cultures across the world so much of what we use in conduct that matter to you. this new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to mutated further the u.k. says it's the tech that another potentially more infectious strain of the corona virus in cases linked to south africa. this says angry truck drivers protest that the english port of dover where thousands are still stranded after a covert blockade. hello

i'm barbara starr you're watching al-jazeera live from london also coming up. anger in iraq after president trump pardons for military contractors jailed for shooting dead 14 civilians in baghdad shops close and people hurried home fearing more violence ahead of central african republic selection. the u.k. is now facing the threat of to covert $1000.00 variants after the tech thing a new and potentially more infectious strain in 2 people who traveled from south africa this comes as the u.k. reports its highest increase in cases since the pandemic began with 39237 new infections the government also recorded another another 744 deaths on wednesday that's the highest death toll since april and it announced

that another $6000000.00 people will be put under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions from the same but $26.00 we are quarantining cases and close contacts of cases found here in the u.k. 2nd we're placing immediate restrictions on travel from south africa and finally and most importantly anyone in the u.k. who has been in south africa in the past fortnight and anyone who is a close contact of someone who's been in south africa in the last fortnight must quarantine immediately let's go live now to harlem with us who joins us from johannesburg so the british health secretary spoke about this new variant today of course it's affecting south africans and their movements around the country what more health professionals they're saying about it. well to

have a confessional say there alerted the u.k. about this new variant last week they say it seems to spread fast and they think it could be responsible for the 2nd wave of this country is currently experiencing the identified it's been identified and do not all province in the eastern cape and along the garden route that's the cape town area and currently is that africa has been recording just under an average of about 10000 new infections a day officials are now also worried about what to do next another currently preparing about what to do next to basically trying to make sure they have enough hospital beds available in both private and government hospitals so patients who are considered stable are being discharged to make way for covert 19 patients they're also trying to make sure that there's enough oxygen in i.c.u. beds in both the government and private hospitals in both urban and rural areas they are also putting additional staff on standby in case they are needed should the number of infections arise they also talk about bring in movie doctors and

nurses if that is indeed the case if it does come to that scenario that situation again also on the ground health officials are warning that because it is the thinnest of season and many people are traveling up and down the country visiting friends and family they saying that the number of infections could rise and they warn that this country could see a peak in infections in about 2 weeks time. so certainly a worrying sonari there but what do we know about where this variant originated and crucially what's happened there if lockdowns were put in place for example to try to contain it. we're also have an official's haven't said where they think this variant came from and to be honest some experts are saying that they may not be able to quickly find out where it originated from what the government has done is put in place measures to try and stop the rise in infections for example there is a nighttime curfew which is nationwide alcohol can only be sold on certain days and

at certain times many of the beaches where people flock to during the holidays have been close all these measures have been put in place for the worry of course is in this part of the world in southern africa inside africa in particular many people leave the big cities larger hansford and travel to the rural homes to spend time with their family and friends so he has been movement of thousands of thousands of people across the country and that's why health experts are concerned and worry that there could be a significant rise in infection rates if things are not curved so we seeing on the ground some people are listening they were in mass there practicing social distancing but on some of the beaches that are open we seen people who are not wear a mask when we asked them why they are doing that they say that it is the theist's of season it is their chance to be with family and friends and they're just hoping that they get to spend this christmas season in relative freedom without these restrictions being imposed them imposed on them people are waiting to see how the police are going to and especially towards new year's eve when this country

suspecting lots of big parties across the country for a month or so with the latest on all those developments for us live from johannesburg thank you. the english port of dover is still gridlocked with several 1000 frustrated truck drivers stranded that's this fight france lifting the blockade that it imposed on arrivals from the u.k. because of the new covert variant of there the one that was announced on saturday now only those who have tested negative are being allowed on the ferries for testing all the drivers will take some time as paul brennan reports now from dover . facing a 4th night trapped in their vehicles and unable to depart for cal a. frustration and anger led one group of drivers to briefly blockade inbound freight arriving from france there was a confrontation at the police tried to clear the road a demonstrator lay down in front of one of the lorries. speak to the drivers and

time and again the lack of information is what's really causing tempest a flare and i don't know what's going on the police will tell you what's going on all they want to muzzle to move from around the ball to let these people follow them blindly well no no no it's. not clear. should be bustling now instead it is ghostly shut down by the impact of the new variant of covert in the u.k. the french ban on arrivals and that on wednesday morning but the condition of travel is possession of a negative covert test and getting one of them while trapped in a queue like this is impossible testing is available at the temporary lorry pocket manston airfield which now has nearly $4000.00 trucks and their drivers parked on the site is on a desolate windswept hilltop 20 miles away from the port to dover. the sound being carried on the wind is the sound of the drivers inside this field

