faces d.w. news live from the european union and britain on the brink of a free trade deal the way it goes on outside downing street waves british prime minister boris johnson is expected to make an announcement shortly. after talks went into the night in brussels we'll bring you all the details also coming up. from the seat of an idea to a nationwide network to meet the twins in india mobilizing communities to help those hardest hit by the pandemic.

i'm rebecca ritter's welcome to the program with just days to go before the end of the brics a transition period the european union and britain are on the brink of a pro post brics a trade deal reporters are waiting outside 10 downing street in london where british prime minister barak johnson is expected to announce the outcome of the negotiations shortly talks went on into the night in brussels to hash out the final details of the treaty that lays out rules for when the u.k. leaves the e.u. use a single market and customs union in just a week's time. the big mass is following developments from london big it is this the deal that boris johnson wanted what kind of concessions were as he had to make. well rebecca of course they're still talking and they

haven't really released the final deal so we haven't had the time i did so also look over these words suppose the 2000 papers of legal text but from the big picture if this deal indeed will be announced soon as everyone is really expected expecting then he will have some reason to claim some victory because he will have fulfilled his promise to lead britain out of the e.u. and to have control of the laws and all of the borders of the money as well less money to the european union however it does come at a cost so even if there is a trade deal it's sheaves we know that the cost of the british economy will be around 6 percent now that would be higher if there was no trade deal because that would be much harder than full for the u.k. business community for exports but we know that these hit to the economy economy will be there whether there is

a deal or not how important is it then for boris johnson to get a deal done. he was under a lot of pressure of late by the business community particularly those who are trading with the european union they are facing extra paperwork now that the u.k. is not part anymore of the customs union and of the single market so there is extra . extra paperwork at the at the borders so for export is this not is not good news however if on top of that also terrorists would have to be added to to the products that would of course be very very difficult particularly for manufacturing for example for the car industry could mean tens of thousands of jobs would have been lost but so those industries they will be breathing a sigh of relief if and when the deal is finally signed the other issue of course is at the border we have seen these pictures with the lorries being stranded at the

border already very very difficult due to coronavirus now if there was no deal you could expect more chaos so a lot of pressure on the prime minister on this are not even a deal is done which we assume it has been and will be announced shortly what will what will what will change as we enter into the new year. well on top of what we've already discussed which is a lot of change for the business community there is the change that the ordinary citizens will actually feel u.k. citizens can't just easy work and live and travel to the e.u. any more and of course it's the other way around so the citizens will feel that for them there are definitely less opportunities than they have had before one big amount speaking to us from london many things. thousands of truck drivers remain stranded insolvent in england waiting to make the journey back

to mainland europe british authorities are warning it could take days to clear the backlog as the monumental task of testing the drivers for covert 19 begins france abruptly hole to travel on sunday over a rapidly spreading new coronavirus variant in the u.k. of already has been agreed to let the drivers through only if they could show a negative test result although some trucks are slowly moving into france many of facing the prospect of spending christmas in their cab. let's take a look at some of the other developments in the pandemic drugmakers bio and taken 5 that will supply the united states with an extra 100000000 doses of their corona virus vaccine the u.s. government hopes to immunize 20000000 people this month canada has followed the u.s. by approving the cove at 19 back same 2 weeks after giving the go ahead to the bone take 5 a shot and the british government has brought in a ban on visitors arriving from south africa after the 2 cases of another new strain of covert 19 was detected in the u.k.

. india has recorded nearly 25000 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours the total number of cases there is now over 10000000 that's the 2nd highest in the world after the us since september the number of new infections in india has been declining sharply as everywhere though the pandemic has made life difficult especially for the poor and people who have lost their jobs back in july we reported on 17 year old twins in delhi who set up a national hotline to help we check back in on them to say how it's been going. oh. what. a share can't hari and a sister a ses get a dozen calls per day the girls have set up a telephone helpline in delhi they use it to distribute food and medicine the

