♪ >> hello, and welcome to the "journal" on dw-tv. >> i am ben fajzullin. >> the leaders of europe's top two economies to athens to get its house in order. >> more violence in the syrian city of homs after the west fails to get the u.n. security council to pass the resolution condemning the violence. >> 60 years on the throne, and she says she will continue to serve as long as she can. ♪

>> time is of the essence. that is the tough from greece -- for greece from the german chancellor. angela merkel has warned that unless athens does more to rein in its debt, there will be no additional bailouts. it appears that hard line has already had an effect. >> the coalition government of greece has agreed to cut 15,000 more public-sector positions. the announcement came after merkel was in paris for talks with nicolas sarkozy. the two leaders have been working closely for months to prevent a greek the fault. >> a guard of honor for a special guest at the palace. this year's franco-german cabinet meeting has been overshadowed by the euro debt crisis. aside from dealing with a single currency troubles, president sarkozy is hoping that chancellor merkel's visit will give his reelection campaign a boost. both leaders are to be interviewed later on monday on television. with just three months to go

before voters make their choices, 's has been criticized for using the crisis for political gain. both leaders were quick to play down the criticism. >> i believe we are working very closely together as governments. it is quite normal in europe and for parties that belong to the same political family to support each other. >> i admire angela merkel. she governs the country with a population of 82 million people. we're cooperating closely with each other in a friendly manner. >> on the subject of greece, the german chancellor stressed the need for more austerity and the reforms from athens. >> there can be no agreement of the troika's proposals are not put into affect. >> germany and france once again showing a united stance on tackling the eurozone debt crisis. coming together to increase the pressure on greece to act

quickly. >> and all of this is coming as the greek government is in the midst of make or break talks. the greek prime minister, lucas papademos, has been holding discussions with officials from the truck at -- the imf, eu, and the european central bank. >> they have as for an additional day to come up with an agreement on more cuts and new taxes. it looks like there has been progress in the area of public sector cuts. >> deadlock in athens. after what the new -- newspapers: in this night of talks, there's no progress to report monday morning. the greek cabinet met with negotiators representing international banks. no sign of headway on the deal to write off greek debt. later on monday, there was a major shift in the greek stance on bailout requirements. leaders of the three coalition parties cave diving into a key demand of the troika, of the ecb, european commission, and the imf.

the coalition has now agreed to cut 15,000 public sector jobs. but the international lenders are also pushing for a reduction in the minimum wage. and more cuts degrees''s pensions bill. many people feel greece has reached its pain threshold. >> i do not see how the measures that the troika are proposing can help reach a solution. we're looking at a very hazy picture. i do not know, maybe going back to the drachma would be a good thing. >> they are dragging us through the mud. i do not get it. >> austerity talks set for late monday between prime minister lucas papademos and his coalition partners were postponed until tuesday. gris''s european partners are growing impatient and urging happens to wrap up the talks quickly and avoid a default on its debt. >> i appeal to all parties involved, and i want to

underline that expressly, all parties. to focus now on completing the reforms that have been agreed and into agreeing to those that are still needed. >> now the country's two main trade unions have called for a 24-hour general strike on tuesday. at this is under pressure from all sides. >> a lot happening right now. let's go now live to brussels and bring in our correspondent, nina. greece has agreed to some of the troika's demands right now. what kind of breakthrough is this? >> it is a first step, you have to put it like this, and it shows the talks are in a vital phase. there are rumors that greece may even be willing to reduce minimum wages by 20%. these are positive signs that greece seems to have understood that time is running out and that the troika is expecting some clear signs from greece that if it wants the money from the eu, it really has to show a

willingness to implement reforms. we will have to wait until the meeting on tuesday by the coalition to see if greece really is going to implement reforms. >> the background is the strong language, much stronger language coming from merkel and sarkozy. is there a new mood in brussels right now? >> well, it is definitely a stronger language, and that is a sign that merkel and sarkozy are losing patience, and they're expressing it clearly. this view is shared by european officials here in brussels. in fact, a european commission official said that greece had already missed the deadline and that the ball was now in the greek's court. the signs are getting clear that the european union does want signs from greece that they are willing to implement reforms and that they are going to do it. nicklaus at sarkozy -- merkel answer's -- and sarkozy say this

