>> hello, and welcome to the "journal" on dw-tv. i am brian thomas in berlin. >> and i have the business news. welcome. >> our headlines. the hamas and fatah movement and a four-year rift and pledged to work together for an independent palestinian state. the u.s. will not authorize the release of photographs of osama bin laden and assess the mission to kill the al qaeda leader was legal. and france and italy, for emergency border controls in the eu to stem the flow of north african migrants.

>> palestinians have taken to the streets to celebrate the signing of a reconciliation agreement between fatah and hamas. that deal paves the way for a joint interim government and elections within the next year. the white house has urged the palestinians to ensure the agreement isn't lamented in a way that advances the prospect of peace with israel, rather than undermining it. >> it has been a long road to reconciliation, and even today, there were hitches. the hamas and fatah leaders disagreed on protocol. some mahmoud abbas and his hamas counterpart did not sign the deal. there deputies did. abbas remains confident. >> with this reconciliation, the palestinians have put the dark age of the vision behind them once and for all.

>> the head of hamas looked on from the front row. in gaza, people celebrated the agreement, which ends four years of discord and tension in the palestinian territories. the deal could be a new beginning with ambitious goals. they include establishing a transitional government, elections within the next year, and the release of prisoners by both fought, and hamas. the uprising across the middle east of the arab world may have spurred the agreement. many palestinians are also tired of the conflict. the deal could be another step toward an independent palestinian state. one reason why israel has opposed the accord from the start. >> what happened today in cairo is a tremendous blow to peace and a great victory for terrorism. >> at the moment, hamas is honoring its ceasefire with the jewish state, but the peace

deal between the palestinians and their neighbors still appears as remote as ever. so can this agreement to improve life for the palestinians? and at the same time, address israel's security concerns? i put that question to our correspondent in jerusalem. >> well, i am not sure it will necessarily address the israeli security concerns. when it comes to hamas, there's always considered -- always security concerns. the most important concerns to most palestinians is that the want to see how and when this deal will be implemented. there are some difficult issues to tackle, so many details that have to be worked on. so it will be a long way to go. from what we understand right now, there is information about the transitional government. but for now, gaza will still be run by hamas. and only within this framework of all the issues like security will be dealt with.

>> those issues are important to israel, where there are divisions about this deal. the outgoing intelligence chief has disagreed with the prime minister, saying it is not a threat to peace. >> yes, the reactions have been blown out of proportion. there have been other voices less publicly saying that israel should wait a bit to see if and how this deal will be implemented, should take a step back. but in an official letter, prime minister netanyahu has rejected this unity deal, saying its will stall the peace process. from the israeli point of view, there can be no peace with hamas. there are divisions on how to view this. the official line is to rejected for now. >> thank you so much from jerusalem. the u.s. government says it will not release any photographs of the body of osama bin laden.

the white house press secretary jay carney says the photographs were very graphic and had the potential to incite violence. there have been calls for the photographs to be published as proof that bin laden was actually killed. meanwhile, cia chief leon panetta has admitted that the al qaeda leader was unarmed when he was shot dead. but he says bin laden refused to surrender when navy seals stormed his compound in of audubon, pakistan. washington is facing criticism for its handling of that operation. let's bring in our correspondent in washington. the president has just made it known that the u.s. will not be releasing any photographs of the dead bin laden. what is behind his reasoning there? >> first of all, the white house said that there are absolutely certain that the person they killed was osama bin laden, so it is not necessarily to release the photographs. on the other hand, there is a concern for national security, because they're afraid that any pictures that might be released,

especially such a gruesome one, and that has been stressed, might be used for propaganda, and might inside or trigger violence. of course, there are differing opinions on this. a lot of people in the u.s. would like to see the pictures to have a sense of closure. closure is a word we have been hearing a lot. but this seems to be a final decision, because the president himself feels strongly about not releasing these pictures. >> is the pressure building out on the white house for its the s information policy? >> well, it seems that this pressure is of international nature, if i might put it that way. in the u.s. itself, a large majority of people approved of the way this mission has been handled. approval ratings for obama have gone through the roof concerning this mission. of course, the white house spokesperson was that the two

briefings, and journalists asked the questions that need to be asked. but your average american does not really care about it. for him, it is the board that osama bin laden, public enemy number one of the u.s., is dead. >> thank you. in other news, the international criminal court has accused libya of crimes against humanity. according to the u.n. security council, the chief prosecutor said his investigations show that muammar gaddafi's forces had attacked unarmed civilians in a number of cities. he said he plans to issue three arrest warrants shortly. while in libya itself, a rescue ship was able to take hundreds of people out of the besieged port of misurata today. the vessel was held up for five days of said that course because of continued shelling by government forces. to turkey now, were identified the gunman had attacked a police convoy at an election rally for the governing party. one police officer was killed and another injured.

