it's 6. january on al-jazeera. breaks it becomes a reality as britain formally leaves the european union single market. hello i'm daryn jordan this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up england's nightingale hospitals are put on standby as the u.k. battles a 2nd wave of corona virus infections. my next worst nightmare is not getting out of this nightmare without having a lot more suffering and death caught between politics and a raging pandemic we speak to the man at the center of the u.s.

is coronavirus response. and facing a devalued currency and tough sanctions cubans find a way to help their families back home. as millions around the world welcome in the new year britain has marked the end of an era officially ending its decades long relationship with the european union the u.k. is no longer a member of the single market or customs. and the break the transition period has formally expired prime minister bars johnson has hailed it as a positive turning point this is an amazing moment for this country we have our freedom in our hands and he's up to us to make the most of it. and i think it will be the overwhelming instinct of the people of this country to come together as one united kingdom england scotland wales and northern ireland working together to

express our values around the world leading both the g 7 and the cop 26 climate change summit in glasgow. explains how the changes will impact people and businesses. 2020 a year many want to consigned to history but with bricks it on the horizon restoring economic certainty to the country's pandemic hit towns and cities will be a challenge on the eve of britain's divorce from the e.u. in the port city of dover old questions remain is this really the right thing to do . we need to govern ourselves and be our own bosses but it's going to be a lot of stress between everyone anyway because it's a very annoying people don't do well change. the u.k. left the e.u. legally at the end of january but remain subject to its rules when it negotiated

new arrangements a deal now in place people will start to see what breaks it really means it could be years before some changes a felt the agreement on reducing the easy access to british fishing grounds the last 5 years will need to go she decision still have to be made on financial services and data sharing there won't be any new taxes to pay on exports at the border but they'll be plenty of red tape impossible to lace every day freedoms will also end with new rules on travel immigration mobile phone use bank accounts the list goes on and there are profound implications for the future of the united kingdom breaks it's reignited scotland's independence debate the scottish national party's called breck's it an unforgivable act of economic vandalism promising to restore e.u. membership to largely pro e.u. scotland if it becomes independent. northern ireland is the only part of the u.k.

that will continue to follow many of the e.u.'s rules to avoid the return of a contentious hard border with a u. member the republic of ireland but that means new checks all goods entering northern ireland from the rest of the u.k. unionists see want to retain seamless ties with britain now feared being cut off. i think that they made an ordinarily part we wanted to come out of the european union the same terms of the rest the united kingdom sadly that. before the half years come poles to british politics polarizing the country dividing families. even the father of british prime minister boris johnson has announced he's in the process of applying for a french passport to retain ties with the e.u. all of this does mean of course that we might actually start to hear the word just a little less of a less fierce passions and deep divisions remain whether or not breaks it drives or diminishes the economy we know it's happening either way the moment the u.k.

voluntarily leaves the world's largest trading block. al-jazeera london. well amber simmons joins us live now from westminster and boris johnson has made plenty of promises but now that the deal is done will they actually be delivered. well good question has to be said that that both the e.u. and the u.k. really have got a deal that's better than no deal at the actual style of this deal the content of the it's 1200 pages of the accord that was flown here to the u.k. with only a day to spare before big ben shined 11 o'clock here midnight in brussels and nearly half a century of association with the european bloc came to an end now the central issue is that the mantra of boris johnson throughout his election campaign

throughout the whole campaign has been get bricks it done it chimed really well with the public the voting was there but now really done yes it is there has been all of the legal settlement there the there is a free trade deal of sorts but there's going to be more and more negotiation you heard in neve park his report the issue with northern ireland the issue with scotland well the really biggest issue seems to be now is the financial services sector because there's no actual agreement in place there if there's a temporary arrangement of access to your all the financial sector of of the u.k. amounts to 80 percent of the out of the economy when you put it together with all the other service industries that's colossal in fact fisheries is only 0.5 percent but that was the major stumbling block in the negotiations what you're going to see is a lot some negotiations going on over parts of the bits and pieces of the agreement

and that will go on for a considerable length of time also the issue of britain's. in world affairs now boris johnson sees the future as being a global britain with more influence more power better trade but could the opposite be the end result lack of influence diminishing influence if you will and not a lot of trade now some time in 2021 we're going to find out or at the under simmons live for us there at westminster andrew thank you let's bring in junior and who is he's an expert in european politics and joins us via skype from london julian great to have you on the program boris johnson has hailed and what he called the u.k.'s new freedoms briggs it was of course a big political gamble for him has it paid off. well we just have to look at the fact that this prime minister and if all intents and purposes this was all about

