>> hello, and welcome. this is "dw news," live from berlin hollywood actress carr fisher dies, known to millions as princess leia in the "star wars" films. she passed away in a los angeles hospital after suffering a heart attack on friday. "help me, obi-wan kenobi. you're my only hope. that was her immortal line. we will look back on her career japanese prime minister shinzo abe paying a landmark visit to pearl harbor 75 years after the japanese attack that

drew the united states into world war ii. and a new study reveals that the world's fastest land animal, the cheetah, is heading towards extinction. researchers say there has been a rapid decline in numbers. good to have you with us. carrie fisher, the actress who starred as princess leia in the original "star wars" films, has died at the age of 60. family spokesman says she passed away in a hospital in los angeles. she was taken there on friday after suffering a heart attack on a flight from london to los angeles. she had a successful and varied career in films and also as a book author, but she struggled with drug addiction and mental health problems. we are going to get some more

background on all this. we all thought, especially the "star wars" fans that carrie fisher's condition has stabilized, and then this news. do we know anything about the details? reporter: i think we all think of her as a survivor because she has been through so much and we thought she would survive this, too. this seems to be some mystery about the death. yes, heart attack, but the family during this time she was in hospital didn't -- they said they couldn't give details about her condition. so i guess -- christopher: it is a private thing, of course. we will wait for the details to emerge if they do. "star wars" fans will be mortified. princess leia -- we can see her in the background in the original "star wars" films -- was that her defining role? reporter: absolutely.

this is the biggest film franchise of all time. she came out of nowhere as a young woman -- christopher: she was 19. reporter: captured our hearts and fantasies. 1977 that was it she became a dream figure for many people and she has continued on in "star wars." she came back in the recent 2015, the new series, "the force awakens," number seven. she comes back as general leia. christopher: she was a strong princess as well. reporter: absolutely. also in "rogue one," one of the standalone films, there you see her in her 20's and a digitalized version of herself. "star wars," absolutely. she said one of her favorite things was killing jabba the hutt.

she said the greatest reason for getting into acting is so you can kill a monster like that. christopher: that is the path of her that was princess leia was yet and there was more to her. reporter: yes. i think one of the things about carrie fisher that makes her so lovable and why she has continued to capture our imagination and the times in her career when she was playing supporting roles, small roles, long time she wasn't acting out all, is she has this great sensitivity. she was bipolar, she was an addict was she wrote about this in a novel, semiotic right tackle -- semiautobiographical novel called "postcards from the edge" which was filmed in 1990 with meryl streep, talking about her addiction. harvard university honored her for her openness and activism

dealing with addiction and mental health. christopher: thanks for that, from our culture desk. moving on to other news, japan's prime minister is in hawaii where he is said to be the first japanese leader visit the memorial at pearl harbor. abe is on a two-day visit, where he will attend a number of ceremonies to commemorate those killed in world war ii. he will also meet with president barack obama in what will be their final meeting before the president's term ends in january. 2300 americans died when japanese fighter planes bombed the u.s. naval base at pearl harbor during the second world war. former japanese leaders have visited the area, but none have been to the memorial. we are going to talk to a journalist with hawaii news now. thanks are talking to us. the japanese prime minister praying for thevictims of pearl harbor -- how significant is

that gesture in the u.s. in hawaii? >> thank you very much, christopher. it is very significant. as you mentioned, he is the first leader of japan to be going to the u.s.s. arizona memorial, the first to 10th with a sitting president, barack obama. many of the people here in the country feel it is necessary for this to happen, but especially for the residents in hawaii, very welcoming to the japanese prime minister for these events today. let's give you a breakdown in the next hour. there will be a formal meeting at the joint base will harbor and from there they will take a boat ride to the uss arizona memorial. they will lay a wreath there. they will return at joint base pearl harbor for the remarks did they will be remarks from the president and prime minister.

