sees the best opportunities in the heart of eurasia. flights canceled and borders closed the u.k. becomes increasingly isolated as dozens of countries scramble to prevent the spread of a contagious strain of the coronavirus. farms around when you're watching al-jazeera live my headquarters here in doha also coming up health regulators in europe approve the pfizer vaccine for distribution but warn it won't be the silver bullet to end the pandemic also the u.s. justice department charge a libyan man with constructing the bomb that brought down a pan am flight over lockerbie. so-called planetary kids said it's jupiter and

saturn at their closest in 400 years. but into the program more countries are shutting their doors to the united kingdom due to a mutated strain of corona virus that's been identified there but it's scientists say the strain is more contagious than previous ones although it's not believed to be more deadly but that didn't stop governments around the world from taking swift action in response to the news russia india and hong kong are the latest to join the growing list of nations banning flights from the u.k. their move came after some of britain's closest allies including germany france and italy imposed similar benz. saudi arabia oman and kuwait went even further suspending all international flights and not just those to and from the u.k. now these border closures mean trading across the u.k. has effectively ground to

a halt trucks carrying essential goods to and from mainland europe are stuck because ferry ports are shut and tunnels won't let them through one of the u.k.'s biggest supermarket chains is warning that if this continues they may run out of food to sell especially items with a short shelf life concerns over the mutated strain also said european stocks tumbling when markets opened earlier on monday wiping billions of dollars in value from british companies and all of this comes as the u.k. teeters on the edge of a no deal breaks it with less than 10 days left for both sides to reach a trade agreement let's cross over to london now where it is speaking of us are print an apology just in case the prime minister who is about to speak adorns us on al-jazeera but of course this does mean that the u.k. itself is finding itself more and more isolated as it's isolated from road rail and air links and it can't really communicate such with its trading partners across the

channel. absolutely since the united kingdom announced that around 20000000 people would be going into this tier for lockdown because of this new strain european countries quickly began to ban u.k. flights u.k. imports and that's caused a great deal of destruction we've had one of the leading supermarket chains here warn that if this continues then that their supply chain could be affected now the u.k. government has told people not to panic buy to carry on as normal that the supply chains are ok but it's difficult to see how that is the case when we see those miles upon miles of traffic at the at the ports and with the increasing number of countries saying that they will not allow u.k. flights coming in now the world health organization has been speaking that they say there's no evidence to suggest that this new strain the virus is any more dangerous

than the other strains or that the vaccine won't work on it but it is nevertheless concerning because the great number of those new infections especially in the capital here in london have been from that new strain now yesterday the infections over a 24 hour period are around 35000 that's double of what it was 7 days previously and we are expecting primaries debra's johnson to be speaking to see what the government will do to deal with the current situation and as you've said. you do united kingdom neve in the e.u. with or without a deal is around 10 days away and there hasn't been a deal as of yet and they have been caused by opposition m.p.'s of parliamentarians calling on the government to extend that transition period because the united kingdom left the e.u. but have been avoiding by e.u. rules from january the 31st that deadline is the end of this year and there hasn't been a deal yet and urging the government to ask for extension to ask rick. extension of

that transition period so the country can concentrate on battling the pandemic and come back. later time that's the sort of us will be coming back to have more common goals we hear what the british prime minister has to say in a little while thank you well let's take a close look at the 30 or so countries and territories which are imposed bans all restrictions on u.k. transport the list includes european neighbors like france island and germany and places further afield at hong kong israel and china now the bans last from a minimum of 48 hours up to the end of january next year and in the past few hours spain and portugal of also suspended flights from the u.k. except 1st spanish nationals and residents route chalons has been following developments from dover in southern england where the traffic is gridlock. we have seen throughout this weekend actually going into monday pictures on british t.v.

