*) UK, EU strike a Brexit trade deal

British and EU negotiators have agreed on a new free trade deal after marathon talks in Brussels.

The deal will come into force on January 1st, and averts the potential chaos of tariffs and quotas.

Last-minute negotiations between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen included haggling over fishing quotas.

*) UK finds second Covid-19 variants linked to South Africa

A new, potentially more transmittable, variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 has been found in Britain in cases linked to South Africa.

Britain said that two people infected with the new variant are contacts of cases who travelled from South Africa.

Scientists in South Africa believe the variant is more infectious and could hit younger people.

Meanwhile, Italy’s national carrier Alitalia has resumed flights from London after shutting the route down for several days.

*) Trump throws pandemic relief into doubt

Now to the US, where disputes between lawmakers over the 900-billion-dollar coronavirus relief package are threatening to shut down the government.

Congress approved the package on Monday but President Trump refused to sign it, demanding higher stimulus cheques for Americans.

Trump’s demand for $2,000 cheques for most Americans was swiftly rejected by House Republicans, throwing a massive virus relief and government funding bill into chaos.

*) Pakistani court orders release of man charged in Daniel Pearl killing

A Pakistani court has ordered that the man charged in the 2002 murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl be freed.

The order from Sindh High Court overturned a Supreme Court decision in September that Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh should remain in custody.

Sheikh was sentenced to death and three others were sentenced to life in prison for their role in the murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter.

And finally…

*) Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhere

Christmas has arrived but the coronavirus has put a damper on festivities.

Celebrations in Europe are scaled back this year as virus infections surge across the continent with a new variant that may be more contagious.

Subdued scenes were repeated across the world as festive family gatherings and packed prayers were pared back or cancelled.

*) President Trump grants clemency to more allies

US President Donald Trump has issued a new raft of pardons for allies, this time granting clemency to 26 people.

The pardons that include Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and associate Roger Stone have sparked fresh outrage.

Also on the list was Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2005.

*) Announcement of UK-EU trade deal expected Thursday morning

After months of painful, stuttering talks, UK and EU negotiators appear on the brink of reaching a post-Brexit trade deal.

An official from the bloc said the announcement on the deal is expected on Thursday morning with negotiations still going through the details.

The front pages of several British newspapers already proclaimed victory for Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the quest for a pact.

*) Fire breaks out in Bosnia migrant camp

A migrant camp in northwestern Bosnia has been destroyed in a blaze that a UN official blamed on former residents.

There were no injuries reported since the UN migration agency had earlier withdrawn residents from the camp for winter refurbishing.

The Lipa tent camp near the Croatian border once housed 1,200 migrants and had been criticised by rights groups over its squalid conditions.

*) More than 100 killed gunned down in Ethiopia

Gunmen have killed more than 100 people in the latest massacre along ethnic lines in western Ethiopia.

The attack in Benishangul-Gumuz region occurred a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the region and spoke about recent massacres.

Ethnic tensions are a major challenge as he tries to promote national unity in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups.

And finally…

*) Facebook bans Australian celebrity chef over virus misinformation

Facebook has banned Australian celebrity chef and conspiracy theorist Pete Evans for repeatedly spreading misinformation about the coronavirus.

With more than a million social media followers, Evans had been an influential promoter of conspiracy theories about the pandemic.

Facebook said it would not "allow anyone to share misinformation about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm".

*) US President Trump pardons 15, including Republican allies

US President Trump has pardoned 15 people, including some Republican allies and ex-government contractors convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad.

He also pardoned his 2016 campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who was convicted of lying to federal investigators probing Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Despite speculation, though, the list excluded members of Trump's own family, his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and the president himself.

*) Morocco signs deals with Israel cementing normalisation

Moroccan and Israeli officials have signed several deals, as the two countries normalise diplomatic relations.

A US-Israeli delegation earlier arrived in Rabat from Tel Aviv on the first direct commercial flight between Israel and Morocco.

Morocco followed the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan to normalise ties with Israel.

*) Israel to hold snap election in March

Meanwhile, in Israel, the parliament has been dissolved after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz failed to reach a deal on a national budget.

The deadlock has triggered a snap election, to be held in March. It will be Israel's fourth general election in the last two years.

