The coronavirus testing of lorry drivers wanting to cross the Channel into France has begun, the Department for Transport said.

As of 09:30 GMT, more than 5,000 lorries are being held in three traffic management operations in Kent, the department said in a statement.

"We continue to urge hauliers not to travel to Kent until further notice as we work to alleviate congestion at ports," the statement said.

Image source, PA Media

A man has been arrested for obstructing a highway in Dover, according to Kent Police.

It comes as truck drivers trying to enter the port scuffled with officers.

Kent Police said it had received reports of "disturbances involving individuals in both Dover and at the DfT-run lorry holding facility at Manston who are hoping to cross the Channel".

"One man has been arrested for obstructing a highway in Dover and remains in custody," it added.

Thousands of drivers have been stuck at the port after France closed its border with the UK on Sunday.

It has since agreed to allow entry to its own citizens and some others, including truck drivers, on the condition that they test negative for Covid-19.

Kent Police said it is working with other agencies to make sure drivers hoping to travel into Europe "adhere to the latest government travel requirements regarding Covid testing".

Image source, University of Oxford

The AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine could be approved by regulators just after Christmas, according to a medical scientist.

Professor Sir John Bell said he expects the vaccine - which has been developed by Oxford University researchers - to get the green light "pretty shortly".

He told the Today programme that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received "multiple sets of data" about the vaccine.

"So we are getting to be about prime time now, I would expect some news pretty shortly," he added.

"I doubt we'll make Christmas now, but just after Christmas I would expect.

"I have no concerns whatsoever that the data looks better than ever."

The government has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, with around 40 million to be made available by the end of March.

Approval of the vaccine would help boost the UK's battle against Covid-19 as it is easier to distribute than the Pfizer/BioNTech jab - which is currently being administered to certain groups across the UK.

Image source, ICU Liberty Singers

After spending much of the year battling coronavirus in hospitals, an online choir of intensive care staff are attempting to make this year’s Christmas number one.

ICU Liberty Singers includes nurses, doctors and health professionals who have been working on the front line.

The 100-strong group are covering “Every Breath You Take” by the Police to raise money to support the mental health of ICU staff.

They face stiff competition from Justin Bieber’s collaboration with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir.

Read more about the ICU choir here.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is urging the UK government to give as many people as possible an initial dose of a Covid vaccine - rather than preserving stocks so there is enough for second jabs.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine both require two doses to be fully effective.

But Blair says his idea would speed up the vaccine programme so the country could come out of lockdown sooner.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that although "you really need the two doses… the first dose gives you substantial immunity".

More than 500,000 people in the UK have already been given their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, while the Oxford vaccine is expected to be approved for use soon.

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

France's decision to close the border with the UK to stop the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus has highlighted the importance of the Dover-Calais route for food supplies.

About 30% of all the food we eat in the UK comes from the European Union, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) industry group.

Britain imports nearly half of its fresh vegetables and the majority of its fruit, both mainly from the EU - and that's where the potential problem was.

During the summer months, the UK can grow plenty of its own produce like lettuces and soft berries such as raspberries and strawberries, but when the weather turns colder Britain is forced to rely much more on imports from the EU.

In January, for example, the UK imports 90% of the lettuces it needs from the EU. But in June, Britain produces 95% of its own salad leaves.

You can read more here

The British Retail Consortium says it is expecting supply issues for some fresh goods until the backlog of lorries at Dover is cleared.

Andrew Opie, the organisation's director of food and sustainability, said: “It is good news for consumers as the French borders have now reopened, however it is essential that lorries get moving across the border as quickly as possible.

"Until the backlog is cleared and supply chains return to normal, we anticipate issues with the availability of some fresh goods.”

Image source, EPA

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation Scotland said companies face a "black Christmas" due to delays at the French border.

David Thomson told the BBC: "For those people who export fresh and perishable goods, particularly seafood and salmon in Scotland, it's been an absolutely disastrous few days and it will lead to a black Christmas for those businesses.

"The deal will be far too late for many people who are delivering perishable goods to the continent."

Norway’s health ministry says it will extend its ban on flights from the UK for at least three days.

It will then decide on 26 December whether to extend the ban into the New Year.

A large number of countries have issued bans on travel from the UK following news of a variant of coronavirus spreading quickly in the south and south east of the country.

Image source, EPA

Richard Lloyd, director of a UK firm which imports farm machinery from Poland, said he'd been called by the family of a driver who had no food.

They asked whether he could "somehow get food to the lorry, even a loaf of bread".

"I have customers around that area and they tell me there's plenty of electric lights running to keep the place alight but no facilities to wash, toilet and find something to eat," said Richard.

"I mean, he didn't want to go anywhere because of the security of the truck, and obviously a place in the queue, so it was a desperate situation and, in this day and age, in 2020, somebody's asking for a loaf of bread. Terrible."

France has agreed to allow entry to its own citizens and some others, including truck drivers, on the condition that they test negative for Covid-19.

But Richard fears the backlog will take ages to clear and will mean many drivers won't get back home in time for Christmas.

Image source, Reuters

Rod McKenzie, from the Road Haulage Association, has described the situation in Dover as "chaos", saying facilities for lorry drivers are inadequate.

“The government has said the borders are open but actually they’re not. And unfortunately that message having gone out, a lot of lorry drivers have started heading for the ports again," he told the BBC.

