>> hello and welcome to the "journal" on dw-tv. i am meggin lee. rights protesters are crackdown on hu -- riots as protestors are cracked down on. syria's president denies ordering a crackdown on protesters. >> europe is working to save the euro.

>> germany has added its voice to international concern over election fraud in russia. a spokesman for chancellor angela merkel said the way that sunday's parliamentary election was carried out in some places was worrying. protest over russian prime minister vladimir putin's script on power is a gripping major cities. police have been on the streets in full force to quell anti- kremlin demonstrations. >> a large police presence was sent to the square. they were -- protesters were out in force to protest the recent elections. activists have been organizing themselves on social networking sites. moskow's city authority gave the

go-ahead for people to protest. tens of thousands could turn out. >> before, people did not protest against electoral fraud so much. i would like to see those in power deal with this discontent head-on. >> the kremlin is getting increasingly nervous. it is showing weakness. that will provoke more street protests. >> this man is free again after he and 600 were detained by authorities over the past few days. but other opponents of the kremlin regime, including this lager, have been sentenced to 15 days -- blogger, have been sentenced to 15 days in jail for their part in protests earlier in the week. prime minister vladimir putin. unfazed as he submitted documents or candidacy -- appeared unfazed as he submitted

documents for candidacy. >> i spoke earlier to andrew osborne. began by asking him how russian officials were addressing citizen concerns about election fraud. >> the short answer is that they are not doing very much. mr. putin as promised that he will -- has promised that he will significantly reshuffle the government after the election. the authorities main response -- authority's mean response is a display -- main response is a display of force. there have been arrests. authorities have dealt with this very violently, using workforce, literally sweepin people off -- brute force, literally switching people off the streets. they are not taking any

prisoners. it remains to be seen how far they are willing to compromise, but there have been needed to resign as a compromise so far. up to 15,000 protesters are expected to take to the streets of central moscow. there were reports this evening that the square on which they were expected to gather has unexpectedly been closed for repairs. the authorities are denying that. it remains to be seen. in the state media, there has been a complete blackout. most russians do not even know these protests have taken place. >> and that was andrew osborne, sp into a story from moscow. -- speaking to us earlier from moscow. syrian president bashar al-assad denied launching a burger crackdown on opposition protesters in his country. -- a brutal crackdown on opposition protesters in his own

country. white house officials sharply criticized the nile -- denial, saying it was not credible. the crackdown on dissidents continues. syria is still -- >> syria is still a country convulsed by violence. in egypt, government forces engaged in heavy fighting with army deserters. operation activist said at least eight people were killed, four reportedly tortured to death in homs. there have been brutal -- has been brutal violence, massive arrests, and killings. the syrian president said he had not given any orders to kill or tortured. >> we do not give any order to have people killed. i became president because of the public's support.

it is not possible for anyone in this state to be ordered to kill. >> to you feel guilty -- do you feel guilty? >> i did my best to protect the people, so you cannot feel guilty when you do your best. >> everyday sees more funerals for those who have lost their lives in demonstrations. the un says more than 4000 people have been killed in the crackdown on protests since march. >> egypt's military ruler has sworn in a new interim government. it was the first election since the ousting of hosni mubarak. the government is led by a man who served as prime minister under mubarak in the 1990's. the new lineup of ministers retains 12 from the last cabinet, three of them appointed by mubarak surviving the shuffle. the first round of elections are expected to make islamist groups

the main force in parliament. afghan officials say 19 civilians have been killed by a roadside bomb in the southern helmand province. is comes three days -- this comes a day after three explosion left at least nine dead and the country. funerals have been held for the victims of a suicide attack on a shrine in kabul. president hamid karzai has blamed the violence on extremists from pakistan. the bombing targeted shi'ah muslims celebrating a religious holiday. it raised fears of sectarian conflict. one top u.s. official has been quite busy here in europe. >> u.s. treasury secretary timothy anderson is the eurozone will not manage to solve this crisis -- timothy geithner says the eurozone will not manage to solve this crisis. there is a make-or-break som

ummit starting tomorrow. he has been critical that europe is moving too slow. today, he has been meeting with leaders in france. >> with the eu summit in brussels approaching, pressure is building to get their financial house in order in europe. in paris, u.s. treasury secretary tim geithner told french leaders that washington wants swift action to solve the eurozone debt crisis. it is a position his hosts share. >> we have the same goals. that is to make sure that this financial crisis ends and to find ways so that in the real economy, there is a revival of activity in europe. >> a number of proposals are now on the table to tackle the crisis. there are reports that the european stability mechanism could come into force in 2012 and exist parallel to the current efsf bailout fund. another option would be to increase funding to the imf said

