webex live from the dw studios here in berlin, this is the "journal." moving into place -- the un security council could vote within hours on a resolution foreign and to syria's chemical weapons. we will go live to new york. >> before he leaves new york, the iranian president tells reporters the stage is set for better relations with the west. >> the man who wanted to lead a new german government, peer steinbrueck, says he is finished

with leading his party, the social democrats. well, for two years, the united nations has been paralyzed on syria. now movement, and it is swift. >> the united nations security council meets on friday to meet on a resolution calling for damascus to scrap its chemical weapons. a vote could come in that meeting. >> this report on what is inside that resolution. >> all eyes are on new york and the united nations security council. after a 2.5-year deadlock, the u.s. and russia have finally had to the council a draft resolution addressing the use of chemical weapons in syria. the resolution obliges the syrian government to give up its chemical weapons arsenal, but it does not assign blame for the chemical attack that killed

hundreds of people in august, and it does not include automatic consequences should syria failed to comply. in that case, the security council would have to vote on a second resolution that would give the syrian president's allies another chance to meet on further action. the istanbul-based opposition alliance, the syrian national council, criticized the draft resolution, saying it sends the wrong signal to the regime. >> this resolution means the following -- assad should turn over the chemical weapons, but he can keep massacring the people with other weapons -- conventional weapons. that is what assad will understand because the resolution does not name the criminal. >> as the diplomatic wheels turn, the conflict on the ground continues to claim lives. this internet video purports to show the scene of a car bomb attack north of damascus on friday.

at least 30 people were reported killed. >> let's pull in our correspondent in new york. let's do a little reality check right now. how realistic is it to expect a vote on this resolution before friday is over? >> well, local time, no problem whatsoever because the security council is going to get together at eight :00 local time. usually, they put up a vote like that at the beginning. it's afterwards that they have the speeches by the diplomats and the ministers and the press conferences. that takes time, but if they both comes first, we will probably have one until 9:00 here local time. >> what about enforcing this resolution? is there anything in the works authorizing enforcement if the resolution is passed and it assad does not comply and dismantle his chemical weapons arsenal? >> well, that is going to be

very tough. it would require another resolution. that is what this negotiating process was about. the americans wanted to have an automatic trigger in this resolution, basically authorizing use of force. the russians would not have it. they found a compromise that the bottom line bottom line is really if they want to do something about it. first of all, by the way, the united nations has to state noncompliance, but if they do, then it will be a whole new negotiating process, and we do not know what kind of sanctions or even if military power would be an option there. military power, by the way, is certainly not with the russians as they stand at the moment. >> we are having a little problem with the signal. we want to apologize -- with the signal strength right now. let me get your thoughts on the complete turnaround that we have seen at the united nations.

it was just a few weeks ago that even talking about a resolution in the security council in syria was a major taboo. now you are talking about passing a resolution by the end of the day. >> yes. quite frankly, you know, if anybody would have asked the journalists or diplomats, for that matter, three weeks ago, they would have said they were just plain crazy, but then a couple of things came together. probably the military threat by the u.s. played a role, and in the off-the-cuff remark as secretary of state john kerry who said the syrians could avoid military strike just handing over all their chemical weapons. now the rest of what happened has sergei locher off written all over it. he took the statement by john kerry and help the americans accountable, and he knows the tricks because he used to be ambassador right around the corner, 10 years at the united nations, so he put the united states and a position -- so he

put the united states in a position where they could not deny it in the end. >> i think we can move on to the other major surprise. >> that's right. you could argue that iran's new president has done more for relations with his country in the u.s. and the last four days than anyone has done in the last three decades. >> before he left new york on friday, rouhani call the united states a great nation, saying he had taken the first step to usher in a new era of understanding. >> here's more. >> iran's president says his country will present a plan next month to allay the world's concerns about its nuclear program. at a news conference in new york on the sidelines of the united nations general assembly, he said he will make the proposal next month in geneva with six

major world powers are scheduled to resume talks initiated on thursday. the iranian president once again underscored that he wanted to resolve the dispute over his nation's nuclear activities as quickly as possible. at the press conference, he said that iran would never go back on its promises to the west. in vienna, iran and the international atomic energy agency help talks and made plans to meet again. >> we had construct a discussion on a variety of issues, a range of issues, and we agreed to continue substantive talks.

>> the assessment of the vienna meeting is seen as a sign that iran's new president is serious about reducing nuclear tensions. >> all right, we want to talk a little bit more about relations between iran and the u.s. and the west, and to do that, i'm joined by our middle east analyst, a familiar face here on dw. the world, the u.s., the west -- we are not sneak -- used to seeing an iranian president smiling, talking about peace, talking about a new era in relations. how much of this is more than just a charm offensive? >> rouhani indeed is a very charming personality, but at the same time, he is an expression of different policy making. the iranians understand they have put themselves in a difficult addition due to their aggressive language under his predecessor, and now they are

really trying to turn around, mainly as a result of the sanctions that have hurt the iranian economy, and the iranian government has really understood that they need to change course. otherwise, the whole islamic regime has collapsed for economic reasons. >> how can the u.s. know that he has the backing of the supreme leader? we have seen it before. how mean he keeps them on a short leash. >> that's right. the decisive personality is the revolutionary leader, but he has given the green light to change policies. it is a matter of survival for the regime. should the economy continued to deteriorate, iran is in deep trouble. of course, there are quite a few hardliners that are not happy about this rapprochement towards the u.s., but nevertheless, he has a year at the most.

