboring heads of state on Tuesday to help Bozize and Touadera strike a deal and calm the situation to ensure the election can proceed.The United Nations mission in Central African Republic and the government insist that the vote will go ahead.Security and diplomatic sources said on Tuesday a rebel group had seized control of Bambari, a trading hub around 380 kilometers (235 miles) east of the capital. The government could not be reached for comment.Mankeur Ndiaye, the U.N. envoy in Central African Republic, told a news conference on Tuesday the security situation was relatively calm, and measures were in place to secure the vote.”If the elections don’t hold … we risk entering a period of uncontrolled instability,” Ndiaye said.
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Top European Union officials say the bloc must invest more heavily in Mediterranean countries to be able to compete with China. Beijing has financed or purchased key infrastructure in the region as part of its so-called Belt and Road Initiative. More in this report by Alfonso Beato in Barcelona, narrated by Henry Ridgwell.Camera: Alfonso Beato   Produced by: Rod James  
 
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The European Commission — the European Union’s executive body — recommended Tuesday that EU countries lift travel bans imposed on Britain to avoid supply chain interruptions and stranding travelers.
 
The bans began on Sunday in an effort to contain a COVID-19 variant spreading in Britain.
 
As part of the recommendation, the commission advised member states to discourage nonessential travel to and from Britain but said people heading to their country of residence should be allowed to do so, provided they undergo a COVID-19 test or quarantine for 10 days.
 
In a statement, European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said member nations should take coordinated action to discourage nonessential travel, but “blanket travel bans should not prevent thousands of EU and U.K. citizens from returning to their homes.”
 
Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, reached out to EU officials Monday seeking standardized guidelines for addressing the travel issue regarding Britain and the new COVID-19 variant strain.
 
British authorities discovered the new strain last week and have been working closely with the World Health Organization. Preliminary indications are that the virus spreads more quickly than earlier strains, but WHO officials said at a news conference on Monday there is zero evidence the strain is more severe or deadly.   
 
The officials said viruses develop new strains all the time, and the best way to prevent that from happening is to keep it from spreading.
 
EU officials say the variant has been detected in a few cases in Belgium, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.  
 
Earlier Tuesday, the head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Disease Control said given those facts, it is likely the strain has spread to Germany, as well.
 
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The head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, the country’s national public health organization, says it is likely the variant of the coronavirus recently identified in Britain has already made its way to Germany.Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Berlin, Lothar Wieler said that while he has not heard of any actual case in Germany, he said they know the strain was first found in Britain in September and has since been discovered in the Netherlands and Denmark. He said that means the likelihood of it being in Germany already but undiscovered, is probably “very, very high.”The discovery of the new variant has prompted many nations to ban air travel from Britain. On Monday, officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) said that while there may be evidence the variant spreads more quickly, there is no evidence it is severer or deadlier.  WHO officials said virus variations are common, and the best way to prevent them is to prevent transmissions.Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of BioNTech, co-creator of the first coronavirus vaccine approved for use in Europe, said, “Scientifically, it is highly likely” that the immune response created by their vaccine also can deal with the new variant. But he cautioned the new variant has nine mutations and they do not know for sure if the vaccine will also provide protection against it.The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the continent’s drug regulator, gave initial approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Monday, and Europe Union officials say they expect vaccinations to begin December 27.  Wieler said the EMA approval of the vaccine is good news, but the shots will not change the overall situation for a very long time. He urged people to continue limiting contacts with others as the virus continues to spread in the country.
 
