>> live from berlin, this is the "journal" on dw. >> berlin appeals to ukraine to allow german doctors to treat the former ukrainian prime minister, who is on hunger strike. germany's economy as britain did back into recession. >> on world malaria day, will look at attempts to find a new vaccine to fight the killer disease. >> there is growing concern over the health of ukraine's former prime minister, yulia

temoshenko. >> she is in prison and suffering from debilitating back pain. >> on top of that, she claims jail guards beat her last week. since then, she has been on hunger strike in protest. >> this is more than just a case of international medical aid. it could determine future ties between the ukraine and the west. >> if kiev agrees, she could be treated at berlin's's hospital. the hospital chief already examined the imprisoned former premier twice. if it were up to him, she would be here now. >> for several months now, she has been under great psychological as well as physical stress due to pain. add to that a hunger strike, and i personally find the situation quite worrisome. >> these images of temoshenko in her cell where taken -- were taken using a hidden camera.

germany's foreign minister says he expects proper medical attention for all of ukraine's prisoners. he also warned kiev against using the judicial system for political ends. >> the respect for fundamental european values such as the rule of law is one of the most important preconditions if ukraine wants to continue moving closer to the european union. that also means that criminal law must not be abused as a political weapon. >> with ukraine set to host this summer's euro 2012 soccer championships, germany's interior minister says kiev needs to watch its act. >> it would be a shame if ukraine neglected this chance to show itself in a positive light and instead came away with a negative image. >> berlin is not backing calls

to boycott the tournament, but as the opening match draws near, pressure is bound to rise on the government in kiev. >> some good news -- germany will dodge recession in 2012, despite the eurozone debt crisis. >> it should be able to double its growth rate next year. that is the latest forecast from the government. >> berlin says germany will remain europe's strongest economy going into 2013. >> the economy keeps growing, and companies are coming at capacity, but the government remains cautious, given ongoing risks including the eurozone crisis and high commodity prices. that is why its growth forecast is still below those of many economic institutes. for the present year, the government is predicting 0.7% growth. in 2013, it expects the economy to gain steam and expand by 1.6%. >> we are being careful, as a good federal government should

be. we will not repackage the numbers to make them look better. what is important is that we can be satisfied with the economy's development. the outlook has brightened substantially. all the indicators are pointing up. >> the government also says more people are at work in germany than ever before with disposable income expected to grow 3% this year. the economics minister says that for now, this upswing is riding a wave of domestic consumer demand. >> with the british like to have germany's economic numbers? that is not the case. britain has fallen back into recession. >> british gdp shrank by 0.3% first quarter, the second decline in a row. the downturn was due to weak construction and manufacturing activity. additionally, the government has made painful spending cuts to bring down the country's public debt and also to blame is the continuing instability in the

eurozone, britain's largest trade partner. german engineering company siemens says the full year profits will fall short of target. >> the announcement came following a difficult second quarter, which saw a slowdown in new orders. >> shares gained more than 115% wednesday despite the profit warning. >> it says it wants to be a green infrastructure giant, a global leader in renewable energy technologies, but the company is experiencing massive problems connecting several offshore north sea wind farms to the power grid. >> connecting to the grid is really new territory technologically. no other firm has ever realized these complex projects. 160 kilometers off the coast of germany. we underestimated the challenges involved in these four projects. the subsequent delays are proving expensive.

the company has lowered its profit outlook for this year from $6 billion to a -- 6 billion euros to a maximum of 5.4 billion euros. the company is also contending with slowing orders and tougher market conditions in asia where more competitors are offering lower prices. but the company remains optimistic, saying it expects business to pick up in the second half of this year. >> that profit warning weighed on traders in frankfurt, but overall, the trend for shares was upwards for a second day running. or market correspondent has more. >> corporate numbers triggered the good move in the stock market. this was already expected, and the company still in a very good position. the real highflier, also listed at the frankfurt stock market,