should sanctions still be in place, and the hardliners will regain pace. in the middle east, we see a fascinating development evolving. who would have thought three weeks ago that first of all, there is no more is serious, and secondly, there is this new relationship coming out between iran and the united states? it is really quite amazing. it's very rare in world politics that we see such events evolving. no one is able to say what is going to happen in the middle east, not to mention two years or five years from now, but it would be very un-advisable not to use it. it is a unique chance. >> do you think something substantive will come out of the stalks? >> the iranians are willing to

solve the nuclear issue, but the question is -- will the americans, will the israelis go along with that path? >> thanks as always for coming in and giving us your insights. >> a japanese company has requested testing. >> all of japan's nuclear reactors have been shut down since the fukushima disaster in march 2011, making the country reliant on oil and gas imports. in sudan, dozens of people have been killed as antigovernment protests continue. authorities watched a crackdown on media -- launched a crackdown on media coverage, ordering tv news coverage to close in stopping newspapers from going to press. >> around 3000 people took to the streets after friday prayers to demand the resignation of the

president. police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. the protest began a few days ago over plans to lift fuel subsidies. the opposition claims as many as 100 people have died in the unrest. police put the death toll at 29. at least five people have died in the indian city of mumbai after a multistory residential building collapsed. >> rescue workers are searching for survivors beneath the rubble. dozens of people are believed to be trapped in the ruins of the building. it housed mostly local government employees and their families. and pakistan, at least 17 people are dead after a bomb exploded on a bus, carrying government officials. >> police have confirmed more than 40 people were injured in the attack. it came just a week after suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a christian church in the city. islamist violence against security forces and minorities has risen in recent months,

undermining proposed peace talks between the government and tribal forces. humans are responsible for global warming -- that's the message from a new report released by the governmental panel on climate change. >> scientists say they are now 95% certain that human activity is causing the planet to heat up . that's the strongest warning yet to be issued about rising temperatures and the disastrous consequences they could have. >> if melting ice caps and global warming are not slowed, the intergovernmental panel on climate change foresees a grim future for the planet. scientists and officials from up to 195 nations met in stockholm this week to convince their findings into the panel's latest report. >> each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the earth's surface than any preceding it since 1850. >> they say there are three

decades of clear indications that the earth off climate is changing with dire consequences. the rise in sea levels is likely to be greater than previously thought. floods and droughts will become more common. climate change will have a direct impact on societies around the world. ipcc experts are also in agreement on the cause. >> human influence on the cause is clear. >> the panelists have long struggled to convince governments. today's report is their strongest warning yet. >> all right, some sports news now. he is used to playing in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans, but today, the soccer star stands before a judge. >> the four-time world player of the year is accused of committing tax fraud. he denies the allegations.

>> all right, stay with us. we will be right back. we will be right back. webex live from the dw studios here in berlin, this is the "journal." moving into place -- the un security council could vote within hours on a resolution foreign and to syria's chemical weapons. we will go live to new york. >> before he leaves new york, the iranian president tells reporters the stage is set for better relations with the west. >> the man who wanted to lead a new german government, peer steinbrueck, says he is finished

with leading his party, the naturally, party leaders are carefully considering their next move. >> some regional spd leaders have put aside their misgivings for the moment, especially those from the country's most populous state. >> we never said we did not want talks, but that we should be open. it's the issues that count. >> the shift corresponds to the general mood among the german public. opinion polls are just almost

half of germans would prefer a grand coalition government. there's little support for the alternatives. however, spd leaders want the rank and file to have the last day and whether to support entering a grand coalition. they are calling for a vote by party members at the end of any negotiations with the cdu. >> we are a democratic party. we are not a hierarchy. we are very much for participation in the spd. that's the right path. >> hardy leaders and members will thrash out their strategy behind closed doors, but there's already speculation that the first talks between germany's's two main parties could take off as early as next week. >> all right, our man at the s beattie is terry martin. he is standing by at headquarters for us in berlin. good evening to you. it has been almost a week since the election. why do you think it has taken

peer steinbrueck so long to let the country know that he is basically done with frontline politics? >> well, the social democrats in germany are still in a state of shock after that election result on sunday. they were given their second worst election result in the party's history, so i think it takes a bit to digest what they have come up against over the past several months. that election defeat for them was really extremely bitter, so i think peer steinbrueck had to first come to terms with what has happened. he has been consulting, of course, with other party leaders and thinking about his future. we knew before the election that he would not participate as a cabinet member in any government led by chancellor merkel. he made that clear before the election, so the statement today about not being willing to take over any other leadership positions in the party is consistent also with that.

