w. . this is the w. news line from downtown nashville shaken by an apparent car bomb 3 people injured buildings damaged and windows shattered police say it was intentional to hear from someone who watched it happen also on the program european union nations start assessing the post said train till reached with the u.k. 2000 page document still needs to be ratified by the british and european parliament. and german president from delta says there is light at the end of the tunnel. one thing i have to say about the corona virus pandemic is on your

christmas address. i'm phil gal welcome to the program we start in the u.s. city of nashville in the state of tennessee where car bomb explosion was wounded at least 3 people and caused widespread damage i would says in the city's downtown area say they heard a loud boom in the early hours of christmas morning followed by black smoke and billowing flames the blast blew out windows and damage surrounding buildings police say there's evidence that the explosion was intentional. well joining us now on the phone from nashville this betsy williams who's apartment is directly opposite where the vehicle exploded a welcome to day w. betsy when did all this stuff. started about 430 this morning central time.

and we were gunshots out on the street and they were very loud and you know we're in a big entertainment district and and so we were concerned about that but then it happened again and so a few minutes later so we called 911 and then the gunshots happened for the 3rd time and it was it was very loud and it was like it was from an automatic weapon but you know thinking back on that now nor are they really firing the shots or what that time recording that they were had out there i don't know but then after the 3rd series of gunshots we heard we noticed as an r t why are the parked right across the street. and coming from the r.v. was a computerized voice message saying a back you wait now evacuate now this vehicle has a bomb it will explain evacuating now and so this went on for about 30 minutes and

we were or about that you know it's not like i was sitting there looking at my phone trying to figure out what the time was on that but. it was a it was about 30 minutes that that happened and then it started on account down where it said this vehicle will explode in 15 minutes and then in 14 then and then and don't well you know we started really gathering our things back at my cat in her carrier i got my son he was staying in another apartment that was also overlooking 2nd avenue and we were all very concerned about all this in a way my 85 year old sister was staying at another apartment that was on the other side of the building on the backside overlooking the river and so we all went down and got in the car and left and we went across the bridge over to lp. field.

and our nissan stadium colony they'll be sealed it's an ace on stadium and we went over there and sat there for about 20 minutes and could still see and so while you assess we could see the back of it yet we couldn't see the 2nd avenue side we could see 1st avenue which those traits weren't parallel to one another so. so then we went back i said well i'm you know clearly this is nothing's going to happen so draws back came back down 2nd avenue headed north on 2nd avenue and got to broadway which is our main thoroughfare through our entertainment district in nashville where all the honky tonks are and and i was sitting there because the police did have 2nd avenue blocked off and i was trying to decide am i going to go park darko back you know and and then they exploded and the fireball from that thing rose up past the top of the a.t.m.

to a property that was sitting there and and you know i've seen all these other picture scents and it completely blew out the entire front of the 3 to 4 buildings that are just north of ours blew out all of our windows blew out windows on the back side of the building the reverse side of the building blew all of those windows out. and also blew windows out on 3rd avenue which was a block over the way really the windows in your building will blow it out so what would have happened yesterday i would have been killed. i would have been killed i would have been at the very least severely injured but because i was sitting right there i mean we were we raised the window so we could really clearly hear what the r.v. was saying and to make sure it was coming from the r.v. and it was indeed coming from the r.v. and. and i don't know if you see what picture she was saying there was

a white car that was parked a couple of spaces behind that r.v. which was just course destroyed in the explosion but there was nothing left of that r.v. . when i mean it completely exploded i mean i'm sure they'll find remnants of it but yeah and him and he always knew so it was it was outside the i 10 to the building i mean what we say anything human in that area that could have been a target i don't i don't know i know that there are some communications equipment that there is communications equipment for the a.t.m. to be had and that building but i don't know how because they actually moved their headquarters to what we call the batman building in 1996 i think but they still retain that building over there and i know that they do have some equipment in it it doesn't have any windows they don't have many people did work over there you know it's a it's

a fairly desolate building in terms of the destiny of activity and all the and like i said no one does that than that not than the r.v. the wood was parked right there in front of that building there and it's hard for us in an older model but it would be in pristine condition i mean in terms of looking at it it was white white and not a dirt on it didn't have any markings on it back and say when i looked at it but you know i also. didn't take a photograph and why i didn't take a photograph of it i don't know because it really just as a thing in the street is just it's just you know there is going to go up in flames how long do you know how long did it take for police to arrive. well the police got there apparently quickly after we left at the 911 call you know they got there and they got there pretty quickly they still they sent to call our stay on the air i