 
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Over 40 countries have imposed travel bans on people arriving from Britain, after the government announced last week it had detected a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus. As Henry Ridgwell report from London, the restrictions have caused major disruption as Britain struggles to contain its latest outbreak.Camera: Henry Ridgwell
Producer: Henry Ridgwell
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U.S. officials are considering a requirement for all travelers from Britain to offer proof they have tested negative for COVID-19.News outlets say the White House coronavirus task force met Monday and discussed crafting a rule that passengers prove they have taken a negative test within 48 or 72 hours before leaving Britain.The proposed rule comes as more than 40 countries have suspended travelers from Britain in response to a dramatic rise of infections because of a new strain of COVID-19 sweeping across southern Britain.Britain Blockaded: Dozens of Countries Impose Travel Ban Over Coronavirus Mutation France bans all passenger and accompanied freight from Britain, raising fears of supply shortages ahead of Brexit The U.S. has not restricted flights from Britain, however, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he has asked airlines flying into the state from Britain to make all passengers take a COVID-19 test before they get on the plane. Three airlines, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Delta Airlines, have agreed to Gov. Cuomo’s request.In the western U.S., Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state Monday ordered a 14-day quarantine for all travelers entering the state from Britain and South Africa, where a similar mutation of COVID-19 has been identified.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Monday it is possible the new variant of the novel coronavirus is already in the United States.The head of German-based pharmaceutical company BioNTech says the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with U.S.-based counterpart Pfizer is “highly likely” to work against the new strain.  But Ugur Sahin told reporters in Berlin if necessary, the vaccine could be modified and distributed within six weeks.  The European Union authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech cross the 27-nation bloc vaccine on Monday, with the first inoculations to begin on December 27. Hans Kluge, the European chief of the World Health Organization, says the agency will convene a meeting of members to discuss strategies to counter the new COVID-19 variant, but did not give a date.  WHO cautioned Monday against raising a major alarm over the new strain, saying there is no evidence it is more lethal than any known existing strains, and that such mutations are a normal part of a pandemic’s evolution.  Meanwhile, the world’s longest streak without a local coronavirus infection has been broken.  Taiwanese health authorities say a woman in her thirties has tested positive after coming into contact earlier this month with a New Zealand-born pilot who was infected while traveling overseas.   The woman is Taiwan’s first locally transmitted COVID-19 case since April 12 — a stretch of 253 days.  Taiwan has been pointed to as a success story in how to respond to the pandemic, with just 766 total cases and just seven deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.  The island began checking on passengers on flights from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the pandemic began, in the early days of the outbreak for fever and pneumonia symptoms. And Antarctica has lost its designation as the last continent on Earth without a COVID-19 infection.  At least 36 people stationed at a Chilean research base in the icy continent recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, including 26 members of the Chilean army and 10 civilian contractors.   The Vatican says it is “morally acceptable” for Roman Catholics to receive vaccines developed using tissue from aborted fetuses.      The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Church’s doctrinal oversight office, issued a statement Monday granting permission for Catholics to take such vaccines because it does not “constitute formal cooperation” with the means in which the tissue was obtained.  The office also said it is not always possible to obtain vaccines that do not pose an ethical dilemma.           
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Over 40 countries have imposed travel bans on people arriving from Britain, after the government announced last week it had detected a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the restrictions have caused major disruption as Britain struggles to contain its latest outbreak.Camera: Henry Ridgwell    
 
