♪ >> this is "dw news" [inaudible] under rebel control, all signs pointing to an inevitable [indiscernible] of the city [indiscernible] for the rebels, it looks as if it's all over. jailed at last, a german court [indiscernible] five-year-old man who aided nazi

genocide [indiscernible] fidel castro. it's the beginning of a week of official mourning for the revolutionary leader, who died on friday at the age of 90. good to have you with us. we begin with the latest developments in the syrian city of aleppo. troops loyal to assad have retaken a large part of the rebel enclave. one third has fallen to the syrian regimes in the past two days. thousands of civilians are now playing. syrian government forces backed by russian airstrikes have been besieging the rebel held aleppo

for months. >> fleeing for their lives, thousands of civilians stream out of east aleppo into other kurdish controlled parts of the city. here they are hoping to escape the aerial bombardment and syrian government forces. >> where were you? you deserted us? >> grenades explode behind them. syrian troops have overrun east aleppo, occupying half of the rebel held part of the city in 48 hours. now it is deserted. the syrian government said that they transported those who couldn't or didn't want to flee to save areas. the people here are scared, hungry, and tired. they don't all see president assad's troops as their only threat.

some are accusing the rebels of grimes. >> the militants beat us with sticks and did not let us near humanitarian corridors. they kidnapped my daughter and i don't know what happened to her. the rebels are close to losing aleppo completely. the city's mother last remaining strongholds. if it falls it will be a major defeat for those fighting against bush are all assad. rush are all assad -- bashar al-assad. >> dw was recently told that there would be no east aleppo by christmas. was he right? >> he probably meant that it would not be held by the opposition forces any longer. it really looks like he is very correct in assuming this. it could be a couple of days until the rest of it falls to the hands of the regime. >> what does this mean for the humanitarian crisis in that part of the city?

>> it will probably continue as long as the fighting goes on, basically once it's over, the situation will get better for the civilian population. there will be no reason to bomb eastern aleppo any longer. >> the lombard since -- bombardments will stop. >> he has achieved his goals and really restructured syria in the sense that most parts of the country that he wants to get a hold of, namely the areas where his a la white coalition is to live, it's under his control now. once eastern aleppo's -- eastern aleppo falls, the western strategy of seeing him toppled and replaced by another regime will have failed. >> i spoke with several former residents of aleppo earlier today and they are concerned about acts of revenge by the assad military and regime, once it has fallen. >> definitely.

when you look at the way that wars are being waged in that part of the world, you always see these act of revenge. people killing others who they considered to not be part of their own turf, so to speak. this has been done in the past by the regime and by opponents of his regime. it is part, if you wish, of his tribal way of waging war. >> aleppo is considered one of the main battlefields in this civil war. once it has fallen completely to the military, what does it mean for the rest of the civil war? >> the war will continue for many more years to come. there are so many foreign players and actors involved in this war, including turkey and the gulf states. but it is quite obvious that no foreign force, including the united states, european union, etc., can dream of toppling him. it means he is regaining the

control of the parts of syria that he wants to control. >> it's really a question of how long the russians will continue to prop up? >> they will continue to do so. >> how realistic is that? at some point, at some point, you could say that they are going to retired of this situation. >> but they are on the winning track from their point of view. not only do they think that way, but the iranians in china. from their point of view, the investment paid off. we don't know what the next will do. will there be a new deal with russia? will the new president continue the line of hillary clinton? who was known for willing to go a tough line with russia. >> what about the next president? president-elect donald trump he wants to make a deal with

google's, even when it comes to syria. what would a deal look like? can you look into your crystal ball to help us see what a deal would look like that would help the people on the ground? >> i don't there to make any judgments on the policies of mr. trump, but there needs to be a deal between the united states and russia, if not the war will continue for another decade or so. so many are trying to have this war continue and the dying civilian population of the country will continue for many more years. >> thank you for coming in, as always. we appreciate it. he didn't kill anyone, but he's guilty anyway. the court has upheld the conviction of a man who worked at the auschwitz death camp. the 95-year-old appealed a lower court ruling that convicted him of being an accessory to mass murder in the second world war. he was sentenced to four years in jail. the conviction broke new legal

ground because he did not kill anyone himself. >> now 95, he's become known as the bookkeeper of auschwitz. he worked at the death camp in 1944. in two months that year 3000 hungarian jews were murder. he collected money stolen from the prisoners to help the nazi cause. for decades german courts left administrators like him on prosecuted. in recent years the law has changed and even those who played an indirect role in extermination can be prosecuted. >> the accused worked on the unloading ramps and by so doing, contributed to the threatening atmosphere created their to keep the deportees in the dark. in that way, he supported their main crimes. the judges say that in helping the camp function, he was a part of the machinery of death.

