>> you are watching live from paris. on "france 24" our headlines this hour. the syrian army retakes aleppo as the last rebel fighters leave the eastern district. 40,000 people have been moved to tin the last few days. german police carry out a series of raids but anis amri remains on the run. the leaders of the world's top two nuclear powers say they want to increase the number of warheads at the disposal. vladimir putin says it's a

response to global threats. donald trump says for him it makes sense to boost america's nuclear arsenal. for the fifirst time in four yes controls thegime entire city of aleppo. the rebel fighters left the city as part of an evacuation deal today. tens of thousands of people have been moved to this week. they are known the opposition controlled province. u.n. observers have been deployed to monitor their treatment. esme kernan and is in beirut with more details -- beth mckernan. ofh: after 8 days evacuations and tense negotiations, it does look like the battle for aleppo is over.

today, the syrian army said it did a full sweep of what used to be a rebel controlled areas. a mere who refused -- couple of hundred, it is not clear whether they are fighters are civilians -- can probably expect to be dealt with quite harshly. in other cities. makes human-- rights groups -- people in west aleppo have been celebrating fighting. years of there are photos of christmas celebrations, tourists climbing to the top of the city's ancient city delegate. it is not the end of the war, but it is a victory for president assad. >> what about the people have been moved out of eastern aleppo, 40,000 taken to the opposition controlled province, what happens to those people

now? theirthey might be at the cage around at least aleppo for the last five months. but the situation for people who have left remains far from cl ear. the city -- fell so quickly that many were completely unprepared to deal with the huge influx of people. [indiscernible] people are suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and hypothermia -- being at the checkpoints for 40 hours. many are being housed in school s. it is still very cold, four degrees celsius at the moment tonight. on top of that, it's largely controlled by lots of jihadists al qaeda.ps linked to it is not a welcoming environment. -- russian bombings in september.

the humanitarian advisor to the u.n. warns that it is very possible that it could become the next aleppo. >> stay with syria, turkish airstrikes on an islamic state stronghold cap killed 47 people according to activists. 14 people were among the victims. 14 children were among the victims. vladimir putin says he wants to 's nuclear arsenal, fighting increasing threats from abroad. donald trump responded on twitter, saying that he wants to greatly strengthen and expand america's nuclear capacity. is capable ofia defeating any foe but should be ready for threads at the border, according to vladimir putin who praised the russian army in the

face of amongst other things a growing nato menace. with confidence today we are stronger than any potential aggressor, anyone. reporter: in a speech that recapped russia's military activities in 2016, putin called for continued improvement, nuclearg in its potential, that would ensure that the country could neutralize any military threat. >> we need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can penetrate any existing and prospective missile-defense systems. reporter: putin praised the army's performance in syria. it is an opportunity to showcase russian technology to potential arms dealers. the russian president made the comment after defense minister presented his annual report. he produced figugures for the entire campaign in syria saying that russia had liquidated 35,000 writers during intervention -- 35,000 fighters

but avoided mentioning civilian casualties. tensions between russia and the west have escalated since russia's involvement in a conflict in ukraine beginning in 2014. >> well, the u.s. president-elect donald trump has made more controversial appointments. has been named as an advisor on regulatory reform, despite concerns over cognitive interest. peter navarro, a fierce critic of china come is to head up the new national trade body. in the past he describe aging as being brutal, amoral and cheating. u.s.ter: as the president-elect prepares for his inauguration, the newest member of team trump has been named. be heading a we'll

new national trade body. the economist is well known for his criticism of china. " -- he penned the book crouching tiger, "death by china and the coming china wars." a statement from the transition team calls him a visionary economist. he would expand growth, and bring jobs back to the u.s. during the election, trump made trade a core campaign issue, criticizing deals made with countries like china. trade tensions went even further this months when the president-elect angered beijing by speaking to the taiwanese president by phone in a contradiction of america's one china policy. under the arrangement, the u.s. has formal ties with china, rather than the island of taiwan. but trump says he sees no reason why this should continue without key concessions from beijing. china has reacted to navarro's