lorries backed up from the channel ports all the way up the motorways for many many kilometers now that was happening already before this travel ban was brought in by many european countries and it was happening because british companies in anticipation of a possible no deal brecht's it at the end of the month were starting to stockpile and get themselves as ready as they could possibly be then you add on top of it this new announcement from the french and from other european countries but the french particularly because it's them better stops the transportation of. a company freights across the channel that has meant there is even more gridlock on the roads now and big questions over whether the u.k. can supply itself with food and medicines of course that it needs over the coming days now the government grant shapps the transport secretary says that there isn't

an acute problem now but of course if this goes on for many more days there might well be meanwhile the european medicines agency have given the green light to the current virus vaccine developed by pfizer and by and take the decision comes weeks after the shot was 1st authorized in britain and the u.s. . we know a lot more about this disease now than we knew 10 months ago even more than we knew it 3 months ago but we're still there are still new information coming in and this needs to be fully assess vaccines alone will not be the sort of a bullet that will allow us to return to normal life but the authorization of this 1st vaccine is definitely a major step in the right direction and an indication that 2021 can be brighter than 2020. that the european medicines agency announced a dominick's planes what happens next there was

a lot of pressure for 450000000 people here in the european union to get this vaccine as soon as possible but this by the pressure on this by the fact that they actually moved this meeting 8th forward under pressure from germany they're sad to tell you to downing street where the british prime minister is to address the nation about krone virus on the new mutant strain which is what's been happening at our borders and especially dave last night at 11 pm the french government imposed restrictions only u.k. freight crossing to france with accompanied by a driver and so today i chaired a meeting of the government's emergency cobra committee in order to coordinate a u.k. wide response and it's vital 1st to stress these delays which are only occurring at dover only affect human handled freight and that is only 20 percent of the total arriving or departing arriving from or departing to

the european continent which means the vast majority of food medicines and other supplies are coming and going as normal. you may also be aware in fact i'd be amazed if you weren't there the government's been preparing for a long time for exactly this kind of event so working with the kent resilience forum can kind of cancel highways england we've activated our long pad plans with the result that we've already been able to reduce the number of lorries waiting on the m 20 from 50270 the site at mannes to nath field is ready to cope with any overflow and of course we're working with our friends across the channel to unblock the flow of trade as fast as possible and the government at all levels is communicating with our friends in paris i've just spoken to president macro we have a very good call and we both understand each other's positions and want to resolve these problems as fast as as possible and i know that grant is also speaking to his

counterpart and we're working to a solution as i say as fast as we can to arrive freight traffic to resume between the u.k. and france and to ensure that lorries can travel in both directions in a conveyed secure way i want to we in the u.k. fully understand the anxieties of our friends about k.v. their anxieties about the new variant but it's also true that we believe the risks of transmission by a solitary driver sitting alone in the cab are really very low and so we hope to make progress as fast as we possibly can. i want to repeat that these delays only apply to a very small percentage of food entering the u.k. and as british supermarkets of said their supply chains are strong and robust so

everyone can continue to shop normally and to our international friends and partners i want to say of very frankly that we understand your concerns and i hope everybody can see that as soon as we were briefed in u.k. government on the the fast transmissibility of this new strain i think 315 on friday afternoon we lodged all the necessary information with the world health organization and we took prompt and decisive action the very next day to curb the spread of the new variant within the the u.k. and we want to work with our colleagues with our friends around the world as we have from the beginning to develop new treatments and to develop new vaccines as we have an i by the way i can today announce that over half a 1000000 people more than 500000 people in the u.k.

