Japan bans all non-resident foreign arrivals

Women in traditional dress walk beneath decorations for the upcoming new year in Tokyo, Japan, in this file photo. Japan halted all new non-resident foreign arrivals coming from overseas from Monday until late January, Tokyo said on Saturday, as the country reported its first cases of a new strain of the coronavirus. SD-Agencies

S. Korea confirms first variant cases from Britain

South Korean officials are vowing to speed up efforts to launch a public coronavirus vaccination program as the country on Monday announced it had detected its first cases of the virus variant linked to the rapid rise in infections in Britain.

The new variant, thought to be more transmissible than others currently circulating, was found in three people who had entered South Korea from London on December 22, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Monday.

Overall the KDCA reported 808 new cases as of midnight Sunday, the lowest since a record 1,241 infections were logged on Friday.

UK, EU clinch Christmas trade deal

A Christmas cracker was announced on Thursday as Britain and the European Union (EU) finally secured a free trade deal following nine months of tortuous negotiations.

The deal brought much relief to politicians and businesses across Europe and looked to help both sides of the English Channel rebuild their trust following years of Brexit bitterness.

However, not everyone was happy with the deal, which will govern the EU-U.K. trade and security relationship starting from January 1, 2021. Challenges still remain as Britain and the EU part as “old friends” in the new year.

Oldest living Olympic champion to turn 100

Hungarian gymnast and five-time Olympic champion Agnes Keleti, the world’s oldest living Olympic champion as well as a Holocaust survivor, is looking forward to turning 100 next month.

Keleti, who celebrates her birthday January 9, is also Hungary’s most successful gymnast, and one of the most decorated Jewish athletes in history. While she now has dementia that affects her short-term memory, her feisty spirit remains intact.

Moving in a sprightly manner around her apartment where both her life mementoes and Olympic medals are on display, she joked about not being allowed to perform the full-leg splits anymore.

Europe rolls out vaccines to leave pandemic behind

Europe launched a cross-border vaccination program of unprecedented scale on Sunday as part of efforts to end a pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives around the world.

The region of 450 million people has secured contracts with a range of suppliers for over 2 billion vaccine doses and has set a goal for all adults to be inoculated during 2021.

The sheer scale of the effort means that some countries are calling on retired medics to help out while others have loosened rules for who is allowed to give the injections.

Trump signs pandemic aid and spending bill

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday night signed the government spending and COVID-19 relief package into law, averting a government shutdown and delivering aid to individuals and businesses as the pandemic worsens.

Trump signed off on the US$2.3-trillion spending package days after he asked Congress to remove wasteful items in the bill and boost the amount of stimulus checks to US$2,000 for individuals, up from US$600.(SD-Agencies)