the verdict is a win for the organization pushing to investigate all nazi crimes. a court is yet to decide whether he will now serve out his four-year sentence. >> let's pull in our political correspondent on the story for us here tonight. good evening to you, simon. being an accessory to murder, nothing new. why is this ruling so important? flex this is the first time that a conviction of somebody as an accessory to murder in auschwitz in the not -- not see death camps has been upheld -- nazi death camps has been upheld. more than 70 years after the end of the second world war, the sort of legal process and legal approaches to these nazi crimes are still being worked out. previously these trials of

crimes relating to crimes from the nazi death camps, the idea was that somebody couldn't be convicted unless they could be proved to have directly taken part in the killings. they couldn't in particular be convicted if they were just part of the apparatus. just as an administrator or lowly guard. that idea has been overturned. he has been convicted in his conviction has been a poll -- upheld. in part because he had this supporting role. it is important from the legal point of view. >> it is remarkable as well. you can imagine that there are lots of others like him out there who may not have murdered, but they help to the murdering apparatus. are we likely to see more prosecutions as a result of this? >> well, yes, we are. authorities are already planning

other prosecutions as we go forward. of course, it's not a lot of people. many of these people are very old now. they are dying off. for instance, just earlier this year the central office responsible for hunting down these former not the camp guards identified eight people that they said were working at the not see death camp as well. that's just one example. they are still tracking these people down. they are going to bring them to justice. encouraging the prosecutors to do that. >> time is a factor. he is 95 years old. will he go to jail? >> it's possible he won't. he's very old. there will have to be another court hearing to decide whether he is actually fit to face trial. but if that hearing decides he is fit, then he will be put in prison.

>> that's the story tonight from berlin. thank you, simon. the people of cuba have begun paying their respects to fidel castro. the capital of havana had a weeklong farewell the got underway. the country process president and revolutionary later -- leader died 10 years after he stepped down from power. >> since the early hours of monday, thousands of cubans have been flocking to the monument, lining up to say goodbye to their former president. for two days the square will be the focus of mourning. but before his ashes are taken on a funeral procession across the ad -- island, even among churchgoers there is sadness at his passing. the cuban revolutionary leader was a -- in about atheist but the state's stance on religion has softened and ties with the catholic church have improved.

>> it was a hard blow for everyone. for the whole nation. referring not just to those who loved him. but it's tough even for those who didn't support him. >> cube apostle most prominent dissident group has called off its weekly marches during the morning as a gesture of respect. the first time in 13 years. >> we have decided, as fighters of human rights groups, to respect the sadness. a sadness that we don't share. out of respect, we will temporarily suspend our activities. we will not take to the streets, in order to avoid provoking the government. >> across the sea in miami, many exiled cubans are celebrating. for them, his death heralds the chance of bigger changes back home. donald trump has signaled a willingness to pursue recently revived ties.

he has to do with the cubans want. give them liberty. get the castro's out of there, taking things that are not theirs. but trump has threatened to end the spirit of reconciliation with cuba if the country does not improve conditions for its people. so, it could still be some time before these exiled cubans can set foot in the real havana. >> still to come, the outsider are likely to become the new to france tofrance. find out what the new favorite of the french right stands for. pilots extending their strike again while management asks for support to stop them. we will take a look at how things got so bad at the german flagship airline. traditional christmas markets are opening in germany. we will have some christmas spirit for you, coming right up.

that plus i think i'll the air is here with the latest business news, we will be back with that in 60 seconds. stick around. ♪ >> the dw media center. see it live. find it again. here more of it. discover it. video and audio, podcast and language courses in the dw media center and media center dw.com.

>> they both need training. skill, innovation and dedication. but this is one game that we cannot afford to lose. helping people help themselves. my goal is zero hunger. >> welcome back here with "dw news," in syria thousands of residents are fleeing aleppo after the government recaptured a key district in the eastern part of the city. a big setback for the rebels in the five-year civil war. in france, the man who says he will scrap the 35 hour workweek and crackdown on immigration is the new favorite to become the next president. he has won the conservative primaries and will stand for election in may. the former will take on the governing socialists and the far

right's marine le pen. >> the narrative has twisted again. after the unexpected win in the conservative primaries, the far right national front now has to face an opponent whose views overlap in part with its own visions. two weeks ago, he was the dark horse in a race that looked all but sewn up for the more centrist prime minister. >> it's my duty to beat the inaction and demagoguery. the left means failure. the far right means bankruptcy. i'm talking about beating these political parties. not beating the disappointed french people. the voters who are not ours today but it is my job to lead towards the future. >> despite similarities, other

leaders say he will not get the backing of the french people. as far as security and immigration is concerned, "he is a sheep in sheep's clothing. but with social concern, he's a wolf. the french will have to choose." he has pitched himself as a radical free-market reformer, bowing to/public spending. he's an advocate of getting rid of the 35 hour work week and eliminating public-sector jobs. despite the enthusiasm of his supporters, the national front says that these policies will not succeed. france is now looking ahead to 2017. in the wake of exit -- brexit in the u.s. elections, nothing should be taken for granted. >> business news, now. >> we don't know what he's going to do, but he has some ideas that some good for some, frightening for others. we have been hearing it for ages -- france needs economic reforms