the attack took place in a northern city shortly after the turkish prime minister had left that rally. it is believed the gunmen through several grenades at a police vehicle and a been opened fire with automatic weapons. a spokesman for the u.s. state department in washington has condemned what he called a syrian regime's barberry measures against its own people. some 560 people are thought to have been killed since the crack down on protests began six weeks ago. in syria itself, protesters appeared to be continuing to demonstrate. this and verify footage has appeared on the internet, reportedly from the city. hundreds of syrians have been arrested in recent days. they have been charged with undermining the state security. five men arrested in britain under anti-terrorism legislation have all been released without charge. the men who come from bangladesh were detained on monday outside

the nuclear waste reprocessing plant located in northwest england. there were reports that they had been taking pictures at the facility. it is the biggest nuclear site in europe, and most of britain's plutonium is stored there. security forces in the u.k. are on high alert right now after the death of osama bin laden. germany's deutsche bank has been charged with creating slum conditions in los angeles. >> thank you. one day after the u.s. government charged the deutsche bank with mortgage fraud, the city of los angeles now plans germany's biggest lender allowed hundreds of foreclosed homes to become a run-down in illegally even did the tenants. los angeles is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars as well as restitution for hundreds of tenants. it accuses several porridge bank subsidiaries of rankings laws that govern housing. they called the deutch said the city's largest slumlord -- slumlord. boy giping denies the

allegations. preliminary figures say german flag-carrier lufthansa made a 507 million euros in the first quarter, far worse than expectations. soaring jet fuel costs, the unrest in north africa, and the disaster in japan also weighed on the carrier's bottom line. but stocks continued to rise this to higher passenger and freight volume. despite the first quarter problems, let stand the stands with its forecast of higher sales and earnings this year. european shares hit a two-week closing low on wednesday, and the dax was not able to buck the trend. our correspondent sent us this report on the day's trading at the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the u.s. economy dragged the market's sharply down. first there was the atp jobs report that showed that the u.s. companies and not been able to create as many jobs as people were hoping for. later on, the isn index plummeted, which means that the situation in the u.s. industry

is worse than expected. all this led to the fact that the dax lost by nearly 1.7%, although german companies showed that there is still well on track. six dax-listed of it is reported results. among them, bmw. nearly all the companies that have been able to raise their guidance for the rest of the year. >> thank you for that from frankfurt. let's take a closer look at the market numbers. we stay in frankfurt were the dax closed over 1.5% lower, 7373. the euro stoxx 50 top blue chips also closed over 1.5% down at 2952. in new york, the dow industrials closed down at 12,723. and of the euro is trading for $1.4830. the spanish labor market is finally showing signs of recovery for the first time in five years.

the number of unemployment fell in april by 1.5% to just over 4.25 million. it is attributed to an increase in tourism during the easter festival. other sectors have also played their part. >> the strawberry harvest is underway in spain, and many people there are happy to find the seasonal work. >> most of the year i am unemployed. i only work during certain times when they call me. >> the tourism industry also offers many job opportunities. in the spring, the number of vacationers coming to spain rises to the government is confident the economy will rebound this year and bolster the job market. >> we will definitely see a positive trend in the second half of the year on the labor market. >> but many are still looking for work. spain's current unemployment rate stands at 21.3%, twice the eurozone average. >> europe's biggest engineering

company, germany's simons, posted a 2.8 billion euros profit for the past three months. they say the skill in a french nuclear power company help boost the results, and it raised its profit forecast to this year to released 7.5 billion euros. >> this building site unit 3 of the nuclear power plant in western finland has been a major liability for siemens in recent years. the german technology jain was building the plant in a joint venture with a french conglomerate. but the project was plagued by cost overruns and the repeated delays. in march, as siemens withdrew from the project and sold its stake to ariva for 1.5 billion euros, boosting the siemens quarterly profit. and the past three months, the energy division accounted for more than a third of the siemens sells. but the biggest moneymaker was the company's industrial income the unit, which accounted for