he will be a representative in the bundestag. he did win a seat in parliament, but he has already made it clear he will not take over any leadership position there. in terms of waiting a week or that, that is not a surprise under the circumstances. >> with peer steinbrueck under -- out of the calculus now, how attractive does it make the spd for angela merkel's conservative cdu when we are talking about forming a coalition? >> that is a tough question. the cdu is still exploring its options right now. they are in a position of strength. they are just five these short of an absolute majority in the bundestag, and that puts them in quite a strong bargaining position. however, the social democrats know that they are the preferred coalition partner for the christian democrats. that is already leaking out, and they have said -- the social

make themselves available at a bargain price. that means that in any negotiations that may be coming, we'll hear social democrats making some pretty significant demands, but it is also clear that given their position of relative weakness in comparison to the conservatives, they will have to make some compromises. social democrats went into these elections saying that they were demanding a new tax, a higher tax on top earners in the country, demanding a blanket minimum wage, dual citizenship, more rights for gays and lesbians, a rent cap. these are all policies i think they will have a tough time convincing any future coalition partner in the christian democrats to accept. >> terry martin for us there at spd headquarters in berlin. as always, thank you very much. if all else fails with the spd, german chancellor angela merkel could turn to the greens as a

possible coalition partner. >> but that seems unlikely. three of that party's leading figures have re-signed. many see very little common ground. >> the greens have very little to talk about. they are rethinking their party leadership and strategy and wondering whether it makes any sense to consider entering a coalition government with merkel's christian democrats. many greens are doubtful. >> there is agreement that the spd continues to be the party that we have the most in common with in many areas, but many greens are also in favor of making clear that what matters are issues, and we will consider what constellation allows us to implement our positions. >> the resignation of a veteran of the party left will have made any alliance more palatable for the conservatives, but with much of the greens leadership stepping down in the wake of their poor election showing, some question whether

negotiations would be meaningless. >> no, it is about sincerity. i believe all party members expect us to take our election results and the talks seriously. this does not change the fact, as we saw in campaigning, that our ideas and those of the cdu are going and opposite directions -- in opposite directions. >> given their electoral disappointment, the greens are facing twin challenges -- how to renew their political leadership and whether the compromise party ideals in order to join the german government. >> while germany stumbles toward a new coalition government, france's economy is picking up steam. the country managed to pull itself out of recession in the second quarter of this year. >> updated figures show the french economy grew by .5% over the first quarter, mostly due to a boost and household purchasing, but economists also

warned that investment levels are slipping. >> for more on how that news affected the markets, we go to the frankfurt stock exchange. >> at least some positive news from france, which the market did not honor today. traders have been worried about the situation in italy and in the u.s. italy's coalition is threatening to break apart. the country had to raise interest rates in order to get more money, but more important is the ongoing unsolved dispute over the u.s. budget. in the worst case, this could seriously harm the entire world economy. only a few days left for u.s. lawmakers. this was a birding for the dax throughout the week because everybody is looking forward to what happens next week in the u.s. >> now let's look at the numbers ourselves, starting with frankfurt. the dax was down ever so slightly -- .03%.

euro stoxx 50 a bit more down -- .12%. in new york, the dow is down .6% at the moment. the euro trading slightly up against the dollar -- $1.3 520. moving to the world of sports now where world football governing body the for apostasy in japan the 20 022 world cup qatar is coming under criticism. >> this time it's not about the bribery allegations surrounding the bidding process or even how brutal the summer heat will be, but this time about forced labor in the gulf state. >> "the guardian newspaper" published an exposé this week with a cover that south asian men were being made to work on stadium building sites without pay or food and that 44 from nepal had died over the past several months. >> these nepali would-be migrant

workers are waiting in line for a better life, or so they hope. they want to find work in the wealthy gulf states, especially qatar. the emirate will be hosting fee for's soccer world cup in 2022 -- fee for -- fifa's world cup in 2022. expect amazing is the slogan of the event. qatar won the bid with the promise of new stadiums and the pledge to build a whole new city , but half a world away in nepal, these people are grieving for their relatives who died on construction sites and qatar. they are hoping to get compensation. international media have reported appalling conditions for foreign workers on world cup opening sites. for boards say 44 nepali's died on qatari construction sites in two months alone.

more than 4000 workers risk losing their lives over the next seven years as construction for world cup facilities gets underway if no action is taken to get migrant workers rights. as more reports emerge of inhumane conditions on worker sites, critics place the blame not only on the emirate but on the for -- on fifa itself. >> all right, in swimming, germany's top performer of the past decade has decided to hop out of the pool and topple off for good. she said she does not have the motivation and energy to continue. >> she was one of the big stars of the beijing games in 2000

eight, winning the 50 and 100 meter freestyle events last month in london. she missed out on and metal coming forth. >> that wraps up his edition of the "journal." we will see you next time. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

♪ after you've gone ♪ and left me crying ♪ after you've gone ♪ there's no denying ♪ some day when you grow lonely ♪ ♪ your heart will break like mine ♪ ♪ and you'll want me only ♪ after you've gone ♪ after you've gone away ( applause and cheering ) okay, settle down, settle down. and finally in first place, with a whopping 50 points... the scissor sisters.