to you live from berlin. after scoring victory in regional elections, catalonia's independence leader makes an offer. this is the time has come for dialogue with the spanish government without preconditions. but spain's prime minister is playing hardball. who says he will meet the leader of the biggest party -- he says he will meet the leader of the biggest party. also, human rights watch accuses russia and syria of targeting civilians and airstrikes on rebel-held enclaves. we will get the latest from a researcher who has been in touch with civilians trapped there. bitcoin is plunging on the world markets, down as much as 21% on

friday. the fourth day of a global selloff. many are clinging to their faith in the crypto currency. in sin, the festive season is all about children singing songs that bring billions of euros. the fat one is here again. the world's biggest paying lottery has brought celebrations of cold hard cash to the streets of spain. ♪ host: i am sarah harman. welcome to the show. it is good to have you with us. a day after regional elections in catalonia, it is still difficult to judge who one. pro-independence parties took a slim majority, but the party of the x catalan -- ex catalan president -- that honor went to

the liberal citizens party. the prime minister's conservatives were nearly wiped out but he is refusing to talk to the separatist, thi despite please. -- pleas. >> there was an offer from brussels, where he currently resides to avoid being arrested. >> i'm ready to meet the prime minister in brussels or in a different place in the eu, except spain for obvious reasons. i am ready to do that because inside for catalonia, for the spanish states, and europe to start a new clinical phase. this needs to be defined -- political face. this needs to be defined not by the serious depression we have seen so far. >> spain's prime minister had different ideas. >> the person i should be

meeting is the one who won the election. this person is the leader of the cu party, which had the best results on thursday. >> life in catalonia has certainly been affected by the divisive political situation, with many locals hoping for some kind of break serve. -- break through. >> there is no progress. i hope the leaders that themselves and our place and leave the most extreme positions aside. >> i think things have remains as they were and they should look for a different solution to solve the problem. >> he made it clear he should talk with the new leaders as long as they do not violate the country's constitution. despite separatist parties

winning a slim majority, this type of government is a far way off. host: lisa is in barcelona following developments for us. does this mean the standoff is going to continue? >> it looks like it. there seems to be a deadlock. if you look at the o outcome of these elections, they could form a government with 70 seats of government, performing that government would be very complicated. this coalition would be made up of three parties, two large parties that cannot seem to be able to agree on a common leader. it is very complicated. one is in exile in belgium and cannot come back without coming to jail. the head of the other party is in jail in spain at the moment.

it is not that easy to find somebody to replace them. on the other hand, you have the smaller coalition party, saying we will join you but only if you really go for independence. that will be very complicated for all of them to go for independence right away because they have seen that madrid would intervene right away. host: there was a record turnout in this election. 82%. how significant is that? >> that is quite significant in the sense that, before hand, the independent opponents said the independent supporters are winning the elections will only because the other guys are not turning out to vote. you can hardly argue that is the case now with 82%. a lot are in favor of independence are opposed to the

other parties. host: where do we go from here? >> obviously, the different parties will try to form a coalition. the parliament will come together and stand normally until the end of january and then they will have to elect a new leader of catalonia. they have until they would elect that new leader in february. if they have not done so by april, that would trigger automatically new elections. we could see new snap elections in late may or early june. host: how relevant is the leader still if his party did not get a majority? >> he is very relevant because amongst the pro-independence parties, his party got the highest share of the votes. normally that party would also put forward the new leader. as i said, it will be very complicated because he is in exile and there is no obvious number two.

people are listening to what he is saying from here. host: excellent. that is lisa lewis reporting from barcelona. major powers say they agreed to hold peace talks on syria next month. they say will involve rebels and the syrian government. that as rights groups warn of a new humanitarian crisis. they say the government and russian forces have been pounding rebel forces near the capital. among the worst hit areas -- they say the attacks have killed dozens of civilians. earlier, we spoke to sarah from the human rights watch. she said there is a new humanitarian emergency and eastern gowda, a year to the day since aleppo fell. >> the situation is catastrophic to the area. it has been under siege since

2013 and now we're talking about close to half one million -- close to 500,000 civilians. they are dying because of the lack of medical supplies. there are reports that we have been receiving from the ground saying there is barely any food and medical supplies are dwindling. we talking about children who are dying from medicines that are available 10 kilometers away that they cannot get to because of the siege. host: that is sarah from the human rights watch. here's a look at some of the other stories making news around the world right now. the un security council voted unanimously to impose new sanctions on north korea. the move follows the country's latest intercontinental ballistic missile test. they will limit the supply of petrol and crude oil, which could have a significant impact on the struggling economy. u.s. president donald trump has assigned a $1.5 trillion tax

