this is the w.'s live from berlin after a year of negotiations and missed deadlines britain and the european union breach and last minute trade agreement european commission president. describes it as fair and balanced and says britain will remain a trusted partner for dish prime minister boris johnson greeted the deal is fantastic news that won't end uncertainty we'll bring you full analysis from london brussels also on the program as he prepares to leave office president trump make sure to remember his friends the latest batch of presidential pardons goes to

pieces that closest associates longtime confidant roger stone is one of nearly 50 felons granted clemency. guaranteed virus free father frost in the home and detainees putting a smile on children's faces in russia. i'm phil gal welcome to the program. after months of uncertainty britain and the european union have finally struck an agreement on a post bracks a trade deal the 2 sides patched up their differences at the 11th hour 2 of time encroaching crisis as the end of the 12 month transition period approach speaking in brussels commission presents us with a from the live hailed the last minute compromise and maybe even gentleman at the

end of the 6 for negotiations journey i know only. but today i only feel quite dysfunctional and frankly speaking really. i know this is a difficult day for someone and to our friends in the united kingdom i want to say our team is. our own but to use the line on. what we call the beginning over the end and to meet the man. to make. it so to on all things i say it is time to reckon behind our future made in europe thank you very much lou pape prime minister boris johnson welcomed the agreement was fantastic news he

played out the strong relationship between the u.k. and the european union the relationship he promised would continue and so i say get him directly to our e.u. friends and partners all i think this deal means a new stability and a new a certainty in what has sometimes been a fractious and difficult relationship we will be your friend you are on your supporter and indeed never let it be forgotten you are number one market. because although we've left the e.u. this country will remain culturally emotionally historically strategically geologically attached to europe not least of course through the 4000000 in u. nationals who have requested to settle in the u.k. over the last 4 years and to make an enormous contribution to our country and to

our lives well the agreement to come into effect on the 1st of january it means there will be no tariffs on trade between britain and its biggest trading partner the european union fishing rights emerged as one of the last barriers to a deal the e.u. has agreed to give up a quarter of the fish catches in british waters they'll be no hard border between ireland and northern ireland which is part of the u.k. this had been another big sticking point irish prime minister i'm michel martin described the outcome as a good compromise but britain's final departure from the e.u. means an end to free movement conditions will apply for residency and travelers will face restrictions as get more detail on this from the dublin correspondence charlot ship chelton pale in london and alexander phenomena in brussels welcome both that start with you alexandra in brussels a britain is going to be out of the block in 8 days can $27.00 countries ratify

this deal so quickly. well i think they can if they want to and we have to say that we are talking here about the governments of the member states not about their problem instead would be a much longer process and so we also have to add that judging from a reaction so far most leaders are happy with the compromise so the chances of a rejection of the deal are slim. merkel the german chancellor has already announced that there are her cabinet is going to decide on the deal on the 28th of december so in the next few days and if all the human bers follow suit that would mean that the european commission can move forward and provisionally implement the deal before of course the european parliament is able to decide on that and that is going to be in at the beginning of january and short of

chelsea what about british lawmakers will they have to forego their christmas holidays to ratify this a will they actually go for it. well you heard the e.u. commission president sort of underlying a short time ago saying relief is how relieved is how she felt that certainly something that is being echoed on this side as well that boris johnson fabrics it is at the premise of delivering a deal on bret's it has been fulfilled and for those who who never supported breck's it were never in favor of it i think there is relief that at the very least there is a deal in place with the transition period ending. next week the threats of no deal was feeling incredibly real so it's for that reason that the leave you of the labor party the opposition party kissed on the has said that his party will be backing in

the deal when it comes into parliament he was saying that the threat of not having a deal was far worse than supporting it he was clear to say though that any of the possible negative implications will be the responsibility of the conservative of boris johnson's party that the opposition they would party won't take any responsibility but what we've learned from that is essentially that this will pass through parliament particularly with boris is boris johnson's majority that will that christmas is be disrupted well this deal has been done in time for christmas the optics of which will look very good for boris johnson and we know that parliament will be recalled on this thursday of december xandra who do to kate if there is a dispute in the studio as it's implemented. well we know that for the european union it was essential to establish a mechanism to make sure their future disputes can be resolved and of course from

