>> welcome to the "journal" coming to you from dw in berlin. >> here's what is coming up in the next half hour. and that egypt's president is under pressure after the country's prosecutor general offers his resignation. >> the debate over u.s. gun- control laws heats up. >> we take a look at the difficulties north korean refugees face in adjusting to their new lives and freedom.

>> well, egypt's opposition is gearing up for new protests today against a constitution drafted by the ruling islamists. the second round of voting is due at the weekend, but the opposition are crying foul, alleging widespread voting violations. the process has been thrown into further disarray after the resignation of the cross secure general. >> it is a month since president morsi put him on the job. protesters sought the appointment as an attack on the judiciary. the judiciary, like the population, is split over the vote on the constitution and the way it was drafted. opponents say it was rushed through and failed to protect the rights of minorities. >> well, we are now being joined

by our correspondent on the line from cairo. thanks for joining us. with a group of judges saying they will boycott supervision on the second round of voting referendum, will the result be valid? >> pressure is increasing. it seems like no reaction yet from the president or the muslim brotherhood. they really want to push next saturday through. they want to finish this constitutional referendum. it seems they are offering some kind of negotiation. but he still unclear, but they are determined to push through the referendum next saturday. >> what are president morsi's options if the results are declared invalid? >> the problem he has basically

is that yesterday, his speaker said that if they have 50% plus one vote, it is a valid constitution, but in reality, there are problems, like if there is only a small margin of people saying yes to the constitution. 18% of the electorate who voted for the constitution, so it lacks legitimacy if only 18% said yes. >> thank you so much. the "journal -- >> iraq's president said to be in stable condition after suffering a suspected stroke. doctors at a hospital in baghdad have confirmed what they called a health emergency. >> the 79-year-old has had medical treatment abroad in number of times in the last two years.

talabani is seen as pivotal to holding together iraq's power- sharing government. in the wake of the school massacre in newtown, connecticut, a push for tougher gun laws is gaining momentum. at a memorial service, president barack obama call for action but stopped short of saying what that might entail. several democratic senators are calling for laws to curb gun violence. >> meanwhile, funeral services were held for two victims of the deadly shooting. 27 people died, many of the children, when the gunman opened fire on the school. he was heavily armed with hundreds of bullets. >> family, friends, loved ones gathered in newtown to bid a final farewell to two young boys who lost their lives much too early. noah was 6 years old. this will it's remembered him as a happy child who loved animals.

-- his schoolmates remembered him as a happy child who loved animals. >> she said whenever she told him she love him, his answer was not as much as i love you. >> meanwhile, the gun debate in america is bubbling back up to the surface. one american politicians said the tragedy could have been prevented if the school principal had a weapon of her own. >> i wish to god she have had an m-4 in her office so she could have pulled it out and she did not have to lunch heroically with nothing in her hands, but she takes him out. >> there are also signs public opinion is turning in favor of tighter restrictions. polls show half of americans now favor stricter gun control laws. before the massacre in newtown, it was 42%. even some longtime supporters of

gun rights have joined the cause. >> as an nra member, i believe enough is enough. we need to come to the table and end up with appropriate restrictions. >> senator dianne feinstein, democrat of california, has pledged to introduce legislation early next year to ban certain assault weapons, but the powerful gun lobby is almost certain to make it difficult to get such a powerful bill through congress. >> the german president is in cobble on his second visit -- on the second day of his visit to afghanistan -- in kabul. >> issue the afghan leader that germany would continue to support afghanistan even after foreign forces pull out in 2014. after he visited with german soldiers stationed in the north of the country. germany took on one more step toward going green on tuesday. chancellor angela merkel was on hand for the opening of a power line between cities in the very

north of the country. >> this is all part of germany's goal to try to modernize its power grid and phase out a clear power by the 2020. still, there is opposition. >> i of the german government has its way, the country will soon abound with new power lines like this one. chancellor angela merkel says it represents a milestone in germany's quest to wean itself off fossil fuels and nuclear power -- a milestone because many power lines must follow. >> this is symbolic of the amount of work we have ahead of us. it is a chance to create enthusiasm for the many projects that still have to be built. >> the challenge is to transport energy from wind farms in the country's northern coast to population centers in the south where wind is less dependable. thousands of new transition -- transmission lines have to be

built, and the chancellor says they are inevitable. >> if you want renewable energy, you have to pay for more transmission lines. >> not everyone agrees. many citizen groups do not want more overhead power lines marring the landscape, but the infrastructure is necessary if germany is to achieve its goal by 2022. >> eu fisheries ministers gathered in brussels for the annual end of the year talks on fishing quotas. during the three-day negotiations, ministers will try to agree on how much fish is allowed to be caught in the north sea and the atlantic. >> environmental groups want the european commission to and overfishing. they say current levels of unsustainable and dangerously close to depleting fish stocks, especially cod. >> of fishermen around europe say their fleets have already been cut and many jobs lost. policy makers in brussels will have to hammer out a plan that balances commercial interests and brings fish stocks back on track.

