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, shot dead yesterday, is brought back to moscow. nicola sturgeon calls for scotland to stay in the single market,

even if the rest of the uk leaves. and, a new treatment for prostate cancer that doctors are calling truly transformative. coming up in sportsday on bbc news. a former england cricket captain tells the bbc he expects current skipper, alastair cook, to stand down after the 4—0 series defeat in india. good evening. german police say the driver of the lorry that crashed into a christmas market in berlin yesterday may still be at large. they've released the only suspect but insist they are following other leads. meanwhile, so—called islamic state has claimed responsibility, saying one of its soldiers carried out the attack.

12 people were killed and nearly 50 injured, half of them seriously, when the lorry drove at 40mph through the popular market at breitscheidplatz, near west berlin's main shopping streetjust after 8.00pm last night. this evening, angela merkel and other german political leaders have attended a memorial service at a church next to the market. here's our berlin correspondent, jenny hill with the latest. first light this morning and the sheer violence of this attack dawns. the lorry crashed through the christmas crowds here, shattering everything, everyone in its path. this footage was taken in the immediate aftermath of the attack. bodies lie scattered under the twinkling lights. moments earlier, these people were

eating, drinking, shopping, at one of berlin's most popular christmas markets. it's amazing how a peaceful festive happy atmospherejust it's amazing how a peaceful festive happy atmosphere just changed insta ntly a nd happy atmosphere just changed instantly and you have this scene of utter devastation. sara and rees may never forget what they saw. obviously there was people lying on the floor. we weren't sure if it was red wine or if it was blood but we did see — i rememberthere were people trying to pick up the stalls, we decided to try to lift the stall up we decided to try to lift the stall up with them and we realised, you know, other people unfortunately underneath were already passed. the lorry itself is key to the investigation. it appears to have been hijacked, it belongs to a polish firm. today, the owner identified the man who should have been at the wheel. he was found shot deadin been at the wheel. he was found shot dead in the passenger seat. even the police admit they still

don't know who was driving. last night, they arrested a pakistani man who came to germany to seek asylum earlier this year. this evening, they released him without charge. the so—called islamic state group have claimed the attack. but tonight investigators say the individuals who did this are still at large. translation: we don't know with any certainty whether we are dealing with one perpetrator or with several. we don't know with any certainty whether he or they had any support. and now, just like nice, paris, brussels, berlin mourns. and the german chancellor must vr must reassure her citizens. angela merkel is under pressure. just the suggestion that an asylum seeker may have been responsible has reignited a national debate over whether her refugee policy has put the country at risk. translation: it would be

particularly ha rd to translation: it would be particularly hard to bear if it turned out that the person who did this was someone who sought protection and asylum in germany. it would be particularly offensive to the many germans engaged daily in the many germans engaged daily in the task of helping refugees. tonight, a stillness in the heart of berlin. what, after all, is there to say? another terror attack in another european capital and 2a hours later it seems no one here knows who did this or where they are now. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. the suggestion that the attacker could be a refugee has intensified the political pressure on the german chancellor, angela merkel. her open door policy on migration has seen nearly a million arrivals in the country over the last year. today, a right—wing party said they held mrs merkel personally responsible. with elections in germany due next year, our europe correspondent damian grammaticas looks at the political reaction to the berlin attack.

this evening a time of mourning, instead of advent celebrations. just yards from where the so—called islamic state claim it is killed a dozen berliners, germans of all faiths gathered for this memorial. translation: we stand here together to send a strong signal that hate and terror will not drive us apart. our unity is stronger than hate. angela merkel said she had no simple a nswe rs angela merkel said she had no simple a nswers why angela merkel said she had no simple answers why a murderer brought death toa answers why a murderer brought death to a christmas market. nearby the city's main shopping street is cordoned off. the attack was a blow to the very heart of germany, that's why it is felt so deeply here. searching for clues about their suspect, this is where police raided

at 3.00am, berlin's biggest asylum centre, the old airport. ahmed shared a room with a man, he was woken and questioned for two hours. i am very angry, angry about what's happened yesterday. and i am very angry today about what's happened to me. whaped to you? i didn't do anything. take me like a criminal man. germany has taken in over a million people since the migrant crisis began. before this week, three lone individuals had carried out attacks. no germans had died. angela merkel personally identified with the refugee policy has until now stuck to her welcome. from an afg ha n now stuck to her welcome. from an afghan refugee she received thanks last month but today she was blamed for the attack by germany's far—right, hoping to turn successes

in recent regional polls into national votes next year, they want tough new border controls. this chaotic migration policy is one of the factors because something like this can happen. we don't know who is in our country, of many, many people. we don't know what background they have, we don't know if terrorists are in germany and we have to stop this. here in germany a lasting impact of this attack may be political. questions of security seized op by those seeking to drain support from angela merkel in federal elections next year. further afield across europe, it serves as a reminder to political leaders that their support remains vulnerable to a cts their support remains vulnerable to acts of terror and violence. a majority of germans have supported the welcome policy, provided it's for refugees fleeing war, voicing it even today. when people flee their countries and you see the danger there, we are obliged to help them, she says.

