then there is a flurry of reports also about pyongyang being under lockdown for weeks, or the alleged execution of a big shot currency change dealer. then the hacking attempt to break into covid vaccine maker astrazeneca by a south korean company and i believe five other companies in canada or france or india. one take away from there is that clearly, kim jong-un is dealing with a lot and is paranoid about covid. would have of their priorities right now is of tina vaccine -- is obtained a vaccine. it makes you wonder whether they will ask the international community for a vaccine, where the petitioned the there is leverage to engage with -- whether potentially there is leverage to engage. i think there are waiting to see if they get the right signal from the biden administration of what is possible going into the future. elect biden's nominee for secretary of state advocates a multilateral approach on diplomatic efforts when it comes to north korea, also a step-by-step approach. he talked about in the past have the best model for a nuclear deal with north korea was a j.c.p.o.a. with i

dawn of a pyongyang. at 7 am government sirens wake the city summoning its people to begin a new day's work. mari massa tucker is leaving pyongyang and heading out into north korea's rural hinterland in search of people who claim to have witnessed and survived germ warfare. but the very nature of this country means that he is completely reliant on the p.r. nyang government to provide his transport and to put forward his interviewees. on the outskirts of one g m a village 45 kilometers east of pyongyang 2 elderly farmers are waiting to meet him . you can chan been an toxic loss their fathers during the war both claim that an american plane dropped a german bomb close to the village. then you go. you know do your. job. to 100. percent over you must have call it global q will you be telling me to bully. has another. bore hole in the. danny in view madrid are going to use. you now in you. mind you're making a very probably 27 tomorrow night. with your mate during the war captured american pilots made filmed c

dawn of a pyongyang. at 7 am government sirens wake the city summoning its people to begin a new day's work. mari massa tucker is leaving pyongyang and heading out into north korea's rural hinterland. in search of people who claim to have witnessed and survived germ warfare. but the very nature of this country means that he is completely reliant on the p.r. nyang government to provide his transport and to put forward his interviewees. on the outskirts of one g. a village 45 kilometers east of pyongyang 2 elderly farmers are waiting to meet him . you can chan been an toxic loss their fathers during the war both claim that an american plane dropped a german bomb close to the village turning you. finding it or is it then you go. and you know new york. going in there still 100. percent over you must go ahead call it global kill you bitch out of need to go. has another such only don't work well in the him go danny. imv you can do it they're going to use your own family you now own you. mind your making you pla

korea and the national assembly there is set to vote on whether to ban people from sending anti pyongyang material across the border let's bring in rob mcbride he's following developments from seoul so how do we expect this vote to go and what's prompted it. it is called reverse sure legislation but it is a very contentious issue here in south korea these are defectors who are based in south korea who form groups who then send across these propaganda messages attacking the north korean leadership either on balloons that float across the demilitarized zone or in these plastic bottles into waterways rivers and coastal waters in the hope that they get washed up on the korean beaches now and always in rages north korea north korea are always accuses south korea of not doing enough to try to prevent these sorts of action taking place and things really came to a head this summer when relations really deteriorated across the d.m.z. we had the north koreans cutting communication lines and even destroying and into korean liaison office so south korea mindful of the fact that they want to try to ke

this is the scene live in pyongyang as north korea begins its new year celebrations.lo and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. let's stick with those fireworks to celebrate the new year. this is a live broadcast injapan, showing their celebrations for new year. those are coming into us live from a secret location in tokyo. we are not entirely sure where it is. the japanese authorities are not releasing the location of the displays to stop crowds from gathering. japanese people are sharing in a new year, 2021. 2020 was supposed to be an olympic year foiljapan, year, 2021. 2020 was supposed to be an olympic yearfoiljapan, with year, 2021. 2020 was supposed to be an olympic year foiljapan, with the tokyo 0lympics. that has been postponed and will hopefully go ahead in the summer. i am not sure why there is a picture of a cow, but maybe it is giving birth? no... we we re maybe it is giving birth? no... we were inspecting fireworks and dragons, but we are bringing you cows dragons, but we are bringing you cows and calves. it is cute, very sweet, but n

south korea's national assembly is set to vote on whether to ban people from sending anti pyongyang material across the border north korean defectors and other activists have been flying leaflets and other materials inside balloons towards the north if european security forces have detained un security officials trying to reach the region u.n. says the 4 personnel were assessing roads for delivering aid to refugee camps the government says the team drove through 2 checkpoints and ignored surrounds to stop mining giant rio tinto is being told it should pay compensation for the destruction of sacred indigenous heritage sites in australia the company blew up caves despite warnings of their cultural significance those are the latest headlines on al-jazeera. is coming up next but. as joe biden prepares for the united states to reenter the powers climate treaty boris johnson and u.n. secretary general antonio guitarist co-host a virtual meeting of world leaders we'll bring you live updates and in-depth reports as country struggles to meet their climate targets special coverage on al-jazeera. this

