>> hello and welcome to "the journal." i have the news. >> i have the business. >> the international criminal court in the hague issued an arrest warrant for libyan leader gaddafi and his top deputies. >> backing the greek government's unpopular austerity plans. >> japan beat new zealand in the women's world cup. world leaders have welcome arrest warrants for libyan

leader marjah gaddafi and two of his close allies. they described the move as a signal to dictators around the world. the u.s. said it showed the need for justice was clear. in a 70-page indictment, the criminal court in the hague accused gaddafi and his associates of war crimes and crimes against humanity against libyan civilians. >> the icc chief prosecutor has been investigating crimes against humanity in libya at the request of the u.n. security council. in may, he requested arrest warrants against gaddafi, his son, and his intelligence chief. now, those warrants are official. >> for their alleged criminal responsibility for the commission of murder of

civilians as crimes against humanity. >> charges refer to early days of the libyan uprising, in february. the libyan leader is accused of attacking and killing civilians, in some cases using warplanes. those acts prompted britain and france to push for military intervention against adopt the's regime. -- against gaddafi's regime. >> former members of the khmer rouge have gone on trial and the nom pan. the defendant, knowns the second brother of pol pot. all the defendants require -- deny the charges against them. during the reign of terror, nearly a quarter of cambodia's population was wiped out in purges against intellectuals and dissidents. syrian opposition activists have held a public meeting in damascus. the intellectuals and

politicians discuss how to receive a peaceful transition to democracy. the events had the blessing of the syrian regime, but some opposition groups have described it as a cheap ploy. >> this was the first public meeting of dissidents in serious since anti-regime protests began in march. some 200 opposition figures gathered in a damascus hotel to discuss the future of their country. they called for peaceful transition to democracy and an end to the assad regime. >> we want him to go out. our demands are on the part of the syrian people. [unintelligible] >> other activists have dismissed monday's event as an attempt by the regime to give an appearance of openness while continuing to crack down on dissent. many of regime opponents stayed

away from the meeting for that reason. unverified images appear to show that the crackdown is ongoing. footage was reportedly found over the weekend in a suburb of damascus, showing security forces beating demonstrators, some of them already wounded. minors are seen among the many arrested. the syrian state continues its strong arm policies against protesters. officials are preparing for what the president calls a national political dialogue, due to start on july 10. >> thousands of people have taken part in rival demonstrations on constitutional reforms in morocco. supporters and opponents marched on sunday ahead of a july 1 referendum on the measures proposed by king mohammed. the largest rally for the reform said it will help the country move forward.

the amendments would grant the government executive powers but keep the king at the helm of the army and judiciary. opponents say the reforms do not go far enough in restricting the king's power. top officials in europe are signing big business deals. >> wen jiabao is meeting with angela marco. one tough thing will be talking about human rights. business is the big thing wen jiabao will talk about. he has called for political reform to say, the chinese economy. he said corruption and income disparity is harming lives in china. but the likelihood of far- reaching reform is unlikely due to conservative party ranks. wen jiabao is touring europe to drum up support for easier access to companies here and european high-tech. in return, china has money to spend. with 13 ministers in his entourage, wen jiabao kim ready

to talk business. britain and china signed deals worth 1.6 billion euros. prime minister david cameron talked optimistically about increasing trade and investment. >> the breadth of deals agreed today shows we can all came from freer markets and that the eu and china should continue to open up to trade in both directions. >> germany is the third and final leg of the european tour. trade is high on the agenda, as well as attracting chinese investment. >> we are investing in china. why shouldn't the chinese invest here in our markets? we are in a strong position, and highly productive. the global economy is booming. broad trends will continue over the coming decades and china will play a major role with germany. we are not worried. >> germany is china's biggest trading partner in the you, with 7 billion euros of exports last year.

clothes and electronic goods are the main export. german companies exported goods worth 53.6 billion year as to china -- mainly machinery, cars, chemicals, and medical equipment. the euro will also be a topic of discussion. china says it will continue to invest in europe sovereign bond market to shore of international confidence in the eurozone. a quarter of china's foreign reserves are in your rose. beijing is interested in a strong european currency. >> the greek parliament is debating a new austerity package. the prime minister called on all parties to show support. the government needs to pass the legislation to get more money from the european union and international monetary fund. some greek ministers have warned of a catastrophe if parliament fails to approve a 28 billion euro package of tax increases and spending cuts.

