brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, michael flynn, the disgraced former general who worked for president trump and lied to the fbi. a u.s. court has postponed sentencing for flynn, but not before a federal judge lambasted him, saying the former national security advisor sold out his own country. also coming up, the dangers in -- and the hate confronting reporters around the world. a new report shines a light on the journalists daring to tell

the truth, no matter the cost. plus in sports, english premier league giants manchester united fire coach jose mourinho. the football club pulled the plug on the controversial football manager after the worst start to the season in nearly 30 years. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. tonight, we know that donald trump's former national security advisor will not be going to prison, at least this year. a federal judge today in washington postponed the sentencing for flynn. the disgraced former general pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi about his contacts with russia's ambassador to the u.s. in january 2017, just before trump became u.s. president. flynn originally said that he had not met the ambassador when, in fact, he had.

today, the judge said that by doing so, flynn, quote, arguably sold out his country. lying to federal agents carries a five-year prison sentence. flynn is the highest profile culprit so far in special counsel robert mueller's investigation into links between trump's election campaign and russia. joining us now from washington is our correspondent maya shwayder. maya, it is good to see you. this was supposed to be a cut and dry sentencing. instead it has been postponed. what changed the mood within the courtroom? i understand there was a lot of drama. maya: indeed, not just in the courtroom but between yesterday and today when the buzz around town, shall we say, was that flynn might get zero jail time given that prosecutors were saying he had been extremely cooperative with the mueller investigation, and maybe even perhaps wanted to keep him around for more help.

they were recommending zero jail time. people were expecting that that was going to be the case, and now we see this change in the courtroom with the judge with some harsh words for flynn, stopping short of accusing him outright of treason. but really a judge who seemed not sympathetic to the cause that flynn and his lawyers were trying to put forward, which is that he was contrite about his crimes, he wanted to plead guilty, he was trying to help do the right thing. the judge seemed like he was just having none of it. so now we have got this postponement, a postponement that the judge himself offered to flynn and his lawyers previous to simply declaring it. we will have to wait on pins and needles until the judge decides what to do next. brent: and we understand that the sentencing has been postponed until march of next year. does this mean that there is more that investigators -- i am thinking of course the special

prosecutor, mr. mueller -- there that may be more that they want to get from flynn? maya: it is entirely possible, although we should note that at the beginning of the proceedings today, the prosecutors came forward, and if i can just look at my notes here, they said that flynn had given all he had to give and had provided the vast majority of his political cooperation, which is political speak for, "we have kind of used him up now." so, what more there is to give, kind of is a question mark hanging over that. it is possible the prosecutors were recommending zero jail time simply because they felt good about what he had already contributed and felt he was a collaborator now and wanted to reward him for that effort. but again, we had a judge who did not seem super inclined to honor that request. and prosecutors who say, "well, we don't really know what to do with him anymore." brent: how does all this reflect on president trump?

maya: well, we definitely know the president is watching. he had one of his early morning tweetstorms, going so far as to wish michael flynn luck, which is a big 180 from the way he has treated other people who have come under scrutiny who have been cooperating also with the mueller investigation. the president has actually stood by flynn for the past almost two years now since he has been under investigation, unlike how he has treated some other people. but all of this is coming at a difficult time for the president. we have got a lot of political hay being made and various other stories happening and now we have one of his closest advisers during the campaign possibly facing jail time when he was expecting not to face any at all. brent: all right, our correspondent maya shwayder on the story for us. high drama day in washington. maya, that you. here are some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world.

