in berlin. >> do not rely on us to sell beer and crisis -- the ecb's mario draghi speaks out as spain's bank's boulder. >> russia and china meet to discuss regional issues. >> china getting a unique experience as venous passes in front of the sun. -- venus passes in front of the sun. from the head of europe's central bank, mario draghi, who

said it was not up to the ecb to fill the vacuum left by governments failing to tackle the eurozone debt crisis. >> these comments dashed hopes the ec would cut interest rates at today's monthly meeting to boost the economy, and they piled the pressure on europe's leaders to get a grip on the crisis. but today, the european commission has been presenting new plans to deal with failing banks, but they will take years to come into force. >> with the crisis intensifying above all in spain, that could be much too late. >> the ecb boss is resisting growing pressure from the financial sector. not only did he leave the key lending rate unchanged, mario draghi also made it clear that it is the politicians who have to get europe out of this financial crisis. >> and the point is -- can the ecb fill the vacuum of lack of action by national governments on the fiscal front? the answer is no. it is not our duty.

it is not in our mandate. >> in brussels, the eu commission backed germany's idea of a crisis fund where banks are liable for their own mistakes. an angel institutions would have to foot the bill for bailing themselves out, but the new regulations will not kick in until 2018. and the taxpayers should not be forced to pay. banks should take responsibility for themselves. we're going to break the link between banking crises and public budgets to relieve taxpayers. >> he also rejected a plea by spain's prime minister to prop up troubled banks with revenues from the european stability mechanism. he said it was simply not possible at this time. as it stands, assistance would be granted only in return for tough austerity measures under eu guidance, and spain has so far refused to take that step. >> europe's bleak economic prospects are being underlined

by the latest figures on the economy. >> the show gross domestic product stagnating with 0% growth for the first three months of the year. it is a figure that does not reflect the contrasting fortunes of the individual european economies, though. while germany is still growing, other countries like spain, greece, and portugal remained in recession. the german economy might be growing for now, but another batch of new numbers show industrial production dropped more than expected in april. >> that is increasing fears of a slowdown here in europe's biggest economy. the construction industry in particular contributed to the 2.2% decline. machine tool makers and consumer goods manufacturers also saw big falls in production. >> despite all those problems, shares in europe staged a big rally on wednesday. conrad has more from frankfurt. >> people on the markets had been anxiously waiting for the interest-rate decision of the european central bank, and for

what ecb president mario drug he would have to say on the crisis. and then the market took it as not so bad news that the key interest rate for the eurozone was left unchanged and that draghi did not really have to say fundamentally new things. at least the european central bank stays on the watch. it keeps its extraordinary liquidity measures in place, and growth predictions for the eurozone were only in the lord very slightly. like this, the ecb, and its president managed to support investor confidence. >> as we heard, it was a good day for stocks in europe. the dax was rallying by about 2%. the your stocks 50 rally by even more at 2137. in new york, trading is still under way for the dow jones industrial average, but it is the same trend at 12,357, up by nearly 2% there. the euro gaining against the

dollar, trading for $1.2549. >> the eurozone faces a tough challenges as it is, but a new study into corruption in the block races another issue. >> political and business corruption has been fuelling big deficits many countries are now struggling to contain. here is more. >> bribery remains the most basic form of corruption. it is also one of the most damaging. the european commission estimates the cost to u.s. citizens at 120 billion euros a year. the new report from transparency international shows that corruption in europe is still widespread and his even increase in some areas. it also points to a strong correlation between corruption and high budget deficits. then there is a severe lack of public accountability and public reporting on issues such as budgets, on activities happening

between politicians and business people. >> the report names portugal, spain, italy, and greece as having week safeguards' against corrupt officials, saying few are ever convicted. transparency international also described the core planning of big infrastructure projects as a form of legal corruption, citing spain's and the motorways and unused airports. -- empty motorways and and use airports. there are also the suns from the european union. >> we have seen a dramatic backsliding in this country is once they have joined and the pressure performance on anti- corruption measures have been taken off. >> the rest of europe did not escape criticism. many countries lack transparency when it comes to political parties and parliament. france's newly installed socialist government has moved to lower the retirement age from 62 to 60 for many workers. >> the annual price tag could