10% fear the numbers have been much better than expected, but for some traders, it was suspicious. the dax could gain for a second day. traders took a break from the euro crisis and eclipsed bad news from the british economy. >> let's take a closer look at the numbers now. we began in frankfurt for germany's blue-chip dax ended the day well in positive territory. across the atlantic, the dow jones industrials at the moment at 13,092, and in currency markets, the euro trading for $ 1.3228. >> things are looking up for the u.s. economy. the federal reserve expects growth next year to hit almost 3% and unemployment to decline gradually. >> but chairman ben bernanke says the fed will not hesitate to help the american economy if help is needed. the fed pointed to the

depressing housing sector and global financial uncertainty as factors weighing on growth. it also expects inflation to remain low and plans to keep interest rates at the current exceptionally low levels until at least 2014. >> staying in the u.s., the republican presidential candidate newt gingrich is expected to quit the race. insiders say he plans to end his campaign on may 1. >> he had vowed to stay in the race until the republican national convention this summer, but the former speaker of the house suffered another round in heavy losses in five primary contests on tuesday. gingrich is expected to endorse republican candidate mitt romney. >> in germany, authorities have launched a massive raid against suspected right-wing radicals. three young men were arrested in the operation. another 15 were interrogated. >> the man now accused of forming a criminal network. investigators searched 20 apartments and businesses in

several cities, confiscating computers and documents as well as firearms. authorities also raided the offices of a local far right parties suspected of extremist activities. hungary is in legal trouble with the european union. >> the eu wants to take hungary to court, the country is not changing its laws to come in line with european requirements. >> at issue are reforms that brussels says affect the independence of the country's judiciary. >> the european commission says it will refer hungry to the european court of justice because laws passed by parliament in budapest violate eu treaties. brussels says one law gives the government too much authority over the appointment of judges. the other concerns the independence of the country's data protection authority. >> it would be a lot easier for hungary as well as for the european union if these problems were eliminated.

because these are not just minor violations. they are about fundamental european rights and the values on which our union is based. >> in brussels on tuesday, the prime minister did agree to your demands to improve the independence of his country's central bank, a condition set by the european commission in order for hungary to resume negotiations over financial aid that the country badly needs. hungary sees that as a success. >> only a very limited number of issues will continue in this legal procedure and go probably to the european court of justice, but it is also part of the game. bonn this basis, i guess now we can really say babbitt there is a very positive results -- on this basis. >> before talks with brussels can begin, hungry's parliament

must first approve the legislation limiting government oversight of the central bank. >> in a minute, the latest from the british inquiry into phone hacking by journalists. we will hear what media magnate rupert murdoch had to say. >> first, a quick look at some of the other stories making news around the world. violence is continuing in syria despite the two-week-old cease- fire. latest reports say security forces fired rockets at a building, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens. france is calling on the united nations to speed up the deployment of 300 international observers and says it may push for a resolution allowing the use of force in syria in damascus does not start to cooperate. >> the turkish foreign ministry says no weapons have been found on a german-owned ship that was bound for syria. that led to cruiser was towed in turkey last week after a german

news magazine speculated that it was carrying weapons to syria. that goes against an eu arms embargo. that libya was the national transitional council has passed a law banning religious political parties. the council also outlaw parties that would only represent certain tribes or regional groups. the law comes after islamist political parties such as the muslim brotherhood won a majority of seats during recent parliamentary elections in neighboring egypt. that pakistan has successfully launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile. the missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, went down in the indian ocean. this comes days after neighboring india carried out a long-range ballistic missile tests. >> in london, media tycoon rupert murdoch has been facing more questions over the activities of his global conglomerate news corp.. >> murdoch is accused of trying