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EU and British trade talks inched onward under renewed pressure Monday as transport chaos triggered by the emergence of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus in Britain overshadowed efforts to reach a Brexit deal. Only 10 days are left until January 1, when Britain will leave the EU single market and customs union. Hopes of securing a new arrangement suffered a blow as another deadline passed. EU and British negotiators remained in Brussels, with talks still blocked over the right of European crews to continue fishing in Britain’s waters, as well as concerns over fair trade rules. Without a deal, Britain’s links to the European Union end at midnight December 31 (11 p.m. in London) with a new tariff barrier that will sharpen the big shock of unraveling a half-century of EU membership. A man walks past EU flags flapping in the wind in front of the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Dec. 21, 2020.A Sunday deadline set by the European Parliament expired without an agreement being found, leaving no time for lawmakers to ratify an eventual deal before January 1. “Political games from Westminster have wasted too much time,” said Manfred Weber, German member of the European Parliament who leads the conservative group in parliament, warning that members would take their time and not rubber stamp a text. But Weber also said parliament “will remain constructive partners” and that “alternative procedures are possible,” though what they were was not yet agreed. As long as a deal is found in the next hours or days, European sources said this could involve a provisional implementation of a pact with lawmakers having their say in January. “Broadly speaking, the EU side is of the view that the only deadline that now matters is December 31,” said Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group, a consultancy.  Whatever the case, the EU has finalized interim plans to manage road and air transport for six months and fishing for a year in the event of a no deal, but these would also require an agreement from Britain to reciprocate. “We remain very far from an accord,” warned a European diplomat, who said that some on the EU-side were weighing whether it was time to walk away. “Negotiating through exhaustion is not very healthy,” the diplomat added. Brexit ‘tragedy’ The talks in Brussels continued as Britain was effectively cut off from the world, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a highly contagious mutation of the coronavirus was spreading in Britain. The emergency left holiday travelers stranded and blocked goods crossing the Channel, presaging the potential effects of a failure to secure a last-minute trade deal. A closed road and the logo of the Port of Dover is seen at the port as EU countries impose a travel ban from the UK following the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Dover, Britain, Dec. 21, 2020.France’s snap decision to halt trade across the Channel forced Britain to bring forward “Operation Stack,” the contingency plan drawn up to deal with anticipated freight delays in the port city of Dover in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “It’s a tragedy what’s happening in Britain, and this Brexit is a tragedy, we see it more and more every day,” France’s EU commissioner Thierry Breton told BFM Business. If Britain “had chosen to remain in the European Union … today we could have helped them,” Breton said. Brexit supporters accused France of exploiting the crisis to try to force trade concessions. Restriction of freight movements “appears political,” tweeted the anti-EU Bruges Group think tank.  ‘Very greedy’ With just days before negotiators should head home for Christmas, assuming the borders reopen, Johnson insisted that Britain’s position has not budged. “It’s vital that everybody understands that the U.K. has got to be able to control its own laws, completely, and also that we have got to be able to control our own fisheries,” Johnson told a news conference. Britain intends to assume control over its waters January 1 but is ready to allow continued access to EU fishing fleets for a transitional period under new terms. Britain’s chief negotiator David Frost leaves the UK ambassadors residence in Brussels, Dec. 21, 2020.British negotiator David Frost wants Britain to take back more than half the fish currently assigned under the EU quota system, under a three-year agreement. The European side insists Britain accept getting back only a quarter of the fish quota, and that the transition period should last six years. Hubert Carre, head of France’s top commercial fishing lobby, said this was already too much. “We’re wondering whether a no deal is better than a bad deal,” he told BFM, accusing the British of being “very greedy.” 
 
