phil: this is "dw news," live from berlin. britain and the european union reach a last-minute brexit trade agreement. european commission president ursula von der leyen describes it as fair and balanced and says britain will remain a trusted partner. british prime minister boris johnson greeted the deal as fantastic news that will end uncertainty. we will bring new phone news from london and brussels. as he prepares to leave office,

president trump makes sure to remember his friends. the latest batch of presidential pardons goes to close associates, longtime confident roger stone is among nearly 50 felons granted clemency. ♪ and, they are guaranteed virus free, father frost and the home entertainers putting a smile and children's faces in russia. ♪ i'm phil gayle. welcome to the program. after months of uncertainty, britain and the european union have finally struck agreement on a post-brexit trade deal. the two sides patched up their differences at the 11th hour to avert the crisis is the end of the 12 month transition approached.

speaking in brussels, eu president ursula von der leyen hailed the compromise. >> ladies and gentlemen, at the end of a successful negotiations journey, i normally feel joy. but today, i only feel quiet satisfaction and frankly speaking, relief. i know this is a difficult day for some, and to our friends in the united kingdom, i want to say parting is such sweet sorrow. but to use a line from t.s. eliot, what we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning. so to all europeans, i say it is time to leave brags it behind -- leave brags it behind. -- leave brexit behind.

phil: u.k. president boris jott -- u.k. prime minister boris johnson welcome to the agreement as fantastic news and played up the agreement with the european union, relationship he said will continue. >> i say to our european friends and partners, i think this deal means a new stability and a new certainty in what has sometimes been a fracture is and difficult relationship. -- fractious and difficult relationship. we will be your friend, your ally, your supporter and indeed, never let it be forgotten, your number-one market. because although we have left the eu, this country will remain culturally, emotionally, starkly, -- historically, strategically, geologically attached to europe, not least of course through the 4 million eu

nationals who have settled in the u.k. over the last four years, and to make an enormous contribution to our country and our lives. phil: the agreement comes into effect on january 1. it means there will be no tariffs on trade between britain and its biggest writing partner, the european union. fishing rights emerged as one of the last barriers to a deal. the eu agreed to give up a quarter of fishing catches in british waters, there will be no hard border between ireland and northern ireland, which is part of the u.k., another big sticking point. the irish prime minister described the outcome is a good compromise. but britain' his final departure from the eu means an end to free movement, travelers will face restrictions. let's get detail from our correspondence in london and russell. let's start with alexander in

brussels, britain is going to be out of the block in eight days, kent 27 countries ratify this deal so quickly? alexander -- >> i think they can if they want to. we are talking about the governments of the eu member states, not their parliaments, thatould be a much longer process. welso have to add that judging from reaction so far, bo leaders are happy with the compromise. chances of rejection of the deal are slim. angela merkel, the german chancellor, already announced her cabinet is going to decide on a deal on december 28, the next few days. and if all the other eu members follow suit, that will mean that the european commsion canove forward and provisionally implement the deal before the european parliament is able to

decide on that. and that is going to be at the beginning of january. phil: charlotte, what about british lawmakers, will they forgo christmas holidays to ratify it, and willhey actually go for it? charlotte: you heard the eu commission president ursula von der leyen a short time ago saying that relief, relieved is how she felt. that is certainly something being echoed on this side as ll, from boris johnson, brexiteers, and the promise of fulfilling a deal on bragexit has been fulfilled. i think there is a relief that at least there is a deal in place, with e transition period eing next week. the threat of no de was feeling incredibly real. it is for that reason i believe

thopposition labour party leader said his party will be backing the deal when it comes into parliament. he was saying the threat of not having a deal was far worse than supporting it. he was clear to say though, that any possible negative implications will be the responsibility of conservatives in boris johnson's party alone. thepposition labour party won't take any responsibility. buwe have learned this esseially will pass through parliament, particularly with borijohnson's majority there. will their christmas be disrupted? well, this deal has been done in time for christmas, the optics of which look very good for boris johnson. parliament will be recalled on december 30. phil: who will adjudicate if there is a dispute in this deal as it is implemented?