mean you know it's gunshots and then they got out and i heard that thing when that thing started going off you know we didn't go down we were trying to back up because what if there'd been a gunman no mystery you know so so because that could have been very what do in our you know was that that was the one that made the most is when you want to draw attention to our building up there you know because i didn't want to get shot and we're very bad safe and thank you so much for talking to us a while you know that so yeah thank you thank you thank you for checking on us that's carrying a us that's a that's. you've been union countries have started to assess the post breaks it's a trade deal between the u.k. on christmas eve the 2000 page document still needs to be accepted by the british and european parliament's long awaited agreement means that trade across the english channel will remain tiny free british prime minister blair is johnson's pleased with the do you but it might just cause him

a whole new set of headaches. the doors of the e.u. council close britain has been a strange from the block since january and now the trade deal is finalizing the divorce. e.u. ambassadors convened on christmas day to signal the start of approving the thousands of pages of fine print all member countries and britain are expected to ratify the agreement. the e.u.'s chief negotiator michel barnier expressed regret saying there was no winner and breck set and calling the separation a lose lose situation while britain's prime minister barak's johnson made merry exulting the agreement as his christmas gift to the nation because this is a deal a deal to give certainty to business travelers and all investors in our country from the 1st of january a deal with our friends and partners in the e.u. the agreement may have a verse in the economic chaos of

a no deal breck's it but commentators warn that britain may have opened a pandora's box of troubles not least scottish dissatisfaction russell says gone would rather be part of the european union than the british or. the rock trickle myself but it's definitely. a fatigue because it's been so long it's happening. the balls rolling i think we should just finish it. but i do appreciate the people in scotland on the whole actually want to stay with you personally i would just care scotland's part if you're so that's to be up to the child but. for scotland to be part of it because. there are already calls for a 2nd independence referendum to be held in scotland in the coming year and this is not the only unknown post breck's at the u.k. we'll be in completely uncharted territory for more from datable correspondent back

at mass in london welcome burkett how is the news of best deal being received there . big sigh of relief for many in the country many ordinary people are just happy that they don't have to hear anything about breaks it so much it was dominating the news and it was polarizing the country really quite torturous over the last years for people of course who voted remain who didn't want to leave the e.u. it's quite this is sweet they're not happy but this is a deal prevented something was you know like chaos at the buddhist and also more disagreements with the e.u. in the future and so even people who voted remain overall relief that this has happened businesses while they are relieved not tens of thousands or maybe even hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost due to no deal so you know most most people are happy that that the deal is done and that's that for now it's quiet on

the brakes in front of the deals of course require compromise on both sides who is feeling particularly hard done by. well people of course students they would have been not happy that they are not part of the most program anymore and otherwise from people who are very concerned about fishing so breaks it is that we're really fighting for more fishing rights this is an area where the british government had to compromise and they started out with a much bigger ask but the bottom line is that even before even this this deal allows british fishes fisherman to fish much more freely in their own mooches and of the 5 years transition there will be a renegotiation so even on that front there is there is some you know some compromise. that was found of course you know the deal is something that puts out trade barriers to the bottom line is that really britain economically was better

off within the european union and breaks it all together knocks a few percentages of the the u.k. economy but without the deal that would have been even worse to britain leaves in less than a week parliament in the u.k. and in europe will have to sign off on this deal will the house of commons go for it. well yes it's expected to be fairly breezy this time not the torturous scenes that we have seen when when bragg's it was debated in the house of commons and voted on in the past years the labor opposition party says even though it's been it's the alternative would be no deals who they are voting for it's a yes it's expected to go through parliament without any major difficulties thank you for that in london. and we'll take a look at some of the other stories making headlines 2 music coast guards have

