the berlin lorry attack, which killed 12 people, was terrorism, says the german government. a lorry ploughed into a christmas market in the heart of berlin last night — 50 others were injured, some of them critically. eyewitensses say it ploughed through the crowds at a speed of around a0 miles an hour. i saw people lying on the ground, you know, all bodies being twisted, arms, legs — people were on top of each other. as tributes are laid to the victims, angela merkel spoke of the shock of the people of germany. translation: how can we live with the fact that during a carefree walk through a christmas market, in a place where we celebrate life, a murderer can bring death to so many. an asylum seeker from pakistan has been arrested — the authorities say he denies being involved. also this lunchtime. russian investigators arrive in turkey to find out what led to the assassination of russia's ambassador by an off—duty

policeman in ankara. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon sets out her plans for protecting scotland's place in europe after brexit. and the new treatment for early stage prostate cancer that surgeons are describing as "a huge leap forward". and in sport on bbc news. alastair cook says he will not make an immediate decision on his future as england captain, after defeat in the final test against india in chennai. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. germany's chancellor, angela merkel, says she's "appalled, shocked and deeply saddened" by last night's attack on a christmas market in berlin. twelve people died, and 48 were injured, when a lorry drove into a crowd

in the centre of germany's capital. germany's interior ministry says there is no doubt it was a terrorist attack. but in the last few minutes, berlin police have said they can't be sure that the man they arrested last night was the attacker. our correspondent paul adams reports. berlin early this morning, amid the scattered debris of the festive season, scattered debris of the festive season, a weapon of scattered debris of the festive season, a weapon of mass murder is slowly removed. for the second time this year, a lorry has been used to target traditional celebrations, in europe. chaotic scenes last night after the truck ploughed at speed through the market. wooden stalls splinter and dozens of people caught up in the mayhem. i hear loud noise from the houses that are destroyed by the truck, and heard some screams, and yeah, that

was the first impression. ican was the first impression. i can show you from my balcony as well. it isjust like from my houses two minute's drive. what was in my mind, you can't think of anything, you are just shocked and you want to help those people. i went down, people were, you know, asking for help, but we just, people were, you know, asking for help, but wejust, ijust people were, you know, asking for help, but we just, ijust took two, but i couldn't do much, i couldn't help them. i saw people lying on the ground, in, you know, all bodies being twisted, like arm, legs were, people were on top of each other. the truck had polish number plates, a body found in the cab is thought to be that of its polish driver. but a masked man behind the wheel escaped on foot. soon afterwards a suspect was picked up over a mile away. he is said to be a pakistani citizen who arrived in germany a year ago. if this was the work of an

asylum—seeker it poses a real challenge for the woman who threw open the country's doors over a year ago. translation: i know it will be particularly difficult for us to bear if it is confirmed the perpetrator asked for protection and asylu m perpetrator asked for protection and asylum in germany. that would be repulsive for the many germans who are engaged day in, day out, in helping refugees and for those who do need our protection and who striving to integrate themselves into our country. germany's interior minister said security would be stepped up across the country but the germans should not succumb to fear. translation: we must not compromise our lifestyle, the way we want to live. we us many not let people who wa nt to live. we us many not let people who want to destroy that way of life. the attack took place next to the ruined church that stands as a

monument to the savagery of the second world war. translation: this priest says it important for germans to tell each other what the people of trans have told each other that life must not be stopped. at the scene, the christmas stalls are shuttered and silent. but this fresh anxiety, the police now saying they are not sure if they have the right man. the perpetrator of this, they fear, may still be at large. the perpetrator of this, they fear, may still be at large. let's get the latest now from our correspondent damien mcguinness, who's in berlin. and let us pick up on that point that paul made. the authorities now saying there is some uncertainty about the suspect they have. well, what they are saying is they have a suspect and that is the pakistani 23—year—old who came as an asylum—seeker last year, as we heard in that report, what they are saying though, is he denies any involvement