others worry about the threats. our politicians need to wake up, he adds, fear is growing but they're not spending on security. it all means the question of who carried out the attack, whether it was someone carried out the attack, whether it was someone welcomed as a refugee, is crucial for angela merkel and was someone welcomed as a refugee, is crucialfor angela merkel and her vision of a free, open germany. after the attack, authorities throughout europe, including britain, have been revisiting their security arrangements for christmas and new year. here, the threat level remains unchanged at severe, which means a terror attack is highly likely. here's our security correspondent gordon corera. the christmas events that are supposed to be a time ofjoy are now tinged with anxiety. the warning signs were there. just a month ago, the us advised its citizens to be careful around holiday markets in europe. so could the attack in berlin have been prevented and can future events be kept safe? this reconnaissance video was for a planned bomb attack

on strasbourg's christmas market in france, in 2000. that was foiled. this year, security was tightened there, with restrictions on vehicles and checks on people going in. it's raised questions about whether germany did enough to protect berlin. translation: we did increase security measures, but we cannot turn christmas markets into fortresses. we have an unlimited number of soft targets, there are so many possibilities to kill people with a truck. france's bastille day, in nice, showed the carnage a lorry could cause, 86 were killed. so—called islamic state also claimed responsibility for that attack, although authorities never found much evidence of direct contact with the driver. in the uk, there have been years of work to protect crowded places. that included this project, developing bollards and blocks, which can absorb the massive impact of a truck and stop it

reaching its target, but one former head of counter—terrorism says we can't rely on these measures alone. well, more bollards and troops on the streets is not, absolutely not, the answer to this threat. you have to build your intelligence capabilities more. you have to encourage people to come forward. here, at mi5, they'll be carefully studying the details of the berlin, trying to understand who the attacker was and if they were connected to anyone else. they'll also be hoping that their intelligence gathering will be able to stop something similar happening here. a dozen terrorist plots have been stopped in the last three years, but the threat level remains at "severe" meaning an attack is considered highly likely. at birmingham's christmas market, bollards were already in place. manchester police say they are now increasing patrols. in london, plans to shut off roads around buckingham palace during the changing of the guard have been brought forward

because of berlin. security officials believe the uk is more prepared than the rest of europe, but they also caution that no—one should be complacent about the threat. gordon corera, bbc news. let's talk to our berlin correspondent, jenny hill. with the only suspect now released and the attacker possibly on the run and armed, where is the police investigation tonight? well, tonight they're saying they're looking into more than 500 telephone calls with information from members of the public. they say they're following up several leads but they're not telling us what those leads are. in truth, i think there is precious little reassurance for the german public this evening. it's as if the driver of that lorry fled the scene on foot and simply disappeared into thin air. you know, as you would expect, there is anger and sadness here at the loss of

life, bear in mind there is still people seriously ill, injured in hospital, there is horror too. it's another terror attack in another european capital just a another terror attack in another european capitaljust a few days before christmas. but i think above all tonight and it's largely because the authorities cannot tell the german public who is really responsible for this, i think the overwhelming sense here tonight is perhaps one of fear. thank you. turkish police have detained six people following the killing of the russian ambassador in ankara yesterday. it's believed those being questioned are related to the off—duty police officer who opened fire. as the body of ambassador andrei karlov was flown back home, both the kremlin and turkish officials said the assassination would not derail their negotiations about the war in syria. from ankara, mark lowen reports. a farewell to russia's ambassador, but in a way nobody could envisage. andrei karlov‘s body was flown back to moscow,

the victim of an assassination. his government called him an "eternal symbol of russian— turkish friendship." his widow was barely able to watch. he was opening an exhibition in ankara last night, behind him, smartly dressed, his killer, a turkish policeman having cleared security with his police id. the gunman paces calmly, gearing up to strike, occasionally fumbling in his pocket. suddenly, he shoots. at the russian embassy today, tight security and tributes to an ambassador who'd served here for three years as russia and turkey fell out over syria. they back opposite sides in the war, but have recently reconciled. those who knew him called mr karlov a brilliant diplomat. this is a big tragedy for all of us. for all russian people. do you understand why there is anger against russia here? ah...