recovered the bodies of 20 migrants after their boat operated by smugglers sank in the mediterranean sea both are as you say they've rescued 5 survivors in a still searching for up to 20 others on the boat capsized on thursday near the coastal city of facts on its way to italy. russia has opened a criminal case against opposition activists to do both so bold and an ally of kremlin critic alex in the valley so both supporters say she rang the doorbell of the alleged security service agents who made valid says took part in a failed plot to kill him russian authorities have said actions constitute violence trespassing and took her in for questioning. the longtime leader of mali's opposition is to my let's say has died aged 71 from corona virus complications the former finance minister who was considered the favorite to win the country's next election planned for early 22 he passed away just 2 months after his release from

and then the captivity by islamist insurgents. 3 latin american countries have now begun mass immunization programs to combat the coronavirus pandemic that's mexico chile and costa rica but with the world's 2nd highest covered 19 death toll all eyes are on brazil where no vaccine has yet been approved . it's been a week of celebrating firsts in latin america the 1st shipment arrivals of vaccines . the 1st jabs for health care workers and those at risk. it's the best gift in 2020 i could have gotten. here when i understand people are suspicious it's something new but you have to have faith and get vaccinated as soon as possible chile mexico and costa rica have all begun administering the farce of biotech back same. taina

meanwhile has or saved its 1st doses of russia's sputnik 5 vaccine with plans to begin vaccinations next week but in brazil which has one of the highest rates of covert 19 infections in the world there have been mixed messages. the baton time institute has announced that the trial of the chinese sin of that vaccine had achieved w. hay chose required efficiency levels the very next day brazil's president revealed his lack of confidence in. these fish and sea of the vaccine in sao paolo seems to be down i will not disclose a percentage here because if i make a 0.001 percent era i'll be beaten up by the media i want a vaccine that is safe and effective that meets its objectives there are a lot of scared people at home let's wait for the vaccine. but while the nations that have begun rolling out the vaccine are optimistic warnings to remain vigilant

against the virus remain in place. and please racism was one of the rallying cries of the black lives matter of movement in the united states this year and gained traction after police officers killed an african-american man during an arrest in the city of minneapolis george floyd's death was followed by protests and demands for police. state of the correspondent stephan simons are before shit from minneapolis and during those protests here's a look back at a report he filed in october when he returned to the city to find out what had become of those demands. minneapolis may 28th the 3rd precinct building of the minneapolis police department said the blaze during protests against the death of george floyd in police custody . the burning police station becomes a symbol for the protesters fury for their demands for an end of police racism and

patella. abandoned boarded up and secured with cement barriers precinct 3 still a symbol now signifying the city's struggle to make the changes the protesters demand to the local police department and how policing is done. volunteers from the men to prepare to patrol the neighborhood then the 9th ward of minneapolis where george floyd done christian and local and growing in number. walk the streets the group recently recognized and supported by the city is filling the gap created by the collapse of trust between police and the black community with police patrols largely absent from this part of town they have taken on the task of proactively protecting the community from rising crime we want to have selective police in our community who live in our community who look like a community and then there'd be a better pace for like how we can read talk to him and how we communicate to each

other minneapolis police recognize the need for urgent and fundamental. change says their pretty chief eric force he sees new recruiting strategies this critical for any real progress one of the best things you can you can have as a department that's as reflective of your community as you can get it especially people from the community and that's really what we're pushing but words are not enough so it's they've been a local activist with a group called communities against police brutality there's been talk of reform there's been some radical talk from the city council but there has been virtually no action whatsoever and we're not seeing a lot of initiative for action from the city council the mayor the police chief after hours of patrolling the neighborhood the government decided to go home. they'll be back tomorrow night and tonight after that. for

a german president from walda star my has delivered a message of hope in his i mean christmas day address highlighting the challenges provided by the covered pandemic under way it's brought germans together christmas time to pause and look back at the past year this year the german president's address was only about one topic the pandemic a tiny virus has taken hold of our lives and thoughts and has shown how vulnerable we are. then are. a guest and let us ensure the many dark sides of this year do not make us forget the positives particularly at this time we are seeing that the virus does not drive us apart on the contrary it draws us closer together as this one says i'm in with the president conceded that those who deny the viruses dangers are especially loud but the majority are more sensible he praised people in germany for pulling together to shoulder the burden of the crisis in the not side.