that it could help troubled eurozone countries -- so that it could help troubled eurozone countries. they could also expand on buying. france and german leaders want budgetary rules which include debt ceilings. that would means what sanctions for lax eurozone economies -- mean swift sanctions for lax eurozone economies. not all of the member states support these proposals. prime minister david cameron opposes the proposed tax on financial transactions. he said he will veto any new eu treaty if it involves any further transfer of power from britain to brussels. >> european markets closely followed expectations. both high and low. german officials were pleased on wednesday. our correspondent in frankfurt has this wraps up -- wrap-up. >> early ahead of the summit,

some investors lost their nerves. on the bond market, new government bonds in germany were in demand. the five-year bond auction was oversubscribed two times. many questions are being murderously discussed on the trading floors. what, for example -- nervously discussed on the trading floors. >> what if your son will have to go alone -- with the eurozone will have to go along toward fiscal union? with the united kingdom really holds a referendum -- what if the united kingdom really hold a referendum which could but amid the question the membership of the u.k. in the european union -- which could fundamentally question the membership of the u.k. in the european union? >> taxes at 5994. -- the ddax is at 5995 -- tehe

dax is at 5994. the euro is at 1.9393. citigroup will chop 4500 jobs because of what it calls "an extremely challenging operating environment." they hope to make big savings in the long run. in the short term, these cuts will come at price. severance and other expenses will come out at $400 million. they are joining other banks who are pressing their work forces, including -- cutting their work forces, including bank of america and databank -- the deutsche bank. the government has expanded plan to the supermarket sector. the government had hoped that the move would have eased high inflation and create jobs. public protests and strong opposition from politicians fear this is putting the reform on

the ice. look at the order books for german arms manufacturers. exports are booming. exports were up by 60%, to around 2.1 billion euros. almost half of that came from the sale of warships to nato allies. pakistan also bought german arms worth 65 million euros, followed by iraq at 28 million euros. meggin? >> we're going to the u.s. prosecutors in the city of philadelphia have dropped their 30-year pursuit of the death penalty for -- a former black panther who was convicted of fatally shooting a police officer in 1982. he has consistently maintained his innocence. his case attracted international attention, with many prominent supporters claiming that he was the victim of racial bias.

the man will now spend the rest of his life in prison. from statesman to prison inmate, former israeli president -- the former is ready president began a seven-year prison sentence for rape and sexual harassment -- the former israeli president began a seven-year prison sentence for rape and sexual harassment. and that he once held israel's highest public office -- >> he once held israel's highest public office. now, he was in the next seven years behind bars. he insists he is innocent. he says the state of israel is condemning a man today on the basis of impressions, without real-time testimony, without evidence. >> israel's supreme court voted unanimously to uphold the conviction. he was convicted of raping his secretary.

he was also found guilty of selection -- of sexually harassing two other women. the kind of -- he claims he was framed. in 2007, he was offered a plea bargain that would have allowed him to escape a prison sentence. israeli feminists were outraged by the deal, which he then turned down, vowing to prove his innocence in court. it was a battle he lost. he entered the prison to begin his time behind bars. >> a new global climate deal is unlikely now. that was the message that ban ki-moon had for the climate conference today. he told the delegates they should be realistic about the chances of achieving a breakthrough. china and india have already delivered a blow to european plans for a new, globally binding treaty on greenhouse gas emissions. instead, he urged the that they keep up momentum by finding solutions to smaller issues -- he urged that they keep up

momentum by finding solutions to smaller issues. our correspondent is in south africa. i asked how talks are progressing. >> we just talked to the german head of the delegation. he told us that what is crucial from his point of view is to put the screws on china. he said germany and the you have been weak negotiators in the past during these kinds of -- the e.u. have been weak negotiators in the past during these kinds of negotiations. there is no hope that there will be a significant shift, especially not with presidential elections coming up next year. he said that china might be key to success. china has sent out some positive signals, not always very clear, but at least some signals that they might be willing to agree to a comprehensive, binding agreement by 2020, or that could

take effect by 2020. that is the crucial date according to scientists. if we have not managed to peak emissions by the end of this decade, then it is definitely too late to the global warming the holdup -- below that dangerous threshold. >> our correspondent speaking to us earlier from south africa. we will look at the link between climate change and extreme weather in our "in depth" report after the news. brazil's rain forest could be under further threat. the brazilian senate has approved legislation that could loosen some restrictions. the bill, backed by the agriculture library -- lobby, bitterly opposed by environmentalists, increases the amount of land that may be cleared for crops and provides amnesty for those who illegally

deforested land before july, 2008. environmentalists have called on dilma rousseff to veto the bill. we'll be looking at extreme weather.