i think i understand, but it is difficult to talk right now. the turkey—russia relationship has always been tricky, but this murder might actually bring them closer against the common enemy of terror. in syria they're helping each other achieve their goals — russian and regime control of aleppo, turkish influence in the north and, lacking many other allies at the moment, turkey and russia need each other. andrei karlov was one of russia's most seasoned diplomats, called softly spoken and professional. the russian embassy street here will be renamed in his honour. both countries have painted this as an attempt to derail ties. president erdogan said he and vladimir putin agreed it was a provocation. turkey's foreign minister has even suggested the gunman had links to the plotters behind the recent attempted coup. turkey's pliant press found its own conspiracies. some called it a cia operation,

others a job by the west. the russian president said an investigation was under way into a treacherous murder and he urged solidarity. could the killer have been brainwashed in the police? these online videos seem to show policemen made to chant nationalist, islamist slogans. one theory is that perhaps hatred was stirred up here. was he a lone wolf, a jihadist sympathiser? either way, a 22—year—old policeman became an assassin and russia wants answers. mark lowen, bbc news, ankara. we can talk to our correspondent, steve rosenberg, in moscow. this could potentially be a dangerous moment for russian—turkish relations, but so far the leaders of the two countries seem to be sticking together. so far. yes. that is significant

because it's no secret that russia and turkey have had a pretty difficult and sometimes explosive relationship over syria. think back just over a year, to when the turkish airforce shut just over a year, to when the turkish air force shut down a russian bomber. more recently, the two countries have tried to put all of that behind them and forge a new relationship, a new partnership, basically because their two presidents, putin and erdogan, calculated it's in both of their bests interests to do that. so ever since last night, moscow and ankara have been going out of their way to display a united front to make it clear that they do not want to fall out again. the russians have a lot riding on this display of unity because they are convinced here that the new moscow—led diplomacy on syria, the so—called russia, iran and turkey, which met in moscow today, is on the verge of a

diplomatic breakthrough on syria. if it can be achieved, it is a big "if" could elevate russia to the position of key power broker and player in the middle east. vladimir putin would like nothing better than to end the syrian conflict on his terms, but i think we're still a long way away from that scenario. steve rosenberg, in moscow, thank you. doctors have described a new treatment for early stage prostate cancer as "truly tra nsformative" and they hope it could be used to treat other cancers. the technique, developed by researchers from university college london, uses a laser to activate a drug made from deep—sea bacteria. trials, involving more than 400 men, found it destroyed tumours without causing severe side effects. 0ur medical correspondent, fergus walsh, has the story. 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 capeham 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 oncology, 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. fergus walsh, bbc news. a brief look at some of the day's other news stories. a court has ruled that doctors should stop providing life support treatment to a policeman who has been in a minimally conscious state for more than a year. paul briggs, who is a gulf war veteran, suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident. his wife had argued for him to be allowed to die. police in the swiss city of zurich say there's no evidence that a gunman, who wounded three worshippers at a mosque on monday, was linked to islamists or far—right extremists. the head of the regional police said the suspected attacker, who later killed himself, had an interest in the occult. a strike by baggage handlers and check—in staff at 18 airports has been called off. employees of swissport were due to walk—out on friday and saturday, but the action has been suspended after the company made a new pay offer. nicola sturgeon has set out plans to protect scotland's relationship with the european union post brexit.

the first minister says she is "determined" that scotland will remain in the single market even if the rest of the uk leaves and claims 80,000 jobs are dependent on it. downing street says the prime minister will look at the proposals, but that it's not right to accept "differential relationships" with brussels for separate parts of britain. 0ur scotland editor, sarah smith, has more. nicola sturgeon has a plan, she says it's the only serious plan for brexit any government has yet come up with. and she argues, just because the uk is leaving the eu, it does not have to leave the single market. 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. scotland could stay in the single market even if the rest of the uk chooses to leave. today's proposals, from nicola sturgeon, are nothing like the red, white and blue brexit

theresa may talks about, they're more of a bespoke, scottish tartan version. for scotland to be able to stay in the single market, substantial new powers would need to be devolved. control over immigration, business regulation and employment law would all need to be transferred north of the border. the mechanics of how it all might work are complex. the scottish government say it's essential for businesses, like this tartan mill in the scottish borders, who export into the eu. they claim firms like this could employ eu nationals who would not have the right to work elsewhere in the uk, but it won't be easy. it'd be legally and politically and technically extremely difficult for scotland to stay in the single market if the united kingdom is leaving the eu because there'd be one set of business regulations applying to scotland and another set applying to england. that would only be possible if there was a complete devolution of all powers on business regulation. if nicola sturgeon can get