mobile chances of all natural break it was all about what was best for him and it has worked out for him for the u.k. in general leaving the e.u. in any state in any deal was always going to be negative for the u.k. negative for the british also negative for the e.u. however as we saw throughout last 2 years you were constantly preparing and came out of this looking better than you can watch and june and that's an interesting point you make because both sides have claimed victory over this trade deal but is the e.u. in the stronger position here do you think. well. it's true that all political entities are always going to cry victory in any circumstance in any event the reality is the e.u. does come out still on top because the e.u. is still it one of the most integrated markets in the world which the u.k. has just left the e.u. still has mass free movement of goods services and people all of which is

a benefit to the european economy and to european citizens whereas the u.k. has effectively isolate itself from its nearest neighborhood based on a very idealized notion of what sort and he is and i think it's very important to note that swallowed u.k. actors in westminster even in scotland in some places and the cross the commentary twitter artie's fear the reality is that while these people harp on about sovereignty and defect that's the negotiations they refused to focus on the what was in their best economic interest and decided they wanted as hard to break with the us possible this has led to damage just states for the u.k. economy even with the fact that this deal as we all know is better than no deal just a final point to you julian i mean many opponents say the u.k. will be worse off than it was under the e.u. and there's still great uncertainty as

a reporter and simmons are saying that about banking and financial services that's a big problem because it's a huge part of the u.k. economy isn't it. yes of course and if you look at the deal which a lot of us are currently pouring through when we have spare time from the festivities with the reality is if we look at deal a financial possibility is gone the u.k. now and financial entities wouldn't you cannot lose preferential or d. access they had to do european markets as they had before we're hearing stories all over the place of companies that no longer can really. trading europe because of the fact that in terms of paperwork and cost it is too much you have a de traffic ation scheme that's coming out in the u.k. to replace the c.e. mark that's on all of the packaging that you might have in your house full of consumer electronics all of a good start to carry it which is costing i've i saw one story from one trader

today that's going to cost around 20000 pounds to replace which this they say they simply do not have and in general it's the entire situation for the u.k. is a net negative there is no real positive to distil if you compare it to what was had before and for all of us watching this who haven't switched off for the year yet or don't want to start the next year with too much politics if you go into european commission website there is a there are sheet stuff explain how bad this deal actually is for the u.k. compared to actually your membership and details exactly what the u.k. has logged compared to membership i mean if you want to get online great to get your thoughts you can thank you for talking to us here at al-jazeera thank you thank you. now is a u.k. faces the reality of bragg's it it's also dealing with an escalating coronavirus pandemic surging infections in england are forcing all foreigners to reactivate

emergency hospitals that were set up when the pandemic again most nightingale hospitals have been largely unused but officials say they're now being prepared to admit patients if other medical centers reach capacity or a challenge as more on the situation in the u.k. from outside the royal london hospital. wednesday had some good news didn't it with the announcement the oxford astra zeneca vaccine has been cleared for use in the u.k. and it will be rolled out from january the 4th thursday there was a case of do you want the bad news or the worst news 20000000 more people in england started the day in here for they join 24000000 people already living under the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions now that is 3 quarters of the english population hospitals in london and the southeast the saying that there i see use intensive care units operating at more than 100 percent capacity this one is the royal london hospital in recent days it's been in the eye

of the storm with ambulances of patients queuing up outside the emergency wards it begs the question why aren't the nightingale hospitals being used properly now these were the emergency field hospitals set up all around the country at the peak of the 1st wave by and large they have stood empty now the government says they're being ready ready for use as backups but i've just been down to the london one and had a look inside and was told that it's been temporarily closed and that most of some of the equipment at least. moved out the government's position is that it would prefer code patients to be treated in proper hospitals like this one and not in the emergency field hospitals as well equipped as they may be but the sounds of the calls that are coming out from frontline n.h.s. staff is that things are getting dire and something soon has got to give. more than

25000 corona virus related deaths have been recorded in the us state of california in los angeles one person is dying every 10 minutes medical workers are struggling to cope and are housing patients in hallways conference rooms and even gift shops fewer than 3000000 people across the u.s. have been vaccinated against cope with 19 that's far short of the government's target of inoculating 20000000 by now well the u.s. is top infectious diseases expert dr anthony found she has told our to 0 that corona virus prevention measures are not a political issue nor a matter of individual rights he says it's simply about public health. the issue is that science has been very successful in doing something that was unheard of or unimaginable years ago is to go from the identification of a new pathogen in this case this mysterious virus that just how rough the farm has

and then we identified it in the anywhere e of this in less than an 11 month it actually now is going into someone's arm into a lot of people's arms and it has been proven to be highly efficacious and say that is a very successful coup de force of science my concern is that there is a lingering anti science feeling in this country that is sort of mixed in with an anti vaccine feeling that we've got to overcome by being transparent about what we've done and what we want to do with science. and you can see the full interview with dr anthony fauci on the bottom line on friday and over 530 g.m.t. right here on al-jazeera. time for a short break here when we come back italy's coronavirus nightmare the 1st western country forced to lock down grapples with its pandemic response monosyllables.

