hello, you're watching bbc world news. i'm adnan nawaz. our top story this hour: a europe—wide manhunt is underway for anis amri, the prime suspect in the truck attack on a berlin christmas market. german officials say the 24—year—old tunisian may be armed and dangerous. they've offered a six—figure reward for information leading to his arrest. welcome to the programme. our other main stories this hour: donald trump appoints the economist peter navarro, an outspoken critic of china, as the head of a new white house trade council. the russian president orders tighter restrictions on alcohol after 65 deaths from toxic bath lotion. i'm sally bundock. in business, bah humbug! no early christmas present on wall street as the dow's rally fizzles just short of 20,000. plus, an expensive day in court. a brazilian firm agrees to pay around $3 billion to settle

corruption charges, the biggest bribery fine in history. he is europe's most wanted man. anis amri is a 24—year—old tunisian suspected of being behind the berlin truck attack. german police have been accused of incompetence after it emerged he'd been under surveillance for six months this year and had known links to islamist networks. there's now a 100,000 euro reward for information leading to his capture. catriona renton reports. still on the run, the most wanted man in europe. two images of anis amri are shown on this post. police are offering a reward of 100,000 euros, and warned that he may be armed and dangerous. he has used six different aliases, and three different aliases, and three different nationalities. vital clues

about the suspect were found inside the hijacked lorry. his residency permit was found in its cab. more details are emerging rapidly about anna sam reid. his family says he left tunisia for italy in 2011, where he was jailed for four maxxia is far arson. last year he moved to germany where his claim for asylum was rejected. but german officials did not have the correct paperwork to deport him. he had links to an islamist network and was known to the authorities. he was under surveillance, as it was believed he was planning to buy guns, possibly for use in an attack. but this was stopped because of a lack of evidence. 12 people were killed and dozens injured in an attack on the christmas market on monday evening. so far only one of those who died has been identified, the man who should have been driving the lorry, from poland. missing, feared dead by

herfamily, from poland. missing, feared dead by her family, fabrizio zanotti and so from italy. dali baillieu kim from israel also has not been seen since. her husband rami is seriously ill in hospital. valuable time was lost when police arrested and later released another man, giving their chief suspect is time to get away. now there are criticisms, like those from the editor of this german online news site. germans haven't really grasped yet be serious size of this law enforcement screwup. germany is not used to terrorism. the last major terrorist attacks we re the last major terrorist attacks were in the 1970s. they are still getting used to this new reality and have not moved onto dealing with law—enforcement. have not moved onto dealing with law-enforcement. last night the christmas market reopened, no longer a place filled with noise and laughter. instead, berliners came to

repay their quiet —— came to pay their quiet respects to the victims, as the investigation goes on. donald trump has chosen peter navarro to head the newly formed white house trade council. the economist has written a number of books describing china as a threat to the us economy, and the president—elect has threatened to hit china — and mexico — with high tariffs once he takes office. 0ur washington correspondent, laura bicker has more. donald trump's transition team praised peter navarro as a visionary economists. he has authored several books, including death by china: how america lost its manufacturing base, which was made into a documentary film. mrtrump has which was made into a documentary film. mr trump has threatened to hit china and mexico with high tariffs once he takes office, and this appointment is another sign he intends to shake up relations with beijing. mr navarro has argued china has more to lose in a trade

conflict, because they depend so much on the us market. 0ther conflict, because they depend so much on the us market. other leading economists have described his thinking as flawed. sally is here. if you write a book called death by china, it doesn't really leave much room for speculation about your position. you line no, it doesn't. that book then became a documentary that was widely viewed in the united states. so what more do we know about this appointment of peter navarro as, we have just heard, the appointment of peter navarro as, we havejust heard, the head of this newlyformed council, the white house national trade council? well, he is an academic, he is a former investment adviser. he has authored several books, including one called death by china, about what he sees as the threat by china to the us economy. in an opinion piece in foreign policy magazine last month, mr navarro and another trump adviser, alexander gray, reiterated the president—elect‘s

opposition to major trade deals, including the tra ns—pacific partnership. here's a quote: few other economists have endorsed his ideas, "these deals only weaken our manufacturing base and our ability to defend ourselves and our allies". few other economists have endorsed his ideas, though, one dismissing a recent paper on tax and trade as "the type of magical thinking best reserved for fictional realities." so, as ever, a controversial appointment. we will talk more about that in world business report. we start on wall street, where it seems the grinch has — temporarily, at least — stolen christmas. they have been calling it a ‘santa rally‘ and after a week