south korea's national assembly it sets of rules on whether to ban people from sending anti pyongyang material across the border north korean defectors and other activists have been flying leaflets sandal materials inside balloons into the north and the champions league football matches been suspended after players from both teams walked off the pitch over allegations of racism that happens when the assistant coach for a turkish club was involved in a fierce sideline argument he accused the match fishel of using a racist term there's his team and present your man then left the field suppose you're up to date stay with us on al-jazeera when one east is up next. last. chance. they could be anywhere. in public toilets train stations hotel rooms at your office even in your own home tiny cameras strategically installed to film most intimate moments with the footie then put online in south korea a wrist for digital 6 crimes involving hidden cameras all storing. your typo on a lot of the situation other than. to win a cup and she goes on. perpetrators come from all parts of society from t.v.

to do that it's essential for them to make pyongyang understand that if the victims' family members dieabduction is resolved it will become a problem that will remain unsolved forever. bear in mind, north korea is not only pressed by u.n. security council sanctions but also faces economic pressure due to the coronavirus and cases of flooding. it's essential for the jnapanes government to look closely at the north korea situation and conduct talks through channels saying it is important you take steps and receive support. this is your last chance. the solution to the problem lies in the hands of kim jong un, and i think a carrot and stick approach will be necessary to get the results we want. >> thank you, atsumi. the u.n. general assembly has called on north korea to return all the abductees immediately. alongside the families of the victims the international community will be watching closely to see if there is any change in north korea's relations with the new administrations in japan and the u.s. and if that might lead to the resolution of the abduction issue. thank you for watching

in the u.s., president-elect joe biden is likely to change washington's approach on pyongyang. >> translatorit would be nice if the change to biden helps our cause. >> reporter: some may be positive about the change in the u.s., but she holds out little hope for change closer to home. >> translator: i hoped that the north and the south could compromise and have regular visits. but things have stalled. there's nothing i can do. i feel it's not easy. >> reporter: people on yongbyon will continue to watch the horizon and wonder what comes next in this decades-old dispute. >>> a report from the u.n. environment program is urging governments to put climate policy first as they draw pandemic recovery plans. the agency also says the shipping sector needs to do more to cut emissions. as nhk world reports, some companies in japan are working on solutions. >> reporter: the world's third-largest economy depends heavily on maritime traffic to get by. everything from oil to textiles arrived in the japanese archipelago aboard massive ships, which also carry exports to key markets. but the industry is faci

in pyongyang, thousands of north koreans masked up to attend the official fireworks display.ere in europe, the united kingdom would leave the eu' customs union and central market at midnight. the u.k. will then trade goods with the 27-member bloc under a new treaty agreed with brussels last week. >> goods from britain roll off the ferry. it's the last day of the year and the last day of the united kingdom in the eu. the u.k.'s membership of the customs union and single market ends, and with it custom-free-trade. a deal struck on christmas eve wilkin -- will ensure goods will flow without tariffs, but red tape could force delays. >> the smallest thing, even just a couple more minutes, would drive us to prove that their merchandise is customs-approved with the right documents and the right barcodes. if that takes just a couple minutes, we know that even with normal activity, there is a risk of those infamous traffic cues. >> wednesday, the parliament foot on the trade deal agreed with the eu. lawmakers had just hours to scrutinize the 1200-page document. only few voted against

are there any signs as to why pyongyang is taking these steps? >> reporter: closing the border shows just h worried the government is about covid-19. the move has stopped the flow of goods with the north's largest trading partner, which must be hurting the economy. it has also apparently led to affairs of smuggling, since that could bring the virus as well. >> the ruling workers party is due to hold its eighth congress early next month. do you think that will shed more light on the situation? >> reporter: leader kim jong-un is expected to deliver a speech at the event, when is being held for the first time since 2016. he will likely try measures to limit the pandemic's economic impact. observers will also be watching for statements about the nuclear and missile programs. it may also be a chance for kim to lay out policyies as the u.s biden administration prepares to take power. >>> a long-running court battle over an ancient relic is set to resume in south korea. it centers on a small statue that was stolen from a japanese temple eight years ago.