Netanyahu has been the target of regular protests over corruption charges and his handling of the pandemic.

*) Russia confirms sending 300 soldiers to CAR

Rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR) have seized Bambari, the country's fourth-largest city.

At the Central African Republic's request, Russia and Rwanda sent military personnel to support the troubled country ahead of elections.

Russia confirmed it has sent 300 military instructors to the country at the request of its leadership to help counter a surge in rebel violence.

And finally…

*) Google to feature song on homepage for first time

Google will feature a song on its homepage for the first time.

Commissioned by the tech giant, the Peter CottonTale-produced “Together” features Chance the Rapper, Cynthia Erivo and the Chicago Children’s Choir.

It will land on Google's homepage December 23 and is also featured in Google’s “Year in Search 2020” campaign.

*) US Senate passes $900B Covid-19 relief bill

The US Congress has passed a $900 billion Covid-19 aid bill that combines virus-fighting funds with financial relief for individuals and businesses.

The relief package sped through the House in a matter of hours with Senate following soon after, sending the bill to President Donald Trump.

Before the bill was passed, President-elect Joe Biden received his first dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in Delaware.

*) UK isolated over new virus strain

More than two dozen countries from India to Argentina have suspended flights from the UK to contain a faster-spreading variant of Covid-19.

Global stocks along with oil prices and the pound have fallen after the UK reported the new strain.

Some countries also banned flights from South Africa after it said last week that a new virus mutation may be responsible for a surge in infections.

*) Al Jazeera journalists targeted by spyware

Dozens of journalists at Al Jazeera have had their mobile communications intercepted by sophisticated electronic surveillance.

That’s according to cybersecurity watchdog Citizen Lab after a months-long investigation.

The news outlet said it approached the watchdog after receiving suspicious messages on a device used to contact people for comment.

The hack reportedly used Pegasus spyware developed by Israel's NSO Group.

*) Tech giants battle Israel’s NSO

Some Big Tech companies are battling Israeli hacking company NSO in a US court, calling the firm's tools "powerful and dangerous."

NSO says that, because it sells digital break-in tools to police and spy agencies, it should benefit from "sovereign immunity".

But the tech giants argue that awarding sovereign immunity to NSO would lead to a proliferation of hacking technology among foreign governments.

And finally…

*) Jupiter and Saturn say hello

Jupiter and Saturn have come within the planetary kissing range in an intimacy that will not occur again until 2080.

Despite appearances, the two gas planets were actually more than 730 million kilometres apart.

This "great conjunction", as it is known to astronomers, is a celestial phenomenon not seen in 397 years.

*) Countries bar arrivals from UK over new virus strain

A slew of countries worldwide have banned arrivals from the UK over a new highly infectious coronavirus strain.

Among the countries banning arrivals are Turkey, several EU nations, Canada, Chile and Argentina.

Scientists first discovered the new variant – which they believe is 70 percent more transmissible – in a patient in September.

Experts say the UK mutation is "very unlikely" to be resistant to current vaccines.

*) US Congress reaches deal on virus stimulus package

US lawmakers have agreed on a nearly $900 billion Covid-19 relief package for millions of Americans.

The package includes aid for vaccine distribution and logistics, extra jobless benefits and a new round of $600 stimulus cheques.

The much-awaited deal comes after months of partisan debate and finger-pointing as well as last-minute negotiations.

*) Ethnic parties are the winner in Bosnia's Mostar

Early results of the local election in the Bosnian town of Mostar show most votes going to Croat and Bosniak parties.

A coalition of multi-ethnic moderate parties, the BH Bloc, won enough votes to act as a kingmaker in the future 35-member city council.

Croat and Bosniak communities in the town have been separated since the end of the civil war in the mid-1990s.

*) Abduction of school students foiled in Nigeria

Gunmen in Nigeria abducted more than 80 school students on Saturday but the pupils were rescued by security forces soon after.

The bandits on Saturday night abducted four people and stolen a dozen cows in Katsina state when they ran into the schoolchildren who were going home.

The foiled abduction comes less than two days after the release of 344 schoolboys, who were kidnapped in the same state last week.

And finally…

*) Denmark to exhume minks culled over coronavirus

Four million minks culled in Denmark over a coronavirus strain will be dug up next year to prevent pollution.