but polls show most greeks oppose the measures. >> the message is clear. we are not paying, they say. cars and trucks are ignoring tollbooths and driving straight through. an increasing number of greek art rejecting government austerity measures, as well as the rescue plan from europe and the imf. >> they are liars. ministers think we are stupid. they should be sacked. >> protests have spread to train stations and airports, where the state has up prices to increase revenues. >> instead of one euro, a train ride costs 1.40. that is 40% more. for us, that is robbery. >> the greek parliament is debating a five-year austerity plan, a mix of spending cuts, tax hikes, and state sell-offs. prime minister papandreou says it is the only chance. the eu has made it a condition for more bailout money, which is needed for greece to avoid

bankruptcy next month. so far, european taxpayers ve footed most of the bill. but now private lenders are showing a willingness to contribute. >> politicians expect the plan by the end of the week. i think it is important to have good plans. they should ease up with the time pressure. >> france has come up with the latest blueprint. it would see french banks reinvest half of their greek debt into 30-year bonds. greece is due to repay 64 billion year rose over the past three years. the french plan gives them valuable time to resolve the crisis. >> it was a mixed day on european stock markets. investors waited for that vote in the greek parliament. this update from frankfurt. >> the greek debt crisis was again responsible for a shaky move in the german stock market. the dax was going up and down.

in new york, investors have been more optimistic, helping the german market. the euro hopes to [unintelligible] the involvement of the financial sector in the greek rescue is becoming more likely. but the details are not clear, making investors nervous, lending to the poor performance today. >> thing at from for for a moment, a look at those closing numbers. the dax finished down slightly. the eurostoxx ended up slightly. the dow jones is a little stronger, up almost a full percent. the euro is "-- is currently trading for $1.47. making bankruptcy easier is what germany might do. the idea is to reduce red tape and let the business sector have

more say in your position process. >> lots of businesses closed down during the economic crisis, but that is happening less often these days. in the first six months of 2011, nearly 15,000 businesses declared themselves insolvent, a drop of just over 11% compared to the same period last year. the number of private citizens who cannot pay their debts fell as well to about 5%. the decline in insolvencies is another strong effect of a german economy. investors predict even better times are ahead. a duesseldorf-based think tank says gdp growth this year may top 4%. that would be the economy's best performance in nearly 20 years. >> to a story now that could mean big business. making bankruptcy easier, to iceland.

>> that is right. we are on me now. i sent in the european union have begun accession talks. negotiations are expected to hinge on the issue of fishing rights. the icelandic foreign minister was in brussels for the opening of the talks. iceland is already a member of the european zones that allow free trade and travel, but icelanders have rejected full eu membership in the past. reykjavik applied to join after the global financial crisis caused its banking system to collapse in 2008. how far can diplomatic immunity go? that is a question proposed by a human-rights group in germany after a berlin court threw out a case against a saudi diplomat. the diplomat and his family turned a domestic worker into their slaves. the case and is headed for germany's highest court. >> the case centers on a

diplomat working for the saudi embassy in berlin, who hired an indonesian made. the made accuses her employers of forcing her to work 17 hours a day without pay. she says she could not leave the house, only got leftovers to eat, and was subjected to violence. >> it is an extreme example. not all domestic workers experience violence. in this case, the husband, wife, and children were given permission to beat the made, and they did. >> the maid said she managed to escape, helped by the german institute for human rights. she brought a test case, suing for unpaid wages and compensation. but because the defendants had diplomatic immunity, the labour court in berlin rejected the complaint. >> how can a state fulfill its obligation to offer legal redress if there are human rights violations?

immunity should be lifted in these cases and the plaintiff should be able to enforce her rights through the court. >> there are several similar cases in berlin each year, a recent one in voiding -- involving a staffer from the yemen embassy. >> women's soccer now. england and mexico had to settle for a draw in the first round of the tournament. england took the lead in the 21st minute with a header from far away. it was not long before mexico's monica ocampo replied with a long-range shot. each team takes to win a point. japan opened the action in group b against new zealand. the 2-1 victory was a solid start for the japanese team. >> japan had a message of thanks

for the world's help since march's earthquake. but then it was time to kick off. japan was quick off the mark, delivering a fine volley in the sixth minute. but new zealand did not dwell on that. the equalized minutes later, thanks to ever heard -- amber heard. japan took up the pressure with better luck in better -- with better chances. it was not until a free kick that they finally pulled ahead with the game willing -- winning goal. it was a narrow but deserved the win for japan, judged to be one of the strongest sides in the tournament. >> summer is officially here in germany. temperatures across europe hit highs on monday. if you believe german folklore, the rest of the summer might be less nice.

