Russia’s Supreme Court has ordered the closure of International Memorial, Russia’s oldest human rights group. Memorial worked to recover the memory of the millions of innocent people executed, imprisoned or persecuted in the Soviet era. Formally it has been “liquidated” for failing to mark a number of social media posts with its official status as a “foreign agent”. That designation was given in 2016 for receiving funding from abroad. But in court, the prosecutor labelled Memorial a “public threat”, accusing the group of being in the pay of the West to focus attention on Soviet crimes instead of highlighting a “glorious past”. Founded in 1989, Memorial became a symbol of a country opening up to the world – and to itself – as Russia began examining the darkest chapters of its past. Its closure is a stark symbol of how the country has turned back in on itself under President Vladimir Putin, rejecting criticism – even of history – as a hostile act. There were shouts of “shame!” from those in court as the decision was read out. The ruling also shines a light on the rise in repression in modern-day Russia, where Memorial’s own human rights wing now lists more than 400 political prisoners, and independent groups and media are increasingly blacklisted as “foreign agents”. In court, lawyers for Memorial argued that the group’s work was beneficial for the “health of the nation”. They declared Memorial a friend of Russia, not its enemy, and called the case for liquidation absurd and “Orwellian”. (BBC)…[+]

France has announced tighter Covid restrictions amid concerns over the Omicron variant. From 3 January, remote working will become compulsory for those who can and public gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people for indoor events. The news comes as France recorded more than 100,000 new infections on Saturday – the highest number reported in the country since the pandemic began. But France’s prime minister did not bring in a New Year’s Eve curfew. Countries across Europe are tightening restrictions as infections rise and the new Omicron variant spreads through the continent. Studies suggest the strain is milder than Delta, with a 30% to 70% lower chance of infected people ending up in hospital. But there are fears the sheer number of cases could overwhelm hospitals. French Prime Minister Jean Castex told reporters the pandemic felt “like a film without an ending” as he unveiled the new measures at a news conference following a crisis cabinet meeting. Health Minister Olivier Véran said coronavirus infections were doubling every two days, warning of a “mega wave” of new cases.(BBC)…[+]

The captain and first officer of a ship that ran aground on a coral reef in Mauritius have each been sentenced to 20 months in prison. About 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from the Japanese-owned MV Wakashio leaked into the ocean in July 2020, causing Mauritius’ worst ecological disaster. The magistrate said she hoped that the sentence would “serve as a lesson” for the men, and other potential offenders. Both had pleaded guilty to endangering safe navigation. The captain, Indian national Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, admitted to drinking moderately during a birthday party on board, before the MV Wakashio ran aground on 25 July 2020. He apologised to Mauritians for the damage caused. The first officer, Sri Lankan national Hitihanillage Subhoda Janendra Tilakaratna, appealed to the court for leniency and said he had not been able to see his family since his arrest. In her ruling, magistrate Ida Dookhy-Rambarun said the sentences were “fully warranted”, despite the guilty pleas, and the “clean record and personal circumstances”.(BBC)…[+]

Heavy storms have battered western regions of the United States, leaving thousands without power.

Almost 30in (76cm) of snow fell in parts of northern California in 24 hours, causing blackouts and road closures, including a 70-mile (112km) stretch of Interstate 80 into Nevada. Avalanche warnings are in effect across six states. Over the weekend, southern California was hit by rainstorms, which saw power lines snap and streets flooded.

More than 1.8in of rain fell over 24 hours in San Marcos pass in Santa Barbara county, while Rocky Butte in San Luis Obispo county recorded 1.61in, officials said. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno, Nevada, said snowstorms would remain heavy over Sunday night and well into Monday, and forecasters have warned that travel could prove difficult in the region for several days.(BBC)…[+]

The Taliban have said Afghan women seeking to travel long distances by road should be offered transport only if accompanied by a male relative. The directive, issued on Sunday, is the latest curb on women’s rights since the Islamist group seized power in August. The majority of secondary schools remain shut for girls, while most women have been banned from working. Campaign group Human Rights Watch said the new restriction moved further towards making women prisoners. Heather Barr, the group’s associate director of women’s rights, told AFP news agency the order “shuts off opportunities for [women] to be able to move about freely” or “to be able to flee if they are facing violence in the home”. The latest directive, issued by the Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said women travelling for more than 45 miles (72km) should be accompanied by a close male family member.(BBC)…[+]

The $10bn James Webb telescope has left Earth on its mission to show the first stars to light up the Universe. The observatory was lifted skyward by an Ariane rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Its flight to orbit lasted just under half an hour, with a signal confirming a successful outcome picked up by a ground antenna at Malindi in Kenya. Webb, named after one of the architects of the Apollo Moon landings, is the successor to the Hubble telescope. Engineers working with the US, European and Canadian space agencies have built the new observatory to be 100 times more powerful, however. “Lift off from a tropical rainforest to the edge of time itself, James Webb begins a voyage back to the birth of the Universe,” said American space agency (Nasa) TV commentator Rob Navias at the moment the rocket left the Earth.(BBC)…[+]

A volcano eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma has officially been declared over, after three months of spewing ash and hot molten rock. Since erupting on 19 September, the Cumbre Vieja volcano destroyed more than 3,000 properties and hundreds of acres of farmland on the Canary Island. More than 7,000 people were forced to leave their homes as lava closed in. But after 10 days of calmer activity, authorities decided the volcano was not going to flare up again. “What I want to say today can be said with just four words: The eruption is over,” said Canary Islands regional security chief Julio Perez. There had been no earth tremors since 13 December – the longest period without any activity since the volcano began.(BBC)…[+]

International charity Save the Children says two of its staff are missing in Myanmar after more than 30 bodies were found following an attack blamed on the military. Troops forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed others and burned their bodies in eastern Kayah state, the charity says. Children and women are believed to be among the victims of Friday’s incident. The military says it killed a number of armed terrorists in the area. Mass protests have been taking place across Myanmar (also known as Burma) since the military seized control in February. Elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party are among those detained.(BBC)…[+]

US President Joe Biden has denied his administration bungled its response to the emergence of the Omicron variant. He told a TV network that “nobody” could have predicted it. His top adviser Dr Anthony Fauci has said experts did foresee variants. It comes a day after the White House unveiled plans to order 500 million at-home coronavirus tests amid a shortage. There have been long waits for in-person tests as Christmas looms.  “I don’t think it’s a failure,” Mr Biden said in a sit-down interview with ABC News on Wednesday. “I think it’s – you could argue that we should have known a year ago, six months ago, two months ago, a month ago.” The Democratic president said he wished he “had thought” about ordering the 500 million test kits “two months ago”.(BBC)…[+]

Actor James Franco has admitted having sex with students from his acting school, almost four years after sexual misconduct allegations were made. The 43-year-old agreed to pay $2.2m (£1.6m) in July after being sued for engaging in “sexually-charged behaviour towards female students”.  Speaking on The Jess Cagle Podcast, he said that while teaching, he “did sleep with students, and that was wrong”. He said he had not started the school to lure women for sexual purposes. Franco was nominated for best actor at the Oscars in 2011 for his starring role in 127 Hours, directed by Danny Boyle, and is also known for his roles in Pineapple Express and the Spider-Man films. The actor said he had remained quiet over the allegations relating to his school for years because “there were people that were upset with me and I needed to listen”. Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, who attended Franco’s now-defunct Studio 4 acting school, alleged Franco tried to “create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education”.(BBC)…[+]