hello, i'm karin giannone — this is outside source. let's look through some of the main stories here in the bbc newsroom. vigils are held in berlin 2a hours on from the deadly attack on a christmas market. police have released a pakistani asylum seeker because of a lack of evidence, which means the attacker is likely to still be at large. china tells millions of people to stay indoors because of toxic smog. extreme air pollution alerts have been issued for 2h cities in the north—east. we meet the brave paralympian who has signed papers allowing her to choose when she will die. scientists say they've made a "remarkable" breakthrough in treating the early stages of prostate cancer. the drug, activated by a laser, successfully destroys tumours without the severe side effects surgery can cause. let's bring you back up to date on our top story —

the person responsible for the berlin truck attack is still at large. a man detained by german police on monday night has been released due to lack of evidence linking him to the incident. 12 people died and 48 others were wounded in the attack. jenny hill has been following events in berlin. the lorry itself, which belongs to a polish firm, appears to have been hijacked. today, its owner identified the man who should have been at the wheel. the young polish driver was found shot dead in the passenger seat. today, every christmas market in the city was closed. time to remember the dead — and for some, to reflect on a lucky escape. it is just amazing how a peaceful, festive, happy atmosphere just changed instantly, and you just have this scene of utter devastation. it will be a long time,

rees and sara told us, that they will be able to forget what they saw. people were lying on the floor. we weren't sure if it was red wine, or if it was blood, but we did see, i remember, people were picking up a stall, so we decided to put our food down and try to lift the stall up with them. and we realised unfortunately that people underneath had already passed. germany is a country in mourning. its chancellor under pressure. earlier this year, asylum seekers carried out what are thought to have been the first is—inspired terror attacks on german soil. angela merkel must reassure a nervous german electorate that her open door refugee policy hasn't put them at risk. translation: it would be particularly hard to bear

if it turned out that the person that did this was someone who sought protection and asylum in germany. it would be particularly offensive to the many germans engaged daily in the task of helping refugees. the attack took place next to a bombed out church, left in ruins as a reminder of the horror of war. but once again, violence and terror has torn through another european capital. that was jane hill reporting. that wasjenny hill reporting. our correspondent in berlin, robert hall, has been speaking to karl—heinz kamp, the president of the federal academy for security policy, which advises the german government on security matters. he explained the complexity of the investigation. we had no guy shouting, "allahu akbar," we did not have any self confirmation, we didn't have any videos, so a number of things are still completely uncertain, and that is why authorities said, yes, it is an attack, but we are not sure whether it is an is/muslim

attack so we have to wait for further results. does this feel to you, karl—heinz, like an attack that has been long in the planning, or something more spontaneous? it doesn't look long in the planning. it looks more like being spontaneous, because the pre—emptive measures we all take in all our societies — in your country and my country — are pretty good in the meantime. which means you are trip—wiring phones, you hear things going on, you hear about something cooking up there, but since there was nothing it pretty much looks like a spontaneous act in which apparently the driver of the truck has been killed, also very mysterious. so much more questions than answers so far. in your experience, how difficult is the job that the police now face? with no clear leads — well, there may well be a lead to follow,

we don't know, but no clear and apparent lead to follow? well, on the other hand we have a number of other issues — we have a car, we have certain traces. it is always difficult to do this but if you see the recent terror attacks we had, for instance in the us, usually after a day or two they were able to come up with some evidence — youtube video screening, youtube witnesses — i mean there were thousands of people there, so the likelihood that you will find something if they are, but itjust takes time, because it was as i said not like the nice thing where you had just the incumbent, so to speak, lying on the street — that is not the case. let's bring you some dramatic sports news. two—time wimbledon tennis champion, petra kvitova, has undergone surgery to her hand after a knife attack at her home in the czech republic. she's been on social media since the attack, tweeting, "in my attempt to defend myself, i was badly injured on my left hand. i am shaken, but fortunate to be alive."

damian johnson is at the bbc sport centre. a really dramatic event. what happened? this was clearly a terrifying ordeal for the world numberii. terrifying ordeal for the world number 11. the intruder got into her flat, as you said, close to the edge of the town, the man attacked her and she fought him off, and i understand he held a knife to her throat and it was in grabbing it with her left hand crucially that did the damage. that is her racket hand, the one she holds a tennis racket with when she is playing. crucially, she could be out of action for some time. she has undergone surgery today and that lasted four hours, i understand. we are still waiting for further details from that. i suppose. still too early to say at this point how able she will be to play again? at least three months is the reckoning.

