Sudan will ban all travellers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and South Africa beginning December 23 due to the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2. (Reuters)
The European Medicines Agency conditionally approves the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech for use in European Union countries. (ABC News)
The first cases of COVID-19 in Antarctica are reported. 36 people test positive for the virus after spending a week at the Base General Bernardo O'Higgins, in the Chilean Antarctic Territory. (Infobae)
The planets Jupiter and Saturn appear at their closest in the sky since 1623, in an event known as a great conjunction. The closest approach will occur at 18:22 UTC, when the two planets will be one-tenth of a degree apart; they will appear to be a binary object to the naked eye. (Euronews)
Two men are found guilty at London's Old Bailey of the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese people whom they were smuggling into the UK. The 39 people suffocated in a lorry during the journey across the North Sea, from Zeebrugge to Purfleet, in October 2019. (BBC News)
Abu Dhabi is expected to lift restrictions in the city beginning December 24. (Al Arabiya)
Colombia–Russia relations Migración Colombia confirms the expulsion of two Russian diplomats accused of espionage. (Reuters)
Guatemala announces a mandatory two-week quarantine for anyone who has recently visited the United Kingdom or South Africa in an effort to prevent the spread of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2. The restrictions will last for two months. (Reuters)
Malaysia signs a deal to receive 6.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. (The Star)
Migración Colombia confirms the expulsion of two Russian diplomats accused of espionage. (Reuters)
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announces that he has extended the mask mandate to 78 counties in the state. (AP)
Quebec reports 2,183 cases, a new-single day record. (The Globe and Mail)
Singapore bans all long-term passport holders and short-term visitors who had travel history to the United Kingdom within the last 14 days to enter the country beginning tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. local time due to the emergence of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2. (The Straits Times)
Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation Authority bans all flights to and from the United Kingdom beginning on December 23 to prevent a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 from spreading to the country. (Ada Derana)
Taiwan reports their first locally transmitted case since April 12 after an unidentified patient tested positive for COVID-19. (Bloomberg)
Taoiseach Micheál Martin announces a return of "Level 5" lockdown in the country with specific adjustments from Christmas Eve until at least January 12. (The Journal)
The United Arab Emirates announces that they will roll out the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to all adult UAE citizens. (Financial Times)
The United Kingdom reports a record 36,804 new cases in the past 24 hours. In addition, the country also reports 691 new deaths, the highest daily total in nearly a month. (Sky News)
Germany reports a record 962 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, bringing the nationwide death toll to 27,968. (dpa International)
Japan bans the entry of non-Japanese citizens from the United Kingdom beginning tomorrow, following the emergence of a more infectious strain of SARS-CoV-2. (The Straits Times)
Karnataka imposes a night curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. IST until January 2 due to fears of a mutant version of SARS-CoV-2 that was found in the United Kingdom. It becomes the second Indian state to do so after Maharashtra. (NDTV)
Malaysia discovers a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 named A701B in Sabah. It has been deemed to be more infectious. (The Star)
Mayor Bill de Blasio orders people traveling from the United Kingdom to quarantine or face fines due to the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (CBS News)
Metekel massacre More than 100 people are killed and at least 30 others wounded in a massacre in Metekel, Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia. (BBC News)
More than 100 people are killed and at least 30 others wounded in a massacre in Metekel, Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia. (BBC News)
Singapore reports the first case of a mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom when 17-year-old girl who had studied in the United Kingdom tested positive for COVID-19. (The Straits Times)
South Korea suspends flights to and from the United Kingdom until December 31 over concerns about the new strain of SARS-CoV-2. (KBS World)
The number of recovered patients in Indonesia increases by a record 5,981 in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recovered patients to 558,703. (detikNews)
The United Kingdom reports a record 39,237 new cases in the past 24 hours. In addition, the country also reports 744 deaths, the highest single-day total since April 29. (ITV)
Arkansas reports 3,204 new cases on Christmas Eve, a new single-day record. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
China says it will suspend all direct flights to and from the United Kingdom indefinitely due to the new variant of SARS-CoV-2. (CNA)
Germany reports the first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom after a woman who flew from London to Frankfurt this weekend tested positive for COVID-19. (DW)
Indonesia issues a ban on travellers from the United Kingdom and restricts entry to people from mainland Europe and Australia to prevent the spread of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 Task Force Chief Doni Monardo says that these measures will remain in place until January 8. (Reuters)
Italy surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (ANSA)
Metekel massacre The Ethiopian National Defense Force clashes with armed bandits involved in yesterday's massacre, killing 42 of them and seizing weapons. (Al Arabiya English)