appointment by insisting the two sides must cooperate. like many other countries, china is closely watching president-elect trump's appointments and future policies. i want to reiterate that as two major countries, both china and the u.s. share common interests and cooperation is the only right choice i both countries. reporter: but whether the u.s. will play ball remains to be seen. adding fuel to the fire, navarro suggested a stepped-up engagement with taiwan, including a system -- assistance with its submarine development program. u.n.ypt has called off a security council vote on israel, postponing indefinitely. cairo drafted a proposal along with the palestinian authority,, on -- calling on them to cease all settlement

activities in occupied territories. and a u.s.tanyahu president-elect donald trump called the resolution unfair to israelis and urged the president barack obama to veto it. let's get more on that story. u.n.e joined from headquarters in new york. jessica, the u.s. has a tradition of blocking anti- israel moves at the united nations, but it seems this time israel was not sure it could count on washington. jessica: that's quite right. it was looking as though the united states might actually abstain this time. and that would've been a real break from the past. since the united nations was founded, i think the u.s. has vetoed about 30 resolutions regarding israel and the palestinians. and another dozen or so regarding israel and lebanon or israel and syria. andlast veto was in 2011, that was on a resolution

condemning the construction of settlements. the u.s. used its veto then and there was another similar one in 2013. and then the u.s. did not need it, becauset -- veto it did not get enough support within the security council. had this gone ahead, this vote, which had now been canceled, and had theit, u.s. abstained, that would've been a huge break from the past and very bad news for israel, because traditionally, the united states has been the diplomatic shield for israel at the united nations. >> egypt were the ones that came up with this resolution. they were then the ones to postpone it. what does this tell us about cairo's growing relationship with the israelis? jessica: it tells us that president caved in to israel. but perhaps what is even more interesting here what it tells us about him and donald trump heard look at what happened

exactly. we would have expected israel to oppose this resolution. benjamin netanyahu was up in the middle of the night tweeting about the u.s. and saying the u.s. ought to veto the resolution. but then donald trump also joined in, sending a tweet, telling obama essentially the veto needed to be used. donald trump is not even the president yet. ll remember that he met during the general assembly when he was just a candidate with cici. one diplomat jokes that donald trump told him he -- thought they were wonderful things. jokes aside, donald trump has been wooing sisi. perhaps the motel is more about the way foreign policy is going to look and a month or so -- perhaps it will tell us more about the way foreign policy is going to look. regarding the u.s. stance on israel and the middle east. >> thank you very much.

now, german police say they're all but certain that tunisian behind anis amri was monday's deadly attack in berlin. his fingerprints were found in the truck used to crash into a christmas market killing 12 and wounding nearly 50. two americans, an italian were among the victims. search broadens as german authorities feel confident that anis amri is h their man. on thursday, police searched several locations in berlin where they thought amri spend time. investigations point him as the driver of the truck that plug into the christmas market monday. >> fingerprints had been found on the's of the truck, the driver side door. according to the current state of investigation, anis amri was driving the truck. in order for his arrest -- an

order for his arrest has been issued. wantedr: germany issue a notice on wednesday offering a reward of up to 100,000 euros for information leading to his arrest. and warning that he could be armed and dangerous. the european authorities are now rushing to find him. >> it is important that the manhunt quickly proves successful. todaye assured ourselves that everything is done on a national and international level. with a first-class intelligent network and great professionalism to quickly catches perpetrator. reporter: german security forces are under pressure to find anis quickly, after being criticized for a catalog of failures that allowed him to evade arrest and deportation. >> meanwhile, the christmas market where the attack happened monday has now reopened with extra security to protect crowds of shoppers. therter: gathered outside

kaiser wilhelm memorial church, they pay tribute to the victims of monday's attack. amidst the flowers this question painted in red -- why? many store owners are still in shock. here because we have no choice. we will not let this stop -- life goes on. reporter: police have installed concrete barriers all around the market and similar security measures have been rolled out at other christmas markets across germany. three days after the attack, visitors say they will not let fear ruin their christmas. >>we are berliners, you know. we had world war -- we -- nothing can stop us. >> once you are exposed to such terrorism, what you immediately say, ok, now it is the -- close all the christmas markets.

