♪ >> live from berlin, this is the "journal" on dw. ecuador defies sweden by granting asylum to wikileaks' founder. >> the united nations says it is ending its observer mission in syria. >> shares in facebook sent to an all-time low amid more trouble over data protection.

welcome. the diplomatic standoff between britain and ecuador over the extradition of wikileaks founder julian assage has escalated dramatically. >> ecuador has granted asylum to assange, but britain says this does not change its obligation to extradite him to sweden. swedish authorities want to question him about allegations of sexual assault, but he could also then be handed on to the united states where ecuador fears he could face the death penalty in connection with stolen information. >> in a show of solidarity, supporters of julian assange gathered. addressing the press, ecuador's foreign minister voiced concerns that neither sweet nor the u.k. could give assange a fair trial.

the ecuadorian government, after carrying out a fair evaluation of the situation, explain to us by mr. assange and listening to his own arguments, shares his fears and assumes there is evidence which allows us to presume that he could face political persecution if the appropriate measures are not taken. assange fears that sweden could extradite him to the united states where he could potentially face charges over the publications of thousands of controversial diplomatic cables. in reaction, the british foreign secretary reaffirmed his commitment to this country's commitment to extraditing julian assange. >> we will not allow mr. assange safe passage out of the united kingdom, nor is there any legal basis for us to do so. am i to was also quick to squash rumors that local police were preparing to move on the embassy.

>> anyone who has seen our note knows there is no threat here to storm the embassy. we are talking about an act of parliament in this country, which stresses that it must be used in conformity with international law. >> police have surrounded the ecuadorean embassy. it appears both sides are settling down for the long haul. >> what will london's next move be now that ecuador has granted asylum? will british authorities never the less arrest him? we put that question to our correspondent in london. >> yes, it does look like this -- julian assange is in the embassy in ecuador. in front of that is the police waiting for him. there is only one exit out of this embassy, so assange has to get through that door if he ever intends to go to some airport, like heathrow. if he wants to go there, he has to step out onto the property,

and the police is waiting for him. british government has made it clear they do want to see him expedited to sweden. they think sweden is a democracy, and there is no reason why they should not expect -- extradite assange to that country. >> ecuador says britain has threatened to enter its embassy and physically arrest assange. but london force a resolution? >> the british foreign secretary said while there is still interest in a political solution, they want to keep him talking. they could in theory go into that embassy. there is a law the british government introduced in 1987, and that enables the british authority to revoke diplomatic immunity from and in the see if there is a misuse. in theory, this could happen, and police could get into the embassy and get assange out, but every commentator is saying that

is very unlikely because that would make life for british diplomats in the entire world very difficult. basically, they are just waiting for assange to come out so they can arrest him. >> thank you very much. well, it was a mission that never cared much hope for success. now, the united nations is bringing observers in syria home. -- never carried much hope for success. hostilities in syria have only worsened. >> a humanitarian crisis that grows by the day -- we have this report beginning in the city of aleppo. >> the battle has now raged for nearly a month. video posted online shows a voice said to be crying for his father shot dead by the syrian army in recent fighting.

the center of the footage cannot be established. opposition activists say 62 people were killed in syria on thursday. most of them died in aleppo. the un estimates there are 2500 refugees inside syria. >> what i would like to see is the government extended that facility to other large ngo's from the international community, who we know can really help to stave of the efforts significantly. i have not been able to get that agreed. >> meanwhile, the war in syria is spilling over into neighboring lebanon. a shia muslim clan has kidnapped 20 civilians and a clerk. these are some of the hostages. the demand is threatening to kidnap dozens more unless rebels in syria free a klan member kidnapped there.

witnesses are also reporting clashes on the border. the danger of the conflict spreading is growing. >> for more on the situation in syria, we go to our correspondent in washington. we are just getting information with in the past few minutes that the international envoy kofi annan has been replaced. what more can you tell us about that? >> that is really interesting news. and there were discussions for a long time over who would be his replacements. united nations security council expects he will work on a new cease-fire plan, and hopefully, it will really take over. the news is only a couple of minutes old. >> what hope is there? the news comes as the un was winding down its mission.

what does it hope to accomplish? >> the un will continue to be involved in syria. they have to pull out observers because it is too dangerous to be there. too many heavy weapons. the un security council today decided to pull them out by august 24, but they will have a civilian office in damascus, 20 or 30 people who will work there, and the new office -- the people working in this new office will have to report to the man who is going to take over. like i said, he has to work on a new cease-fire plan. >> thank you very much. officials in iraq say at least 21 people have been killed in -- and dozens wounded in a series of bombings and shootings across the country, including in capital baghdad. >> six people were killed by car bomb in the shiite district of the city, and at least four blasts were reported in the northern city of kirkuk.

