Hackers monitored the networks of the Treasury and Commerce departments undetected for months. In a Sunday emergency directive, the Department of Homeland Security asked all federal agencies to search their networks for compromises and told those affected to disconnect all machines using the targeted SolarWinds server software.

Sounds of shofars rang out on Saturday as Trump supporters marched seven times across the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the Department of Justice, praying “for the walls of corruption and election fraud to fall down.” Author and radio host Eric Metaxas and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn headlined the one-day prayer rally that included several claims of extra-biblical revelation about Trump and the election.

The Christmas market sprawled out across Römerberg square in Frankfurt, Germany, every December resembles a winter wonderland. Lights cover popup shops and Christmas trees as shoppers drink mulled wine and browse.

But this year, the square is mostly bare, without the shops, crowds, or lights. Frankfurt announced the markets, scheduled to run from Nov. 23 to Dec. 22, would not open. The scene is reflected across many other European countries as authorities scramble to avoid another wave of COVID-19 over the Christmas holiday.

The Danish Refugee Council on Friday said three of its staffers who worked as guards at a project site in the warring region of Tigray in Ethiopia have died. In a separate statement, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said one worker died in Hitsats refugee camp in the town of Shire. 

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Thursday announced a freeze on visa-free entry into Hong Kong and Macao for Americans with diplomatic passports. Sanctions will also extend to U.S. lawmakers, their staffers, employees of non-governmental organizations, and their family members over their intervention in Hong Kong affairs.

The European Union on Thursday offered to maintain train, airline, and freight operations with Britain for six months if they can’t reach a trade agreement by the end of this year. Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 but let many things, including international trade, stay the same for the following 11 months. The two sides are at a stalemate over fishing rights, fair competition, and how to resolve future disputes.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Wednesday presented the proposed legislation titled “Supporting Republican Principles” to the Cabinet. Castex said the bill does not target people of a particular region but “the nefarious ideology of radical Islamism.” France has faced multiple extremist attacks, including the October beheading of a school teacher who showed caricatures of Mohammad, the founder of Islam, to his students.