anchor: this is "dw news" from berlin. terrorist strikes of the heart of istanbul. at least 10 are dead, many more injured. most of the victims are german. chancellor angela merkel tells the victims' families, we are with you. in madaya,'s starvation being used as a weapon of war? and u.s. president barack obama

prepares to get his final state of the union address. we will look at a president seeking to guide his legacy. i'm sarah kelly. good evening. welcome to the program. germany and turkey are coping with what appears to be the latest attack from islamic state. berlin has confirmed eight of its nationals are among those killed during a suicide bombing in the istanbul tourist district. the bomber was syrian and a member of the so-called islamic state. we begin with this report. reporter: the bomb attacked at the historic tourist district before noon. >> it was a suicide bomb. i went to be scene. it was chaos. people were running everywhere.

the police is actuated area because they said there was a possibility a second bomb could go off. reporter: this is one of turkey's largest tourist attractions within centuries old architecture, mosques, and museums. the explosion happened between two famous landmarks -- the blue mosque and the high sophia museum. turkish authorities agenda five the suspect as a syrian suicide bomber. the majority of the victims were german. the turkish prime minister called angela merkel to express condolences. the german chancellor said the attack would only strengthen her

country's resolved to fight terrorism. >> international terrorism chooses different targets for its attacks, but it's goal is always the same -- to attack our free life in our free societies. terrorists are enemies of all free people. they are the enemy of humanity, whether in syria or in turkey, in france or in germany. reporter: turkey is a popular holiday destination for german tourists. the german foreign ministry has warned that travelers should stay away from major tourist sites. turkish officials say that the suicide bomber was a member of the islamic state, which is already been blamed for a number of serious attacks in the country. sarah: we just heard that turkey says that this bomber was a member of the islamic state. how can they be so sure of that affiliation? reporter: according to the

turkish prime minister, they a in a five v palmer a 28-year-old syrian origin -- they identified the bomber as being a 28-year-old of syrian origin. there was a comment from the turkish deputy prime minister who says they have a list of over 1000 potential suicide bombers. they believe that there is pretty much a pretty strong case that this is the islamic state, but this will raise a lot of questions with turkish intelligence about how a person was able to cross into turkey and carry out this attack. sarah: it also raises questions about the effectiveness of the heightened security environment. we have to mind people as recently as october, 100 people were killed in the capital in

ankara, and one of the most serious attacks on turkish soil recently. what does this say about security in the country? reporter: this certainly will put a lot of pressure on the government and its handling of the security threat facing turkey. yes, this attack in october was the worst attack in the republic's history. since then the government's priority has not been the islamic state, but fighting kurdish rebels, the pkk. as i speak, there is a massive operation across the southeast of turkey involving tens of thousands of soldiers and tanks and intelligence forces. the criticism of the government, even turkey's allies, particularly the u.s., the priority should not be the rebels, but the islamic state, particularly as they carried out these dangerous attacks last year. but the government insists on

this priority of fighting the turkish rebels, not the islamic state. that policy will, and are a lot of scrutiny in the light of this latest attack. sarah: fighting a war on both -- teed up fronts. three and jones from his stumble, thank you. as we heard earlier, german chancellor angela merkel has been speaking about the bombing. she has called its "murderous act." and she is seeking to bring comfort to the relatives of the dead. >> i mourn our fellow citizens. they now have to live without the return of their loved ones from istanbul. we are at their side. we wish them comfort and strength during this difficult

challenge. i am also thinking of the injured and wished that they will recover from the effects of this murderous deed -- those to the body as well as those to the soul. sarah: that was german chancellor angela merkel talking about these attacks in assemble, and our political correspondent joins us from our parliamentary studios. simon, is there any intelligence that german citizens were specifically targeted in this attack? the vast majority of those killed were in fact germans? simon: i am not aware of any intelligence of that kind, but that is one possibility people will be looking at. some reports from istanbul say the attacker positioned himself among the tourists sin this workgroup before this attack, so presumably he would have known their nationality, would have heard the german language being

spoken. because turkish authorities have said it is islamic state behind this attack, is some extent has turkey on its list of target countries, but of course, it's also possible this was a reprisal against germany for its involvement in the & i.s. coalition -- the anti i.s. coalition in syria. germans deploying missiles against the islamic state. it is possible the attacks could have been targeted at germany and turkey at the same time. whichever way the investigation turns out, i think there is some fallout possibly for the german public support for the mission against islamic state. sarah: so, speaking of the reaction, what has been the reaction in germany, simon? simon: of course, politicians have all been condemning this

attack. chancellor merkel, as you saw there, came out and offered her condolences to the relatives of those killed. she said indeed there could be more deaths. there are at least teed of people lying in hospital seriously injured. but she said germany will not be cowed by this. the enemies of free people are the terrorists, but germany working with international partners together will be victorious in conquering them in the end. sarah: simon young for us in our parliamentary studios. think you very much for that. now many of the german victims booked their trip to istanbul through the same berlin-based travel agency. its head has been speaking to reporters about the victims and the help the company is providing to their loved ones.