have now received their 1st dose. as we've seen throughout this pandemic this virus our last couldn't move all too swiftly from one nation to another but it is steadily being defeated by an international response and an international response that is bringing bringing the hope of vaccines to the entire world and in that the u.k. will continue to play its full part when i hand over to the secretary of transport dr thank you very much prime minister that forest johnson hunting over to our grand chaps our transport secretary about ready very briefly trying to reassure the british public at large. the delays that we're seeing at the port of dover and its surrounding areas leading into france and those that want to come into the u.k. are will be short lived listening to that was also our correspondent as a beggar and i said he really was trying to reassure the public that they shouldn't

worry about this traffic jam or such and that everything will be or will be normal very very soon. very much so there was no real new information in that press conference what he was really doing is reassuring the british public and international partners friends and many countries around the world that this is under control reassuring the british public that he said only 20 percent of this country's food is brought in through that freight that handles cumin handle freight and and through those ports and they shouldn't really be worried and again saying that the supermarkets are prepared to that they have those stocks and also that the united kingdom has been preparing for this but also acknowledging the anxieties of the european countries as well as many of the countries who are stopping flights coming in from the united kingdom and but saying that this will be resolved very

quickly now because the world is watching as this new strain develops in the you know united kingdom and although he says that it's not any more dangerous than the vaccine won't affect the vaccine but people will be looking to see had the united kingdom deals with this and the united kingdom will want to open their borders have that transport going back and forth as soon as possible so again reassuring the british public and again saying that over half a 1000000 people have been vaccinated that the 1st dose of that vaccine and of course it was only what maybe 36 hours ago when the british health secretary matt hancock was talking about this new sort of mutant strain of the virus being out of control i mean the lockdowns in south wales in the southeast of england is a huge obs and there's a real worry about transmission and not worry has now translated itself to international countries beyond europe you know we're looking at saudi arabia hong

kong chile israel they're all very aware of what could happen if flights out of the u.k. or or communication links between the u.k. land on their doorstep. yes absolutely so health secretary matt hancock has said that the virus was that the evidence that they had it was more transmittable that around 70 percent more transmittable and out of control and as he said that seemed like that message was for the u.k. public because because they were bringing in that tier 4 restrictions meaning around 20000000 people wouldn't be able to spend christmas with their plan christmases with their families been traveling they wouldn't be able to travel at those cheerful areas non-essential businesses would be closed as they were announcing that as they were warning people how dangerous or how risky this new virus was this new strain of the virus it seems like internationally other

countries became very very concerned for their own citizens and their own countries and introduced those bands and that's affected the united kingdom now prime minister barak's johnson seems to have come out now and that he's trying to calm everything down and reassure the british public but also those countries to say the united kingdom is dealing with this that they've been prepared for this and they have the vaccine and they should have it under control because they want those borders open they don't want people going out in the united kingdom panic buying they sent a message act people should go out as normal there's no real risk to supply chains even though leading supermarket hair has said that if this had contests continues this continues that it could affect some of the fresh produce so prime minister barak's johnson just really wants to reassure the country and try to settle settle things down for the update that serves as a bag the force of london. well still ahead here on al-jazeera they're in the

middle of a pandemic but we'll hear why kenya's doctors and nurses say they've got no choice but to go on strike. for the time being things are relatively quiet there's no story weather in the eastern mediterranean they are seeing on shore breeze is going to develop and the cloud will pick up for the fall north of egypt that's where the gaza strip and maybe to lebanon but for the most part is just light snow in turkey which willing traits aroused by john into what's northern parts of iran a shop attention exists down the red sea coast into the middle of sadie was not much to it to be honest the temperatures are not as high as you might like jerusalem's example 14 degrees whereas in doha study low twenty's teens of a not just typical for this time of the year the big rain is moving

a little bit west by satellite evidence and the forecast would say never carry much the same vein although cape town looks reason behind it $26.00 total is with or just the east is going to be particularly where forecast at least under which is around the coast is a couple of days of rain increasingly windy the temperatures don't suffer too much $21.00 to $23.00 degrees and there are still showers further east resume by way and malawi this is a long way representing the 3 days a decent weather the wet season the rainy season is doing his duty he may have bit more than you want but at least it is there. frank assessments you've got colleagues on the ground in the canaries what is the situation there's only one doctor and one nurse or $2200.00 people informed opinion how big does foreign policy figure in the early stages of a bi ministration he comes into office with

