Assembly rejects Donald Trumps recognition of jerusalem as israels capital but the vote isnt quite as one sided as i had been expected to be getting reaction from our correspondents in washington and jerusalem. And the all regions of the man in red father christmas may be on his way but way is coming from actually goes in search also sent to us. Hello and welcome my names Christopher Spring its good to have you with us separate his policies in catalonia appear to have won a slim majority off to yesterdays crucial Regional Elections the result could further inflame tensions between the wealthy spanish region and Central Government in madrid a spanish Prime Minister mariano to haul called the election off the strip in catalonia if its all told to me and sacking its government following an independence declaration in late october. Long before vote counting was finished the party of former Catalan Leader catalyst please the moment was celebrating victory. We see exactly right we saw it not only for us but for next morning and then these movement. May not be here and there should. Have been one game this restart some may see we walk away sad sacks we got them he was the monster see him here we are. Along with the two other separatists parties together folk it alone you know has a narrow majority seventy out of one hundred thirty five seats. From his exile in brussels said it was a black day for spain Central Government. You must know. The Spanish State has been defeated. And his allies have lost and ive received a slap in the face from the catalan people yet they have lost a plebiscite through which they wanted to legalize the coup detat through article one five fired one Prime Minister high has failed in catalonia. But the pro madrid camp was also celebrating victory the Citizens Party which opposes independence emerged as the single Biggest Party with thirty seven seats. Today we have sent a message to the world that the majority of catalans feel catalan spanish and european and will continue to do so and the nationalist parties can never again claim they speak for all catalonians because we are all catalonia. Yeah can only get along with rival groups declaring victory this election has seemingly done nothing to end catalonia as political deadlock. But it has made one thing imminently clear the Independence Movement is not going away. Ok lets talk now to g. W. Barbara visual whos been monitoring this election result for us in barcelona barbara good morning to you catalan separatists celebrating victory but so are all the Citizens Party the shooter than those not everyone enthusiastic about the result what kind of reactions are you hearing. Of course the election showed christopher that the country is that the region is as divided as it was before straight down the middle because the electoral law here is such that it gives an advantage to the rural areas the where the separatists are particularly strong so if you look at the absolute figures you can see that is really split marlice exactly down the middle between the Pro Independence camp and the other side who says you are sort of bringing us bad luck and youre tearing down the economy and this is no way forward so where to go from here this is the big question that everybody asks himself this morning because there is no obvious way to really out of this impasse it really is a continuation of the standoff between madrid and barcelona and there is a lot of handwringing this morning here in the capital city city of catalonia so what youre saying barbara is that we are no closer to knowing what the future of catalonia is is it going to be inside spain is it going to be outside spain were still in deadlock and theres no clear. Road map out of this deadlock. They need to be a political sort of solution but this election didnt do anything to bring catalonia closer to that solution now if you if one looks a bit more closely at the two parties who form the Pro Independence camp you can see that the second party where whose leader all the keris is in jail it might be more immanuel to talk to madrid during the Election Campaign there were no eases that said ok we dont need to have independence immediately we could talk to madrid we could talk about a better redistribution of money in other sort of. Form its to to sort of. Intensify our our independence so they might be they might be willing to talk about a political solution by whether they might be willing to go together with the conservatives who are diagnosed because theyre amol Left Wing Party thats anybody anybodys guess and these two did on the liberal party the biggest fraction here in the in the local parliament will try. Its rather to expect that that the independents camp holds strong and so no nothing were at the same exact point that we were at that we could go and just briefly barbara where does this leave the spanish Prime MinisterMariano Rajoy he called this election as a bit of a gamble as a bid to break the deadlock that appears to failed to have failed shortly. Its a terrible blow for of course it really shows that he has mishandled this conflict from the beginning on he had hoped of course folk here result against independence what he got was that even though slight majority for independence now he you know where to go from here hes not going to that shes not going to say ok take your stuff and leave say hes trying he will be trying to keep them within the union of spanish region regions however it is going to be difficult because the independence camp is that is hard and also we see the rise of syria to diagnose a young party a vigorous party energetic was Young Leaders who is really threatening own stand was the party to popularity the governing party theyve just got four seats here in the region. In the Regional Parliament which shows