coronavirus pandemic has plunged hundreds of thousands of indians into joblessness and poverty. when the lockdown started there was so many people out there who had lost their jobs even have enough money or resources to get the most basic necessities like food or medicine and we were so dan tweeting. and asking the parties to take action so we thought we'd create this hope why. many people come to this barrier fence word has spread they can get help here mina malik has 3 children they were fed at school until the school closed due to the pandemic her husband lost his job and she did turn. i've had no job for 4 months and nobody needs us not even for a little odd jobs. the twins mother helps finance the initiative and sakes they say doing good works is important to them. you know in my religion we always put

aside the money to spend for charity and it's one of 2 wars rises over any of our generation than to bring my parents and their ever seen. the twins mother also brings food medicine and mosques to delhi's outlying districts tens of thousands of market workers live in the settlement when her daughters got the 1st call for help people here had gone hungry for 5 days straight. but new coal has come in for the twins they've already helped feed $50000.00 families in over 30 cities across the country now flour sugar and rice is heading to a family but the demand continues. let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines this hour if the o.p.m. state media says the military has killed over 14 people involved in wednesday's massacre in western bents and goo goo most region security forces arrested 5 local

officials following that the attack which left more than 100 people dead it's the latest episode of unrest in ethiopia following a deadly civil conflict in. u.s. president donald trump has vetoed a major military spending bill that had been passed by a large majority of republicans and democrats in congress had previously criticized the $740000000000.00 national defense authorization act saying it would benefit china congress could now move to overturn the veto. and president trump has issued new pardons for his allies including the father of his son in law jared krishna trump has now granted clemency to 50 people this past week the list includes multiple people convicted in the investigation into the trunk campaign's ties to russia as well as the president's allies from congress and other felons whose causes which championed by friends. christmas is the time for family and

friends and donald trump has not forgotten his not long after his arrival in florida for the holiday season the outgoing president's latest set of pardons were announced. what is interesting about the latest batch of pardons from president trump is that many of them have centered on people with whom he has a personal or political connection or bond among them was the father of his senior advisor and son in law jared cushion a. child's know was sentenced to 2 years in prison for tax evasion witness tampering and making unlawful campaign donations the white house cited cushions charitable work since completing his sentence as the reason he deserved clemency but it's the pardoning of pole manifold and bridges stunt that has sparked the most outrage both men were convicted under the investigation into ties between the trump

campaign and rush up trump has now pardon for people convicted in that investigation. mr president my family and i humbly thank you for the presidential pardon you to start on me what's cannot fully convey how grateful we are manifold and start in a not considered conventional part of recipients in part because birth was saying to show a lack of respect to the criminal justice system manifold was accused of witness tampering and star and was convicted of lying to congress republican senator ben sasse called the pardoning rotten to the cole. ok make up a fraction of the $26.00 total pardons the president issued on wednesday and with less than a month left in office pardons are intice a paid and from the outgoing president. it's christmas eve here in germany and one of the festivals most popular traditions is buying and decorating

a christmas tree millions of young pines a cut down every year to adorn living rooms around the country but there's growing criticism over the damaging environmental impact so some entrepreneurs are creating more sustainable alternatives. a tree is cut down. and another. every year we cut down millions of trees just so that we can have one for christmas in germany alone around $30000000.00 trees are sold over the festive season i benedict bruiser is selling christmas trees with a difference to make a difference well the idea of the regions of christmas trees is that we develop a system where we only cut the top off the tree and then have the natural succession off the tree and that will again build a new branch so to say hopefully so it's a regenerative tree that never is being killed but it always regrowth. in january

birds of peas people if they bring back the bits they've had over christmas. those bits are cut up and mixed into soil becoming nutrients in the tree plantation. underneath the cover brazil plants potatoes. or wild strawberries. and in the middle blackberries. and all around them the regenerating christmas trees. which have a special meaning for birds or. through through all the technological advancements and the digital world we have lost many of those just natural ways of coming together and communicating and celebrating life and you know being aware of what life actually means and for me tradition is the christmas tree at christmas where you come together as a family and you just enjoy being together and having that time to also reflect on

the. if the project proves successful brazil hopes the technique will be used around the world to make christmas trees a little bit greener. and a reminder of the top story we're following for you the european union and britain appear on the brink of a post for exit trade deal after 9 months of talks officials say ina goshi haters and their british counterparts have made a last minute push to finalize a deal before christmas. up next day w. business with kris kobach more on the bricks and its effect on the economy obvious act next hour with more news headlines in the meantime as always our web site d.w. dot com you can follow us on social media as well as data news and rebecca written things.