43% of sales. with the health-care division contributing 18%. in the future, the company hopes to see bigger profits in the renewable energy sector, and it is well on the way towards this goal after securing several large deals for wind farms and a power transmission technology in the last three months. quick back to you. >> major changes afoot in the eu. the european union executive is set to allow national governments to reinstate border controls in europe's free travel zone. plans to do so were presented in brussels today in response to the growing demand for more national powers over migration. france and other eu states have been calling for measures to keep migrants fleeing the turmoil in north africa from spreading throughout the even more than 20,000 migrants have arrived in the union this year, mainly as a result of the uprising in tunisia and the fighting in libya. >> these french border police

are patrolling the italian border. they have been checking people's documents as if the agreement on free travel through europe did not exist. france says a large number of refugees trying to cross from italy into france means the border police are exempt from the normal rules. now the french and italian leaders say that the accord needs to be reviewed, and they're upping the pressure on brussels to take action. >> after talks with member states, we will explore the possibility of suspending the accord in specific cases. >> the european parliament will call on the european commission to insist on the ability of the accord. >> we do not head of an emergency situation that would require us to cancel key european treaties. >> what is clear is that there is a real emergency situation on the mediterranean island.

2500 refugees fleeing libya arrived there last weekend alone. the pressure group, doctors without borders, says italy is not providing adequate care for the refugees. >> europe should do what it is required to. and ensure that italy and years to eu rules on refugee treatment. >> the shelters are so full that migrants are sleeping outside, and with the seas calm, more are expected. >> to soccer. the german team is all but out of this year's league. which is 15 minutes left to play against manchester united. they're now 3-1 down, and that is after they lost the first lead at home. barcelona and already celebrate. their team took the place in the final last night, dispatching the archrivals along the way. the final is cattle for may 28. it will be played in london's

wembley stadium. well, will need to send ground troops into libya? we will be looking at the question coming up in one minute here on dw-tv. >> stay with us. ♪ >> 125 years of automobiles. made in germany, on the history and of the future of the car. new concepts for mobility. the people behind the product. german manufacturers and the global markets. 125 years of automobiles, and driving into the future. throughout the year on making germany on dw-tv and online. >> how will we live in the future? how will we communicate? get from point a to point b? or trace diseases? leading scientists are looking

for answers to the most pressing issues of the future. in germany and around the world. future now, innovations shaping tomorrow. our series in a tamara today on dw-tv and on the internet. >> thank you for being with us. nato military officials have been meeting in brussels to review the progress of the alliance's military campaign in libya. this comes ahead of thursday's meeting of the international contact group on libya in rome. the french foreign minister says the aim of nato air strikes is to weaken the libyan leader muammar gaddafi and not to kill him. he described the death of gaddafi's son and three grandchildren in nato air attack last week as collateral damage. get off the gaza forces have been adapting to the nato raids, and the libyan leader shows no signs of backing down. here is more. >> money, friends, and a family, those are the pillars upon which gaddafi's power are built.

members of his immediate family occupied many key positions in both government and the economy. then there is his clan. it is a relatively small clan but wields great influence, especially among libyan air force pilots and the intelligence services. gaddafi has also used cash gifts and appointments to powerful positions to buy support from other segments of the country's population. >> they love me all. there would die to protect me and my people. >> and if that is not enough, gaddafi also has militias to protect him. his personal securities mainly provided by a cold group of foreign mercenaries and a well- equipped, the have played a key role in the fighting against the rebels.

the regular army, by contrast, has been intentionally kept relatively weak. many of gaddafi's mercenaries were recruited from sub-saharan africa, from countries like salami at -- somalia. they have few qualms about shooting at ordinary libyans. gaddafi also has supporters outside the country. they include governments that seek similar upheaval at home, i places like algeria and syria. gaddafi also has support from governments that do business with him. russia, for instance, has made millions and lucrative energy deals. russia is also libya's biggest arms supplier. but gaddafi's trump card is his fortune. he has raked in billions, selling libya's oil and gas, and hit in that money in accounts and investments across the globe. separating what he controls and what belongs to the libyan state is almost impossible.