that they are really deeply hated here by all sites in barcelona ok barbara many thanks for that barbara where is all the reporting from barcelona. Turning now to some of the other stories making the news around the world cuba has been spun the historic transfer of its presidency raul castro confirming that he will stay on until april two months longer than planned due to the damage caused by hurricane castro and his late brother fidel the country for nearly sixty years. In south korea a deadly tower fire may have been worsened by Flammable Materials on the buildings exterior thats according to experts twenty nine people were killed and Dozens Injured in the blaze in the city of yes chone Officials Say the five tore through the eight Story Building off to starting in the basement. And in south sudan a fresh cease fire deal has been signed between the government and rebel forces will come into effect on sunday allowing humanitarian aid into conflict hit areas south sudan has seen four years of civil war with tens of thousands killed since it declared independence from the north. Now the United NationsGeneral Assembly has voted overwhelmingly against the u. S. Decision to recognize jerusalem as israels capital the largely symbolic vote defying an unprecedented washington to kushal Financial Aid to countries backing the measure israel has also rejected the vote calling it preposterous and more ive been speaking to our correspondents constant phenomena in washington and and ukraine in jerusalem i started by asking constant how the white house is dealing with this defeat we havent heard from donald trump his Vice President and mike pence has tweeted under President Trump the u. S. Expects our allies to stand with us thank you to the countries that recognized our right to determine where we put our embassies so mike pence doubling down here nikki haley the u. S. Ambassador to the United Nations also send a thank you note to the sixty five nations who either bow to no or abstained or didnt even show up for a vote she also sent that via twitter so in the way the u. S. Are now trying to twist the result of this vote claiming that all those countries who didnt vote for the resolutions were with the americans but that of course is nonsense because yes there were a number of countries probably who didnt want to publicly ofan the freights that maybe eight they receive from the u. S. Might be cut if they vote against the u. S. But in the end only seven countries voted with the u. S. And israel and thats whats amala duras make rooneys. And the Marshall Islands and that is a very unimpressive coalition of the willing and an embarrassment for the u. S. Indeed not many major nations among that list constant what about reaction in israel tanya. Well it doesnt seem to me that the israeli Prime Minister mr netanyahu is too worried about this israeli officials have tried to play it down a bit also before an olive to the resolution was passed mr netanyahu made it clear that he wanted and theater of the absurd but he also pointed out and i think this is important that more countries abstained or there were more no shows so on the one hand you know theyre pretty trying to play down on the other and we know that there was a lot of lobbying going on also the threats by the u. S. Might have played a role there but no it was that its an on binding resolution some of this is equality even its a publicity stunt by the palestinians so theres no really backing down from their position in this case. And in the aftermath of that vote at the United Nations weve also been following reaction in a particular part of new york where. Orthodox Jewish Community lives have a look at this. Crown heights in the new york borough of brooklyn the area is home to many Orthodox Jews they follow the vote in the United Nations closely now disappointment is spreading over the resolution condemning u. S. Recognition of jerusalem as israels capital. Un is being vegas does israel which sort of for no reason at all we would israel always being the more democratic country in the middle east and its support of america i dont know why you would is against israel and there is no palestine so we really think that jerusalem should be the capital i dont think theres ever going to be a solution you know when you give them a finger they want the whole hands i feel that sure is some is the cap of israel but i think the chance to sit in is not going to change anything i think basically its going to encourage terrorism in israel and america and probably in other parts of the world. U. S. United nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said the u. S. Would move its embassy to jerusalem regardless of how the General Assembly vote turned out she also made it clear that trumps America First message also applied when it came to us Financial Support for the world body and its members is being. The United States government is answerable to its people as such we have an obligation to acknowledge when our political and Financial Capital is being poorly spent. We have an obligation to demand more Foreign Investment and if our investment fails we have an obligation to spend our resources in more productive ways. Behind her words a threat to cut Financial Assistance to countries that vote against the u. S. In the General Assembly only nine out of the one hundred ninety three Member States sided with washington but there were thirty five abstentions and others didnt vote at all germany was among the one hundred twenty eight states that backed the resolution a lower number than its supporters had hoped for soon after the vote the u. S. Warned there would be consequences i just received a note from our folks over at the white house and the n. S. C. And they tell me that the president s Foreign Policy team has