captioned by the national captioning institute journal." >> welcome. >> these are our top stories. and man accused of killing seven people died as police storm of building in toulouse after a 30- hour standoff. >> questions as to who is in charge of the country. >> and the final german cup.

french president nicolas sarkozy has addressed the nation. after a 30-hour siege, the police killed the man who said he had links to al-qaeda. >> sarkozy said the citizens were not responsible for the actions of one person. he said those who visit terrorist or hate when sides will be punished. >> police closed in on mohamed merah in the early hours of this morning. >> a 32-hour siege. bursts of gunfire come -- repeatedly rang out. police commandos stormed the apartment where 23-year-old mohamed merah had been holed up for 20 hours.

he emerged, and then he was dead. he was shot in the head by a police marksman. he was armed and there were arms and molotov cocktails in the apartment. sarkozy stressed the operation was not intended to end the way it did. >> everything was done to deliver the killer to justice. but it was inconceivable to put lives at risk. there had already been enough deaths. the victims -- children, soldiers, and their families -- are in my thoughts. we offer our condolences to the entire nation. footage circulating the internet shows merah posing behind the

wheel of a car. he reportedly admitted to the seven murders in and around toulouse. but a group linked to al-qaeda has also claimed responsibility. investigators will be looking into whether merah had ties to terrorist cells. they are sure he was the gunman. he says there were videos of all the attacks. >> there are still open questions in this case. let's go live to toulouse. chris bachman. how could these elite troops failed to take the suspect alive so he could be questioned? >> that is a question being asked a lot right now. there were 300 police officers. there were ready to take him in. there was surprise. they said it was not easy because of the way the buildings

were. they could not just put in the drones, some kind of robot to check. overnight, they tried to put detonators in. they tried to break in the windows. there was radio silence for the last 12 hours. they assume that this point that he committed suicide. they were very surprised themselves when they charged him and saw he was in the bathroom. in fact, i guess he decided he was going to go out all guns blazing. he took them all by surprise raley. he was also wearing a bulletproof jackets. he was prepared for all this. he had a bulletproof jacket, suggesting he knew he was going to be found. >> sarkozy's addressed to the nation -- is the government's concerned -- is the government concerned about a backlash? >> i think with the election

campaign, just weeks away, it is going to be certain parties that will capitalize on this. we have the largest north african immigrant population in europe. all those kinds of questions are going to serve those. the question, what does this get from here? i do not think that is very far off then. >> thank you very much. having experienced two dictatorships of the last two years, they are understandably concerned about the collection of data. >> the european commission says there to protective and unless berlin loosens up to let agencies have greater access to

private information, germany could face fines. >> the country it's highest court says the eu directives go too far. >> the e once details of everyone's phone calls to be stored for six months -- the eu wants details of everyone's phone calls to be stored for six months. it has now set germany a deadline -- complying -- comply or face fines. >> we have to take action to ensure full implementation germany has one month to reply. >> in 2006, there was a new unit -- you requirement. -- eu requirement. the data can then be ported to the authorities when they

investigate crimes. germany did implement the rules, but the constitutional court said the law infringed people's civil liberties. the court is divided on how to respond to the threat from brussels. >> the curfew is now in force and all borders are closed in the west african nation of mali. they have seized power after the government failed to quell the separatist rebellion. the military coup has drawn international condemnation. >> in the capitol, the city is on edge. renegade soldiers have detained officials and occupied government buildings. there are conflicting reports about the president's location. a group of soldiers made an announcement on state tv, saying the country is now controlled by the newly-formed national committee for the reestablishment of democracy and

the restoration of states. the president has not done enough to support troops fighting rebels in the north of the country, they said. the nomadic tribe has a presence in parts of algeria, burkina faso, niger, and mali. they have been fighting against malian troops for months. thousands have fled the violence. an election was due to take place in the country in just 11 months. it is not clear whether the vote will go ahead. >> there have been reports of new clashes across syria. one day after the security council called on all sides to stop the fighting. syrian tanks heavily shelled parts of one city. >> the unanimous statement was meant to send a message to the

syrian government and the opposition to end all violence, but that appeal seems to have had will impact. -- have had little impact. >> the statement contains no ultimatums, but merely warns of further steps if syria failed to comply. >> to president assad and his regime, we say along with the rest of the international community, take this path, commit to it, or face increasing pressure and isolation. >> the german foreign minister says they will meet tomorrow with people about new sanctions on assad. >> what is important is that the assad regime recognizes they