what else do we have? to get away with? reporter: more than 60 other christmas markets across the german capital have reopened, and -- under tightened security. >> firefighters in japan have been battling a blaze in a city. nhe fire started in a rame shop and spread to 100 40 buildings. no deaths have been reported but five people were injured. hundreds of people in the nearby area were ordered leave their homes. the fire is now under control. is world's first solar -- opening, and will be inaugurated by the ecology minister. enerate enough electricity to power street lighting local towns, but there are some questions about its cost efficiency. reporter: northern france isn

't known for its beaming sunshine but this town in normandy is offering -- is opening its first solar road. it stretches along this one road which ister capable of producing electricity. it has been well received by the locals. >> it is great for the area. and the environment. >> maybe we will get free electricity. reporter: it has taken six years to find the right materials that can carry the weight of traffic and since gained severe weather -- sustain severe weather. >> it is mixed with glass greens which makes it grip to the road. reporter: any electricity runs onto the tarmac. oad there arer tunnels, and inside them there are cables that send electricity to a transformer which is sent to the network. reporter: according to the creators, the panels should be able to produce enough electricity to power the street lighting of the town of 100,000

people, but it is an expensive plan costing 5 million euros. >> we need to look at the cost of investment, but you also need to look at the energy produced and the durability of the materials, and that will accurately give the cost of energy that is being produced. reporter: that energy would be 13 times more expensive than the solar panels used on rooftops. for the moment the road is not seen as a competitor in the energy sector. >> lawmakers in north carolina have failed to reach a compromise on a bathroom law. which forces transgender people to use the facilities in keeping with those assigned to them at birth have made the state a pariah shunned by corporations, entertainers and high-priced for the events. >> shame! reporter: opponents of a controversial statute known as of bathroom bill walked out

the north carolina legislature in disgust after politicians failed to come together to repeal the measure. an agreement to do away with a controversial law fell through after a series of amendments were included at the last minute by republican lawmakers. governor elect roy cooper said he was deeply disappointed. governor cooper: today, the legislature had a chance to do the right thing for north carolina. and they failed. republicaninted that legislative leaders failed to live up to their promise to fully repeal health bill two. law requires transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate. the bill has proved controversial. opponents say it is a violation of civil liberties.

while supporters say it is necessary for public safety. since the law was passed, the outcry has grown, and the fallout has been enormous, costing the state millions of dollars. bruce springsteen and other entertainers have canceled concerts there. paypal dropped plans to expand its operations and add 400 jobs. the nba moved its all-star game to another state. also widelyr law is seen as having caused the outgoing republican governor his job. >> let's get some business news. kate moody is with us in the studio. america seems to be having some bathroom problems. but the economy is doing very well, it would seem. kate: trump will be inheriting a strong economy. departmente said that the gp group faster than thought -- the gdp. it upgraded its numbers from 3.2% to 3.5%.

that is the strongest pace since the end of 2014, more than double the pace of the second quarter of this year. consumer spending, which accounts for 2/3 of economic activity, grew more than expected. it underscore the positive note to the federal reserve to raise interest rates last week and said expects three more hikes in the coming year. done much to boost markets. wall street is trading underneath the flat line. that the dow jones under the 20,000 threshold it had been approaching earlier this week. about 100 points off. you can see, the nasdaq down .6% this hour. a mixed close for the major european indices early. the ftse led with gains. milan fell half a percent as pressure increased on the italian banking sector and on the worlds oldestbank inching closer to a state bailout. we're talking about monti di