alexandra: we know for the european union, it was essential to establish a mechanism to make sure that future disputes can be resolved. and from the european perspective, of course, it would be the best to have the european court of justice to play a role. according to the u.k., there is no role for the european court of justice. instead, both sides seem to have agreed on independent arbitration and an independent panel that would, in the future, decide if there is a breach of the deal, and if there should be penalties or compensation. but please let me add that you can't rule out that one of the parties or maybe a company can go to court, if it thinks it is necessary. phil: will leave it there, alexandra in brussels and charlotte in london.

britain's decision to leave european union was a hugely divisive issue that turn families against each other and brought down to prime ministers. how did it come about? here is a look back at a debate that has dominated british politics for half a decade. correspondent: june 2016. british people voted in the millions on a referendum for exiting the european union. it's brett the country down the middle. 52% voted to leave, 48% to stay. [people yelling] >> this means the uk's voted to leave the european union. correspondent: it was the beginning of an end for a relationship that always was ambivalent. after joining in 1973, the u.k.'s on the club as a trade block. but for many in europe, it was a project with one aim, a closer union, a loss of sovereignty

that was unthinkable for many brits who turned to the u.k. independence party in throws. nigel for roche campaign for years to leave the block. but it meant defeat for him. britain's conservative p.m. david cameron recalled the vote in a bid to appease skeptics in his party. he left. theresa may took over as prime minister. she had a new political message. >> brexit means brexit. correspondent: but her political fate was not pretty, a deal torpedoed by members of her own party, boris johnson becoming a success on downing street. he called the general election campaign with one promise. get brexit done.

it won him a huge majority and a year ago, he got what he called his of in-ready deal through parliament. but the dock -- his oven-ready deal through parliament. but the duck was cooked. it took months of haggling over issues like state aid, how to resolve huger disputes, and fishing rights. >> it was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it. correspondent: a deal that runs to hundreds of pages, a paper trail that foreshadows in just seven days the form filling british businesses will have to face in return for free trade. for many in the eu, the u.k. has a special place in their heart. after decades together, the sides are going their separate ways but said they still want to remain friends. [applause] phil: let's get a view on this

from the head of the new europeans, a nongovernment organization that campaigns on behalf of british people in europe and eu citizens in britain. welcome to dw. how are you feeling about today's agreement? >> britain is leaving the european union, but that is not news to me and yr viewers. michel barnier set the clock stopped ticking and made it sound as if a bomb was about to go off if written didn't get a deal. i think it will mitigate disastrous consequences of brexit. and i hope we have reached the furthest point away from the european union the u.k. is going to be. now it is time to start the march back. phil: clearly you don't think this issue is now settled in britain. do you think the brits might come knocking on brussels' door

in a few years? >> i think people must be thoroughly fed up with brexit negotiations, but i don't think the talking stops here. there are so many issues that are unresolved. let's remember that as a result of the deal, british people and eu citizens are going to lose the right to free movement between the eu and u.k.. tons of tomatoes will travel free, bags of potatoesill trel freely, but people will not travel freely anymore between the end u.k. i know michel barnier and boris johnson might thinking they are having a bright christmas, but it is not ahristmas present. this is a necessary thing. it is good that it has happened, but there can be lots of unresolved issues, security issues, police cooperation, all kinds of issues that haven't gone away. because in the end, the story of europe is about people, people coming together, people and the challenges that we face, running

our bunesses, running our lives. so this is the start, i hope, of a new relationship. but in the end, perhaps 15 years time, it willead back to britain thinking of rejoining, because that is the best solution for everybody. phil: publicly and unusually, the you maintained unity behind chief negotiator michel barnier. i wonder if you think any particular eu leaders have been quietly working in the background? >> i do think,phil, in the end he hated political pressure. angela merkel said she saw the hand of history in this deal. i think she wanted to behave responsibly. we have heard the responsibility that the word responsibility a lot from you leaders, including ursula von der leyen.