been. Empowered to explore various options Going Forward with other nations however no decisions have been made in Crown Heights people are happy to see so much solidarity with israel but in other parts of the world countries are taking notice that washington is now taking on a more confrontational role that the United Nations. Youre watching news still to come on this program father christmas is on his way but where is he coming from exactly t. W. Gone in search of santa claus. First we are going to cross to johnny with all the latest Business News including the news of big changes at the top of the company that owns google thats right Christopher GoogleParent Company alfabet says eric schmidt will step down as chairman in january schmidt will remain at the company as a Technical Advisor he says he wants to focus on specific a science and Technology Issues within the company as well as his for. For people schmidt has been the face of googles business side since his recruitment to c. E. O. Of the Search Engine in two thousand and one thats when google founders larry page and sergey brin turned to the form a Software Engineer for his business background. Its the First Time Ever the ryanair pilots have gone on strike in the companys thirty two year history there were limited strikes announced in germany this morning pilots are demanding ryanair improved pilots wages but employees distrust towards the company runs a lot deeper than the pay package alone and it all starts with. Ryanair head Michael Oleary will bend over backwards to make a buck and that mentality has helped to make ryan air force to be reckoned with in the european market. Further refining the ultra low cost model pioneered by u. S. Carrier southwest oleary cut ticket prices in favor of making money on baggage fees on board shopping and other secondary Revenue Streams but that cost cutting obsession ran him afoul of many unions they objected to what they described as substandard pay poor working conditions and uncertain labor contracts the result many pilots left ryanair and the airline recently announced it would be forced to cancel some twenty thousand flights through march of next year facing pilot walkouts in some european territories over the holidays ryanair management recently announced that it would finally enter into talks with unions something considered unthinkable years before. But if weve got to make a change we make a change and in this case because it was christmas week was within their control and were where we called in the unions to to call off this action so people can take away all that uncertainty and get home for christmas the move worked in italy portugal and ryanair is home base of ireland where unions canceled strikes planned for friday pilots in germany were convinced however the union there said ryanair broke off schedule talks after objecting to two Union Negotiators the disruption early friday was minimal however as most flights appeared to leave frankfurt as scheduled bigger questions lie ahead the union said they wont strike on the Christmas Holidays but could walk out as soon as the twenty sixth a busy time for holiday travelers. Now people have powered the Global Economy for centuries its not just a butchers bakers and candlestick maker is that oh but people who ensure safety in quality in construction and engineering but the future isnt looking so bright for these pillars of the economy especially here in germany german tradespeople assault often round around the wall but the National Chamber of trade says theres a critical Workforce Shortage of. Benyamin klotz owns a Plumbing Company in berlin and he cant complain theres enough work and he has contracts into june of next year but he still sees tougher times coming. Also finding apprentices is getting harder and harder no one is applying and the applicants that we do get are not qualified for the job. When. Klutzes tried out a few things to find good apprentices but with little success he thinks the Digital Generation has the wrong attitude. Craftsman are disappearing of course its nicer sitting in an office with a cup of coffee and working on a computer than it is on a construction site and clogging a drain or carrying in mounting a radiator. And. Overhead scoble. In the last twenty years the number of skilled worker apprentices has gone down forty three percent the plumbers Training Center as h. K. Is trying something new its a revoke Berlin Initiative is training refugees for a career in plumbing todays lesson plumbing techniques and work vocabulary. It wasnt exactly one spoon we have to make sure we find workers any way we can but then why shouldnt the refugees get a chance if theyre hardworking motivated and well trained in the profession. That in the. Around fifteen thousand apprentice positions have remained an occupied in germany and the number is still going up. Many employers hope that refugees can fill the gaps but is it realistic. There are two main problems one is their Refugee Status and are they allowed to stay in germany can they complete their training the other problem is the language not just general knowledge they also need to know the trade language. This is an on off. Hello from iraq is pursuing his dream he wants to become a plumber in berlin and he has a message for other refugees. And you have to get training because training use the decisive factor for having a future or not. Is. Into a completely different industry now sports with christopher thank you daniel. Now the bundesliga may be on its winter break but thats not stopping clubs from getting busy on the transfer market by munich for instance completing the signing of germany strike a Sandra Wagner from hoffenheim for fourteen twelve Million Euros the thirty year old who scored fully goals so far this season has penned two year