♪ >> this is "dw news" live from berlin. angry truckers confronted police after days of waiting at british ports. also in the program, germany announces record numbers of deaths. one of turkey's most high-profile journalists

sentenced to 27 years in jail. he was here in berlin when the court passed sentence on charges of espionage and editing a terror group. we will bring you his reaction to that guilty verdict. i'm phil gayle. welcome to the program. german airline lufthansa has flown 80 tons of produce into the u.k. after ground transport was halted amid fears of spreading a new coronavirus. lori drivers are still stuck at fair reports because they can only cross the channel with a negative coronavirus test. truckers say they have already waited too long. >> frustration and anger in dover as truck drivers are

furious at the delay in getting back to europe. some drivers are transporting cargo, but all of them simply want to get home for the holidays, yet they are stuck on the english coast. >> we are trapped in this place now. >> we have no food. we have no water. yesterday, the police organized some food, but it was just a hamburger, some chips, and that's all. we don't know when we will get to go home. >> now they say they don't have tests because they are stuck on the way. they have one way here. traffic is blocked.

>> meanwhile, the lines of trucks stretch for many kilometers. the drivers will be eventually allowed to cross but only after testing negative for covid-19. the army has been called in to help with tests at a lori park at a disused airfield in dover. the blockade does not just hurt drivers. 1/5 of goods bound for britain pass through dover. supermarkets could experience shortages of goods if ports remain closed. phil: what is the latest you are hearing from dover? >> the latest what i'm hearing is that some trucks are ready to go and cross the channel tunnel, but other than that, these images you have shown of quite chaotic scenes at the border,

the amount of frustration o the side of the drivers who have been stuck there, complaining of having not enough food. the government has been ridiculed by some critics, saying when the minister goes on television and says that the virus is out of control in the u.k., then he cannot act surprised when other european countries like france take quick action and close the borders, but it looks like the government was not prepared for something like that. other people are pointing out that this is the sort of thing that might come after brexiteers no deal struck between the u.k. in the eu and then we will see quite more chaotic scenes like that at the ports. phil: what about british supermarkets? what is the situation? >> i have to say, i have not

seen myself that any shelves are empty. i have seen enough oranges and tomatoes, but other people have experienced that. people i know have told me that the shelves were pretty much empty. people are of course getting ready forhristmas, and they are worried there might n be enough food on the shelves because some supermarket chains have warned that within a few days, the u.k. could run out of fresh produce. imports of fruits and vegetables are mainly from the continent, so people are just not wanting to take the risk of having no brussels sprouts for their turkey dinner at christmas. phil: you mentioned brexit a moment ago. the final deadline, britain leaves finally at the end of this month. where are the two sides on this long-awaited post-brexit treaty?

>> after a lot of speculation, it seems that a trade deal is imminent, but nothing confirmed yet, but a lot of reports coming out from brussels, and what i'm hearing also from an eu diplomat is that a deal is imminent, but nothing is confirmed yet. there are still last-minute agreements to be made, but maybe the next hour during the night or as early as tomorrow, there is speculation that a trade deal between the u.k. and the eu might after all be concluded. phil: thank you. the german government is urging people to reduce social contact over the christmas holiday after another record coronavirus death toll. take a look at how these numbers have risen. we start on november 4, seven weeks ago. 151 cases. we will forward a couple of

weeks ago, and here is today's record-breaking total -- 962 deaths in a single day according to the country's public health agency. the overall number of for tallies stands at nearly 28,000. the country's lockdown is to be slightly loosened over the holidays, but health officials are warning risks taken will be reflected at the hospitals in the coming weeks. >> amidst all the uncertainty, one thing is for sure -- this year, christmas will be different for everyone, at least for germans. in a country with over 40 million christians, everyone has had to adapt. a daily podcast to his parish in berlin. >> we will celebrate christmas

inside as well as outside the church, and we will gather for mass. for will take place inside and quite a tight schedule. two additional masses will take place outside on the church square, so, hopefully, we will have something for everyone. the parish is also careful to follow hygiene rules. here in berlin central station, usually buzzing with people, the effects of the pandemic are multiple. authorities are avoiding -- authorities are warning people to avoid unnecessary travel, but if you are still hitting the road. >> i disinfected.

