>> hello and welcome to the "journal" coming to you live on the -- dw from berlin. here is what is coming up in the next half-hour. amnesty international says progress is being made toward ending the death penalty, despite setbacks. >> frontline fears -- what will north korea do next? and rock rebels, watch out. here comes some real trash metal heavyweights.

>> there seems to be some global progress in ending the death penalty here that is according to amnesty international's latest -- death penalty. that is according to amnesty international's latest report. >> even so, some of the world's major superpowers still use the death penalty. it is legal in china and some parts of the united states. india and japan have resumed executions after abandoning the practice for some time. human rights activists are calling it a disappointing setback. several countries are once again using the death penalty. in india, mass protests following a high-profile rape case last year at parliament to approve the death penalty for rape cases where the victim dies -- last year lead parliament -- last year led parliament to approve the death penalty for rape cases where the victim dies.

>> said he after study shows that the death penalty does not bring down the number -- study after study shows that the death penalty does not bring down the number of cases. >> china carried out, by far, the most death penalty cases. iran is next with 300 14 executions. a rack with 129. saudi arabia with -- it ran is next with 314 executions -- iran is next with 300 14 executions. iraq with 129. >> amnesty international is calling on the government to institute a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. the first step continues to be an end to the secrecy behind the use of the death penalty. make the figures public so that an open debate can take place. >> but amnesty also points to progress. in the u.s., connecticut became the 17th state to abolish the death penalty. singapore is also observing a

moratorium on executions. >> india is one of the countries criticized in that report here we asked the -- in that report. we asked the -- we asked one minister how a modern society could continue to live with capital punishment. >> my answer would be just as the united states has come a for instance. they have the death penalty. in our law, through the supreme court, we said it is to be given only in very rare cases. it has to be unusual cruelty in a specific crime, not just murder, per se, but something really unusual. we did not execute many people over the last decade. recently, some executions have taken place, including the people involved in terrorist attacks, particularly the one in mumbai. there is a debate going on in our country. it is very large -- it is very

difficult to argue a convincing case. i think as we move forward the exception will be narrowed further and further. who knows? one day, we might finally become comfortable with abolishing the death sentence. >> the u.s. state of ohio -- it has been 37 years since it reintroduced the death penalty. since then, 50 people have been put to death by injection. >> the method of use is subject to heated debate to there are flaws in the legal process that often lead to the long -- wrong person being convicted. joe ambrogio was one of them. he spent 22 years of his life on death row for a murder he did not commit. it was only his faith and his belief in his innocence that kept him going. >> it is just the most

loneliest feeling in the world. to sit there and be in there for something you know you had absolutely nothing to do with. >> a federal judge eventually overturned the conviction, ruling that prosecutors had withheld key evidence that may have proven his innocence. joe has been a free man for just over a year. it is cases like this that have added to criticism of the death penalty. opponents argue it is inhumane and expensive. >> it costs $3 million to get one death sentence during the whole course of the case, and about $1 million to get a life sentence also during its whole years of incarceration. it is three times as expensive. >> that's one of the reasons maryland recently became the 18th state to abolish it, but executions are still widespread in places like texas, virginia, florida, and ohio. joe now lives an hour away from

his former prison cell. he shares an apartment with his friend, bill. he is helping joe find his way again in the world. >> when i went in back in 1988, computers were the size of rooms. they were using punch cards still. nowadays, look at this. this is a laptop. it is mobile. there is no way that the computer could do that back then. it just boggles my mind, the things this can do. >> despite having his legal slate wiped clean, he says people avoid him because of his past on death row. he has been able to find work. a father at a local church employs him as a caretaker. the catholic church met him in prison and was instrumental in helping to argue his innocence. >> the death penalty, in my opinion has never worked, even

before i got involved in this case. it takes us in a place we don't want to go, where the government has the authority to execute its own citizens. it is just insane. >> joe was just one inmate. there are over 3000 runners -- others still awaiting execution. >> switching gears. tensions are running high in asia. south korea says there is a very high probability that north korea will launch a medium-range missile at any time as a show of strength. >> u.s. troops have increased their alert levels in the region while japan has installed antimissile units in central tokyo. foreign diplomats have been told to leave north korea for their own safety, but many have stayed, wondering what kim jong- un's nets -- next step will be. >> it is life as usual for foreign embassies in pyongyang. last week, the northern regime told diplomats they had to leave by today.

