♪ >> hello, and welcome to the "journal" on dw. >> and i am steve chaid. >> the headlines. eurozone finance ministers are meeting in brussels to work out the details of the second bailout package for greece. >> after a heated debate, german political leaders threw their support behind jaochim gauck for president. >> and back on track, a victory in bundesliga action.

♪ >> eurozone finance ministers are back in brussels at this hour hammering out the terms of new loans for greece and possible contributions by central banks. the possibility of higher writedowns and a debt swap is also on the table. >> athens needs cash to pay bills and avoid default. the word from brussels is that there is confidence a deal will be reached, but some issues still need to be worked out. >> arriving for the talks, the greek finance minister expressed confidence a deal would be reached to secure greece's future in the eurozone. the president of the eurozone agreed. >> agrees has fulfilled many of the demands we made of it. in my opinion, we really have to get moving. there is no time to lose. >> but there were some

unanswered questions. greece cannot afford to service its national debt at current levels, and it is not in a position to reduce the debt to sustainable levels by itself. >> there are a range of details we have to speak about. we need clarity on the participation of private investors and a program to secure a reduction of greek debt to no more than 120% of gdp by 2020. >> some eurozone countries favor a plan that would pay greek government income into a trust account, with a debt reduction take -- taking priority. there are calls for stricter monitoring of greek finances. >> the derailments have occurred several times now in greece. it is probably necessary that some kind of permanent presence of the troika in athens. >> despite misgivings, the eurozone hopes the agreement

will draw a line under months of uncertainty that have shaken confidence in the single currency. >> the word is the elements of a deal are in place. let's bring in liam from our brussels studio. >> the troy again had bad news for greece's partners last week. they said even the current bailout, some 130 billion euros, is not enough to help greece reduce its debts to 120% of gdp by 2020. the question is, where do you cut further to help greece repay its debts? greece have gone to their limits in spending. the question is, can private creditors accept a higher write- off of their debts? we're hearing that there are negotiations with private creditors under way at the moment here in brussels.

another question is for the finance ministers to discuss how to make sure that greece actually implements its reforms. these are all issues that still have to be talked about. it will be another long night. >> ok, no more cuts are possible. there is the likelihood of more writedowns. does this mean that greece is going to need millions more in bailouts in the years ahead? >> that is the idea, to find a mechanism to make sure that greece can stand on its own two feet again and other forms that have been agreed upon our part of that plan to increase get back on track and put it into a position where it can pay its debts and revive its economy so that it does not need bailout money from the european union. what is of vital now is to get greece past the looming deadline of march 20, which is when it has to pay back some 14.5 billion euros. that is money that greece simply

does not have. this is what we're talking about tonight. >> ok, thank you so very much. >> amid optimism about a greek bailout, moves by china to boost its economic growth. european stocks started off the new week with strong gains, further extending a six-month high. our correspondent sent us this summer from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> german investors are still very confident that the politics are able to avoid greek the fault so that the dax went up sharply and finished trading day on the highest level since nine months. also, news from china went down pretty well. the chinese government lowered rates there, which means that the economy may remain in a broom. this is, of course, very good news for german exporters. not only german financial shares have been on to the recommended list, but also shares of german

exporters like m.a.n. >> we stay in frankfurt for a closer look at the numbers. the blue-chp dax closed higher by nearly 1.5%. a new nine-month high. euro stoxx 50 climbing by 1.2%. u.s. markets are closed this monday for the presidents' day holiday. currency markets are open. the euro is trading higher, $1.30 two cents47. german political leaders are hailing a cross party agreement to appoint a 72-year-old pastor and human rights advocate as the country's next president. >> it is jaochim gauck, and he will be replacing christian wulff who resigned on friday. gauck will be the first former east german to occupied the many -- mainly ceremonial post. his nomination did generate some

