this is the w. news live from berlin after a year of negotiations and missed a deadlines britain and the european union are reaching breck's a trade agreement european commission president or cilla funded lyon describes it as fair and balanced and says britain will remain a trusted a partner with british prime minister boris johnson agree to the deal as fantastic news that will end uncertainty also coming up on the show. there is a light at the end of the tunnel that's what a german a president franco vata shimer says in his traditional christmas address we'll have more on what he had to say about the coronavirus pandemic. bust every year millions

of trees are cut down to decorate homes only to be thrown away a few days later when the one man who is promoting a more sustained state at sustainable christmas tree. i'm tired and welcome to the show after months of uncertainty britain and the european union have finally struck an agreement on a post of brecht's a trade deal if implementation will mark big changes the u.k. and e.u. will form 2 separate markets and free movement between the 2 will and both sides patched up their differences at the 11th hour to a virgin encroaching crisis as the end of the 12 month transition period approached . just days before the january 1st deadline britain is set to leave the european union with

a trade deal after months of wrangling the 2 sides finally agreed to the terms on which the e.u. would be allowed to continue fishing in british waters the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place before the deal could be announced both sides are selling the met as the best deal for their positions. british prime minister boris johnson said it would benefit greatly part of the u.k. a deal that would protect jobs across this country do a lot of goods u.k. goods and components to be sold without tariffs and without coaches in the e.u. market a deal which will if anything allow our companies and our exporters to do even more business with our european friends over in brussels the e.u. chief said it was time to look to the future. we will continue to cooperate in with the u.k. in all areas of mutual interest for example in the field of climate change and

that's the security and transfixed to care that we still need steve more than we do a part of president the deal needs the approval of both the british parliament and the e.u.'s $27.00 member states ambassadors from each countries will meet on christmas day to start reviewing the deal the british parliament will debate and vote on the deal on december 30th. and the agreement comes 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 of barriers to a deal the e.u. has agreed to give up a quarter of the fish it catches in british waters and there will be no hard a border between ireland and northern ireland which is part of the u.k. this has been another big sticking point irish prime minister martin described the outcome as a good compromise for britain's final departure from the e.u. means an end to free movement conditions will apply for residency and travelers

will face restrictions. and i'm joined now by david charter he's the u.s. editor for the british newspaper the times david you've been monitoring the negotiations between the e.u. and britain from washington d.c. do you consider this a win win or did one side manage to edge the other out. i really consider this a great deal round actually because the absolute worst thing that could have happened was for the talks to crash at this late stage when they were so close they had 95 percent of the agreement in the bank and less of the what's called a no deal situation at the end of the year which would have meant tariffs quotas terrorists would have smashed the car industry britain it would have put a 10 percent tariff on finnish cars and 20 percent on vans and trucks it would have been devastating for

a lot of manufacturing in britain it would have really created a lot of friction back and forth across the border and a lot of extra costs that have been damaging for exporters and manufacturers this is really wonderful news actually given the fact that the british public voted progress it exactly 4 and a half years ago now with 3 prime ministers down the line but we finally got the deal across the line which is it's going to be a fantastic new start i hope for both sides and you could see that in the body language and in the words that we used today we even at the head of the european commission equating shakespear us as passing is such a sweet sorry she says but it shows that we're ready to start on the right foot i think given all the difficulties surrounding the crate of virus. mutation that's caused the bolt of problems between britain and france now i said from the very

thing when you call it a disastrous outcome and you think of that britain and got what he really wanted. nobody gets everything they want from negotiations like this that cover so many different factors but given that way that the british i should say decided to leave the european union there were always going to be some drawbacks when it came to the smoothness of trading and travelling in the e.u. and i think that the fishing deal looks very good for the from the british perspective of course that the british use the threat of. deploying a total sovereignty over fishing to ramp up the pressure on the europeans sides to get a deal and there wouldn't be full sovereignty over. the british forces but in reality that never could be it was never going to be 100 percent british control of 200

miles from its coast simply because the channel for it for example is less less than 30 miles wide in some places so it was there was always going to be a compromise and i think we don't know every fine detail of this yet it hasn't all been printed and we'll have to wait and see whether every whether there are some things that cause problems but i think looking very generally that the the message has got to be a deal with is so much better than a collapse in the talks and i don't and i don't know dear which beyond the tariffs and the quotas would have just salads the atmospheric for possibly for years to come. the u.k. prime minister by stance and claimed the deal does settle his a country's difficult relationship with the e.u. a once and for all and would you agree with that assessment. i think that we've got that the general playing field set as we've been discussing

discussing that the the mood is is very positive as well however there are going to be as the relationship develops there are going to be difficulties because all do the deal does not require britain to adopt new e.u. and standards for food goods and sort of social social networking standards which that which is wanted to reject actually in their referendum when they decided in 2016 to leave it means that over time british governments will will will take measures perhaps they will want to rescue an industry that's in trouble a manufacturing industry or an airline and still something of that nature and it will it is going to cause friction but once again i'm going to insist on sending a happy christmas message that's the playing field has been set in a very positive manner right david charter u.s.