“The testing regime hasn’t started yet and without that starting, the borders can’t effectively open for traffic heading back to France.”

He said information for lorry drivers on the ground had been "extremely poor" and food provision "very inadequate".

There are also not enough toilet facilities for the thousands of trucks waiting at Kent's Manston Airport, he added.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Irapuato Health Authority

Visitors to a market in the Mexican town of Irapuato were made an offer they could not refuse on Tuesday.

Five Mexican wrestlers were challenging anyone not wearing a mask to "do the right thing" and don one. The wrestlers, in full disguise and make-up, handed out hundreds of facemasks to those "who still come up with excuses as to why they're not wearing one".

Image source, Irapuato Health Authority

To drive their message home, they also threw chairs at actors pretending to refuse to wear masks and put them in a playful headlock, just like they do in the ring.

The performance was organised by the local health authorities which argue that the extreme measures are warranted as it's "in everyone's interest" that shoppers wear face coverings.

Mexico has recorded the fourth highest number of coronavirus-related deaths after the US, Brazil and India,

Simon Jones
BBC Reporter at the scene at Manston Airport in Kent

There's a lot of frustration here this morning and we’ve been hearing lorry drivers sounding their horns.

What we’ve heard from people above all is there is a lack of information - the waiting, the not knowing what’s going to happen.

This morning a lot of people have been turning up on spec, people from Romania and Bulgaria who are in vans, hoping they might be able to get a test.

I think they will be told they have to go and join the back of the queue on the M20 or potentially if they’re a lorry be allowed on to the site here at Manston Airport, which is being used as a holding facility.

This morning there have also been some scuffles in Dover where lorry drivers are just so frustrated they’ve been gathering near the entrance of the port. They simply want to be allowed to go home.

But if they’re parked up illegally in Dover or in lay-bys or on verges, they are not going to be the number one priority for getting a test.

In the Philippines, the lockdown has meant hundreds of thousands of women have been unable to access birth control, resulting in numerous unplanned pregnancies.

It is estimated that an extra 214,000 unplanned babies will be born in the next year, according to projections by the University of the Philippines Population Institute and the United Nations Population Fund.

Hospitals in the country are already overwhelmed by 1.7 million births a year.

Read more about the Philippines’ lockdown baby boom

The Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands has said there is "no intention" of parts of the region being placed under stricter coronavirus restrictions before Christmas Day.

It follows newspaper reports that Birmingham could be put in tier four before Christmas.

However, Andy Street described this as a "rumour".

"I have no reason to believe that Birmingham or the West Midlands should be called out as a special case for immediate action at all," he told BBC Radio WM.

He said coronavirus infection rates in the region were rising, but none of its seven boroughs were in the top 100 areas for cases and the region’s case rate overall was below the national average.

But the mayor said he did not know if there would be additional restrictions after Christmas.

Image source, EPA

Singapore, the Philippines and South Korea are the latest countries enforcing new rules on travel from the UK following news of the new strain of Covid-19.

The Philippines government is suspending all flights from Britain starting from 24 December until the end of the month.

All passengers who were in the UK over the past two weeks, including transiting, will also be restricted from entering the country from Thursday. Those already on their way will be required to undergo stricter quarantine rules.

South Korea has suspended all flights until the end of the year.

Singapore has banned people from the UK arriving or transiting through the country. The ban includes anyone who has been to the UK over the past 14 days – even those who have transited through the country.

Permanent residents and Singapore citizens are still allowed to enter Singapore however must quarantine and take a Covid-19 test.

Image source, Reuters

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has told people not to panic after it confirmed its first locally transmitted case of the virus since April.

Taiwan has been praised for its response to the virus. It has recorded 770 cases and seven deaths since the pandemic began.

The new local case was a woman who is friends with a New Zealand pilot who tested positive earlier this week. About 170 of her contacts have been tested.

“Please don’t panic excessively,” Ms Tsai told reporters. She urged people to follow official health guidance and not spread fake news.

Simon Jones
Reporter, BBC South East Today

Eurotunnel says around 150 passenger vehicles crossed the Channel overnight, carrying people who have had a negative Covid test.

However, no freight has crossed the Channel yet.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has urged lorry drivers not to travel to Kent, saying it will take "a few days" to clear the backlog of vehicles that have been stuck there since the border shut on Sunday.

The French government has agreed to ease its UK travel ban but hauliers must have a negative Covid test result less than 72 hours before departure to enter France.

Jenrick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme truck drivers would be offered a rapid lateral flow test and their result, which takes around 30 minutes, would be texted to them.

If they test negative, he said they will be able to proceed across the Channel but if they test positive they will be offered a PCR test, which can take over 24 hours to turn around, and will have to self-isolate in their cab while they wait for their result.

If they test positive again then they will be offered Covid-secure hotel accommodation nearby where they will have to self-isolate, he said.

Image source, PA Media

Truck drivers trying to enter the port of Dover in England have scuffled with police.

Thousands of drivers have been stuck at the port after the border with France was closed on Sunday.

Italy could end 2020 as the country with the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe.

Amidst a devastating second wave, the government has tightened restrictions, including closing ski resorts over Christmas.

The province of Bergamo – home to the city that was Italy's original Covid epicentre – is enduring the economic blow of losing its most important ski season.