hi, everyone, welcome to the "journal" on dw-tv. the top stories at this hour -- german politicians condemned a parliament member who claims that poland is partly to blame for starting world war ii. >> a new report says the global economy is not bouncing back as fast as once thought. more protests in the moslem world against a u.s. pastor who is set to burn the koran.

those stories and more, but we begin with the news that the embattled bank member is giving up his position at the german central bank. the sides have reached an agreement that his duties will terminate at the end of this month. the bank request to christian wolff to fire the economist has been withdrawn. he has been the subject of intense criticism. he argued that muslims undermine german society and are more likely to live off welfare and threaten to transform the german culture. in the debate, he also caused widespread anger by saying that jews share a particular gene that sets them apart. more on that story coming up in the next edition of the "journal." another controversy brewing in germany surrounding comments made by a senior member of the governor christine -- governing

christian democrats. erika steinbach has made remarks that appeared to suggest she holds pornography partly to blame -- poland partly to blame for starting the second world war, and the comments were condemned by at lots of people, including members of her own party. she says she will now step down from the party later this year. >> pressure has been growing on erika steinbach said she defendant to members of her association, accused of distorting germany's responsibility for world war ii. the german culture minister distanced himself from the comments and criticized steinbeck for appearing to question germany's role. she says she is not denying responsibility, just approaching historical documents. >> they say that poland

mobilized in march, 1939, i cannot change that. it is a fact. it does not change anything about german responsibility. >> nazi germany attacked poland in 1939, and she says it represents a deliberate distortion of the facts. we know westerwelle rejected the remarks, saying they cannot -- guido westerwelle rejected the remarks. >> anyone making ambiguous statements that question germany's responsibility for starting world war ii must consider that that not only contradicts the historical facts but it also does damage to our standing among our neighbors, not just in poland. >> in response to the criticism leveled at her, erika steinbach said she will step down from the national committee and november. -- in november. but we spoke earlier to our political correspondent and asked for more background on

erica steinbeck's remarks. >> her political base is a small but very vocal group. they represent people who were driven out of the eastern regions of the nazi third reich at the end of the second world war. she has often courted controversy in the past by presenting this expulsion as a matter of suffering for the individual people and that they were victims of the second world war. even if you accept that suffering is always personal and individual, in the greater historical context, it cannot be used, that suffering of those people, to justify the atrocities that were performed by the nazis during the second world war. the action now is about whether poland mobilized before germany did in 1939, and it is opposed

by erika steinbach. inevitably, it is being interpreted it as an attempt to relativize germany's responsibilities for leasing the course of the second world war. -- for unleashing the atrocities of the second world war. and, at least 16 people have been killed in a car bombing in russia. more than 100 people were injured, some of them in critical condition. the blast took place in a busy market, located in a christian era that of the north caucasus region. a suicide bomber carried out the attack using a car packed with explosives. >> it looks like the bomber's intent was to kill and maim as many people as possible. the morning market was packed when the blast happened. many survivors of the bombing are still suffering from shock.

>> there was a blast in the streets, but we did not seek to set it off. where are the ambulances? >> there was an explosion. it was a terrorist attack. >> one of the victims was a woman on her doorstep. this is what they pulled out of her leg. >> the police cordoned off the bomb blast area, fearful of a second attack. news of the explosion at spread quickly. people rushed to find out if their relatives were among the dead and injured. russia's president has described the bombing as monstrous. >> we will do everything in our power to find and punish them. in accordance with russian law. in the case of resistance or similar circumstances, they will be killed. >> investigators suspect

islamists are responsible for the bombing. that have been fighting for their own independent state in neighboring chechnya and dagestan and have threatened to extend their campaign of terror throughout russia. deadly attacks in pakistan. officials say a roadside bomb killed 10 people traveling in a tribal region on the afghan border. a suicide bomber blew himself up at the residence of a provincial minister in the south. the police say three people died, but the politician was not injured. there were no immediate claims of responsibility. there is not such positive news about the world economy. >> no double dip recession, but the global economy is slowing down. the organization for economic cooperative development said

thursday that economic recovery we have been hoping for is losing speed more than expected, but said there is not any danger of another recession. they say that economic growth this year among the g-seven countries will only reach about 1.5%. >> consumer spending on consumer services and goods in germany was accelerating as the economy grew faster than expected. the country has moved firmly out of recession. construction was booming. but that peak has passed and they say that growth will slow in the second half. in the second quarter, gdp grew more than 2%, but the projected increase of just 0.7% in the third, followed by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. they also expect slower second- half growth in other industrialized countries. the paris-based organization says many people fear losing their jobs and that may hit consumer spending.

