>> welcome to the "journal" coming to you from dw in berlin. >> here's what's coming up in the next half hour -- a total failure. that's how a parliamentary committee describes germany's security services investigation of a series of racially motivated murders. >> turkey and the united states about to ratchet up pressure on the syrian president. >> and the new barbie dream house in berlin opens to howls of criticism from those who think it sends girls and mothers

the wrong message. >> germany's intelligence agencies failed completely by not linking a neo-nazi terrorist group to a series of murders and bombings that went on for years. >> that is the assessment of a parliamentary committee looking into the crimes alleged to have been committed by the national socialist underground, among them, murders of 10 people most with immigrant backgrounds. >> the committee look into why the group went undetected for so long and presented its findings on thursday. >> the parliamentary investigatory committee marked the end of a year's grueling detective work with a group photo. their job was to find out how a group of known neo-nazis could disappear and commit racially motivated murders for years without being detected.

>> this investigation deals with one of the cornerstones of democracy. it asks if this country will be able to promise each and every citizen regardless of where they come from that the state will do everything to protect them from crime. >> in its preliminary conclusion, the committee found that the state failed miserably in its responsibility and botched investigations that could have led them to beate zschape and her two now-deceased colleagues. authorities even suspected the families of the victims to be somehow involved in the murders. the committee says it has done its best considering the time pressure. >> we have done as much as we could do in only 15 months. investigating committees on the state level can now look deeper, but we were able to probe all the authorities, judicial institutions, and intelligence agencies on a national basis. we have done a good job.

>> the final report is expected in august, but the committee will keep on hearing testimony behind-the-scenes. that is because many of those summoned to testify, especially many of the security services, failed to turn up for their first date. >> for more on the story, we are joined by our political correspondent. what more can you tell us about the work of the committee? >> i think one of the most interesting aspects is that it appears to have reached consensus in its condemnation of the security services and the intelligence services. that is quite extraordinary, really, because it is a committee made up of all six parties represented in the bundestag. that means socialists and neil communists have agreed on taking the same line as conservative christian democrats on this. i think that this is a very positive aspect in what is otherwise a very shameful story. it shows that the political

establishment in germany, and i think that reflects german society at large, it is shamed by these events and wants to eradicate racism of this kind in the future. >> what are the implications of these results? where does this go from here now? >> the committee now has to write a report and submit it to the bundestag. one could imagine, particularly listening to that report that you just broadcast, the committee would be recommending a radical changes to the organization or structure of the intelligence services. i do not think it will, in fact, be doing that because there are no less than 36 intelligence and security agencies in germany, and they are more or less independent of each other, but that is anchored in the german federal system, so they cannot really touch that. i think the important thing they will be recommending is to tackle the question of prejudice, which they have identified in security services and in the intelligence services

and to make specific recommendations about how to deal with that. >> john, as ever, thanks so very much. >> that trial of beate zschape, the surviving member of survivingnsu -- surviving member of the nsu, has been postponed until next month. so far, prosecutors have made little leeway. >> lawyers spent the first week arguing procedural issues. zschape's lawyers say she will not testify, but two men charged with helping her allegedly killed nine people say they are prepared to take the stand. news now the german defense minister has made an interim assessments of reforms describing the changes in the german armed forces as a major transformation. >> he also defended the government's decision to abandon a reconnaissance drone project, saying the costs were too high.