editor for the times thank you very much. here in berlin chancellor angela merkel said she's confident the bracks a deal is a good outcome and a statement she said with the agreement we are laying the foundations for a new chapter in our relations even from outside the european union the united kingdom will continue to be an important partner for germany and the e.u. the cabinet will meet on monday to discuss it germany's position and we can turn out of their stories making news around the bar of the 1st case of the new coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly in the u.k. has now been identified here in germany in fact in person a flew into frankfurt airport from london 5 days ago and fell ill at a home in southwest in germany. austria has reopened its ski lifts for christmas winter sports are underway at $400.00 alpine locations and despite the imminent

start of a 3rd national walk down the government argues that as an outdoor sport skiing is safe under strict conditions mountain restaurants meanwhile remain closed. and small dover has a new president pro in europe a former prime minister my ascend to has been sworn in after winning last month's election as split between supporters of russia and those favoring closer ties with europe misson do is the 1st woman to leave the former soviet nation. german a president has delivered a message of hope in his annual christmas day address to germany he said the krona virus pandemic had radically changed daily life in the country but also brought germans together. going on good. rest. and vincent israel was a visit from the ones of them laid him. out and then the do is call its own time it's a good we're most know of. foosball them

study on communal income selves the eyes in. the hawk. on feelings under the mia the pundit me on the in the fire let's leave the mentions in the dust is mostly on the anomalous leave in. under those via. these dark views and. well you might want to spare a thought for tomas to have the party says i'm on coach has been sacked on christmas eve just by winning his last match for now and when a 6 trophies with p.s.g. and led them into the champions league final last season his team are currently 3rd in the french top division just one point adrift of 1st place she is expected to be

replaced by former tottenham boss. chef tina. in germany as in many countries one of the most popular traditions is buying and decorating a tree millions of young pines are cut down every year to adorn living rooms 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. 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 successor

off the tree and that will again build a new branch hopefully so it's a regenerative tree that 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 black berries. and all around them the regenerating christmas trees which have a special meaning for birds. 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 proved successful hopes the technique will be used around the world to make christmas trees a little bit greener. well pope francis has celebrated the traditional christmas eve mass from st peter's basilica in the vatican this year's service started 2 hours earlier than usual to comply with italy's 10 pm lockdown curfew the congregation was also much smaller due to social distancing roles christmas day we'll see more changes when the pope a gives his traditional the edge or be blessing from inside st peter's rather than from the balcony overlooking the square. and reminder you can always get you to view news on the go just download our app from google play or from the app store

will give you access to all the latest news from around the world as well as push notifications for any breaking news and if you happen to be part of a news story yourself you can also use the d w act to send us photos and videos of what's happening. today encourages them by then from the whole team watching. from. the ordinary personality stories that. click. the best of our t w reporters. just a piece of. good most. people would like to me to. do. what secrets

lie behind the scenes want to. discover newer adventures in the 360 degree. and explore personating world heritage sites. w world heritage 363 get me out now. the deal is sealed after 4 long years they've finally done as britain and the european union and agree on a practice a divorce deal the news means a decades long relationship will end on friend year terms then fear it and major trade chaos can be avoided for negotiators on both sides a bittersweet moment. i know. i only feel quite.

relieved. to think this deal means a new stability and uncertainty and sometimes be in 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. this is business i'm gay ferguson thanks for joining me the deal is donna 4 years off for the people of the united kingdom voted by a narrow margin to leave the european union the 2 sides have reached an agreement on the future terms of their relationship fundamentally the deal means that both sides can continue to trade without their goods having to pay tariffs there also won't be a limit on how much they can buy and sell to each other in other words no quote

outs they've also reached an agreement on a so-called level playing field for doing business european commission president or slush fund a line set the e.u. rules and standards will be respected we have effective tools to react if fair competition is distorted and impacts our trade. finally they also agreed on the emotional issue of fisheries with the european union agreeing to reduce its quota for a fishing and british waters by 25 per cent for the next 5 years that seems like a win for the block britain britain had wanted 80 percent reduction during negotiations but there are still quite a few open questions this deal only governs the trade in goods not in services which are especially important to the british economy so while this deal is being hailed as a big achievement it does of course mark the end of

a union that's been quite a fragile at the best of times here's how european commission president or the law fonda line described the new relationship status then you know. a country. where on long island. seems. to be the 26th summit in. all the. millions 20 presidents. united kingdom will be. sure to deliver on one common goal. and british prime minister barak johnson has also been hailing the agreement focusing on the size of the trading relationship involved. it's very pleased to tell you the thought of him that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet worth 660000000000 pounds a year

a comprehensive canada style free trade deal between the u.k. and the e.u. a deal that will protect jobs across this country do. goods u.k. goods and components to be sold without tariffs and without quotas in the e.u. market a deal which will if anything allow our companies and our exporters to do even more business with our european friends and this deal was of course a long time in the making and in many ways it represents the beginning of what could be a long post back the journey for the united kingdom my colleague daniel winter on the road ahead. the deal is done a crisis of verted it's a relief for both sides after all half of the u.k.'s trade is with its european neighbors and the u.k. is the use 3rd largest trading partner the talks were painful but the alternative was worse pushing the begrudging neighbors closer together never has the european

