the people. you know it is very good bringing the news to the world from here. i know this is a difficult day for some and to our friends in the united kingdom i want to say heart is such sweet sorrow the deal is finally done the u.k. and the european union clinch a landmark trade agreement redefining their future relationship. you're watching al-jazeera live from the headquarters in doha in derry and i will hear it also coming up in america begins mass coronavirus vaccine rollouts

frontline workers in chile mexico on coast to recall get the 1st jobs. at play for calm as hundreds of women march in central african republic in a tense run up to presidential election it's. christmas like no other celebrations are scaled back in countries around the world as millions prepare for a subdued holiday. after months of negotiations and just 7 days before things outlined the european union and the u.k. have finally reached a landmark trade and security deal the agreement for a 0 tariff trade covers everything from energy to fishing rights were a challenge reports. this means that the u.k. has voted to leave the european union the who finally breaks it is 4 and a half years after the referendum almost at the end of the 11 month transition period

. the u.k. and the e.u. argued negotiated compromised and cajoled but they've done what many feared they couldn't and agreed to their future trading relationship. it's a moment of reflection for the european commission president at the end of a successful negotiations journey i normally feel joy. but today i only feel quite satisfaction and frankly speaking relief for the u.k.'s prime minister it's a political success that caps a year which gave him very few of them. there will be no palisade of terrorists on january the 1st and they'll be no non-tariff barriers to trade and instead there will be a giant free trade zone of which we will once be a member and at the same time be able to do our own free trade deals one area of

disputes that seem compromises fishing rights outside the e.u. britain has control of its exclusive economic zone but it's had to budge on how much access he has have there's also been movement on state aid to allay e.u. fears european companies could suffer from unfair competition and now both have an imperative to gether to make this deal look good and run as smoothly as possible and that will many my short term disruption the government's independent spending watchdog says not reaching a deal would have nots 2 percent off u.k. growth in 2021 alone partly because of temporary disruptions to cross border trade but even with this deal u.k. businesses still have plenty to worry about only a small number of transport companies have had access to britain's new border crossing software expected to be rolled out just a week before the transition period ends. there are concerns about britain's current jobs crisis deepening if firms relocate to the e.u.

and there are still unanswered questions about how to avoid physical border checks between northern ireland part of the u.k. and ireland in the member for now both sides will be happy to have something to show for the torturous negotiations boris johnson insists the relationship is still closed this country will remain culturally emotionally historically strategically geologically. attached to europe but in the year of the u.k. has finally done what the 2016 referendum result demanded its distances from europe . down to 0. so the deal's been done but what's in it and has either side fared better principly it secures a 0 tariff and 0 market for goods that avoids the possibility of soaring prices on both sides which could have forced businesses to fold on the key issue of fishing in the u.k. waters boats will keep access for 5 and

a half years but the size of their catch will shrink the u.k. fishing industry says it's disappointed there isn't more of a break from the e.u. for europe a key demand was protecting the level playing field or common rules to stop one side gaining competitive advantage it says there will be built in safeguards and incentives to stick to those rules there are also deals covering transport data sharing and health plus agreements on law enforcement for example smoothing the process of extradition britain's no longer avoid mobile phone roaming charges and there will be more paperwork if they want to travel with their packets on em or all these served as an aide to britain's former bricks at secretary he says the trade deal is historic despite its limitations. what we've got here is possibly the 1st trade deal in history where we started with free trade and we've moved to an end point where there are more barriers in their words to begin with so it isn't going

to be a perfect feel quite clearly there would have been compromise on both sides but i think that whether you know boris johnson's and i thought whether your look on the way and i think you were pretty chuffed you've been able to deliver a big deal in record time on a very complex deals oversea those key areas like fishing where there may have been some compromises those key areas about level playing field as well but only a whole we need to see the legal text before we can decide whether the losers and winners will be the predictions were. without a deal we are looking at potentially losing 6 percent of g.d.p. with a deal of this nature we're looking at only losing 4 percent of g.d.p. so you know we all still looking at a potential loss a loss in our area and in particular looking at the fishing industry which is if a contentious point that's worth around or point one percent of the u.k. is overall economy so there was never really going to be any doubt the fishing was going to be the thing that broke this deal but i think it's one of those

contributions that allows us to avoid a cliff edge breck's it avoid that it's all to leave rex a factor to actually feel the mist over the coming years to build a close close range of between the u.k. and the european union and of course the opportunity for the u.k. now is to go out and get those trade deals with the likes of the usa and other nations where we haven't been able to trade with before and if that happens that potentially things could be looking good. 3 countries in latin america have begun their mass coronavirus vaccination rollouts mexico an intensive care nurse received the 1st approved dose but the initial rollout could be small from mexico city here is john home for. the 1st latin americans to be vaccinated against covidien nurses and doctors in mexico few would argue with their place at the front of the line more medical staff have died here than in any other country in the world in which a massive wooden i'm going to feel much safer now at work the truth is that we're