there are talks privately -- back in november it was shinzo abe who was the first world leader to meet with president-elect donald trump in new york city. there is much to discuss about the future of relations and the friendly relationship between japan and the united states. christopher: and i understand that abe won't be apologizing for it he will be paying his respects to those who died but will not be apologizing. will that be enough? >> i think to some it may be enough. the japan government issued a statement saying he will not apologize, but if you remember also come barack obama when earlier this year in may to the hiroshima memorial shrine in hiroshima. of course, hiroshima was the site where an atomic bomb was dropped in the closing days to close out world war ii and also in nagasaki. he did not apologize there either. and then there are the words of

a 96-year-old veteran -- a world war ii veteran who survived pearl harbor. he says, "no apology needed. war is war. they were doing what they were supposed to do and we were doing what we were supposed to do." christopher: ok, many, many thanks for talking to us. now russian air investigators have begun examining one of the flight recorders of the military plane that crashed into the black sea on sunday. the flight data recorder was found on the seabed earlier today. it seems to be in good condition and is expected to shed light on what brought down that aircraft, killing all 92 people on board. most of the victims were members of the famous russian military band and choir that was traveling to syria to entertain the russian troops based there. moving to germany now, it is a

week since the terror attack on a berlin christmas market that left 12 people dead. that attack has sparked an intense debate on security, including calls for more video cameras in public spaces. germans have long had a deep aversion to that kind of surveillance, but opinion polls indicate that views might be changing. recent cases of random violence in berlin have strengthened the case for more video cameras. reporter: shock and disbelief in berlin after several violent incidents at underground metro stations. the traces of the latest are still clearly visible. the homeless man was asleep on this page when it group of men set him on fire. a surveillance camera captured the incident, recording the attackers as they fled the scene by train. authorities made the video public. within a few hours, six of the seven attackers came forward and the seventh was arrested.

they were reportedly of syrian and libyan origin, age between 15 and 21. the crime and the swift identification of those responsible has stoked debate about increased surveillance in germany. "i think there should be more video surveillance in general." "i just feel more under surveillance. i don't think it is particularly efficient or worthwhile as a preventative measure." "i am torn. on the one hand, i don't want to be monitored everywhere. but on the other hand, i think it makes sense if it means more crimes like this can be solved." many people here in berlin are concerned about safety and feel that violent crimes are on the increase. but the facts tell a different story. "this is a question of whether people feel safe. there is a certain level of

anxiety, but if we look at the crime figures, we can see that the number of robberies and violent crimes is actually decreasing." it is also clear that security cameras cannot prevent crimes. the man who was set on fire did not suffer any injuries, but not because of the cameras. ordinary people rushed to his aid and helped put out the fire. christopher: the chaos computer club is holding its annual convention in the german city of hamburg at the moment. it is europe's biggest association of computer experts and hackers. 12,000 people attending and debating the usual issues such as cybercrime and data protection. but they are also tackling the hot issue of the moment, fake news and the possible influence on elections. reporter: fighting hate and ignorance together, that is the central message of the opening of the congress. keynote speakers here say human

rights are being scaled back and we shouldn't be complacent. as the threat of terror attacks increases, the focus turns to lawmakers, especially when it comes to i.t. security. "the state wants to weaken security measures in order to be able to eavesdrop on the entire public, but he doesn't understand that is the most radical kind of attack on i.t. security that you can possibly have." there have been many high-profile hacking attacks in 2016. an attack on deutsche telekom crippled 100,000 routers. u.s. internet giant yahoo! admitted to one of the worst data breaches in history. and during the u.s. election campaign, hackers published the e-mails of senior democrats, which some claim may have helped donald trump to victory. experts warn things could get worse. "more things are going digital, which means more opportunities for hackers and greater consequences. that is why we are feeling the effects more."