tensions in the government coalition. >> jaochim gauck, former east german civil rights activist and the next german president, has the support of nearly all parties. but chancellor merkel's conservatives are angry with their coalition partner, the ftp, who insisted on gauck, despite cdu opposition. >> the fdp believe it is to their advantage that they position themselves as an end in a political force. the coalition partner cannot forget this. but the important thing is that we found a common candidate. >> the opposition greens, meanwhile, say the issue has exposed deep divisions in the government. >> there was better trust between the soviet union and the u.s., even in the dark days of the cold war, then currently between the cdu, ftp, and the ruling coalition. >> despite the government rale, most germans seem happy with the choice of jaochim gauck as their next president. >> they might be happy, but is

he and a beginning? our parliamentary correspondent joins us now. peter, in the wake of the corruption allegations surrounding christian wulff, is gauck the man to restore the moral authority the office of the president needs? >> that is what people in germany clearly thing. they have looked as some of the harsh experiences that jaochim gauck went through in east german times, like when his father was arrested and taken off to siberia. he learned the lesson of those kinds of experiences. it gave him the moral backbone that enabled him to be a person tested a to the communist rulers in former east germany. after the fall of the wall, he took charge of the stasi archives, the files but the other by the former east german secret police on fellow citizens. he did a good job. that was an indication that he has a real moral compass. he has real rhetorical skills, so you can put it into words. people are willing to listen at this point. >> that is a powerful

combination, stature and rhetoric. angela merkel had a hard time accepting him as candidate. why? >> quite simply because the fact that the last time in 2010, she blocked is a challenge for the presidency. this time, she has been forced into backing it. that does not make her a very happy chancellor, because it makes her look a little disingenuous, perhaps opportunistic. they do not have a personal chemistry. jaochim gauck is emotional and charismatic. angela merkel is pragmatic and cautious. it will be interesting to see how their personalities dovetail. >> thank you, as ever. other news, a team of inspectors from the international atomic energy agency has arrived in iran. the visit is part of evarts to determine whether iran is working on -- tehran announced substantial progress in the uranium enrichment program. >> tehran has vowed to continue to develop the program and says

it will reopen negotiations with world powers only if all u.n. sanctions are lifted before hand. >> it is the second iaea visit in a month. the u.n.'s agency has not given details of the talks. iran said the meetings were aimed at achieving a diplomatic solution to the nuclear question. tensions over iran's nuclear program are rising. the european union is tightening sanctions, a ban on the import of iranian oil goes into effect on july 1. tehran has already retaliated and has stopped selling crude to french and british companies. on monday, the iranian foreign minister appealed to the eu to work to improve relations. >> one of the other priorities of the foreign minister of tehran is to have a better engagement with the european union. unfortunately, we did not receive any, i would say, response that would encourage

such a relationship. >> the foreign minister made it clear that the iaea delegation would not be allowed to inspect iran's nuclear facilities. >> there was more chaos monday for airline passengers trying to fly to and from a frankfurt. germany's biggest airport was paralyzed by another day of strike action, and there's no relief in stride. >> not at all. the air-traffic controllers union says the work stoppage could continue for another couple days. callingected an arbitrati it excessive. >> airlines have canceled over 220 flights today. about one in six scheduled flights are affected. many travelers have switched to other forms of transport. others are hoping they will be among the lucky ones. >> i am not bothered. it does not affect me. >> i can understand the staff of the union's position, but it is

not good for those who need to fly somewhere. >> the strike involving some 200 ground staff is having a big impact here. workers want a pay rise and a cut in working hours. >> i can understand some of their demands for adjustments in overtime pay and other benefits, but the wage claims i have read about are outrageous. >> the airport operator says the union's demands will lead to a 70% increase in wage costs. negotiations are deadlocked. passengers across europe will face delays and cancellations because of the knock-on a fax. >> we will have some news on the eurozone's second bailout package for breeze coming up shortly. >> especially at is affecting people in greece. first, some of the headlines making the news. reports from yemen indicate a boating station was blown up one day before the country goes to the polls to elect a successor to president saleh.