overhaul into law. the legislation was adopted and to congress two days ago in a major political victory to the republican party. it provides a big tax cut for corporations and the wealthiest americans, as long as -- as well as smaller reductions for those with bigger incomes. in gaza, there has been renewed violence in response to trump's decision to move the u.s. embassy to jerusalem. authorities said two palestinians were killed friday in clashes with israeli forces along the border with israel. that brings the total number of deaths to 10 with dozens more wounded. you're watching dw news live from berlin. still to come, it is the biggest matchup in spanish soccer. real madrid locks up with

their fiercest rival barcelona. because of a rivalry that is heating up between the two cities after that catalonia pull. time for some business news. the big when losing streak is on its fourth day. >> it has been a good year and suddenly after hitting almost 20,000 u.s. dollars on saturday, the crypto currency has plummeted below $12,000. financial experts in singapore do not like what they see. the island state's highest fiscal authority is warning investors to stay away from bitcoin but not everyone is listening. >> is almost an afront. a block away from singapore's financial authority, a cafe has opened where customers pay with crypto currency. >> we just want to make sure people understand crypto currencies are here to stay. i do not think that is a question.

the way technology develops and goes right now, there is no doubt about it. developments are directed and the governments may have a little bit of an issue to follow through. >> so far, there have not been any problems in the cafe. people do not just pay for drugs and snacks with bitcoin. they can also use the cafe's own currency. that is also the name of the cafe. experts warn crypto currencies are very volatile. bitcoin, for example, is down sharply this week. that is a problem for investors. experts see the trends coming to an end. >> the second one will be when we do not make more progress to keep up with the retail world. if you cannot spend crypto currencies are a few cannot redeem them for cash, if you c annot get rid of them back as cash, people will lose interest.

when that happens, that he will come out of the market and people will move on to other things and that is when we will see the crash come. >> the owners of the cafe a not so sure about that.on the contrary, they want to expand, opening cafes, hotels, and travel agencies were only digital money is accepted. >> spanish stocks slipped on the result from barcelona. the country's thebex stock falling. most were banks, which have significant exposure to catalonia. they have since moved to the headquarters out of the region. spanish stocks had outperformed their counterparts across europe before the referendum. let us bring in our financial correspondent to get the reaction. why isn't the market reaction more intense? >> we do not really know what is

going to happen. the prime minister of spain is saying now talks need to start. those talks have not yielded any outcome and that is why we have those elections. you can say that they did the same mistake as cameron and the u.k. and other politicians in the eurozone. they're asking people to solve their problems. the bottom line is we have political risks back on the agenda that most likely nobody really wants to go into that risk now, especially a day befo christmas. >> and we know how messy it has gone before brexit. although catalonia is an important economy for spain. why do investors really care about it? >> catalonia makes up 1/5 of the spanish economic power. it was

and is still a powerhouse somehow spain. investors care because the whole fragmentation of the risk of fragmentation can set a precedent for other regions in the eurozone which also want to be more independent, perhaps also separate from their home country. that is a tendency the european union does not support because it would mean for the fragmentation. this that -- they are always wary about the stability of the eurozone. they don't really understand the political concept of that european union and see it inherently and stable. that is why there is a big risk in such a movement. >> ok. the domino concerns over catalonia. thank you very much. the brazilian government says in a block -- it will block going from taking control of embraer.

there are talks with their bigger american rival. if the acquisition were to go through, it would help boeing expand its region for small regional jets. >> bigger is not always better for the world's largest aerospace company. boeing is in talks to buy and where, papers -- embraer, a brazilian company specializing in small jet. boeing is hoping to acquire a controlling stake. it will allow both companies to cut costs in their supply chains and boeing will expand its will hold in the small to midsized regional jet market. draft makers from canada, china, russia, and japan are competing in this growing market segments. boeing is also facing pressure from airbus. in october, airbus announced a joint venture to expand its regional jet production. boeing is already facing headwinds, both at home and abroad.

the deal would see the company move some of its production outside the u.s., and that could run a foul of u.s. regulators and unions. the brazilian government would have to great might anything, something the country's president would be unlikely to support according to local media. >> the south korean quarters convicted the 95-year-old founder of cold water on corruption charges. they had sent him to four years in prison but he will avoid jail due to his age. his son had a suspension sentence. they innovated a total of $76 million in taxes and embezzled $46 million of company funds. the businesses include chemicals, food, retail, and hotels. to the alternative olympics. host: that is right.

for spanish soccer fans, this is the real olympics. whenever real madrid faces barcelona, this is a clash that rings with political attention. never more than on saturday. two days after elections in catalonia. barcelona might be forced out of la leagua, bringing out el classico to the end. >> the pressure is on for real madrid. sitting fourth in the league, the currently champions need a victory. the madrid bosses play down the importance of the title. >> is going to be the hardest game of the season. barcelona against real madrid are beautiful but difficult games. is not a decisive game, despite the points gap.