texas is an interesting place to be at the moment 1st of all we had the snow in oklahoma that's cold air coming south into texas and then we do some big showers so in houston there's underpass flooding as you can see and at the moment there is still wintry weather in western texas this low is developing as you go there wants coming up from the gulf and south committee gets that cold air that's already sitting of a most of the states and that's a frontal system so on the front itself it rain this induced circulation is what tucks in a cold behind and gets you out of freezing rain or snow so dallas is going to start the new year disappointingly i have to say and then that all moves north was so you got ready for some rain or big thunderstorms i think running through the southeastern corner and the sto taking

a similar course as the last 2 versions but through kansas and chicago dallas by that time in proving so you start off cold you become really quite warm by sunday as the sun returns now on the west coast san francisco that frontal system is represented like this you start the new year at 14 degrees in the sunshine but then the weekend looks fairly rainy that's not bad there was it. but. in the far reaches of the new siberian islands gold rush fever is in the air and. hunters searching for priceless woolly mammoth tusks of on earth the holy grail. an incredible journey into the realms of science fiction where cloning and synthetic biology have scientists playing god. witness genesis 2.0 the hunt for the woolly mammoth on al-jazeera.

to target. welcome back a quick amount of our top stories here this hour. the u.k. is completed its split from the e.u. to form in leaving the bloc single market and customs union the prime minister or as johnson they hailed it as an amazing moment saying the country would make the most of what he called its new freedom. the royal london hospital says it's operating in disaster medicine mode as the u.k. reports $964.00 deaths and nearly $56000.00 cases in a single day surging infections in england are forcing all thought is to reactivate

emergency hospitals. and the number of coated 19 deaths in the u.s. state of california has exceeded 25000 struggling hospitals are housing patients in hallways conference rooms cafeterias and even gift shop. u.s. president donald trump downplayed the coronavirus pandemic for months telling americans not to be afraid or dominated by what he called the china virus but with more than 19000000 americans infected and almost 250000 deaths the trump administration is facing mounting criticism can really help get reports from washington. rounds of applause after a partisan impeachment but failed attempt to remove u.s. president donald trump from office as the clapping stopped a new reality for the president emerged i'm deeply concerned that we are way behind the 8 ball on this the coronavirus may have started in china. but it was now

spreading fast in the u.s. and when the white house was facing growing questions about its response to the virus trump reacted as he often does they tried the impeachment notes that was not a perfect conversation. they tried anything they tried it over and over and this is the new hoax at the same time his top scientists like dr anthony found were telling him something different we will see more cases and things will get worse than they are right now as the number of covered cases surged and businesses closed trunk privately told journalist bob woodward he understood the danger i want to always play it i still like playing it down yes because i don't want to create a panic still the u.s. 1st spies was hampered by trump's denial of science fearing it may impact his reelection i think the president in his own unique inimitable way pride responded

to it in a way that definitely created a lot of confusion or scientists and medical professionals only because so much of what he was advocating i didn't comport with our reality instead trump publicly suggested his own scientific treatments and then i see the disinfectant. in a minute when there is a way we can do something like that. injection. recommendations meant to prevent. the spread of the virus such as social distancing and mask wearing were also ignored or downplayed. some americans many of them trying supporters simply refused to do either claiming their rights were being infringed members of the trumpet ministration also publicly flooded government recommendations. even gathering in large numbers of the white

house in august for trump's republican nomination after rose garden event to announce trump's new supreme court pick in september corona virus spread throughout the white house and then chile infecting the president himself he spent 4 days in the hospital until he returned removing his mask upon his arrival as he recovered many members of his staff tested positive for the disease even now as the vaccine is finally being distributed many americans say they won't take it facts became something that were highly debatable and i think the region environment in which a lot of innocent and naive people are going to be misled about whether or not it's a good idea to get this vaccine us president elect joe biden will soon inherit addressing coronavirus misinformation while also managing expectations given