>> he is probably wishing he could take off his coat, but he has found a way to cool off. the high temperatures are forcing city dwellers across europe to take a dip. some have even resorted to public fountains. >> there is a pond. i want to go in that. >> the fountain. >> sun worshipers in germany should take in the race while they can. the weather is due to turn again on wednesday. >> than the heat will be over. that means storm warnings, even tornadoes. >> that could spell more trouble according to a german farmer, who says the weather is meant to linger for seven weeks. bad news for these little swimmers. >> next, we will take a look at upcoming elections in thailand. do not go away.

>> we continue our broadcast with a look at elections in thailand. there are mass anti-government protests in bangkok which triggered a military crackdown. thailand remains bitterly divided. the battle is between the democrats, supported by the so- called yellow shirts, and the party backed by the red shirt supporters of the former prime minister. this party is being headed by his youngest sister. he is living in exile in dubai. >> the lines are clearly drawn

in thailand, yellow shirts against red shirts, city residents versus the working class rural. thailand has been divided for years. if one side is in power, the other side takes to the streets. the last large-scale protests began in bangkok in march 2010. on the 19th of may, the army launched a crackdown and tanks moved in. more than 100 people were killed during the protests. in june 2011, the election campaign in thailand is in full swing, as the prime minister falls behind in the polls. >> it is a very tight race. we have dropped back a little. people are suffering because of high prices.

my challenger is new and people are paying more attention to her. >> the red shirts see her as -- see him as a puppet of the military and business elite. his poll numbers have dropped in the run-up to the election. that is due to his opponent. the inexperienced challenger has watched her numbers rise steadily. many in thailand would like to see a woman as prime minister for the first time in the country's history. >> i have never been a politician, but my family is politicians -- my father, my brother, my sister. i think the principles politics, i understand them. >> she has a prominent backer, the former prime minister in

exile, her older brother. he calls her his political plum -- political clone. her election would allow him to move closer to his old power base. if she wins the election and becomes thailand's next prime minister, it is likely yellow shirts will take to the streets in protest. the military has already warned that if protests flare again it will intervene. >> earlier, we spoke to a thailand expert with the german expert of global and area studies. we asked what would lead to a resolution of the democratic crisis in thailand. >> the conflict now is in its fifth year. we have seen different phases of the conflict. the red shirts and the yellow shirts demonstrating in 2010 --

the elections are another stage in this conflict. after the election, another force will try to mobilize their forces and come back again. we will see this conflict for the next three or four years going on. >> what about the role of the army? there is a history of military coups in thailand. >> the army is part of the equation. there was the coup in 2006. now the army chief consistently says they will stay out of politics. they do not know whether the red shirts will accept this government. this is a general behind the government. the people do not believe him that he will not stage a coup. >> this crisis is often

portrayed as a struggle between thailand and the urban it leaked? >> it is not that simple. in general, we have one big city in bangkok. the rest is the world hinterland. we have a deep urban/world divide. this is what is pretty much behind this conflict. the urban working-class is also supporting the forces. it can be portrayed as rural /urban conflict, but this is also an elite conflict. the middle class and the bureaucrats are running the country for centuries. >> to do you think is going to live the election? >> they have won the last elections and the ones before,

the red shirts. the democrats have never managed to win an election in the last 10 years. >> a thailand expert with the german institute of global and area studies. thank you very much. according to one estimate, 40% voters are undecided. it will be a last minute struggle. a german foundation brought members of both sides together for a discussion and at young voters. >> politics is a hot topic in thailand. lee and her german boyfriend often discuss the political situation in a deeply polarized country. >> it is pretty chaotic. >> many young thais are not interested in politics. they do not believe either side

can find their way out of the political crisis. ultimately, people will have to make a choice. boating in thailand is compulsory. li is still undecided. she does not know who she should vote for. she is attending an event by a german foundation. they engaged voters in discussion. they are here to find answers. members of the governing party and the opposition present their platforms. >> german political foundations can play a big role in countries with a high risk of conflict. as neutral parties, of which provide alternative learning

opportunities. we promote alternative dialogue, where light -- where rivals can speak to each other in a free manner. >> but very few young thais have turned up for the discussion. the whole is mainly full of foreigners who come to learn about thai politics. for young, it was the first time he had seen political enemies in his divided country talking calmly. >> i sat peacefully on the podium and constructively discussed possible scenarios as the result of the election. >> this is not just a regular discussion. it is more of a debate between different parties. >> the event helped li better understand the politics of different parties. she says she has now made up her mind. whoever wins, she hopes that after the election there will finally be peace and the country can move forward as one. >> elections in thailand have

been the purpose -- have been the focus of our in debt. - in depth.