is not up to greece to decide right now. >> those talks coming up tomorrow, very important. thank you very much. >> how or the market's reacting to those developments? let's check out with our correspondent at the frankfurt stock exchange. he told us about the mood on the floor there. >> people here on the floor were incredulous, looking at the continued back and forth around greece. one trader here said, for example, i am speechless. it has been going on for weeks, yet they're still no results. but it is still relatively optimistic that there will still be a result, that sovereignty fault can be avoided. the high level of the dax that you see, not for the day, that is not a terribly good result, but since the beginning of the year + 15% is a testament to that expectation. still, one says once greece's been stabilized, it is time to prepare its exit from the euro,

because it cannot sustainably continue with the hard euro as its currency. >> now let's take a look at the latest market figures for you. markets did open stronger here in europe this monday. the dax finished down, along with the euro stoxx 50. the jitters are there as far as greek and the default goes to the u.s., trade is down, dipping by 0.3%. the euro up at $1.3117. president barack obama has tightened its sanctions on iran. he has given u.s. banks new powers to freeze assets and cash linked to the government. the move came in an executive order and it is the latest action in an escalating economic campaign targeting the country's central bank. >> the latest sanctions are part of washington's drive to force iran into a proving that its nuclear program is purely peaceful.

on monday, president obama said the u.s. was exploring all options to prevent iran from -- obtaining a nuclear bomb. >> we're going to keep pushing on the diplomatic front, but we're not going to take any actions off the table and i have been clear that we're going to do everything we can to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating a nuclear arms race. >> it is unclear how iran will react to these latest sanctions. under the measures, u.s. banks will freeze any assets linked to the iranian government, not just transactions. the eu decided to toughen its sections, banning imports of iranian oil from july. iran has threatened to block the shipment of oil from the gulf by blocking the strait of hormuz. one of the u.s.' main concerns is that israel could strike against iran on its own. obama said at the weekend he did not think israel had yet decided whether or not to do that. >> let's go for more from

washington. our correspondent max hoffman. why this move by the u.s. at this time? >> there seem to be to the major reasons. number one, spy agencies in the u.s. have concluded that iran has crossed a line, that there was a willingness within iran to conduct terrorist attacks on u.s. soil. extremely alarming, of course, for the public in the usa, and we might have seen a glimpse of that for the plot to kill the saudi ambassador here in washington at the end of last year. there was an alleged role of iran in that. the second reason, of course, is the nuclear program by iran. like many other western countries, the u.s. just do not believe in the peaceful intent of that program. talks just broke down again last week, and that for sure played a big role in triggering president barack obama's announcement. >> obama said it was paramount to exhaust all diplomatic avenues before there could be consideration of a military strike.

is this part of that diplomatic push? >> yes, it is. but like we heard, obama did not take any military options off the table as either. a new poll says 49% of americans, they would support military action against iran to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. having said that, they still have about 100,000 troops in afghanistan. they have been at war for many years. so americans are tired of war, and president obama surely will try to explore any diplomatic actions he has before going to war. >> thank you very much for joining us. turning to syria, where there has been a new fighting in the opposition stronghold of homs. >> troops have clashed with anti-government activists. at least 17 people reported killed, with scores others injured. >> this comes a day after china and russia vetoed a u.n. resolution on syria. >> and russia has condemned the angry reaction from the west to

its u.n. veto as "hysterical," and says it is is sending his foreign minister and intelligence chief to syria for talks with president assad. >> the city of homs is under siege. activists said government troops have launched repeated offenses here since the weekend, with deadly consequences. they have urged the international community to act quickly to prevent further massacres. after the failure of the u.n. security council to agree on a resolution, western powers are seeking to keep pressure on in damascus. berlin reiterated its position. >> president assad's time is up. we call on him to clear the way for a peaceful transition in syria. >> europe and the united states are pressing for fresh sanctions to drive up funding for armed shipments to syria. that measure would also hit russia, which exports weapons to