two people were killed and several others injured. no one has claimed responsibility. >> here in germany, chancellor angela merkel has praised canada from actually in canada for its policy of not running up a large federal debt. >> the canadian prime ministers praised germany's resolve in seeking solutions to the european debt crisis. these are not the pictures i wanted to show you. this is obviously not canada. canada and the european union working on free trade agreements. when germany tells southern europe countries to push through tough reforms, it is speaking from experience. it was a decade ago that the government began some of the biggest changes to its social

welfare programs. >> today, many economists say they helped prepare germany for the fiscal challenges of today. at the time, the which became synonymous with tough cuts that hurt the little man. -- the words became synonymous with tough cuts. >> we have shape of the future 4 2 million unemployed here. i wish you and all of us every success in implementing it. >> they fare -- the on a planned program requires the jobless to take on low-paid work or retrained. anyone refusing to do so is liable to refuse benefits. >> in 2003, we completed internal reforms that other countries still have before them, and they are facing much more difficult circumstances. >> at the time, unions, let us leading politicians, and welfare recipients stage demonstrations rick -- decrying those reforms,

but others said he gave germany the basic -- the basis for its current economic stability. since the reforms came into effect in 2005, and inform in germany has shrunk dramatically, falling from 5 million to under 3 million today. however, many of them are now in low-wage jobs and have to have their income supplemented by the state. the consensus is that the reforms had a positive effect on unemployment, but many say a national minimum wage should have been introduced at the same time. >> the netherlands is one of the few highly-rated eurozone economies that can still sell its government bonds at very low interest rates, but there are some cracks beginning to appear in its economic picture. >> that is right. unemployment edged up to 6.5% last month, a trend that has been under way for a year now. the country's real estate market is also showing signs of weakening. >> the netherlands is renowned for its high standard of living. unemployment is low.

the social welfare system is excellent. but the country is not completely insulated from the global economic crisis. vendors at rotterdam's weekly market have noticed the change. >> people have less money. when they are shopping for the whole family, they used to buy a lot of vegetables and fruit for everyone. now, they are much more choosy. >> his customers agree. >> money does not go as far. everything is getting more expensive. rent, food. >> the state is withholding more and more money. taxes, health insurance, everything. and behind the construction sites where new office buildings are going up, the for sale signs are multiplying. this real-estate agent knows only too well what is wrong.

for decades, the dutch were able to count on rising property prices, but that is no longer the case. >> everything is uncertain. how much the banks want to charge you for a mortgage, uncertainty about your job, uncertainty whether you can afford a mortgage at all with your income. then he shows us the relatively new rotterdam suburb -- >> he shows us the new -- the relatively new rotterdam suburb. back there are plenty of for sale signs here as well. >> beginning in 2000, i think there were too many identical apartments built. there was a lot of demand back then, of course, but they could have killed more of a variety of homes. >> the netherlands has the highest per capita debt in europe, mostly for real estate. so far, that has not been a problem. the faster government tries to

cut back spending, the results are familiar to get councils. >> right now, consumer confidence is at a very low end. people do not know where they are, i of their job is secure, how much their home is worth, if the value is declining. the dutch do not have an economic crisis yet, but even their confidence is beginning to unravel. >> all right, facebook is facing new allegations over data protection, and we do not even want to talk about share price. >> all-time low there. also in san diego, california, scientists are currently presenting the latest trends in the field of nanotechnology. not just looking at the small grains of beach -- grains of sand on the beach in san diego.

>> stay with us. we will be back in a moment.

>> welcome back, everyone. a double slap in the face for facebook this thursday. >> the company's share price has fallen to an all-time low as employees got their first chance to sell their stocks. a further sign that confidence in the social media company is waning. >> and in germany, authorities reopened a probe into the website's facial recognition software, saying it violates the privacy of users. >> just a quick post on facebook, and the network is activated. be made. in less than 30 minutes, he has organized a small crew for a sailing outing.

though he is quick to play up the usefulness of social networks, he says you have to be careful about clicking on buttons or advertising banners. >> they are keeping records about you and want to find out exactly what makes you tick and what you are up to. then the target you with advertising or place it on your home page. >> selling personally targeted advertising is part of facebook's business model, but it is not working like it used to. more and more members use smartphones or tablets to access their account, and there is not much space for advertising on the small screens of the devices. some advertisers have pulled their budgets on facebook, and there are other signs of trouble. >> when the ones who came up with their big ideas begin to leave and the ones responsible for all the height start looking for new challenges, it suggests

a problem. this seems to be the case at facebook. three senior executives left the company in the last few weeks. >> out in the fred astaire -- out in the fresh air, there are hardly bothered by a board room concerns of the largest social networking company in the world. it has become a cheap and new way to embark on adventures together for them. >> let's look at today's market figures kicking off in frankfurt with the dax finished up vice 0.7% -- up by 0.7%. euro stoxx 50 also appear in the dow at this hour trading of 5.75%. the euro also looking strong, trading at a value of $1.2361. >> germany's two main christian churches have been actively