>> reforms include the end of mandatory service and the creation of a smaller, a professional force for quick, international deployments. >> the bundeswehr is going to the most radical overhaul in its history. the reforms are aimed at creating a smaller, more versatile army. the changes are necessary to respond to new challenges. >> the restructuring will enable us to fulfill our international military and security obligations. it is a clear signal to our partners and allies, and they appreciate this. >> but opposition parties accuse the government of being out of step. they say morale among germany's soldiers is low and that the reforms have failed to rein in spending. >> we are against these endless promises. 0.3 billion euros were supposed to be saved, but they were just spent on the slide.

the public sees this as poor management. >> the government is also under fire for scrapping plans to buy an unmanned reconnaissance drone. more than 500 million euros have been pumped into the project. the opposition says that was a costly mistake. >> there's no end in sight to this dreadful waste. they have wasted millions and do not even know themselves how much has gone down the pan. >> but the defense minister countered that pulling the plug saved the government from throwing good money after bad. despite the criticism, it is sticking by its guns. the new organization will be ready in three and a half years. >> president barack obama says a range of options remains possible if he sees conclusive proof that the syrian government has used chemical weapons in the country's civil war. >> but at a joint news conference with the turkish prime minister, he said it is important to get more specific

information to confirm this before deciding exactly how to respond. >> turkey, on the other hand, is looking for more assertive action. the violence has been spilling over its border and claiming the lives of civilians. >> he has come with a clear purpose -- just days after bombs tore through a turkish town near the syrian border, killing dozens, prime minister tayyip erdogan said he wants more action against the regime. that put pressure on president barack obama, who has set in the past that chemical weapons would be a game changer, justifying a forceful response. at the press conference on thursday, obama was again more cautious. >> we have seen evidence of the use of chemical weapons inside of syria. it is important for us to make sure we are able to get more

specific information about what exactly is happening there. >> obama affirmed that both diplomatic and military options remain on the table, but it is clear washington remains skeptical about turkish wishes to start farming syrian what -- rebels or established a no-fly zone in syria. tayyip erdogan hinted information was being shared actively. >> we exchange information with one another. the united nations security council and other relevant organizations will also be receiving this information at the proper time. >> and leader bashar al assad must go. to support a position on the ground. >> for more, we go to our washington correspondent. do you get the sense that president obama and prime

minister tayyip erdogan are closer to finding a common position on syria? >> i think they tried to create the impression of a common line. three points are important. obama promised the u.s. would continue helping ticket with regard to aid in the refugees, which might help the private minister with the camps here the second point, they said the only way to avert a crisis is for assad to hand over power. to go, but none of the mentioned how to achieve this goal. the third point -- u.s. and turkey announced a step up of pressure to syria but offered no concrete measures to do so. as you mentioned, in the last days, tayyip erdogan was mentioning farming the opposition, but nobody mentioned this today, so it was more of an impression of a common lane than a real,

-- more of an impression of a common line than a real common line. >> the inflation rate for the 17 countries sharing the eurocurrency dropped to 1.2% in april, down from 1.7% the month before. >> this means inflation is at its lowest rate in three years and that it reflects lower inflation for products in all of the categories monitored. that includes fuel and telecommunications. people in many countries in the eurozone are suffering from falling incomes as a result of the debt crisis. the word profits has become something of a foreign term for the german telecommunications group deutsche telekom. >> still, the parting chief executive put on a happy face saying that he is positive about the company's results. >> the only thing is, shareholders want a very

different strategy. >> it was his seventh and last speech to shareholders. he had a hard time convincing them that strong growth is around the corner. last year, the telecom's giant posted a huge 5 billion euro loss. he has also spooked internet customers by saying there will be no more flat rate fee and no more unlimited surfing. among a certain volume, users will no longer pay more or have their speed cut. activists are up in arms. >> this will put our blocks, podcasts, and startups at a disadvantage. it is discrimination, and it is anti-competitive. >> at the meeting, he defended the new price structure. >> the alternative would be for the network to be slower for everyone or more expensive for everyone. i do not think that is ok, and i hope you agree. >> but it is the new man who will have to push through the new prices.

