shameful. also, a fresh link to and a family -- to anis amry. police have -- prosecutors say they believe the man may also have been involved in the attack. turkey and russia annouounced ty are working on a national cease-fifire and polititical resolution i in syria. the two countries still disagree over the future role of syrian president bashar al-assad. ♪ christopher: my name is christopher. good to have you with us. john kerry has made a forceful speech outlining his vision for peace. talking for more than one hour, he urged a two state solution with equal rights for israelis and palestinians. >> settlements, those ever problematic outposts of israelis living on palestinian territory now seem to be driving a final wedge into the heart of the relationship between israel and the obama administration. outgoing u.s. secretary of state john kerry insisted the two state solution is the only way to establish peace. >> a two state solution is now in serious jeopardy. the truth is, trends on the ground, violence, terrorism, excitement, settlement expansion and the seemingly endless occupation, they are combining to destroy hopes for peace on both sides, and increasingly, cementing and reversible one state reality that most people do not actually want. reporter: relations between washington and israel has nosedived since events at the u.n. which condemned israeli building activity in the west bank. the u.s. abstained this time, drying a sharp rebuke from netanyahu. he accused kerry of obsessively focusing on settlements without addressing the root cause of the problem. >> israelis do not need to be lectured about the importance of peace by foreign leaders. israel's hand has been extended in peace to its neighbors from day one. from its very first day we prayed for peace. we have worked for it every day since then. and thousands of israeli families have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country and advance peace. reporter: despite kerry's last-ditch effort, trump has begun making noises as to where he will fall on the issue. "stay strong, israel," he wrote. christopher: moving across to tel aviv, to our correspondent near him -- correspondent miriam. we do not need to be lectured on peace. this was a skewed speech. it give us more on what netanyahu, how he has been reacting to kerry's speech. >> the speech by netanyahu was actually quite short as compared to kerry's speech, very sharp and emotional, but repeating the points he has been saying all along that the core of the conflict is the palestinian refusal to accept israel and the palestinian support for terror and of the world should be focusing on that rather than as was abused, obsessing about the israeli settlement project. he also mentioned the u.n. resolution comes abo incitement but does not talk about where that incitement is coming from. he also said israel would only be involved with direct talks and does not accept security council decisions that he feels are imposed. those were the main points of the speech. christopher: those words from the israeli prime minister, that rebuttal of kerry's position, is that reflected in the way that israelis are talking generally about the united dates about it decision last week to abstain the -- the united states, about its decision to abstain the vovote? >> it is a very complex issue . politicians have reacted. the centerleft leader has expressed understanding for kerry's position and for the u.s. concern becauause t these r parties are not necessarily or not at allll in favor ofof settlement expansion and see the resolution as a punishment for net dogs policy, but there is a general consensus in israel -- netanyahu's policy, but there is a general consensus in israel, one of which that defined all territory as i illegal and doeos not differentiate between the western w wall and illegal outposts in parts of palestinian territory and also paves the way forr lawsuits against israel in the hagueue. there are many points in the resolution that are e worrisome for most israelis. reporter: thanks for that. miriam in tel aviv. turning to germany, where security is still high here in berlin. police have now made another arrest in connection with last week's terror attack. they detained a 40-year-old tunisian, alleged to be a contact of anis amry. the man's foe -- mobile was saved. the man they arrested may also have been involved in the attack on a christmas market that killed 12 people. let us get more on this from our political correspondent simon young. simon, this new arrest that the police have made, what do we know about this man? simon: just a few details, christopher. he is a 40-year-old tunisian citizen, and the federal prosecutor here is saying that they believe he may have been involved in the attack. it is not clear exactly what that means, but obviously, they think he might have information about the motives behind the attacks, the planning of it, if anyone else was involved. this is one of the key things the police are focusing on right now. did anis amry have supporters and helpers to carry out his attack, and if he did, where are those people now? christopher: simon, what is the latest on the police investigation into last week's attack? i believe one or two new details have been emerging. simon: yes, several details, new details, have emerged in german media today. focus magazine, for instance is quoting unnamed security sources as saying that anis amry was texting messages and sending photos from his phone just after 10 minutes before the attack and they say he was sending them to islamist contacts, people the police will be wanting to talk to. now, several german media have also reported a story that investigators have found that the truck that was used in the attack came to a stop in part because of an emergency braking system which activated automatically when the sensors detected the vehicle had collided with a solid object. that is something that may well have saved lives and prevented for the injuries. "suddeutsche zeitung" a saying that on the question of surveillance on amri before he carried out the attacks, german officials had meetings earlier this year to discuss amri and how dangerous he was. on at least two occasions, they discuss the possibility that he was planning a concrete attack in germany. they decided that was unlikely. of course, as we know, that assessment was sadly wrong. christopher: ok, you will keep monitoring that story for us. simon young there at art political desk -- our political desk. turkey