to directly influence political decision making to favor his businesses. the inquiry is also looking at the phone hacking scandal at murdoch's british tabloid newspapers. >> the evidence i shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. >> the media mogul was quizzed under oath. the special committee probing the relationship between british politicians and the press. rupert murdoch told the inquiry that his main objective was always to tell the truth. >> i welcome the opportunity because i wanted to put certain myths to bed. >> for example, the accusation that he knew about the phone hacking that brought down his "news of the world" paper. for years, reporters at the tabloid listen in on phone conversations of celebrities as well as crime victims and their relatives. >> i do not believe in using

hacking. i do not believe in using private detectives or whatever. i think that is just a lazy way of reporters not doing their job. >> he also said that the perception that he or his media empire exerted influence over politicians irritated him. >> i have never asked a prime minister for anything. >> how far reaching murdoch's influence extended was also on the agenda in parliament. the prime minister's culture secretary has denied accusations that he influenced the decision to back murdoch's bid to take over the broadcaster. cameron said today that hud had his support. that decision is not over yet, nor is the inquiry, which continues tomorrow with another appearance by rupert murdoch. >> at today is world malaria day. after a short break, we'll look at efforts to find a new vaccine to fight the disease.

>> i would like a banana parfait with bitter chocolate sorbet and peanut sauce. >> vanilla. >> the next time you eat out, help the 850 million people in

the world who go hungry. donate the cost of a desert to the world food program. >> welcome back, everyone. in europe and north america, it was wiped out 60 years ago, but around the equator, it still kills countless people. we are talking about malaria. >> nearly 1 million people die from the infectious disease every year. around half of them are children under 5. these figures are being underlined by the world health organization today on world malaria day. >> what makes this disease so dangerous and what impact does malaria have on the lives of people in these affected regions? our report explains. >> she is only 6 millimeters long, but potentially deadly. the female anopheles mosquito carries the tropical disease malaria. one bite is often all it takes to infect a human body. often, the symptoms of the

infection do not show up for nearly a week and starts with shivering, muscle cramps, and fever. for one person in town, the infection is fatal. some 40% of the world's population lives in malaria- infested regions. the risk is often high. in africa, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. before the poor are especially vulnerable. once they become ill, they can rarely afford drugs, so the cycle continues. productivity, investment, and tourism with after a result. malaria is considered the primary cause for the economic plight. despite years of scientific

research, there is still no effective vaccine against malaria. the most effective approach has been to avoid the mosquito bites themselves. the who says high risk areas need to be blanketed with low- cost medicine and mosquito nets. that would cost about 2.5 billion euros, but only 1/3 of those funds are on hand. >> the who says gains have been made in the fight against malaria, even though universal access to treatment in the developing world remains a problem. >> there is also a new threat from drug-resistant parasites, especially in southeast asia. a researcher from berlin has developed a new procedure that offers hope for a more effective vaccine. >> the female anopheles mosquito is especially aggressive when carrying malaria. mosquito nets, madison, and mosquito repellent often are not enough to prevent new infections.

the runs germany's largest mosquito breeding farm and has joined a new approach to fight the disease. >> we are still missing the fourth pillar of malaria control -- the vaccine. it is a very difficult task. and we are doing this work with mosquitos because we want to be as close as possible to the in thing agent and use the natural carrier to our advantage. >> malaria is caused by parasites that are transferred from mosquitos to humans. the team isolates the parasite in the mosquito to change its genetic structure. this genetic change is intended to transform the parasite into a vaccine against malaria, but it is not easy. the parasite is clever. >> here we can see the parasite shortly after punching. it is lively and searching for the bloodstream, basically hunting around and searching. at some point, it fines and interest the liver, and that is the important phase where we can do something against the

parasite. >> the trick is deactivating the exact thing that releases the parasite into the human bloodstream because that is when the host falls ill. he wants to create a vaccine that inhibits this process. it has already worked on mice. once exposed to the genetically modified parasite, they become immune to the normal one. the effect lasts for months and is 100% effective. bites from thousands of malaria- carrying mosquitos produced no infection. the mouse survives, and it's liver cells are then different from unvaccinated human cells. >> this is what it looks like shortly before malaria begins. these are normal parasites. they develop in the liver first, and then the person is infected. here, we have used this genetic trick to stop the parasite shortly before they infect.