this was the view at midnight where masked crowds did gather in pyongyang. ♪ (burke) deep-sea drivinger) something like that... (burke) well, here's something else: with your farmer's policy perk, new car replacement, you can get a new one. (customer) that is something else. (burke) get a whole lot of something with farmers policy perks. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ caspers new year sale is here! on a new cozy bedroom and wake up on the right side of the bed this year. from the fluffiest down duvet you'll ever feel. crisp and light percale sheets, to cool, supportive mattresses and plush pillow for your best nights sleep. treat yourself to a new year of comfort and shop the new year sale with up to 15% off at casper.com >>> times square new year's eve, it is an annual party that the whole world tunes in to watch. this year's celebration, of course, will look very different. cnn's brynn gingras is in times square. not many folks will be there tonight. a handful, but not many. >> reporter: that's right, jim. i'll get out of the way so you can see behind me. what you'r

no longer trying to hide some of its smuggling activity as it seeks to help pyongyang endure the trumpion's pressure campaign. just days ago, you had dni ratcliffe saying china was the number one threat and biden said china needs to play by international rules. what do you think biden's approach needs to be day one towards china? >> make it less public and more private. we should push back over hong kong and the treatment of the muslim uighur minority and push back against their theft of intellectual property, look at what they're militarizing the south china sea but in the north korea issue gets to it, we have to carve out some areas of potential cooperation, climate change is one, north korea is another. 0% goes through china. the only pressure is if nigh in a is on board the reason we have to reestablish a serious private strategic conversation with china but let them know if they want a decent relationship with us, this is one of the priorities. >> let me ask you about an institution you know very well, state department. mike pompeo will be speaking at georgia tech tomorrow, expect

it may be what happens in moscow or pyongyang but it is not what happens in the united states. >> so the problem, glenn, is not just that it seems morally wrong and wrong in the face of justice, it's what rachel was saying, that where's the line here because if people who are just recently in prison on relatively short sentences are being -- the signal is very clear here, you do something for trump, you'll be okay. where does that line end? because this is a guy who last week was talking about marshal law with michael flynn, also a guy who was -- who has been convicted. you know, that line, it becomes very blurry, if everything donald trump asks you to do, he dangles the idea of you'll be pardoned, see, i've done it already. >> ali, is seems like there is no line donald trump won't cross. i will say to this old prosecutor it feels like what he just did was like an indiscriminate drive-by on the rule of law. i mean, he pardons people who are lying to the fbi. as part of the russia probe. he pardons republicans who were either steal from theing from t donors, committing campaign financ

so serious national assembly is set to vote on whether to ban people from sending anti pyongyang material across the border north korean defectors and other acts of us have been flying leaflets and other materials inside balloons into the north main opposition forces to do everything it can to slow the legislation what mcbride has more from seoul. it is called reverse sure legislation but it is a very contentious issue here in south korea these are defectors who are based in south korea who form groups who then send across these propaganda messages attacking the north korean leadership either on balloons that float across the demilitarized zone or in these plastic bottles into waterways rivers and coastal waters in the hope that they get washed up on north korean beaches now and always in rages north korea north korea always accuses south korea of not doing enough to try to prevent these sorts of action taking place and things really came to a head this when relations really deteriorated across the d.m.z. we had the north koreans cutting communication lines and even destroying and into ko

this is video from pyongyang in north korea.clock strikes midnight there just moments ago. the bright lights and singing continues. tokyo also celebrating this hour, and as we prepare for new years here at home, here is today's "new york post." the front page reads -- leland, i'm sure you saw it when you walked in, new year's heave. good riddance to the terrible 2020, the sentiment of so many of us as we conclude what has been a remarkable year. >> leland: my good friend of mine was tweeting earlier to people in new zealand who rang in a couple of hours ago and says, for those who first saw 2021, is it any better? >> sandra: leland, it's interesting. if you were talking to me earlier about how we spent the first few hours were the first few days of 2020 together, and who saw this coming? >> leland: we thought it would be defined by impeachment and by iran, the killing of qassem soleimani. what a good friend of mine said, you never worry about the right thing. so who knows what 2021 will be about but we don't know. >> president t

but in pyongyang, north korea, they continued to hold their big annual celebration. in that country that they have no covid cases. but reports do suggest otherwise. state television there showing people wearing face masks but standing side by side so yes, a very different new year's eve today across the world. you will remember it was just a year ago on new year's eve last year when the world health organization announced this mysterious pneumonia coming from china. we now know a year on that that is covid. many people would have hoped we were past it at this point. we're not but we have that hope, that ambition that the vaccine's going to change that and 2021 will put 2020 in the shade. jackie? jackie: what a difference a year makes. benjamin hall, thank you for that. stay safe. >>> coming up, what's china hiding? beijing clamping down on research into the pandemic's origins. what exactly is going on here? we've got it after the break. gillette proglide and proglide gel. five blades and a pivoting flexball designed to get virtually every hair on the first stroke, wh