Twenty-six anti-government protestors are killed during a military operation in Almaty. The death toll of security forces increases to 18 with two of the officers being beheaded. (BBC News)
High-risk establishments such as bars and gyms will be closed from January 7, while dining in restaurants will be banned after 6 p.m. (South China Morning Post)
Italy reports a record for the third consecutive day of 219,441 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 6.97 million. (Anadolu Agency)
Ukraine begins administering booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine for all adults who received their second dose at least six months prior. (Ukrinform)
Argentina surpasses 6 million cases of COVID-19 after reporting a record for the third consecutive day of 109,608 new cases of COVID-19. (NHK World-Japan)
Peru raises its pandemic Alert level in 24 provinces from "moderate" to "high", resulting in an extended curfew between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., as well as tightened capacity limits in shopping centers, banks and restaurants. This comes as the number of daily COVID-19 cases increased 25% from the previous week. (Reuters)
The Northern Territory imposes a lockdown until Monday for people over the age of 16 years who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 after the territory reported a record 256 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (ABC News)
Density limits are reintroduced to hospitality and entertainment venues and non-urgent elective surgeries are paused as cases and hospitalisations rise in the state. (The Guardian)
The FrenchNational Assembly votes 214−93 with 27 abstentions to approve a bill to transform the COVID-19 health pass into a vaccine pass, which would require people over the age of 12 years to show proof of vaccination in order to enter most public places and use inter-regional public transport. The bill will be debated in the Senate early next week and is expected to come into effect later this month. (Euronews)