>> welcome to "the journal." >> here is what is coming up in this next half hour. reports of fierce fighting in damascus as rebels say shot down a syrian army helicopter. >> presidents of three states prepare for isaac to hit the gulf coast. >> tighter controls on the -- it tighter controls on donated organs.

>> battles have been raging across syria with multiple reports of clashes on monday in and around damascus. >> rebels claim they shot down an army helicopter over the capital as revenge for a massacre carried out by government troops over five days. more than 300 bodies were found in houses and basements. that attacked and the downing of the helicopter are adding fresh fuel to the violence. >> smoke billows out of the helicopter and then the aircraft crashes in a ball of flames. syria's opposition released this footage after rebels claim they shot down an army gunship over damascus. a small moment of triumph for the rebels as it battles continue to rage in the syrian capital. in one northern city, rubbles show videos of the latest fighting. -- rebels show videos.

>> children were slaughtered and women were buried under the rubble. where is the world? where are the muslims? why don't they react? it s -- is as if the muslims and the rest of the world are blind. >> much of the city has been flattened by army artillery. pockets of rebel resistance are said to remain. nearly everyone else has fled. many are stacked on sri's northern border. turkey cannot keep up with a growing number as of refugees, as the people are waiting for work camps to open. >> we were terrified, we were afraid the roof would fall on our heads because of the bombs. that's why i decided to come here. >> living conditions are basic with food and water in short supply. some refute -- some refugees have the air for weeks and don't know when they might reach safety.

the fighting in syria has driven 100,000 refugees across the border. turkey is calling on the international community to share the border -- to share the burden. 17 partygoers have been found decapitated. and street this consider parties with music and dancing involving men and women to be immoral. the bodies were found in a village in north of s the capital of helmont province. the discovery recalls of the rule of ultraconservatives islamist ousted in 2001. >> the spanish government says the country's banks only need around 62 billion euros and help from the fellow eurozone members. >> the five -- this spanish financial sector needs less than two-thirds the amount allocated for the bailout. many spanish banks are suffering from bad mortgage of known --

that mortgage loans dating back before the property boom. the fourth biggest bank meets more than 24 billion euros to deal with its debt. hist it -- in germany, angela merkel is trying these doubts about greece. politicians and the market should stop speculating on greek exit from the euro, she says. >> members of her own coalition are expressing doubts. the secretary has broken ranks by saying there is no way for >> leading conservatives moved quickly to reassert the party line, criticizing speculation about greece's likely exit from the eurozone. the chancellor urged colleagues to way words carefully. >> the situation is difficult enough. it doesn't help when everyone hammers away at it every day.

the remarks are unacceptable and the political calculation is unacceptable. >> the opposition wants the chancellor to get her coalition into line. >> it is a serious and uncomfortable position for the chancellor and it's sure to cause a lot of irritation. >> for now, she is backing agrees to stay in the eurozone. that condition could change each when the strike a reports on athens'progress. >> businesses in germany are feeling the pinch of the crisis a survey of businesses showed german firms are more worried about their future prospects. >> that a result of one index which has declined for the fourth time and a row and a month and is at its lowest level

since 2010. that is left some to question whether a recession could be brewing. >> consumers in germany are tightening their belts and retailers of -- retailers and wholesalers are feeling the squeeze. many firms and a variety of sectors say they are doing worse now than they were last but. a growing number of companies have expressed concern about their situation. that is bad news for the labor market. >> companies are no longer planning to take on more staff. on the contrary, they are more likely to be thinking of letting people go. that probably means growth and employment will come to a standstill. >> every month, they quizzed several thousand managers on their companies' current economic situation and outlooks. the data collected is regarded as an important indicator of how the german economy will develop in the following months.

>> a bidding war has erupted over a bankrupt german solar company. a spanish company has launched a rival bid one day after they thought they had found a buyer. >> a south korean conglomerate said that they would take over the insolvent company in a deal worth 250 million euros. no details yet on the rival bid from spain. they were once at top of the german solar industry but they declared bankruptcy in april. >> it appears to be a lighter mood in the market despite the business climate in germany. for more news, our correspondents sent us this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> investors were surprisingly relaxed in face of the declining climate. what lifted the mood at was a

lot of mergers and acquisitions talk. a better from south korea wants to take over a solar energy firm but other competitors are said to be interested as well. a bidding war might be possible. reconciliation with a lawsuit in apple has led to more talk as well. many believe more mobile phones with the operating system from microsoft might be selling. the stock price rose by nearly 10%. >> let's have a closer look at some of the market numbers today. the dax ended at over 1% up. across the atlantic, the dow jones is currently going down just a tad. the euro is trading for $1.24. the crisis in southern europe

will be visible in supermarkets with countries like spain and struggling to keep down their shopping bill. manufacturers of consumer goods say they will sell products in smaller quantities. companies like messily and unilever want to focus on smaller size products. unilever says that the average spaniard spends only 17 euros per shopping trip. by that measure, a large pack of laundry detergent with the debt half of their budget. to the u.s. now, or states along the gulf of mexico are bracing for a tropical storm isaac. >> is it is taking a westward track toward louisiana coast and is expected to strengthen into a dangerous category two hurricane before making landfall in the coming days. >> a state of emergency is already in effect along much of the coast. >> tropical storm isaac is