they are going to be able to protect french fishermen, not the least because the monit for fishing in the channel was given to a french company last year. i think mr. macron has a trick up his sleeve as well. phil: michel barnier -- brexit dominated political life in britain for five years. now we have covid. when do we return to something near-normal? do you see life in britain returning to near-normal outside the eu? will this issue now not be something people are talking about all the time? >> people won't stop talking about it, but the issues will not go away. things will not get back to normal because there are still so many unresolved issues. remember that 80% of the u.k.

economy is services. that is not at all affected by, or looked at in this trade deal, services. parts of britain were against brexit. for example, scotland, scotland wanted to ave the united kingdom after brexit. i mentioned security issues, but the biggest thing we are going to notice is that british people won't be able to live, work and travel in the eu freely, and the eu people won't be able to do the same in the u.k. students will notice that they can't study in the u.k. anymore on erasmus, and british students cap study on erasmus -- can't study on erasmus in the eu. i think when we see all the problems that remain, that still need to find some kind of solution, challenges we still face after january 1, that will mean talking needs to continue,

and we need to build on this deal. i hope iis a backstop. i hope it is a point were british realizes it needs to point itself in the direction of the eu again, and sometime in the future, and not just throw it away. phil: roger, thank you. we will take a look at other stories making headlines. moldovan has -- moldova has a new president, sworn in after winning last month's election. moldova split between those favoring closer ties to europe and those favoring closer ties to russia. austria has opened its key for christmas. winter sports are on the way a 400 up i, despite a third national lockdown about to come into force. the government says that, as an outdoor sports, skiing is safe under strict conditions, but mountain restaurants remain closed.

the french football club in paris have sacked their german coach, despite winning is last match. he won six trophies with psg and lead them to the champions league final last season. the team came in third in the french division. the former top boss of argentina was expected to take over. president trump has issued a new batch of pardons for his allies, including the father of his son-in-law, jared kushner. mr. trump is now blended -- mr. trump is now granted clemency to 50 people in the past week, the list including people involved in the investigation into his campaign's ties to russia, allies from congress and other felons championed i friends. correspondent: 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 pardons were announced.

what is interesting about the latest batch of pardons from president trump is that many o them have centered on people with whom he has a personal or political connection or bond. correspondent: among them was the father of his senior advisor and son-in-law, jared kushner. charles kushner was sentenced to two years in prison for tax evasion, witness tampering, and making unlawful campaign donations. the white house cited kushner' charitable work since completing his sentence as the reason he deserved clemency. but it is the pardoning of paul manafort and roger stone that sparked the most outrage. both men were convicted under the investigation into ties between the trump campaign and russia. trump has now pardoned four people convicted in that investigation. mr. president, my family and i humbly thank you for the presidential pardon. words cannot fully convey how

grateful we are. metaphor 10 stone are not conventional pardon recipients, in part because both seemed to show a lack of respect to the criminal justice system. paul manafort was convicted of witness tampering and stone was convicted of lying to congress. republican senator and ss -- ben sasse called the pardonings rotten to the core. with less than a month in office, more pardons are anticipated from the outgoing president. phil: let's explore this further with richard paynter, professor of law at the university of minnesota. he worked as a chief ethics lawyer in the george w. bush administration and is also vice chair of the group citizens for ethics and responsibility in washington and left the party and 2018. welcome. are these pardons rotten to the

core, as senator sasse claims? >> yes. certainly the pardons connected with robert mueller investigation into russian interference in the election. several people who were material witnesses in the investigation, including michael flynn, george papadopoulos, roger stone and paul manafort, four who were pardoned and it appears they were pardoned for keeping their mouth shut. none turned over significant evidence to robert mueller. they did not cooperate with the investigation, even though michael flynn promised to cooperate with the investigation. the bottom line is that the president of the united states does have the right to pardon anyone he wants, but he can't take a bribe in return for a pardon nt she cannot pardon someone in order to keep them not talking to investigators, to keep their mouth shut. that is obstruction of justice.