a huge amount of foreign policy experience in-depth analysis of the day's global headlines how will a place like good little get the vaccine when there's no money at all the rest of rich countries are fighting for an inside story on al-jazeera. on the back of what you are just there with me said holroyd the reminder of our top stories a growing list of countries is banning all restricting flights from the united kingdom as a mutated strain of the corona virus spreads in the past hour spain and portugal have also been added to the group of around 30 nations european health regulators have just approved its 1st corona virus vaccine developed by pfizer biotech and now

goes to the e.u. commission for confirmation before it's delivered across its member states. well more now on the growing concerns about a mutated strain of credit viruses emerged in the u.k. victoria gate bill looks at what's being discussed on social media. there is plenty of reaction online the hashtags to for u.k. lockdown and heathrow are among those that have been trending border closures and travel restrictions resulted in chaotic scenes at london's heathrow airport one uses shed this video of queues outside one of the terminals as more countries an ounce to flight bans here's what some passengers had to say. it's not a lot of people traveling obviously it's kind of weird it's actually a little bit easier to get around the restrictions on travels a lot harder stuff to see family basically i have been here last week the same here as a visitor and. i'm. confused at this time we've given out i'm

here at one point in december security situation is totally different it's hard time. it was a similar picture at some pancras railway station in london one user tweeting that in their opinion eurostar social distancing was a joke businesses that expose seafood across the continent all sounding the alarm bells about the impact of cave in 1000 and breaks it suggesting they may not survive much longer many people in the u.k. have been criticizing prime minister boris johnson's response to the pandemic with some even questioning the new strain bought in one of his most recent tweets johnson said it was his duty to take the difficult decisions to protect people in the u.k. now doctors in kenya have joined other public health care workers on a nationwide strike they want better protection a more effective equipment for treating covert 19 nurses and other health care workers began protesting earlier this month saying they won't stop until our

demands are met but the government warned that they'll be sanct if they don't return to work malcolm webb has been getting reaction from the capital nairobi where nurses say that security of their own health is being put in jeopardy. started off 8 months of talk with her failed 2 weeks ago nurses started striking with me i have the leader of the kenyan national nurses union. what are the demands of. the demands of the dances this is one of the big demand is that and others are demanding from congress the medical insurance company does not mean when they fall sick they have an on to take care of their own medical bills we have to go on fund raising in order to be made to the biz for a calling so for sleep number 2 we want a good life insurance when we our colleagues live their siblings or depend on one of the behind but no one to compensate for them so that the young children that are

left behind can harvest them to go to school when the levees every just toss you out of how many of your colleagues have died we have lost and one losses are benign as a primary and all those 19 losses we have a hard to raise funds raised to make their medical cost medical bills as well as there is no in a form of compensation from from the government and. when can we we used to have medical laws or for someone who can we were taken away with them you obviously are for preventive medical cover the lows are going to have live life insurance but the meds go on have been taken and yet the group lives in what is not comprehensive medical families nor there the government has said that striking to help authorities should stop paying striking medical workers and is a job should be reargued the ties what he says is what is important is that it is better for you not to go to walk and lose that job done to go and walk on to die because you cannot have bought an opera begin with mint and when you fall sick you

cannot afford you on services that you are giving to the kenyan people. 32 years after a bomb attack took down a chat over lockerbie in scotland the us justice department has charged a new suspect the department plays to charges on our blog a lot. when the sued for making the bomb that blew up the pan and plate in 1988 masood is a former libyan intelligence officer in custody in libya and will be extradited to the u.s. 270 people were killed in the attack most of them americans alan fischer his at the white house with more on the charges unsealed by the u.s. justice department. the justice department here in the united states say that they continue to cooperate with their colleagues in the united kingdom and they pursue any lead that is given to them they say that this man was arrested in libya and during the interview when he was being accused of bomb making there it became clear that he may have been involved in the lockerbie bombing they passed that information to the scottish police in the 1st instance and then to the apartment of