it happened in one of the country's commercial centers. >> syrian government forces have continued shelling the city of homs. new internet video has emerged, showing explosions in the rebel neighborhood of bab amr. video footage has also emerged, showing food queues in the city of idlib, a stronghold of the rebel free syrian army, and it is surrounded by government troops. >> foreign ministers from the group of 20 nations are meeting in a mexican resort city ahead of the g-20 summit in june. they're discussing ways to better tackle international problems. escalating violence in syria. ok, we have some german soccer news. sunday was a big day. a massive 4-0 victory. >> the coach called his team's performance unacceptable.

he took the team apart. here is how. >> the star strikers showed the way for the team. in a carefully choreographed a corner, the spaniards were buying into opened the scoring. another player followed his lead to make it 2-0 after just 15 minutes. then another chance after handball. but this time, diego . the shot. the other team had to change keepers' after the player broke his collarbone. that brought hildebrant to the field. then the score was 3-0. a clever right foot flag. then making good on the botched penalty. 4-0. the 18th goal for the player this season, making him the eagle top scorer. >> that is that for now.

we will be back in just a minute. >> as promised, we will be going to greece, looking at how people there are ferrying in light of the cutbacks -- are fairing in light of the cutbacks. so stay here with the dw. ♪ ♪ >> dw on the internet with a new address and a completely revamped online presence. the journalistic quality in 30 languages. an insightful, diverse, and in multi-media format. visit us at dw.de. ♪

♪ ♪ >> welcome back. another maker of brake meeting in greece. eurozone finance ministers have convened in brussels to hammer out the details of the second bailout package for athens. >> the finance ministers are discussing how to save greece from the fault and an exit from the eurozone. for many in greece, it is not about politics. it is about putting food on the table. >> the greeks and not lost their appetite for pork, the cannot afford it. butchers at athens' central

market say turnover is down as much as 70%. he says people are not even by eating meat on special days, such as public holidays. >> people have been mainly asking what they can get for a euro. now they're buying for themselves the stuff that they used to buy for their dogs. let's be honest, is it really worth cooking that and using expensive electricity in the process? >> and fewer and fewer people are coming here, even though things are cheaper and many of the shops. many greeks simply cannot afford it. what will happen when the minimum wage sinks even lower? >> we only see me down the television or recognize it from paintings. we will remember how we once ate it ourselves. >> prices have rocketed as incomes have plunged. even in this hard winter, many people are only heating sporadically, often using fire

wood. this has led to a rise in illegal logging in some places. >> wood is cheaper. people have to save money. heating oil has gotten a lot more expensive. i would fire is cozier, after all. >> his sarcasm is palpable. the austerity package may have been approved by parliament, but the media is warning that the gulf between the government and its people is growing. >> i have four children. two of them are teachers. i will not allow them to work for 400 euros and our politicians earned 6000 euros or more. they're treating us like fools. >> anyone with an income of 600 or 700 euros already has to make do without a lot of things. any additional income cuts are going to hurt badly. >> as we saw very articular leave their, in no uncertain terms from the greek butcher, the gap is growing between what

is happening at the political level versus what is happening out on the streets of greece. >> there is no light at the end of the tunnel at the moment for greece as it faces years of austerity. still, the governments of germany, finland, and the netherlands all remain adamant that the greek government must stick to the reforms it has already approved. >> in recent years, chancellor angela merkel has stuck to a consistent theme in her speeches on greece. athens can count on germany. provided of course that greece sticks to a few rules itself. the most important being to save money. >> release must be upheld and monitored. and there should be consequences for noncompliance. national responsibility and a european solidarity are contingent on each other. but the greek population is in no mood to save. but demonstrators here made it

clear what they thought about german rules and ideas. some in merkel's only the cdu party are no longer sure that greece can meet strict reform conditions, even a possible creek exit from the euro area no longer seems taboo. >> as long as there is no organized administration of finances and the land needs and a lot of things in the work of the grease is a bottomless pit, and we cannot support that. >> the german finance minister, wolfgang scheuble, also recently suggested that greece is a bottomless pit where bailout money would be wasted. greek leaders were outraged. >> we all have a duty to do everything we can to overcome the crisis. i cannot accept that mr. scheuble insults my country. i simply cannot accept that as a greek. who is mr. scheuble to dare insult greece? >> the incident has caused tensions in relations between