causing chaos ahead of the republican national convention. the event has been postponed a day with mitt romney and ball running having to wait until tuesday for the republican presidential nomination. delegates will have to be careful but to seem to celebrate while the storm wreaks havoc nearby. florida has suffered plenty of rain, but little damage. the storm is getting strength as it moves across the gulf of mexico. several states have declared a state of emergency. >> i want to make sure everyone in louisiana, especially those in coastal areas, are prepared now and have an evacuation plan in place. plenty of water, hygiene supplies, prescription medication, sufficient clothing, whatever they may need in the event of an evacuation. >> as the residents of the gulf

coast make preparations, they will be hoping one upcoming anniversary is not a bad omen -- wednesday marks seven years since hurricane katrina laid waste to new orleans. >> it is not the only part of the world struggling with you -- with adverse weather conditions. >> let's look at other stories hitting headlines around the world. one of the biggest typhoons in decades lashed japan's okinawa island. when it peaked at 173 kph as heavy rains pounded the islands. at least five people have been injured and 75,000 households are without power. the typhoon is now headed for south korea. >> emergency services and because of low -- emergency service in kosovo are struggling where 500 hectares of

pine 47 burned. anyway has temperatures -- soaring temperatures -- >> lawmakers voted to suspend him up but a referendum to impeach was struck dumb by the country's highest court. the leftist government's campaign against the president has strong international criticism. >> let's turn back to germany and today in berlin, germany's minister of health held meetings to discuss the contentious issue of organ donation. >> discussions were held in the wake of a scandal here in which one doctor allegedly manipulated the organ donor waiting list to insure his patients were on the top. >> since the scandal broke, the willingness of germans to donate organs has been on the decline. >> have a list of what needs to be done to avoid future scandals

is proving to be quite long. >> this is one of 12,000 germans whining for a donor organ. he desperately needs a new kidney. when he found that a doctor manipulated the list, he was shocked. but he still trusts the clinic. >> you cannot discount the whole flock because there is one black sheep. >> the german finance minister agrees, but he wants more transparency and closer monitoring of the 60 transplantation centers. but he was a process overseen by independent experts. it will be controlled by special government agency. >> we are not convinced state organizations of donor organs and transplantation in germany would improve the situation. >> doctors will continue to decide which patient gets what

oregon. but the doctors caught manipulating the list, that doctors can closing will transplant center. that practice is common in other countries. >> it's very important measures like that be enacted consistently. the stats we put in motion will help to win back trust. >> he hopes one day his phone will ring and a doctor will tell him a kidney is available. >> police in england have called off a search for a lion thought to be on the loose in southern england. >> police and firefighters spent 24 hours, in the countryside in suburban essex. they also called in zookeeper's to help with the search which started after residents reported hearing a lion. but none was ever found, so the lion hunt was abandoned.

>> we have a lot more to come, so don't go away. >> we will be right back. >> dw on the internet -- transparent structures, wide- ranging services, clean design, quality journalism in 30 languages. a multimedia platform for your global needs. this is best at www.dw.de. >> everybody knows things are bad. every time we checked a news, we know things are crazy. 1 billion people suffer hunger.

1 billion of us. that is bad. that's crazy. get up right now, stick your head out the window, i'm not -- i mad as hell and i'm not going to let 1 billion people go hungry. you tell them. >> welcome back. it is the essential ingredients for life -- water. imagine if your life and thought -- if your life revolving around trying to find it. access to water is the main focus of this year's world water relief which is keyed off in the swedish capital stockholm. >> according to one study, third of the residents of mexico city don't have proper access to water. because the high altitude of 7,300 feet, the city takes water from of offers that are not naturally replenished. for some citizens, simply turning on the tap and drinking is not an option. >> she chose the pink paint for

walls, but there's nothing she can do about the brown water in the tap. she says there has never been clean water in her district. >> we get rations from -- we get rashes from the water. the doctors often don't realize is from the water. they say it is best or something else, but it is the water. >> she lives in a three-room apartment. this is not a poverty-stricken neighborhood, but the water quality is so bad she uses expensive bottled water to make coffee. she has written letters demanding better water to no avail. tankers bearing the brown broths visit the city, although there are pipes in the city, their dilapidated leaving many residents with no choice but to use the dirty water. >> it would be nice if we finally got better water.

the neighbor's baby always has a really bad rashes. >> some of the water comes from the region around the city. it flows through reservoirs and rivers before disappearing into a huge hole. enormous pipes pub it to the 22 million inhabitants of the city. but there is another way of getting water and it's much more problematic. nearly 3000 deep wells are spread throughout the valley of mexico. sometimes, drills have to go down 400 meters before hitting ground water. the water acts -- the water exploration is weakening the well and causing a bridge to subside. that damages the under our water pipes. on a single day, this construction crew had to plug 24 weeks simultaneously. one-third of mexico city ' water seeps into the soil. authorities claim there's enough water to last another 40 years.

