Will France Lift Freight Ban?

Shortly after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled Christmas plans for millions of Britons due to a mutated COVID-19 variant, several countries, including France, shut down their borders to Britain. Johnson spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron to resume transport links between the two countries. French Minister of European Affairs said both countries would announce an agreement to lift the freight ban by Wednesday.

China Responds to Visa Bans

In the final month of Donald Trump’s presidency, The United States has imposed additional visa bans on Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China will take countermeasures against those responsible for hurting the Chinese side. 

Israel Goes to New Election

Israel is headed towards a new election after the government failed to reach a budget agreement. With the end of Tuesday being the deadline, failure to reach a compromise will automatically dissolve the parliament and trigger a snap election in March.

EU Officials Barred From Russia

Russia has expanded its list of European Union officials banned from entering the country in response to EU and Britain's sanctions against Moscow over the assassination attempt on, Kremlin critic, Alexei Navalny in August. Russian foreign ministry stated, “we will continue to respond appropriately to unfriendly actions by western countries.”