Chile became the first country in South America to begin coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday after receiving its first 10,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The country bought 10 million doses from Pfizer-BioNTech and is expected to receive 240,000 doses in January, per Reuters.
The big picture:More than 50 countries have restricted air travel to the U.K., as concerns have continued to grow after the nation and the World Health Organization said they'd identified a new variant of COVID-19 within the country.
Pope Francis said in his Christmas Day message that coronavirus vaccines should be made available to everyone at no charge, and that nations should work together as they recover from the effects of the pandemic.
The state of play: Because of Italy's restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, the Catholic Church leader delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) speech from the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, instead of from a balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square to a usually large crowd.
Mexico became the first Latin American country to begin coronavirus vaccinations, amid a surge in cases, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The serum arrives as Mexico's hospitals reach a breaking point. The country tallies over 1.3 million COVID-19 cases and 120,000 deaths, per John Hopkins University data, though actual numbers are believed to be much higher.
The United Kingdom and the European Union have reached a historic trade deal, staving off a potentially catastrophic "no-deal" Brexit cliff on Dec. 31.
Why it matters: The two sides appear to have defied the odds, striking a complex free trade agreement in record time after nine months of intense negotiations. Both the U.K. and EU had warned in recent weeks that a no-deal scenario was "very likely" as talks appeared on the verge of collapse.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tweeted Thursday that he's sent forces to the western Benishangul-Gumuz region, where gunmen killed more than 100 people a day earlier.
Why it matters: Wednesday's attack on the village of Bekoji is the latest massacre in Ethiopia as ethnic tensions escalate over land and other resources. The violence has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