blowing their horns is an expression of frustration and misery this field is a truly desolate place to have the prospect of spending christmas. manston is the government's primary holding area it was designed to cope with any disruption that might have been caused by breck's it from the accounts of those parked here and now it is failing its 1st real test the toilet but is a dirty not working. we have no food we have no water yesterday. organized food but it was just a hamburger something. that's all and we don't know when we. can get to home from from that airport here to there were confrontations with police 2 people detained as frustration led to scuffles again the lack of information and

organization have left the drivers desperate the government says testing has begun manston but not enough we have today sitting here and then now they say us we don't have to. because we're stuck on the way. yeah the car is stuck you. have one way here. and we don't know. the u.k. government says it will take a few days to clear the backlog of vehicles christmas for many here is going to be a deeply miserable experience paul brennan al-jazeera over. another 553 people have died of covert 19 in italy taking the country's death toll past 70000 and there's a tally ins prepare for a new nationwide lockdown over the christmas holiday but reeve families have launched legal action against local and national authorities about $500.00

relatives of covert $1000.00 victims say they're seeking a $122000000.00 in damages the civil lawsuit has against prime minister just at the quantico italy's health minister and the governor of lombardy which is the hardest hit region screw the u.s. now the country has suffered its 2nd deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic with more than 3400 deaths recorded there on tuesday johns hopkins university said there were also more than 195000 new cases the pharmaceutical giant pfizer has announced it will supply the u.s. with 100000000 more coben 1000 vaccine doses by july. the united states faces the prospect of a year end government shutdown after president donald trump threatened not to sign a massive coronavirus relief bill in a twitter video trump called the bill at the scrapes he said he's asking congress to raise a stimulus payments to individual americans from $600.00 to $2000.00 that macwrite

support higher payments but many republicans oppose them the $900000000000.00 relief bill was passed by the house and the senate on monday after months of negotiations well how do you cast her joins us live now from washington d.c. so what happens now to the crew would really feel heidi. barbara it's interesting the way that this is being spun by the democrats who are seeing this surprise threat by president trump rather as an early christmas present why because democrats say that they have been the ones all along who have wanted this bigger stimulus check to americans trump is demanding that it be up from 602-2000 it's always been the reap or we've just lost the connection there to heidi show castro speaking to us from washington d.c. about the latest with that coded relief bill in the united states who will try to

cross live to heidi let's see if she is actually back on the line heidi can you hear me yes i hear you barbara ok so forgive me obviously got interrupted last line tell me again what you were saying basically what happens to the bill now. sure so tomorrow that is when nancy pelosi the democratic speaker of the house plans on bringing a standalone bill to make good on the president's challenge of increasing those checks to $2000.00 now she's doing this using a parliamentary procedure called unanimous consent what that wales down to is that every single member would have to either agree with it or not voice any objection at least so it would only take one republican to come back to washington d.c. voice his or her objection and be rail this whole process so the likelihood of it passing is slim but say that it does and it goes on to the senate where it meets

the faces just as great of a hurdle perhaps even higher given that senate republicans balt when it was discussed checks of $1200.00 so there is really no reason that they would go for 2000 what does this all boil down to and we cannot lose sight of this is the fact that if the $12000000.00 americans who are set to lose their unemployment benefits the day after christmas without this law's passage it's the families who will be even from their homes on january 1st and of course there's a whole federal government that is depending on this legislation for funding and it will shut down on september december 29th either if president trump does not sign or congress doesn't somehow miraculously get this together for an amended version of the bill a very worrying for the holiday ahead for millions of people heidi show kustra with the latest from washington d.c. thank you and let's stay in the u.s. for a story that is actually having repercussions around the world because iraq's foreign

ministry is urging president trump to reconsider a set of presidential pardons trump granted clemency to 15 people including 4 military contractors serving long prison sentences for killing 14 civilians in iraq back in 2007 stratford in baghdad spoke to 2 men who were injured in the attack. the lumia to him was shot by an american could tractor on what has been described as one of the darkest days of u.s. involvement in iraq inside the cave i was on a bus when the shooting started heavy fire came towards us i felt the 1st bullet hit my leg as i scrambled off i kept running towards the bus station then i got hit again when i stopped i was hit a 3rd time i felt like the bones of my leg had exploded i fell down and started to crawl there was utter chaos people were terrified trying to save themselves i mean this video was filmed off to the attack 14 iraqis including 2 children were killed