for now, most economists in germany are not talking about a downturn. like the forecast, the general expectation here is 43% growth overall this year. -- is for 3% growth overall this year. >> earlier, we asked some and how they see growth prospects in germany. >> there will be a slowdown, and we cannot expect the growth rate will expand as fast as it has done in the past. german exports, which are now 25% higher than one year ago, cannot grow that fast anymore. it brought the economy is slowing down, the u.s. is slowing down, -- the world economy is slowing down, the u.s. slowing down, it is slowing down, so everything will be slower, but we are optimistic the recovery will continue at a slower pace. european shares rallied a

fourth session thursday, stocks at their highest level in four months. the boost came from a report showing few other than expected people claiming unemployment benefits in the u.s. last week. we have this wrapped up from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> coffee, gold, i response, german stocks, investors seem to be buying everything -- wheat stocks, german stocks, investors seem to be buying everything. both the bank of england and ecb confirm the policy of cheap money for the markets is far from over. also, positive the american economic data reported on the markets, but traders are warning that somewhere on the financial markets, the next bubble is building up. >> a quick look at the market numbers. it was a lot of positive numbers. the dax almost 4% higher.

shares of deutsche bank dropped more than 2% after trading thursday, report the bank may sell shares to raise 9 billion euros casting new doubt on the european bank health. the euro stoxx 50 also finished higher on the day. in new york, wall street investors celebrating the decline of the jobless claims, but the dow jones carried back some of its gains of the day, up 0.2%. the euro is $1.2706. the price of gold has been moving up as investors seek safe havens, another precious metal in more demand is silver. investors see silver as a safe place to park money, but the manufacturing world also wants more of the silver stuff. le>> silver is used in many products, from mobile phones and

batteries to refrigerators. the more an economy grows, the greater the demand for the metal. new technologies such as solar power also require silver. as demand increases, so does the price of the precious metal. at the beginning of 2009, silver was selling at $11.30 per ounce. this week, it was going for20 per routes. experts believe the price is set to rise further as investors continued to treat the metal as a safe bet and industry also uses more silver. russia has extended its ban on wheat exports as the country continues to deal with its worst ever drought. now moscow is considering stopping exports of other crops. sunflower seeds and oil are at the top of the list. this year, sunflowerseed harvest have come in the 1 million tons less than last year, a shock for

the country's farmers who had expected a bumper crops in 2010. the ban on wheat exports is expected to send food prices higher around the world. we turn our attention now to the u.s., where u.s. secretary general -- u.n. secretary- general moon has condemned the plans by a u.s. pastor to burn the koran. carey johnson who leads a protestant church with about 30 members says he will press ahead despite international condemnation and an appeal from the white house. >> so far, reverend terry jones is insisting the koran burning will go ahead. barack obama wants him to rethink. he said it would be a recruitment bonanza for al qaeda. >> i just hope he understands what he is proposing to do is

completely contrary to our values as americans, that this country has been built on the notions of religious freedom and religious tolerance. >> there have been a protest against the plans in many muslim countries. in eastern pakistan, some demonstrators threatened revenge and attacks on christian priests. >> 48 hours from now, european parliaments have added their voice to the debate and are calling on moslems to remain calm. >> muslims globally must know that through this koran burning, this pastor will achieve nothing. he has been isolated in his country and his religion. it is only through a reaction that any perverse sense of achievement can be had. >> the international police agency interpol has warned governments worldwide of an

increased risk of terrorist attacks if the koran burning goes ahead. muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate a holiday, the festival on friday marking the end of the islamic holy fasting month of ramadan. it is usually particularly happy for children who look forward to family gatherings and gifts. on the eve of the holiday, turkey's top religious official called on moslems everywhere to help flood victims in pakistan, where millions are still struggling to survive. >> this relief camp in eastern pakistan offers shelter for people left homeless by the floods. many have lost everything they owned. the moslem fasting month of ramadan is drawing to a close. in years past, presidents were preparing to celebrate the festival -- residents were preparing to celebrate the festival. this 12-year-old is an orphan.

she and her siblings fled their house to escape the flood. at the camp, they are looking for something to wear for the festival. >> we have no new clothes. our village, clothes, everything was swept away by the floods. if someone gives us new clothes, we will wear them. >> pakistani children are traditionally given new outfits to celebrate the end of ramadan, but the floods have left many families destitute, which means children will have to fix their old things. some are luckier. aid organizations have been passing out gifts at of the parade, like here in this flood ravaged village. >> the festival is coming up and we did not have any clothes for it. now we do. >> it provides a welcome opportunity to forget the misery. that stay tuned. we will be back after a short

break with in depth and 20 years of german reunification.