i understand there repaired tendons in all five digits of hand and there was also some nerve damage done. it is very serious. she will certainly miss the australian open, the first grand slam tournament of the new year in january 20 grand slam tournament of the new year injanuary 2017. the 26—year—old is twice wimbledon champion, 2011 and 2014. she has had a number of messages of support from fellow players on the women's circuit. muguruza said stay strong and do well. the former world number one, my thoughts and prayers are with petra. and kvitova herself and said she will stay strong about this. we await more information from the surgeons performed the operation on thursday. thank you very much, from the bbc sports centre. mareeke vervort is a gold medal winning wheelchair sprinter, who has had an incurable degenerative spinal disease for 20 years. she's paralysed, suffers chronic pain and fits regularly. the 37—year—old is from belgium where euthanasia is legal — and eight years ago8 she signed

the papers allowing her to choose when she will die. in this special bbc report mareeke tells her story. i had to stop because my mind said, yes, you still can do it, but by body cries and says, helped! stop training! you are breaking me, stop. it's not... body cries and says, help!

i immediately supported her. i knew... she is stubborn, she knows what she wants, but she also knows what she wants, but she also knows what she wants, but she also knows what she doesn't want. living hell is not the life marieke once. —— living hell is not the life marieke wants. highfive! when i talk about real pain, so much pain you lose consciousness from the

pain, and the tears rolling your cheeks, and nobody can do anything about it. i have prepared everything. i wrote to every person who was in my heart, andi to every person who was in my heart, and i want everybody to drink a glass of cava to me. she had a really bad disease, but thanks to that disease she was able to do things that people can only dream about, because mentally i was so strong. the pa ralympian

the paralympian marieke vervoort. a new report on flight mh370 — missing since 8th march 2014 — has concluded that search teams have probably been looking in the wrong place. the report was issued by the australian transport safety bureau and it says, "there is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft. " based on a new analysis of satellite data and address pattern of more than 20 items of daybreak, they have identified this new search area. —— 20 items of debris. it's about 25,000 square kilometres and it's located further north along the arc from the current search zone. but despite this new evidence, it's not clear where any extra funding will come from and the current search is due to finish in a month or two. still to come on 0utside source, a

look at a new laser treatment for early—stage look at a new laser treatment for ea rly—stage prostate cancer, look at a new laser treatment for early—stage prostate cancer, which surgeons have called transformative. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has set out how scotland could stay in the european single market without the rest of the uk. she says leaving the free—trade bloc could be devastating to scotland's long—term prosperity. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon has this report... since the referendum there has been plenty of back and forward on what the negotiation should involve but not much detail. now scotland's first minister has set out how she feels scotland's interests should be protected. we propose the uk as a whole should remain in the single market by remaining party to the economic area agreement. i accept there is a mandate in england and

wales to take the uk out of the eu, however i do not accept there is a mandate to take any part of the uk out of the single market. there were also calls for more powers to be devolved to the scottish parliament. fishing and farming, she said, should be transferred from brussels direct to holyrood. she argued msps should be able to legislate in key areas like employment and should have the power to set immigration policy as well. this scottish company which employs seven people sees europe is a growing market for its products and a source of talent for its team. it's finnish owner says clarity is needed about what brexit will mean for his business. we need to certainty. i personally need certainty. i am born in finland, i have lived in the uk for 15 years. we are a growing business, we need to know where do we find future employees, and i want to know if i can stay in the uk myself. the conservatives insist there will be no separate deals the different parts of the uk.

i've always said that we want to work very constructively with the scottish government. that is the way to get the best possible deal for the uk and for scotland. i am interested to look and see the proposals in the paper, and they will be given very careful and detailed consideration. in fact, they will be discussed at the next meeting of ourjoint ministerial committee, and i am sure we will hear more detailfrom the scottish government itself. 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. this is 0utside source live from the bbc newsroom. 0ur lead story: german police have released a pakistani asylum seeker detained following the berlin market attack, saying they have insufficient evidence to continue holding him. coming up shortly on bbc news:

if you're outside the uk, it's world news america next. they've got a report on alan eustace — the google executive who in 2014 broke the world record for the highest parachute jump. here in the uk, the news at ten is next. they'll have much more on monday's attack on that christmas market in berlin. ed thomas has been looking into the current state of the investigation. let's go to beijing because the chinese capital has been blanketed in thick smog since the weekend — and that's led the authorities there to take drastic measures to minimise the pollution crisis. despite these measures things haven't improved over the last few days. the bbc‘s stephen mcdonell has been out on the streets of beijing to test the air quality. in beijing this week people say they