i'm a working parent. and we all need celebrating with my son and daughter-in-law. for me it's hard. my husband died, so i don't want to be alone. >> i'm going to visit my elderly parents. i did a test yesterday evening and it was negative. otherwise i would not be here. >> you can see, normally it's packed here and now it's empty. it's a bit sad. the shops are closed, no christmas markets. i miss it. >> christmas in germany is not only a long-standing religious and family tradition. it is also a business which has been heavily affected by the lockdown. no more christmas shopping for presents, no more christmas markets, and no more mold wine -- no more mulled wine stalls.

phil: with get more from our correspondent. are germans likely to comply with restrictions over christmas? >> the majority of germans say they will. 83% according to a recent study said they would abide by the rules and only celebrate in their closest circle of family and friends or stay home. only 90% said they would take a train or flight to see their family. a lot of people are sticking to the rules, and german police have urged people not to call them immediately if they think their neighbors are having a large gathering or crowd in violation of the restrictions. the deputy chairman of the police union has encourage people to st go over there and talk to their neighbors themselves before calling the police. authorities are really appealing to the individual responsibility of citizens, and they are

encouraging them to spend a different christmas this year, not to travel, and if they gather with family or friends, to stick to the rules in order to keep numbers down. phil: how bad is the situation? will health facility scope if we see a spike in christmas cases? >> the situation is quite bad already. more than 5000 coronavirus patients are being treated in icu units in germany and in some federal states, especially east of germany where a lot of the hospitals are located. patients have had to be transported to hospitals in other regions already. the number of beds is limited, but also personnel, and especially over the christmas period. there's not much medical staff

working. they are short. also because front-line workers, health care workers, contract the virus themselves or have to go into quarantine. germany will start vaccinating people december 27, just after christmas, and those health-care workers with a very high risk of infections are in that first priority group, and they are hoping that will lead into the coming months. phil: thank you for that. millions of people around the world are lining up to receive coronavirus vaccines after health regulators approved their use, but would you be willing to get infected with the virus for the sake of science? our reporter is with someone preparing to battle covid-19 for the greater good. >> it just 18 years old, alastair is volunteering to do what many of us would find unimaginable.

he wants to be deliberately infected with the coronavirus. he is campaigning to take part in the human challenge trial. >> challenge trials have the potential to do a lot of good for a lot of people with a -- well, not insignificant, a minimal risk to myself. it is a risk doctors and nurses take on pretty much every day and have been doing for quite a while now. >> in a challenge trial, doctors hope to study volunteers in a controlled environment like this one. volunteers will be deliberately infected with the virus and quarantine here for up to two weeks with safety measures in place to stop the virus from spreading.

a trial services company already runs challenge trials in the u.k., but they are yet to be approved for covid-19. >> they have all the emergency equipment you would expect here. >> to make the trial as safe as possible, scientists would first establish the smallest dose of the virus it takes to become infected. >> just inside the nostril, very slowly putting small droplets of virus into the nose. >> it would offer a unique opportunity to examine the virus in early stages. >> there are a lot of learning benefits that will come out of these trials as well, not just how the virus interacts with the immune system and human body -- that will be key and imported to improve vaccines and therapies, but also how quickly the disease replicates. all these can really help the

management of disease going forward. >> with vaccines already being rolled out, they say challenge trials are more important than ever, warning that traditional vaccine trials will become harder as more of us are immunized. >> we are going to need a way of testing the next generation vaccines. challenge studies will still be able to be used to test very effectively if a vaccine is working because they can be conducted irrespective of how much disease is in the community. >> these tris need regulatory approv, with the key decision hinging on safety concerns. >> they are a low risk group. they are true voluntes, so there is no pressure put upon them to do something they are

not comfortable with. >> only 18 to 30's would be eligible. not all risk can be eliminated. >> the long-term consequences way significantly on my mind. definitely something to consider. it's part of making an informed decision as to if i want to participate, but for me, the benefits outweigh the risks. >> alastair is not alone. tens of thousands around the world expressed interest in the challenge trial in the hope that the risk of a few will benefit the many. phil: drugmakers at biontech and pfizer are to supply the united states with an extra 100 million doses of their vaccine. the u.s. government hope to

immunize 20 million people this month. canada has followed the u.s. by approving the moderna vaccine two weeks after giving the go-ahead to the pfizer-biontech shot. the vatican has -- islam -- muslim authorities have ruled vaccine acceptable even if it contains some pork gelatin. there had been some fears among muslims. a court in russia has given a two-year suspended sentence to an opposition activist for violating laws on public gatherings. the moscow -- a said

representatives and to prevent her from running for parliament. investigators looking into the death of an argentine soccer legend found no trace of illegal drugs nor alcohol. officials are still checking for evidence of medical malpractice. according to istanbul, who student to one of turkey's best-known journalists to jail on spying charges, centering on an article he wrote exposing the role the government played. campaigners for press freedom say the sentence sends a chilling message to turkish journalists. >> lawyers bore carted the trial