the chief financial officer takes the helm next year. >> let's get a check on how the markets reacted to all of that news on thursday. we have this report from frankfurt. >> new management may bring new ideas and to companies. this is what investors were thinking when they bought those telecom shares today. they hope that the new manager will lead the company back to the road of success, but the gains in shares did not help the general market, which has been dragged down by new economic data coming from the u.s. more people than expected called for first unemployment aid. it was the highest number since six weeks now and shows that the economy in the usa still carries a lot of problems, but in the end, a few gains remained for the dax, and this means a new record was there. >> let's get a closer look at

those market numbers for you now. the dax just barely closing in the green on thursday. about 0.1% higher, but it was still enough to get it to another record. the euro stoxx 50 settled in negative territory, however. trading is still under way for the dow jones industrial average, and it has not been doing a whole lot on the day. currently at 15,264. the euro-dollar is trading higher for $1.2892. >> sports news now, and it sounds like something of an end of an era. five days after winning france's top league championship, soccer superstar david david beckham says -- david beckham says he is retiring at the age of 38. >> he was the premier league championship six times in the champions league once. he has also played for real madrid, l.a. galaxy, and paris,

which won the french title on monday. the former captain played 115 international matches. >> we are going to a short break. when we come back, the 70th anniversary of the warsaw ghetto uprising. >> stay with us.

>> thanks for staying with us. >> welcome back. on this day, german forces ended the jewish resistance that fell in occupied poland. >> thousands of children were smuggled out of the ghetto before then, albeit without their parents. one of his kids was this whole issue. >> a group of people like her, child survivors of the holocaust, has been set up now. >> this is one of her most prized possessions -- her family

tree. it is almost all she has left of her relatives. >> she was born into a jewish family. her parents and sister were murdered in not to concentration camps. she had a narrow escape. she was 7 when her family was sent to the warsaw ghetto. >> i did not intend it at all. because we were polish. we were completely assimilated. we were not religious. we did not speak yiddish. i did not understand why we were different from other people and had to go live in the ghetto. >> left in the ghetto was inhuman. hundreds of thousands of jews were forced to live in appalling conditions in a very small space. it was a miserable existence. disease and starvation were rampant. she spent two years there with her family until one day her father and sister disappeared without a trace. her mother decided to take

action. >> it was an act of desperation. my mother tried to save our lives. it was nighttime. we climbed through a hole in the ghetto wall. from there, we went straight to the station. we got on a train and went to a small town. >> but they were not safe there, either. they found themselves in another ghetto, and her mother also disappeared. a different fate awaited agatha. she was to end up in an orphanage for non-jewish children where she was hidden. when the war ended, she was 12 and alone in the world. these people can understand her feelings. they are members of the children of the holocaust association. they were also rescued from the ghetto. joanna did not know she was

jewish until she was 10. a non-jewish family saved her from the ghetto when they took her in as a young child. >> back then, at the first meeting, we looked at each other wide eyed. we did not know each other. suddenly, there were other people there who had also survived. some of us have really thought we were the sole survivors of the ghetto and of a community once comprised of millions of jews. >> she goes to all of the meetings. during poland's communist era, she hit her jewish heritage. she has only spoken about it openly for the past 20 years. she says acknowledging her history openly was a liberating feeling. almost nothing remains of the warsaw ghetto today. it was destroyed by nazis. despite her painful past, she regularly returns to the area to visit the memorial to the heroes of the ghetto uprising.

>> i can sense the spirits of my ancestors here. it is a special place for me. it is as if they're all still here. >> in the 1990's, she was reunited with distant relatives who live in england and america. since then, she says she has felt less alone. >> now on to a much different topic, and the countdown is on for croatia. and to look set to join the european union on july 1. everyone is gearing up for the celebrations. >> the german parliament has ratified the eu accession treaty. officials say the balkan country's membership is an essential element in unifying the entire continent, but at what cost? >> experts forecast losses of 500 million euros for the croats. we explained. >> he is unhappy whenever he looks at this new border post. the croatian mandarin orange