russia, iran, and turkey have said that a new syrian constitutional committee should begin early next year. that should kick off a political peace process in syria. russian foreign minister sergey lavrov made that announcement in a joint statement after a meeting with the u.n. special envoy in geneva. belgian prime minister charles michel has announced his resignation. michel was forced to set up a minority government last week. his right-wing coalition partners had quit in protest over belgium backing a u.n. pact on migration. an inquiry into zimbabwe's july presidential election has found the army's use of live bullets to stop violence was disproportionate and unjustified. six protesters were killed and dozens injured in the unrest. emmerson mnangagwa became the first elected into state in

zimbabwe in 37 years. japan's government has increased, or approved a major increase in defense spending in weapons capability for the next coming years. the country will get its first aircraft carriers since the second world war and it will place a large order for advanced stealth fighters from the united states. tokyo says that it is aiming to counter chinese moves to expand its military presence in the area. but shinzo abe's government says it also aims to address continuing tensions with north korea. this comes at the end of a year that saw pyongyang maeve moves -- make moves to improve ties with its other enemies, that of the united states and south korea. reporter: the unified team korea. 22 athletes, icy temperatures, but an ebullient atmosphere. it all started with kim

jong-un's grand entrance one month earlier. the north's supreme leader suggested a unified korean olympic team. this, despite donald trump's threat of fire and fury hanging over kim. suddenly the world saw another side of north korea. buoyant cheerleaders applauding the unified women's hockey team. after months of playing tough guy, it was a veritable public relations coup for kim. then, a first for the two koreas. may,im and south korea's president moon jae-in met at the military demarcation line that divides the two countries. later, moon would say at the moment chairman kim crossed the line, the site became a symbol of peace, not division. but kim threw a curveball. he departed from the official

protocol and asked moon to join him in stepping across to the north. archenemies holding hands in the spring sun. >> i'm hoping for a meaningful agreement that will be a big gift to the entire korean nation and every peace-loving person in the world. reporter: the talks culminated in an agreement that was signed in september. its motto -- cooperation, not confrontation. the two koreas were in charge. washington found itself sidelined. after being in power for seven years, kim made his first-ever state visit. it was to china. and two more trips were to follow. north korea's relationship with china had hit a historic low, but now kim was looking for friends. for its part, china wanted to reassert its traditional influence. the outcome was that china would be at the table whenever

intra-korean solutions were discussed. and then there was the elaborately choreographed summit between kim and u.s. president donald trump in singapore. high on production values, low on concrete results. according to trump, north korea's nuclear disarmament was a done deal. trump was pleased with the results. >> a lot of progress. really very positive. i think better than anybody could have expected. top of the line. reporter: in reality, kim had signed only a vague declaration of intent, similar to his agreement with south korea. business as usual for the supreme leader. kim had tunnels destroyed at the nuclear test site in the run-up to the summit. it was a sign of diplomatic rapprochement. but total disarmament will not be coming anytime soon. the weapons are his bargaining chip. kim wanted sanctions loosened, but trump did not budge. relations with the south, on the

other hand, were more fruitful. a canine piece gift from kim to president moon bore six puppies. the dogs are south of the border, where millions of north koreans can only dream of visiting. brent: the ngo "reporters without borders" has released its annual report and it makes for some dismal reading when it comes to freedom of the press d information. 80 reporters or people working in the media have been killed so far this year. that is 15 more than in 2017. unprecedented. most of the deaths happened in afghanistan, syria, mexico, yemen, and india. and the number of journalists imprisoned has risen to 348. china, egypt, turkey, iran, and saudi arabia account for most detentions. vietnam is another country that keeps a tight leash on its media. and that power extends beyond the country's borders.

dw's simon young met a vietnamese journalist who has been running an online news portal right here in berlin for the past decade. simon: le trung koa believes there's a hunger for uncensored information in vietnam, especially from young people. to reach that audience from his office in faraway berlin, he has taken to the internet. >> this information is almost forbidden in vietnam. if a journalist tells the truth about politics, he will probably have problems straight away. he could be threatened or arrested or beaten up. the people are so interested to get information about politics. simon: le trung koa has been publishing pieces on his news website about his home country for 10 years. usually in vietnamese. sometimes in german. mostly he writes about

vietnamese politics, and the situation of his countrymen in europe. he has reported many times on the case of trinh xuan thanh, who sought asylum in germany but was allegedly kidnapped in berlin by vietnamese agents and now faces trial in hanoi. such stories, says le trung koa, have anned vietname authorities. >> our website has been blocked in vietnam since july 2017. normally when you type it in, nothing comes up. simon: he says a lot of his information comes from journalists inietnam who cannot tell what they know there, but he says even working in germany is dangerous. >> if we work here, we get threats. really, from real people. they call us or they send a text saying they want to kill us.

