even approach it. some migrants have tried to scale the fence and been tear gassed and sent back home. [tatyana speaking spanish] campbell: tatyana and ruben face months in limbo. processing for asylum has been deliberately slowed. [ruben speaking spanish] campbell: donald trump's threatened state of emergenc may not get him h wall. in any case, barriers like this

haven't stopped millions chasing the american dream. [man singing in spanish] campbe: and more caravans are on their way. [man singing in spanish]

♪ this is dw news, live from berlin. london and brussels sign off on the brexit trade deal. u.k. prime minister boris johnson inks the agreement just hours after it gets the necessary signatures from e.u. leaders. the accord seals the case of the new relationship with the e.u.. also on the program -- argentina becomes the first major country in latin america to legalize abortion. it's a landmark decision for pro-choice activists and comes despite strong opposition from the catholic church. and the european union and china seal a business investment deal after seven years of talks. both sides hope to take

advantage of new investment opportunities. anagram new reality for germany. officials report -- and a grim new reality for germany. the highest toll of deaths from covid-19 since the pandemic began. ♪ >> welcome to the program. it's been months, even years, in the making. many doubted where there there would ever even be an agreement. but force johnson has signed off on the brakes it trade deal between the european union and the united kingdom. officials put their signatures on the accord earlier in brussels and it lays out that new terms that go into force on new year's day. >> you could get the impression that the british prime minister just wanted to sign it as quickly as possible.

after putting his name to the more than 1000 pages of complicated legal language, boris johnson seemed upbeat. >> thank you very much, everybody. i want you all to understand that the treaty i've just signed is not the end. it is a new beginning, and i think the beginning of what will be a great relationship between the u.k. and our friends and partners in the european union. here it is, folks. this is it. another question you will all be asking yourselves is -- yes, it is an excellent deal with the country. >> members of parliament would usually require months, but the british lower house pushed it through and just half a day. only 73 voted against the deal,

which officially puts an end to years of brexit negotiations. >> we are going to become a friendly neighbor. the best friend and ally that you could have. working hand in glove whenever our values and interests coincide. while fulfilling the sovereign wish of the british people to live under their own calls. >> but it comes at a price. mps from northern ireland and scotland. the opposition labor party agreed to the deal, largely because it didn't have a choice. >> at then deal is better than no deal. not implement in this deal would mean immediate tariffs and quotas with the, which will push up prices and drive businesses to the wall. there will be huge gaps in security. >> e.u. leaders put their name to the deal earlier on wednesday.

it was then flown by the royal air force to britain to be signed. but with many aspects of the deal not yet final, the saga is not over yet. william: let's get more from our correspondence in london and brussels. quite simply, what happens now? reporter: well, now, boris johnson has signed the deal. it's an international treaty and it will be in effect from the first of january, like you have explained. paralleled is the process in parliament. the house of commons has already voted on it and it is going through the house of lords, and later in the evening it will be presented to the queen. that is the parallel process. but the remarkable thing is that all this is being done in one day, and many are remarking that it was supposed to be about giving back control to the u.k. parliament, and to only have a

day or half a day for the house of commons, is falling short of what they really want. william: over to you and brussels. the european commission and council have signed off on the deal and e.u. leaders gave their approval a few days ago. but it is still being called a provisional application of the agreement. why is that? reporter: that's right, and that's because european parliament said we are not doing that, when it became clear that the agreement was going to be concluded only in the final days of the year, the european parliament said that is not enough time to give due process and do scrutiny to the more than 1200 page agreement. they said it may only come up for a vote in march. no one is really threatening to makes the deal. -- two nix the deal. no one wants to go through all these months of negotiations

again, but the parliament is saying they have the right to look it over before saying it is ok. what lawmakers in london were complaining about is fair. this is months and months in the making, and why would you only have a couple of days to say it is a good deal and that you will have sufficient oversight of it? so that is going to delay the final final approval of the brakes it deal for a couple more months. william: we heard boris johnson say the deal is not the end, but a beginning. rather like churchill of him, and people know what that is referring to. what does the statement really mean in reality? reporter: this is a day that boris johnson obviously is celebrating himself as the man who accomplished something that is historical. for him, it's all about regaining sovereignty. for him, it is about being this person who promised that he

would be able to get an agreement with the e.u. that basically paves the way for the future. and i think that is what he is alluding to. he is saying that this is a basis for the e.u. and the u.k. to cooperate on. what he is not saying is the trade-offs. that's what critics here are remarking, the brexit tears have not done historically and boris johnson and his government have said yes, this is an agreement that is good to move forward and avoids a really hard brexit that would be catastrophic for the u.k. economy. but still, economically, the u.k. will be worse off because there will be new barriers and these trade-offs have not been made clear. obviously this is a day where boris johnson doesn't want to talk about the trade-offs, but he wants to talk about his accomplishment, and this is what he means by that. william: as always, thank you

very much. the united kingdom was part of the european union for more than 40 years. as of january 1, 2021, it is fully on its own. brexit will affect british and e.u. citizens living on both sides of the english channel. dw has been talking to some of them. today were with our correspondent who is at a fishing port. the fight over fishing rights was a lingering sticking point in the negotiations. barbara: let's talk about fish, because this is what brexit negotiators did during the last days of talks in brussels. they recounted every fishtail because that's what the struggle was about, fishermen on both sides of the channel. we are in a french fishing port, and with me is one fishermen.