involved in development aid for 50 years. to mark the anniversary, germany's minister for economic cooperation and development is on a five-day visit to kenya. >> needle also checked in on a joint german israeli project, which is helping to restore depleted fish stocks in africa's biggest lake. >> fishermen on lake victoria have seen a dramatic downturn in their functions in recent years. the rapid growth of the population and an increase in pollution means there are fewer and fewer fish landing in their nets. >> it is suffering from not a good economy. the fish that they used to get is now reduced to 200 kilograms per day. this has been a challenge for our people. >> in order to halt the further decline of stocks, germany and israel are helping with the construction of fish farms in

the region. the german environment minister announced 1.4 million euros of investment in the project during his visit to kenya. >> there are many advantages from three partners working together. there is a canyon project aimed at improving the economic situation of the fishermen on lake victoria. our israeli friends have huge experience in fish farming, and we're experienced in the area of water and wastewater management, which all comes together here. >> the project has a lot of support, luckily. the people of the region know that if it is successful, that will mean more fish in the lake and more jobs. >> for the first time, germany and israel are joining forces to help can help itself. that help shall be expanded to other fields like wastewater management in the future.

cooperation of fish farming is only the beginning. >> in a moment, we will look at how brazil is preparing for upcoming - events -- the 2014 soccer world cup in 2016 olympics -- and the 2016 olympics. >> 12 people killed in south africa after right police fire on striking platinum miners. police have tried -- and trying to break up clashes between rival trade unions. fighting between striking workers has left 10 people dead. >> the head of the russian orthodox church has kicked off an historic visit to poland. the business leaders hoping to soothe tensions between russia and poland, which is majority catholic. the high-profile crack down on members of the russian punk rock band pussy riot is threatening to overshadow his visit.

>> iran's supreme leader has toward one of the northwestern village is hit by a deadly twin earthquakes over the weekend. he asked for patience and cooperation from survivors during relief and reconstruction efforts. the quakes killed more than 300 people. the next four years could be some of the most important ever for brazil. >> coming up in 2014, the world cup, and in 2016, rio will be taking on the additional challenge of hosting the summer olympics. >> the entire world is asking -- will brazil be ready? >> gridlock fumes and dust is a fact of life in brazil's big cities. to counter that, the government is planning major infrastructure investments. an extra 7 hut -- 7 500 kilometers of road are aimed at easing congestion.

older roads will be upgraded. about 10,000 kilometers of new railway tracks are also in the works. airports are being expanded. the 2014 soccer world cup and the 2016 olympics, but the government also wants to boost the economy. >> with this ceremony, we are initiating a program that will make brazil richer, stronger, and more modern and competitive. this will give the brazilian economy the size that our people demand. brazil will finally have an infrastructure that is compatible with its size. >> brazil has already advanced to become the world's sixth largest economy, but growth has slowed here as well. the new infrastructure plans are also expected to generate new jobs. >> our next story takes us right down to the molecular level.

>> nanotechnology is seen as the technology of the future, and governments are spending billions in its research and development. and experts in the field are enabling the creation of new materials with a vast range of applications in medicine, electronics, by a materials, and energy. >> they can make objects invisible, detect dangerous and gas leaks, and speed up the next generation of computers. madam materials m --eta -- meta materials are the new stars of physics. these structures measure just a few nanometers, meaning they are 10,000 times smaller than a human hair. >> meta materials are materials that do not exist in nature. they are man made. so in the material is created from tiny pieces of several

other materials. if everything goes well, it will have properties not found in nature. we are creating custom made new properties. >> what application is making it safer to fill hydrogen tanks. if the gas escapes, it can easily catch fire, potentially resulting in a massive explosion. with the help of meta materials, researchers have developed new sensors, tiny natural structures in a lens reflect only the light waves of escaping hydrogen atoms. unlike conventional devices, the new sensors can be raised from a safe distance -- can be rigged from a safe distance. >> it gives us protection from explosion. there is no risk of sparks. it makes it safe for us.

since we are working with net of structures, we can observe tiny volumes, tiny concentrations -- since we are working with no -- since we are working with nano structures. >> they also promise to revolutionize computers. experts say they will eventually make data transmission 1000 times faster, which will mean higher performance computer chips. hire resolution television displays are also in the pipeline -- higher resolution television displays. even more spectacular is the invisibility cloak. >> these are the cloak structures. here we are looking at it from the top. we are actually looking from the back at a concave mirror. the dark stripes you see in the middle are what gives away that there is a curve. if we flip the sample, you can see the " structure makes the curve disappear -- the cloak

structure. >> it is actually an illusion. the curvature still exists. it is made possible by the meta material on the bottom of the surface that reflects light as if it were flat. the cloak makes it possible to hide tiny objects with a mirror. for larger objects, other methods will have to do until the nanotechnology is ready. >> we thought that was going to be real. >> when it comes out, i want one. that will wrap it up for this edition of the "journal." real, not invisible. stay with us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--