in this incident, and until they finish the investigations, and until they know what happened, they can't they know what happened, they can't the definitively certain he is guilty. but that is different from also saying that necessarily the attacker is still on the run, so we have to be very careful about jumping to conclusions, that is what the officials are saying here, is that we still know too little to be sure about what is happening. what is clear, is that if this attacker does turn out to be in fact an asylu m does turn out to be in fact an asylum seeker, that will not only be asylum seeker, that will not only be a slap in the face of those germans who helped migrants over the past year—and—a—half, it will backbench a massive political problem for angela merkel h because she, like no other politician here in germany is closely associated with that, what many people see as humanitarian gesture, to help legitimate refugees, and the problem is, of course, as you know, we have elections here in germany next september, if it turns out this attacker was an asylum—seeker that

could be a blow for her politically in the elections. thank you. here, the metropolitan police says it's carrying out a routine review of its plans for christmas and the new year, in the light of the attack in berlin. here's our security correspondent, frank gardner. after the carnage, the search for clues. german forensic teams have been going through the wreckage left by last night's attack. there was never much doubt it was deliberate, now attention is turning to the likely motive. analysts suspect it may have been a response to a call by jihadists. may have been a response to a call byjihadists. this is something that inspire the magazine of al-qaeda, has been promoting among their followers, these kind of home land attack, easy to organise, very little co—ordination needed. this is what they have been proposing. the attack in berlin bears a

striking similarity to what happens in nice on bastille day five months ago. they rammed a 19 tonne truck into pedestrians killing 86 people, so can this sort of low tech high speed attack be prevented? answer, yes, if you are prepared to put in this level of protective security. this demonstration in berkshire shows a seven tonne truck being stopped in its tracks. but you can't protect everywhere. one of britain's most experienced counter terrorism officers says the key is intelligence. more bollards and troops on the street is not the a nswer to troops on the street is not the answer to this threat. you have to build your intelligence capabilities more, you have to encourage people to come forward, and particularly you have to encourage the muslim community to come forward and trust the agency, and report information and concerns they have got. and that has been happening.

information from the british public has already led to plots being stopped. but as barriers like this one in birmingham go up to protect christmas shopper, it is a reminder that the terror threat in britain is at severe, meaning an attack is thought highly likely. the metropolitan police say they are now reviewing security measures. in berlin, the clues are still being analysed. and the question remains, what more needs to happen to stop further attacks like this. we'll have continuing coverage of the attack at the christmas market in berlin here on bbc news and you can also keep up to date with the latest developments online on the bbc news website. president putin has promised to "step up the fight against terror", after russia's ambassador in turkey was murdered yesterday. andrey karlov was shot dead by an off—duty police officer, as he was making a speech in ankara. the leaders of both russia and turkey have described the killing as an attempt to damage relations between the two countries, which have backed opposing sides

in the syrian civil war. but both countries have recently been working closely over the evacuation of civilians in aleppo. from moscow, steve rosenberg reports. in moscow today, there were flowers outside the foreign ministry, a makeshift shrine in memory of andrei karlov, the russian ambassador assassinated in turkey. terrorism won't win, it says. to many russians, the war on terror has felt far away. this murder has made people remember. now, it is hitting home. inside, the foreign ministers of russia and turkey paid their respects. ambassador karlov was killed hours before the start of talks here on syria between russia, turkey and iran. "if we work together", said the turkish foreign minister, "we will find out who was behind this wretched, despicable crime." in ankara, the russian ambassador

had been making a speech at a photo exhibition. standing behind him, the assassin, a 22—year—old riot squad police officer. he starts shooting and shouting. "god is greatest." "don't forget about aleppo, about syria." "so long as they aren't safe, you won't taste safety either." the assassination of russia's ambassador to turkey has shocked this country, and its president, vladimir putin, says there can only be one response — a strengthening of the fight against terror. but the problem for russia and for other countries waging such a war on terror is there is no end in sight. still, this is a war moscow is determined to win. we should send a clear message to those who support terrorists, that terrorists, with our air forces and our military, any attack towards russians would be, would have a very dangerous and terrible result for those who

can't possibly stand behind them. the politicians are talking tough, but the public is nervous. i was upset on a human level and upset as a citizen of the country which is being affected and humiliated in a way, but also really, really hope it won't lead to escalation of the situation in general. today, a team of russian detectives arrived in turkey. this will be a joint investigation. moscow and ankara displaying a united front in the face of terror. we'll get the latest from moscow in a moment, but first to ankara, and our correspondent, mark lowen. what is the latest on the investigation? as you heard there in that report, a joint commission turkish russian commission has been set up to investigate the murder that happened here in the art

