Yousuf Rasheed, CEO of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan, is killed by unknown gunmen in Kabul. His driver is also shot and later died of his wounds. It is the latest targeted killing of a prominent Afghan figure. (TOLO News)
Lufthansa ships 80 tonnes of fresh food to the United Kingdom to prevent shortages amid fears that the lifting of the Frenchblockade of the France–UK border will not prevent shortages in some supermarkets. The airline says "additional special cargo flights" are planned to meet demand. Thousands of trucks remain outside of Dover. (The Guardian)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
The government announces that the Czech Republic will be moving to the highest level of PES measures beginning on December 27. This means that all non-essential shops will be closed and a curfew between 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time on Sunday will be enforced. There will also be no exceptions on New Year's Eve. (Expats.cz)
Stranded lorry drivers clash with police in Kent, England, amid frustrations over ongoing delays at the border with France. At least one person has been arrested for obstructing a highway, according to the police. (The Guardian)