The United Kingdom became the first country to grant emergency approval (NYT) for a coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca as the world confronts the spread of a more contagious variant of the virus.

Though not as effective as the vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is much cheaper and easier to store, which will make it an attractive option for poorer countries and remote regions. Additionally, the Chinese company Sinopharm released data today (WaPo) showing that one of its vaccines is nearly 80 percent effective. Sinopharm vaccines have not received regulatory approval, but they have already been given to hundreds of thousands of Chinese people on an emergency basis. Meanwhile, countries around the world are reporting cases of a coronavirus variant that is more contagious, though it is not believed to be more deadly or vaccine resistant. The United States reported its first case (NYT) of the variant in the state of Colorado yesterday.

Argentina became the largest country in Latin America to legalize abortion (Buenos Aires Times, AFP), a landmark shift in the Catholic-dominated country that is home to Pope Francis. Abortion for any reason will be legal during the first fourteen weeks of a pregnancy, after which it is allowed in cases of rape or danger to the mother’s health.

Cuba: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is mulling a plan to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, two unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times. A designation would hamper efforts by the incoming administration of President-Elect Joe Biden to ease relations with Havana.

This CFR timeline tracks U.S.-Cuba relations.

A mainland Chinese court sentenced a group of protesters from Hong Kong to between seven months and three years in prison after they were arrested in August for fleeing the city (NYT) by boat. Rights groups and several countries, including the United States, condemned the move.

This CFR Backgrounder explores democracy in Hong Kong.

North Korea: The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, presided over a politburo meeting of the Workers’ Party and decided to hold a party congress (Yonhap) in early January, according to state media. The government has said it will unveil an economic development plan at the congress, the first such meeting in four years.

Pakistan’s anticorruption body ordered the arrest (AP) of Khawaja Asif, an opposition leader, for allegedly having assets that exceed his known income. His arrest comes days after the opposition called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign or face protests in the capital.

India: The government extended a suspension of international flights (Scroll) until the end of January as part of an effort to contain the spread of a new, more contagious coronavirus variant.

Jonathan Pollard, an American who was convicted of spying on the United States for Israel and served thirty years in prison, returned to Israel (Haaretz) yesterday after his parole restrictions were lifted last month. Israel had long pushed for his release, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed him at the airport.

Algeria: President Abdelmadjid Tebboune returned to the country after being treated for COVID-19 (BBC) in Germany for two months.

Ghana’s main opposition party announced that it would formally challenge the results (Reuters) of the election won last month by incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo, though it did not provide evidence of fraud. Ghana has a reputation as a stable democracy and losing candidates typically concede, but this year’s election was tense and marked by violence.

Niger: Mohamed Bazoum, the ruling party’s candidate in the presidential election held Sunday, holds a large lead (Reuters) according to early results, but has not yet met the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

The Russian government launched a criminal case (RFE/RL) against dissident Alexey Navalny, accusing him of embezzling funds donated to an anticorruption organization he runs. Navalny, who was poisoned in August by a Soviet-era nerve agent, is recovering in Germany.

Croatia: At least seven people were killed (BBC) by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck the central part of the country.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blocked a vote (WaPo) on a bill passed by the House that would increase stimulus payments sent to Americans from $600 to $2,000. McConnell is instead pushing a bill that would tie the bigger checks to the creation of a commission to study voter fraud and to the repeal of a legal liability shield for tech companies, setting up a fight with Democrats who oppose the attached measures.