the warning was widely ignored by the foreign diplomatic corps. however, locals in pyongyang believe their leaders mean business. >> it will be an all-out war, the korean peninsula will be turned into a sea of fire. it was a generous humanitarian gesture to warn the foreigners. >> on the other side of the border, south koreans are holding peace demonstrations. the protesters are urging north korean dictator kim jong to tone down the rhetoric so the two korea's -- kim jong-un to tone. bash down the rhetoric so the two korea's can exist in peace -- kim jong-un to tone down the rhetoric so the two korea's can exist in peace. the foreign minister said it was likely the north would test a medium-range missile in the coming days that could potentially reach south korea, japan, or one. -- qualguam.

in washington, the commander of u.s. forces in the pacific made it clear he would consider firing a missile to shoot down any north korean rocket if it post a threat. -- posed a threat. >> if the missile was in defense of the homeland, i would certainly recommend that action. if it was in defense of our allies, i would recommend that action. >> north korea's closest ally, china, also seems alarmed. >> all involved should not do anything to provoke the other side. >> even beijing does not seem to believe that it's -- it's appeal will carry much weight. the chinese government halted all travel to north korea today. >> meanwhile, pakistan has conducted a test launch of a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. >> the missile is designed to hit targets up to 900 kilometers away to military officials described the test as a success. the missile landed in a field.

the missile test comes days after india will -- india tested one of its nuclear- capable missiles. >> rescue workers have wrapped up their search for survivors after tuesday's earthquake in the southeast. 37 people were reportedly killed in the quake. uranium media says two villages have been destroyed and hundreds of houses -- iranian media says two villages have been destroyed and hundreds of houses damaged. officials say there was no damage to the nuclear power station just 90 kilometers from the epicenter. >> time for some business news. time there is feeling the pinch -- daimler is feeling the pinch. another setback for the chief executive. speaking at the company's main shoulder -- main shareholder meeting, he admitted that daimler has fallen behind its rivals, bmw and audi.

earnings looks to be stagnating at 8 billion euros. he says difficulties in china and the shrinking european car market could undermine daimler's targets. >> investors were not so disappointed about that news on daimler. they sent shares higher on wednesday. our correspondent explains why from frankfurt. >> daimler's ceo had bad news for his investors on the investors' meeting. the first quarter has been far weaker than expected. he had to tell his investors a kind of profit warning, but shares of daimler started off rallying. they were up i far more than three percent -- up by far more than 3%. they think the new cars issued by mercedes will be a success. the market rallied.

mainly because of the fact that there has been a record high rally on wall street, too. >> let's get a closer look at the numbers. it was a strong rally here in europe. the dax closed more than 2% higher, mostly because of some optimism at the u.s. federal reserve is going to stick to its stimulus measures. the euro stoxx 50 was also higher. the dow jones industrial average continues gains. there is a broad-based rally underway in the united states. the euro-dollar is currently trending lower. >> the troubled german carmaker opel is to get a much-needed cash injection. its parent company, u.s. auto giant general motors has promised to put 4 billion euros into opel and its sister brand, british bohol -- bohol -- vauxh all. the new investment will go