>> at the moment, there isn't actually a water problem, but we can't continue like this. a lot has to change. we will have to invest twice as much as before and developing traditional resources over the next 20 years. >> and other unresolved issue is sewage. 90% is that black waste and throws for a giant tube and treated because there are hardly any sewage treatment plants. the fecal brew troubles 300 kilometers to the open air before landing in the ocean. there and the salt water, it is lost to the city's water cycle after only a single use. >> as long as the government pursues policies that makes city life attractive and country life difficult, people will continue to crowd into the city. as long as the city continues to

grow, no government will have the technical or financial resources to meet the water demand. >> the city's water problem is especially bitter. there is the brown drinking water and then contaminated vegetables. that is because the city's waste water is still put to use. nearby farmers irrigate crops with it. then they sell the tainted produce at the markets in the less well-off neighborhoods of the city. >> to talk more about water, we are joined by a consultant to the united nations special reporter on the right to honor and a sanitation. it is worth mentioning you are traveling to the water conference in stockholm tomorrow. much of the water used today is wasted through inefficient use it for transportation. what can be done to reduce the waste? >> the majority of the world's water is used by agriculture and industry.

much less is used by households. the main focus for reducing the use of water is to look at industry and how industry uses water. a lot of industries are taking that on board and starting to look at recycling the water they use and cleaning it themselves. in agriculture, there is a very good approach is to use and less water, not just spreading your crops and using it at a more appropriate time. there are things households can do but the majority of savings can be made by agriculture. >> how serious of the danger to water shortages opposed to urban areas like mexican cities or bangkok where water supplies are already seriously overdrawn? >> there are two problems. the one problem is there are not sufficient amounts of water. the other side of that is there is not a sufficient amount of water and it's often more easily

polluted. you get both of ones -- a lack of quantity and a lack of quality and that has a severe impact on people's health. the more water used, that can have an impact on the low water table. in tanzania, close to the coast, as the water table drops, salt water infiltrates into the wells and you are polluting above sea water which makes it undrinkable. it is a serious problem. >> how can water supplies be better shared between countries with an abundant water supply with those like mexico city where water is not so abundant? >> it is possible to transport water and you will hear of people investing in water-rich countries to buy up water sources. personally, i think that is a

difficult road to travel. the better approach is to look at ways of saving water and be more efficient with your water use. within countries, there are examples of countries like algeria where they have very poor water access in the coastal areas but a large underwater lake under the saqqara -- and in the sahara, which is brought to this city on the coast and there are things that can be done. but it is a very expensive process. >> thank you very much for joining us and sharing your insights. she is the united states -- united nations repertoire for water and sanitation. from water to climate change and the international community is facing a daunting task of coming up with a new climate deal to replace the kyoto protocol which expires at the end of this year. >> moving from fossil fuels and

a renewable energy is the key to academicians. one organization is the international renewable energy agency whose head was in berlin on monday for tips of the best ways for word. >> he met with the a head of the edge national renewable energy ministry but the german minister did not waste the opportunity to make point. >> i am a little bit sick this morning. the state of health of the competent minister does not so difficult from the state of health of the international climate protection. >> they moved their headquarters to abu dhabi in 2009. one of the agency's coracles is developing countries to invest in renewals. they're hoping to take the lead from germany's transition to clean energy. >> i can assure you i'm not the only one of the rest of the world was looking very closely at what the outcome of what your

discussion will be. germany has been a leader in this field for decades. >> other countries are following. morocco will soon draw half of its energy needs former nobles. global spending on renewable energy was up 20% to $260 billion last year. he is pushing for an international summit hon. bulls once he is feeling better. >> berlin's tourist bureau says officers injected more than 10 billion euros and to the german capital last year. >> the survey found revenues from tourism has doubled over the past 10 years in berlin. it also shows tourism is berlin pause biggest earner by far, earning several times the amount generated by construction and industry. a decade ago, 66,000 berliners lived off the tourism industry. estimates now put that figure at

275,000. >> we turn now to dance and the annual tango festival in buenos aires is coming to an end. >> the competition is fierce and the argentinian gathering covers the world championship. >> 2000 musicians and dancers have been testing their skills on the dance floor. >> tango is formal yet intimate, a balance between holding back and giving in. its international popularity increases every year. the dance is one of buenos aires'biggest attractions and exports and the city is proud of it. >> those of us to organize this festival are happy that the tanker has such a strong attraction. since you vesco gave the world hatter chips status, it has become more culturally ingrained. >> tango has its roots in the

19th -- 19th century and working-class culture. the steps were influenced by european immigrants. it has long since entered the mainstream and thousands of the busiest lock to buenos aires to admire the world's best dancers. >> you have plans to go there one day? >> it is a big goal of mine but i need some warm up courses. >> that is it for us this hour. thank you for joining us. >> you can for -- you can find more at our website, www.dw.de.