Axios

Japan has decided not to send a government delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Reuters reported.

Why it matters: A number of countries, including the U.S., have announced diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Games to protest human rights abuses committed by China's government.

1. GDP stocking stuffer: The COVID-19 vaccine generated economic savings equal to 2.3% in the real gross domestic product to the U.S. this year.
2. Thank a teacher: Severe burnout is raising concerns about turnover — and more broadly, the state of education.
3. Record low: U.S. population grew by 0.1% in the year that ended July 1, the slowest rate since the nation's founding.
4. New supply chain crisis: Shipping containers carrying medical supplies are facing ongoing transportation congestion
5. Buckle up: Wall Street strategists see the shape of 2022 pegged to three main hooks: inflation, corporate spending and the pandemic's path.

India will begin COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 15-18 on Jan. 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday.

Why it matters: India has had the second-most COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, trailing only the U.S., and appears to be in the beginning stages of an Omicron surge.

A volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary island of La Palma was officially declared over on Saturday, after 10 days of inactivity and three months since the initial explosion, the AP reports.

Driving the news: The lava flow and ash, which stretched a little more than 85 days, destroyed "around 3,000 buildings, entombed banana plantations and vineyards, ruined irrigation systems and cut off roads," per the AP.

As the Taliban moved on Kabul in August, Tahera Ahmadi, 31, a married doctor, fled Afghanistan with just a backpack. Now, she's trying to rebuild a life in Alexandria, Virginia.

The big picture: As people around the world celebrate Christmas and the start of a new year, Ahmadi and about 74,000 other Afghan evacuees are navigating their own new beginnings in the U.S.