towards new models and engine improvement. opel is undergoing a shakeup after years of running at a loss. the restructure includes -- >> also in germany, neo-nazis have been trying to form a secret network in the country's jails. officials in the state of hessen have confirmed revelations reported in the media this week. >> from initial reports, they suggest the network convicted far right activists and their families -- contacted far right activists and their families while they were in jail. >> the news comes weeks after a trial over a neo-nazi -- neo- nazi murder streak that shocked the nation. >> the network of right-wing extremists was uncovered at a prison in western germany. police found evidence during a search of inmates' jail cells and their correspondence. >> we think there are two or three people in hessen. we found advisers mince --

advertisements that are in prisons across germany. we immediately notified our colleagues in other states. >> german authorities say they are tightening security measures. it is thought the group used coded messages to communicate and to recruit new members. the network also reportedly tried to contact the sole surviving member of the neo-nazi group known as the national socialist underground. the nsu is accused of killing 10 people in a racially motivated terror campaign that authorities failed to detect for nearly a decade. the trial is due to start in munich next week. >> now it's time -- robert edwards was best known for pioneering in vitro fertilization. >> his research led to the birth of the world's first test tube baby, born on july 25, 1978.

in vitro fertilization has since brought some 5 million people into the world. we will be back after a short break. go away. -- don't go away.

>> welcome back. russia's independent monitoring -- russia's only independent election monitoring group has accused the government of trying to shut it down. the russian justice ministry filed a lawsuit against golos for failing to file as a russian agent. >> golos is the russian word for voice as well as boat, saying -- as well as boavote. they say they are not a foreign agent. >> nothing surprises the people of golos anymore. golos has not received any

foreign money since that law went into effect. >> it is absurd. we don't get any foreign money at all, yet we are supposed to rip ash register as foreign agents. it looks like they are going to continue to insist on registration -- supposed to register as foreign agents. it looks like they are going to continue to insist on registration. >> thousands joined demonstrations after groups including golos demonstrated widespread election fraud. russian president vladimir putin said the protest was sponsored by the u.s. that prompted a group to risk we -- require groups that receive foreign funding to register as foreign agents, a status that many view with suspicion. >> they should be shut down if they have foreign ties. show us a russian organization that is active in the u.s. or the e u -- eu.

where are they? we do not meddle in the international affairs of others. >> despite growing evidence the government intends to get even tougher with groups it does not trust. >> the world trade organization has lowered 13 forecast for trade growth. it predicts -- has lowered its 2013 forecast for trade growth here >> the eurozone crisis has had a big impact on those numbers. the wto praised developing economies, especially those in africa. despite recent political turmoil, it boasted the strongest growth in trade. french president francois hollande has called for a crackdown on tax havens. he has announced measures to stop tax havens and france, including the creation of a special prosecutor's office to pursue financial crimes. he also introduced rules requiring french banks to declare their foreign affiliates and will remark -- require members of his cabin to

make their income and assets public. -- his cabinet to make their income and assets public. >> the european commission has issued a warning to spain and slovenia. in a health check of 13 eu economies, it says that slovenia could be the next country in line for a rescue package due to corporate debt, bad loans, and deteriorating public finances. in spain, high levels of unemployment continues to pose serious risks to growth and instability. they said that both countries must move swiftly to and their ailing banking sectors -- aid their ailing banking sectors. >> rustles wants to introduce gender quotas by 2020 -- brussels wants to introduce gender quotas by 2020. >> it is easier said than done. berlin rejects the idea of a quota. many of germany's dax-listed

companies are miles away from the desired gender equality in their boardrooms, including daimler. >> more women in the driving seat -- that's what some delegates at the daimler annual general meeting want to see. they are pushing for a coffer of supervisory board seats for women. >> there are many other countries where women are in charge. why not here in germany? >> the more women there are, the better. >> the daimler boss does" is, but he wants the company to set an example -- does oppose quotas, but he wants the company to set an example. >> we want women to be 12% now and 20% by the end of the decade. >> the opposition is open to push through the quotas despite government resistance. if passed, it would force all companies to give 40% of