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Britain became more isolated Monday as additional countries imposed bans on British commercial airline flights, automobile journeys and cross-Channel trains and freight because of rising international alarm over a more infectious coronavirus strain that has flared in London and southern England.Countries imposing travel bans include France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, India and Canada.  In all, more than 40 countries have instituted bans on arrivals at their airports from Britain.U.S. politicians were also pushing to halt all flights from Britain to America. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged federal officials to ban or at least set stringent travel restrictions on Britons. He warned that the new, more easily transmitted strain could spread to New York from the half-a-dozen flights a day that land at JFK airport from Britain.On Sunday, France took the unprecedented step of completely shutting its borders to Britain, initially for 48 hours. That has prevented British freight drivers from accessing mainland Europe and deterred European cargo-handlers from dispatching goods to Britain, disrupting supply chains and raising the prospects of food and drug shortages in Britain over the Christmas holiday season.Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual news conference about increased travel restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, at 10 Downing Street, in London, December 21, 2020.In a press conference on Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britons to remain calm, saying most supplies are coming in and out of the country as normal.  “I have just spoken to (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron, and we both understand each other’s problems and want to resolve the problems,” Johnson said, adding that he understood the anxieties of Britain’s neighbors but said there was little risk of a spread via truck drivers.  But one of Britain’s major supermarket chains warned the blockade could trigger shortages of fresh fruit and vegetables later this week. In a statement, Sainsbury’s said it expected shortfalls in fresh produce such as lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and citrus fruit, “all of which are imported from the continent at this time of year.” The French haulage ban caused chaos in the southern English County of Kent, where Britain’s busiest port, Dover, is located and where trucks were backed up on roads miles from the coast. About 6,000 trucks were scheduled to cross the English Channel to northern France on Monday.  All haulers were ordered by the government to stay away from Kent. Thousands of trucks already bound for the southrn coast were being redirected to an unused airport. Security guard the entrance to the ferry terminal in Dover, England, Dec. 21, 2020, after the Port of Dover was closed and access to the Eurotunnel terminal suspended following the French government’s announcement banning travel from Britain.Ministers downplayed the risk of food shortages. Transport Minister Grant Shapps said Britons would not notice supermarket shortages “for the most part.” But British ministers held urgent talks with their French counterparts to see if the ban could be lifted.  There were some signs that the French might rethink the blockade. French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari held out the prospect of the ban being reversed once Paris and the European Union agreed to a new “health protocol” to allow traffic to resume between Britain and France.  “In the coming hours, at European level, we will be putting in place a solid health protocol so that flows from the United Kingdom can resume. Our priority: protect our nationals and fellow citizens,” Djebbari tweeted. But French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the major aim of the discussions around a protocol is to ensure that 2,000 French truckers stranded in Britain “could come over the border as soon as possible.” Officials from EU member states were briefed Monday by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control on the new coronavirus variant. They agreed the priority was to keep EU borders open and to ensure the repatriation of citizens and legal EU residents wishing to return from Britain, according to European diplomats. Freight-carrying trucks were still being allowed to travel Monday from Britain to Dutch and Belgian ports, and the French have been allowing unaccompanied freight in containers to be maneuvered back and forth. A member of the British Transport Police speaks with travelers at Waterloo Station in London, Dec. 20, 2020.An additional 33,364 Britons tested positive for the coronavirus Monday, following a record-breaking 35,928 new infections on Sunday. The new figures bring Britain’s total confirmed cases to 2,073,511, and its death tally to 67,616 — just 2,384 short of the country’s total civilian death toll in World War II. Johnson chaired a meeting of the British government’s Cobra emergencies committee Monday.  On Saturday, he announced strict pandemic restrictions on London and much of southern and eastern England. Downing Street played down the need to expand restrictions to the north of the country. Ministers hope the actions they have taken, which virtually cancel Christmas “as planned,” according to Johnson, for nearly 20 million Britons and prevents households from mixing in the newly locked-down areas, will be enough to curb the spread of the new strain. Britain’s chief scientific officer, Patrick Vallance, said it has become clear that the new variant is more easily transmitted but said there is no evidence it is any more lethal than other coronavirus strains. He also emphasized there is nothing to suggest that newly developed vaccines would not be effective against this new mutation.  But government advisers and independent experts have cautioned that more work is necessary to ensure that is the case.  The new variant of the coronavirus is concerning, said Danny Altmann, a professor at Imperial College London, but he believes widespread inoculation will control it in the end.  Writing in The Times newspaper, Altmann said, “As a professor of immunology who has spent the past 10 months working on detailed mapping of immunity to Sars-CoV-2, I feel we need to do careful experiments, but I am calm and retain total faith in these stupendous vaccines.” The new strain was confirmed December 13 in the county of Kent in southern England. Initial analysis by government scientists suggested it is “growing faster than the existing variants.”   The variant was initially found in a patient in September. Genome sequencing, which took nearly a month, indicated it was a new strain, but government scientists were not too worried, as mutations come and go.  But as infections continued to surge in November and December, scientists realized they were dealing with a more infectious version of the virus. The new variant includes up to 23 changes, including with the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells that allow it to replicate. There have been many mutations in the virus since it emerged last year in Wuhan, China, with 4,000 mutations in the protein alone. Virologists say most mutations are insignificant and part of the expected evolution of the virus. 
 