>> according to the information we have right now, we are assuming our group was possibly affected by these attacks and there are victims among our group. >> what kind of group was it? what kind of vacation were they on and why have you heard from them? >> the group was on a package tour they've booked with us. they were due to fly on to dubai tomorrow. >> can you be more precise about how many people were in the group and how many of them are possibly among the injured or the fidelity's -- or the fat alities? >> there were 33 people overall in the group. after discussions with the foreign ministry, we cannot make any statement about the number

of possible victims. the authorities have declared a news embargo, which means we are also not receiving any information. two of our company executives have arrived in istanbul along with a three-person industry helped team. we have made provisions to provide counseling. right now, we are trying to ensure the people on the ground are able to get any and all help possible. >> for the relatives, there will certainly be many people who are concerned. what do you advise relatives who have booked a vacation with you? >> right now, the best thing to do is contact the crisis task force of the foreign ministry. we are doing exactly the same. as soon as further information is available, we will take further measures.

>> have you been in touch with the rest of the group or the tour guide? >> we have been in touch with the tour guide, but they are not able to talk to us right now because of the news embargo. sarah: in the meantime, the german government will ease the rules for deporting criminals. this follows major sexual assaults on new year's eve and other violent crimes largely blamed on immigrants. it will target foreigners who commit serious crimes, including assault and sexual violence. in syria, humanitarian aid has finally arrived in the besieged town of madonna -- madaya. at least 30 people died of starvation and more needed

urgent evacuation. meanwhile, the u.n. has warned there are other town suffering in syria on similar levels. reporter: for many, it was the first bite of food in weeks. the supplies arrived to late -- too late for two dozen people who are said to have starved to death. >> i know someone who caught cats, slotted them and gave them to his mother pretending it was rabbit. i know others who collected food from the rubbish and some who ate grass. >> my son has hepatitis and he has to leave. i have a medical report. there is no medication or doctors here. he has had the iv in his hand for three days now. reporter: 400 people need to

leave as desperately as possible . the situation has caught the attention of the international community, but other towns are just as hard hit. >> we have managed to get for trucks into the rebel held town's -- towns in another province. in addition to madaya, where we are now, in damascus province. reporter: rebels fighting president bashar al-assad havemadaya under control, but it has been surrounded for months. all sides are making allegations against each other. >> the information concerning the humanitarian situation in madaya is based on false

information. the reality of the besieged areas is that some of those areas are controlled by terrorist groups who are using civilians as human shields and other areas are besieged by terrorist groups who are preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance. sarah: we are back in a minute. stay with dw.

sarah: welcome back. you are with "dw news." a quick reminder of our top story -- 10 people of been killed in a dozen more injured after a suicide bombing in istanbul's tourist top. most of the injured were germans. german chancellor angela merkel and has said the terrorists are the enemies of all humanity. in the u.s., president obama is peering up for his last state of the union. for most presidents, this annual

speech is opportunity to remind voters of the past year's achievements, but it may also be a chance to tell supporters he has not forgotten some of his promises. reporter: president barack obama has a number of substantial issues to resolve during his last year in office. the civil war in syria, closing the prison in what time of day, and gun reform. in his last news conference of 2015, he promised he would not be a lame-duck. he says he wants to continue to tackle global crises and deliver on his pledges to the american people until his last day in office. >> every president says that in the last year of their election, and every president will be a lame-duck. in many ways, president obama was a lame-duck when he came in,

because he had a congress that was unwilling to work with him all the way through, and generally that is what lame-duck means. the congress has moved eons the president and is looking out for themselves or other interests. reporter: one example, obama proposed stricter gun measures after the massacre at sandy hook elementary school in 2012. 20 first-graders lost their lives in the shooting. congress blocked the measures. obama saw this as one of the biggest defeats of his presidency. that is probably why many americans are convinced obama's last state of the union address will focus once again on gun control. >> gun control, absolutely overdue. >> i think he will address gun control. yeah. reporter: obama can look back on a series of successes since taking office. the u.s. unemployment rate has fallen to 5%, and the health

care reform, obamacare, has made health insurance possible for many people who previously went without. internationally, there is finally a deal with iran on its nuclear program, as well as the historic paris agreement on climate change to curb global warming. >> and finally it is worth mentioning he still has 12 more months. even if he is a lame-duck, a lot can be done in a year and a lot can happen. reporter: and that is exactly what the president says. president obama: i don't think i have ever been more optimistic about a year ahead than i am right now. >> obama will use this address to highlight his achievements, from stabilizing the economy to reforming the health care system, and he will look to the future with optimism, stressing the values that unite, rather than divide americans, just as the battle to succeed him begins in earnest. sarah: keep it here on dw for