and russia have decided on a general plan of cease-fire in syria, which is due to go into effect at midnight, according to reports coming from turkey's state run news agency. as reports saying the plan aims to stop fighting between pro-government forces and opposition groups in all of syriria's regions ahead of pland peace talks. russia, turkey, and iran said they would help broker a peace deal in kazakhstan. arrangements for those talks remain hazy, but they are set to exclude the united dates. for more on this, we talked earlier with our correspondents in istanbul and moscow. i started by asking dorian jones , what he is hearing about this possible cease-fire in syria given that the story broke in turkey. doraran: it is very fuzzy. the story broke in the morning with thehe turkey s state news agagency saying g there will bea cease-fire att mid night local time. but then, there was very little verirification or confirmation f th.. dorian: the ministry of foreign affairs on the presidencncy both came back saying we hahave no knowleledge about this or we cannot confirm it and then the turkish foreign minister did speak and said we have an agreement, two agreement with moscow. one, if the -- one, a cease-fire. two, an agreement to end the crisis. the turkish ministry,y, foreign ministry also saying that turkey and russia would act as guarantors, and if the cease-fire did take hold, that would provide the basis for a peace conference in kazakhstan next month. christopher: you are a bureau chief in moscow. how does that compare with what you are hearing in moscow? >> christopher, to be precise, i'm hearing nothing that would give me any certainty that this agreement whatever come into force. to be honest, we did not get any official reactions from the kremlin yet. the spokesman, dmitry peskov, could not confirm the report. they are discussing ways to resolve the syrian conflict. the fact that moscow obviously has not confirmed the achieved agreement means that this agreement is vague and on precise until now. christopher: back to istanbul to you, dorian, i understand that the rebels in syria say that there has been no agreement on a cease-fire. would that be a major stumbling block to what we are hearing from turkish state media that there is a cease-fire agreement? dorian:: there will be a given cause for concecern over this bt some syrian rebel groups in syria, while awaware of thee agreement, say they woululd b be open to o the idea of a cease-fire. there has been meetings with syrian rebel groups leaders in turkeyey over the lastt few day, discscsing the possible cease-fire and accccording to turkish forereign ministryy sources, those meetings will continue in the coming days and will include russian officials as well. christopher: one final question to you in moscow, yuri. washington has been left out of this peace process. does russia have a hidden agenda in all of this? yuri: russia sees itself as an influential player in syria and considers the united states as somebody who does not have any influencnce there at all. russia seeks international attention and attracts respect for its operations in the region. president putin wants to rid the world from terrorism but of course russia is interested in proving its military power and demonstrating its diplomatic importance in the middle east. it was impossible in previous months together with the u.s.. now, moscow hopes to achieve its goal with its other partners, with turkey and iran and ultimately to get more respect from the international community. christopher: ok, yuri and dorian jones. thanks to both of you. germany's migration agency estimates some 55,000 migrants left germany voluntarily this year according to a report in one of germany's leading daily newspapers. that is the highest number of voluntary partners from germany for 16 years. the majority of those leaving the country were from balkan states, people with little chance of being granted refugee status. the german government provides financial support to rejecting asylum-seekers. you are watching "dw news" in berlin. nine days after the christmas market attack, berlin is getting back to business as usual. at least, almost. there is a lingering sadness in the city but determination and resilience. our reporter has been out and about to test the mood. that, and all the latest business news, coming up after a very short break, so stay with us. ♪ christopher: welcome back. it you are with dw news in berlin. our top stories at the moment, a fresh link to anis amry, the man believed to have carried a fresh attack out on berlin. police have detained a 40-year-old tunisian whose telephone number was saved on amri's mobile. prosecutors believe he may also have been involved in that attack. now, as investigations into the attack on the christmas market here in berlin continue, the city is getting back to business as usual, almost at least. there is still a lingering sadness in the city, but also determination and resilience. germany's biggest new year's eve party, for instance, is going to be held outdoors as usual in front of the brandenburg gate, and that means tourists from all over the world are pouring into the city. our reporter was out and about today to test the mood. reporter: a busy day at berlin's main train station, just before new year's eve. visitors from all over the world are crowding into the city. i am curious to find out what is on their minds as they arrive here shortly after the terrorist attack in the german capital. >> i saw the police so i feel i would be safe, but i am just looking around. reporter: i feel a bit uneasy and uncertain. >> we feel fine, but we also try to avoid a lot of credit places just in case something might happen. reporter: others are more relaxed. the brandenburg gate is attracting just as many people as always. some plan to spend new year's eve here. no one i speak to is concerned about the possibility that something bad might happen. "security measures are certainly tightened here in berlin after i'm not scared at all." "i remain confident and optimistic. keep on living." officials say hotels have seen hardly any cancellations since the attack. berlin remains a popular destination. mainly, people are looking forward to celebrating new year's eve in berlin despite last week's attack. some are feeling a sense of unease, but they still want to stick with their plans for the big night. the consensus is that here should not dominate everyday life, otherwise terrorism will have won. security