germany and greece. >> on our part, we will try to do everything to help greece. but in the end, it is agrees that most want to take this road and implement reforms. we cannot do that for them. there's no way around reforms. >> despite all the hurdles, chancellor merkel says she is confident that greece will comply with the rules and the tough fiscal measures needed. >> for more, let's go live to our correspondents brian williams in athens. at times like this, they look for scapegoats. is there a feeling in greece that germany is to blame for the country's economic misery? >> well, probably, naturally, germany is seen as the leader of the group that is pushing it greece for these austerity measures. but to be frank, i would say the biggest worry that agreed's have

is about their own politicians. they're the ones that most greeks are directing their anger at. in the last week, ever since mr. scheuble's comment about a bottomless pit, chancellor merkel is rather seen as a sympathetic figure. she was very forthright after that comment in a saying that germany wants greece to stay in the eu. so you have three bogeymen at the moment. you have got the troika. you have, indeed, god germany. but, most of all, you have greek's own politicians. >> what is going on in brussels? what is the general mood among greeks? is there hope that these talks will actually improve people's lives? >> i think most greeks are expecting another shoe to fall, because the full details of these new austerity measures

from of the last week have not been fully revealed to greeks. so i think they are preparing themselves for more austerity, even above what they're dealing with at the moment. >> ok, thank you so much for that update from athens. >> more consequences from the standoff in the persian gulf. the price of crude oil has surged to a new nine-month high after iran's move to shut off deliveries to france and britain. a barrel of benchmark north sea crude now cost $120. tehran is threatening to cut off oil to the entire european union and less economic sanctions are lifted. a europe -- european oil companies say they will be able to make up for any halt in iranian supplies. iran currently supplies of around 20% of the eu's crude oil needs, some 600,000 barrels per day.

>> falling ice is wreaking havoc in the danube river as europe warms up after the recent big chill. mass of ice blocks moving down the river crest small boats into the serbian capital belgrade. temperatures have risen from -20 degrees celsius last week in serbia to + 10 degrees on sunday. authorities are concerned that the melting ice and snow could cause flooding. on to something warmer and more cheery. after weeks of freezing cold conditions, a comparatively mild and sunny day for carnival revellers out in huge numbers across in germany. the western city of cologne in the heart of the mainly catholic rhineland was were the main part of all action took place. >> as tradition dictates, the procession of the elaborate- decorated boats poked fun at the german president. that was a major theme in the carnival party. ♪

>> anything goes on and rose monday. downtown chalone became one big party, with more than 1 million onlookers and over 12,000 taking part in the procession -- in downtown tel loan. the city hosts the largest rose monday parade in germany. one highlight is the carnival floats with larger-than-life character jurors, poking fun at prominent politicians. chancellor merkel was shown as firmly in control, while the fdp leader philipp roesler it trots obediently at her side. christian wulff, who resigned as president only three days ago, was shown as a baby trying to wear a suit that was too big for him. organizers say this flood was designed and built in just 72 hours in a response to christian wulff's resignation. there was these were a -- the usual generous helping of swedes.

some 300 tons of candy help sweeten the day for all workers. and the traditional swollen heads characterized the procession. they have been a carnival tradition since 1927. but there was a political theme here, too. once again, floats had to be redesigned at the last minute. the parade had ex-president christian wulff as a boxer hanging on the ropes after finally receiving a knockout blow. ♪ some half a million carnival gore's party the way. but duesseldorf had the most up- to-date presentation of christian wulff. the float not only showed the ex-president as a fallen at german eagle, it also shows his designated successor gauck about to hatch. all-in-all, a typical rose

monday on the rhine, with political satire and plenty of fun. >> of course, it is nudges europe and germany. carnival is also in full swing in rio de janeiro. the biggest highlight there is the world famous parade. 13 elite samba schools are competing for the 2012 title. >> nearly 100,000 paying spectators get to attend a top quality show, while others that dance the night away in one of the many street parties. and always pleasant summer temperatures, around 28 degrees celsius. >> along with the samba, those temperatures are fantastic. we will be back to the top of the next hour. do stay with us here at dw. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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