Four prison doctors are killed after a magnetic bomb attached to their vehicle exploded in Kabul. A civilian passerby also died in the attack. The bombing follows a series of recent assassination attempts and targeted killings of prominent Afghan figures. (Channel NewsAsia)
PresidentDonald Trump says that he might not sign the $900 billion relief bill, which was passed by both the House and Senate. He also calls for Congress to amend the bill and increase stimulus checks to Americans earning under $75,000 per year from $600 to $2,000. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agrees to work with Congress to increase the payout amount. (The Washington Post)(BBC News)(WFLA-TV)
Overall deaths in the U.S. for this year are projected to surpass three million mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus making 2020 the deadliest year in U.S. history. The numbers also represent an approximate 15 percent increase compared to the previous year, which is the largest single-year percentage increase since 1918. (AP)
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)
France agrees to reopen its border with the United Kingdom after it was closed for 48 hours due to the spread of a new variant of the virus in England. Planes, boats, and Eurostar trains will resume services tomorrow but only British, French, and EU citizens or residents who show a negative COVID-19 test result from the previous 72 hours will be allowed to travel until January 6. (BBC News)
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)
Fiji announces it will close its borders from Thursday until next Monday to review border quarantine processes after a new variant of the virus was found in the United Kingdom. (RNZ)
The appeals court of the Cayman Islands reduces the prison sentence of Georgia teenager Skylar Mack from 4 months to 2 months. Mack was arrested on November 29 for breaching quarantine rules. (CBS News)