That’s according to the government who has faced criticism for its management of the "mink crisis".

If lawmakers agree, the mink carcasses will be dug up and burned in six months once the risk of infection has completely passed.

*) Kidnapped Nigerian schoolboys released

More than 300 schoolboys kidnapped by Boko Haram, have been released in Nigeria.

The boys are now on their way home, with 17 of them rescued during a military operation.

The incident has sparked outrage in the country with many saying the government isn't doing enough to protect its people from the terror group.

*) Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine gets US approval

The US Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has endorsed the emergency use of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine.

The company will initially rollout close to 6 million doses across the country this weekend.

The approval comes as California sets new records for Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations.

*) Denmark defines rape as sex without explicit consent

Denmark has strengthened its rape laws by criminalising sex without explicit consent.

The law will now specify that sexual consent must be given voluntarily, and as an expression of an individual’s free will through words or action.

Under the old legislation, prosecutors had to show the rapist had used violence or attacked someone who was unable to resist.

*) Cyclone Yasa weakens after hitting Fiji

Cyclone Yasa has killed at least two people and destroyed dozens of homes in Fiji.

Officials say the devastation wasn’t as widespread as they had initially feared.

Yasa is weakening as it moves southeast over some of Fiji’s outer islands.

And finally…

*) Sony pulls Cyberpunk from PS stores

Sony is pulling Cyberpunk 2077 from PlayStation stores around the world, citing customer satisfaction.

It comes after complaints of bugs, compatibility issues and even health risks in the open-world, action-adventure game.

It’s reportedly one of the most expensive video games ever made, costing developer CD Projekt RED $330M.

*) Another grim Covid-19 millstone for US

The US records another grim milestone after 3,700 people died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.

The country has been experiencing a major surge in infections for over a month now, with some 113,000 people being hospitalised.

Health officials fear the situation will become even more dire following end of year celebrations, including the Christmas holidays.

*) WHO issues Covid-19 warning to Europe

The World Health Organization says Europe will face another Covid-19 surge early next year.

It's advising people to wear face masks and maintain distance where possible during the holidays.

As a second wave sweeps over the continent, many countries have once again introduced tough measures to curb the spread.

*) Covid-19 infections in Brazil top 7M

Things are not getting any better in Brazil after its Covid-19 cases passed the 7 million mark.

Over 180,000 people have died from the virus there.

Brazil has the third highest number of infections in the world after the US and India.

*) Snow storm to hit US east coast

America's east coast is facing its biggest snow storm in years, with at least 50 million people likely to be affected.

Up to 60cm of snow is expected to fall along the eastern seaboard.

The heaviest hit areas are expected to be Maryland and Pennsylvania.

New York City officials say winds of up to 80km/h are expected in the city, along with 30cm of snow.

And finally…

*) Chang’e 5’s back home after its mission to the moon

Chinese lunar probe Chang'e 5 is back on Earth, and has brought back rocks, soil and debris from the moon.

The capsule landed in Inner Mongolia earlier this morning.

Two of the Chang’e 5’s four modules set down on the moon on December 1st, and collected about 2kg of samples by scooping them up from the surface and by drilling 2m into the moon’s crust.

*) Biden starts nominating his cabinet picks

Joe Biden has nominated Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation and plans to pick former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm as his energy secretary.

Biden also plans to pick Gina McCarthy, a former Environmental Protection Agency head, as the White House climate tsar.

All three will be central to Biden’s plan to quickly cut climate-damaging petroleum emissions.

*) Nigerian authorities in talks with kidnappers of schoolchildren

Local authorities in Nigeria say talks are underway with kidnappers who seized hundreds of students, an attack claimed by Boko Haram.

At least 333 boys are missing after heavily armed men attacked their boarding school in the town of Kankara.

More than 100 gunmen on motorcycles stormed the rural school, forcing students to flee and hide.

*) US indicts Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard on sex trafficking charges

Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been charged in the US with sex trafficking and racketeering.

Canadian police arrested Nygard in Winnipeg for crimes that targeted dozens of women and underage girls over a quarter-century in three countries.

Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss says since 1995, Nygard has been using his influence to "recruit and maintain" victims in the US, Canada and the Bahamas.