grower knows that wherever there is a border, there will be customs tariffs, and that will make his mandarins too expensive for neighboring bosnians. this will be the eu's new border, dividing what has now been a shared economy. >> i believe that it will make everything more expensive. that exporting will cost more. >> it is the central free-trade agreement between non-european countries. and was promoted by brussels as a transitional stage towards eu membership, but once croatia joins the eu, a to will have to leave, which will then levy a 20% import tariff on croatian mandarins. that will cost him and his wholesalers half their export income. >> one alternative for us would

be the key u.s. and western countries, but how will we manage to meet their quality standards. germany and the uk? it will be hard. >> croatian he you accession talks lasted for eight years, but the fruit and vegetable sector still has not caught up to eu standards. there has been a flexible, nation, either. some consequences are absurd. just a 15-minute drive away from his mandarin orange farm, two new border posts are being carved out of solid rock 4 5 million euros. they mark the place where croatia's coastal highway is interrupted by 9 kilometers of bosnian territory. croatian citizens, goods, and tourists have to drive into bosnia before re-entering croatian territory further down the road. that has never been a problem in the past. travelers were simply waved through or ignored, but not after july 1. >> we truck drivers will have

problems. they want to check everything. we will have to wait forever during the tourist season. >> the eu has established customs, borders, and administrations in both countries for millions of euros. because it also expects bosnia to join up eventually, but for now, they are two separate blocks, and the croatian government is in the next expensive project -- a bridge across the bay, which would allow travelers to avoid bosnia. that would for the cement the region's war-torn divisions of the past, but croatia has already applied for eu funding. >> in a moment, we will be showing you around barbie's controversial new dream house right here in berlin. >> but first, a look at some other stories making news. bulgaria's former premier says he will challenge the results of sunday's election. he says campaign violations by other parties influenced the outcome and left his conservatives unable to form a

majority. the other parties are not interested in supporting a government led by borizov. >> nigeria is stepping up its offensive against islamist insurgents. a state of emergency has been declared by the president. one militant group has claimed responsibility for increasingly bold attacks in its bid to create an islamist state in nigeria. >> authorities are pulling more and more dangerous products off european store shelves. a new report by the eu commission said notifications of dangerous non-food items jumped by a quarter last year. more than half the hazardous products came from china. here is another product that many think is dangerous -- not because of what is in it, but because of the message that it sends. from feminist to anti- pornography groups, there has been a lot of criticism for europe's first lifesize barbie

dream house. >> there were even demonstrations as it opened its doors here in berlin today, and all the modern convenience mansions offerings are entertaining. multimedia experience for fans at the half-century-old iconic all. >> there is even a movement calling itself pink stinks. they warn barbie since the wrong message to little girls. >> to some, it is a kitsch nightmare in pink, but this austrian designer is proud of the house he spent a year and a half creating. >> why do we need something like this that brings a splash of color into this gray world? if we could make a little girl smile with a bit of glitter, then we have created a nice product. >> the odyssey begins behind the sparkling door, and of course, one color predominates.

pantone 219c -- that is the technical name for by bp. visitors are welcome to the mansion by the icon herself. the kitchen is barbie's favorite spot. she loves baking. after a few more hours slaving behind a hot stove, it is time for a sleigh ride to work off those calories. at least one thing has changed with the times -- not all barbie's are blond these days. barbie loves animals and anything that grows. she is also an accomplished pianist, and what little princess does not love a pink high heels shaped slide? >> it is nice for the girls. it is just fantastic.

>> it is a typical female thing. it is a specially made for girls when they are a little younger and mom's when they are a little older. >> barbie spends hours painting her nails and protect her skin from age-related changes by wearing sunscreen, but some critics say that is not a career. >> we think it presents a very stereotypical picture of women as if they fully rely on cosmetics, baking, and making yourself pretty. >> for those who like a kind of thing, there are plenty of souvenirs on offer. visitors overwhelmed by think can have three emergency exits. outside, fans can admire the barbie tree with its ideal of feminine proportions, just like its namesake. >> being a princess is not a career. >> thanks for joining us. >> we will see you next time.

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--