you will probably be really relieved to see that there has been now a compromise and that french fishermen will keep a certain amount of access to british waters. >> it's a relief that there is an agreement. that means 70% of our catch. if you would have had a hard brexit, as they say, we would have lost 70% of our fishermen, and the danger would have been that the majority of european would have come over to french waters. we don't know the dividing line yet. we will find out after the first of january because the deal has not been translated into french. barbara: during the last weeks, we are really afraid that there would not be in agreement and your existence would fall away, were you afraid?

>> we were really afraid. this concern 70% of our daily work, and if there had been a no deal, our profession would have ended. there would have been no future for our jobs and all would have been lost. now we have to figure out how we can keep working and we will have to manage. but it will be a constraint on our activities because, as you know, the channel is really narrow. if you leave the harbor of bologna, and 30 minutes you are in british waters. barbara: do you think that after this, once you come into british waters next week, after the first of january, you will have problems and trouble with british fishermen who think now everything belongs to us? >> i don't think they have problems with english fishermen. i think they have problems with their own government because we are not responsible for their politics.

if things go wrong because of brexit, it's because european politicians are not doing the right thing, neither for the french or the british fishermen. the brits are fishermen like us, and we have always worked together. i think they are more disappointed with their government than with us. barbara: so this is really a word of consolation and consolidation of the relationship between the two sides. they are all fishermen, they all are trying to make a living here, and the governments need to find a better compromise in the future so that they can all survive. that's all for us from here on the future of fishermen. we will get back to you later. william: dw has much more on the new e.u.-u.k. trade elation ship in our documentary, "more bitter than sweet."

that's available now on our youtube channel, dw news. still to come, argentina votes to legalize abortion in a landmark bill that could have repercussions across that in america. -- across latin america. let's take a look at some other stories making headlines. syria's state news agency says 28 people have been killed in an attack on a bus. the ambush occurred on a highway about 50 kilometers southwest of one city. unconfirmed reports say the bus was carrying syrian army soldiers. 12 people remain unaccounted for after a landslide struck a norwegian village north of oslo. authorities evacuated 700 residents after the early morning disaster, which left at least 10 people injured. emergency services are searching

for survivors in securing homes teetering on the edge of the crater left by the slide. bitcoin has surged to a new record high of almost $29,000. the value of the cryptocurrency has quadrupled this year as investors hedge against u.s. dollar weakness in the risk of inflation. -- and risk of inflation. at least 22 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in an attack at the international airport in yemen. the blast went off just as members of the new unity government returned from saudi arabia. so far, no group has claimed responsibility. it was followed by another explosion near the presidential palace several hours later. it was meant to be a moment to celebrate. a newly formed government disembarking. instead, chaos.

two explosions shortly after the plane's arrival rocked the airport. local security corps -- source says mortar shells landed on the airport floor. witnesses described hearing sporadic gunfire soon after. hours later, another explosion was reported your the presidential palace. -- near the presidential palace. this was a cowardly terrorist attack. the government will stay and exercise its duties and obligations with the strong will of our people. the acts of terror will not stop us from doing our work. the ministers have all been reported safe after the attack. they were returning from the saudi capital where they had been sworn in as part of a cabinet reshuffle. that reshuffle so humans

internationally recognized government and southern separatist form a power-sharing cabinet. their aim is to forge a joint front against iran backed houthi rebels. while no one has claimed responsibility for the explosions at the airrt, blame has fallen on the houthi, whose power in yemen is threatened by the new government alliance. william: argentina's senate has voted to legalize abortion in a landmark bill that could have repercussions across latin america. argentina is the largest country in the region to make abortion legal, but the catholic church plays a dominant role there, and the issue has polarized society. >> they are nervous, yet full of hope. after decades of campaigning and setbacks, these women anxiously await news from the argentinian senate.

after 12 hours of debate, lawmakers approve a bill that will legalize abortion in argentina up to the 14th week of pregnancy. >> i'm very excited. it is a historic day. there is nothing more to say. it is a right earned, and we are going for more. this has just begun. >> i can't believe it. i swear, it's crazy. >> it's a victory for the women's rights movement just two years after lawmakers rejected a similar bill. until now, abortions were barely committed in cases of rape or when the woman's health was at risk, leading many women to seek out illegal abortions. president alberto fernandez had made reintroducing the law one of his campaign promises.

