every week and we're looking to the future d.w. dot com science and research for. this is g.w. news live from berlin and the americal says that germany will not take part in an attack on syria the german chancellor saying that there is strong evidence that damascus carried out an alleged poison gas attack last weekend but germany will not join any military response. also coming up the number of executions carried out

last year around the world fell compared to a year before that's according to a new amnesty international report on capital punishment and israel marks a holocaust remembrance day at the big it's not the death camp the nation's president led the annual march of the living but this year there was tension in the air and we'll tell you why. i'm sara kelly welcome to the program russia's military says that the syrian government has taken complete control of eastern ghouta the last rebel strongholds near the capital that includes the town of duma the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack over the weekend now the u.s. president donald trump threatened missile missile strikes in response but now his administration says all options are on the table. convoys of buses are making

their way out of duma carrying out of the town rebels and their families and with them their hopes of victory against the syrian government this is what's left of eastern ghouta after years blockaded and bombarded by syrian government forces people here too scared to enter the buildings. now michael i'm looking at that one and look around all the apartment entrances are blocked because of the mines inside i can't get in everywhere i see wires and things that trouble me. as smoke rises over duma russia says the area is now under the control of the syrian government but it is russian military police who are patrolling the streets in line with a surrender deal struck with the rebels at the weekend. moscow has broadcast pictures said to show residents celebrating and says the situation here is normalizing. hybrid model.

but for several international powers these images of saturday's suspected poison gas attack in june are give no hint of normalcy. the u.s. britain and france are considering military action in syria in response to the alleged attack syria's allies russia and iran have threatened to retaliate if they do so with turkey israel and other regional powers also involved the u.n. has warned this conflict could spiral out of control. as u.s. warships make their way to the region there are mounting questions about where this crisis will lead. and earlier german chancellor angela merkel said that germany would not take part in any missile strikes on syria have a list. the germany will know it is a dissipate and even more civil military action but i want to stress again that no

decision has been made on this but we acknowledge and support that everything has to be done to signal that this use of chemical weapons is on except the bill and. let's get more reaction now from europe we are joined from berlin by political correspondent simon young and standing by in brussels is our brussels bureau chief and welcome to both of you and simon i'd like to begin with you because we just heard chancellor angela merkel speak there she seemed to be implicitly backing military action but not wanting to get involved where does germany fit in here you know i think germany wants to be positioned as a firm member of the western alliance that's why chancellor merkel has telephoned with the french president and with other countries and is saying that it wants to be in contact over this issue but it comes as no surprise that germany won't be getting militarily involved i don't think anyone was expecting that and i don't think that it will. negatively affect other countries ability to take

military action if that's what it comes to but the chancellor also said it was difficult to do nothing and that's why they're backing pressure from the p c w the international chemical weapons inspector it and in the un to put the pressure on syria at this time and as that pressure mounts i mean european countries definitely watching this very closely french president emmanuel mccrone in fact has been talking about the gas attack and talked of having proof max over to you now walk us through what exactly you said here and whether or not it might be more likely that military action could be taken there now. well you did say that at least chlorine was used in that it was used by the regime of bashar al assad so of course this strengthens the case for military action by the french because they want to crawl had said earlier that the red line for him was the use of chemical

weapons in syria by the regime of bashar al assad so you think all right this is basically a go but it doesn't appear to be a go yet although the president said on tuesday that he would decide within days it seemed a little more mellow on thursday saying they would take the decision when it was useful and also efficient what exactly that means is anyone's guess but we can guess that it's probably also due to the complications in the background because of course we're talking about an alliance here with the u.s. and with the u.k. there needs to be coordination and with the mixed signals coming out of washington it's absolutely possible but that this coordination especially with the states is pretty complicated at the moment and given that complication and in the search for coordination and what about the other european military having weight the u.k. because british prime minister theresa may is talking with her cabinet today right . she is she is she called the back from the easter break in principle it seems

that the prime minister of the u.k. is willing to follow the u.s. lead here as soon as we know what they actually want to do but the problem and the little twist here is that the opposition at least parts of the opposition are calling for parliament to approve this they don't have to do that it's not the law but it's sort of a convention and if you look at the history of the u.k. following the u.s. in two wars in two thousand and three for example in iraq that didn't go too well that this this might complicate matters or even slow them down absolutely indeed simon merkel for her part doesn't want to get directly involved as you mentioned earlier but you know she did indicate that if the u.n. security council took action beyond diplomacy that germany would be supportive what sort of support if she were for and tail yeah it's slightly on clear what the chancellor meant boy by that phrase actions beyond diplomacy she does seem to have

