Two knife-wielding assailants kill a police officer and wound another in Grozny, Chechnya. The attackers are shot dead while trying to seize weapons. It is the second attack against police in the city in recent months; in October, two officers were killed by militants. (Reuters)
Finland reports its first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the United Kingdom, after a person who travelled from Western Europe tested positive for COVID-19. (Yle)
A separate, second variant from South Africa is also reported in Finland, after two people tested positive for COVID-19. (News 24)
Switzerland reports its first two case of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 from South Africa after two people tested positive for COVID-19 despite having no clear traveling history to South Africa. (Business Insider South Africa)
The United Kingdom reports a record 41,385 new cases in the past 24 hours. It is the first time that the country has reported more than 40,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. (BBC News)
Saudi Arabia extends the suspension of all international commercial flights, as well as all entry through land and sea ports for another week due to concerns about the new variant of SARS-CoV-2. (Gulf News)
South Korea reports its first cases of a more infectious variant of SARS-CoV-2, after three South Korean nationals who arrived from the United Kingdom tested positive for COVID-19, including an elderly man who has since died. (Yonhap News Agency)
PresidentCyril Ramaphosa announces that the country will move from level 1 to level 3 from midnight until January 15. This means that all alcohol sales are banned, wearing of masks in public places is compulsory, most gatherings other than funerals are banned, and the nationwide curfew will be extended from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. local time. (Bloomberg)
The European Union announces that it is close to reaching an investment deal with China. The deal would immensely impact the global economy, especially with the U.S.-China trade war. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
Officer Adam Coy, who fatally shot Andre Hill was fired. Coy had failed to follow the required protocol by not turning on his body camera and failed to aid the dying man. Hill's killing was the second police-involved shooting in Columbus, Ohio in weeks, setting off renewed protests against the authorities for excessive use of force. (NPR)
A court in Saudi Arabia sentences women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul to five years and eight months in prison on grounds of "various activities prohibited by the anti-terrorism law". The verdict comes despite pressure from international organizations to release her. (DW)