Dozens of countries are banning travel from the United Kingdom over concerns about a more infectious strain of the coronavirus. There is no evidence yet (AP) that the new strain, first detected in September, is more deadly or more resistant to a vaccine, including one by Pfizer and BioNTech that the European Union could approve for use today.
 
France imposed a forty-eight-hour block (Reuters) on all visitors and trucks from Britain, hamstringing one of the UK’s most important trade arteries with mainland Europe and raising concerns of food shortages. Canada, Germany, India, and Russia have also suspended travel for British visitors. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair an emergency meeting today focused on trade, and the EU is also meeting to coordinate a response. Over the weekend, EU and UK negotiators again failed to achieve (BBC) a post-Brexit trade deal as a December 31 deadline looms. Although talks continue, it seems increasingly likely that there will be no agreement, resulting in a severe disruption in trade.

The Shandong aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait (SCMP) yesterday, a day after a U.S. warship traveled through the waterway. The aircraft carrier was headed toward the disputed South China Sea for military drills. Beijing regularly protests U.S. transits so close to Taiwan, an independently governed island that Beijing views as part of its territory.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains the China-Taiwan relationship.
 
Japan: Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government approved a record-high defense budget (Kyodo) for 2021 totaling $51.6 billion, an increase of 0.5 percent compared to 2020. It includes funding for standoff missiles to counter threats from China.

The lower house of Parliament was dissolved (NYT) at Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli’s request, setting up Nepal to hold elections in April and May, more than a year early. Oli sought to avoid a no-confidence vote against him. The dissolution will likely be challenged in Nepal’s highest court.
 
India: Farmers started a twenty-four-hour hunger strike (TOI) today as they continue to call for the repeal of agricultural reform laws passed in November. The government has pursued talks with the protesters but has not achieved any breakthroughs.

Around ten thousand health-care workers and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received COVID-19 vaccines yesterday (Haaretz) as Israel kicks off its vaccination campaign. More than 170,000 people have scheduled appointments, sparking logistical concerns.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at how the world is distributing COVID-19 vaccines.
 
Qatar: Dozens of Al Jazeera journalists’ mobile phones were hacked (Al Jazeera) this year, according to a report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab. The cybersecurity watchdog alleged that operators in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates used software developed by an Israeli company to hack at least thirty-six staffers’ phones.

The government said former President Francois Bozize was leading a group of rebel fighters (AFP) gathering near the capital of Bangui ahead of elections on December 27. Bozize’s spokesperson denied his involvement. UN peacekeepers said that the forces were pushed back from the capital, and that the situation was “under control.” 
 
Nigeria: Authorities said they foiled bandits’ attempt to kidnap eighty-four students (Nation) on Saturday in Katsina State, where more than three hundred students were abducted earlier this month.

More than 150 people calling for President Alexander Lukashenko to step down were detained (RFE/RL) yesterday. Nearly thirty thousand people have been detained since Lukashenko was declared the victor of a presidential election in August that opposition leaders and international observers say was flawed.
 
CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich explains Belarus’s protests on The President’s Inbox podcast.

President Nicolas Maduro announced that the National Constituent Assembly will cease operations (Reuters) by the end of the year. The pro-government legislature was widely criticized for undermining democracy after its creation in 2017. Maduro said the assembly was no longer necessary following his party’s victory in parliamentary elections earlier this month.
 
Mexico: In a phone call on Saturday, U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador agreed to work together (MercoPress) on a new approach to migration from Central America.
 
CFR’s Shannon K. O’Neil discusses challenges facing the U.S.-Mexico relationship.

After months of negotiations, Senate leadership reached a deal (WaPo) on an approximately $900 billion COVID-19 relief package that includes stimulus checks for millions of Americans, the extension of federal unemployment benefits, and the expansion of a small-business lending program. The House of Representatives and the Senate are expected to approve the package as early as today, and President Donald J. Trump has vowed to sign it.