cannot automatically rely on russia to give them unconditional political support. >> assad may be losing ground diplomatically, but in syria he still has the upper hand. activists say the army has showed up in several cities. the group human rights watch it has accused opposition forces of committing human rights violations, including torture. government forces are committing serious abuses near homs. >> workers in portugal walked off their jobs today in protest of the government's austerity programs. the metro in lisbon has been closed, forcing tens of thousands of people to find other ways of getting around. the strike is also a process against reforms in the country's labor codes, which

union members say makes it easier to hire and fire workers. >> many people waited for buses that never came. ferries and trains were not running either. many union workers are striking due to labor codes they say reduce wages and make it easier to be fired. >> we always hope a strike will have an impact. it is not our it team to halt all trains. our aim is to show our discontent with the policies adopted by the government and its aggressive measures. that is why we are on strike. >> many are reeling from fresh pay cuts. the unemployment rate has shut up to over 14%. the economy has been shrinking for two years, with no new growth in site. still, portugal has managed to reduce its budget deficit. this year, and new borrowing is forecast to fall from 8% of gdp

to 4.5%. portugal needs to boost competitiveness if it wants to heal its financial wounds. >> and we will have an in-depth look at the cost of the european debt crisis in portugal later this half hour. >> in europe, we see regular protests like those we saw in portugal. there have been regular demonstrations in spain, for example. even in germany, this country has been hit by strikes in various sectors across the country. it is no wonder that many are asking what the european not -- what the president of european central bank was talking about when he said the debt crisis was over? mario draghi said key indicators are looking up. >> the european central bank has

pumped 200 billion euros into eurozone economies. the banque's president mario draghi urged a cautious optimism. in an interview, he said the situation had stabilized and key indicators are all better then, in say, the united states. but they have warned about cheap money. they say that could tempt banks to engage again in risky transactions. there are growing calls for eurozone governments to free up more money for the block's -- bloc's struggling economies. demands for an expansion of the rescue funds are already on the table, and i think germany will comply. the u.s. and china are also

demanding its. >> most experts in europe agree on one thing. is now up to eurozone governments to stick to the savings targets. many see that is the only way the eurozone can steer clear of long-term crisis. >> to the markets now. another point set of jobless claims -- another brilliant set. jobless claims improvements were not enough to refute economic indicators from china. in frankfurt, the dax ended the day down. be your stocks 50 -- the your stocks 50 -- the eurostoxx 50 also down. across the atlantic, the dow jones down about 0.25%. and the hero is now trading for

$1 -- and the euro is now trading for $1.3136. >> we will be reporting on the human cost of austerity in one minute here on dw. >> please do with this.

>> welcome back. is portugal in danger of becoming the next greece? the country made the transition to democracy in 1994, and tax revenues are shrinking with no sign of change soon. >> the economy has contracted more than 3% this year, with the result that more businesses are losing people and more people are losing their jobs. >> as the financial crisis hits portugal even harder, these people are doing what they can to help.

date helping some 40 families -- they helped some 40 families every day, families that no longer can afford to feed themselves. >> we use carrots, onions, potatoes, whatever ingredients we have on hand. leeks, olive oil, lots of vegetables. >> porto has traditionally been one of the country's economic powerhouses. much has changed here since the country became an eu member state. businesses have grown. people's incomes have risen. and their standard of living, too. much of the city has been modernized. the new tram network was one of many projects. but now market stall owners are distributing food to the pour.

unemployment has risen and the government has had to cut benefits. >> that is why more people are asking for help, even people from the middle class who have lost their jobs through no fault of their rahm. and we can see from their behavior that it is embarrassing for them to accept the help. they are ashamed. >> this part of the well-to-do city is crumbling. more and more shops are empty because there are no customers. the mood is one of pessimism and gloom. this -- these workers are also unemployed, but they will not resign themselves to their fate. they will make a difference. >> of course, i would rather have a proper job. but i cannot find anything. so, i am cooking here and trying to help. it feels good. >> they are also thinking about the crisis and its causes.