paschi. the board has been meeting to finalize its request for a bailout. it has now confirmed that it failed to raise enough money from the last ditch attempt to bring in 5 billion euros by the end of the month. shareholders had earlier agreed to a debt swap as part of the process, and they will be released from their obligations. reporter: after more than five centuries of operation, monti de pashi is limping towards a government bailout. -- bank's woes began with the acquisition of arrival in 2008. since then, it has burned through 8 billion euros in new capital. this summer, the european central bank listed it as the weakest among 51 banks who underwent stress test. it needs to ingest 5 billion euros by -- inject 5 billion euros by year end. to do so, the bank has been

trying without success to raise private funds. rescue plann euro led by jpmorgan fell apart wednesday, and a debt for equity swap has raised 2 billion, far short of what is needed. that will almost certainly bring in the italian government who on wednesday approved 20 billion euros in government borrowing to shore up the country's troubled banks. is only thechi worst example in a banking sector bending under 360 billion euros in bad debt after years of economic underperformance. its shares have fallen 86% in the past year alone. italian things on average have halved in value. a bailout byles the intel in government means that thousands of private investors in the bank to take losses on its debt. kate: moving on to the other business headlines. saudi arabia will increase

government spending next year after austerity measures helped reduce the budget deficit. the kingdom has been hard hit by low oil prices and has been tried to diversify its economy. it has hopes to finance -- to balance his finances by 2020. petrobras has sold more than $2 billion worth of assets to the french totale. it includes two thermal power stations and will be a much-needed boost to the brazilian giant as it struggles to offload assets and reduce its debt burden. ikea has agreed to pay $50 million to families of three american toddlers who were drawersfter chests of toppled onto them. in june, they recalled millions of models in north america. the company has said that consumers should use wall mounts to avoid risk. lawyers for the family say the size of the settlement represents -- " the mysterious nature of -- "

the 35 hour workweek is a hallowed institution and france and a constant target of politicians seeking to change it. while the right to work 35 hours a week or be paid more for overtime is still protected, new data released by the labour ministry this thursday indicate it is far from the norm. 35 hour: in france the working week has been a legal requirement since 2002, but many french people work more than that, sometimes a lot more >> i don't work 35 hours. i do 80 i think. >> between 40 and 50. around 40 hours on average. reporter: the legally required hoursrs has cut to 39 across the board. public and private sector workers normally declare the same time worked each day. while public employees work 16 days in a year. days in a year.

remi works as an online travel agent and says he would spend around 10 hours in the office at it. >> i have management responsibilities. i have to do office work and have meetings. i have to motivate the team. the rhythm of each day is different. so, if i was forced to keep strict hours, it would be very difficult. reporter: as a result those in middle management end up working more than 43 hours per week. basic staff are permitted to work more than 35 hours if they are compensated for it with more days off, for example. >> we have two extra days off each month. it balances out the fact that we work more hours than usual. reporter: meanwhile, employees paid by the hour benefit from overtime pay but during the holiday season, the company has chosen to give them short contracts instead. >> authorities and venezuela have reportedly been ordering stores to slash prices.

the government has forced 200 retailers in caracas to hold christmas sales in an effort to boost consumer spending and get the economy moving. some have been accused of artificially raising prices, even though venezuela already has the highest inflation rate in the world. and saysuts it at 475% that number could triple in 2017. the epk children's line which was seen in these images here is the latest of the targeted. it has been told to reduce prices by 70%. >> we came to the conclusion that firstly, it was necessary as a preventative measure -- and within what is established in article 70 -- to conduct a supervised sale and order prices to be reduced on average by 70%. an official point of view. the retailers say these

mandatory markdowns are really pushing them to the brink of bankruptcy. >> thanks very much,. we are taking a short break. do stay with us. we have headlines still to com e.

12/22/16 12/22/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> our main priority should not be regime change, but defeating terrorist threats. all three countries represented here are united in understanding this. we have a common position n her. amy: as the evacuation of eastern allepo comes to an end,, what is nextxt for syria?? russia, iranan, and turkey holod talks in moscow on the future of syria, but the united atates was not invited. the tatalks occurreded just a dy