and if it is proven president trump gave any of those pardons in return for silence, if that was the deal, that would be a criminal offense and it 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 january 20, an independent counsel to look into the affairs of the trump administration and any criminal conduct, including by the president himself. robert uhler already outlined in the mueller -- robert mueller already outlined in the beaulah report how president trump obstructed justice by dangling pardons. this is not new news. phil: did you think there were any notable absences from the president's christmas list? >> there are a great many americans who have been convicted of drug crimes and other nonviolent crimes and served many years in prison, many african-americans and other minorities who deserve mercy. we certainly want to have

presidential pardons. it is a good system, but it is not used for what it is intended to be used for, and that is to show mercy to those who have been convicted of crimes, but have been given jail sentences that are too long that are not commensurate with the crimes, and furthermore, we ought to be commuting death sentences at the united states. the united states is one of the few industrialized countries that continues to use the death penalty. it is widely regarded as immoral around the world. so there are plenty of places that we aren't using pardons. phil: maybe the fault lies less with this president and more with a system that gives a president carte blanche to pardon anyone he feels like. >> we may have to visit the pardon power. we would have to amend the constitution to do that. but once again, it is to be used

to the way it should be, which is to pardon someone who has been unjustly convicted or someone who was rightly convicted but is serving too long a sentence, or is facing the death penalty. but what has happened is that it is being used increasingly for political purposes. donald trump is the worst, but we had pardons under president george h w bush, people involved in the iran-contra scandal, and by president bill clinton, last-minute pardons by the clinton administration. phil: good talking to you. professor richard paynter from the university of minnesota. thank you. countless families are being kept apart this christmas because of the pandemic, but most parents are determined not to let covid ruin the most magical time of year for their youngsters. in russia, that opened the door to a new breed of children's entertainment. correspondent: it is the holidays and the russian

capital, but with the pandemic raging, many families are worried father frost could leave more than presents under the christmas tree. that has created a booming market in children's entertainers, who have recovered from covid-19 and have antibodies to prove it. with at least temporary immunity to the virus, they promised to bring only holiday cheer to clients. these actors by trade transform into father frost and his helper. after recovering from covid this year, they decided even a global pandemic should not dampen the holiday spirit. >> the first snow fell, and the holiday season started, and i said to olga, let's do it. if we already recovered, why shouldn't we work? the kids will be safe, and so will we. ♪ michel barnier --

correspondent: alive is the best gift. >> everyone needs this celebration. everyone has been waiting for it. we all hope this will end next year. it is just 2020. the year was just bad, bad, bad. i really hope it will get better. correspondent: a visit from father frost at this household. thanks to a healthy dose of covid antibodies, the holiday spirit is alive and well despite the coronavirus pandemic. >> everyone blow air cases, because we can't hug each other. ♪ phil: it is time to remind you of our top story, britain and the european union have struck the last-minute brexit trade deal. a main hurdle has been fishing

rights. european fleets will reduce their catching british waters over the next few years. eu leaders and british prime minister boris johnson hailed the deal is a huge victory. ♪ that gets you up-to-date. i will have more at the top of the hour here on dw, the turtle islands under threat in eco-africa, our environmental magazine. have a good day. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

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♪ liz: hell and welco to the program. i'm liz shoo. for a long time, russian authorities acted like they had the coronavirus pandemic under ntrol. developed the first vaccineectin against the virus. but now, the numbers have skyrocketed. in many russian cities, hospitals have reached their limit. even the government has admitted that, in some regions, almost all hospital beds are occupied. and the number of cases is