damascus. the foreign minister is scheduled to meet syrian president bashar al-assad on tuesday. the foreign minister refused to comment on what the two sides would discuss. >> of course, you understand that when the head of state orders the mission, the content is revealed only a destination. if i tell you everything i now, it -- right now, why go? what the west ratcheted up the diplomatic pressure on monday. the u.s. closed its embassy and told its staff from damascus, while britain recalled its ambassador to london. >> our middle east analyst joins us now in the studio. michelle, to leverage joining us. what are we to make of these diplomatic moves by the u.s. and britain against damascus, especially the closing of the u.s. embassy in syria? >> it is a symbolic measure, a clear message to the syrian government that these countries are not willing to negotiate with syria any longer. of course, this will not do much harm to the syrian regime,

because this government has decided to simply ignored the west's demands about the resigning of the government or to open up discussions with the opposition. it is a highly symbolic move. nevertheless, it will not change the issue on the ground. the situation will continue to deteriorate. >> mossdale has headed the military presence in syria for decades. what is it willing to do to hold on to that? -- moscow has had a military presence there. >> and wants to stay close to the syrian regime, which is not willing to along with western sanctions. the russians and the chinese are very angry about the way things went in libya. after the toppling of gaddafi, oil contracts are renegotiated and russia was the big loser, as was china. we see a certain revenge by moscow in order to criminalize the west, so to speak and

unfortunately, the syrians have to pay the price. >> indeed, thank you. we will be talking to you throughout the week about this. thank you for joining us. stay with us. we will be right back after a short break with more news here at in dw. ♪ ♪ >> you decide what you want to watch. all the images, all the programs, the whole package. dw on the internet. the media center on www.dw- world.de. >> what is so powerful that it can make you overcome your greatest fear, turn your brother into an enemy, and leave wounds

that scar long after the fighting is over? >> what is so potent it passes effortlessly from mother to child, generation to generation? what clouds brilliant minds? >> makes you confuse right from wrong? >> it is hunger. >> it kills 25,000 people a day. >> help us fight hunger. >> the world food program. >> welcome back. news first of some reconciliation and the middle east conflict. >> it looks like that way. my view -- mahmoud abbas astana in the palestinian unity government for the west bank and the gaza strip. the move was agreed in a meeting in qatar of your years of bitter rivalry between fatah and hamas, which control the two territories separately. the unity government will prepare for general elections. tensions between the two factions has been high since elections in the gaza strip back in 2007 when hamas won elections. let's go to our correspondent

tanya kramer in jerusalem. windy you think these elections will take place? >> we have been told here some time ago that the elections might be scheduled in may. however, it is expected that they will be delayed. it will very much in demand on the forming of this new unity government that should prepare parliamentary and presidential elections. but that needs to be formally announced, of course. >> this appears to be a major breakthrough after years of in- fighting. what were the points of contention in the run-up to this deal? >> one of the main issues, as we understand, was to find the right candidate as the current prime minister was rejected by hamas. they cannot come up with a more independent figure, and now president abbas will occupy those two posts for an interim government. but there are many other reasons. this has been going on for a very long time. some experts talk about a lack of trust and a lack of political

will. but also issues like how to deal with the two separate security forces. one in gaza, one in the west bank. as much as they want this reconciliation to happen, they are anxious to know the time line. not much has been given, and people here all wondering if hamas and fatah will actually implement this deal this time. christopher restrictions from the netanyahu government have not been very positive. what is the overall reaction from israel? >> the reaction was very similar to previous reconciliation attempts by fatah and hamas. prime minister netanyahu criticized the deal by saying that president hosny is to choose between hamas and fatah. for israel and most of the international committee, they regard hamas as a charity -- terrorist organization. in the coming days, they might withhold tax revenues, which are collecting for the palestinian

authority or other measures. in terms of israeli-palestinian relations, already very strained, this is a problematic deal. >> tanya, following this story from jerusalem, thank you very much. you're watching the "journal" here on dw. >> no a quick look at other news around the world. in china, they have barred its airlines from germany -- joining and eu's convicted charge for carbon emissions of from flights in and out of your, designed to tackle climate change. beijing calls it a trade barrier. the u.s., russia, and india have also questioned the schemes legality. non-complying airlines could face up the fines. >> a strong earthquake sent the people of manila running out into the streets of the philippine capital earlier today. this 6.8 magnitude tremors were followed by strong aftershocks. it killed at least 43 people. 40 more have been reported missing. >> in more business news, air