the european perspective it would be the best to have the european court of justice to play a role in all of that according to the u.k. there is no role for the european court of justice instead both sides seem to have agreed on or are independent arbitration an independent panel that awards in the future decide if there is a breach of the deal and if there has to be penalties or compensation but of course please let me add that you cannot rule out that one of the parties or maybe a company can go to court if it's things that it's necessary. i will leave it there thank you both alexander phenomena in brussels charlotta johnson pill in london. britain's decision to leave the european union was

a hugely divisive issue that turned families against each other and brought down 2 prime ministers so how did it come about here's a look back at it but a debate that has dominated british politics for a decade. q 2016 the british people voted in their millions in a referendum on exiting the european union it split the country down the middle 52 percent voted for leave 48 percent just die. this means that the u.k. has voted to leave the european union it was the beginning of the end for a relationship that had always been ambivalent after joining in 1973 the u.k. saw the club as a trade block but to many in europe it was a project with one aim and ever closer union. a loss of sovereignty that was unthinkable for many brits return to the u.k. independence party in their droves to leave with

a victory for him nigel farrar she would complain for years to leave the block. and it meant defeat to him david cameron britain's conservative pm he would call the vote in a bid to appease euro skeptics in his party campaigning to remain in every imagined he'd be on the losing side he left and in london to resume a took over as prime minister she had a new political message bricks it for exits but her political fate was not pretty and withdrawal deal top eat out repeatedly by the brick city's interim party and boris johnson he became a success in downing street he called a general election and campaigned with one promised. get bricks it done it when i'm a huge majority and a year ago he got what he called his urban radio through parliament. but the duck

was anything but coped. was. the u.k. left the e.u. at the end of january with a transition period it took months of haggling over a make or break issues like state aid how to resolve future dispute and fishing rights. it was a long and winding road back to we have got a good deal to show for it a deal that runs to hundreds of pages a paper trail that foreshadows in just 7 days the form filling british businesses will have to face in return for tariff free trade. for many in the u.k. has a special place in the heart after decades together the 2 sides are going mess up ways to say they still want to remain friends. let's get a view on this from roger casale he's the head of new europeans that's

a non-governmental organization that campaigns on behalf of british people in europe and e.u. citizens in britain welcome to d w a how are you feeling about today's agreement. my heart is broken that britain is leaving the european union but that's not you sneer you see all of us michel barnier said the clock is ticking it makes it sound as if it was about to go off with britain but out of the oh i think they scrutinize it feel it will some where in litigate the disastrous consequences of breaks it and i hope we reach the point now 1st point way from the european union the u.k. is great now it's time to start on march 30th that brings us to our next point do you think clearly you don't think this issue is now settled in britain do you think there is a. bridge might come knocking on brussels door in a few years. i think people must be sorry that our weight reps in the goetia.

but i don't think the true king stocks hit the great the same many issues that are around result let's remember that as a result of the deal. british people and e.u. citizens are going to loose the right free movement between the e.u. and the u.k. tins of tomatoes will travel create bags of hate it will travel read it but people will not travel creevy anymore between the e.u. and the u.k. so i know it's christmas see i maybe should buy me a no for a swimsuit maybe see that being by part of christmas but it's not a christmas present this is a necessary saying it's good that it's happened but i think we we are going to lots and lots of undergrowth issues security issues police cooperation all kinds of issues that haven't gone away because in the end europe the story of europe is about people people coming together and the people and the challenges that we face running a business is running our lives not going away and said this is the start i hope of