up today don't miss our highlights. program online w dark car highlights. 2 children 2 continents. one giant problem and near an enormous.

because you do you. believe i mean they need to keep going to do that maybe we can eat. how will climate change affect us and our children. e.w. dot com slash water. things on nearing their conclusion britain and the european union are reportedly on the cusp of striking a pose bragg's a trade deal which would end the grueling long ago she shouldnt of the e.u. duque a relationship after britain left the bloc almost one year ago also on the show we take a look at ads you sure exporters who are particularly anxious both sides to reach disagree. i'm chris colfer welcome to the program a bumper delivery of pizza helped fuel negotiators through

a night of talks and now britain and the european union are close to agreeing to a post brags that trade deal according to multiple media outlets announcement is expected later today according to the irish foreign minister there has been a last minute hitch with the wording of the deal but he emphasized there is still likely to be a formal announcement the palms left on the news as britain appears close to avoiding a damaging no deal gregg said after 9 months of turbulent negotiations. for more let's bring in correspondent max sander in brussels max what exactly is the hold up there. there you said it chris so talks have been going on well into the

night through the night until the early morning we have limited insight on what's happening behind closed doors but there was cautious optimism that a deal is in arm's reach so to say and it seems that this did that one of the major sticking points to the level playing field and the competition rules for the u.k. is access to the e.u. internal market has been resolved now it's still the table is the issue of fish the issue of fisheries access for e.u. fishers to u.k. waters it's a relatively small issue compared to the overall trade volume of the block but it's a very emotional issue a very political issue and political on both sides vow to stand by their fisherman will have to wait and see if and how this was resolved the last word hasn't been spoken on this just yet nevertheless everybody is hopeful that the deal will actually come to happen if it does get all the necessary thumbs up what are the next steps. so yeah time is time is running out there are only

a few days left after the holidays this year and there is no might not enough time to do the formal ratification process now council would have to make a call the e.u. member states would have to make a call and and they could sign a provisionary deal to put this in place that would cushion the the hard affects of of a brick said once of the u.k. u.k. . leaves the transition period and at the end of the year and this could be done on the entire deal it depends really depends on the complexity or maybe just on on parts of it but the actual ratification the process would have would have to be finalized next year when the european parliament comes together scrutinize the deal and then signs off on it and then the last step the e.u. council would have to give their and their thumbs up you know your correspondent max enter in brussels where officials are still negotiating final details of the proposed e.u. u.k. trade deal max thank you meanwhile e.u.

food exporters are watching nervously as the braggs of that line which is december 31st approaches this would be the time to rush through as much of their produce as they can into the u.k. right now though that's not possible. several 1000 new trucks are backed up in dover and that number is growing they won't be home for christmas but they at least want to avoid new border checks and customs controls that will come at the end of the year at this food wholesaler in the netherlands they're also worried about the fast approaching end of your deadline december 31st coconuts citrus fruit asparagus all of this has to go to great britain as quickly as possible if the u.k. left to the brits a transition period without a deal there'd definitely be delays in the movement of goods. over day. long of course it depends on the product you have stronger products and we could

products but it. will load the prize of the project if consumer wants to consume. very 1st provides. great britain is one of the most important markets for dutch fruit and vegetable traders last year fruit worth 2000000000 euros went to the island and of course other industries across the e.u. are also facing a last minute panic. as of now officials still wrangling over a post bragg's it trade deal. is a member of the social democrat party democrat party here in germany and a member of the e.u. parliament and the head of the committee on international trade let's get more from him welcome to w not disagreements on fishery rights continue to be the hold up issue here is this economic the small issue worth the wait for this very important agreement. no it's not really an economically in part but politically it's important to look her to

