Europe is hoping to preserve the joy of Christmas by allowing families to meet for the holiday as infection rates decline in many countries.
France was one of the first countries to announce such a measure during an address by President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening.
France will start easing its coronavirus lockdown this weekend so that by Christmas, shops, theatres and cinemas will re-open and people will be able to spend the holiday with their families.
In his address, Mr Macron said the worst of the second wave of the epidemic in France was over, but that restaurants, cafes and bars would have to stay shut until January 20 to avoid triggering a third wave.
"We must do everything to avoid a third wave, do everything to avoid a third lockdown," Mr Macron said.
After curfew measures in many French cities in mid-October failed to produce the results the government had hoped for, a one-month lockdown was put in place on October 30, though it was less strict than the lockdown that ran from March 17 to May 11.
Positive trends including a decline in hospitalisations for Covid-19 infections, combined with pressure from business lobbies who say they are facing financial ruin, have led to calls to loosen the lockdown as soon as possible.
Mr Macron also said he would start a vaccination campaign at the end of December or the beginning of January, starting with the most vulnerable and older people. Vaccination will not be mandatory, he said.
The address comes as new cases plunge to their lowest level in two months.
Mr Macron's move to ease the lockdown mirrors Boris Johnson's announcement on Monday that England's shutdown would end on December 2 as expected and that there would be a reprieve over the festive season.
Other European nations, including Germany, are heading in the same direction.
Mr Macron is expected to announce that measures will ease in three phases as infections decline. On Monday, France reported 4,452 new cases - the lowest daily figure since September 28.
The tally easily achieves Mr Macron’s stated aim of reaching a daily case number below 5,000 before easing the lockdown.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said the first easing would take place “around” December 1, followed by a second one before year-end holidays and a third in January.
With data showing France on track to rein in a surge in coronavirus infections, the government is under pressure from shops and businesses to ease restrictions in time for the Christmas shopping season.
"We had committed to allow them (shopkeepers) to reopen around December 1 if the health situation improved, which seems to be the case," Mr Attal told Le Journal Du Dimanche.
Bars and restaurants, however, "will continue to experience restrictions," he added.
In Germany, authorities were planning on allowing gatherings of up to 10 people over Christmas and the New Year.
The premiers of the states are due to agree on plans with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.
Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller told ARD television he was confident the measures, agreed to by the leaders late on Monday, would be adopted.
The premiers agreed to extend a national "lockdown light", introduced on November 2, to December 20, with bars, restaurants and entertainment venues remaining shut while schools and shops stay open.
They also agreed to reduce the number of people allowed to meet to five starting December 1.
Germany, which kept infections and deaths low compared to many of its neighbours during the first wave, stopped an exponential rise in new coronavirus cases, but the overall numbers are still far too high, officials said.
Coronavirus cases rose by 13,554 on Tuesday while the death toll increased by 249 to 14,361.
Keen to stop a revolt against the rules, German officials want to offer relief over Christmas with a December 23 to January 1 amnesty on family gatherings.
"Christmas and other end-of-year festivities should be possible … with family and friends even in this unusual year, albeit on a smaller scale," a draft proposal of the Christmas plan said.
The German leaders stopped short of recommending a blanket ban on fireworks at New Year's Eve, but said none would be allowed in public areas to avoid large numbers of people gathering.
In the UK, Mr Johnson said he was working with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish executives on nationwide plans to briefly relax the rules at Christmas to allow families to get together, with details to be announced shortly.
He urged the public to keep following the rules in the run-up to the festive season to make a short respite possible.
"'’Tis the season to be jolly, but 'tis also the season to be jolly careful, especially with elderly relatives,” he said.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that this Christmas “will be different” as he seeks to “avoid a third wave”.
But as infections fall, a plan is in the works to allow gatherings of up to six people at parties.
The government will recommend that office gatherings and similar celebrations in the run-up to the holidays be held on restaurant terraces, outside or in places with "no more than two walls", it was reported.
A draft document proposed "planning a different Christmas without taking out the soul and spirit that makes it one of our citizens' most beloved holidays".
Some regions, however, are already moving ahead.
Catalonia is reopening bars and restaurants and wants to allow gatherings of up to 10 people at Christmas.
In Italy, the government is drafting a decree to limit social contact until the New Year, and officials are considering pushing back the curfew to 11pm to allow people more time for buying gifts.
“Italians will need to prepare for a sober Christmas, with no big parties, hugs and kisses, as one week of unrestrained social gatherings would lead to a sharp steepening of the pandemic curve with more deaths and pressure on ICUs,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said last week.
“The country cannot afford that.”
As lockdown is eased in some countries, others are going backwards.
Sweden, which never ordered a lockdown, has registered 17,265 new cases since Friday, compared to 15,084 new cases recorded during the previous week.
A further 94 deaths were recorded, bringing the total to 6,500.
On Monday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven used a rare national address to bemoan his countrymen's failure to stick to Covid-19 restrictions.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russia’s healthcare system was under heavy strain in the lead-up to Christmas.
The country reported a record 491 Covid deaths on Tuesday, with 24,326 new cases.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "The healthcare system is working under heavy strain, but with the exception of a few regions...the situation remains under control.
"This is an epidemiological challenge that all the world's countries have faced. We have not faced such challenges in either new or modern history."
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