the parasites do not develop any more, and they are no longer pathogenic, and that is our vaccine, which we use three times to have optical -- optimal protection. >> he hopes the technique will work in humans as well. this first round of human trials is set to begin at the end of the year. >> now for something a little more appetizing -- one of the world's most prestigious contemporary arts festival's gets under way this week. >> over the next two months, the festival will showcase young artist with an emphasis on political art. >> the director of the exhibition says he wants it to become a political space that resembles a parliament more than a museum. >> 9 meters long and one time in weight, the key of return is a collaborative work produced by palestinian refugees close to bethlehem. it symbolizes their great hope -- to return to their ancestral homes. just one political art works on show in berlin.

this artist is from this, -- minsk, belarus. her works are anti-propaganda,, an attempt to draw attention to the symbol of democracy and press of structures that she sees everywhere in her home country. and it is dictatorship will see its downfalls or later. what comes after that is what is interesting, when we rebuild the country. >> the show aims to promote linking art and activism. like in the project by this polish artist. he has transplanted hundreds of birch saplings from the area close to the former auschwitz concentration camp. he wants them to take root in berlin. growing trees as a permanent reminder of the holocaust. activists from the international occupy move that have been invited to set up shop here.

they want to get their message across and communicate their way of seeing the world. art that sets itself apart. >> another big event -- less political, but still serious business -- is the game development and business festival currently under way in berlin which this year focuses on social games. >> it is a trendy and highly competitive market full of growth opportunities right in the middle of it, berlin-based company, one of the most successful developers of online social games in europe. >> a round of applause for the new co-workers. the fastest growing business of social gaming, and business is so good that they hire two new workers each week, but there is one thing new employees should not forget. >> playing at work is the key. if you do not want to play games, this is not the place for you.

>> the focus is on fun -- the focus on fun is bearing fruit. over 50 million users play the company's games last month, but despite offering products for free, the company is turning a profit. they have managed to turn virtual magic wands and rainbow slime into bold -- gold. >> we sell expenses for our free games, digital goods. users buy them to expand game played. only a small percentage of users to it, but with 50 million users, it is enough to pay for all of this. >> social gaming has attracted so many fans by mixing communication and online gaming. in a "monster world," users can invite visitors. it has gained a dedicated female following. >> it is not too hard to play, and it is really fun. >> playing in a group is great.

that the characters are really sweet, and i like playing with them. >> but the boss has a different explanation. >> we are breaking down all barriers. users already have a computer, and the games are free, so you can just try it out if you like. >> "diamond-" has been nominated for the german game price. it wins, there might just be another round of applause -- "diamond dash." >> space -- the final frontier. that once meant exploring distant galaxies for alien civilizations and life forms. today it has a little more commercial bed. >> a consortium of investors is convinced that asteroids hold plenty of potential for the lucrative mining of rare earth elements, and they hope to set up a mining launched by the end of the decade. >> their names are antigone,

clotho, and pandora -- asteroid's rich in metal rare on earth. if mining them were to become reality, scientists say a single asteroid could supply its industrial metal needs for decades. scientists say it would only be possible to mine asteroids that orbit near the earth. can it really be done? how is it? let me say it can be done and it is very difficult. we are talking of something which is extraordinarily difficult, but the returns economically and benefit to humanity are extraordinary. >> movie director james cameron is on board. so is bill -- google co-founder larry page. with their millions, they want to bring the treasures of outer space down to earth as soon as 2020. >> a little bit earlier, the

euro 2012 kicks off in just a few weeks time. >> if you like football, it is a fair bet you will like any. these soccer stickers go on sale this week and, one for each player, even though the final squads have not been settled yet. if you are an avid collector, that should not be a problem. any changes, you just stick the new face over the old one. >> that is cruel. >> it is what some people do with their ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. all right, we are up today on the "journal." >> thanks for watching. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--