>> returning to the dutch port after a week of fishing in the north sea. he is only licensed to catch one kind of fish. eu ministers responsible for fisheries say quotas are necessary to protect fish stocks. >> for us, it is about sustainable fishing policy, which is based on the maximum sustainable catch. >> it sounds environmentally friendly, but it results in edible fish being thrown overboard. fisherman dump the unwanted fish that get caught in nets. it does not make much ecological or economic sense. millions of euros are thrown out every year. environmentalists are calling for brussels to enact a throwback band. >> a fisherman has to bring what he catches into port. that would put pressure on the fishing industry because they only want to bring back the valuable kinds. >> in short, throwing good fischbach to see is cheaper than buying new nets like this one. the special design only catches

the place. >> it means fishing less foot fishing more sustainably, more intelligently. we are calling on ministers to reduce the quota in line with recommendations. >> what exactly this quarter will look like, which countries will be permitted to catch how much fish will be discussed in brussels until thursday. >> greece's international lenders say the deeply indebted nation deserves to keep getting funds for a bailout, but they continue to warn that there are very large risks that the greek economy could eventually collapse. >> the report from the european commission and european central bank comes as athens receives a long overdue installment of over 34 billion euros international aid on monday. lenders are concerned about growing political resistance to implement needed reforms. public-sector workers are calling for strikes on wednesday to protest.

and the international monetary fund, which is also part of the troika of lenders to greece, has released 890 million euros in fresh bailout funds to ireland. the imf says the country is making good progress under its own two-year rescue program. >> ireland is proceeding with reforms to lower its deficit in spite of a slowdown in economic growth. the imf expects ireland's deficit to come under targets. in spite of calls to boost social spending in response to high unemployment. ireland's budget for next year and to reduce its deficit by about 7.5% of gdp. for more now, we go to our correspondent in frankfurt. good news for ireland -- how are investors reacting? we also have good news from across the atlantic. explain to us. this has to do of course with the fiscal cliff. >> you are completely right. there is good news driving the

german dax to the highest level in five years since the end of 2007, meaning the financial markets left crisis mode, although traders still see risk of setbacks next year, but with the announcement of the ecb to buy sovereign bonds, there is an important question to avoid the worst year. coming to the fiscal cliff as time is running out, there is really some hope that the parties are coming closer to reach a deal. president obama made important tax concessions and agreed to cut social spending by more than $1 billion. the german dax is up 0.4%. the euro is coming closer to $1.32. >> thanks very much. >> she was once considered the richest woman in germany, but she lost almost her entire

fortune. now, she wants her money back, and she is taking her case to court. >> she is going head-to-head with a private bank. she claims she was given for advice when she invested in a retail group that collapsed spectacularly three years ago. she is suing for 1.9 billion euros. the bank denies the allegations. >> today is the united nations' international migrants day, dedicated to those who left their homes in search of a better life. 198 people living in germany was born abroad. >> many migrants here came from turkey in the 1960's and 1970's. this first generation is settling down to retire, and it is posing new challenges for care providers. >> this care worker for the last two years has been looking after a family that treats her like a close friend. she is german with turkish

roots. she understands the mentality of turkish families. she can also communicate with her patients in their mother tongue. since having a stroke, he has lost the ability to understand german. he worked in germany for 40 years and then retired. he is being looked after by a turkish-speaking caregiver. >> it is special to be able to combine the german and turkish cultures, especially because of the language issue. that is what i like the most. >> after the home visit, time for a quick meeting with the manager, himself a son of immigrant workers. >> my main goal was to help improve the final years of first-generation migrants to

germany, to give them better quality of life through professional care in their mother tongue. >> business is booming. waiting lists for multilingual care services are growing. >> all right, well, we have to take a quick break, but we will have a lot more news in just about 1 minutes time. >> stay with us. >> it is the dream of many but realized by few -- north koreans

who want to escape the oppressive regime face a dangerous path. even if they manage to defect, it can take years to get to the south. >> once there, they face even more challenges. we look at some north korean defectors who made it to the south and are trying to settle into their new lives. >> a tarp class in south korea -- a guitar class in south korea. it has been two years since this 20-year-old fled north korea. she is trying to build a new life in the south. >> i have gained liberty here in south korea. i. north korea, i lived in a small shack with my family for 17 years. that is what i think about when i reflect on north korea. >> all the students at her school come from families that defected from 03 a. finance by the church, it aims to these youngsters into their

new lives. purely in physical terms, the students from the north are very different from their southern counterparts. on average, they are 14 senate these shorter -- 14 centimeters shorter. their bodies are not prepared for wholesome meals. >> all of us went hungry. i thought it was part of life. i did not know any different. >> teachers say many of the students are traumatized. some are orphans. others had to leave their parents behind in the north. they have witnessed executions or watched as relatives died of starvation. their last chance of survival was to defect. >> the first time i saw north korean refugees at the border, i thought, "are those really people like us?" they were hiding behind trees. all you could see was their bulging eyes. >> south korea's capital is just

an hour's drive from the border, but for refugees coming getting here often means a dangerous odyssey that takes years to complete. they flee through china, laos, and thailand. all the time, easy prey for traffickers who force girls into marriage or prostitution. those who make it to the south are brought to this resettlement center. they prepare for their new lives. they learn what health insurance is or how to operate simple electronic devices. they are shown south korean films to smooth their cultural integration. they teach defectors the basics of living in a 21st century capitalist society. >> for example, a hamburger. they do not have hamburgers in north korea. we show them what they look like, how they taste, and what they cost here in the south.