justice and the department of justice is no made the decision to charge him with terrorism related offenses and it's interesting to note that 3 people no in total have been charged with the bombing at lockerbie famously. he was convicted by a special hearing of a scottish court which was held in the netherlands he was released on medical grounds in 2009 and died in libya in 2012 also a charge next to him was for fema no it's alleged that mcgrath here in khalifa fhimah did together to take down the bomber the plane over lockerbie but when the charges were dismissed against khalifa fhimah many people thought that the conspiracy charges against mcgrath also failed and the guy who maintained his innocence he's dying day of course the americans are saying that this bomb was created in a store in malta mcgrath he on his deathbed said he swore that he'd never actually

been in that store around a volatile talks to discuss the future of the 2015 iran nuclear deal has wrapped up the virtual meeting foreign ministers from iran and russia china germany the u.k. and the european union committed to working towards the full implementation of the agreement the deal to listen sions in exchange for limits to iran's nuclear program unraveled after the us pulled out in $28.00 teens. spyware solved by an israeli private intelligence has been used to hack the phones of dozens of al jazeera journalists that's according to researchers at citizen lab which is part of the university of toronto now the digital security watchdog says the unprecedented cyber attack is likely to have been ordered by saudi arabia and the united arab emirates investigators say mobile phones were infiltrated with malicious codes which uploaded data on to foreign servers. 2 men have been found guilty of killing

39 to get the means migrants who suffocated in a lorry trailer while they were being smuggled into britain the lorries driver and a man described as the ringleader of the smuggling gang were convicted of manslaughter 2 others were found guilty of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration the bodies were discovered in october last year a baby elephant in thailand has been saved by an off duty rescue worker had been struck by a motorcycle now this video has gone viral of the rescue worker giving the injured elephant c.p.r. or heart massage the baby stood up after about 10 minutes it was later seen walking off with another elephant presumed to be some other. great story that stargazers are being treated to a once in a lifetime celestial event as jupiter and saturn make their closest alignment since the 17th century the 2 largest planets in our solar system have been inching closer together ever since culminating in what's known as the great conjunction tony chain

joined astronomers on the outskirts of the capital bangkok. gathering on a bridge on the outskirts of bangkok gazing at the sky but it's not the sunset people have come to see these amateur astronomers want to catch a glimpse of the great conjunction a celestial event that happens approximately only every 20 years. we will see very bright stars jupiter is originally very bright but when saturn is near will be even brighter together. this year have extra special the 2 planets are coming even closer together than usual the last time this happened was in $1623.00 but trying to see it is hard bangkok like most cities suffers from significant light pollution the light of the glimmering stars is blocked out by the glare of the bus and city. that's why the stargazers is there known on social media. have set up an exhibition of the stars at night as seen from thailand spectacular views and seen by most city

dwellers and concert on thinks that after the trials of 2020 there may be a message written in the skies that we have suffered sadness distress worry and tension from current virus since the beginning of the year but at the end of this year we look up and see a bright sky and it will give us hope that can keep us moving forward astronomers believe that the star of bethlehem or christmas star is actually the great conjunction that occurred in the year 7 b.c. and when it was last this bright galileo the man considered to be the father of astronomy was still alive although he makes no record of having seen it before the astronomers of today it presents a unique opportunity. this time the great conjunction happened true or 3 months after saturn and jupiter came close to the earth so that makes them look brighter you'll be able to see the great conjunction until the night of the 23rd and if you

miss it it will come around again in 2040. if you want to see this bright you can have to wait another 400 years and with everyone on this planet trying to stay socially distant because of coronavirus other planets are managing to get closer together tony chang al-jazeera church on santa thailand. your child is there or meets the whole raman a reminder of our top stories u.k. government has held an emergency meeting of the coronavirus variant which is cause dozens of countries to restrict all banned flights from britain the talks are underway to establish health protocol so freight can resume between the u.k. and europe speaking just a few moments ago the u.k. prime minister abbas johnson held a live address assuring the public that new border restrictions from france will not affect food and medicine supplies last.