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Relations between Israel and Turkey could be on the verge of a breakthrough, with a Turkish presidential adviser confirming bilateral talks and that full diplomatic relations could be restored by March. Relations between the once close allies all but collapsed with Turkey withdrawing its ambassador in 2017, amid escalating tensions.FILE – Mesut Casin, a foreign relations adviser to the Turkish presidency. (Dorian Jones/VOA)”If Israel comes one step, Turkey maybe can come two steps,” the Turkish presidential adviser on foreign affairs, Mesut Casin, said in reference to ongoing talks with Israel.”If we see a green light, Turkey will open the embassy again and return our ambassador. Maybe in March, we can restore full diplomatic relations again. Why not.””Establishing peace and security is very important to Israel and Turkey. After Mavi Marmara, we don’t want another accident with Israel,” added Casin.FILE – Demonstrators march with a giant Palestinian flag May 31, 2018 at Istiklal avenue in Istanbul, to mark the 8th anniversary of a deadly raid on Turkish-registered Mavi Marmara.The Mavi Marmara was the largest of six vessels in a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians back in 2010. Pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel’s economic blockade of the Gaza Strip were on board when Israeli forces stormed the vessel, killing nine Turkish nationals.Since then, Turkish-Israeli relations have never fully recovered despite intense mediating efforts by the United States to rebuild ties between its two key regional allies.U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and Israeli security forces’ crackdown on Palestinian protests saw Turkey and Israel withdrawing their ambassadors.Casin acknowledged the election of Joe Biden to the U.S. presidency as a boost to efforts to repair ties. “There are new perspectives with Biden; a lot of things will change,” he said.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoyed a close relationship with Trump, but a Biden presidency is predicted to be more challenging for Ankara.FILE – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after a cabinet meeting, in Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 14, 2020.”Turkish-American relations are expected to enter a tough period, at least in the short run, considering the Biden administration’s sensitivity toward issues of democracy and human rights,” said Selin Nasi, an analyst on Turkish-Israeli affairs.”Given the anti-Turkish opinion prevalent in the U.S. Congress, Turkey might be hoping that Israel can neutralize the opposition and help Turkey win Washington’s ear again,” she added.Turkey and Israel did find recent common ground in the recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed mainly ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. Israeli and Turkish drones and reported intelligence support from the two countries proved pivotal in Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenian forces backed by Iran.”It is harder to read Israel’s motivation [in improving ties with Turkey], Nasi told VOA. “Though, it is true that Turkey and Israel have convergent interests in the Middle East, particularly in terms of rolling back Iran’s power and influence.””At a time when Israel is normalizing her relations with several Muslim countries, adding Turkey to the list will improve her conciliatory image in the international arena,” she added.Much to gain for TurkeyTurkish presidential adviser Casin argues Israel has a lot to gain from normalization. “Turkey bought a lot of weapons from Israel. We can arrange this again,” he said, “Turkey’s and Israel’s defense industries can go ahead together.””Secondly, energy resources, They [Israel] discover oil and gas. OK, Israel is 8 million people. Where can they sell this oil and gas? The biggest market is Turkey, and Turkey will be via a pipeline, the corridor to the European Union market.”A significant repercussion from Israeli and Turkish tensions is Israel allying itself with Turkey’s regional rivals, Egypt and Greece. The three countries are developing cooperation based on energy and defense, a move that observers say is a reaction to Turkey’s increasingly robust stance in the region.Egypt, Greece are important ties for IsraelAnalysts suggest Israel will likely be careful not to jeopardize its recent deepening ties with Egypt and Greece.A potentially more significant stumbling block to Israeli-Turkish rapprochement is Ankara’s backing of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.”From Israel’s point of view, Turkey should stop agitating about the status of Jerusalem, and drop support for whom they consider as terrorists,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.” Turkey has to cut its ties with Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood.”Erdogan, who likes to present himself as a defender of global Muslim rights, remains in the forefront of opposing Israel’s diplomatic efforts to secure Jerusalem’s international recognition as its capital. At the same time, Ankara’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood is a central plank of Turkish diplomacy in the region.Turkey ready to make concessionsInternational relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University suggests Ankara is ready to make concessions. “Ankara will lessen their support,” Bagci said. “Turkey has promised not to support so openly the Muslim Brotherhood. When Ibrahim Kalin [Erdogan’s spokesman] visited Brussels, he probably made promises on similar lines. This is why there is a higher expectation Turkey is making reforms, not to support the Muslim Brotherhood.”But ultimately, any improvement in ties will need to overcome the animosity between Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “There is the bad blood between the two leaders, Erdogan and Netanyahu,” said Bagci.Both leaders routinely exchange insults, which observers say plays well with their electoral bases. With Israel likely set for new elections, analysts say it is unlikely there will be an announcement of any breakthrough before the expected poll outcome.
 
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The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Union’s medical regulator, has recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for distribution in the European Market, allowing EU nations to begin vaccinations within days.The agency originally scheduled December 29 as the day to review the vaccine for emergency use, but pressure from Germany — which holds the rotating EU presidency — and other nations prompted it to move more quickly.The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, must now give its approval to the vaccine, which at this point is a formality. From her Twitter account shortly after the EMA announcement, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen called it “a decisive moment in our efforts to deliver safe and effective vaccines to Europeans.”Von der Leyen went on to say vaccinations would begin across EU member nations December 27-29.Meanwhile, Britain, the United States and Canada have been using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for several days. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave its approval for a second vaccine from U.S. drugmaker Moderna late last week. The EMA is scheduled to consider that vaccine the first week in January. 
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