*) Poor nations might not have access to Covid-19 vaccine until 2022

At least a fifth of the world's population may not have access to a Covid-19 vaccine until 2022, a study shows.

Countries including the US, UAE and Britain have already begun rolling out immunisation programmes, reserving more than half of 2021’s potential doses.

The study estimates that up to 40% of vaccines from leading manufacturers might be available for low- and middle-income countries.

And finally…

*) Australian watchdog sues Facebook over 'misleading' VPN app

Australia's consumer watchdog has launched legal action against Facebook alleging the social media giant "misled" thousands of citizens.

It’s accusing Facebook and its partners Facebook Israel and Onavo of misleading people by collecting user data from a free VPN service advertised as private.

*) Azerbaijan, Armenia exchange prisoners as part of peace deal

Azerbaijan and Armenia have exchanged prisoners more than a month after a peace deal was signed to end fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

A plane with some of the captives landed in Azerbaijan on Monday afternoon.

Armenia Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan announced that 44 prisoners returned to Armenia from Azerbaijan.

*) 'Democracy prevailed': Biden aims to unify divided nation

Joe Biden says US democracy proved "resilient" against Donald Trump's "abuse of power" after the Electoral College confirmed him as the next president.

Biden said Trump and his allies "refused to respect the will of the people, the rule of law, and refused to honour our Constitution."

California, the most populous US state, put Biden over the 270 votes needed to win the Electoral College.

*) Turkey to take necessary steps after US sanctions over S-400

Turkey says it will respond to US sanctions on the purchase of S-400 air defence missiles from Russia.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Washington’s one-sided sanctions were beyond understanding.

The ministry called on the US to “turn back as soon as possible from this bad mistake,” adding that Ankara was ready for dialogue and diplomacy.

*) Ghislaine Maxwell proposes $28.5M bail package, proclaims innocence

Ghislaine Maxwell has proclaimed her innocence and proposed a $28.5 million bail package in a renewed effort to be freed from jail this year.

The British socialite is facing criminal charges for helping late financier Jeffrey Epstein trap girls he then sexually abused.

Maxwell said she has been married since 2016, and that she and her husband would post a $22.5 million bond, secured by all their assets, toward bail.

And finally…

*) A Lim Kim rallies from 5 down to win US Women’s Open

A Lim Kim has won the US Women's Open in her first appearance at Champions Golf Club's Cypress Creek course in Houston.

Kim notched birdies on the final three holes to surge to the lead and ultimately win the weather-interrupted championship.

Overcoming a five-shot deficit to win, Kim tied the largest final-round comeback in Open history, becoming the seventh player to do so.

*) Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shipments begin in historic US effort

The first of many freezer-packed Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine vials have been delivered to 145 distribution sites across the US.

Another 425 sites are expected to receive it on Tuesday and the remaining 66 on Wednesday.

The rollout of the vaccine ushers in the biggest vaccination effort in US history, one that health officials hope the American public will embrace.

*) US agencies hacked, Russia a possible culprit

Staying in the US... hackers believed to be working for Russia have reportedly been monitoring internal email traffic at the Treasury Department.

The hackers also gained access to an agency that decides internet and telecommunications policy.

The breach triggered a National Security Council meeting at the White House over the weekend.

*) UK and EU extend Brexit talks after ditching deadline

Britain and the EU will return to the negotiating table on Monday after agreeing to abandon a Brexit trade deal deadline.

Both say they're willing to go "the extra mile" to find a last-minute trade deal.

The announcement suggests the two sides may have made progress on the issues of fair competition and access to fishing in UK waters, ahead of a December 31st deadline.

*) Deadlock in talks between Indian farmers and govt

For more than two weeks, tens of thousands of farmers in India have been protesting the government's new agriculture laws.

Demonstrators intensified their efforts on Sunday after six rounds of talks between union leaders and government officials failed.

Farmers say the reforms allow private companies to dominate the industry and demand the laws be repealed.

And finally…

*) Chinese spacecraft begins journey back to Earth

China's Chang'e 5 [CHAANG-ER] lunar probe has begun its three-day journey back to Earth.

The capsule is bringing back rocks, soil and debris from the moon.

China has set up labs to analyse the samples for age and composition to better understand the moon's origins.