U.K.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new testing mandate for U.K. travelers coming into the U.S. after an outbreak of a new coronavirus variant in England.

The agreement comes a week before the Brexit transition period ends. The pact averts a worst-case divorce that would have hurt the EU economy but damaged the British economy even more.

"Scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variant," BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said Tuesday.

Several European nations, including Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany and Italy, announced travel restrictions from the U.K., where officials say a new variant of the coronavirus is spreading.

As the New Year's Eve deadline approaches, the two sides are still trying to negotiate a deal to avert major economic and trade disruptions. Here are some of the top issues at play.

The unanimous judgment represents a stinging reversal for climate activists, who had won a lower-court ruling earlier this year against the major international hub on environmental grounds.

Amid a spike in new cases, leaders in Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have announced the return of strict measures to dissuade people from attending large holiday gatherings.

"Donors will no longer be asked to declare if they have had sex with another man, making the criteria for blood donation gender neutral and more inclusive," the National Health Service explains.

Two National Health Service workers with long histories of severe allergies received the Pfizer, BioNTech coronavirus vaccine Tuesday. Both are now recovering after bad reactions to the dose.

A 90-year-old woman from Coventry received the first vaccine shot as part of the United Kingdom's nationwide immunization campaign launched Tuesday.

The U.K. was the first Western country to approve Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration could vote to approve the vaccine as early as Thursday.

Mass vaccinations will start less than a week after the U.K. approved the new drug. Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford says it could start "a long path back to normality."