-- lawyers boycotted the trial saying the verdict had been decided in advance. the decision was handed down without him present. 27 years and six months in prison for one of turkey's best-known journalists. his article and photos in 2015 claim to show that turkey was supplying weapons to islamist groups in syria. he and the paper were charged with betraying state secrets. the charges included supporting espionage and terrorism. president erdogan called the journalist a traitor and foreign agent. the 59-year-old has been living in exile in berlin for the last four years. the campaign group reporters without borders condemn the trial is a farce.

phil: dw spoke with the journalist and asked if he was surprised by the verdict. >> unfortunately, not surprising. from the beginning, it was an attempt by erdogan's government to force me, and everyone was trying to force me to give the most possible price for this story, which is a true story. they wanted to punish me because ofhis true story and at the same time, try to intimidate other generalists in turkey who dared to try to touch that kind of sensitive issue. phil: the u.k. is set to hold elections this weekend as planned despite an upsurge in violence. authorities assist the situation is in control.

others want the pole postponed. >> these people will not be deterred. they have come to register. they hope this will and the violence. "i'm sure that i will vote. i know the vote will take place and that's a good thing for me. and a good thing for the country ." the front runner in the poll is the incoming president. he, too, says the vote must go-ahead sunday and that any disagreements between opposing groups should be resolved by peaceful means. "must we take up arms to resolve problems? i don't think so. we have institutions at the republic that are in place.

we have institutions in operation today." earlier this week, the troops were requested to put down what looked like a rebellion at the polls. for the people in the central african republic, this is just the latest chapter in the tit-for-tat epic in religious violence, when viewed as a vicious circle. "can you really developed a country through war? in my opinion, no. if there are problems, let's sit around a table and discuss them, and in the negotiations, each party agrees to win and also to

lose. the hope among the majority and international community is that such reason will prevail this weekend. phil: turner's deputy united nations envoy has wished the german ambassador good riddance as berlin's term on the security council and -- ends. authorities in france say three police officers were shot dead and a fourth wounded. a man opened fire at officers who were responding to a domestic violence complaint. the suspect was later found dead. the former british supermodel has died at the age of 50. she rose to fame in the 1990's representing major fashion houses including chanel. because cause of her death has not been reported. she campaigned against fashion

industry waste after retiring. dana -- a danish fr diver set a new record for swimming underwater on a single breath. he took two minutes and 42 sends to swim 202 meters thout surfacing, aing 35 meters to the previous record. the dive took place off the coast of mexico. passenger traffic through singapore's airport has plunged during this pandemic year, but authorities have not given up and invested in a novel idea to bring more people back to the terminals -- glamping. short for glamorous camping. >> they call it glamping in the crowd. singapore's airport has swapped takeoffs for tens, a much-needed

reprieve for many families stuck at home during this holiday season. >> it's a school holiday, so i thought why not do something different? they enjoy camping. at that let them experience this. >> anyone who has missed a flight knows all about overnighting at the airport. but few get to do it in such style. as the name suggests, these gla mpers are kitted out. queen size beds, temperature control. >> it is pretty pricey. i told my husband, and he was like, no, we could go for a hotel for that.

>> organizers hope that even after the pandemic, glamping at the airport might take off. phil: a goldsmith in turkey is selling gold plated face masks. as you can expect, they are not cheap. they cost more than 2000 euros. as a budget option, you could go for a silver mask at just 200 euros. he says the vaccine is more precious than his silver and gold masks. lori drivers -- lorry drivers in dover have clashed with police. france lifted its blockade, but drivers can only return with a negative covid test. germany has reported its highest

daily coronavirus death toll. 962 people died from covid in the past 24 hours. the country is planning to roll out its vaccination program after the christmas holiday. more world news at the top of the hour. in just a moment, i will be back with "the day." if enough, you can always get the latest information around the clock on our website. dw.com. ♪

♪ >> u.k. health authorities announced new areas of britain will enter tier for restrictions after another mutation of the virus was the tech did come a to be from south africa -- detected , believed to be from south africa. trump says the $900 billion coronavirus relief package is a disaster. we bring you an exclusive report antigornment activ.f