a totally different tartan brexit deal for scotland, that would be a major political victory. if the prime minister ignores her demands, that's not necessarily a total defeat. nicola sturgeon can use that to strengthen her arguments for a second referendum on scottish independence. the prime minister today dismissed the idea of a separate scottish deal and warned against a rush to independence. if scotland were to become independent, then not only would it no longer be a member of the european union, it would no longer be a member of the single market of the european union and it would no longer be a member of the single market of the united kingdom, and the single market of the united kingdom is worth four times as much to scotland as the single market of the european union. trying to weave together the different demands for brexit could yet strain the bonds that hold the uk together. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. the queen is stepping down as patron of 25 charities

and other organisations, including the nspcc and save the children. the queen, who is patron of more than 600 organisations, has chosen to pass on the responsibility to younger members of the royal family. this comes at the end of a year of celebrations to mark her 90th birthday. the former wimbledon champion, petra kvitova, has undergone four hours of surgery on her hand this evening after she was stabbed by an intruder at her home in the czech republic. she suffered severe lacerations to herfingers on the hand she uses to hold her racquet. 2016 has been a year of political shocks, here the vote for brexit in thejune

referendum and in the united states the election of donald trump. one of the common themes in both campaigns was the appeal to communities — often with strong industrial pasts — who feel impoverished by globalisation. in the second of a series on how the world has changed over the last year, our special correspondent, allan little, looks at the challenge — in both countries — to some of the economic and political certainties of the past a0 years. it is dawn in western pennsylvania, in the season to hunt deer. it's looking right at me. chuck eriksson has been doing this for a0 years. this is donald trump country now. there's the other one. blue collar, small town, plain speaking, patriotic. a world that other america — big city, prosperous, liberal — scarcely knows and donald trump has promised to rebuild its lost industrial greatness. we have the best steel—making coal in western pennsylvania of anywhere in the world and there's none getting out. that process to make steel can come back to our shores and i think that'd be tremendous for everybody. i think he can probably bring that back in his first 100 days of his administration.

so you think that what's possible under donald trump is the reindustrialisation of america? i do. that's a good way to put it. the iron and steel forged in your mills formed the backbone of our nation. trump's promise to build barriers, to reverse this long industrial dereliction, is a retreat to economic nationalism. by the way, we're putting your miners back to work. clean coal, clean coal. beautiful clean coal. it challenges a ito—year orthodoxy — the liberal market consensus of margaret thatcher and ronald reagan. the economic revolution that britain and america went through in the 1980s did make both countries richer, in the sense that the overall aggregate wealth grew. it wasn't supposed to matter that that wealth would be unevenly distributed because greater wealth at the top would trickle down, a rising economic tide would lift all boats. well, not all boats were lifted. places like this, in both

britain and america, got left behind and it was places like this that voted for donald trump and voted brexit. here in britain, as in the us, the irony is this — that the two countries who pursued the globalising agenda most vigorously are now the first to have felt an angry backlash against one of its consequences. ferdinand mount was one of the architects of that agenda, he was head of mrs thatcher's number ten policy unit. it was really a, sort of, a transatlantic borrowing from ronald reagan, who believed that the rising tide would lift all boats. i think that was over optimistic. it did fail to provide fresh jobs for voters in michigan and west virgina and ohio, just as its failed to provide jobs in ayrshire or other parts which have suffered from the decline of heavy industry. it is a huge crisis for the left, the democrats and new labour both

came to see class grievance as a vote loser in the search for a more modern, progressive politics. in england, ukip is moving into labour's old ground. the lack ofjobs and lack of opportunities for our young ones is absolutely horrendous. with the mass migration under the labour party, under blair in particular, all the wages were compressed. so the poorer in this town were getting poorer and to be let down by the party i loved as a boy and cherished, is unforegivable. i think immigration as well is a big problem. i think it'sjust a case of that ukip fills in the gap where labour once was for the working—class. in britain and america, 2016 has upended the post cold war and liberal order. politics are realigning. we know what we're in transition from, not yet

what we're in transition to. allan little, bbc news. now, just before we go, a reminder of our main story tonight. the aftermath of the terror attack at a christmas market in berlin in which 12 people died. a candlelit vigil is being held tonight on the square where the attack took place. local residents and visitors have gathered to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and the dozens of injured when a lorry ploughed into the crowd. chancellor angela merkel and other senior german officials attended a service of remembrance held at the kaiser wilhelm church, which is located next to the square. she urged germans not to be paralysed by fear. tonight, berlin's brandenberg gate is illuminated with the colours of the german flag in tribute to those who lost their lives and the dozens of people injured. good night.