run as high as 3 billion euros, most of which officials hope to get back through a payroll tax increase. president hollande promised in his campaign recently to allow certain long-term employees to retire early. the government says one in six workers will benefit. sarkozy as a pension reforms were pushed through despite massive opposition. freedom of speech is anything but free in russia these days. parliament there has just approved a bill that raises the fines for bit of taking part in an unapproved rallies. >> if found guilty, they'll have to pay 150 times more than they do now. activists have condemned the move and said it will ask president putin to veto it. >> but the kremlin has already signaled that putin is likely to sign the measure into law. then in a peaceful protest on red square against the new law.

one supposed to look to the police like an innocent stroll through central moscow, but the police were in no mood to discuss legal definitions. >> it is just appalling. the kremlin has declared war on its own people, and the lot is not even constitutional. >> they did not care about us. after all that talk about dialogue between the leadership and the people. as the law stands now, it is already very difficult for opposition groups to get authorization for their demonstrations. under the new law, anyone taking part in an unauthorized protest could face fines of up to 7000 years. both houses of russia's parliament have approved the draft legislation. it was backed by the pro- kremlin united russia party, which says the law aims to protect russia from extremist elements. the law will protect the life and well-being of the citizens of russia and will insure that if anything does happen, the

real culprits will be brought to justice. russian human rights groups say the law further restricts the rights to freedom of expression. president putin said he would examine the bill before signing it into legislation, but he has previously signaled his support. >> russia's parliament has been debating legislation. president vladimir putin has been in china for a three-day summit. >> wednesday, he attended a meeting of the shanghai cooperation operation, a group established in 2001 as a counter to nato. >> this year, one hot topic of discussion has been the future of the middle east. the chinese president receiving the leaders of kazakhstan, care to stand, and tajikistan, was that the senate, and russia. china and its five guests account for a quarter of the world's population, and their leaders are meeting to forge common political goals. the west is concerned, but china

says there is no need. the charter of the organization says that it does not a line or confront or target other countries and is open to the outside world. it will not become a military or political bloc. one significant question on the table is how the six nations should respond to the ongoing serious crisis. china and russia have forged a common stance, blocking resolutions in the united nations security council. both have said they want to see an end to fighting for peace negotiations. yet, russia and china remain adamantly opposed to western demands for regime change in damascus. china also had sharp words for iran's president, who is attending the shanghai 6 meeting as an observer. china stressed its opposition to nuclear weapons in the middle east and said it applied to iran, which is widely suspected of trying to build a nuclear bomb. >> sellers in israel have lost a battle that pitted them against the prime minister.

>> netanyahu actually supports settlement building. it is one of the main bones of contention in israel's dispute with the palestinians, but in this case, he was on the other side of the argument. >> the case centers on five apartment blocks built on private land -- palestinian land, that is -- after the supreme court ruled they should be demolished. settlers took their case directly to parliament. >> now they have lost a vote to have their properties declared legal. >> i too was a bitter victory for benjamin netanyahu. the prime minister blocked the bid by far right lawmakers to legalize on authorized jewish settlements in the west bank, but he was left having to justify his action. >> there is no government that supports or will support settlements more than the government by lead. i also say that there is no government that has withstood such heavy pressures that could harm settlements. >> these jewish settlers

demonstrating in jerusalem, the vote is a personal blow. the illegal housing must now be demolished by july 1. >> i feel that destroying homes of people that they themselves have approved -- these people have bought the homes. they have paid for the money. they have got mortgages. >> the palestinians are also unhappy. to appease settlers, the israeli government has ordered construction of another 300 houses elsewhere. >> week ended the existence of settlements and any new construction. whatever the reason, a delegitimizes settlement activity at the expense of our rights and our land and is undermining the two-state solution. >> israeli settlement policy remains the main obstacle to restarting the middle east peace process. wednesday's vote did nothing to help break the deadlock. >> now to the type of footage scientists wait a lifetime for. we had some spectacular pictures for you of venus passing across