left the door open for germany to take some kind of further actions that could be supporting the work of the b c w or it could be providing logistical or other support to all the allies in military action but i think the key thing is germany's emphasis on solidarity and unity with the other international partners in europe and at the u.n. simon young and berlin max health man in brussels thank you. well meantime the human rights group amnesty international says that the number of reported judicial executions around the world fell during twenty seventeen but the group warns that the true number of people put to death by the state is not known as some countries treat executions to to sticks as a state secret china for example but many others carried out carry out executions in full view of the public. iran responsible for carrying out its more than half of the world's known executions last year that's according to amnesty

international's latest figures in dozens of those cases that meant public execution in iran drug trafficking and blasphemy are among those crimes punishable by death. at least five people were executed in iran for acts committed when they were still under eighteen. so that. just four countries responsible for eighty four percent of all recorded executions last year iran saudi arabia iraq and pakistan but the country suspected of being the world's leading executioner is china. it's thought to have put thousands to death last year more than the rest of the world put together the because data on the death penalty that is a state secrets exactly how many is a matter of speculation. but not counting china twenty seven thousand so the total number of executions worldwide fall by four percent

from the previous year. m misty international says that reaffirms a global trend towards a pollution of the death penalty last year a further two countries guinea and mongolia join the one hundred four who have now abolished capital punishment for a second year in a row the us did not feature among the top five global execution is slipping from position seven to eight this is due in part to ongoing legal challenges of the use of lethal injection. but as litigation in several states progress is that because the executions regime. has got a quick check now some other stories that have been making news around the world the international chemical weapons watchdog the o.p.c. w. has confirmed that former russian spy service cripple and his daughter yulia were poisoned with a nerve agent in the english city of solsbury however the organization stopped short of naming the substance it also did not say where it was produced.

at least twelve people have been killed after taliban militants stormed a government compound in central afghanistan the gunmen overran a district headquarters in gaza need province triggering an hour's long gun battle that left several government officials and dozens of militants dead afghan security forces eventually drove out the insurgents and algeria has begun three days of mourning after a military plane crash that killed two hundred fifty seven people the russian built transporter went down shortly after takeoff on wednesday killing most mostly soldiers and their family members the accident is the worst aviation disaster in algeria's history authorities have ordered an investigation. facebook c.e.o. mark zuckerberg has told us lawmakers social media will inevitably need to be regulated zuckerberg was called before congress after it was revealed that his company improperly shared millions of users data he offered few specifics on how to

better protect user privacy. israelis have been marking their holocaust remembrance day when they remember the six million jews murdered by the nazi regime across europe president of the country was among thousands of people who took part in the annual march of the living at auschwitz in poland the site of the most notorious death camp a recent polish legislation about the holocaust has caused controversy so there was some tension in the air. a march in memory of the victims of nazi terror at the french the presidents of poland and israel more than ten thousand people including youth groups from around the world have come to auschwitz the route leads to the death camp birkenau earlier the young people visited the camp to familiarize themselves with the horrible details of what took place german groups are also taking part. it's very sad to stand here knowing that my great

grandmother stood and died here as well as my great grandfather an indescribable feeling that. survivors accompany the groups and recount their traumatic experiences edward most burgs mother and brother in law were killed here yeah they do it you have to remember what happened and this is like a big the biggest cemetery in the war of the jewish people the political dispute between poland and israel over the so-called holocaust law is causing uncertainty penalties could be imposed on anyone who blames the polish people or state for nazi war crimes israel has criticized the law because it fears polish accomplices may no longer be identified as a result. i would like to say once again with all my might that it was never the intention of polish politicians to create such a rule which would block bearing witness to the holocaust because the polish

constitutional court is currently reviewing the law the meeting of the two heads of state at this site of german nazi terror could point towards an amicable resolution of the conflict. football now and the europa league where the leipzig are in the running for a semifinal spot they need to keep more say at bay in the south of france tonight the german side hold a one nil aggregate lead after the first leg. strike and make a difference in the fast leg and how light seat would love for him to add to his european tally tonight in moscow say an away goal would lift the pressure off and hurtle sight as it did for them against then it's in petersburg in the last rounds we're born in sydney for sure don't want to hide want to play our game and just like in some petersburg score a goal and perform with the same bravery as we've always done this year on the road . playing on the road might you like to see good they were thrashed four one at

home by laver couzin in the been this legal on monday i defeat the weakens their bid to qualify for the champions league next season and one which puts extra significance on this year campaign like six races stand test must say yet to lose at home in this year's competition a draw would be good enough for the germans but in this week of drama in europe they know they can't take anything for granted you have to date on news i'm sarah kelly and thanks for watching. while you dortmund shelter like to go for your favorite teams we've got all the best goals we've got i should call it but what is legal right here. t.w. is the whole of german football here period every man. woman does legal every weekend here on g.w. .