simon: despite the obstacles, le trung koa is getting past the vietnamese sensors. he says his site was accessed with a 2.5 million times during your recent month, mostly from computers in vietnam. but that success will not stop him calling for greater freedom of speech. >> germany never shuts down a vietnamese page, so why does vietnam close a german page? it is not right. it is an injustice which must be ended. brent: sports news now, jose mourinho has been fired as manchester united manager after 2.5 years on the job. a weekend defeat to bitter rivals liverpool proved to be the last straw for united's board. after their worst start to the season since 1990. reporter: the legacy of former manchester united manager alex ferguson looms large. his 13 premier league titles have been a tough act to follow.

jose mourinho became the latest coach tasked with reviving the club in 2016. his impressive c.b. included previous success. the early signs were good, with the europa league title in his first season. what worries about his defensive style of play began to eat away at fans. the portuguese spent nearly 450 million euros on new players, but demanded even more from a reluctant board. rumors also circled that stars were unhappy with mourinho's methods and public criticism of his squad. >> sometimes what you see is not what you get. >> so you do not think they don't care? >> i think that some care more than others. >> do you want to say who? >> no. reporter: mourinho leaves with a reported 20 million euro payout. and united's focus switches to a new permanent coach, probably

for next season. zinedine zidane is available after leaving real madrid. while mauricio pochettino is adept at developing young players, just like ferguson. the challenge of restoring united's former glory is huge, whoever takes charge. brent: they are continuing their title push. they grabbed the opener early in the second half. they are playing duesseldorf now. you can see the highlights of both games just after 23:00 utc. let's stay with soccer. argentina's riverplates have come back down to earth with a

bump after winning. that victory qualified them for the club world cup. but they have crashed out in the semi finals to unheralded al ain of the united arab emirates. al ain won of penalties after a 2-2 draw. they were only playing in the competition for continental club champions because they were hosts. al ain face real madrid or japan in the final. the surf was up in hawaii during the season-ending event in the world surfing championship. brazillian surfer gabriel medina won the pipe masters finals. with waves reaching more than two meters high, he remained calm and scored on all his runs. to capture the crowd it took perfection and the brazilian delivered.

in front of thousands of onlookers, he nailed a perfect 10 after surfing this tube flawlessly. he knew he nailed it. this is his second world surfing championship. the first came in 2014. we are going to catch 10 right here. they can do it, i can't. let's talk about italy and the european commission and the budget. christoph: that's right. italy and the european commission are at loggerheads over italy's budget and imminent threat of political crisis. it seems now to be averted. a spokesperson of italy's economy ministry says italy and the eu have reached an agreement in their budget battle. brussels had refused to sign off on rome's budget proposals, declaring it a breach of the rules. it initiated moves to force it to lower its deficit target. it was the first time in eu

history these have been activated. last week italy submitted revised proposals. the new agreement will be made public on wednesday. a so-called hard brexit is now a, quote, operational priority for the british government, brexit secretary stephen barkley said on tuesday. that, as britain's chamber of commerce forcasts that economic growth in the u.k. will drop to 1.2% this year. that figure would make the weakest year for the u.k. economy since it emerged from recession in 2010. uncertainty over how britain will exit the european union at the end of march and fears over the reintroduction of tariffs have left many businesses on edge. to china now, and it has been 40 years since it opened up of world markets and, to a degree, capitalism, ultimately turning china into the global economic powerhouse it is today, second in gdp only to the united states.