participants here are sounding the alarm. germany's upcoming elections in 2016 will be vulnerable to cyberattacks. all parties and politicians need to be prepared. christopher: to taiwan now, where a mock nazi parade staged by high school students has triggered considerable controversy. the parade was meant to be educational and part of wider celebrations at the school 62nd anniversary. this video taken from a taiwanese news channel. photos and video circulating online have prompted condemnation from german and israeli officials. israel's representative office in taipei calling the incident deplorable and tasteless. there has also been away from social media reaction. one israeli news outlet writing, "i think they know what the swastika is that they are not afraid to show us what they think. i wonder if hitler would have kept them alive had he reached

their." and "speaking of double standards -- where the nazi costume in the whole world is shocked i get a but many where the red guard as a costume. is that ok?" you are watching "dw news." still to come, the world's fastest land animal, the cheetah, is becoming extinct. we will talk to one of the leading cheetah experts to find out why numbers have declined so dramatically and what should be done about it. don't forget, you can get "dw news" when you are on the road. download our app from google play or the apple store. that will give you access to the latest news from around the world and also to our push notifications when we have breaking news for you.

you can use it to send us your photos and videos. another thin we will be bringing you after the break, i will tell you after the break because that break is coming right up. you are watching "dw news." stay with us.

christopher: welcome back to "dw news" here in berlin. our top story, the actors carrie fisher, known to millions as princess leia in the original "star wars" films, has died at the age of 60. she passed away in a los angeles hospital after suffering a heart attack on friday. the world's fastest land animal, the cheetah, is in danger of becoming extinct, according to a new report published by the london zoological society. researchers found there has been a dramatic decline in cheetah numbers from an estimated 100,000 animals a century ago to

loss of habitat and illegal trafficking identified as 2 of the main reasons for the drop in numbers. many cheetah cubs are also caught and sold illegally as pets. most of the surviving cheetahs living in southern africa, particularly in namibia. one of the authors of the new report is the founder of namibia's cheetah conservation fund. and she joins us via skype from northern namibia. who better to talk to about these unhappy findings? great to have you with us on "dw news." we hear about the threat to the world elephant and rhino populations. why hasn't the threat to the world's cheetahs thin on the radar? >> i think with the issues with elephants and rhinos are so perfect.

the way the poaching occurs. that is what gets a lot of media attention. although we have been working towards cheetah conservation for myself over 40 years, and many of us over the last decade in putting together the data for this kind of report that has come out to show where the cheetahs are, and the primary problem is that they are living outside protected areas. christopher: and that brings them into conflict with humans, small farmers, for instance. >> that's right. they become conflict animals with livestock, goats and sheep. they don't do well in protected areas because the areas are too small. with that, developing programs to work together with communities and real farmers as well as strategies around working with governments so we can actually save the species for future generations. it is going to be a big job and

one for everyone in the world to work together on. christopher: one key demand you are making, you and your colleagues in this field, is to have the status of the cheetah taken from vulnerable to endangered. is that right? >> yes, that is what the recommendation is, because as we see, when they are living outside of protected areas, they are not safe. we have seen an 80% decline in the population in zimbabwe in the past 13 years where the populations were outside protected areas. we have seen a continued increase in conflict, increase in game fenced farms, which caused problems. these are all going to cause problems for the population decline throughout their range. they are living in very fragmented areas. where the cheetahs are found, there are only 30 populations,

and with the adult population of about 7000, this is just not a healthy and big enough population to sustain. and then the illegal wildlife trafficking is another problem where the cubs are being captured around the horn of africa and sold to be exotic pets into the gulf states. all of these caused great problems for the decline of the cheetah. christopher: ok, many, many thanks for talking to us. the founder and executive director of the cheetah conservation fund in namibia. ok, time to check in on how the global economy has been faring. >> thank you very much fit if you believe it cannot get any worse, think again, especially my comes to the financial sector.

it is in even bigger trouble than fear. it now needs the cash injection of a .8 billion euros. the ecb said the liquidity position rapidly deteriorated over the past month. just last week, the italy government approved a bailout for the most fragile financial institutions, and monty paschi will be first in line for a portion of the cash. did you ever wonder what all those traders are doing between christmas and new year's eve? big deals, something risky, even? less likely. rather, they look back at the events that shaped the stock market is the what is next, and they are worried about what may be ahead in 2017. reporter: traders at the frankfurt stock exchange enjoyed a few days, after a year that brought them respite, turbulence on it -- brexit, turbulence on asian markets, and the u.s. election.