really exposed to all types of body fluids so having the vaccine is really going to help so far because only received 3000 doses the line to get them snaked around the block move should arrive each week they can't come soon enough the mexican government is pretty triumphant about the arrival of the vaccine but it's not here in time to save the country from its current problems in the capital the hospitals are almost full and now there's very few ventilators available for the population of one of the biggest cities in the world. cities known bred alert with essential businesses closed a group of nurses in the vaccination queue told us how things were in their hospital. that are out there without recompute leaflet and patients in serious conditions and ventilators i think is going to eat i mean we just might at this minute and a lot of deaths to about 7 a day at the moment and a lot of people coming in from the moment we start in morning shift. they does this

of their colleagues who are nervous about any possible side effects from the vaccine but they said the benefits power outweigh their concerns we don't know whether this is the numbers game that or not sometimes we have to ask flight and we want to be with our family i want to hug my grandmother and even more christmas with. latin america a bias at the center needed some light at the end of the tunnel and i know this looks like it but last. the population won't be vaccinated for months yet at least it's a slow down home is it a miscue city vaccine made by pfizer and biotech has also arrived at hospitals in chile those are just the 1st 10000 of $10000000.00 ordered health workers in the capital santiago were 1st to be inoculated the government hopes to vaccinate 80 percent of chile's $19000000.00 people in the 1st half of next year. and in argentina russian main vaccines will be given out starting monday it's one of the

few countries to accept a delivery of moscow's sputnik jobs but there are many logistical challenges as they are the reports from. the arrival in argentina of the 1st batch of 300000 doses of the sputnik vaccine from moscow a symbol of hope for the country's 45000000 inhabitants or the health experts warn there are still difficult days ahead. the start of the vaccination program does not mean the end of the pandemic is just the start of a road that will lead to 70 percent of the population being vaccinated days important but it's only the beginning. after approving the vaccine on wednesday the argentine north or it is a working with their russian colleagues to convince a skeptical population safe was that she was when you want to go shooting with other producers for alternative vaccines i mean no not. as of

today we've not had anything against the vaccines it's all positive who will choose to refuse to be vaccinated it is complicated but by law nation argentina is obligatory. now begins the huge logistical operation of distributing the vaccine to the distant corners of this enormous country the 8th largest in the world the fleet of trucks is taking supplies to argentina's $23.00 provinces where 1800 vaccination points are being set up there's still a long road ahead but in a country that suffered more than 42000 deaths and over one of the half 1000000 infections argentina hopes that the arrival of this version from russia marks the beginning of the end of the covered 19 pandemic. from my medical staff to be the 1st to be vaccinated but health experts are keen to stress that the battle against the corona. virus is far from one. of our concern is that fictions

are rising but we've been very focused on the vaccination plan and to prevent more hospitalizations and more deaths especially in intensive care so we're targeting the 1st of all those who are at the most risk in the most vulnerable. that titles dorothy's are imposing fresh quarantine restrictions over the holiday periods trying to keep rising infections under control with the hopes and expectations of the recently arrived vaccine in check. to 01 of cyrus 2 new strains of the corona virus have emerged in africa with separate mutations recorded in south africa and nigeria the south african variant is believed to be more infectious contributing to what experts have called an alarming spread of the illness the country's total number of cases is rapidly approaching 1000000 several nations have restricted travel from south africa as a precaution south korea has recorded its biggest daily increase in corona virus

infection since the start of the pandemic it reported a $1241.00 new cases including a large outbreak at a prison in seoul the country rolled out its toughest ever restrictions this week with popular tourist venues closed until early next month testing on contact tracing are also being ramped up in the u.k. thousands of truck drivers and travelers trying to get to france are stranded at the port of dover on christmas day off already as they are trying to complete a mass coronavirus testing operation after a nuke over $1000.00 variant prompted france to 1st close and then partially reopen its borders so far only 3 drivers have tested positive. coming up on al-jazeera in a moment u.s. house republicans go against donald trump and block attempts to increase relief payments for struggling americans the at the. blessings from

a distance how limited christmas celebrations in bethlehem are impacting the local economy. it's about to snow again for japan the wind has turned around says document of the increasingly cold siberia and northern china which means no a half meter or so snow quite happily on the western side of the slopes for honshu and in her card that for most other places whatever happens over here is just cold sunny by day frosty by not increasing clouds seems likely in some process china was spotting rain every now and again here and there that is it's not significant the winds i think increase in hong kong about winds being quite strong anyway as the northeast monsoon recently heavy rain still seems likely in southern thailand on