in austria, for instance, some 1.2 billion euros were frozen, a fraction of the estimated 22 billion euros his family is believed to control. more than enough money to wager long and bloody war against his own people. the rebels in libya, for their part, are poorly funded. so the provisional government in benghazi has been lobbying for emergency financing from western governments, especially the u.s., britain, and france. they have been getting a to help to improve their organizational fighting abilities and say they're committed to continuing their battles with government forces. our next report looks at the rebels morale. >> every day, they bring the dead to the square. today, it is a 22-year-old student killed in action against gaddafi's forces. an estimated 12,000 rebels have

already died in the war. people in benghazi regard the fallen as martyrs. portraits of them hang everywhere. >> going to battle knowing we might be killed, but we do nothing about that. we think only of the freedom and independence we want and that gaddafi must go. >> until eight weeks ago, ms. hobbit had never held a weapon. he was studying economics at a working at a jewelry shop on the side. but when the rebellion began, he decided to join the fight. since then, he's been on the front, almost without interruption. three days ago, he returned from misurata. >> it was one month of war. gunfire, shells landed, street battles. it was bad. worse than before in brega. gaddafi's forces had destroyed

the whole city. in the massacre. >> in the beginning, he and his friends bought weapons on the black market. we're on our way to a rebel camp for some 500 fighters are being trained. they're all volunteers to the teachers, engineers, lawyers, armed with weapons captured from gaddafi's forces. all of them know they did not stand a chance without foreign assistance and the support of nato-led aircraft. >> it the west wants to help us win, give us weapons. when we have defeated the dauphin, we will return the weapons and agree fully sated by it -- we will -- one we had defeated gaddafi, we will retain the -- return the weapons. >> will gaddafi give up? can the rebels when? there are no obvious answers. three weeks ago, mohammed's brother-in-law was killed.

now muhamed help secure the two children his brother-in-law left behind. >> my cousin and my brother-in- law died on the same day. i was very sad, but at the same time, it made me stronger, because i want revenge for what has happened. >> that evening, he returns to the square. after prayers, talk turns to politics and the civil war. he says he's confident the rebels can win if they get support from nato. but even then, he says, victory will not come quickly. >> let's go now to our brussels correspondent. can you tell us what came out o? >> yes, a very a. assessment of where the allies are now in this war against the libyan regime. more than a thousand air assaults per week since the offensive started.

claims that the libyan regime is, in fact, weakening considerably. although no talk today about whether colonel gaddafi is prepared to budge, because he clearly is not. but in general, robust confirmation that the allies are going to continue with their u.n.-mandated bid to protect civilian lives. and there will continue until they have achieved that, until libyan forces are back in their bases verifiably, and until they're guaranteed access for humanitarian aid. that is the mission, says the nato secretary general. it is not over yet. >> is there a chance to protect civilian lives with the nato or u.n. mandate where nato could send in ground forces? >> not really, because to do that would simply confirm conspiratorial suggestions that, in fact, the intention is to simply get rid of colonel gaddafi. officially, that cannot be the mission. it is not the u.n. mandate.

people talk in terms of nothing good being able to come of the rebel offensive unless colonel gaddafi steps aside, but that is fractionally sort -- short of saying we ought to get them. ground troops would change the whole dynamic in the cause a lot of said. no, that is not going to happen. >> can you tell us what is likely to happen in rome on thursday? >> in the absence of any serious suggestions of sending in ground troops, the discussions will be about ways of financing the rebels. unless they get better finance, better access to weapons and training, then they cannot do their part to protect civilians by attacking the libyan regime. so the talks will be all about that. and also, all about looking at whether there is a chance of a diplomatic outcome to this now. because of course, colonel gaddafi is not showing any signs of leaving. whatever the allies might say about being in it for the long haul, if there's a diplomatic end game, they can come up with a formula to complete, there will certainly go for that. so my and dancing in diplomatic

outcome is possible with the talks in rome. >> that was from brussels. thank you for joining us here on our "journal." -- on our "in depth." ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