♪ >> this is "dw news" life from berlin. german authorities have confirmed the fingerprints of tunisian citizen anis amri were on the truck used to kill 12 people at a popular berlin christmas market. german officials warn he is armed and dangerous. we will have the latest on the manhunt and the political fallout. plus, angela merkel says she is proud of germany's response to the attack. the chancellor brace investigators and says she hopes the perpetrator will be caught soon.

the christmas market where monday's attack took place has now reopened. we will be going there live. the site has also become a memorial to the victims. ♪ >> becky so much for being with us. a 100,000 euro reward in a europe-wide manhunt but so far no trace of germany's most wanted man. authorities are now saying there is a high probability that tunisian anis amri was the perpetrator of the deadly truck attack on a popular christmas market. the 24-year-old was even under police surveillance earlier this year and that is raising questions about security failures and whether officials missed opportunities to prevent monday's attack. reporter: this is where the

truck was stolen that was plowed into the christmas market. police search for clues at an industrial site in berlin. across europe authorities are searching for anis amri, the main suspect. this, after investigators found papers with one of his many aliases under the drivers seat. >> we can tell you today that there are additional indications that the suspect is most likely the perpetrator and his fingerprints have been found in the truck. reporter: german chancellor angela merkel praised the investigator's work and said she trusted the case would be solved quickly. an international arrest warrant has been issued for the tunisian. there is a 100,000 euro reward for information needing to his capture. >> a long-distance bus was also searched after we received a tipoff but there have been no arrests so far. reporter: anis amri was supposed

to be deported to his home country of tunisia and said he was released from german prison in the summer because he did not have a valid passport. he arrived in italy about seven years ago. there, he was sentenced to time in prison for arson and other acts of violence after he was released in the spring of 2015, he came to germany where he fell under surveillance after making contacts with islamic extremists. he was last seen in western germany. after that, he disappeared without a trace. brian: are cheap local correspondent joins us now. -- our chief political correspondent joins us now. melinda: we really have only this official confirmation that his fingerprints were found on the door of that truck. until now that had been mostly reports by media. but the minister did in fact confirmed that.

he also confirmed that anis amri is absolutely the prime suspect in this case. we heard from the general prosecutor's office that raids have been conducted in a number of different places here in germany and also in berlin today. no additional specific leads that are being officially confirmed at this time. brian: we also heard the chancellor praising the cooperation in this manhunt. how reassuring is that for germans right now with the suspect still at large? melinda: not only the chancellor but also the justice minister and interior minister. all of them at pains to talk about how good the coordination and efficiency of security services have been both here in germany, cooperation between th% federal and local levels throughout the country, and also coordination internationally.

including with other countries that have also been targets of terrorist attacks in the past. that would probably be france and belgium. the reason for that emphasis is in part to meet criticism that perhaps more could have been done by security services to have prevented this attack. indeed, that has been the subject of some public to be. -- public debate. when you talk to the german public you do not hear a lot of anxiety about the fact he is still at large. people seem to be taking that in stride, perhaps because in other manhunts after those attacks in belgium or in france, it also took in some cases a number of weeks before all of the suspects had been found. i think in general, people are not in need of a great deal of reassurance on that point. brian: i want to talk about the survivors. we have heard from the first of

them, a young italian couple celebrating their first anniversary in berlin. they are back home now, let's take a look at what they had to say. >> i saw lights and heard a loud crash. i found myself thrown to the ground because i was hit by the truck. i could not see anything. that was because of the blood coming from the cuts on my four head. -- my forehead. the night found -- then i found my wife in front of me. >> i was looking for my husband because i saw him on the corner, then i could not see him anymore. i searched for him and i found him on a corner. i helped him up and then we left. we were afraid there would be explosives in the truck. we knew right away that it was an attack. brian: what we know about some of the other survivors today and about those working oh?

-- those were w -- who were killed? melinda: the number of wounded is higher than initially believed. 56 people are known to be wounded in the attack. apparently the discrepancy is because some of them took themselves to hospitals. of those, 12 are still being treated for very serious injuries. another 14 with less serious injuries are still hospitalized and that 30 others have now been released. as far as the nationalities of those still being treated, among them are two u.s. citizens but we have not been told their identities. among the 12 dead, confirmed an italian woman. italy talked about her today. an israeli woman, and a number

of germans whose identities have not been disclosed. brian: after this attack, marcus pretzel said the dead -- i am quoting dead are angela merkel's dead. what kind of debate have you been seeing on this? melinda: that party, that is a far right party, the alternative for germany as it would be known in english. it has made an anti-immigration stance a nasa will be key part of its message. its leaders were very quick to capitalize on this incident. another one of the party leaders said germany is no longer secure. there has been a lot of criticism of these remarks from other mainstream politicians, including the president and the president of the parliament. he said this is not the kind of