france workers have walked off the job, causing major disruptions at french airports. one in five flights has been canceled, and of course there are delays for a lot more. the strike is due to last until thursday. staff are protesting against a plan to lawmaking giving individuals 48 hours' notice before going on strike. >> fans of the british monarchy are marking a major milestone. britain's queen elizabeth is celebrating 60 years on the throne. >> the head of state of britain, of course, and a number of commonwealth countries. the occasion was marked by consulates around britain, including hyde park. february 6, 1952 is when the young princess elizabeth became queen. >> are largely ceremonial role was rejected by some as a vestige of feudalism. for others, she is a symbol of stability and continuity in a modern age marked by a fast pace

of change. >> queen elizabeth, as britain's seventh come to known her, no pomp and ceremony on the anniversary, just two low key appointments. the kiwi unusual marks the day of her accession to the throne in a quiet manner. it is also the anniversary of the death of her father. more lavish celebrations are planned for later in the year. the queen has dedicated her life to her role as head of state, a role she fulfills with unshakable dignity and, at times, with humor. >> think what we would have missed if we had never heard the beatles. [laughter] or seen margo fontaine and speed and never have watched television, used a mobile phone, or surfed the net. or, to be honest, listen to other people talking about surfing the net. [laughter]

>> very little is known about the queen's private life. she is passionate about her quarters and resources. she has been married to prince philip for nearly 65 years. she is showing no signs of slowing down. if she stays on the throne for four more years, she will overtake queen victoria as britain's on the seven monarchs. >> you might have noticed a new look, a new logo, and a new programs but on monday, a revamped deutsche well one on the air with programming tailored to suit the region of the world were to the broadcast. >> a lot has changed, with extra magazine programs and a talk shows added to the lineup, and there have been plenty of changes in the newsroom. have a look. ♪ >> this is the news room in berlin. this is for the journal is produced in english, german, spanish, and arabic. in the future, the "journal"

will bring you the news in three different formats. short three-minute broadcast and lager 15 and 28-minute news shows. >> unit -- if you want to know what is important for germany and europe, regionally and worldwide, you can now find out at the top of the hour. wherever you are, primetime, a full-length addition, and in one language, in a language you can understand. >> dw's programming is broadcast around the world on six satellites. there's two-channel coverage for most regions. spanish and german channels are available in america. for asia, there is a german channel and 24-hour service in english. the changes mean a big expansion of the spanish service which will now provide 24-hour news and business programs. new magazine programs, documentary's coming entertainment shows, and much more.

♪ >> dw's website has also been given a complete the upgrade. >> the dw internet address dw.de will offer faster access to the different web pages and to the audio and video on-demand services. >> dw is relaunching with a new design and new programming and a common branding for television, radio, and the internet. dw. ♪ >> most individuals purchasing cars here in germany are men. that is not perhaps surprising, but a new study shows that the male predominance in car-buying is becoming stronger. >> last year, only a third of car buyers were female.

the study says automakers could sell up to 400,000 more cars a year of the would improve their marketing to women. many car dealerships are in an attractive to industrial areas. dealers tend to get too technical when they talk to customers. >> other news. anders behring breivik has made his last court appearance before his trial. he allowed tv cameras to film him in court before that hearing started. the right wing extremists has admitted to killing 77 people in bombing and shooting attacks last year. the court is to rule on keeping anders behring breivik in custody for another 12 weeks, ahead of the opening of his trial that is coming up on april 16. >> sport now. cyclist alberto contador has been stripped of his 2010 tour win. he was convicted of doping for two years. he tested positive for the drug.

the court rejected his defense of the positive test was the result of eating a contaminated steak. he will not compete in the olympic games or the tour this year. in bundesliga soccer, visitors cologne won on sunday. it was the first win for the and this year. that was thanks to the goal scorer, who connected with about 20 minutes to go in the game for the 1-0 final score. this team has not won a game since late october. let's take a look at the table for you. leading the pack, dortmund. fourth place, three points behind in the lower half, right on the brink. the drop zone after the loss to cologne.

even worse for these teams, as you can see. that is all for now from the new dw. >> but we will see you again next time, so keep watching us here at the news. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪ ♪