welcome back. in our continuing series marking 20 years of german reunification, take a look at an accord with far reaching consequences. on september 12, 1990, six foreign ministers signed the treaty. it represented east and west germany and the four powers that had occupied them after the second world war. those powers were the united states, britain, france, and the soviet union. the soviets controlled east germany, while berlin was carved up into three sections. the western sectors were known as west berlin, surrounded by soviet troops. the treaty paves the way for german reunification and set a

date for the occupying troops to leave. 20 years on, traces of the allied presence are still easy to find, especially in berlin. >> the cold war lives on in the center of berlin, all staged of course. german actors play american military police. the massive poster shows a young gi facing the east. a young soviet soldier faces west. the building in the middle is a copy. mitch johnson does not need a reenactment of the cold war. he was there as a sergeant at the time, one of 6000 gis stationed in berlin. >> at the same time we had our soldiers in the city, there were thousands and thousands of russians and east german troops on the other side. we were basically an island at inside of east germany at the

time. there was always during the training time it was said war could break out. >> that was the reality for decades. at checkpoint charlie was the new front line where soviet and american tanks faced off in 1961 during the berlin crisis. now it is all part of a stage show, but that does not bother mitch johnson. >> this is very important that even though it has become more commercial, i think it is very important that is still here. that the kids who were growing up today, because they do not know about the cold war, that they'd see part of the history of the city they are living in. >> the real checkpoint charlie guard house is not in the city's southwest and allied museum. there's also a british cargo plane that was used in the berlin airlift. in 1948, the americans, british,

and french took to the german skies again after the soviet union blocked allies access to west berlin. they flew in at 13,000 tons of food and fuel to berlin at residents over about a year. it was a turning point in the relationship between berlin residents and their western occupiers. allied museum is a kind of thank you for the french, british, and american forces, whatever role they played in their time here. >> the french tended to stick to their own barracks or neighborhoods. even the british were not as visible as the americans. >> the u.s. army was a hit with its americans way of life, a celebrated every year at the german-american folk festival, where everyone was equal, no

matter if you weren't occupier or one of the occupied. -- no matter if you were a occupier or one of the occupied. >> you had more contact with the americans, especially because the u.s. soldiers sold hamburgers. you had good food and it was like being in america. >> the festival still exists today. it just had its 50th anniversary. there were not any american soldiers walking around in uniform, but lots of fans of the stars and stripes. >> they were a positive occupying power. in the end, all they were interested in was friendship and becoming our friends. >> the french, americans, and british made a lot of friends by providing steady work for more than at 250,000 berliners. allied civilian job market was crucial to the economic survival of the city surrounded by the

enemy. one of the corridors to berlin it ended here at this form obliterate railway station run by the french. -- former railway station run by the french. this is where this man arrived in 1982. he cannot speak a german back then, that is not a problem. >> generally, all germans to work for the allied forces could speak some french. they really like us. >> this person got a job at the station and as manager of the french military train. that is when he met his future wife, a german. it was clear he would stay in berlin even long after the allies pulled out. >> it was the end of an era and a chapter in our lives. we knew we were going to lose our jobs while we were traveling. we made the most of the last military training journey and came back in the morning with

tears in our eyes. >> those tears have long since dried. he has opened a delicatessen. berlin is his second home and he has left his own legacy from the time of the allied occupation. >> this is a piece of france in berlin. everyone who comes here knows what to expect. >> a lot of berliners were sad to see the western forces go in the summer of 1994, when they paraded with pomp and circumstance through the middle of the city. the era was over, with all its ups and downs, but with a happy ending. the departure of the soviets told a very different story. few civilians turned out for the

last parades to the memorial in the southeastern district. it was a somber affair, attended by the chancellor at the time, helmut kohl. for most, the soviets were nothing more than the occupying power. the soviet monument is still a place of significance for many russians, part of by a giant warrior and a military cemetery. thousands of soviet troops are buried there. the former lieutenant colonel often comes here to remember his fallen comrades. >> students came here and learned what the were meant for our country and how dangerous the times war. -- what the war meant for our country and how dangerous the times were. they experienced history here, especially that of the soviet soldier who stands here as a

symbol for his comrades who died for peace. >> he was part of that final parade in 1994. it was a double farewell for him, as he stayed on in berlin to take care of the legacy of the soviet army, which he says should not be underestimated. >> the soviet russian forces on german territory shared credit for the fact that we have had peace in europe such a long time. and for the fact that germany is a united country today. >> standing at checkpoint charlie in 2010, the old divisions don't seem to matter anymore. the tourist version of the cold war, with its souvenirs', has blurred the lines between occupier and liberator.

>> we will have a whole day of special programming marking the 20th anniversary of german unification on october 3. be sure to tune in then. thank you for joining us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--