tool to france a bit jim we have caused by being populist parties are on our no rising wait. we're not look really like to see yellow vests protesting against the agreement and. populists and on the you put your side of course this i do don't accrue progression on top of 3 which is really 1st in. the on the good it waters so it's more politically. now a level playing field when it comes to competition as one of the main sticking his been one of the main sticking points between the 2 is size here you are heading that used parliament committee on international trade and have been pushing for a level playing field when it comes to competition do you see the goals that you set out there accomplished with the agreement on the table. i think so it's totally

clear that we need if we have a really open market to result in eternal boost and any quilter's then we have to be a safety have a safety net that does not undermining our standards and of course adds to the conditions on live of our eyes and environment through lights and state so now the new instrument dispute settlement because this money which has also impossible possibilities to control there is no longer really difference in the level of paper . mr lang. with a deal in place which we're all expecting to happen later today what will trade between the e.u. and britain look like in the future. of course number would be straight without any year or complication but of course there is

a change we will have. different customer procedures on probabilities and of course. there is some truth to simply on animals and emote with knots so there is a trade. the extra cost for companies but never less reliable. and social democrat and member of the european parliament thank you for talking to do you know. it's like a merry christmas. i as the other german government is considering a parcel charge for every online retail sale it's intended to support brick and mortar retailers around the country after all since the start of the pandemic e-commerce sales have been surging which also means the amount of parcels that delivery workers have to transport has more than doubled and we want to see what exactly that looks like for a parcel delivery driver joachim go to the

d starts early he says vandana delivery base in south berlin just like several 100 of his colleagues every day then they set out to deliver their packages and parcels to customers in the german capital the 55 year old says it's always crazy a few weeks before christmas but since the coronavirus pandemic there's been a boom in online shopping logistics companies have been inundated since march back into i definitely noticed a difference of course the number of parcels has gone up after the 1st wave there was massive growth. this december i'll definitely have to work overtime and on my days off to. d h o currently delivers of levon 1000000 parcels a day in germany alone before the pandemic they used to deliver some 5000000 a day. after a 20 minute drive to rives and his delivery district he has 160 parcels to deliver

today on some days it can be up to 200 and they can weigh up to over 31 kilograms. we have a lot more large parcels and also more heavy parcels i really noticed that i think the tendency to order online was already there. but the virus has made it so much stronger still people have been shopping online for a while now and then think. with the onset of the pandemic and closed stores the benefits of online shopping become apparent ordering from the comfort of your sofa no risk of infection in crowded stores no climbing stairs or lucky when it comes to working conditions however none of the major delivery companies has a good reputation whether it's amazon's own delivery service hermes geo less or other providers many parcel services employ subcontractors and unions have pointed

out countless cases of overtime hours and low wages post subsidiary d.h.l. pays their delivery people according to chair a forgive ations they're trying to prevent the boom from overwhelming their delivery drivers as get fucked we don't have enough people to fill all the jobs in the logistics field we've hired more than a 1000 temp workers and have an additional $13000.00 vehicles in service. you walk england does more than halfway through his shift he's pushed his packed parcel carts through narrow stairwells a dozen times today he says the silver lining to the pandemic is that people now have a new respect for his job. and a quick reminder of our top story at this hour britain and the european union are close to agreeing to impose bragg's a trade deal according to multiple media sources officials close in talks said an agreement has been filed on the sticking points fair competition and fishing rights

british prime minister boris johnson is expected to hold a press conference soon. and of course we'll be following that story for you in the coming hours on our shores i'm not alone thanks for watching i've been stuffing success.

is a master of the art of confrontation this is wrong. oh for combat doesn't mean you're going to fly the undisputed champion of home with local talk to join the tri group you can find everybody understand that it's such a beautiful. through the complex jointed sebastian sequence the powerful to account this is a fix for you which ever way you like to spin conflict. w.'s

crime fighters are back with africa's most successful radio drama series continues only because those are available on my. horse you can share and discuss on w africa's facebook and other social media platforms crime fighter to me and now. here in brazil ever saying it's ok for you preparing for the military to intervene we have not the military government brazil is in the news these days for all the wrong reasons allegations of high level corruption uncontrolled illegal logging and finds raging in the amazon rain forest added to that highest figure in the world for covert 19 infections my guest this week from brasilia is the country's vice president. how did the government let it all gets so bad.