are living under the dome, after days on end of heavy pollution it feels like being trapped under a giant toxic cloud. so how bad is beijing's pollution at the moment? i have brought this device outside to try to measure it. you would normally have this little thing inside your house measuring if air pollution is coming in from the outside. i sent it to measure the particular. these are the small particles thought to be very dangerous because they get deep into your respiratory system. the world health organisation has a recommended annual target of ten and here, according to our little egg, right now it is over 400. how is beijing compared to other world cities at the moment? tokyo has one of 30, moscow has a reading of five,

montreal... 17. and london, 36. if! we re montreal... 17. and london, 36. if! were to drive a few hundred kilometres to the north of beijing to the neighbouring province there, i would find cities and towns which today are registering over 600. the long—term solutions are pretty clear. have less car is, cars which do not pull it as much —— less cars and to phase out heavily polluting factories and coal—fired power stations. in the meantime in beijing at the moment both primary and secondary schools have been closed, as have building sites. poor visibility has led to many flights in and out of beijing being cancelled, and even the highways have been shut down because they we re have been shut down because they were thought to be too dangerous. you also see people wearing these air filter you also see people wearing these airfilter masks which you also see people wearing these air filter masks which you put on your face like that. i have to say it feels a bit like cabin fever at

the moment. we are all watching the weather reports and waiting for the winds to come along to make this pollution somebody else's problem. surgeons have described a new treatment for early—stage prostate cancer as "truly tra nsformative". the approach which uses lasers and a drug made from deep sea bacteria, can eliminate tumours, without severe side effects. here's our health and science reporter, fergus walsh. this is the technology which represents a huge leap in prostate cancer treatment. it involves a drug derived from bacteria found in the darkness of the ocean floor. this laser optic fibre is inserted into the prostate, the light activates the drug which kills the cancer. when gerald capam was diagnosed with early prostate cancer, he was worried it might develop and he'd need surgery or radiotherapy, which can cause incontinence or impotence. instead, he became one of the first successfully treated with the new light therapy and had no long—term side effects.

well, i feel incredibly lucky that i was accepted for the trial. i'm totally cured. i can look forward to the remaining years of my life, hopefully, cancer—free. one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, so this highly effective new treatment, known as photodynamic therapy, could be hugely significant. the light—sensitive drug is injected into the bloodstream. it's derived from deep sea bacteria, which are efficient at converting light into energy. through a thin tube, a laser light is inserted into the prostate, the light activates the drug which destroys the cancer cells. the journal, lancet 0ncology, reports that half the patients given photodynamic therapy were completely clear of cancer two years later, compared to about one in seven

of those given standard care. crucially, it did not cause major side effects. the harms with traditional treatments have always been the side effects, oar urinary incontinence. in other words, leaking urine and requiring pads. sexual difficulties, which occurs in the majority of men who have treatment. 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. the treatment is likely to cost around £20,000 a patient and is expected to be approved in europe following these impressive results. its use is also being trialled in other cancers. so it won't be cheep, but for prostate patients, photodynamic therapy represents a powerful new weapon in the war on cancer. there is more and that fascinating medical development and from fergus walsh as well on the bbc website.

the humble spirit gin is having a renaissance, globally and in the uk alone. they have sold the equivalent of1.1 alone. they have sold the equivalent of 1.1 billion alone. they have sold the equivalent of1.1 billion gin alone. they have sold the equivalent of 1.1 billion gin and tonics here. south africa, a country associated with winemaking, has seen an explosion of gins using south african plans. 0ur correspondent reports... —— explosion of gins using south african plants. south africa's botanical kingdom is unique to the southern cape. a rich variety of flowers, herbs and spices. this has become the key ingredient in making south african gin. in the past few years alone a dozen gin. in the past few years alone a d oze n craft gin. in the past few years alone a dozen craft gin distilleries have emerged. lorna scott started her own

gin label having fallen in love with the indigenous plants surrounding her home. under the nose, you get that sharp note coming through. when we started i was producing perhaps 100, or 150, bottles we started i was producing perhaps 100, or150, bottles a month, and it became a mission for us to keep up with demand. quickly i realised we had something that had commercial potential. we were literally doubling our production every six months and it keeps growing. solely limitation we have at the moment is with the label smaller craft distilleries are also making inroadss in the country's flourishing gin market.|j making inroadss in the country's flourishing gin market. i think in the last year gin hasjust flourishing gin market. i think in the last year gin has just taken off. this is our third micro distillery here on the western cape. since then, there must be another ten, or 1500 trick— mac