to make the economy work. drastic changes could be on the way. the generous working conditions in france, like the 35 hour work -- 35 hour week, to become a thing of the past. there is one hurdle. the french love them. >> french newspapers are already speculating about a shift to the right. the man chosen to represent the conservative party has not been holding back in his promise to shake things up. >> these past five years of presidency have been pathetic and we need to put an end to it. we need to move forward again in a way that we haven't done for over 30 years. he has pledged a radical change of course. here are just some of the things he is planning to do. he wants to reduce corporation tax. and introduce radical cuts to government spending. on top of that, he's planning to

scrap half of a million public-sector jobs and abolish the 35 hour working week. but those plans have not gone down well in all quarters. >> he may be a good candidate, but he's not a good president. his cuts will hurt many people. >> unworried about my job. >> the mood in france seems to favor change. there has already been some speculation that the far right national front could be of course for an election victory. they have also promised to overhaul the economy. economic reforms are easier said than done. whoever winds up in the hot seat next spring can expect stiff opposition from the powerful trade unions. >> germany's leading airline has failed in its attempt to prevent a further strike of the pilot union. the munich court rejected the bid that was supposed to stop the walkouts land for tuesday and wednesday.

the latest round of talks also failed in the cancellation of the 1700 flights. last week flight disruptions affected hundreds of thousands of travelers. union and management have been locked in a dispute over pay and working conditions over the past couple of years. that's a lot of time, helen humphreys here to dig deeper into the south -- dig deeper into the subject. now, the first strike happened in 2014. that is a long time. how is it possible that there has been no solution? >> 2014 is when it kicked off. since then we are on the 15th strike action. it has been dragging on a long time, testing the patience of travelers. there have been high-level talks today, and we haven't gotten any nearer now to any kind of wage resolution. they are calling for 3.7% increase, backdated to 2012, because the airline has been doing well, posting a record

year. the truth of it is that if this was easy, there would have been a resolution found by now. lufthansa says they cannot afford the wage increase interfacing competition from the likes of ryanair, as well as emirates. >> you just mentioned that they've had a quite good year. they will also probably be profitable this year. should there not be a turning point when it switches from just a mere image problem to actual financial problems? >> for the moment these strikes are costing them 10 billion euros every day. this goes much further than that. we're talking about reputational damage. kayak says they saw 97% fewer visitors booking with lufthansa last week. it shows you how it can hit profits in the future. you would think that a resolution would be needed soon.

we just don't seem to be getting there. tuesday and wednesday, 1700 flights are set to be canceled. >> seems like a never-ending story there. thank you very much. zimbabwe has issued its own currency for the first time since 2009. that's what it looks like. banks started issuing the new money on monday. the move is a bid to resolve the worsening cash shortage there. during the 2000 a global financial crisis the central bank printed so much of its own money that inflation skyrocketed. the only way to counter it was to abandon the currency altogether. since then they have been using the u.s. dollar, among other currencies. that is all, from the business desk. back to you, brent. >> to the other stories around

the world, tens of thousands of people in india have protested against the government decision earlier this month to withdraw large value banknotes. the 1500 rupee note amounted 86% of the country's currency. it was designed to end corruption, but they say it has caused chaos, with long lines at banks and widespread hardship. the british prime minister, theresa may, and her polish counterpart, holding talks in london. they laid wreath -- laid wreaths at the british -- at the polish war memorial. they discussed the strengthening of business ties ahead of the u.k. departure from the european union. yesterday was the first sunday of advent in the christian calendar. the countdown to the festival of christmas, when christians celebrate the birth of june -- the birth of jesus. in germany that means that christmas markets of opened all over the country, like the famous one in nuremberg.

take a look. >> ladies and gentlemen, children, this is the square to which our ancestors came. you can see the market as it is laid. whoever comes, let them be welcome. >> every year, thousands of people gather for this moment. mess the traditional openinof the christmas marke in nuremberg. nuremberg gingerbread, grilled sausages, and hotline. but this is the main attraction. >> it's a childhood memory and it has always been wonderful for children. >> specifically this is what we came for. >> it's very beautiful, very amazing. >> the recipe for success is a

regional speciality and handcraft. introduced as the market emblem in the 1930's. every two years they select a young woman from many applicants. this year it's the turn of barbara. duties include more than 150 appearances in the run-up to christmas. >> so many children here, so many wishes. i definitely want to talk with them now so that i know what to get them for christmas. >> while the little ones convey their wishes, the grown-ups can go shopping for the things that they will place under the christmas tree. >> it's that time of the year. reminder of the top story we're following -- in syria thousands of residents are fleeing aleppo after the government recaptured a key district in the eastern part of the city. it's a big setback in the five year civil war. after a short break i will be

back to take you through the day. aleppo falling, justice for assad, and trump's latest tweet tirade. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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