gifting the pro-choice movement preciousomentum. the antiabortion campaign hoped that argentina would keep restrictions on abortion like most of its neighbors. the country has some of the most restrictive laws in the world. the catholic church remains highly influential and opposed the move. outside the senate, activists celebrated their victory. but they stressed that the fight for women's rights is far from over. let's get more on this landmark boat. i'm joined by the executive director of amnesty international argentina and ambassador besides. welcome to the program. beyond what the law itself states, tell us what this means more broadly for women in argentina. >> it's great news that women's rights are going to be guarded

in the next couple of months and years because it's going to be difficult to implement this law. it's difficult to see how it will be implemented in the north of the country which is very influenced by the church, as you said. and those against abortion will go to the courts to try to stop this law. but others are saying it is human rights. so honestly, it is more similar

to your countries -- you have been allowing abortion since 1960's. william: you can see how big a day this must be for you by the smile on your face. how did this legislation succeed despe such enormous opposition and powerful interests? >> i will be absolutely sincere with you. we have been fighting for this for years. i would say nine years now. but after the military dictatorship here, it combines with political movements.

all the strategies of the government, although negotiation on the political side are most important for having this law passed today. william: the ambassador from amnesty international argentina, thank you for joining us. the european union has struck an investment deal with china after seven years of talks. the eve has hailed the accord as a major win for automakers and other european companies seeking to do business with aging as it will give them greater access to chinese markets. critics accused brussels of ignoring human rights concerns and risking a rift with washington. let's get into some of those points within e.u. china relations analyst visiting

fellow at the german marshall fund. why this deal at this time? noah: as you mention, these negotiations have been going on for seven years, but they really only picked up over the past year. what we have seen is just in the past few weeks, chinese president xiinping intervening to get this deal done, making concessions to european firms that want better market access in china, and i think from the chinese perspecti, the reason for doing this deal is really to send a message to washington that china and europe are united preview what china fears most is a transatlantic front against beijing, and by doing this deal, they have certainly undermined that. william: there are several e.u.

leaders that say it is also a values union. how do statements like that jive with this deal? does it uphold commitments to human rights? noah: e.u. officials say this is an investment agreement. they are not going to change the way the chinese government operates. that being said, one of the key demands was that china signed up to international labor organization conventions on enforced labor. we all know there has been expensive -- extensive reporting over the past years about forced labor, reeducation camps in a western region. this is a real issue that china signed up to committed and sustained efforts toward eradication of these practices.

but a lot of people are critical of the deal. william: you mentioned about driving a wedge between the u.s. and that you -- and the e.u. what does this tell us about how they see themselves in that part of the world? noah: they have been saying for years they don't want to have to choose between thenited states and china. clearly, they say that they have more values in common with e unit state than they have with china. the u.s. is a democracy. china is a one-party state. but the europeans, signing this deal, i think they have undermined the potential for transatlantic cooperation. european diplomats have been

complaining for years that donald trump won't cooperate with them on china. soon they will have a president sitting in the white house who does want to cooperate with them. this deal certainly will complicate that, and i think it will sell a bit of distrust in washington about eope's intentions. europe maintains it is not a questionf equidistant between china and the u.s., but certainly this sows distrust. willia thanks very much. germany has registered more than 1000 coronavirus deaths in a single day for the first time since the pandemic began. the country's public health agency says that is partly due to the delay in reporting because of the christmas holidays. new cases have remained high throughout december, especially among the elderly. it is feared that the number of daily deaths could climb even higher in the coming weeks.

reporter: bringing some crematorium's in germany more work than they can handle. despite weeks of lockdown measures, germany has met -- measured its highest daily coronavirus death total -- since the beginning of the pandemic. the numbers show how brutally this virus still strikes. and that we are still very far away from any kind of normality. considering this consideration, i don't think we can return to how things were before the lockdown. as hard as it is, this also applies to new year's eve. this has to be the quietest new year's eve that germany can remember. the persistently high caseload is putting in norma's pressure on the health system. compared to many other european countries, germany experienced

relatively low numbers of deaths in the spring. t december has been the deadliest month of the pandemic so far. schools, restaurants, and many shops will remain shut until at least january 10. the restrictions are likely to be extended by chancellor angela merkel and the state premieres next week. but there is hope on the horizon. we want to do our best to fight this pandemic and to eliminate it from the world. are you already? these seniors are some of the first to benefit as germany gradually rolls out its vaccination campaign. 60,000 people in the country have received the jab so far, but most of the population will have to wait months to be vaccinated. with large new year's celebrations prohibited and many council venues set to remain

closed for a while, the outdoors is taking a new place in people's lives, helping to take the edge off this winter's melancholy. that's all for now. up next, made in germany. whistleblowers speaking truth to power. there will be more news at the top of the hour. you can always follow us on twitter and instagram at dw news. thanks for watching. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

>> the british