of record closes investors were expecting to celebrate the dow jones industrial average hitting 20,000 points for the first time. instead they got this — the dow closed down 32 points at 19,941.96. it got within 15 points of 20,000, before falling back. market watchers say investors have been cashing in their profits after what has been the biggest post—election rally in more than a century. since donald trump was elected, the dow is up 9%, putting gains for this year at almost 15%. the us dollar has also been soaring. against major currencies it's at a 1a—year high. against the pound in particular, it's up over 16% this year. and the price of oil has rebounded massively. gains for brent crude this year are close to 50%. some experts are warning, though, that the us stock market in particular is getting ahead of itself. more in 20 minutes time. we will also be looking at another

story coming out of new york, where a brazilian firm has been hit by the biggest bribery fine in history. 0debrecht, which is the largest engineering firm in latin america, and its affiliate braskem, were before a court in brooklyn on wednesday where they agreed to pay more than $3 billion to settle charges under the us foreign corrupt practices act. they have admitted paying out hundreds of millions of dollars to brazilian state oil firm petrobras and others to secure lucrative business deals. i will see you in 20 minutes. rounding up some of the other main story is now in brief. —— stories. the russian ambassador to turkey will be officially laid to rest in moscow later today.

andrei karlov‘s body was flown home on tuesday following his assassination by a turkish policeman in ankara, apparently in revenge for russia's actions in syria. russia's president vladimir putin will attend the funeral. senators in north carolina have voted against repealing a law that requires transgender people to use a public toilet matching their sex at birth. supporters of the measure argue it upholds family values and public safety. the legislation has led to sporting and economic boycotts. the american singer—songwriter james taylor has cancelled a concert in the philippines. he says he feels called upon to make a political stand against the extra—judicial killings that have taken place since rodrigo duterte became president. mr taylor says the summary executions of suspected offenders are unacceptable. the turkish army says 1a of its soldiers have been killed in fighting with islamic state militants near the northern syrian town of al—bab. it's thought to be the heaviest loss turkey has sustained in a single day since intervening directly in syria in august. here's our arab affairs editor, sebastian usher. these are by far the worst losses turkey has suffered in a single day

since it launched its dramatic military intervention into the syrian conflict in august. turkish forces and the rebels they back achieved quick and resounding victories over both islamic state fighters and kurdish militants. their sights have since been set on the town of al—bab, the next big is stronghold in the region. the battle has been going on for weeks as is has used its most destructive tactics in response — suicide bombers and vehicles laden with explosives. the turkish military says its operations brought heavy losses on is and that it is close to breaking the group's resistance in al—bab. if ankara succeeds, the question remains as to how far it wishes to go in syria and whether it will play a role in the eventual operation to drive is out of its de facto capital in the country, raqqa. that report from sebastian usher. it's been an anguished, stop—start process, in sub—zero temperatures, but the evacuation of eastern aleppo in syria seems to be making fresh progress.

a convoy of buses has now left the rebel held areas and aid groups say the last hospital patients have departed. 0ur correspondent, james longman, is monitoring events from beirut. we've heard in the last few minutes that the critically injured and the very ill have all been evacuated from east aleppo. now it is just a question of the remaining civilians and rebels who are still in east aleppo. it has always been very difficult to have a true idea of the numbers of people who are in that part of the city. the united nations estimates something in the region of 50,000 need to come out. the red cross and icic, who are managing evacuations, tell us that as long as people want to come out they will send buses back in for them. they don't have an accurate number. we are watching the pictures to see how much longer the buses go in and out. i think it is fair to say we are coming towards the end of this evacuation process. these people arejoining the thousands who have already been evacuated, heading to the medical evacuation point to the west of

aleppo. they were given all the things they were missing out on while living in east aleppo, food, water, medical supplies. a lot of people were in a very bad way. remember, east aleppo was under siege for months and months, cut off from everything people needed. a lot of people got severely injured, if not physically, then mentally. people in a very bad way. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, the young woman from saudi arabia with more than a million followers on social media, who says her anonymity gives her herfreedom. we saw this enormous tidal wave approaching the beach, and people started to run, and suddenly it was complete chaos. united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noreiga. the pentagon said the operation had been 90% successful, but it's failed in its principal

objective, to capture general noreiga and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of the pan—am's maid of the seas, nose—down in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide, falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town where there were anti—communist riots ten days ago. world news. the headlines: german police are facing grave questions

about why they stopped surveillance on the tunisian man suspected of involvement in the truck attack in berlin which killed 12 people. an economists who wants the united states to take a hard line on china with trade issues has been appointed by donald trump to head the white house national trade council. president putin has ordered the russian government to restrict the sale of alcohol not intended for human consumption, after more than 60 people died and a0 more were hospitalised in siberia. the victims drank bath lotion containing toxic methylated spirit. andy beatt reports. the mass poisoning in the snowy siberian city of irkutsk is the worst in modern russian history. dozens of people seeking a cheap high bought this bath oil with an advertised ethanol content of 93%, they did not know it also contained highly toxic methanol. translation: i went to the shop and bought, i am ashamed to say what it was, and drank it