gallery in ankara. i8 that happened here in the art gallery in ankara. 18 russian officials arrived here this morning including forensic experts and prosecutor, they will work with their turkish counterparts to investigate the murder. at the same time six people have been detained, including relatives and the former flatmate of the gunman, the 22—year—old mevlut mert aydintas. they will be trying to find out who this man was and what his motives were, was he a lone wolf? did he have links to any opposition groups in syria orjihadist groups? was he trying to take revenge? or was he as some sources in the turkish government suggested, did he have links to the islamist movement that tu rkey‘s links to the islamist movement that turkey's government blames for orchestrating the failed coup here led by fethullah gulen, he says there is no link between his movement and the gunman. this afternoon, the coffin of the ambassador had been flown back to moscow for burial, in a ceremony from the airport here in ankara and

the authorities here, have said the road the russian embassy is located on will be renamed in the ambassador‘s honour. on will be renamed in the ambassador's honour. steve in moscow, what impact could this have on the relationship between russia and turkey? well, moscow and ankara are putting forward a united front at the moment. in recent times these two countries have had a difficult, explosive relationship, think back over a year to when the turkish air force shot down a russian bomb e it said it strayed into turkish airspace, in recrest months both countries have tried to put their dipresences behind them and forge a new relationship because both presidents believe it in their interest to do so. in terms of what happens in syria and economic ties. so, over the last few hours moscow and ankara have been going out of their way to project this united front, to make it clear they are

determined not to let this crime come between them, and to maintain this unity. thank you both very much. the syrian army has been broadcasting messages to the last remaining rebel held enclaves of eastern aleppo, saying it plans to enter the area later today. it's urging anyone still there to leave. yesterday, 15,000 people fled the east of the city, but no—one really knows how many people are left. let's speak to our correspondent, james longman, who's in neighbouring beirut. are the evacuations continuing? can people still leave? yes, they are. they are continuing at quite a pace, we understand that at least 25,000 people have been able to leave since these began on thursday, they were of course stalled over the weekend, and now have begun again in earnest. there are thousands left, inside,

thatis there are thousands left, inside, that is according to the international committee for the red cross who are managing the evacuation, but they are moving very quickly indeed. at the same time they are in other parts of the country. the villages where it was agreed that people would be evacuated from, they too have been able to leave, so this whole process has moved very quickly indeed, and it is clear that the government in damascus wants this to happen as soon as possible. they see this as their chance to claim back territory, those announcements that you mentioned there, that were made overloud speaker to east aleppo, telling the last militants to leave or they will be killed by the army that will soon take over those last remaining rebel enclaves, that is about claiming back territory, because this really is a defining moment for the syrian regime in this war, just in the last few hours we know in a sports complex in the west of aleppo, the ruling party held a celebrate trivictory for this victory as they call it. so, this is

in the next 2a—48—hours we know that aleppo, the whole of the city of aleppo, the whole of the city of aleppo will be back in regime control. the time is just after 13:15. our top story this lunchtime. the german government says last night's attack on a berlin christmas market, in which 12 people were killed, was an act of terror. and still to come, england collapse against india. the latest defeat is their eighth in a row. in sport, the former wimbledon champion petra kvitova has been injured in a knife attack at her home in the czech republic, she has been treated for a left hand injury which is not life—threatening. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon has been setting out how scotland could stay in the european single market, without the rest of the uk. the first minister says leaving the free trade block would be "potentially devastating" to scotland's long—term prosperity.

in the eu referendum, scotland voted by a large majority to remain in the eu. nicola sturgeon wants scotland to be given more independence from westminster so that a special status with the eu could be negotiated. our scotland correspondent, lorna gordon, is in edinburgh. nicola sturgeon, scotland's first minister, described brexit as an unprecedented situation, not of scotland's making. she insists that the option for a second independence on scottish independence must remain on scottish independence must remain on the table. she said this document was about exploring all documents going forward. it's almost six months since the uk voted to leave the eu and the majority in scotland voted to stay. since then there's been plenty of political positioning on what any brexit negotiations should involve, but not much detail. now, today, scotland's first minister set out how she hopes scotland's

