1. World Health Organization (WHO) released the relevant information about the mutant novel coronavirus reported in the UK. On December 14, the UK reported to World Health Organization (WHO) that a new variant of novel coronavirus had been found through viral gene sequencing. Preliminary analysis shows that the variant is more likely to spread from person to person, with an estimated 40% increase in infectivity and a 0.4 increase in the transmission index between 1.5 and 1.7.

2. Yonhap news agency: Kim Rong-fan, the first official of South Korea’s Ministry of Planning and Finance, presided over a macroeconomic and financial meeting on December 22. South Korea’s economic growth rate is expected to be-1% to-2% this year. Previously, South Korea’s economy had negative growth only in 1980 (- 1.6%) and 1998 (- 1.5%).

3. World Iron and Steel Association: global crude steel output rose 6.6%  in November from a year earlier to 158 million tons. Chinese crude steel output rose 8% in November from a year earlier to 87.7 million tons.

4. World Tourism Organization: the number of global tourists fell by 65% in 2020 compared with the same period last year. In parts of Asia, it fell 72% from a year earlier. The international tourism industry will remain in the doldrums in 2021, and some Asian countries and regions that rely on tourism will face major challenges, according to the forecast analysis of the tourism industry by the international rating agency Fitch. 

5. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that the British reported mutation novel coronavirus has been found in Australia, Denmark, Italy, Iceland, the Netherlands and South Africa. More and more countries and regions have implemented entry restrictions against the United Kingdom and other related countries. So far, more than 40 countries and regions have suspended flights from the UK. 

6. On December 23rd, preliminary figures show that the death toll in the United States this year is likely to reach 3.2 million, 400000 more than in 2019. Robert Anderson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says life expectancy in the United States is likely to fall by a full three years in 2020. In addition, due to the ineffective fight against the epidemic by the US government, COVID-19 has become the third leading cause of death among Americans, second only to heart disease and cancer.

7. The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee announced that it would dissolve the director team of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, and announced that Hiroshi Sasaki, the former general director and well-known Japanese artist Wanzhai Nomura, would be responsible for revising the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

8. According to the British “Guardian”, Sky News and other reports on the 24th, Britain’s post-Brexit trade agreement has been reached. This is an important milestone in the process of Brexit. Britain and Europe had hoped to announce the trade agreement on the 23rd, but EU member states still had doubts about the text of the agreement. The negotiations continued all night, and it is reported that the focus of the discussion is still on the issue of fishing rights. Britain formally left the European Union on January 31 this year and entered an 11-month transition period ending on December 31. During the transition period, the UK is no longer a member of the EU, but remains in the EU single market and customs union and, like other member states, abides by all EU rules. If no trade agreement is reached before the end of the transition period, the two sides will trade under WTO rules, which will bring huge economic losses to both sides. 

9. The UK has confirmed the discovery of a new variety of novel coronavirus, which was discovered as early as September and spread rapidly within three months, the report said. At present, the variant of the virus has been found in Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Israel, Singapore and Australia. In addition, new variants of the virus have been found in South Africa, Portugal and Ecuador, which have nothing to do with the discovery of variants in the United Kingdom. A new variant of the virus has also been found in Brazil, which is not sure whether it is the same as that found in the UK. Relevant research institutions at the University of Magellan in Chile pointed out that a total of nine COVID-19 mutant viruses have been found in the Magellan region, where the epidemic is worst in the country, one of which has not been found in other parts of the world and is highly contagious.