with my husband and his mother. she unfortunately died. i called an ambulance for my husband but ended up here myself. i don't know what's happened to him. translation: i woke at dawn with a severe headache and i realised i was losing my vision. when i was looking at the light it felt like i was blinded by car headlights. a0 people are still receiving treatment. according to russia's health ministry half are not expected to live. translation: the large number of fatalities can be explained by the high concentration of methanol in the liquid they drank. 30—50ml of methanol is considered a lethal dosage. those people consumed much more than that. a massive police operation is now underway, raiding premises and seizing bottles. 12 people have been detained. translation: investigators along

with police officers are performing searches at markets. they have already confiscated about 2000 bottles. everything has been sent for analysis. the case has prompted nationwide soul—searching, putting russia's relationship with alcohol firmly under the spotlight. previous measures to cum its abuse by raising taxes and banning late licences have only fuelled bootleg sales. up to 12 million russians are thought to turn to alternatives like perfume, aftershave, or antifreeze. moscow has demanded action. president putin ordering tougher laws on the sale and production of many alcoholic products. despite the risks, for now at least, heavy drinking remains part of many people's lives. andy beatt, bbc news some other stories more briefly: mexican authorities have identified 18 of the 32 people killed in a series of explosions at a fireworks market on tuesday.

rescue workers are still searching for bodies and possible survivors in the wreckage of the market near mexico city. it's still not clear what caused the initial explosion. thick smog that's been blanketing beijing since the weekend may be about to ease, although pollution in the chinese capital remains 15 times above maximum safety levels. the near—record levels of toxic air prompted the authorities to ground planes, shut factories, close schools and regulate traffic. police in canberra investigating a blast at the headquarters of the australian christian lobby now believe the incident was not politically or religiously motivated. the driver of a van filled with gas canisters is in a critical condition after it blew up. the christian group has drawn criticism for its opposition to same—sex marriage, and believes it was deliberately targeted. sport now, and bayern munich have won germany's top of the table showdown against leipzig, winning 3—0 to go three points clear at the top. colm harrison reports.

as on tuesday, wednesday's bundesliga matches from munich were preceded by a moment of silence. at the top—of—the—table clash at allianz arena, it tookjust 16 minutes for bayern munich to take the lead against rb leipzig. after robert lewandowski hit the post, thiago alcantara caught the rebound from close range. bayern munich were clearly in no mood to play second fiddle to the upstarts who have challenged the champions this season, and seven minutes later lewandowski set up alonso for bayern munich‘s second. leipzig earned a straight red card, and the visitors were forced to play

for an hour with only ten men. leipzig looked like holding out until half—time, until a clumsy challenge by their goalkeeper on douglas costa resulted in a penalty. lewandowski put away the spot kick for his 12th league goal of the season. despite playing against ten men for the whole of the second half, bayern failed to add to their tally. but it was mission accomplished for hertha berlin, and they are three points clear at the top. at the olympic stadium in berlin, this stunning freekick set them on their way to victory. the home side were on target, and are now third in the table. the two time wimbledon champion petra kvitova will be out for at least six months, as she recovers from surgery following a knife attack at her home on tuesday. she'll miss the first two grand slams of the year, the australian open injanuary and the french open in may. kvitova underwent nearly four hours of surgery on her left hand, her racquet—holding hand, after she'd stabbed by a burglar

at her home in the czech republic. the surgeon said the operation went very well, with no complications. it will be about three months before she can even grip a racquet. organisers of the tokyo 2020 olympic games have announced a cut in their budget. there's been pressure from the international olympic committee on them to do so. to around $17 billion. the figure is still more than double the original estimate made during the bidding process, although that had not included security and transportation costs. the ioc is concerned that japan's spending could have scared off future bidders. we committed as the four—party political working group to continue to work together towards optimising and funding opportunities for further savings. i was very pleased with that. the four—party political working group will continue to operate and play an important role going forward in the budget process. they say you're only as old as you feel, and one academic in australia has just won an age discrimination battle, to keep on working at 102.

professor david goodall was told he was a health and safety risk by his employer, edith cowen university in western australia. hywel griffith reports. after seven decades as an ecologist, david goodall says his natural environment is here, on campus, surrounded by academic life. in august, the centenarian was told it was no longer safe for him to come in to work at the edith cowan university, and he was asked to stay at home. but, after his case won international support, the management has now relented, and found him this new office. i have only been here one day, so it's a bit difficult for me to express any particular concerns, but i think that they will try to make me at home. the journey from home will be much quicker.

