Coronavirus Mars Christmas 2020, Vaccination Gains Momentum across World

Thousands of truckers endured Christmas Eve stranded near a major British port, ensnared in the chaos unleashed by a new coronavirus strain, as Western nations accelerated vaccination programmes.

European nations on Wednesday had started easing travel bans on Britain to contain a new coronavirus strain that UK officials believe spreads faster, with thousands of lorry drivers stranded in Britain.

But some truckers feared there was little chance of making it across the Channel in time for the holidays, which have been marred around the world because of the pandemic.

"Home for Christmas? Forget it," said Laurent Beghin, a French driver who delivered his cargo of paint on Sunday but was still stuck in England as of Wednesday.

Scuffles broke out between police and truckers complaining of poor facilities and a lack of virus tests at one lorry park in southern England.

Passengers with negative virus tests on Wednesday also boarded the first Eurostar trains from London to France since border closures were introduced on Sunday, eager to spend Christmas with their families.

The new strain of the virus, which has also been detected in small numbers elsewhere, appears to spread more easily than other types but experts say there is no evidence it is more lethal or resistant to vaccines.

The co-founder of BioNTech -- which developed a coronavirus vaccine with Pfizer -- has said their prophylactic is "highly likely" to work against the new strain.

Fears over the strain, however, and surging coronavirus infections in general across the continent have severely dampened the mood over the holiday season in many countries.

Germany has been forced to cancel its famous Christmas markets and Pope Francis plans to bring the...