it is not the time to be thinking about that. >> he has practically a full squad to choose from with the club's full-time record. he is likely to join kareem and strike on the attacking frontline. in defense, rafael returns from injury. and the captain is in the squad again following suspension. over in balsa lona, the league leaders are feeling -- barcelona, the league leaders are feeling confident. the coach has left both attackers out, despite overcoming their injuries. the barcelona boss expect a tough match. >> this game is not just any game. it is very important. we want to play well, and our aim is to win. we know how difficult it will be.

real madrid is a very powerful team playing at home. >> a victory for barcelona would cement their status as favorites to win la leauga this -- la leagua this season. host: the former head of the brazilian f.a. and the former head of the paraguayan f.a. were both found guilty of racketeering conspiracy. they're are accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes to influence media rights or world cup hosting rights. the jury will deliberate next week on charges against the former peruvian official. staying with some soccer news, this time from germany,

veteran striker mario gomez is on the move again. the 32-year-old is returning to the club where he began his career. gomez scored 19 goals in 52 appearances for the old spirit he signed a deal for 2020 and will cost the team 43 million euros. they hope the move will boost his chances of going to next year's world cup in russia. it is the festive season, and in spain, that means one thing, el gordo. the world's biggest paying lottery was announced in the traditional fashion today by schoolchildren in madrid singing the winning numbers. in total, some 2.4 billion euros is being paid out. is no wonder practically the whole country is a flutter.

>> this is what winners look like. at least some of them in spain today. for those who had el gordo lottery tickets with the number 7-1-1-9-8, christmas has come early. it was not just ticket holders who were celebrating. >> they phoned me and told me i had sold the gordo. i was trembling. i called my mother to say we had sold a gordo ticket. >> the fat one is a huge tradition in spain. the results are sung out by schoolchildren in madrid every year. the main prize is potentially worth millions of euros, but it is usually spread out across thousands of tickets. many spaniards buy tickets in groups and gather together to watch the live draw. the dream is to win big but millions do not.

>> i just live there. i had a ticket but i did not win. did you win? no. that is why i just bought an empty bottle because we don't have a reason to toast. i have three numbers and none of them won. can you believe it? >> the lottery rules are complex, which means it is not clear how the winnings will be distributed. there is nothing stopping the winners from celebrating in spain right now. host: a group of international artists have come together in germany to create a new exhibition made entirely of ice. it w used to car famous faces. from the statue of liberty to angela merkel. the exhibition hall in berlin is being kept at a chilly -7 degrees celsi. with christmas around the

corner, santas are in peak demand. they place of the toughest of audiences, kids. so they have to be ready for the unexpected. we met with one old one instructor who wants to make sure the santas he schools are up to the highest standards. >> i want to welcome you all, ladies and gentlemen. we will be doing a workshop on how to be santa claus. the first rule is discover your inner santa. >> he is a first-time santa. the course instructor here in a local town hall takes his yuletide mission quite seriously. >> beards like this one here are awful. people run around with these things and call themselves santas. they have no idea what it is all about. [bells ringing]

>> that is pretty good. i think we need to have outside for a practice. with both of you. give each other a bit of room. we will keep an eye on you and be the referees and maybe give you a few tips about what you can do better. ♪ >> how is it? >> good. it is a lot of fun. >> but the first trial run is not all smooth sailing. >> look. do you want some? >> look here. i am nice. i will not hurt you. there you go. merry christmas. >> do you have a blonde doll with long hair?

in a car -- and a car as a christmas present? >> no. >> but i want a barbie car for christmas. >> wait a second. i know about a blonde girl. the christmas all told me about her. >> can you bring me one of those? >> i am sure i can. >> two days later, his first proper appearance. it is december 6 and he is clad as a santa, althoh tenically its sat nicholas day. no one is being too picky. this is opening night, so to speak. >> what is your name? and you? are your shoes here? should we try to find them? >> no.

>> the pressure is on. if children are good, tradition has it there shoes will be filled with goodies. the next kids have arrived. it is a chance for him to work on his holiday chops. but he is well aware his outing at the car dealership is just a warm-up for the main event, christmas eve. how do you feel about working on christmas eve? >> you need to have a feeling for what makes it so special. you really have to enjoy being santa claus. i really like advent. i like looking around and sing the houses lit up. it is impresses and -- it is impressive and i cannot get enough of it. >> so while others are lounging around their trees here in germany, he will be celebrating his premier and dashing from one christmas celebrations of the next. merry christmas.

host: you're watching dw news coming to you live from berlin. more at the top of the hour. don't forget, you can get the latest news and information on our website, dw.com. things are watching, -- thanks for watching. take care. ♪ xnóx

♪ week's best stories. so sit back and enjoy the show. here's what we've got coming up for you. pyro paintings -- dino tomic and the art of drawing with gunpowder. city lights -- london gets into the christmas spirit. and heavenly hops -- how beer has spelled salvation for a belgian church. we begin with dino tomick's art, which is literally explosive. the croatian-born artist runs a tattoo shop in norway and is