reaching his old office involved a 90—minute commute, on a train and two buses. the university says they have always had his interests at heart. first of all, it's closer to his residence, so it's easier for him to commute. secondly, there's an office very close to it, manned most of the time, so we'll be able to keep an eye on him and make sure he is ok. having forced to give up his other love, of acting, professor goodall is determined to keep his mind active. at 102, he is not out yet. in saudi arabia, where women still can't drive or make critical life decisions without the permission of their male relatives, one young woman has become a social media sensation. amy roko, who keeps her real name private, posts short comedy sketches and has more than a million followers. she says her niqab, the face veil, is what gives her freedom. hi, what's up you guys? my name is

amy roko and iron a really cool person ——i am a really cool person. (music) there are good reactions, amazing reactions, but there are often not so reactions, but there are often not so good reactions, and i don't pay attention to the not very good ones because they don't completely understand what i'm doing. and maybe they define modesty in a different way. since we can't drive here, we have other methods of transport, i

guess. be wise, there are a lot of untouched materials, i guess. i could go there and the did, i could let it go there. how does it feel? it feels amazing. i can do this and nobody else can —— legit. i always wa nted nobody else can —— legit. i always wanted to be in the media. way before instagram, way before. i'm talking, i was 17 or 18 and i talked to some television companies, cable 01’ to some television companies, cable or something, and i was like, to some television companies, cable orsomething, and i was like, i to some television companies, cable or something, and i was like, i want to work. and they were like, listen, with this, there is no chance. does it give me freedom? yes it does. i like to think this does not suppress and does not stop you from being the

person that you are. to me, it really helps me be exactly who i am and to be my personality, the personality that i couldn't show people before. that was saudi arabian social media sensation amy roko. and before we go, let's just show you these pictures from canada. christmas came early for this giant panda, keepers at toronto zoo put a snowman in his enclosure. apparently, he wasn't enjoying the winter weather. well, he is now! all was going well until he got a little too excited, and his new friend ended up in a heap. even that didn't stop him though and he continued to attack the remaining giant snow ball. the zoo posted the entire affair on you tube and since then millions from around the world have been entertained by the antics. it's not snowing here in london, it

doesn't look like a white christmas for us. it's looking pretty unsettled for the run—up to christmas, as we've been forecasting. it's already very windy across northern parts of the uk, plenty of gales blowing across scotland and northern ireland, blowing in lots of showers, frequent ones, heavy, some thunder and hail mixed in, and snow over the higher ground. a few showers across western britain as well, but i think for the midlands, the south and the east, it should stay dry. quite chilly, though, with temperatures not far off freezing by the end of the night, and there will be some mist and fog forming, too. but across the north it will remain very windy. some icy patches to watch out for as well. these showers will be wintry, some snow over the higher ground, maybe down to lower levels as well. there will be plenty of showers across northern ireland, some of these moving across the irish sea into north—west england, for wales, and into south—west england as well. now, for the midlands eastwards, though, it is a dry start, really chilly, but at least it will be bright through the morning,

with some sunshine around. but watch out for the mist and fog across the south—east corner. some of it could be quite dense. but i don't think it will last that long, because the breeze will continue to pick up all the while, so that should clear. showers, though, will continue to move eastwards, but i think many southern and eastern areas should remain dry, and those showers becoming fewer as we head on in towards the afternoon. things are set to get worse as we head towards friday. the met office has issued a be prepared wind warning for storm barbara, the second named storm of the season. it is likely to pack a punch across the north and east of the uk. this weather front will eventually bring rain to the whole of the uk but it is the northern half of the country which will be battered by the strongest of the winds. tra ns—pennine routes will see the strongest of the winds. high vehicles must watch out for that. in the north of scotland, 90 and 80 mile an hour gusts. 70 potentially for northern ireland,

60 for northern wales and the north of england. these are potentially disruptive gusts. christmas eve remains windy and cold across the country, across northern areas. plenty of showers here, snow on the high ground. sunshine for the south and temperatures just into double figures. on christmas day itself the next area of low pressure moves in to bring us all windy weather. a spell of rain, too. exceptionally mild across the south of the south—east but across scotland it will turn colder in the day and we could see some snow showers moving in on christmas day, so keep tuned to the weather forecast. this is bbc world news. the headlines: a europe—wide manhunt is underway for anis amri, the prime suspect in the truck attack on a christmas market in berlin. german officials say a six—figure reward is on offer for the capture of the 24—year—old tunisian. german police are facing growing questions about why they stopped surveillance on amri, whose identity card was found in the cab of the truck. he had been refused asylum because of his links to islamist networks. peter navarro, an economist who wants the us to take a hard line with china on trade issues, has been appointed by president—elect donald trump to head the white house national trade

council. the turkish military says 1a of its soldiers have been killed in fighting with so—called islamic state militants near the northern syrian town of al—bab. it's thought to be the heaviest losses turkey has sustained in a single day since intervening directly in syria in august.