the blue-chip dax managed to gain 7% on the year. investors learned to live with uncertainty, but what about next year? "next year won't be as easy as some people think. there are a number of problems in banks such as italy and that could bring the euro zone into dangerous waters next year." only three weeks until donald trump is sworn in as the new u.s. president. once the vein of wall street and he is bringing hope of lower taxes and less government intervention in the economy that is already having an impact. you can clearly see the effect on u.s. treasury bonds with the yields dropping significantly and u.s. stocks rising. with the u.s. transitioning to trump, europe moving forward without the u.k., and elections in germany and france, investors are gearing up for another year of uncertainty in 2017.

fanny: it is getting difficult to breathe in sarajevo, so authorities have banned half the city's cars from driving on roads. the concentration of hazardous particles is far above safe levels it as the economy continues to grow, so does the volume of cars on the bosnian capital's roads, and that means even more pollution. reporter: for more than a week, dense smog has completely obscured the view of sarajevo from the city's surrounding hills. in a bid to alleviate the situation, the local government has ordered the introduction of alternative driving days for cars with even an on numbered license plates. public transportation is free until the situation improves. official statistics show the concentration of hazardous air particles has surged to as much as 10 times the acceptable limit. the limit values are between 50 and 62.5 micrograms per cubic

meter of air and the concentrations measured between 300 and 500 micrograms per cubic meter. the air is obvious we highly polluted. sarajevo is located in a narrow valley surrounded by mountains which hampers the free flow of air that heavy traffic, coal-fired power plants, and local heating are the leading causes of dense smog in the bosnian capital. residents are trying to facemask for production and staying indoors whenever possible. >> every sane person is concerned about this pollution. everyone in my family is ill, from my five-year-old grandson to 60-year-old me. it is impossible to go out. it makes you sick. i'm spirit myself so i go out to buy food in the essential things we need. reporter: situation is unlikely to ease in the coming days. meteorologists say whether conditions are expected to abrogate the pollution. fanny: can the war on drugs be

won? in the united states from hundreds of thousands are jail for drug crimes. in the philippines, thousands are killed as president duterte ruthlessly enforces antidrug laws. goats continue to devastate communities and people's lives in various parts of the world. -- drugs continue to devastate amenities and people's lives in various parts of the world. reporter: a remote farm the myanmar. the wind blows gently over fields of poppy. farmers spray raw opium from the capsules. "we grow poppies, rice, and corn , but the income from the poppies is the best," says this local farmer. "it is in fields like this where the world's drug problems begin. opium is produced in countries

around will put more than a quarter comes from here, myanmar, laos, and thailand. experts say the opium trade is worth $30 billion annually. myanmar alone produces over 600 tons of opium for a year. for local farmers, it is the only crop that pays enough to feed the family. >> i am aware that the farmers in many places want to change but they don't have enough and the failure of some of these programs in the past has been that the programs are not able to produce the income that the farmers need to change. they are not doing this because they are criminals. they are doing this to survive. reporter: change won't come from within the country, says the myanmar antidrug czar. "the government has tried to introduce agriculture and livestock substitution, but frankly speaking, it was not effective. i hope there will be better support from international organizations."

any support would help local farmers here immensely, and it could lead to victory in the worldwide war on drugs. fanny: thank you, christopher. christopher: many thanks. a quick reminder of our top story. japanese prime minister sheehan oblique is in hawaii -- shinzo abe is in hawaii for a landmark visit to pearl harbor, the site of the japanese attacked 75 years ago that provoked america to join world war ii. we will be back with more at the top of the hour. you are watching "dw news." do stay with us. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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♪ announcer: euromaxx highlights. here's your host, carlos mcconnie. carlos: howdy everyone! how's it going? thanks for joining me on this edition of euromaxx highlights. it should be a fun half-hour. let's begin by taking a quick look at what we have coming-up for today's show. love affair -- why germans give their cars nicknames. looking good -- designer spectacles from berlin are in hot demand. open spaces -- levalet is a talented street artist from paris. to start the show we will be visiting a famous german christmas market. and that is where we will have the chance to taste a very special holiday treat.