vice president how were our welcome to conflict zone a few months ago you told journalists everything's under control we just don't know who's just how bad is the chaos in your administration. i have a saying it's ok now or in this ration that was a kind of a joke that i used to say ok it was not very straight for war a war that i put it was a joke only a joke because here in brazil everything is ok. what sort of joke was it you had 2 health ministers who were gone in the space of a single month during a health emergency a justice minister resigned and the education minister hurries off to the u.s. just days after stepping down from the job saying i don't want to fight leave me

alone don't provoke me isn't that enough chaos for you now it is not it's not it's things that happen in any government ok they have their way that their vacation minister went out well it was not a big problem for us ok and you know brazil is a very different country and well some things that happen here that happen in other countries it's our culture so why did you write an op ed may the 14th you said no country in the world has inflicted more harm on itself than brazil and you warned that institutional damage was driving the country into chaos you were the one who mentioned the chaos and drew attention to it you said we've become incapable of the essentials in facing any problem sitting at the table talking and debating that was a powerful indictment of your own administration wasn't it because your leaders like you who are supposed to unify your country. well the country is

suffering what happens all around the war there isn't an excess of of tripoli is politico the political sides are all very glad to see pull out eyes that is a lot of polarization in politics but. i wanted to stray she running the country well and so far as to day things are getting better and the relationship between the different powers are getting each day better and better so we had some difficult time some months ago but now everything's ok really and added to that the president his family and several associates are kneedeep in criminal and legislative investigations is that ok to. this question it's still under investigation and of course it's than the hands of the judiciary system and we

have to wait for. us to get tweets sent by warning about all this chaos as you did last may were you preparing for the military to intervene and start to dealing with the chaos in june the president openly floated the idea of military intervention saying the armed forces would not accept absurd decisions by the supreme court of congress is not was not a threat. that's not a that's not true 1st of all that i'm going to force our line was their constitutional mission and they are not stepping out of the it syncs here in brazil . are going to use moose and well and. we had to make it very clear that democracy is a value of not only for mr bowser not his government but us to our am and forced to so there is no any anywhere and there is no threat to the supreme court or of the

system here in brazil and the fact that he attended rallies outside military bases when his supporters called for an armed intervention to get rid of governors judges and lawmakers who imposed lockdowns in response to the pandemic no threat there either i suppose well the question of the pandemic people have to understand that brazil it's a very unequal country where we're unequal socially economically and of course joe graphically so since the beginning of depend emic it we've been trying to deal with the health for which the economic curve and with the social curve that's the way that mr bowser not a government dealt with this pandemic well he attended rallies which called for an armed intervention didn't he to get rid of governors judges and lawmakers what's that if not a threat to democracy you want to play on those dos is not a threat to democracy well the governor of south paulo thought it was going to. the

governor of south paolo said brazil and said makes up every day afraid of aggression to democracy to the constitution to the congress to the supreme court president both scenario he said stop this endless aggression. this happens because there is polarization in politics the government of some paulo opposed to mr bush on out of this is much more talk down there that say action when is again here's the happens it's a new way to people behave that not dangerous it's dangerous to have power to do what you mean but nobody has the power to do what they mean we swards here in brazil plenty of people seem to think you're doing politics through fear these days eduardo cost of pinto from the federal university of rio he says this is the problem of having a government filled with military personnel during an institutional crisis the

military will fight tooth and nail to stay in power and they have guns which makes political mediation difficult why fill the government with all these military personnel if you're not planning on the military taking over power. first of all it's got to be very clear that we are not a military government mr both are not in the eye where elected by more than 57000000 brazilians ok and of course we have some people in to govern that come from the military but they are here sinking for the good of the brazil and respecting our constitution and our loss the federal audit court is now investigating what it calls the excessive presence of the military in civil public service and it is excessive isn't it the court said in june there were as many as 3000 military personnel in government jobs what do you need 3000 of the military in government jobs for well 1st of all it have to be very clear that any government 1