its way as his remains that tropical depression and the following showers will be frequent is not necessarily heavy in vietnam but is a concentration of showers so heavy downpour too in central southern philippines dancer borneo in some ways the less you know is excluded in java and sumatra they're increasing again i think the end of the weekend. now there may be slow change taking place in the northern plains of india the cold wave is still with us this northeast monsoon means a few showers full strength but although the sun pops up every now and again for me for a few hours every day in new delhi is nothing really to change what is largely poor quality. of. frank assessments you've got colleagues on the ground in the canaries what is the situation there's only one doctor and one nurse or 2200 people informed opinions of how big this foreign policy in the early stages of

a bi ministration he comes into office with a huge amount of foreign policy experience in-depth analysis of the day's global headlines how will a place like it live get the vaccine when there's no money at all the rest of rich countries are fighting for it inside story on al-jazeera. hello down the top stories on al-jazeera after months of tense talks on just 7 days before the deadline the european union and u.k. have clinched a trade deal the agreement for a 0 tariff and 0 quota relationship covers everything from energy to what became the crucial issue of fisheries mexico's started its coronavirus vaccination

campaign with an intensive care nurse receiving the 1st approved to use argentina is preparing to roll out a russian made vaccine from monday off thousands of pfizer biotech doses have arrived at hospitals and chiming. millions of americans will have to wait on so after christmas as the law continues over a $900000000000.00 stimulus package president donald trump surprised both democrats and republicans when he sent the bill back to congress for amendments this week he said the $600.00 direct payments were too small and called for $2000.00 per person democrats support the increase but republicans are blocking it. syrian state television says the country's air defenses have shot down several missiles launched by israeli warplanes in the northwest the sinai news agency says the airstrikes were carried out in a must see if area there were also reports of blasts in the coastal city of. iran's top general has the smiths claims his country was behind

a recent attack on the u.s. embassy in baghdad sources say force commander. visited iraq 3 days ago to clarify his country's position on the attacks rocket attack on sunday injured in iraq a security officer and damaged cars u.s. president trump blamed iran and threatened their retaliation if any american was harmed in any future attack. i mean zakk is the former chief of communications for the iraqi mission to the u.n. she says analysts believe to her on is trying to avoid any escalations during the final weeks of trump's presidency iran has played it very very low key they've they are not trying to be embroiled with. a war with america in the last months of this presidency in fact i think many of us believe that they are waiting on this new president elect joe biden to come back to the table and we negotiate an agreement so it may not be the iranian government per se it may be

factions of the iranian government that are pushing these these arms of these militias in iraq to to fight to continue with these skirmishes state affiliated with any say soldiers have killed a group of armed men accuse the fent attack on a village been incidents in the western region of. more than 100 villages killed media reports suggest 42 armed men were killed after prime minister sent in troops . and u.n. security council has approved a temporary deployment of more troops to the central african republic ahead of sunday's elections most opposition presidential candidates had already stopped campaigning because of security concerns they want the polls postponed but the government says that's not an option catherine so reports in the capital. the mood in this market in benghazi is just right for christmas kristie ditties central

african stake their celebrations seriously and traders are making a killing it's also an election season they go to the polls on sunday and their main mori is security really on sunday both of us have to of course but it's christmas and who doesn't want a good cheer. but everyone is in a festive mood though many residents want to get their voices hard some through religious processions praying for peace. others like this women condemn the newly formed peaches for change a coalition of several armed groups that has threatened to march to the city and is already causing havoc in the countryside and militants on 1006 to 6 our country has gone through coups rebellions mutinies and each time it sets us back the 2013 britons a lot of sorrow women have been raped many people have died and others displaced. down hoping that the 12000 un peacekeepers in the country alongside government

troops and other international forces will keep the pages for change a b. that's saying they just want a peaceful election this is a country that had been in conflict for so long and the humanitarian needs a huge one and hopped the population need some form of aid and hundreds of thousands of central african refugees in neighboring county. ca are has survived 5 years of need constant to stability since gaining independence from france. in 1960 . the latest conflict started about 7 years ago when the then president francois was overthrown by a mostly muslim group called reprisals by the mainly christian i'd only made things worse a peace deal signed between 40 rebel groups and the government in 2019 brought about some calm but now violence is again on the rise. we have the

poorest people now heidi in rural areas who they are scared the anguish as a father a man of the change ask those who have picked up weapons to have p 2 on us. all the presidential candidates are promising peace many central african say they're tired of broken promises but here are the markets they tell us they want to take the weight of their country's politics off their shoulders for just a little while to have a merry christmas catherine al-jazeera bunky millions of voters and will head to the polls on sunday to elect a new president on parliament 30 candidates are running to succeed mohamed do or so who has been in power for 10 years. takes a look at what's at stake. central market business has been in decline traders here say this is a trend they've noticed for more than a year of work and my mom who fixes or broken watches believes the country