Nationwide, a record 3,743 new cases are reported in Japan in the past 24 hours. (The Japan Times)
Ontario reports 2,447 cases on Christmas Eve, a new single-day record. (The Chronicle-Journal)
Over 300,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine arrive in Argentina. (Livemint)
Quebec reports 2,349 cases over the past 24 hours, a new single-day record. (Montreal Gazette)
Russia reports a record 29,935 new cases and 635 deaths in the past 24 hours, thus bringing the nationwide totals to 2,963,688 confirmed cases and 53,096 deaths. (Arab News)
The Ethiopian National Defense Force clashes with armed bandits involved in yesterday's massacre, killing 42 of them and seizing weapons. (Al Arabiya English)
Tokyo reports a record 888 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the prefecture to 54,018. (NHK World)
Turkey announces that CoronaVac is 91.25% effective in preventing COVID-19 based on data in interim studies. These initial results follow Phase III trials that involved 7,371 volunteers. (Daily Sabah)
Ukraine surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (Kyiv Post)
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines will require passengers from the United Kingdom to test negative for COVID-19 due to the emergence of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2. (Reuters)
A boat overturns and sinks due to strong winds on the Ugandan side of Lake Albert, killing 26 people. (BBC News)
Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan confirms that the Republic has detected the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom as the country reports more than 1,000 for the first time in two months. (Independent.ie)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives a COVID-19 vaccine. (The Hill)
France reports their first case of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a French citizen who travelled from London to Tours, France on December 19. (Sky News)
Indonesia reports a record 258 deaths and 6,324 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide totals to 20,847 deaths and 570,304 recoveries. (CNN Indonesia)
Japan reports their first cases of the new variant of SARS-COV-2 in five people who arrived from the United Kingdom. (The Japan Times)
Kyrgyzstan surpasses 80,000 cases of COVID-19. (Xinhua News Agency)
Lebanon reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a passenger on a Middle East Airlines flight from London on December 21. (The National)
Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cissé dies from COVID-19 in France two months after he was released by jihadist militants in a prisoner swap. (France 24)
Morocco is expected to acquire 65 million vaccine doses from AstraZeneca and Sinopharm. (ABC News)
Rospotrebnadzor orders a 14-day quarantine for anyone who travels from the United Kingdom, with the exception of aircraft crew members, beginning tomorrow due to the spread of a more contagious variant of SARS-CoV-2. (The Moscow Times)
South Africa reports a record 14,796 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 983,359 cases. (The Citizens)
South Korea reports a record 1,241 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 54,770 cases. (Yonhap News Agency)
The authorities extends the compulsory quarantine in designed hotels to 21 days for visitors from outside China, Macau, and Taiwan beginning tomorrow and also ban all people who stayed in South Africa over the past 21 days from entering Hong Kong in order to prevent the spread of new variants of SARS-CoV-2. (The Straits Times)
The United Kingdom exceeds 70,000 deaths from COVID-19. (The Independent) (BBC News)
Turkey signs a deal with BioNTech to receive up to 30 million doses of their vaccine. (Daily Sabah)
A fire inside an intensive care unit for COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Obour, Egypt, kills seven people and injures five others. (ABC News)
Authorities announce that they suspect the incident was a suicide bombing, following the discovery of human remains at the blast site. (CNN)
COVID-19 vaccine Spain receives its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine tozinameran in Guadalajara, a day before the country begins its vaccination programme. (Euro Weekly News)
Crime in Germany Four men are seriously injured in a mass shooting in Kreuzberg, Berlin. The city's attorney said that rival gangs may have been responsible for the shooting. (BBC News)
Four men are seriously injured in a mass shooting in Kreuzberg, Berlin. The city's attorney said that rival gangs may have been responsible for the shooting. (BBC News)
Indonesia reports a record 6,389 recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of recoveries to 576,693. (detikNews)
Iran extends a nighttime traffic curfew that runs from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. local time to 330 lower-risk "yellow" cities in an effort to sustain a recent decrease in the numbers of new cases and deaths. (Hindustan Times)
Madrid reports the nation's first four cases of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2. (The Guardian)
Malaysia reports a record 2,335 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 103,900. (CNA)
Ontario reports its first two cases of a new SARS-COV-2 variant in a couple from Durham Region with no known travel history, exposure, or high-risk contacts. Ontario is the first province in Canada to identify a case of this new variant. (CBC)
Spain receives its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine tozinameran in Guadalajara, a day before the country begins its vaccination programme. (Euro Weekly News)
Sweden reports their first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 after a traveller from the United Kingdom tested positive for COVID-19. (The Hill)
The Japanese Foreign Ministry will ban non-resident foreign nationals from entering Japan from December 28 until the end of January after several cases of a more infectious variant of SARS-CoV-2 were reported in the country. Japanese citizens and foreign residents will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days when they enter the country. (CNN)
Tokyo reports a record 949 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the prefecture to 55,851. (The Japan Times)