the sun. >> if you missed what was one of the astronomical events of the year, you had better start eating your greens. i do not happen again for 105 years. >> this was one long-awaited event that could easily have been missed. no more than a tiny speck, venus slid across the surface of the sun. the transit of venus lasted six hours. sky watchers in australia got the best view. >> i thought it was pretty cool. depending on how small we are, we are the same size as venus, and then you see the sun, and it looks so small against it. the sun is bigger than you expected. >> many asian countries also got a good glimpse. children in the philippines took a break from classes to study the spectacle. those without protective glasses had to improvise, or better

yet, watched from an observatory. astronomers around the world welcomed brawls of visitors. hundreds jockeyed for a view through the telescope. the woodlands, the phenomenon was nothing short of esoteric. >> it is an experience of infinity. we are just a grain of sand compared to the universe. >> in spiritual circles, this transit of venus is being seen as the gateway to a new age. that date will not be opening again anytime soon. a photo for prosperity -- posterity, the next transition takes place in the year 2117. >> i'm definitely going to be there. european soccer championships take place i just did it with a time, and germany is looking for all the help it can get. >> though not an official member of the squad, nellie the elephant peppered a shot right past legendary goalkeeper in

what promises to be a good omen for euro 2012. we will have more on euro 2012 after the break. stay with us. >> unimpeded access to education and knowledge, and the same opportunities for everyone. a central goal of the global community, but what is the reality on the ground?

education for all -- dw's multimedia special -- relates personal stories and highlights extraordinary projects the world over. find out more on the internet. >> welcome back. as promised, here is an ample those of you wrote 2012 preview action for you. >> we start with a breakdown of the favorites going into the tournament that kicks off on friday. >> the usual suspects are all there along with one that has recently managed to muscle its way in -- france. here is a look at them all. >> the stage is set for european football's finest. they will battle it out in 31 matches over 24 days, but who will win? a favorite for an outsider? spain are widely tipped to become the first team to defend the title. it also make history by winning three international tournament

in a row. >> we are world champions. we carry a heavy responsibility. but there is no pressure on us to win the title. them spain have perfected the quick passing game thanks to world-class midfielders, but key players will be missing from defense. the netherlands are another team to to go far. the 2010 world cup runners-up have a legal strike and behind him in midfield, the highly rated snyder. >> they need a lot of things. some luck as well. you need everybody to stay fit. >> germany came close in the 2010 world cup, finishing third.

it is now 16 years since their last major title -- too long by their high standards. germany are fielding one of the youngest sides of the tournament, and they are quietly confident they can go all the way. some pundits see france as this year's surprise package. their last world cup campaign ended in disarray. the world and european championship in his own days, blanc has transformed france into a team to be reckoned with. >> i have a young squad, a squad that needs to prove it can compete with the best teams in europe. then in italy have always been a strong tournament site, and this group of players could follow in that tradition. they have tried to create a

strong team, rather than one that relies on a few big names, but scandal has hit their preparations. reports surfaced over large bets made by the captain, and the police have raided the team hotel over a match-fixing scandal, but scandal has played italian teams of the past. like in 1982 and 2006 when italy went on to lift the world cup. >> a lot to talk about there. let's start off with germany. very young, promising side, but as we saw there, there's actually quite a lot of competition they are going to face. >> it certainly is. i think germany will be confident because they qualified in such a resounding manner, winning all their games, but they have seen this teams in that report, and they know that they have got the quality to go just as far in this tournament. i think that is probably one reason to believe that the wobbles germany have had in the

past few games have been good for them here at think it has chased the complacency out of the squad, and they will be fully focused will kick off comes on saturday. >> what do they need to get right against portugal? >> the main headache facing the coach is sorting out his defense. that has been a bit of concern in the last few games via the main question is who is a partner in the center. when defenders experience was slow, and what is very promising but does not seem to have earned their trust yet. someone has got to deal with renaldo in portugal. >> germany among the favorites, but spain still very strong. are they still the ones to be? that yes. i think they are missing key players, but they have so much strength and depth it is really quite incredible.

