World News Roundup: Vietnam jails Hanoi CDC chief for overstating COVID-19 gear cost; South Korea reports record 950 cases in COVID-19 'emergency' and more

There are concerns about possible skirmishes between British and foreign fishing vessels if no trade deal is reached, with existing transitional rules that give EU boats access to British waters set to expire at the end of the year. Hardline Indonesian cleric arrested over alleged lockdown breaches - lawyer Indonesian Islamic cleric Rizieq Shihab was arrested in Jakarta on Saturday on suspicion of having breached coronavirus restrictions by holding events that drew thousands of followers in the city, his lawyer said.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Vietnam jails Hanoi CDC chief for overstating COVID-19 gear cost

A Vietnamese court on Saturday sentenced the head of the Hanoi Center for Disease Control and Prevention to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of wrongdoing linked to the procurement of equipment intended to help tackle the COVID-19 outbreak. Nguyen Nhat Cam, 57, was accused of overstating the cost of COVID-19 testing systems during a transaction, causing a loss of 5.4 billion dong ($233,483) to the state budget, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.

South Korea reports record 950 cases in COVID-19 'emergency'

South Korea reported a record 950 daily coronavirus cases on Saturday, exceeding the late February peak of 909, with the president calling the country's third wave of COVID-19 an "emergency". The South Korean authorities warned they may tighten social-distancing restrictions to their strictest level but held off for now.

No deal on Brexit trade 'very very likely', British PM Johnson says

Britain is likely to complete its journey out of the European Union in three weeks without a trade deal, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. Britain quit the EU in January but remains an informal member until Dec. 31 - the end of a transition period during which it has remained in the EU single market and customs union.

Swiss freeze assets of Belarus leader Lukashenko

Switzerland has frozen the financial assets of the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, following the violent aftermath of the elections in the east European country. Lukashenko and son Viktor are among 15 people banned from entering or travelling through Switzerland, the government said.

First NGO aid convoy arrives in capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region

The first non-governmental aid convoy since fighting erupted last month has arrived in the capital of Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray carrying desperately needed medicines and other items, the international Red Cross said on Saturday. The government restricted access to the region after fighting began on Nov. 4 between the government and a rebellious regional force. The conflict in Africa's second-most populous nation is believed to have killed thousands of people and displaced around 950,000.

Britain's navy to protect fishing waters in case of no-deal Brexit Four Royal Navy patrol ships will be ready on Jan. 1 to help protect Britain's fishing waters in the event the Brexit transition period ends without a deal on future ties with the European Union, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said. There are concerns about possible skirmishes between British and foreign fishing vessels if no trade deal is reached, with existing transitional rules that give EU boats access to British waters set to expire at the end of the year.

Hardline Indonesian cleric arrested over alleged lockdown breaches - lawyer

Indonesian Islamic cleric Rizieq Shihab was arrested in Jakarta on Saturday on suspicion of having breached coronavirus restrictions by holding events that drew thousands of followers in the city, his lawyer said. Police had been investigating the firebrand and politically influential cleric for violating COVID-19 control measures after several mass gatherings were held to celebrate his return from self-exile in Saudi Arabia last month.

Japan surpasses 3,000 daily new coronavirus cases for first time - NHK Japan saw more than 3,000 new infections of the novel coronavirus for the first time in one day on Saturday, public broadcaster NHK reported, as the number of cases continues to rise in the winter. A total of 3,041 people were newly infected, NHK said. Tokyo, Japan's capital and largest city, on Saturday confirmed 621 new cases.

Russia says may retaliate after new round of UK sanctions A new round of British sanctions against Russian individuals over alleged human rights abuses in Chechnya is "unfounded" and Moscow may retaliate, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. "Undoubtedly, this politically-charged demarche will have a negative impact on Russian-British interstate relations," the ministry said, adding Russia "reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures."

Iran executes French-based dissident journalist captured last year Iranian dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was convicted of fomenting violence during anti-government protests in 2017, was executed on Saturday, Iran's state television reported. Iran said on Tuesday its Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence of Zam, who was captured in 2019 after years in exile. His Amadnews feed had more than one million followers.