>> you are watching "the journal." >> unwelcome. >> here are the headlines. obama and merkel meet in washington and warned that the debt crisis cannot become a global problem. >> the eu says that they will compensate the farmers whose produce were destroyed -- that was destroyed over the coal lie --- e. coli scare. >> angela merkel is in washington and the european debt

crisis is everywhere she goes. she and barack obama were bombarded with questions about if and when the european debt problems will end. obama offered american support. merkel vowed that they will do everything to keep business in coming a global problem. -- keep this from becoming a global problem. >> this is the first european leader received at the white house since barack obama became president. barack obama expressed the importance of the relationship with germany. >> in germany, at the heart of europe, is one of our strongest allies. chancellor merkel is one of my closest global partners. [speaking german] >> he praised the german chancellor on a broad range of issues. obama said that germany could

play a vital role in rebuilding the country after the gaddafi era ends. at a state dinner on tuesday evening, merkel will receive the presidential medal of freedom. the chancellor, who grew up in east germany, said that without washington's policies during the cold war, she would not have been able to come to the united states capital today. >> when the wall and barbwire divided germany and europe, america stood firmly on the side of freedom and resolutely with us germans as we made our way toward unity and freedom. we will never forget this. >> the two world leaders are making a concerted effort to show that the great trans- atlantic partnership remained strong. >> i will be taking an in-depth look at german and u.s. relations later on in the show. here in germany, authorities are

continuing efforts to find the source of an e coli outbreak that has killed 23 people. bean sprouts with the latest product to come under suspicion. scientists found no traces of e coli bacteria in the packages of bean sprouts taken from the refrigerator of a man who got sick. they were grown at a german farm that has been temporarily shut down. many consumers are concerned about the killer bacteria. they are avoiding eating certain raw vegetables. there is a huge economic component to this e coli outbreak. >> european union is talking up boosting their compensation offered to farmers hit by the deadly outbreak. the eu says they will substantially increase their original offer of 150 million euros. hardest hit are the spanish farmers after the german officials blamed cucumbers that originated from there.

the old ally -- the e coli crisis is costing spanish 200 million europa week, german farmers say that it is costing producers here 30 million euros every seven days. how much compensation will be given will be revealed next week. >> the e. coli health warnings have squashed consumer confidence intimate as in many other vegetables. the european agriculture industry has been hard hit in their peak growing season. some groups say they are losing 400 million euro week. the eu is under pressure to help. >> the commissioner has presented some proposals that they will find him. we hope that he will distribute the funds quickly. >> the european agriculture ministers quickly came up with a some of 150 million euros which covers 30% of presumed lost

earnings. farmers would like to see more eu money. >> this compensation should come close to covering our losses. this will never be won and%, of course, but we need a strong signal and 30% is too little. -- this will never be 100%, of course. we will look at what we can compensate farmers and what sort of produce we can guarantee compensation. >> the eu commission intends to present a new proposal on wednesday. it is thought that the compensation will cover losses incurred during the whole of june. >> thank you. was this a massacre in syria? state television says 120 security troops were killed over the weekend in the northwest. the government has reportedly

sent a convoy of military tickles. there is no way of knowing what is happening in the town now. we have this report. >> state television broadcast pictures of what it said are over 100 soldiers and police killed in an attack on sunday. the incident took place near the syrian border with turkey. syrian officials say armed gangs attacked security forces. people said to be residents of the town were shown on state television. it journalist banned from syria, it is impossible to verify whether the official account is true. the opposition tells a different story. this video shows anti-government protests probably last friday. soldiers shot comrades who refused to open fire on civilians. other versions claimed that

mutinous soldiers attacked loyalist forces. this is the first time the discipline in the security forces might be weakening. >> we will deal with the situation strongly and decisively, according to the law. we will not be silent about any armed attack that targets the citizens and security of the state. >> people now fear a crackdown by the syrian army. many have fled towards turkey. these women accused government troops of committing atrocities and they have denounced the president, bashar al-assad. >> there is uncertainty over whether the syrian ambassador to france has resigned. there was statement that was reportedly from the syrian envoy to paris that said that she was quitting. the syrian state television has broadcast in the aisles of this. we will bring you more on the story as it develops.