struggles on the increasing attacks carried out by armed groups. the biggest problem is security without it we are just wasting time poverty can only get worse creating other social and economic problems. boko haram attacks in new just south than border region have killed thousands and displaced about 250000 people strain to 15. and then the west attacks by armed groups affiliated to al qaida and i still have disrupted economic and social life. however is angered by how foreign powers have taken over control of nizkor resourceless he wants the new government to take charge. we have uranium but no nuclear plant this is been ongoing for more than 60 years with a nuclear plant a problem with electricity will be over that he says will support industries to

produce and reduce unemployment. analysts however say for the government to tackle insecurity and poverty more emphasis must be placed on education even if many has been done but. in. primary education and even high level it ition in this country. too to know of. so far complaining us passed and peacefully but all travel robberies have revived. civil society organizations say having 30 presidential candidates on the ballot paper could become fusing for many voters they also say they want it by the number of races the tight and hate speech that characterized the presidential campaigns this year and that was the government media regulator is struggling to keep the negative messages off the airwaves was one of them and we

have stopped them from overheating the polytonal while address their concerns will also offer counseling and advice for the 2020 elections hoping to make history if conducted successfully it will be the 1st time a democratically elected president will be handing over to another board to say more important than that the want to see improvement in their social conditions may be brief. yami. christmas celebrations around the world have been muted this year because of a coronavirus pandemic pope francis led an early christmas eve mass in a near empty st peter's basilica to comply with italy's covert 19 restrictions catcha lopez hardy on reports. there are no crowds in this socially distance christmas eve mass led by pope francis the celebration in st peter's basilica

usually brings in more than 10000 faithful but with cold at night seen about 100 people stood in the pews of a smaller rear section of the church a reflection of christmas amid a pandemic would scale back or cancel celebrations across europe and the world. he got close to the start of the night here come get. a challenge the pope said must be met with strength if i will put out a fight the kid was the the vatican's mass was moved up to our 2nd plywood italy's 10 pm curfew was the epicenter of the pandemic italy is once again struggling with covert 19 that reported more than 500 coronavirus related deaths on thursday and another 550 the day before overall italy has recorded more than 2000000 cases. of it. it's strange it feels like a war scenario where something bad is about to happen but at the same time there's

a sense of hope that's what we all need right now. this was st peter's square last year with people lined up to receive the pope's passing but now the world is different pope francis will not be making his usual public appearances in st peter's square throughout the holiday season but it's really strange to be here and to see that feels really nobody run from the metropolitan and it was empty the the. vatican is taking measures to protect the 84 year old pope especially after more than a dozen infections were reported among the vatican swiss guards a mass unlike any other in recent history marked by a pandemic with millions of faithful hoping next year will be different. al-jazeera. celebrations were also scaled back home in the occupied west bank

a small number of worshipers were allowed to attend the annual midnight mass at the church of the nativity and that berhane was there. it didn't look a lot like christmas this year and bethlehem celebrations were restricted to the beer minimum as covered $1000.00 cases search. only if you were shippers were allowed to attend the midnight mass in the church of the nativity the 10 day meet with with its burden of suffering and this. is to imagine a different more. made up of new so he dug a team and 4100 nations. where. you sort of placed by eating. and they were in full for a few becomes a benefit for everyone. if president and many foreign diplomats didn't join the christmas service. the day started with

a low key reception of the latin patriarch of jerusalem a procession to welcome him back thousands this year he gave his blessings from a distance. behind the advent of has seen and you can feel the town's sadness this is not how christmas looks it's also the 1st time that we didn't attend the christmas tree lighting ceremony. palestine's 1st cases of covered 1000 we had reported in bethlehem in march. dried up in a country that have a depends on it. the tourism ministry says the losses this year are estimated at one and a half $1000000000.00. but up a chill many makes a living out of tourism here in just community based tour guides and says 2019 was a very good season now he expects his business to pick up in october of next year

we had followed book maybe a year in advance it was the 1st time maybe we had the sons the birth of jesus you know. so it was a mess and we would expect an amazing year and things have changed but it's going to be back and we are. all christmas related festivities were called. instead treated corded christmas carols were broadcast online the palestinian authority says it tried to limit gatherings as much as possible to combat the spread of the coronavirus this year there are fewer christmas lights and decorations than usual but some here tell us that the message of christmas is all about hope and they're praying that next year will be back to. the occupied west bank. for the 1st time since it was nearly destroyed by fire from. christmas eve.