Season’s Greetings: Hong Kongers write Christmas cards to jailed protesters

With Israel having closed its borders to most foreigners, Bethlehem's residents are getting ready for a muted holiday season.

With Israel having closed its borders to most foreigners, Bethlehem's residents are getting ready for a muted holiday season.

The latest polls find a majority of Americans regard the supply chain crisis as a major concern.

Pope Francis said that those who are indifferent to the poor "offend God." In a Christmas season overshadowed by coronavirus worries, he also urged followers to value the "little things in life."

The Greek and Tunisian coast guards have also reported successful rescue missions. Nonetheless, dozens of people have died in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean over the past several days.

Although Germany isn't logging record cases like its neighbors, Health Minister Lauterbach said current figures don't show the whole picture. Data reporting has slowed over the holidays — but the omicron variant has not.

Pro-democracy news site Citizen News said its decision to shut down came in response to the recent closure of Stand News. It is the third pro-democracy publication to cease operations in recent months.

Hong Kong activist found guilty over Tiananmen vigil: DW's Phoebe Kong reports

Health authorities in the territory have said the animals are to be "humanely" put down after coronavirus infections were traced back to hamsters at a pet shop.

Journalism teachers in Hong Kong can no longer teach freely amid an ongoing crackdown on free press by the government. Some are adapting to the new situation and changing their strategy.

Authorities enraged pet lovers with an order to cull more than 2,200 hamsters after tracing an outbreak to a worker in a shop where 11 hamsters tested positive. Imported hamsters from Holland into the Chinese territory had been cited as the source. All hamster imports remain banned.

In the past year authorities have used the law to close independent media and arrest or jail leaders of the pro-democracy protests. Many have left Hong Kong. Of those who remain, few are willing to speak out. DW's Phoebe Kong met one of them.