muammar gaddafi has vowed that he will never surrender and that he will fight to the end for his country. he made the comments in an audio broadcast after nato carried out a rare daytime attack on tripoli. several bombs appeared to have hit gaddafi's compound. 29 people were killed in the air strike. the attack hit buildings. the intelligence services and the state broadcaster. the injuries that president saleh received are more serious than previously thought. this raises questions about his return to power. he was flown to saudi arabia for treatment on sunday. in the capital, dozens of protesters called for the creation of an interim council to govern the country. they said they will not end the

protest until the council does the country on the way to democracy. now news about commerzbank. >> they just raised another 5.3 billion year rose by the selling new shares. -- 5.3 billion euros by selling new shares. the president would like to repay the state aid that they received at the height of the crisis. the state will continue to have a large influence on the bank. they own 25% of their shares giving it a major say in commerzbank affairs. time for a buck at the share market. -- time for a look at the share market. it was a mixed day. we have more from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the economy in germany and in the european union is doing better than expected. this health the dax rebound from

the losses of the past few days. the german industrial orders rose higher than expected before. in the european union, retail sales have been able to improve. this has been very good news and it shows that the cut the seeds to give back on track. -- that the economy seems to get back on track. if there is a new energy policy, this cannot be made without the big companies. >> let's have a look at the figures starting with the blue chips in frankfurt. the dax finishing at 7103. the dow industrials is slightly lower. the euro is at $1.46. man has rejected a takeover by

bmw. they were offering 91 million euros. the executives say they are interested in closer cooperation. volkswagen rose 30% and have pledged not to shut down any of their facilities. -- volkswagen owns 30% of their shares. >> russia and norway have ratified an agreement that resolved a long-running dispute over parts of the sea. the deal follows decades of negotiations which began during the cold war. this has been approved by both parliaments. the agreement opens up natural gas reserves which have become more accessible through global warming. -- the agreement opens up natural gas reserves. the parliament and has created a

web site explain the workings of german democracy all in arabic. this is designed to reach the arab world where calls for dramatic reform and use of the internet is going hand in hand. >> there is political upheavals sweeping north africa and the northeast. they decided to make a new arabic language web site. this is aimed at arab-speaking people who are interested in fostering democratic institutions in their countries. >> we have gone down a complicated and ultimately successful path towards self determination and democracy. that is why we should fully support those countries that haven't worked on a similar journey. >> the web site explains the basics of the parliamentary democracy in clear and straightforward language. examples includes the legislative process, how a bill

becomes law, as well as elections. officials say was the reaction to the internet's role in the uprising across and middle east and north africa. >> ash from a volcanic eruptions in chile has closed airports in argentina. satellite images show the ash plume stretching across chile and argentina. in areas downwind, people are struggling to clear roads blocked by a deep larry at -- by a deep layer of ash. germany has continued their perfect record in qualified for next year's european championships. they have a 10 point lead over belgium. first half goals gave the germans a solid lead. the home side's -- scored a

consolation goal. with less than three weeks until the women's soccer world cup, germany has demonstrated why they are favorites to retain their title. germany, went to a 5-0 victory in a warmup match against the netherlands. they will face candidate in the world cup opener on june 26th -- they will face canada in the world cup opener on june 26th. rinaldo will be making one more appearance before he hangs up his boots for good. he will play against for many of this tuesday. he has won the number nine for brazil in three world cups topping the list with 15 goals. he retired from the sport last february. berlin has become a magnet for

artists from all around the world. galleries have popped up thanks to rents that remain affordable. now, showing off what its international artists can do with an exhibition called "based in berlin.' >> these chinese knockoffs are perched atop 8 platform. the central exhibition hall looks improvised. following the model, 80 young artists including some who have moved to the german capital, use a variety of media and subjects to illustrate the potential of the city's art scene. >> this shows that berlin is a place where artists come to work from around the world. the problem is that they sometimes have it easier exhibiting their work abroad than they do here.

>> the mayor would like that to change. this is the city's effort to help the artists show off their talents. the average performance artist studied in berlin and spent years in los angeles and now she is back in the german capital. >> everything changes when you have the opportunity to show your work and get a good studio and exchange ideas. that is more difficult in other places. >> a great deal of excellent art is being created in berlin. now the public will be able to see more of it. >> we have been talking about this, does this work? >> it works in german but i'm not sure in english. >> we will see how politics and trade ties work. angela merkel in the u.s..