supervisory board seats to women within a decade. >> in a moment, we will take a look at the plight of some libyans fighting -- striving for refugee status. >> first a look at some other stories making the news. >> a new un study has found that german children are comparatively unhappy despite being among the world's wealthiest. in contrast, children in spain and greece, two countries dealing with crippling financial crises, both ranked in the top five here the netherlands was the only country that ranked among the top five countries in all dimensions of child well-being. >> dutch authorities have ordered a recall of 50,000 tons of meat. it was applied by a company suspected of mixing beef with horsemeat -- supplied by a company suspected of mixing beef with horsemeat. it's the latest development in a europe-wide scandal involving horsemeat team sold as beef. >> u.s. authorities have been allowed to retrieve an american

couple accused of kidnapping their sons and sailing to cuba. he and his wife were picked up in havana and flown back to florida, where they are now in custody. washington praised the good cooperation with cuba, which has no extradition treaty with the u.s. >> the forgotten remnants of the libyan civil war. ever since the fall of moammar gadhafi, hundreds of sub- saharan africans who fled the fighting have been stranded in a tunisian camp, waiting for what happens next. >> they are hoping that we'll be finding a home somewhere in the u.s. or in canada -- that we'll -- that will be finding a home somewhere in the u.s. or in canada. about 200 have not been classified as refugees. their future is uncertain. >> we have this report. >> this refugee camp lies in the remote desert of southern tunisia.

there is little infrastructure. the camp only has intermittent electricity and water. refugees who are not recognized are denied food rations. >> you adjust. [indiscernible] you just see somebody today, tomorrow, after that, they are dead. >> he used to earn a living as a guest worker in libya, but he was forced to leave during the civil war. he says going back to his home country of sierra leone is not an option. >> our business is -- [indiscernible] they have to respect our rights and give us our rights as asylum

seekers. >> the unhcr takes a different view. it says the situation in tunisia has changed since the arab spring and the refugees should be able to settle their -- there. the camp is scheduled to be shut down in june. >> it's not easy when a refugee has arrived to tunisia with the hope of being resettled to, for example, the united states. we should not forget that we have a moment of opportunity here in tunisia right now, in the sense that we have established lines in cooperation with the tunisian authorities. >> the asylum seekers don't want to stay in tunisia. they say they don't feel safe there. some have staged a hunger strike outside the unhcr office in tunis as a show of protest. >> we are out here in the rain and the cold, but we are still better off than the people in the camp.

in the camp, they are in constant danger. no one is allowed to see them. they are in danger of dying or ending up homeless. >> it is very difficult life. no one can live, really. really, they are discriminated against. it is like slavery. >> the hunger strike is taking its toll. three protesters have been hospitalized, but those who are able say they will continue to fight until the unhcr grants them the right to settle in another country. >> the world-famous museum in paris has been forced to stay closed after workers walked out. the staff are striking over aggressive attacks by gangs of the pocket or's -- pickpocket ers. >> the doors remained shut. unions say organize groups of pickpockets operate inside the

museum. bandits are abusing and assaulting museum security guards. some 30,000 people visit the museum every day. it is expected to reopen on thursday. >> we have a bit of news for fans of heavy metal and perhaps fans of new music. we are talking about the heaviest band in the world. >> they are not necessarily into the sex and drugs that is supposed to go with rock and roll. instead, what they need is a bit of oil and rewiring. >> it is a band like no other. he has 78 fingers. he can rattle off a mean baseline. on -- bassline. they are the world's first robot rock band. they are full of attitude.

>> i think it they are wilder and edgy -- i think they are edgy and wilder, gritty. it fits the music they play. people can identify with that. >> they were made out of recycled machines. from motorhead to the ramon's, they play it all -- the ramones, they play it all. >> pretty cool. they don't exactly have the moves like mick jagger. [laughter] >> and they don't have toured dates set up yet. -- tour dates set up yet. >> thanks for joining us. we will see you next time.