union offered to so much to a so-called 3rd country the u.k. has enhanced its decision making at home but still has access to the e.u. market whereas the e.u. has kept a key customer for billions of euros of goods selling british wares freely in the e.u.'s marketplace is the 1st big step but britain still has a monumental task ahead of it before the wreck said britain had access to scores of deals now it's on a shopping spree bartering with partners to snap up trade pacts worldwide. the u.k. has already signed up $59.00 countries to continue trading under the same conditions as with the e.u. plus a fresh deal with japan that's $220000000000.00 euros worth of trade the new deal will be a relief on both sides of the channel but for britain the toughest times may lie ahead experts predict economic growth to slow living standards to drop right now

the u.k. needs good news for its economy and as with everywhere the pandemic has eaten away at growth hastening the decline of thousands of small towns and cities getting trade humming through britain's ports will help mitigate those effects but will the opportunity cost of brecht's it leave the u.k. far weaker in the world than it could have been or will britain confound critics and build itself into a single pull on the english channel the odds are stacked against them but by getting a deal with the e.u. done britons have looks beyond their island and taken the 1st important step and speaking of looking beyond their own island let's get the transatlantic view on this deal from business correspondent yes quite in new york yes this is of course huge news here in europe how important is this deal for u.s. investors a particular. well i mean more clarity and less uncertainty is always good for markets and actually we do see wall street gaining a bit in

a shortened trading session here on thursday global trade disputes and also are usually not necessarily helpful and if we look back 4 and a half years ago when we did have this surprise brics it devote we also saw some pressure on wall street but having that said it's not necessarily a game changer for wall street this is mostly between the u.k. and the european union and investors on wall street they have so many things to deal with i mean there is the pen demick we are doing we do see some slowing growth so we have all this fight about a new a ticket so there really a lot of things on the plate but it is welcome news also on wall to get it as i've said we do see u.s. markets slightly to the upside. ok so u.s. investors have a lot of things on their mind right now but of course one of the biggest issues around backs that was britain wanting to make new trading relations and take you there with the rest of the way out world where do you think they're related shit

between the u.s. and u.k. in the future. yeah i mean we have heard from boris johnson and there are some indications that the u.k. might push forward by liberal trade agreement because the united states the big question is if it's really in washington some high priority list to get those this is a new deal done any time soon there is no pressure for the upcoming president joe biden 1st of all the u.s. actually has a trade surplus with the u.k. so why make big changes at this point and then also boris johnson was considered to be rather close with u.s. president donald trump and i'm not so sure if we have the same feelings between the upcoming president joe biden and boris johnson so i would be cautious to really believe that we get a new trade deal any time soon might be in the interest of washington to really

clear things for us was the european union and was china before they take care of the u.k. yes cutting new york thank you very much time now for a quick look at some of the other business stories making news. turkey's lira has surged to a 5 week high against the us dollar after a bigger than expected interest rate hike the central bank raise rates to 17 percent to cool skyrocketing inflation the euro has been among the worst performing currencies this year down around 23 per cent amid coronavirus turns on double digit inflation. some $850.00 cargo stothard british airways are to begin a weeklong strike on friday over a pay dispute the unite union says workers face pay cuts of up to 25 per cent shipments to and from britain have already been disrupted by border closures following the discovery of

a new coronavirus variant. restarted daily flights to and from london after receiving clearance from health ministry the carrier said passengers traveling to a silly must be resident or have urgent reasons for the journey a negative cope with 19 test is also required flights were suspended earlier this week because of the new virus variant. and finally how's this for a childhood dream come true the iconic toy store f.a.o. schwartz in midtown manhattan has opened its doors to overnight visitors for the 1st time ever the premises recent the advertised on home rental sites air b.n. b. the accommodation includes a living room overlooking the giant rockefeller center christmas tree the 1st family to avail of it hogs free run of the store including the giant step on

a keyboard note from the movie big they also got to take home some souvenirs and a reminder of the top story this hour the european union have agreed on a deal governing the future of their relationship. it comes 4 years after people in the u.k. voted by a slim margin to leave the bloc major sticking points and recent months have included securing a level playing field on trade dispute resolution and fishing line. props of our show for more you can visit our website r t w dot com slash business we're on social media as well for the on the team it's goodbye take care.

o. africa. from puncture. to environmentalist geoffrey has made up his mind won't kill any more. visits rural areas every week for the conservation donna initiative and sensitizes the lessons for the protection of the forest and the am. gone.

i. i it was the censure for the trick monarch. secrets the. least likely to w. . in these challenging times it's especially important to us wish you a happy and healthy. the coronavirus has kept us apart from family and friends all here easy to feel loved and especially during this holiday season we go g w we're here with. you in full in the long run and someone remind you we're all in

this together we wish you happy holidays merry christmas everyone a very merry 1st of season merry christmas and stacy happy holidays everyone happy holidays to you soon everybody pays him when he sees it. hello everybody and welcome to africa i am sundra train coming to you from kampala uganda it is good to have you with us again as always we hope and lots of reports from europe africa things that people are doing to address environmental issues with also the micro presented in the jamia they sounded.