a new relationship produce a relationship that in the end perhaps in private 1015 years time will lead back to britain thinking about rejoining because that ultimately is the best solution greg reporting publicly and on your survey the e.u. maintained its unity behind the chief negotiator michel bonnie despite that i wonder if you think that any particular a new leaders have been quietly working in the background on this you bonnie. i do think feel good in the end it needed political pressure anglo-american said she saw a hand of history on this deal i.o.c. to hand it back to america i think she wanted people to behave responsibly i think we've heard the word responsibility a lot of need leaders including yourself on the line and i think they have behaved responsibly i thank them for that clarity in many of my current as well in the end i was. going to be able to protect his french fishes and fisherman and fisherman's

rights not least because the tender all the ships would need to monitor that fishing in the channel post gregg's it was given member to a french company last year so i think mitten mismatched misquote of trickery and sleep still as well. brain fever brags that dominated british politics and british political life the 5 years now we have covered a course once a life sort of returns to something near normal m d a did you see life in britain sort of returning to near normal outside you will this issue now being not something that people are talking about all the time. people won't stop talking bassett but the issues will not go away since it will not get back to work because there are still so many undergo vishy sets remember that 80 percent of the u.k. economy is services and so that is not not not a tool affected by the will or looked at in this in this trade deal services let's

remember that parts of britain very dense breaks for example in scotland scotland may want to leave the united kingdom as result of threats and i mention this here issues again but the greatest thing that we're going to notice that won't be normal is that british people won't be able to live travel in the e.u. any more freely and e.u. citizens won't be able to do the same in the u.k. will notice students will notice that they conquered to the u.k. to study on erasmus any warbly shouldn't count study on iran's missiles in the e.u. and said no it won't be normal it won't feel right and as i say i think as we start to see all the problems that still remain that still need to find some kind of solution the challenges that we still face after the 1st round but will probably mean that the talking needs to continue and we need to build on this scale and i hope it's a backstop i hope that it is a point where britain's will realize that it needs to point itself in the direction

of the year again at some point in the future and not refer the way ironic a sollie from the near appearance thank you thank you. but take a look at a couple of the other stories making headlines now moldova has a new president pro europe profile pro europe a former prime minister and my son there has been sworn in after winning last month's election although in a split between supporters of russia and those favoring closer ties with europe the sando is the 1st woman to lead the former soviet nation. austria has opened its ski list for christmas winter sports are underway at $400.00 out party locations despite a 3rd national lockdown which is about to come into force the government says that as an outdoor sport skiing is safe under strict conditions mountain restaurants remain closed. or french or both side perry sergeant have stuck to their german

coach the thomas had to cope despite winning his last match of 4 no 2 who won 6 trophies with p.s.g. and led them to the champions league final last season the team's currently 3rd in the french top division a former tottenham boss a very serious approach a team who's expected to take care of the. present trump has issued a new batch of pardons for his allies including the father of his son in law jared mr trump has now granted clemency to 50 people in the last week the list includes people convicted in the investigation into his campaign he's campaigns ties to russia allies from congress and other felons championed by friends. christmas is a 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 pot ins 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 cush now 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 man of fort. and broad just strong on that has sparked the most outrage both men were convicted under the investigation into toys between the trump campaign and russia trump has now pardoned 4 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 more pardons are anticipating from the outgoing president. well let's explore this further with richard painter who is a professor of law at the university of minnesota he worked as the chief ethics lawyer in the george w. bush administration is also vice chair of the group of citizens for responsibility and ethics in washington and left the republican party in 2018 welcome to day w. are these pardons rotten to the core senator sas claims. yes

certainly the pardons in connection with the robert muller investigation are russian and in fairness and the election we have several people who were material witnesses in that investigation including michael fay and george george papadopoulos roger stone and now with force have modified or for all been barking and it appears that their pardon for keeping their mouth shut and none of them turned over evidence of significant value to robert muller they did not cooperate with the investigation. even though michael flynn promised to cooperate with the investigation and the bottom line is that the president in our studies does have the right to pardon anyone he wants but he cannot take a bribe in return for apartment any come up pardons someone in order to keep them not talking with the investigators to keep their mouth shut that's obstruction of justice if it is proven that president trump gave any of those 4 part was in return for silence that that was the deal of the be