let's take a look at how all of this came about. four years ago china was producing goods and services worth around $150 billion per year. now, by 1997, gdp had hit the $1 trillion mark and by last year its gross domestic product had grown to more than $12 trillion. take a look at that chart right there. in a speech marking the anniversary, chinese president xi jinping vowed to press ahead with economic reforms, but he also made clear that beijing would not deviate from its one-party system, or be bossed around by, frankly, anybody. reporter: it was an impeccably choreographed event. designed to showcase china's transformation from an inward-looking farming-based society, to the economic giant it is today. the country's president xi jinping credited 40 years of what he termed socialism with chinese characteristics for

lifting people out of poverty and putting china on the international stage. but that stage, now more than ever, is fraught with tension. in a thinly veiled reference t his country's months-long trade dispute with the united states, xi had this to say. >> there is no textbook of rules to follow for the reforms and opening of china. a country with 5000 years of history and civilization, and with a population of more than 1.3 billion people. no one is in a position to dictate to the chinese people what should or should not be done. reporter: no one, not en seemingly the leader of the most powerful economy in the world. this footage shows xi jinping having dinner with u.s. president donald trump at the g20 summit in argentina earlier this month. the result was an agreement to a 90 day truce in their trade conflict.

but the arrest since then of a top executive at chinese tech equipment giant huawei has left that truce on shakier ground than ever. the tone coming from beijing today was defiant. china will not be pushed around. christoph: well, among other things, china has developed a reputation for coming up with copycat versions of products conceived in other countries. and it is not only technology that the country is able to replicate. as speed in the village of dafen, artists have been producing replicas of famous artworks for decades. but the once-successful model took a hit after the financial crisis 10 years ago. that in turn has prompted the local government to encourage artists to embrace their own creativity. reporter: the world's most iconic works of art, replicated to an extraordinarily high standard.

here in the chinese village of dafen, thousands of people make a living copying masterpieces. the tradition of reproducing western artwork began 40 years ago when a series of reforms opened up the chinese economy. since then, dafen has grown from an obscure village of 300 rice growers to an international painting hub. some of the artists even reckon they could give the original creators a run for their money. here is w she rates her version of "starry night" compared to van gogh's original. >> i think i paint better than he did. that said, his is the original, mine is a reproduction. i paint this piece several times a year. i personally think i pnt it better than he did. but no matr how much better you are, you are still copying his work. reporter: and that is precisely

what the local government is hoping to change. international demand for the replica artworks produced here has waned since the 2009 financial crisis. this has prompted officials to encourage artists to produce original work instead. this newly opened $14 million art museum is to house some of their work. but whether the original pieces will be produced at the astonishing speed of the replicas is another matter. creativity, after all, takes time. christoph: from china to iran, and just half a year ago, tehran seemed to be the go-to destination for investors from europe, including germany. heavyweights like siemens, daimler and other companies wanted to do business there. but washington's foreign policy has since started to strangle iran's economy. and iranians are bearing the brunt.

reporter: at first glance, everything seems to be running normally in this pharmacy in tehran. but more and more often, pharmacist navid, who does not want his real name mentioned, has to tell his customers he does not have their medicine anymore. >> we have customers who have undergone open-heart surgery and those medications are vital. when they stand in front of me and i have to tell them that they are no longer available, you can see the fear in their eyes. reporter: the majority of iranian pharma imports come from europe. the u.s. sanctions have caused one massive problem for eu-iran trade -- the payment system. we visit the bank melli iran in hamburg. it forwards iranian company payments to respective banks of german companies. but now european banks are part of the boycott, according to the managing director.

many companies fear the u.s. sanctions. >> the banks do not have any valid reason for not processing those payments. it's a clear breach of contract. it is the breach of the rules underlying payments in europe. reporter: bank melli could sue, but there are simply too many banks that no longer accept payments from iran. he therefore hopes for new eu regulations. back in tehran, the blocked payments are also a big problem for many german medium-sized companies doing business in iran, says the iranian chamber of commerce. trade is on the break of collapse and an eu solution is urgently needed. >> iranian companies in the whole country are increasingly impatient with europe. in other words, we have to deliver now. it is no longer enough to use symbolic politics here to counter the situation.

reporter: dashed hopes among the iranian citizens. no one believes anymore that europe will support iran in spite of u.s. sanctions. >> we all know that europe has to subordinate itself to american in the end. >> i do not believe in a solution anymore. only those who have money will survive. reporter: pharmacist navid is trying to keep his store up and running somehow. he hopes that business with europe will pick up again. christoph: you are watching "dw news" from berlin. after a short break, brent will be back to take you through "the day." don't go anywhere. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]