>> welcome back. as climate change really get anyone's attention anymore? thus -- does climate change really get anyone's attention anymore? there are too many distractions. many countries are facing economic crises. europe, long the leader in fighting for the environment, it is now fighting to save its currency. china and the u.s. are busy attending to their economies. world leaders are talking about banks, bailout, and recession. signs of climate change are becoming more frequent, even

here in germany. but you cannot normally walk here. the bed of the mighty rhine river has been laid bare. shipping companies have been forced to suspend operations or reduce their loads. in western germany, the retreating waters have exposed more threatening remains -- barrels a poisonous materials and world war ii bombs that need to be set off in controlled explosions. in the north of the country, some unusual ruins are visible now that the water level has fallen. the remains of an old mining settlement that was flooded in the 1950's. what personal the area well. -- walkers know the area well -- well. >> i think that these have been visible only a couple times in

60 years. >> this haze over the city is nothing but missed. -- mist. it did not actually rain here for weeks. good news for the walkers, but should these conditions make them think? >> it is not bad for the plants and trees. they are getting ready for winter. they have lost their treason -- leaves and color. the trees are gone into their annual hibernation -- going into their and a hibernation. >> is a tuition is more precarious -- going into their annual hibernation. >> the situation in southern germany is more precarious. perhaps one of the strangest manifestations of the extended sunshine are these strawberries, still growing in december.

normally, they bear fruit in the summer. a curiosity going down well at fruit and vegetable markets around the country. >> delicious. really sweet. but it is strange, very strange, but the climate is, too. >> indeed, it was a very strange november across the country. even these cranes have been confused by the mild weather. should have headed south for warmer climes long ago, but they are still here in sunny germany. >> the month of november was sunny and dry. that was quite unusual for this time of year. germany is not where you will find the severe consequences of climate extremes. it is the poor countries on the planet which are taking the brunt of changing weather patterns. the consequences are dire. people are being forced from their homes by drought and flood. they are known as climate

refugees. their numbers are growing. we have this report from bangladesh. >> anybody who travels along the >> aivers in bangladesh can very quickly see why the country is suffering so seriously. erosion is attacking the river banks and amendments are collapsing, as here on this river. once the monsoon rains start, thousands flee because their land has been washed away and is now uninhabitable. most of them make their way to the capital, dhaka. it is therefore no accident that these german development experts are touring the river, which runs through the city -- a megacity of 16 million people. the monsoons have brought increasingly heavy rains thanks to climate change. it rains about 5 months every year.

with a shortage of natural resources, flood-prevention efforts are slowly getting underway. >> kinds of a flood shelters were built there in the 1970's -- all kinds of flood shelters were built there in the 1970's. there has been a push to make a large rivers more stable, which happened in germany in the 18th century. technologies are being developed to address the situation here. >> the country is also struggling with pollution, both air and water borne. because there is no natural stone to build with, the only solution is to make bricks with coal fired ovens. there are a huge number of brick factories in bangladesh, some 6.5000 in all -- 6,500 in all. >> they are exploring new projects that use firing system that can cut energy consumption by at least 1/2.

>> the situation could get worse. most of the river water comes from the himalayas. the question of what will happen if the glaciers there melt and bring more water is something that no one here can answer. >> we spoke earlier to a meteorologist and climate researcher, mojib latif. we asked him which regions are the worst affected by the extreme weather conditions. it it is basically the developing countries -- >> it is basically developing countries that are the most affected. it did not contribute to the increase of carbon dioxide. we're talking about extreme rainforest, monsoon systems can be seriously affected. things like what happened in pakistan last year. this extraordinary, monsoon rainfall. these rains can become more

frequent. another thing is sea-level rise. some countries are already suffering from sea-level rise. bangladesh, some of the islands in the indian and pacific oceans. those are mostly affected. >> and is it possible for us to stop climate change? >> not to stop it completely, because climate is in art. it takes decades before we see the success of our actions. if we were to agree on reducing carbon dioxide today, then climate maybe changes in 20 or 30 yeqars. -- years. therefore, must act immediately, within the next 10 years, to

stabilize -- we must act immediately, within the next 10 years, to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions. we have to transform the world economy from a carbon-based economy to a carbon-free economy. this means that we have to produce energy mostly through what we call the renewable energies -- solar, wind, hydro and so on. >> in your opinion, what specific measures should be taken? >> it is important not the two largest emitter of carbon dioxide, china and the united states, commit themselves to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. however, they basically block each other at this stage. if those two countries do not act together -- they produce

more than 40% of the global carbon-dioxide emissions -- i think nothing can really move on these summits. >> climate researcher mojib latif, thank you very much for talking with us. we are wrapping up the "journal." thanks for joining us. stay tuned.