brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. u.k. becomes the first western country to approve a covid back -- covid vaccine. >> we've been preparing for the biggest program of mass vaccination in the u.k. in history. that will brent: begin next week. brent:biontech and pfizer are racing to produce and deliver a vaccine on time. germany's partial lockdown extended into 2021.

chancellor angela merkel says the infection rate is too high to consider lifting the lockdown. the restrictions will stay in place until january 10. more political uncertainty in israel as lawmakers move to dissolve parliament, taking the country a big step closer to its fourth election and just two years. and it's a formula one family affair. nick shoemaker, son of the seven time world champion michael shoemaker is set to make its formula one racing debuted next season. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and to all of your around the world, welcome. tonight, and historic and a first step in the fight to end the coronavirus pandemic. u.k. has become the first

country in the world to approve a covid-19 vaccine. the vaccine was developed jointly by germany's biontech and the u.s. pharmaceutical giant pfizer. shipments of the vaccine are expected to reach british distribution centers by this coming weekend. >> its array of hope after punishing lockdowns in the u.k. the countries covid-19 vaccination program will start next week. 18 million doses are standing by, with another 20 million on the way. >> i'm just so pleased. 2020 has been just awful. 2021 is going to be better. help is on the way. reporter: the health authorities here say the vaccine is safe. >> this vaccine has only been approved because those strict tests have been done and complied with. and everyone can be absolutely confident that no corners whatsoever have been cut.

reporter: biontech and its partner company, pfizer, or priming their supply chain for the first major deliveries. >> we have started immediately the process of delivering our vaccine. we expect the rollout of the vaccine in the u.k. will happen within the next couple of days. reporter: almost a year after the discovery of the virus, is increasingly looking likely that enough vaccine doses will be available. there are currently 40 vaccine candidates under clinical trials, according to the world health organization. moderna has joined biontech and pfizer in approval of its vaccine. others are in advanced stages of development. in russia, the controversial sputnik5 vaccine was approved in august in china is allowing

vaccinations without regulatory approval. biontech-pfizer's vaccine purports to offer 95% protection against covid-19, but it has to be transported in extremely cold temperatures, posing a major hurdle for its distribution. brent: i'm joined by an associate fellow with the global health program in the u.k.. it's good to have you on the program. the u.k. will start next week with mass vaccinations. would you say this is the turning point in this pandemic? david: this is a fantastic day, to know that we have got a vaccine that has gone through rigorous scrutiny and has come through, knowing that is going to be effective, knowing that it's going to be safe. that is the first hurdle. the next is to make sure that we get it into enough people to protect those who are at greatest risk. after we've protected those at

risk, the next hurdle is going to be to roll the vaccine out to protect the healthy younger people for whom the steps to stop transmission so that the virus can no longer spread person-to-person. so it's the beginning, we've got great optimm that this is going to take us to a much better environment. brent: let's listen to what prime minister boris johnson had to say about the vaccination plan. >> there were seven different vaccine candidates. the u.k. was the first country in the world to preorder supplies of this pfizer vaccine, securing 40 million doses. through our winter plan, the nhs has been preparing for the biggest program of mass vaccination in the history of

the u.k., and that's going to begin next week. brent: what do you say, is the u.k. prepared for a vaccination program on this scale? vid: there has been a great deal of planning done, that is clear. the first phase, which is protecting the most vulnerable, is really a mockup of what is done every year for seasonal influenza vaccination. and we do know very well in this country for people over 65, we routinely get 75% vaccine uptake in people who are 65 and over. so this will be matching that successful program. where it gets much more difficult as rolling the program out afterwards to all of the healthy young people who aren't normally part of any vaccination program. so we've got a great deal to do,

a lot of it we know how to do because we know how to vaccina the vulnerable people, with either age as a risk factor or medical conditions. we know how to do that. it's not going to be made easy with a vaccine that requires this ultra low temperature cold chain, but there are arrays in which that adaptation can be done to cope with that. brent: we know the world health organization is already warning of shortages in vaccines. boris johnson also mentioned that britain has ordered vaccine doses from seven different companies. i'm wondering, in your opinion, is this a result in a lack of availability? or is this a clever strategy? david: think what was done, the contracts were placed long before we had any knowledge of whh vaccines were going to come through with high efficacy,

good safety, and availability. it's a bit like betting on all the horses in the race to make sure that you get at least one of them through first. so it's a good strategy in terms of protecting your own population. we have to be very aware, though, that there are hundreds of millions of people all over the world who also are going to need to be back. brent: david saulsberry from the global health program at chatham hous we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. david: thank you. brent: here in germany, the tarp restrictions to? the pandemic will remain in place until at least january paving in a videoconference on wednesday, chancellor angela merkel and the state premieres agreed to extend all those restriction measures. she said the infection rate is still too high to soften what