>> back in his high school, the school principal is urging students to think big. he tells them, "although you are from the north, you can become president or a pop star. you have to live your dreams." >> i have a very simple dream. i just want to sit down with my full family around a table and eat dinner. my grandparents are still in the north. to be with them is my greatest wish. >> they are trying to make a new start in life, but the past is ever-present. the modest dream of seeing her family again seems further from reach than ever before. >> villagers in ecuador have been evacuated as violent explosions continue at a volcano in the middle of the country. >> ecuador's volcano has been spewing ash up to a columnar in

the air. scientists say the eruption is much stronger than the last activity this past september. the volcano's name means throat of fire. it killed six people in 2006 in a nearby village. on to soccer and is now. barcelona fans can breathe a sigh of relief. when superstar has agreed to extend his contract. >> that will keep him at barcelona until 2018. the 25-old argentinian international has been there since 2004 and recently broke the record for most goals scored in a calendar year. his expected to sign a new deal within weeks. and then, there were 16. the german cup round of 16 starts off on tuesday. the pick of tonight's action sees a showdown between giants. >> it is just three days since shalka fired its coast.

>> on tuesday evening, keller will tell the bid to take the helm of a struggling first division side. >> we will let them have a chance. i have mixed feelings about it. >> i hope we play some attacking football, but what i want is not important right now. >> what is important for coach color is to reverse the downward spiral and instill some much- needed confidence. he only had two practice sessions to prepare. their opponents coach is ahead of the mine in the standings. >> we are in good shape at the moment. we possess mental toughness, and we played very well as a team. if we are healthy, we can go all-out for 90 or even 120 minutes.

no one wants to go up against us. that is the way it should be. >> another touch of irony -- german media reported that he was a top candidate to replace stevens. >> to this day, i have had no talks with decision makers, neither as coach of the duke team know the professional side. yet, last week, the newspapers were reporting that i was in contract negotiations with them. that was a lie. patently false. >> that might be one piece of good news, but tuesday night's match will not be an easy review. >> if you are walking through have and cuba, you might think you are in another decade with all of the old cars and buildings. 50 years of sanctions and communism under castro's government have hit the cuban economy hard. now under his brother, the country seems to be assuring in

a new era by cautiously introducing free-market changes. >> hundreds of thousands of small businesses have been legalized over the past few years, and economic bonds have formed. you can already see some slight changes in the capital. picture postcard views of havana -- the old port with its docks and warehouses for tobacco and wood exports. just west of the harbor, the narrow streets of old havana and the white dome of the capitol building. this part of the city has been a unesco world heritage site for 30 years, but it is crumbling. 80% of the buildings need innovating. some are almost beyond saving. it is a different picture a short distance away. this building has been given a new lease on life by one of cuba's new generational of entrepreneurs. julio had been a chef for about

10 years. then he heard about this building. >> it was totally run down and in a terrible state. the local authorities allowed me to take it over. and then i began with the renovation. it was a lot of hard work. >> in return, he was given a long-term lease on the property. he declines to talk about how much the rent is and weather the funds for the renovation came from relatives overseas, but it is no secret the cuban government is short on funds and desperately needs private investment. >> it is very easy to tell which the private projects. the facades look different, and you can really see the change. >> this is the sound of change. it is a noise that can be heard

all across old havana at the moment. the city planning department is responsible for coordinating the work. pablo is one of the project managers. he explains the advantages of private investment. >> it brings together the interests of both sides. we take care of the renovation of the facades. the residents take care of the interiors and developing new projects here. >> the city provides restoration experts. the rest is funded by private money. so far, it seems just a privileged few are able to take the step in to self-employment. mama inez is a new restaurant here. the manager was fidel castro's chef for 30 years and is more used to preparing state banquets. now he pays the equivalent of 600 euros a month in rent, running costs, and salaries.

the 69-year-old is pleased with his new restaurant. >> i want to move upward and onward and look to the future. now, i am working for myself and my employees. i used to have to share everything with the government. but i still have to give up part of my earnings in taxes. >> castro's former chef said he would not complain even if the diners stayed away, but he does have a wish list for the government. >> we need better ways to source products, better ways to communicate and advertise and no more limitations so we can operate at the same level as state-owned businesses. >> in all of havana, there are just eight self-employed restaurant owners, but change is under way -- if only slowly.

>> change in deed. my co-anchor is a big world traveler. the question -- have you been? >> i would love to go to cuba, but i have not been yet. i would love to go. >> you and me both. >> that is all for us for now. see you next time. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--