and at least 20 others injured when a heavily armed convoys of contractors with the american security company blackwater opened fire at a busy intersection in the capital baghdad the company set up by a former u.s. navy seal in the late 1990 s. sent hundreds of former soldiers to iraq in the often month of the 2003 u.s. led invasion blackwater was paid hundreds of millions of dollars by the u.s. state department to protect visiting dignitaries the company said its men started shooting during the 2007 incident in baghdad in self defense but that was eventually proven not to be the case in a u.s. court of law. for years many iraqis saw the events that unfolded here on this little square on september the 16th 2007 as an example of how america fought they could do what it wanted in iraq to never be cold chill account so they were

relieved in 2014 when a u.s. federal court sentenced for blackwater employees to lindsay jail terms including one life sentence. the pardoning of those 4 men the by president trump for the victims at least means that justice has still not been done. but don't base lawyer hasan job out of his son suffered multiple gunshot wounds as they crouched in a car both miraculously survived. to make a beautiful day but to make a beeline when i heard about trump's decision i was shocked and disappointed we are the victims and those men are the murderers i thought the u.s. justice system was independent but it seems justice is affected by u.s. politics trumps decision is another example of his failures and his policy towards arabs and the middle east. up delineator hema shares those thoughts he flicks through old pictures of himself in hospital after operations to save his leg out on

us with those men that shot me don't represent america trump doesn't represent all american people either he represents and acts for himself what iraqis assessment of the us and its leadership from a man whose life was changed forever 13 years ago john strafford al-jazeera baghdad so to tom in this half hour the coronavirus vaccine lines in mexico with immunizations due to begin on thursday and the massive fire breaks out at a migrant center in bosnia which has had been due to close for the winter. there is at the moment rushing in from the atlantic traunch a sausage like of warmish weather compared with the average it's all going to be

pushed south and replaced by another cold northerly which will leave most of europe in iraq or wintry sea but is bit messy whilst it happens at the moment or it says they cannot the rain is running through france germany in part turning to snow readily on the alps and it's snow at the forward end so is the baltic states of following all that normally drops temps by the 10 degrees if you like which is what you end up with vienna once again seeing the sea 11 data for subzero overnight rain 1st on that frontal system then a baby little snow in the cloud that follows and this is how it develops during 5 year christmas day if you like a very white scene for the mountains not necessarily for anywhere else but it will certainly feel cold that cold eventually getting to italy in the balkans but not quite making it during friday itself sarajevo represents that change during saturday or lightly snow all day and then the summer come back on sunday afternoon whilst you remain effectively subzero not much of that will affect north africa

looks quite quiet along the northern shores and even the gulf of guinea there are any fairly few showers left. from. the silence has been this. belief this. is one of scandinavia summer largest iron ore deposits. and it's driving a wedge between those seeking wealth. and those defending their way of life. gala a witness documentary on al-jazeera. the old.

welcome back here's a reminder of the top stories on al-jazeera the u.k. says it's the tech did a new potentially more infectious strain of covert 19 in 2 people who've recently traveled from south africa it's also reported the highest increase in cases since the pandemic began with 39237 new infections. thousands of drivers are still stranded in the u.k. port of dover waiting to be tested for coronavirus they've been stuck there for days after european nations hope to travel with the u. u.k. to contain the spread of the 1st covert theory and the u.s. faces the prospect of a year end government shutdown after donald trump threatened not to sign a massive coronavirus really feel. that the 1st batch of the pfizer bio on

tech vaccines have arrived in mexico which is due to begin its vaccination program on thursday the country is battling a sharp rise in infections that are overwhelming its hospitals in the past say the health ministry reported a further 897 deaths and more than 12000 new cases of corona virus. john holeman is live for us in mexico city so it's due to start being rolled out on thursday that's tomorrow but how quickly will the whole rollout a take. yeah it's not going to be quick enough basically to save minutes go right now and that's because the hospitals are almost full there's almost no ventilators here in mexico city where we are and that's obviously going to start affecting people in january especially as people have been going out in the streets all december basically doing their christmas shopping especially in the center so it's

a really crucial situation right now in mexico city and the authorities have code red alert shutting all non-essential businesses to try and do that critics say that they've actually done that far too late and that it's going to really hit hard here in january now the lawyer at the end of the tunnel of course is that the vaccine has now arrived but by the end of january even if everything goes according to plan they'll still have only vaccinated just over one percent of the mates can populate and so it's not going to be in time to save the country in this city from what's coming next but it is the end of the light at the end of the tunnel it is the 1st vaccine in latin america to roll out and that's some cause for celebration here the government estimates the boy may they'll start getting to the population that's on the school to sort of already done the most vulnerable sectors now minutes because we've been saying throughout this pandemic has a pretty bad. has a pretty bad lowdown with the amount of medical workers themselves getting sick and