case that should be instrumental honest for political gain. anyone offering these kinds of simplistic solutions is part of the problem, absolutely not part of the solution. brian: thank you so much for bringing us up to date. the christmas market where monday's attack took place has now reopened with visitors determined not to be intimidated. but the death of 12 people has also not been forgotten. our reporter went down there to see what the mood was ke today. reporter: the media scrum outside a sausage stand. raising the shutter today is significant. it is a return to daily routine here after days filled with apprehension and grief. if vida has lived -- evita has

lived here for 35 years. she has always visited this market and being here today is especially important for her. >> we have to work against it. you do not want to be afraid to leave the house because of what happened because that is exactly what they wanted to achieve. reporter: the message to potential attackers -- berliners are not letting us get them down. for many, returning to these counters is difficult. almost no one wants to speak to us. before they witnessed went to deep -- too deep. >> i do not want to say much about it. i have my thoughts and they should remain my thoughts. reporter: some visitors to the christmas market are finding that business as usual atmosphere difficult to take. on a site where people so recently died.

>> there is a hint of cynicism in its. but there are christmas markets everywhere, and in this one you might say things went a bit wrong. reporter: is a questionable decision, but i think it is ok. >> it is oppressive, very impressive. -- oppressive. >> death is always with us. i have experienced this myself. you have to come to terms with it. reporter: but for evita, the reopening of the market is not an issue. it means that grief does not have to be hidden away behind closed doors. >> it is a signal and i think that signals are important. also sending to the world that berliners are here again on the streets. berliners are really here.

reporter: berliners are showing what their spirit means, even today. an ability to move forward, and above all, a determination not to let their love of freedom not to be taken from them. brian: monday's attack has already had political fallout. angela merkel is facing a backlash over a refugee policy. the mood is shifting in germany. the major political parties all seem to agree for the need for quicker security -- rather, better security and quicker deportation for failed asylum-seekers. but there's still plenty disagreement as to how to best prevent attacks like this in the future. reporter: security measures in brlin have been stepped up. at christmas markets you can now see concrete barriers and an increased police presence. what this is still not enough

for the conservatives in germany. they are demanding a rework of immigration and security policies. >> unfortunately, we cannot agree on everything having to do with the transit centers and they have not yet signed off. it is also very important we include tunisia, algeria and morocco in the list of safe countries of origin. reporter: the social democrats agree. but on other points they are accusing the current government of being too slow. >> of course we will be discussing how we should react to this attack. we will intensify deportation measures. reporter: another major point being discussed is increased video camera surveillance. the left party is against this. >> we will always support the police when it comes to acquiring systems that help consolidate the most current information. but using video cameras will not help us attain this goal and

continually taping the moves of all immigrants makes it look like we always consider them suspicious. reporter: the german government is under intense pressure. after the christmas market attack in berlin, the public is demanding more security and more protection. brian: let's check another story making the news today. russian president vladimir putin attended a memorial ceremony in moscow for the country's former ambassador to turkey, andrei karlov. the russian diplomat shot dead by an off-duty policeman at a photo exhibit this week. he posthumously awarded him the title of hero of russia. we're going to take a short break. when we come back, aleppo is now under syrian government control. thousands of rebel fighters and civilians finish their evacuation of the city's east. we have the latest.

volkswagen has reached a deal to compensate the owners of 80,000 diesel vehicles in the wake of the omission scandal. details coming up. ♪

♪ brian: this is "dw news" live from berlin. authorities have confirmed the fingerprints of tunisian anis amri has been found on the truck used in the berlin terror attack. he had been investigated for preparing what authorities are describing as a serious act of violence against the state. in other news syrian government forces say they are now in full control of aleppo. this, after four years of fighting to retake the city from rebels.

a military spokesman says security and safety have been reestablished. eco-the operation a major victory for the syrian government. our next report captures the final phase of the evacuation of rebel fighters and their families, which was hampered by winter weather. reporter: the last convoys leaving aleppo. the buses are carrying opposition fighters in the final phase of an evacuation clearing the way for syria's army to retake the city. more than 30,000 civilians have already left east aleppo. special hospitals have been setup, donated by different countries involved in the conflict. >> more and more people are coming out from certain areas of east aleppo. reporter: russia in turkey have

facilitated evacuations of civilians and fighters. >> in other words, i wish we had had in october a much more effective response. we would have avoided so much suffering. but we will see how it ends. reporter: the un security council unanimously decided to deploy monitors to eastern aleppo. a sign of hope. >> now is the time to relaunch the political process in order to make sure that there is momentum based on this renewed unity of the security council. reporter: meanwhile, thousands of people are being transported to rebel controlled areas. there are fears that it could become the next aleppo. brian: it is always good to know that people can agree on things, especially when it comes to