has been called germany's lockdown light. in order to fight coronavirus, merkel also said shorter but consequent is better than longer and half consequent. let's go to our political correspondent who is on the story for us. why are germany's leaders seeming to be so worried now? reporter: look at the situation, it's simply not good. earlier we were having around 23,000 new infections daily. now, after a month of so-called light lockdown with bars and restaurants closed, with cultural institutions not running anymore, we went down to over 17,000 infections daily, but the number of deaths has significantly increased. today was the highest death toll ever registered in germany since the beginning of the pandemic,

with 487 deaths. angela merkel said the axman intro growths could be stopped and bring it under -- under 50 cases, but this is still not the case. berlin's mayor also warned that a potential vaccine was not the ultimate solution just now at this stage. brent: the situation is not getting that much better. could the restrictions be tightened? reporter: indeed, that's what angela merkel said she wanted time and again. and the bavarian state premier said that at some point some -- the politicians really needed to consider whether or not to leave the country in a half-asleep situation, those are his words, or if we need to see tougher measures being implemented.

he said there will be new discussion on january 4 on whether or not to continue. brent: we know the latest polls show that a solid majority support the partial lockdown, but we've got about a third of people in germany saying they do not. how difficult is it becoming to get the public to stay on board with all of these restrictions? reporter: a minority which doesn't approve the restrictions , most of germans do support the measures. in fact over half the population find the restrictions currently in place appropriate, at around 30% of them would even like tougher measures being taken. brent: the latest there from berlin, as always, thank you. here's a look at some of the other developments in the coronavirus pandemic.

russian president vladimir putin has ordered voluntary aspects of nations to start next week. russia says it sputnik vaccine is 92% effective. portugal's prime minister has said securing a vaccine for all european countries will be a top priority. he takes over the country's rotating presidency in january. officials have been expecting deaths to trend upward following a steep rise in new infections. france says it will make random border checks to stop people goings -- going skiing in every country such as switzerland, where ski resorts are expected to be open during the holiday period. french ski lifts will be closed over christmas. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's governing coalition appears to be on the verge of collapsing, leaving israel facing possibly is fourth

election in two years. a bill to dissolve parliament was supported by netanyahu's main coalition partner, and the defense minister. the bill needs to pass three more readings in the knesset in order to become law. the government formed in may at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, has been characterized by ongoing disputes between netanyahu's liqud and the blue-and-white party. >> on dramatic days like this one, we should not be calling elections. the people of israel want unity not polling stations. they want vaccines, and not election broadcast. benny gantz must onhe handbrake. he must stop this downhill spiral toward new elections and halt the unhinged attacks against us. he needs to change his conduct. it's not too late.

brent: for more am by our middle east analyst. it's good to see you. you've been listening to the speech delivered by netanyahu's. tell us, what did you make of it? reporter: this is a master in politics. he would have managed to bring himself into such a position that he takes the blue-and-white party and basically crashes it in the polls to about a thi of what iused to be. he manages to take the arab unit party and break them into pieces. now he is standing there and delivering basically an election speech, claiming he doesn't want any elections. it's very clear he is campaigning and is very clear he knows he has the upper hand. he's trying to use that mentum, however he knows the

best thing to run with is unity. this is what we hear him talking about, but the fact is he is the one with all the aces up his sleeve. he is the one who can decide whether to respo to the demands and stop the election campaigns. he has all the cards. and blue-and-white know it just as well. so this is basically another part of the politic charades from the last couple of years. brent: so you are convinced we will see a fourth election in israel in the past two years? reporter: gd chances are that this is where we are headed. if we zoom out and try to understand what is happening, this is a deep, systemic problem.

see democtic rulen israel under never seen before pressure . we are seeing a prime minister who has on one hand a strong mandate for the people, but on at's at the same time, undoubtedly isery much ethical and moral problems with indictments that are out there. he's supposed to stand trial in february. this is an unprecedented situation in israel in polics. the most amazinghing is again, looking at as a master in politics, he manages to crash all opposition, arab, jews, left and right. brent: let's not take any of the responsibility away from the voters here. the voters have had time after time and opportunity to make their decisions known, and they have done that. it apparently doesn't hurt netanyahu's that he is facing criminal charges. reporter: indeed.

there was a famous saying by david ben-gurion about wanting to change of people when they voted against his will. ? ? what can you do there is a paralysis baked on the fac-- based on the fact that there is a divide in the israeli public. i think the bigger problem is that -- it's a leadership crisis . even a person like benny gantz, he's not a rookie, he didn't come just out of nowhere. he has managed to galvanized big support to become a leader with enough support and the feeling in israel is -- each round helps build up the political stand and position of netanyahu's.

brent: that's a very good point. amazing that israel is heading r what could be the fourth election in two years. reporter: the thing to keep in mind is the american -- change in the american regime, with having died in the wte house, that might make everything more complicated for netanyah we will see if theres a eltion and ithere is, i'm sure netanyahu will find a way to survive. brent: janry 20, we will see what happens if joe biden becomes president. let's look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the united nations has reach an agreement to allow aid into government controlled areas of the tigray region. the conflict has displaced tens of thousands of people. the you and have been mourning for weeks about a possible humanitarian catastrophe.