dying the most in the world for the fight scenes going to be going to them 1st to try and protect. the home and with the latest there from mexico city john thank you . reports are coming in from western ethiopia that gunman have killed more than 100 people one farmer in the town of bouillon in the. region told avoiders news agency that he counted 82 dead bodies in a field another man said he saw 20 bodies in another location the ethiopian human rights commission confirmed that at least 100 died it's the latest deadly violence between rival ethnic groups in the region. tensions are high in central african republic before sunday's elections a new alliance of armed groups calling itself the patriots coalition for change has threatened to march on the capital bangui the u.n. mission says it's pushing back the rebels to prevent them from taking control of

strategic towns but fears of violence of prompted shops to shut and people to hunker down in their homes from the capital bangui catherine soy has more. make in the wide quickly spread that troubles to be making their way to the capital who are in the city center and suddenly everyone around us started running and traders were closing the shops many were here 13 when the mostly muslim groups arrived in force and the through the then president francois so no one wants to be caught unawares at this time at times out an incident in the p.k. 12 suburbs on the outskirts of the city trick of the commotion. we have been told that government troops and trucks came speeding into the city people panicked and started running the soldiers fired into the year to contain the population but that only caused more panic. we went to p.k.

12 and found more of the same this man told us he is fed up and frustrated big. trouble is always in c.r.y. i would like to know what all the international forces are doing here yet there is no peace he says it's an emotional time for everyone ahead of sunday's general election what's happening here just shows how much fear and tension there ease ahead of the election people you've been talking to are saying that the that the rebels could be advancing even if the fighting is going on in the countryside many kilometers away from bondi. some of the country's main armed groups have joined forces calling themselves the patriots for change here they're threatening to march to bourg demanding the election be postponed and a transitional government formed state and u.n. officials have accused former president was easy of starting a rebellion in an attempt to overthrow the government and disrupt the ports. since

last friday where the lines between decks present position into 3 armed groups have attacked in this area in both and barely and this deputy head of the u.n. mission tells us the blue helmets are protecting main supply routes and towns the whole rest of the country 71 percent of the voter registration zones where the electoral cards are distributed are open and people are coming massively as they are in bangui which are some of the to get their electoral card. most of the opposition presidential candidates have stopped their lection campaigns and want to the poor rescheduled the government however says that is not an option catherine saw. a huge fire has destroyed 4 large tents set a migrant camp in bosnia herzegovina which was due to close this weekend for winter

refurbishing the leaper camp near the croatian border is home to about 1200 migrants i had seen usage was at the camp. well we can see a still do smoke behind my back i'm currently on the side where there is camp in northwestern bosnia we can still see the smoke rising above the tents on to one side and on the other side we can see several 100 refugees and migrants which are now basically left without a committee ation international organization for migration said they would withdraw from the camp because the camp is not suitable for the winter and because the government in bosnia and herzegovina hasn't provided a not their temporary shelter for refugees and migrants basically this camp was set up in april and it was imagine only as a temporary side for a minor and and refugees and it was supposed to shut down

a few months ago the government has only a few days ago decided to set up an official camp here but now months are needed before it is prepared for a permanent stave off refugees and migrants meanwhile there is no solution for old these people you see behind my back. the british pound has gained against the dollar in hopes that negotiators from the e.u. and u.k. may be close to agreeing a brecht sit deal the 2 sides have until the 31st of december when the u.k. will leave the single market and customs union one of the about by joins me now in the studio with the latest star on this so do we have any clear indication as to whether they have agreed or is it just a guess signs of optimism i think for the 1st time you can say it's more than signs of optimism we've heard before that they're moving towards a deal but now there are anonymous officials being quoted in the press as saying that there is a draft on paper will agreements because of course this week as of underlying the

present european commission boris johnson the prime minister has actually taken over the last stages in fact just on wednesday e.u. officials been saying the talks are in the final stages so it's at the political level there but the negotiators are in a room in brussels we believe right now still going through the last details but there's talk behind the scenes of yes a deal a text perhaps 2000 pages existing what then has to happen is it has to be gone through by lawyers it has to be shown to the u.k. cabinet it has to be shown to the member states of the european union so there was on wednesday talk that it could be a few hours away but in fact it could slide a bit even if those areas of disagreement have been narrowed and still on wednesday the u.k. government was saying there was serious disagreement on fishing how much access the u. fleet should get to british waters but also on the level playing field the fair competition

rules that could be more troublesome but yes lots of positive noises in brussels but also in london but of course there have been there has been sort of brinksmanship in the last few weeks so we need to be skeptical but things seem to have got close so we'll be keeping an eye on it and eye on it for sure in the baba thank you. and now a reminder of the top stories on our jazeera the u.k. is now facing the threat of 2 covert 90 new taishan with a new strain reported in 2 people who've recently traveled from south africa the u.k. has also reported the highest increase in cases since the pandemic began with 39237 new infections the government also recorded another 744 deaths on wednesday that's the highest death toll since april.