interests can be protected. we propose that the uk as a whole should stay in the single market by remaining a party to the european economic area agreement. i accept that there is a mandate in england and wales to take the uk out of the eu. however i do not accept that there is a mandate to take any part of the uk out of the single market. calls too from miss sturgeon for further powers to be devolved to the scottish parliament. fishing and farming policy she said should be transferred from brussels directly to holyrood. she argued that msps should be able to legislate in key areas such as employment and should have the power to set immigration policy, too. this scottish company which employs seven people sees europe as a growing market for its products and a source of talent for its team. its finnish owner says clarity is needed about what brexit will mean for his business. we need some certainty. i personally need some certainty. i'm born in finland, i've lived in the

uk for 15 years. we are a growing business, we need to know where we can find future employees that we want to hire. and i want to know, can i stay in the uk myself. the conservatives insist there will be no separate deals for different parts of the uk. what we absolutely do not want to see is anything that jeopardises scotland's trading relationship with the rest of the uk. scotland trades four times as much with the rest of the uk as it does with the whole of the european union, and that's the single market that we've really got to preserve. some light shed today by scotland's government on what it wants from the brexit negotiations. but with no formal role in those talks they are reliant on the government at westminster to agree. well ultimately it will be up to theresa may, the prime minister, and her cabinet, to decide what of these proposals from the scottish

government to take forward. theresa may has said she will look very carefully at these proposals and there will be a meeting of the devolved administrations injanuary. lorna gordon, thank you. buckingham palace has announced that the queen is stepping down as patron from a number of national organisations. they're being passed on to other members of the royal family. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell is here. and it's 25 in all? so quite a small number, it's actually about 5%. she has roughly 600 page images. and she is redistributing 25 of them from large charities like save the children uk and the nspcc, two smaller ones like the royal college of needlework and battersea dogs home. so they are being redistributed to other members of the royal family. for example redistributed to other members of the royalfamily. for example prince charles will take over the holocaust day memorial trust. another‘s will be taken over by the duchess of cornwall, she has a great fondness for dogs and has visited battersea dogs on several occasions. there are

by dogs on several occasions. there are rugby page images. william will take on the welsh rugby union and unsurprisingly prince harry will ta ke unsurprisingly prince harry will take on the rugby football union. what is not known are the tennis is patronage is. the queen has not attended wimbledon very much. both wimbledon and the lawn tennis association, one would imagine that they will probably go to the duchess of cambridge but that's not confirmed yet. and this is all part of the gradual lightening of the load for the queen, to give her a workload which, as officials would say, is more appropriate to someone who is 90 years old. nicholas witchel, thank you. every year, more than 115,000 men in the uk are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 11—thousand die from the disease. but scientists have developed a new technique, which surgeons are calling "a huge leap forward". the treatment involves lasers and a drug made from deep—sea bacteria to destroy tumours without causing severe side effects. here's our health correspondent, james gallagher.

gerald is now free from prostate cancer and feeling good. but when he was diagnosed, he faced a conundrum. treat the tumour but almost certainly develop long—term side—effects like impotence or incontinence, or let the tumour grow? many men choose to wait and see, but then gerald's surgeon offered him offered something pioneering. he was telling me that this would be the best treatment for me. and having taken into account the other treatments, i was looking onward with my life and wanted to have the same way of living that i had enjoyed in the past, for the future. and i feel like the treatment i have had has confirmed that. here is the technology that killed gerald's cancer. this drug is made from bacteria that grow in the dark depths of the ocean. it is only toxic when it is exposed to light. it is injected into the prostate. then up to ten of these lasers are inserted into the tumour

to activate the drug and killjust the cancerous tissue. more than 400 men took part in the trial and nearly half had no signs of cancer after treatment, and no patients had serious long—term side—effects. the harms with traditional treatments have always been the side effects, urinary incontinence, in other words leaking urine and requiring pads. sexual difficulty, which occurrs in the majority of men who have treatment. and to have a new treatment now that we can administer to men who are eligible that is virtually free of those side effects is truly transformative. it could be a welcome advance for the more than 40,000 men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the uk each year. this treatment is a huge step forward for prostate cancer. we've sort of seen in the past where you have to either take out the whole prostate gland itself or use radiotherapy, so those men will be overtreated. whereas with this particular treatment we should be able to identify the cancers that will respond best to it. this is the technology that produces