>> this is the highest award is civilian can receive in the u.s., the presidential medal of freedom. this is going to the german chancellor. barack obama is hosting hurt in washington. he calls her a person who was broken barriers. he says that she has proven to be a trusted partner and friend of the united states. behind the harmony of the awards ceremony, there is some dissidents in u.s. and german relations. just mention the u.s. mandate on libya and some politicians will point out that germany was not on board. we would like to examine what strengthens or sometimes ways on this special transatlantic

bridge. we began with something that americans and germans know all about, cars. courts on impressive new volkswagen factory in chattanooga, tennessee. this is built as part of the ambitious goal to become the world's largest automaker. this is another chapter in the american dream, but this time is being written by volkswagen. the u.s. market is the cornerstone of its expansion. they are making their reputation for excellence a major selling point in america. they're looking to produce cars using the exact same standards but at the outset, it was a

clash of cultures. and factory workers in viewed with a very american values. >> they think that is the overriding state of mind. this is borne out of a uniquely european mindset. there is a passion for detail. >> the german precision and engineering and the american dream, a powerful combination that often produces striking results. in november, 2009, angela merkel visited washington, d.c. to make good on a rare honor and address a joint session of congress. she told a very personal story of revision of america. >> for much of my life, the land

with unlimited opportunity was the land of unattainable opportunity. then on 1989, the wall fell. the iron curtain, that for decades had separate it people into separate world, came open. i'm here today to give thanks. >> modern relations began with the allied victory of world war ii. u.s. occupations as sheriff as a bulwark against communist -- occupation serve as a bulwark against communists. the two superpowers to had to ted in a divided turning.

>> i am proud to say [speaking german] >> most people know that famous phrase. that is taught in history classes in both countries. this plays only a secondary role at the volkswagen plant. the emphasis here is on building high-quality automobiles. this man is also an engineer with more than 20 years experience. he sees -- as a colleague like any other and volkswagen as in the employer like any other but a few differences. >> i think the biggest difference is the strength in engineering and a higher technology. you have to be a stronger engineer, you have to have more detail. you have to be stronger on

specifications and have a passion for the engineering. >> for most germans, the berlin blockade is long long ago. they identify america more high- technology, hollywood, and fast food chains. they are more likely to share an interest in star wars and the cold war. despite many cultural similarities, differences have arisen as well. germany is increasingly observation. this increasing independence comes of increasing responsibility. >> the story needs to be retold. this is not enough for the chancellor to recall the story of her life. >> i think that what we have seen is where germany and the

u.s. are readjusting to roles and i feel that the u.s. is having to adjust to a world where they're not in a position to make as many demands or to issue commands and germany is gradually learning about the need to accept responsibility for being the power that analysis. -- that it now is. >> the problem is defining the new rules. washington would like to see germany take more spots ability in trouble spots -- afghanistan, europe, even libya. german parent -- germany remains adamant that they will not get drawn into conflict. >> we will not be used as a pawn to be put into place as the superpower sees fit. germany is developing a new self-confidence. they can exercise their power on and regional level. the german foreign policy is

suspicious -- the german foreign policy is cautious. we don't want to emulate america. >> this is a status that has already led to major differences. 8 years ago, schroeder firmly denounced the bush administration's decision to invade iraq. president obama and chancellor merkel have had their differences despite making very public pronouncements to the contrary. >> the truth of the matter is that the relationship not only between our two countries but our governments is outstanding. >> germany continues to follow the story closely. in 2008, a speech at to the victory monument attracted more than 250,000 people.

this was more of a campaign appearance than anything else. people were ecstatic, taking his message of hope and change. >> we saw american presence as we wanted to be. the previous president was not very popular in germany, to say the least. the appearance of obama was a relief. >> when obama was elected, there was enormous amount of expectation about him, especially in contrast to his predecessor. i think what germans have realize is that we elected a very normal president that has an interesting german-american relations but only so far as it serves american interests. >> -- are writing their own chapter at the volkswagen assembly plant in chattanooga. theirs is a small yet vital contribution to what is already an amazing story.

>> that wraps up our in-depth report this hour. thank you for the company, this hour.

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