german man is being investigated on 18 counts of attempted murder and five counts of murder after he drove his car into pedestrians. there is no motive for the attack that has yet been established. u.n. secretary general has urged world leaders to make 2021 the year they commit to fighting climate change. saying humanity is waging war on nature. in report, the u.n. has highlighted 2020's record-breaking weather and fossil fuel extraction. thailand's highest court has allowed -- the opposition accused him of a conflict of interest at -- are remaining in his military residence after he retired from the army. it comes after months of pro-democracy protest amending his resignation.

it's south korean pumps and dacian bts will now be able to defer mandatory sir -- mandatory military service. all able-bodied south korean men between ages of 18-28 must serve in the army. the new law will allow globally recognize k pop stars such as bts to postpone that to 30 years age. >> they may be a boy group, but for their countries military, not to mention military compatriots, they are able-bodied men. now with the new deferment for k pop stars, are the singing sensations bts being unfairly advantaged? >> we love you. >> all south korea's physically fit young men must serve in uniform, a legacy of the korean war, which started 70 years ago,

and technically south and north korea have yet to make peace. and the army life was quickly closing in on the group's oldest member. just two days before he turns 28, the loss upper limit for beginning service, parliament cleared the way for a two-year deferment. other heartthrobs didn't have that luxury. in 2013, 1 of the country's biggest k pop stars, known as rain, was discharged from the army after serving his time. sports stars enjoy their own special rules. a footballer currently playing for tottenham hops berg was exempted from service because he had won a medal at the asian games. that still had to complete basic training, which he did last year when the covid pandemic

conveniently interrupted the premier league season. so whatever they decide to do, btsave two more years tset more industry records and break more hearts until their national service is supposed to begin and the music is over. brent: the son of ferrari great michael schumacher will make his formula one debut next season. nick schumacher will race for the u.s. home team after securing a multiyear deal. >> he is set to make his formula one debut next year, exactly 30 years after his father, michael schumacher, made his years ago. he secured a deal with the u.s. home team. >> i've always dreamed about it, now his family come true -- has

finally come true. thank you to everybody for the great messages and great support. >> mick has shown signs of promise. in 2016, he started racing in formula three and one the division's european championship two years later. that success up to move up to formula two, where he is currently leading the championship by 14 points. but formula one is a whole different ballgame. a ballgame his father, michael, managed to dominate for many years. michael is a legend in the sport , with 91 wins and seven world championships. sadly, the german great has been in a coma since 2013, after a skiing accident. mick knows he won't be able to escape the comparisons to his father. for now, he is just happy he contest his wheels on the big stage in formula one. brent: now for a visit to a museum of miniatures in the

french city of lyons. a single exhibiion can be months in the making because these tiny creations require massive amounts of patients and precision. take a look. >> the renown restaurant in paris is known around the world. but why do they have tables here when there are neither? ? waiters nor guests this miniature version of the famous restaurant in the french capital was created by this artist. it took him a year to finish the handmade miniature. >> miniature is an art form that has existed for centuries. they have been found in the ancient egyptian pyramids. in the 17th and 18th centuries, you had miniature paintings which usually depicted daily

life. there's a painting technique that is also three-dimensional. >> in 2005, he opened his museum of miniatures in the heart of the historic district. it was here in france's third-largest city that he arrive for an exhibition in 1989, bringing alone -- bringing along three trucks bearing tiny artworks. he immediately fell in love with the city. on an area of 2000 square meters, visitors can see over 100 extremely realistic miniature scenes built by various european miniature wrists -- miniaturists. >> i think the ballet hall is particularly beautiful. you can see through the windows of the opera house. >> my favorite miniature is this one. the whole scenery is full of

little details and it is very precise in its depiction. what really impresses me is the light, as well as the individual objects in the room. you can see how much work has been put into it. in addition to scenes here, he has basically replicated half the world. but he is not short of ideas for future miniature projects. >> in cuba, i saw a very atmospheric place. a family lives there. there are a lot of empty palaces there and the atmosphere is incredible. in these fantastic palaces, hundreds of white sheets sway in the wind. it was really impressive. i'm currently working on a miniature of the sea, and it will be beautiful >>.

>> berlin's natural history museum has a dollhouse. skeletons are easy to handle, and a rather cute. viewers are stunned by his artwork, even though, or maybe because, it is hardly different from the real thing. brent: amazing. you're watching dw news. after a short break, i'll be back to take you through "the day." tonight, the u.k. first in line for the coronavirus vaccine. we will be right back. ♪

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>> you're watching france 24 "live from paris." in the race for a covert vaccine, britain has jumped ahead of other western countries, planning to roll at the first shots to health care workers by next week. the ceo of pfizer is calling it a historic moment in the fight against coronavirus. russia says it is rolling out widespread distribution of sputnik five -- sputnik-v vaccine as well. it is still in the final stage of clinical trial. and it's being described as a breakthrough by the united nation