a criminal offense and would be prosecuted after he left office we don't know what the evidence is at this point and i have called for an independent counsel to be appointed by president biden when he takes over in january 20 dependent counsel to look into the affairs of the ministration and any criminal conduct including by the president himself robert mueller already outlined in part 2 of the report exactly how president trump obstructed justice by far the director of the f.b.i. and dangling gardens so this is not new nose did you think there are any notable absences from the president's christmas in this. well there are great many americans who have been convicted for drug crimes or other nonviolent crimes serving many many years in prison many of them african-americans and other monarchies who deserve mercy we certainly ought to have a presidential pardons it's a good system but it's not used for what it's intended to be used for and that is

to show mercy to those who have been convicted of crimes but who have been given jail sentences there too long that are not commensurate with the crimes and furthermore we ought to be commuted to death sentences and they're not states the united states is one of the few and dust of the last countries that contain it was to use the death penalty that is widely regarded as immoral around the world so there was plenty of places we are using pardons assuming it but maybe the fold lies less with this president and more with a system that gives a president just as scott blanch to pardon anyone and fails like well we may have to revisit the pardon power we got to mend the constitution in order to do that but once again others have value to the parking. clause of the constitution if it's used the way it should which is the pardon someone who has been either unjustly connected or more often someone who is rightly convicted but is serving too long

a sentence or as a say in the case of the death penalty but what's happened is it's being used increasingly for political purposes donald trump is the worst of but we also had pardons under president george h.w. bush a big bum bob in the iran contra scandal and by president bill clinton the last minute pardons on the way out the door of the clinton administration weren't particularly admirable a lot of the talking to thank you for joining us professor professor richard painter from the university of minnesota thank you. for countless families being a kept apart this christmas because of the pandemic of course but most parents as i meant not to let in the most magical time of the year for the youngsters in russia that's opened the door to a new breed of children's entertainer. it's the holidays in the russian capital but with the pandemic still raging here many families are worrying that father

frost could leave more than just presents under the christmas tree. that's created a booming market in children's entertainers who have recovered from cope with 19 and have the antibodies to prove it with at least a temporary immunity to the virus the promise to bring only holiday cheer to their clients homes. of and all of our actors by trade but come december they transform into. was father frost or detmar rose and his helpers. after recovering from covert earlier this year they decided that even a global pandemic shouldn't dampen the holiday spirit. the 1st snow fell and the holiday season started and i said to olga let's do it if we both already recovered without any symptoms why shouldn't we work the kids will be safe and so will we. keeping hope alive is the best gift of this holiday season. who is in the but eyes

everywhere in the in for this celebration it is the word says that everyone has been waiting for it said but we also know that this will end next year it's just 2020 the year was just bad bad bad i really hope it will get better but. the. visit from father frost at the right hold thanks to a healthy dose of covert anybody's. contactless games the holiday spirit is alive and well despite the coronavirus pandemics. everyone blowing air kisses because we can't hug each other. good luck. stone to much of our top story at this hour britain on the european union have struck a last minute rush into trade deal one of the main hurdles had brain fishing rights european fleets will now significantly reduce that catch in british waters over the next few years leaders and british prime minister boris johnson time hailed the

deal as a huge victory. in situ up to date i'll have more for you at the top of the hour up next here at the top the sierra leone's total islands under threat in pico africa and violent magazine i'm going to.

tell africa from. to environmentalist jeffrey a fan mail has made up his mind. to kill any more. visits rural areas every week for the conservation donna initiative and sensitizes the residence for the protection of the forest and the am. gone.

it's taking in more areas of society. artificial intelligence. sucks. worse health. is an eternal noise the start to be possible. to see and gigantic future much much what are the limits. made in a german. 16 year. old. boy told. carefully. don't simply choose to begin to.

discover the. place. subscribe to the documentary on 2. legs. go. to. the battle of. hello everybody and welcome to equal africa i am some got to know bill coming to you from kampala uganda it is good to have you with us again as always we hope and lots of reports from your.