deal with byan deal goes until twenty twenty he joins the club on january the first wagner is expected to play mainly a backup role to first choice striker robot. A young South African is vying to become the first black alpine skier to represent his country at the olympics as a teenager see by spielman was invited by the International Olympic committee to compete at the twenty fourteen sochi games but south africa declined to send him saying he didnt meet the required stand it now he hopes to make the cut for the pyong chang winter games in february in south korea. Oh. Missing out on sochi hasnt stopped him for a civa spielman the very novelty of participating in alpine sports in south africa spurs him on to keep going for gold you know. The great thing is that the water is another thing that motivates the twenty two year old inspiring local kids to also get involved in a sport they wouldnt normally have on their radar. I think im a good role model to the kids. And qualifying for what you can turn fourteen so like a difference. Within the community theres more children wanting to acquire in this sport and through the Development Program kids are inspired. That decision on his participation in yung chang twenty eighteen is likely to be made in january but after missing out on the sochi games Ziva Spielman is more determined than ever. Now just two days to go before christmas even here in europe that means last minute shopping bright lights and of course father christmas bearing gifts and spreading good shia children of course know that hes coming but theyre not necessarily sure where hes coming from the Japanese Union set out in search of scent for us and found him in present day turkey. But. Its christmas time a reason to celebrate for some people here in istanbul as well and like every year curious children want to know where does sounds like laos come from. Are forgiven from somewhere in europe more away. From a snowy place than from england. America maybe. From over there. I dont know. Unbelievable but true even many turkish people dont know that good old sense is in fact one of their own so states you and we will show you where father christmas really comes from. Its right here the small town of denver and southern turkey. In the fourth century a bearded man known for his generosity lived here children were especially fund of him because he often gave out gifts it was this man st nicholas. This is the very church in democratic west st nicholas prayed about seventeen hundred years ago he was officially called the bishop of iraq that was the name of this town back then. Was his nicholas. Between Saint Nicholas is important all over the world to some of his good deeds reflected in the frescoes here in this church. Like protecting those in prison and healing the sick you also mention so did he give his. Devoted his entire life to the well being of others yet shall moon have. Many such stories surround the legend of st nicholas he was known for sharing his possessions with the poor and filling childrens boards with gold coins pilgrims spread the word of his miraculous deeds over the centuries the personal Saint Nicholas evolved into the santa claus figure we know today. The most sacred spot of the church and daimler isnt open to me behind the glass screen people have long believed that this is the last resting place of Saint Nicholas they say his remains were stolen and taken to italy hundreds of years ago. But a team of scientists recently made a fascinating discovery at a con you can use findings point to an intact burial crypt below the church you clue is convinced that this is where the real grave of st nicholas lies still belgians or egypt it will take some time before we can prove it but i think the chances are good. You that you click on the enemy it will be a sensation importance of this place will grow a many more people would visit them. Maybe then the word will spread that the original sounds like laos actually comes from taki. A quick reminder for you of our top stories at this hour separatist parties in catalonia have held on to a slim majority in a king a Regional Election the result could inflame simmering tensions between the wealthy spanish region and Central Government in madrid. And the United NationsGeneral Assembly has overwhelmingly back to resolution. Recognition of jerusalem as is. Capital votes coming in defiance of u. S. Threats to cut off funding for countries fighting for the resolution. All from us as ever at the top of the hour in the meantime to get you can get the latest updates from our website and watching it on the news to stay with us if you can. Kick off why we take football personally. From does make a stop to out cost and this band has here he donates money to a charity germinal summer and he says he is linked to extremist muslim groups really scored an arm go on the buses make sure ill never play again at least in germany for information but is there anything to the allegations. Next on d w. One to the elephants. The plastic model turned into a paving stone why do algae make it clear. Good idea kill working in the winter and there are people developing Smart Solutions everywhere. Lets inspire each other environmental magazine eco at africa in sixty minutes on g. W. Where i come from. We have to fight for a free press and was born and raised in a military dictatorship with just one t. V. Shadow and a few newspapers with official information as a journalist i have worked on the streets of many cameras and they have problems are always the same for doing social inequality a lack of the freedom of the press and corruption weak on the fourth to stay silent when it comes to the fans of the humans and see the right to foals who have decided to put their trust in us. My name is jenny paris and i work a d. W. Action