has been stepped up throughout the city, not least at the christmas market where a truck drove into the crowd 10 days ago. will that make a difference though? " cannot do anything about it. something else can always happen. that is the way it is." the attack has changed the general sense of security in berlin. most people are just getting on with life, because after all, there is no such thing as 100 for percent -- 100% peace of mind. christopher: business news, south korea. that country's widening scandal and the huge american corporation. more on that. reporter: if you do not obey the law, you will have to face the consequences. that is also the case in south korea. qualcomm has allegedly taken advantage of its market position and is now facing a hefty fine. other companies face charges as well. all of this comes amid a massive option scandal that involves the country's president. the nation looked on as the head of south korea's state-run pension fund was taken into custody. special prosecutors suspect -- pressured the fund. he was south korea and health minister at the time. >> the special prosecution team investigated the health minister. reporter: the arrest comes amid a massive corruption scandal that involves the president. earlier this month, president park geun-hye was impeached over allegations that she colluded with a longtime friend to extort money and favors from that largest companies. park's presidential scandals -- presidential powers are suspended. qualcomm, whose chips are used, and smartphones around the world, and forcing mobile phone manufacturers into under license agreements. >> we have decided to issue a correction order to qualcomm and its two affiliates for abusing a monopoly of power. we are finding them more than one trillion won. reporter: regulators say they are finding qualcomm with the highest fine ever infosonics corp in south korea. qualcomm says it will contest the decision, adding to the san diego-based company's other woes. the corporation is also under scrutiny in europe and the u.s.. toshiba shares plunged by 20% on wednesday after the japanese company warned of a multibillion dollar write-down linked to the acquisition of a nuclear power plant construction company. toshiba says cost overruns a u.s. project for much greater than initially expected. the japanese are recovering from a major accounting scandal on last year's $2 billion write-down for its nuclear business. now, whoever wants to study a dynamic, vibrant, changing economy should definitely not study the german economy these days because europe's biggest economy is moving along at constant pace, not very much. christopher: in germany's biggest cities, like hamburg, construction cranes have been a constant feature of the skyline in recent years. >> more and more people are flocking to cities. living space is scarce and the construction industry is booming. few sectors in germany are prospering like the construction business right now. economists compare the german economy to a sluggish tanker moving forward stoically, ignoring most global crises and downturns. according to a new study by the cologne institute for economic research, german businesses are expected to see growth next year , even though it will not be robust. private consumption is expected to remain key to the economy, and the labor market will also continue to be healthy, but not all industries will see a similar performance in 2017 as they did this year. >> we see a special negative story in such branches are affected by the so-called energy change. they see a different future and some have to legalize their business -- reorganize their business models. a negative mood in general. the german economy is still on track. it is no additional dynamic, but the same past we saw in 2016. reporter: most german enterprises can look forward to another positive year. >> there has been a lot of optimism over the thaw in cuba's relationship with the united states. it actually shrank the economy this year. economic crises among cuba's key trading partners. >> it is the first time in 25 years at the economy has shrunk. president raul castro announcing the news to a national assembly. the limitations of supplies and finance became worse in the second half of the year. that led to a decrease of .9% in gross domestic product. cuba's economi potential has grabbed headlines this year as straight with the u.s. is set to grow. the country's finances have taken a hit. that is down to venezuela's fumbling economy, which slashed import an investment and buys one third of cuban expert. ricardo brisas sees reasons to be optimistic, that up by a plan to invest more money abroad. "the plan we present to the assembly today is not without risks. with efforts already underway which need to be defined, but we believe we can achieve it. " the top domestic earners expected for 2017, tourism and sugar. they could help boost earnings by 2%, according to the government. but to maximize its gains, cuba also needs stable trade partners right now. either way, the caribbean country is expecting a happy new year. >> happy new year and so much for your business desk. back to you, christopher. christopher: thank you. sports for you. it has been a day of confusion in russia. the day began with a leading official apparently admitting to organized doping and russian sports and it continued to moscow pouring a great deal of cold water on the admission. the new york times quoted the head of russia's anti-doping agency for a conspiracy for russian athlete to use doping. later, she said the comments had been taken out of context. they denied the allegations. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says a two state solution is the only way to achieve peace in the middle east. in a major policy speech, kerry defended washington's decision to abstain in united nations votes radical of israel's settlement on palestinian occupied territory. we will be back with more at the top of the hour. in the meantime, you can noise get the latest updates from our website, dw.com. you are watching "dw news" in berlin. please stay with us. ♪ >> benjamin netanyahu accuses u.s. secretary of state of being warned after john kerry of israel's determination to build settlements on palestinian territory threatens a two state solution to the conflict. turkey says it's reached a cease-fire deal with russia to shut down weapons at midnight local time in syria. the rebels say they know it no such deal. two hours after the french president is a pardon