widespread relief is still months away kimberly health hit al-jazeera washington south africa has announced a record daily increase of nearly $18000.00 cases a variant strain of corona virus is thought to be behind this which started at the end of november an average of $500.00 people a day die in south africa as part of the world health organization scheme that's helping poor and middle income countries receive vaccines. well it's a he was the 1st western country to be hit by the corona virus more than 74000 people have now died there which is the highest death toll in europe the number of cases is on the rise again and the country has gone into another nationwide lockdown but as mama john jim reports the fine is a biotech vaccines giving people hope of a safe and fun happy a 2021. by late february the corona virus outbreak in northern italy meant

that milan's piazzi deal to almost normally bustling with tourists was as quiet as a small town even a small towns in the lumbar the region found themselves surrounded by checkpoints and crowded with ambulances at the time my team and i were barred from accessing quarantine areas so we spoke to a volunteer medic medical frequently in the town of settling go on skype yes. 'd i don't live alone so every time i go back home i think about it because maybe i've been in contact with someone that has it by march 1000 was ravaging italy and a strict nationwide lockdown was imposed in the small southern town of no one doctor wasn't just battling cope at 19 but also the stigma that came with it. from a human point of view 19 has been devastated because my wife was the 1st confirmed case in the whole basilica region it's unleashed an incredible wast next door on me

related to the gossip those who thought that i was the one who brought the spiral into our area in the summer and autumn months it only seemed to get its outbreak under control but as winter approached concerns were growing again. by the end of the year the number of italians dying from coronavirus in the country 2nd wave of infections surpassed the toll from the 1st wave. when we caught up on skype with giuseppe spina and his wife carmella they told us that they saw only one viable way forward. our family feels a little bit more serene and safe because we have developed a share of antibodies and this has allowed us to keep afloat so far but i truly believe that the vaccine is the only solution out there otherwise we will never overcome it. as news emerged that the new variant of corona virus had been discovered in italy the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine has helped many feel a renewed sense of hope like marco who when we checked in with him again said he

was happy about all the prospects that came along with being vaccinated. it got back to our human interactions as they were before the idea that it can give us the chance to hug each other without any concerns the thought of being able finally to reopen our businesses and everything that comes with it a surge in the number of coronavirus cases meant the country returned to lockdown over the christmas and new year period at the vatican st peter's square usually packed with the faithful sat empty. even as italians hoped and prayed for a much safer and far happier 2021 mama june and. a canadian politician criticized for ignoring the government's own travel advice by taking a holiday abroad has resigned ontario's finance minister rob phillips posted videos on social media appearing to show him at home when he was actually spending

christmas in the caribbean his trip coincided with a record daily high income of $1000.00 cases across canada which prompted a strict down. a peacekeeping operation run by the african union and united nations in darfur is closing after 13 years the united mission in sudan will gradually wind down until it finally closes in june next year it was launched to end the conflict that killed more than 300000 people since 2003 around 2500000 others were forced from their homes and many have been protesting against the peacekeepers departure. the cuban pesos $1.00 to $1.00 exchange rate with the u.s. dollars to be devalued for the 1st time in more than 50 years that will hurt the already struggling island country where the economy is mostly state owned families they also face tough sanctions and forced under donald trump dreams about reports and how someone getting creative in order to survive. a food delivery service cuban style this family owned business is giving cubans living abroad and alternative way

to help their relatives on the island economic sanctions imposed by u.s. president donald trump have complicated remittances to cuba and that's why sending food instead has become popular. we have a weekly package that is what cubans need the most a few years ago we started to work with companies that promote our services relatives abroad can send a gift to their families here they can send sweets and basic items while the services offered in us dollars and paid for through the united states the food is served in cuba. rice beans and pork or a traditional meal for the holidays that daniel doris wants to share with his family and have an on his birthday he paid for the service online the only member here a lot of problems with food scarcity in the limitations of moving cash. to send food and i pay for it from abroad i'm very happy with this economic restrictions imposed

by the u.s. have banned wiring money to cuba more than 400 western union offices have. in recent months down the road so this is this is a good service for us because in the middle of a pandemic if you live abroad to send food and other items which is what people need u.s. sanctions in cuba as economic troubles have worsened people's lives on the island shortages of food and basic items have again become a common problem people have to line for hours in order to get them cuban president . and else who will eliminate a complicated jewel currency system that has prevailed for decades it will result in a steep devaluation people on the island are feeling the consequences because of authority says the months ahead will be difficult to meet transformation. january 1st. price is.

said offer incentives for state companies not forcing them to increase official. increase exports in the meantime people like the doris continue to help their relatives in cuba and as long as remittances are banned finding alternative ways to help them survive. to have a quick check of the top stories on al-jazeera the u.k. has completed its split from the e.u. after formally leaving the bloc single market the customs union prime minister bars johnson hailed it as a new beginning after 4 years of political dramas. this is an amazing moment for this country we have our freedom in our hands and view.