since then, there must be another ten, or 1500 trick—mac distilleries which started up. this is incredible. i did not know there we re incredible. i did not know there were so many gins and south africa. that is just a drop were so many gins and south africa. that isjust a drop in were so many gins and south africa. that is just a drop in the ocean. were so many gins and south africa. that isjust a drop in the ocean. -- so many gins in south africa. they are all trying to capture south africa's growing middle class. guess, you become part of it, at one with the products, and that is what we will go for. —— yes, you become. i think the more i we will go for. —— yes, you become. ithink the more i have been we will go for. —— yes, you become. i think the more i have been exposed to gin, the more i am learning there are so many to gin, the more i am learning there are so many south african gins and so are so many south african gins and so many around cape town. so that is a great surprise, yes, enjoying it. the gin market is expected to keep growing as more distilleries continue to search for new flavours with strong local roots, and consumers go in search of the perfect gin and tonic. just time to

bring you a tweet... 0ne perfect gin and tonic. just time to bring you a tweet... one of our viewers sent. he has been to one of the memorial services for the victims of the berlin attack, and using the hashtag bbcos he showed us what he could see at brandenburg gate. a beautiful show of solidarity, posting one of these. from aleppo to berlin, we know your pain, someone has pleaded that there. and this one as well. stay tuned to bbc news for all the latest developments, from berlin and all the other main news stories. from here in london, thank you for watching. we have been forecasting some pretty rough weather and that has already

arrived. not to stormyjust rough weather and that has already arrived. not to stormy just yet. rain and wind, but by friday that is when the weather could turn very nasty, particularly across northern parts of the british isles, and could be some disruption. it is worth paying attention to the weather forecast over the next 48 hours because it may affect your travel plans around christmas. this is what the satellite picture looks like. those clouds are racing across the atlantic, pushed by a powerful jet stream. here is the leading edge of that bad weather. it has been moving across north—western parts of the british isles during tuesday, shocking day in northern ireland, heavy rain and feeling cold. through wednesday some of that rain left over from the front is moving further south. behind this line of rain we have colder air coming in off the atlantic and that means any showers pushed in by that strong wind, when they come through, some of them could be wintry, particularly across the hills. we could have some hail and thunder crossing parts of northern england

into wales, but also noticed across the south and southeast it turns cloudier and wetter as the day goes on. a couple of double—figure temperatures for a time in the south but in the north has lot colder, 5 degrees there in glasgow. that wind will keep on building we go over the next few days. wednesday night, a blustery day with showers across the north. clear in the south and thursday actually starts off on a sunny note for many of us at least across much of england. wales will get a few showers but here i think is the best day of the week. southern england, east anglia, some of these eastern counties, whereas scotla nd of these eastern counties, whereas scotland and northern ireland get the showers and it will remain very windy and chilly in that wind as well. friday, that is when it really sta rts well. friday, that is when it really starts to kick in, this big area of low pressure, which has been named storm barbara by the met office, and we have an amber warning issued by the met office for north—western parts of scotland and other warnings

issued further south as well. the top gusts on friday could approach 90 miles an hour in north—western scotla nd 90 miles an hour in north—western scotland and 70 miles an hour through northern ireland, southern scotla nd through northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england. not so bad in the south, but there could be another storm on the way. whether or not this one will be named is too early to say. we have to determine how powerful or how many impact it may potentially bring, but christmas eve, again, very blustery, then christmas day... for this is the second storm, just look at all of these arrows, very strong winds blowing through, blustery in the north and gusty in the south as well. 0nce north and gusty in the south as well. once the second storm moves through, christmas day, later on and on christmas day, we could see colder air coming on christmas day, we could see colderaircoming in on christmas day, we could see colder air coming in temporarily, so some wintry weather across northern hills. then after all of that it calms down. high pressure builds across many parts of southern britain, perhaps as far north as northern parts of britain, or

perhaps not, but just northern parts of britain, or perhaps not, butjust a small picture there because some nasty lows will be looking out in the atla ntic lows will be looking out in the atlantic and they could affect north—western parts of the uk. if the high pressure does build and we are fairly confident of that, it could push milder air in our direction, but cold air will never be too far away. that is a long way off. we have a rough ride before that happens. police in berlin say the driver of the lorry in yesterday's attack may still be at large as they release their only suspect. so—called islamic state claims responsibility for the attack, as eyewitnesss describe how the lorry drove into the crowds. it sounded like a massive explosion, it sounded like gun shots and my instant reaction was the same as everybody else around us, was to get up and look and try and help. angela merkel visits the scene and voices germany's worst fears. translation: i know it

will be particularly difficult for us all to bear, if it is confirmed that the perpetrator had asked for protection and asylum in germany. the death toll from the attack now stands at 12 and 50 people have been injured. also tonight: the body of the russian ambassador to turkey,