in brazil has more didn't to taos and military in government jobs because we have a security cabinet that belongs there that a president that has more than 1000 military people and india scout of military people who work at the defense ministry so we don't have such a huge number of military people. dead a civil jobs in our government that's some kind of that scene formation that came through some different channels and are all these military personnel qualified to do the jobs they're doing i'm thinking of the current health minister as well oh he's an active duty general who followed orders from the president is that his only qualification he doesn't know anything about health or drug study well you don't need to be a doctor to be the house minister why do you need to be a man who understands the public administration and more that you don't mocked up

with secular option and of course mr laws are not about logistics that was the main problem in our house minister. and he knows how to a bay orders more than the other health ministers the city you know has to do as he's told that's his main qualification is it well he has the qualifications and he has been doing have very good job and this has been a task that about all the secretaries of the different states here in brazil they are all very pleased with the job that mr percivale has been doing because all the necessary support for to fight they control the pandemic it has reach it every point in our car and our country mr vice president mr paulson r.-o. has never hidden his admiration for brazil's former military dictatorship do you share that admiration well we had a period of

a military presence that lasted about 20 years they had they did a very good sings for brazil another sings they didn't go so well and this is history and history can only be judge it. time pass we are still some 50 years away from that period we need some more 50 years so that this period can be judged well well during the vote to impeach former president dilma rousseff mist of also not a dedicated his ballot to one of the regime's most notorious torturers this man was convicted of torture during the 21 years of military dictatorship last year your president called him a national hero 502 cases of torture were identified in the unit he ran you have nice heroes in your administration these days don't you. first of all we had on

we don't agree we started torturers is not. a politics that our country is simpatico to it and of course when there is a lot of people that fought there you are but guerrillas judy in the late sixty's and beginning of the 7th of last century and many of these people have been wrongly accused of being torturers o'connell carlos i'll bet it was still was wrongly accused the new also think of him as a hero do you despite the cases the 500 cases of torture which were attributed to his unit what i can tell you about a man carries about a brilliant use to he was my commanding officer in the late seventy's of their last century and he was a man on her and a man who respect the human rights of his subordinates so bent of sings that people tell about him i can tell you because i had a very close friendship with this man that's not true so he was wrongly convicted

then of torture was a it was all made up while the trial was fixed 1st of all. i'm not aligned with stuart and of course many people are still alive from that period and all and all of them want to put sings in the way that they saw that's why i told you before that we have to wait for all these sectors to disappear so that history can make its parts and of course what really happened during that period that period come through well given that you and your president are not prepared to condemn the torture is only torture can you not understand why so many people in brazil and internationally doubts your commitment your administration's commitment to democracy and you understand that. well democracy it's one of a national of our national pair money and objectives we don't see brazil out of

democracy our main objective today is make of brazil the most brilliant democracy in the 1000 m. sphere really and with people like al gusto hell a no minister of institutional security another retired general he's on record as saying he believes it's up to the military to put this house in order this house meaning brazil another threat you have all these people who are prepared to make threats but you say there really isn't a threat i'm confused mr vice president. like i like i've been telling you this makes parts of the discussion that we have the polarization in politics ok it's must really ward's then actions because you want name one single action from mr bowser not a government that was a real real real stretch to democracy here in brazil but words matter and politics don't they you play it's all down but even the supreme court's chief justice d.a.'s

tough only wounded in june about the president's dubiousness about democracy he said dubiousness that's not a great characteristic for a democratic leader is it is dubious about democracy well i think there is no way to sink. the other is that some dubious of feelings of the mr both are not a true democracy including last 3 saturday for instance mr bush or not and mr tough fully aware eating together in a dinner so if mr koppel he had any doubt about the way mr bush on our behave they would not be together in the heat in their house in his house by the party but that . your former justice minister sergio morrow accused the president of interfering in an investigation into his family basically attempting to obstruct justice this is a highly damaging allegation from a minister who used to be well liked and respected by mr bowles and was in it well

mr morell may does like you say chanst views are being investigated through their supreme court we are waiting for this investigation to come through ok of course we have to wait for their this process to end i myself. will walk i'm side by side with president bush for not joining all this time and i can tell you that he did in not to interfere in the federal police in their work a defender of police so that he could help some of his sons that are being accused of some wrongdoings how do you know he didn't did he tell you that he didn't have i know that well well i've been with mr bozo not. to tell us and we've been working closely together and i can tell you he is not.