complete coverage of obama's address later this evening. we turn to business news and gerhart joins us. dw has yet another pickup when it comes to getting its house in order. -- vw has yet another hiccup when it comes to getting its house in order. >> yes, you could say that. the california air resources board said that proposals did not adequately address issues with safety. the environmental protection agency agreed, saying volkswagen did not have a plan to bring the vehicles into compliance. some 600,000 vehicles are equipped with these devices to cheat on emissions test. crude oil prices have been sliding and there's so low that opec -- they are so low that opec will be talking about them

at their meeting in march. only last month, around the time when opec ministers have their last meeting in vienna, a barrel of brent crude was going for $43 per barrel. among concerns of a slowdown in china growing, prices continue to slide, and now they are very near the already dollar per barrel mark. more details in this report. -- the $30 per barrel mark. more details in this report. reporter: it will affect british oil rigs. 4000 workers at the british energy giant bp are expected to lose their jobs. there are no signs that oil prices will recover anytime soon. much will depend on whether opec changes its policy and slashes production levels. >> opec has a strategy to have high market power, high market share. each country is producing oil at

its limits with the u.s. and russia. there may be an oil power game right now and we will see who will win. reporter: but this game has a price and opec members are well aware of that. cheaper oil is sending prices down around the world, impacting energy companies and suppliers. >> companies that rely on oil to run their economies are being impacted. russia is having to make steep offsets. >> airbus is taking off into the new year. it took orders for more than 1000 aircraft last year and with that, it is taking the lead in its eternal race against american rival boeing.

sales on the 83-80 are weak. only two were ordered last year. reporter: overall global demand for airbus planes is strong. the company's main challenges to tackle the backlog of orders, worth almost one trillion euros. last year, airbus delivered a record number of aircraft, but still did not beat its u.s. rival boeing in sales. when it comes out on orders, boeing comes out on top. for airbus executives, these figures are a clear sign the demand for aircraft continues to be resilient. they were also a theater about the aviation industry in general. >> the lower fuel price globally

helps them to prepare for the future. they know that there is volatility. they do not expect the barrel will remain around the $35, $40 a year forever, so we are preparing for the new generation. reporter: fuel efficiency is set to become an ever greater priority for playmakers, but for now, airbus is focused on cranking up sales of its jumbo jets. they secured three orders in 2015, only a small fraction of the original target of 25. >> south korea's samsung electronics says it will set up an independent committee to inspect facilities. it is a response that workers

have developed rare cancers. samsung has denied links between diseases and substances used i and its plans. reporter: most consumers who buy a samsung cell phone know nothing about the health and safety of workers in samsung factories. the same goes for workers themselves, who say they have been denied such information, despite more than 200 samsung workers suffering from grave illnesses, 76 of whom have died. that changes after tuesday's agreements. >> it's impressive that an agreement has been reached through this long-lasting issue through talks. i hope all parties well on her the spirit of the agreement. reporter: an external committee will report on working

conditions in samsung will give access to health and safety information. but that is not enough for the father of a 22-year-old chip worker who died of leukemia. samsung has rejected conversations -- >> samsung has rejected conversations. so we will continue to hold a rally in front of samsung headquarters. reporter: samsung insists there is no connection between the illnesses and working conditions and its factory. >> that is all for me today. back to sarah. sarah: thank you. we turn to motorsport now and another tumultuous day at the dakar rally. it was cut short due to extreme temperatures. a spanish driver took the lead from a fellow peugeot driver.

last year's winner is in third place, driving a mini. former hot favorite sebastian loeb's misery continued as he was left to stranded in a sand din. a quick reminder of our top story -- 10 people killed and more than a dozen injured after a suicide bomber in istanbul's tourist tub. eight of the debtor germans. chancellor angela merkel has condemned the attacks, saying the terrorists are enemies of all humanity. you're watching "dw news." i'm sarah kelly in berlin. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> euromaxx highlights and here is your host.ighlights and here >> greetings from berlin and welcome to our highlights edition which this time around included the following topics. great adventure. three students and their journey in an electric rickshaw. time travel. an italian photographer recreates the styles of by-gone eras. winter wonderland. the swiss city of st. gallen is worth a visit especially at this time of the year. the long wait is over for winter sport fans as ski season in many european resorts has finally begun. and once upon a time, when people hit the slopes, it was just to go skiing or snowboarding. but that is changing as resorts try to outdo one another with a