Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses an extended meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board at the National Defense Control Center in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, December 21, 2021. The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated the demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastward, blaming the West for current tensions in Europe. (Photo by Mikhail Tereshchenko, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP Photo)
Russian Communist party supporters march to lay flowers to the tomb of late Soviet leader Joseph Stalin during a memorial ceremony to mark the 142nd anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow on December 21, 2021. While historians blame Stalin for the deaths of millions in purges, prison camps and forced collectivization, many in Russia still praise him for leading the Soviet Union to victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. (Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP Photo)
New Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey is welcomed by chimney sweeps as she arrives at the Town Hall, in Berlin, Germany December 21, 2021. (Photo by Michele Tantussi/Reuters)
Riot police officers scuffle with anti-COVID-19 green pass protesters at the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, December 21, 2021. People gathered to protest agains the introduction of the COVID-19 “green certificate” in work places, a measure considered by authorities to limit the coronavirus infections. (Photo by Alexandru Dobre/AP Photo)
People wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 stroll along a Chanel boutique in Paris, Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Nations across Europe have moved to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible omicron variant. (Photo by Michel Euler/AP Photo)
A person wearing a Santa Claus outfit and a mask for protection against the COVID-19 infection stands, during a Christmas event organized by the public transport company in Romania’s capital n Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, December 19, 2021. (Photo by Alexandru Dobre/AP Photo)
Women wearing face masks stop to chat when crossing each other on the street in Lisbon, Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Portugal holds an extraordinary Cabinet meeting today with the government expected to announce some tinkering with the COVID-19 pandemic measures ahead of the holidays. (Photo by Armando Franca/AP Photo)
A shopper wearing a face mask pushes an empty cart past inflatable Santa Clauses as she leaves a discount store in Inglewood, Calif., Monday, December 20, 2021. Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)
A woman takes a snapshot of Christmas decorations in downtown Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Despite vaccination rates that make other governments envious, Spain and Iberian neighbor Portugal are facing the hard truth that these winter holidays won’t be a time of unrestrained joy. The reason is the new omicron variant that has been running rampant across Europe. (Photo by Bernat Armangue/AP Photo)
A couple sits on its own in a restaurant for a Christmas lunch in London, Tuesday, December 21, 2021. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that his government reserves the “possibility of taking further action” to protect public health as Omicron spreads across the country. (Photo by Frank Augstein/AP Photo)
In this photo provided by Greenpeace, residents sit beside damaged homes due to Typhoon Rai in Surigao City, southern Philippines Monday December 20, 2021. The governor of a central Philippine province devastated by Typhoon Rai last week pleaded on radio Tuesday for the government to quickly send food and other aid, warning that without outside help, army troops and police forces would have to be deployed to prevent looting amid growing hunger. (Photo by Erwin Mascarinas/Greenpeace via AP Photo)
Aoife Ni Heochaidh enjoys the sunrise as she welcomes winter solstice at the 5000-year-old stone age passage tomb of Newgrange in the Boyne Valley, as entry inside the chamber is closed for the second year due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Newgrange, Ireland, December 21, 2021. (Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)
A man disguised as Santa Claus jumps into the water in the beach of Acapulco, state of Guerrero, Mexico, on December 21, 2021. (Photo by Francisco Robles/AFP Photo)
Bruno, left, dressed as a snowman, during the annual Hyde Park Sausage Walk, in Hyde Park, London, Sunday, December 19, 2021, as dachshunds and their owners meet up to celebrate the Christmas season. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire via AP Photo)
Aquarist Volmer Salvador prepares to swims inside a tank at the AquaRio aquarium dressed as Santa Claus costume in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, December 20, 2021. (Photo by Bruna Prado/AP Photo)
The traditionnal giant Christmas tree of the Galeries Lafayette department store stands under its great dome in Paris, France, 20 December 2021. French President Macron has announced a series of health restriction measures in anticipation of the arrival of the new Omicron variant and to combat a resurgence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. (Photo by Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA/EFE)