the right amount of light to kill those cancerous cells inside the prostate. however, while this is incredibly promising, it's not yet ready for patients, and needs to be assessed by regulators next year. doctors also want to see how the procedure affects long—term survival. but for now gerald says he's one of the lucky ones, and that his life is worry free. james gallagher, bbc news. domestic violence is a terrible reality for many women. and the stresses and strains of the christmas season, coupled with too much alcohol, mean that the holidays can be a particularly volatile time. many police forces are preparing for an increase in reports of domestic violence over the christmas period. but in sunderland, a project is underway which works with men who are at risk of becoming abusers, before it's too late, as fiona trott, now reports. welcome everybody. we'll make a start. the new way of tackling

domestic abuse. 0k, somebody mentioned money. these men are learning how the abusive behaviour is affecting their partner. reason to state or reason to go? obviously she's got no money but she would be better off if she left. the 26 week course involves the charity barnardos. it can get up to 20 referrals a month and that's just sunderland. little kicks, little punches, stuff like that. then it was vice versa, she was starting to hit me and it was escalating. this man was referred by his gp. so how has the course helps you? man was referred by his gp. so how has the course helps you ?|j man was referred by his gp. so how has the course helps you? i take time to think about stuff. time—outs. now i'm aware. so even if i'm texting, i can tell that the texts are getting out of hand. i mightjust stop texts are getting out of hand. i might just stop for texts are getting out of hand. i mightjust stop for half an hour and chill outwith. blue this project

means that we can get to men and help them change this behaviour before they get involved with the criminal justice before they get involved with the criminaljustice system. before they get involved with the criminal justice system. we before they get involved with the criminaljustice system. we want to stop things escalating to that point because we know when the police get called it's usually quite serious injuries and incidents. but there is another element to this early intervention programme. the local housing association is also involved. hello, how are you? they checked the perpetrators are attending the course and they check up attending the course and they check up on the victims themselves. you might have something like a broken window, broken bathroom door locks for example, things like that. could be that we are looking at an anti—social behaviour complete, we could get a call about noise nuisance but is it actually domestic abuse? he was kicking my door in at the middle of the night, my windows we re the middle of the night, my windows were going out. this woman was so afraid of her ex—partner she carried afraid of her ex—partner she carried a knife. her words are spoken by

somebody else. it finally come to the day where he assaulted us and put us in the hospital. he got 16 months injail. i was so pleased. i know it sounds crazy. you know i was lying ina know it sounds crazy. you know i was lying in a hospital bed covered in blood but i was so happy he'd done it because to me i was free. in every community there is a woman like her. here in sunderland charities hope that by working with the local housing association, abusive relationships can stop before women are put in more serious danger. fiona trott, bbc news, wearside. england have lost the final test match against india by an innings and 75 runs — meaning they've lost the series, 4—0. they've have also lost their last eight test matches in 2016. here's our sports correspondent, joe wilson. here's how india might look from the plane home. it's a view england longed for. one more day. perhaps with a foretaste of christmas, the collapse came after lunch.

cook, the captain, first out. ravi jadeja once more the bowler. 103-1. they'd had to wait but india were off and running. indeed. keaton jennings, a gentle return catch to jadeja. now chennai awoke. after india scored 759 on monday, england's only incentive was to deny them victory by batting all day. with the help of an lbw review, root fell for six. jonny bairstow on one, up, up and out. takes it. what a catch that is. jadeja's catch, who else? still moeen ali fought to 44, then this. 0h, mo. the sixth wicket was stokes. dawson soon followed for 0, and the england dressing room, speechless. with over an hour left in the day england lost their eighth wicket. dressing room, right. back camejadeja to take the ninth.

still over half an hour for india to wrap it up. jake ball batted, jadeja bowled, his seventh wicket, england all out for 207. they'd lost ten wickets forjust 104 runs. to lose a series 4—0, to lose like this displays a weak streak far wider than england imagined. and alastair cook will now consider his future starting on the flight home. joe wilson, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. all change on the weather front and not much christmas spirit in this forecast for the remainder of this week it turns increasingly stormy at times. the first signs are arriving in the far north and west where we've got widespread gales to northern ireland and scotland, severe gales unexposed north facing coasts. on top of that some very heavy rain.