at a time of uncertainty we have learned that we can trust our democracy. we have argued about the right course of action and then joined forces to implement decisions. steinmeyer remembered those who have died and those fighting to save lives and hospitals and clinics he spoke about the economic hardship experienced by many germans the exhaustion of families and the young people whose education has been hindered by the pandemic and for the coming year hope offered by the vaccine for. we still have a long and difficult road ahead. but now we are seeing that the long awaited light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine more brightly we will now move closer to the end of the crisis step by step it is us who decide how long the journey will be. for the longer term future presidents don meyer had these encouraging words

next year christmas will be celebrated in the manner germany prefers to gather. pope francis is given his traditional a blessing the vatican in rome but it was a very different ceremony to those of previous years toned down because of the pandemic. what a difference a year makes this is pope francis last christmas simply to square thronged with the faithful awaiting his benediction. a year of coronaviruses left its ravages and the square is empty the pontiff himself banished from his balcony to give his blessing inside the vatican to a smaller audience than usual to avoid drawing crowds francis into trying to virus with his eternal clean of social justice. today in this time of darkness and uncertainty due to the pandemic several lights of hope are appearing such as the

discoveries of vaccine and these lights to bring hope to the world they must be accessible to all. and he called for divine help in ending war around the world for the sake of the children. faces touch the consciences of all men and women of goodwill. so that the causes of conflicts can be addressed. and courageous efforts can be made to build a future of peace. which the pontiff blessing was the same as it has been for centuries but if he is free to say. this innocent people's land units them. to the city and the world. now it's not often that nuns are in trouble with the law but german prosecutors are

threatening one very and mother superior with jail for sheltering migrants for meth to religion because they are to help those in need even if it puts her in conflict with the government she's been recognized for efforts with a prestigious german peace prize. mother may still is on her way to morning prayers for the past 9 years she's been in charge of the most. very good for the past few months the german justice system has been watching she faces a fine of 2500 euros or imprisonment. i'm calm because i'm not aware of committing any act deserving imprisonment if. the public prosecutor's office responded to doj of i was questions prosecutors accuse me of illegally stowing away asylum seekers and helping them avoid deportation the accusations are unusual in most cases german authorities tolerate church asylum some 500 people are currently under church protection it's not clear why prosecutors have singled out

mother mexted. i don't think what i've done is so remarkable for me it's natural that when i have the chance to help someone in distress i help the regardless of whether i'll be praised or not. financially the abbey can just about make ends meet. money from organic farming and producing church candles the nuns have in the past taken in 30 refugees to protect them from deportation mother keeps in touch with all of them. she came from eritrea. and she came from sudan came to germany and wanted to stay here and she received a letter stating that she was going to be deported to get the aid worker asked us to give us church asylum we took her in because in addition to this she was pregnant. both mother and child are doing well in the end they were able to

stay in germany many refugees have experienced terrible things women were raped men were beat some went back voluntarily as soon as the situation in their home country got better for example this man from iraq. he stayed with us for 6 months he was our 1st church asylum seeker he came to us totally desperate and homeless once we took a man he was very committed he helped wherever he was needed we also like to join us in church even though he's muslim for example he spent almost all of christmas eve with us here in the church helping to set up the chairs for the concert. the idea like monastery has many supporters even christians in the usa and australia they all believe in. the vatican the bishops conference and the protestant pastor in the neighboring village as well. so people must understand

that we as part of our religion must at least try to follow an ideal that we have to choose paths that are different from the others if we want to keep our credibility. when the voice. mother met field and her sisters refused to be intimidated and for that they've been awarded the getting in peace prize for 2021. that's it you're up to date on have more of the top of the hour next here on. india looks at the effects of textiles on the environment going to.

india. telling tales with textiles. tibetan designer tenzin succeeds in doing so as a child he fled to northern india and stayed there. is creations are a multicultural mix of indian style and to beckon tradition. next on d w. is

a master of the art of confrontation this is wrong a measure of verbal combat mean you are going to be our next life the undisputed champion of so full of the goal to. to try to frighten people you know it's a fact everybody understands it is that you enter the conflict zone to sebastian as he holds the powerful to account this is a big failure whichever way you like to spin the conflict zone. 16. why did this person. there are many answers. playing there isn't much that can be done play.

make up your mind. playing a double. i don't hop all that stuff it's a made from call to and although it's a natural product the wasps kayleigh which we call it and they love us some also water that needs often means that it's in bad mentally unsustainable and yet we need cotton and.