diesel-gate. daniel has that at the business desk. daniel: some breaking news for you. a u.s. federal judge says volkswagen has reached an agreement to provide substantial compensation to owners of 80,000 polluting diesel cars. that is a key hurdle in resolving the german carmaker's emission scandal. it is not included in a $1 billion settlement made earlier this week. vw offered to buy back 20,000 of the vehicles and pay $2.25 million to an environmental fund. the ceo calls it a landmark agreement clearing the runway for a renewal of iran air dated fleet. it is an important boost for

iran's post-sanction economy. donald trump is a strong critic of iran's nuclear deal. american rival boeing signed a similar contract this month. e-commerce giant alibaba is back on the united states'notorious market blacklists. alibaba was taken off four years ago, but the online platform is used for selling high levels of fake products. there are no legal consequences, but it is a bitter blow to the firm's reputation. that is not the only thing bound to cause political tension. donald trump choosing peter navarro, an outspoken critic of china, to head up his white

house team on industrial policy. he has urged a hard line on beijing. his books are deeply critical of china. reporter: it is yet another move that could anger china. u.s. president-elect donald trump has chosen economist peter navarro to get the newly formed white house national trade council. navarro has authored several books on trade policy. he sees the asian powerhouse as a threat to the u.s. economy. trump calls navarro a visionary. meanwhile, beijing is staying calm, addressing recent worries at a press conference. >> china and the united states are two large countries and have brought coming interests. we hope the u.s. works together with china to maintaining healthy, stable the moment of ties, including business and trade ties. this is in harmony of the interests in both peoples. reporter: it is unclear what they are really thinking in

beijing's ministry of foreign affairs. navarro has advised trump to open up with taiwan. experts agree a trade war would be damaging to both sides. daniel: is been five years since president raoul castro opened up the country to enterprise. but the communist country remains in power. his like a space can be seen clearly in the slow internet speeds. but that could be about to change. reporter: most cubans can only access the internet through wi-fi hotspots. there are precious few of them in this economy. the government is gradually opening up to the rest of the world because everyday cubans are anxious to become a part of it. he still restricted administration is nervous about opening up internet access. it unleashes a flood of

information that is hard to filter by authorities, information that people want. >> it is a good way to communicate going learn. i lived abroad and travel for many years. our youth, who do not travel, do not see of the world is developing. now they can see things they have never seen before. reporter: up to now, only doctors, scientists and journalists have been allowed home internet connections. but now the government is conducting a two-month experiment, giving good -- giving connections to 2000 residents. it remains expensive. the government has just cut the price from $2 an hour to $1.50, that is still a big chunk of the average cuban income. daniel: watching your weight is hard enough, but imagine if you had to do it for shareholders. luckily for oprah winfrey, she seems to be succeeding. the former talkshow host but a

10% stake last year. a new ad shows -- it sent shares soaring thursday. are you feeling lucky? christmas has come early for residents of a district in major it. they -- in madrid. is prizewinners celebrating in the street. each year the lottery's winning ticket is sold in one area. the winner got four million euros. those who did not buy a ticket this year in the area will probably be kicking themselves. that is it for your business news for now. back to brian for sports. brian: we have some berlin football overshadowed by the events of monday.

there were emotional, subdued scenes at the stadium wednesday. just two days after 12 people died in the christmas market attack. a moment of silence accompanied by a light display. it should be repeated in stadiums across germany. in other action on wednesday, the hosts were unbeaten and are a top five team. the other team has the league's worst defense. reporter: they let their guard down. he cut a hapless figure as his

defenders froze. his ninth goal of the season. shortly after, he was able to block to keep the score of 1-0. they remained dominant in the second half, easily cutting through the lines but failing to capitalize on their chances. they had looked toothless throughout, but that changed in the 88th minute. he won a crucial point. it was two dropped points, but they still head into the break as the only unbeaten side. brian: a reminder of our cap story. 37 confirmed the fingerprints of tunisian anis amri haven't found on the truck used in the berlin terror attack. investigators are preparing --

this is "dw news." more coming up in a few minutes. in the meantime we leave you with an encounter between a panda bear and a snowman. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

♪ ♪ this week on "wealthtrack," in an exclusive interview, wall street's long-time number one investment strategist, francois trahan, explains why he has turned from market bull to bear. his controversial call and strategy are next, on "consuelo mack wealthtrack." ♪ ♪ new york life, along with mainstay's family of mutual funds, offers investment and retirement solutions so you can help your clients keep good going. >> additional funding provided by -- thornburg investment