they are formidable on the ball and very well organized without it. i think the only question is whether they are hungry enough to go and we need their tournament in a row. that will be fascinating to see. >> the competition is always full of surprises. do you see any in the making in this tournament? >> i do. i think people have been equipped -- a bit too quick to write off poland. they are one of the hosts. they will have the support of a whole nation behind them. they have a core of quality players. so i think, considering they are in such an open group with russia, croatia, and greece, they could just slipped out of the group and said the tremolite if they do so. >> we will see how they do. thank you for joining us. >> staying with euro 2012, germany's veteran striker got a warm welcome this week when the team arrived in poland. >> he was born in poland, and he did have quit a bit to celebrate at this tournament. to begin with, he has a birthday

coming up. >> he is one of two players in poland -- to the we players born in poland, one in a small town in the southwest. his mother was a prominent handball player, and his father played professional soccer. his family moved to germany when he was 9 years old. on saturday, he celebrates his 34th birthday. >> the fountain of youth, i do not know, but i do everything to keep fit. my legs are still in good shape, and i'm not tired, so i'm going to continue to drag my body around a little bit longer. >> his career dates back to 12 years ago. he played his first game a year later for the german international side. he has now racked up 116 games and 63 goals. he had his share of injuries

over the years, but they do not faze him. >> i don't think i was ever 100% fit. the most important thing is that i am pain-free. of course, i'm aiming for 100%, but that will be hard at this age. >> he knows what he wants for his birthday. >> 3 points, a victory. and that we are able to live up to our potential, too. >> on saturday, his teammates will be helping him to try and fulfill his wish against portugal. >> all right, well, you probably did not notice a thing. you may even have been asleep, but last night at midnight utc time, the internet underwent a very big change. >> a step that is the, the internet operators were hard at work, moving to a new system for giving websites that addresses -- i was definitely a sleek. >> with plans to have everything

from your car to your coffee maker online, the number of addresses they have is not nearly enough. >> more people than ever are using devices capable of linking up with the internet, but the technology that allows these devices to get online is hitting its threshold. that is because we are running out of internet protocol for ip addresses. every device on the internet is assigned an ip address in the form of a group of numbers, and it is essential for the device to receive data. under the current global standard, we have used up almost all of the available numbers. so they are being shared among devices which go off line. but that looks set to change. the next generation standard offers practically limitless number combinations. it will assign a fixed number to

internet-ready devices. in theory, all devices in the world can be connected to the internet all the time, allowing able to do things like they're watching from their mobile phones, ipads, and similar devices. privacy protection experts are alarmed. they say attaching a fixed numerical address to every internet-ready device will allow users to be tracked. yet, others say anonymity on the internet can be preserved by software solutions being developed by computer experts. >> now to a political rao in germany causing tensions within angela merkel government. >> it is about a new benefit of 100 euros a month for families will look after their kids at home instead of using a government kindergarten. supporters say it gives families a choice. >> poland says it is a waste of money -- opponents say it is a waste of money and could act as a disincentive for people, especially women, to go to work.

>> the issue has divided the country and angela merkel's coalition. an allowance for parents to look after their toddlers themselves rather than send them to a state-subsidized nursery. opponents dismissed the proposal as outdated and misguided. it came from merkel's bavarian sister party, the csu. the minister from the chancellor's own cdu was quiet skeptical. the opposition would rather use the money to expand day care facilities. the social democrats still hope to block the measure. >> we are checking whether this needs approval. that would be interesting+ because we social democrats are part of an opposition alliance that controls the upper house of parliament. >> some opponents have launched an online petition. others are protesting outside

the chancellor. the government may have passed the bill, but the controversy continues. >> finally, one of the great writers of the 20th century, ray bradbury, has died at the age of 91. he broke classics like "the martian chronicles" and "the illustrated man." >> his most famous work was "fahrenheit 451, quarter made which unfolds in a totalitarian dictatorship where books are band -- "fahrenheit 451," which unfolds in a totalitarian dictatorship where books totalitarianbanned. >> stay with us. we will have more news in about half an hour's time. >> stay with us. captioned by the