antioni -- antonio is critical of his former profession. >> at the banks, it was just about making as much money as possible. they just wanted to make profits with dubious financial speculation. >> and these volunteers know they are only scratching the surface. this soup they make every day is the only hot meal many families will get. with no sign of the crisis ending, the team wants to set up a bigger kick jim. they have a long list of other families struggling who need their help. >> here and in germany, the government is continuing its efforts to outlaw the npd party. the legal hurdles are very high. in 2003, the constitutional

court ruled too many police informants had infiltrated the party, so its policies may have been shaped by people working for the german state. but the interior minister is against moving these requirements from the far right seen. let's bring in our correspondent from our studios. peter, how did the state is so deeply involved in the npd structure as and give us background to these government undercover agents? >> the problem is with these undercover agents, they infiltrated about a hundred into the ranks of the npd is they are the main source of the information the government, or the authorities will need to push forward with it would have to prove that the npd poses an aggressive threat to germany's's constitutional order. the last time they try to do

this, to take one piece of evidence back then, there was an anti-semitic tract back then. it appeared it was written by one of the members, but it was in fact written by one of these agents. that was one of the reasons the band back fired back then. and now they have even more agents then there were back then, so the worry is an attempted ban would backfire once again. >> very quickly, where does public opinion stand with all this? >> there are those who are urging caution, saying the npd is a small, obscure party. the only have about 6000 members and their diminishing. they would become much more dangerous, much more radicalized. >> peter, thank you.

>> if you donate a kidney to a loved one in germany, you could find out you just lost your health coverage. that is one of the reasons the german parliament is debating new legislation to protect organ donors. >> the draft bill obliges health concerns in most instances to continue coverage with such a donation. >> the bill is designed to encourage more people to donate organs after death. some 12,000 people in germany are on the waiting list for organs. >> he is dependent on a device to keep him alive. the 19-year-old has a heart disease and needs a donor heart. 12,000 people in germany are waiting for an organ transplant. >> i do not want his condition to get worse, but if it did, that would be the quickest way for him to get a new heart. and like to get back to normal. -- and life could get back to

normal. >> if there were more donors, more lives could be saved. readiness is there, but very few people have an actual donor card. the new law would provide more information. this person from the german organ transplant -- a transplant patient foundation is skeptical. >> it is not enough to inform people. one has to engage them personally at the emotional level. and make the point that they themselves could end up needing a donor organ. to do that, we need measures, not just sending out leaflets. >> many accident victims are potential donors. the bill calls for a transplantation officer it in every hospital. all hospital in berlin that specializes in emergency transplants has had such an

officer for years. >> a doctor who is permanently in the building when a patient is being treated during the preparation of the donor, making sure everything is done properly. i think it is the time to ensure the quality of the donors and the quantity, too. >> germany's foreign minister donated kidney to his wife. the proposed law would give better protection to donors like him. many donors risked losing their health insurance. >> the european union is set to expand its anti piracy mission in africa to allow all forces to attack pirates on the ground, not just at c. >> the vehicles and supplies stowed on the coast of somalia. >> somali pirates and have struck 27 times in the past

year, attacking ships and demanding ransoms. bettas down by half from the previous year -- that is down by half from the previous year. it has been so successful, that eu ministers want to broaden the scope to strike at their equipment on beaches. >> we have to expand the mission to include assets on the edge of the beach so we can affect the pirates'ability to operate. >> yet some countries voiced concerns, including spain. spain's reservations of always been based on the possibility that people could get hurt. that is why they have focused on destroying pirate boats and fuel lines. nato has praised the operation. >> we appreciate all efforts to

counter piracy. i think it is also essential to assist forces in the region to build against counter-piracy itself. >> it is unclear how european navy personnel can approach land shuttle endeavour. helicopter attacks will take them close to the coast and could make them targets for pirates. >> wednesday saw a nail-biting semifinal against new -- against munich. it took two hours. in yen, -- and in yen -- >> the cup final for the 18th time. getting there was a struggle. they were nearly ahead after just five minutes. shortly afterwards, denied.

michael royce was stopped several times. as the game went into extra time, superior strength with brian robyn -- robbin getting the best chances. and in the penalty box, the first to lose his nerf. this caused problems for the bavarian. the next shot and it was all over. celebrations for the variants -- for the bavarians. >> thank you for being with us. >> we will see you again soon.