China gives its 1st COVID-19 vaccine approval to Sinopharm

China approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinophar

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/sinopharm-vaccine-china-1.5858242?cmp=rss

Spurs' Becky Hammon becomes 1st woman in history to direct NBA team

Becky Hammon became the first woman to direct a team in NBA history, taking over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers following Gregg Popovich's ejection in the first half.

source https://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/nba/nba-lakers-spurs-becky-hammon-coach-1.5858211?cmp=rss

Eastern Caribbean on alert due to rare volcanic activity

Volcanoes that have been quiet for decades are rumbling to life in the eastern Caribbean, prompting officials to issue alerts in Martinique and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as scientists rush in to study activity they say hasn't been observed in years.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/caribbean-volcanoes-1.5857592?cmp=rss

Nashville man's girlfriend warned police he was building bombs a year before Christmas explosion

More than a year before Anthony Warner detonated a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas, officers visited his home after his girlfriend told police that he was building bombs in an RV trailer at his residence, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nashville-explosion-girlfriend-warning-1.5857308?cmp=rss

British lawmakers approve post-Brexit trade deal with EU

Britain's House of Commons has voted resoundingly to approve a trade deal with the European Union, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the U.K.'s years-long Brexit journey.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/britain-approve-post-brexit-trade-deal-eu-1.5857326?cmp=rss

Blast at Yemen's Aden airport kills 16 as new government delegation lands: officials

A large explosion struck the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Wednesday, shortly after a plane carrying the newly formed Cabinet landed there, security officials said. At least 16 people were killed and 60 were wounded in the blast.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/yemen-airport-explosion-1.5857199?cmp=rss

Iran allocates $150K US payments to families of Ukraine crash victims

Iran has created a compensation fund to pay families of the 176 victims of a Ukrainian passenger plane that was shot down by Iranian forces outside Tehran last January, the president announced Wednesday.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/iran-compensation-flight-ps752-1.5857259?cmp=rss

21 missing, buildings hang over edge of crater after Norway landslide

Ten people were hurt, one of them critically, and 21 people remained unaccounted for after a landslide in southern Norway swept away more than a dozen buildings early Wednesday, police say.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/21-missing-buildings-hang-over-edge-of-crater-after-norway-landslide-1.5857249?cmp=rss

New coronavirus variant found in Colorado man who had not been travelling

A new variant of the coronavirus that may be more contagious has been found in a Colorado man who had not been travelling, triggering a host of questions about how the first U.S. case of the new version showed up in the Rocky Mountain state.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-december-30-1.5857202?cmp=rss

Argentine Senate approves historic bill legalizing abortion

Argentina's Senate passed a law legalizing abortion early Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the women's movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/abortion-argentina-legalize-1.5857191?cmp=rss

Britain approves AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine

Britain on Wednesday became the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca as it battles a major winter surge driven by a new, highly contagious variant of the virus.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/astrazeneca-vaccine-approve-1.5857186?cmp=rss