>> held, everyone. welcomed still "the journal." >> thank you for joining us. >> coming up -- is the germrman government selling tanks to saudi arabia? the opposition wants to know of? the former bosnian army chief is released from the hague tribunal after quarreling with the judge. and preparing to meet france in the world cup. study arabia was reported to be

buying hundreds of advanced leopard battle tanks from germany. the german government has so fall declined to confirm the deal, but officials are being pressed to reveal the details of the reported sale. this is said to be part of a saudi stimulus package that includes extra reports. -- extra support. >> german news media says 42 leopard tanks have already been delivered to saudi arabia. until recently, germany refused to sell such weaponry to the saudis over concern over the security of israel. >> the tanks have nothing to do with an ethical foriegn policy. it violates a decade of consensus.

saudi arabia is in the middle of our regional power shift. we should not be giving out matches their. >> study arabia is in the spotlight after -- saudi arabia is in the spotlight after spending hundreds and thousands of soldiers to suppress of breaks in bahrain this year. >> let me assure you that the negotiations were taken out in a very responsible area. they considered civil concerns as well as economic ones. >> opposition parties are demanding a special session of parliament. >> the syrian government is continuing its efforts to stifle opposition. human-rights groups say security forces killed two people during a demonstration in the capitol

of damascus. troops reportedly raided homes and made sweeping arrests, wounding at least 20 pro- democracy activists. this is amateur footage from last monday. it was the scene of the largest demonstration since the uprising against president al-assad began in march. joining us to discuss the situation in syria, a scholar and author from syria who himself has taken part in reform talks in the past. thank you for being with us. thank you. we know this area has seen some of the worst violence. why there? >> there's a history of unrest in the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. this time is different because this time they have a critical mass. they are asking for the step

down of the syrian regime. id is significant. -- it is significant. the history of the problems of the unrest toward the syrian regime -- this gives you a sense that' they will keep it as peaceful as it is keeping it is best for the president to set down. >> president assad has promised national dialogue. help serious are his promises? >> unless they withdraw all the troops from all the cities, we have more than 15,000 detained during the last three months. the syrian regime, unless the syrian regime will accept these

conditions, none of the opposition figures will accept our roundtable. >> ok, thank you very much for your analysis. >> thank you for having me.. >> of former bosnian serb general ratko mladic was ejected from the hague war crimes tribunal after he had told the judge. he also refused to enter a plea and insisted on having his own lawyers rather than ago -- rather than a court-appointed 1. he is accused of genocide. he was arrested in may after 16 years on thehe run >> defiant from the start, ratko mladic seemed determined to disrupt his second court hearing. he put on icap and communicated with the public gallery, earning a reprimand from the bench. with only the court-appointed attorney president, rather than the attorneys he wanted, he

refused to enter a plea. the presiding judge made several attempts to read out the charges, but was repeatedly interrupted. >> would do not interrupt me? under count one, you are charged with genocide -- >> [unintelligible] >> he continued he would not continue to listen without his lawyer. at that point, the judge read had enough and ordered him removed from the hearing. >> the court later entered not guilty pleas on 11 counts of war crimes on his behalf, clearing the way for more pre-trial hearings. >> of russia and nato have failed to narrow their differences on missile defense. at a meeting monday, russia warning military alliance against unilaterally proceeding with plans for a missile defense system herere in europe. despite the lack of agreement come up russian president dmitry

medvedev was upbeat on the meetings, saying they had been fruitful. need a's secretary general said talks would continue -- nato's secretary-general said talks would continue keeping the former head of the international monetary fund could be facing a new sexual assault investigation. of french writer is set to file charges in monday. she alleges thahat strauss-khan tried to rape her. he denies the charges and says he will sue for slander. will breeze default on its debts -- greece default on its debts?

what's it all depends on how you define "defog." -- "default." new problems as monday when the standard and poor's rating agency said the leading proposal under consideration will likely bring the country into a form of the fault. the comments from standard and poor's and the first comments from our rating agency. the plan aims to encourage holders of greek government bonds, issued between now and 2013, to roll over into new greek bonds. that plan would leave participating bondholders were soft and probably lead to greece being declared in selected defaults. >> meanwhile, a rating firm was summoned after it issued a warning about the italian

government's latest austerity measures. the meeting came before the measures were formerly post. >> sylvia boroughs tony -- silvlvio berlusconi has praised the austerity package has not overly tough. but the market was unenthusiastic, after standard and poor's said more substantial reforms were needed. there have long been questions about the power of the r ratin agencies, which has risen dramatically in recent years. and get the assessments are not necessarily reliable. in to dozen 9, standard and poor's degrees at a favorable credit rating -- in 2009, standard & poor's dave gray's a favorable credit rating. many in europe feel there needs to be greater competition. all three major rating agencies

are in the u.s. in frankfurt, efforts are underway to establish a european agency. still, it is doubtful whether a european firm could give greece or italy a better rating right now. >> european shares posted fresh beans to extend last week's rally with the u.s. market's close to celebrate the independence day holiday. we have this summary from frankfurt. >> germany's investors started of cautious into the new week, due to an independence day in the u.s., wall street has been closed. no impact from overseas. investors focused on german numbers. there have been many good culprits. good news from the car sector. car sales rose sharply in the

first half of this year. the mood has been slight. there are new concerns about the debt crisis. >> in frankfurt, where we can take a closer look at european figures. the dax closed up. giving a bit of ground to end at monday's session. european trading this morning. good news from the german car inindust. in the six months running from january to june, dealers in europe's biggest market sold some 1.6 million vehicles, representing a sales increase of 10%. they ain't -- they expect domestic sales to continue at

the same pace. gererman cacarmaks have seen thr export business picked up speed as well. >> the assembly lines are set to run longer this year. summer vacations are being shortened. international demand for german cars has declined, an average of 13%. production is also at record leve. china remains the most important for the automobile industry. eyes are also on russia and india, and there are demands for lower trade restrictions. >> terrace have to be lowered in countries such as -- tariffs have to be lowered in countries such as india. >> german cacar makers are investing in the development of fuel-efficient models. more and more consumers, especially in urban areas, are

choosing greener cars. the german automotive industry has been working tords the development of alternative injuns. >> it is an intensive endeavor. alternative engines include fuel cell and hydrogen as well. we're working on all of these. no one knows which of these technologies will be the most economical. >> that is why german car makers are investing in research and development. >> of the months ago, the ceo of deutsche telecom said he was serious about putting women in top positions in any company. two women have been appointed to the management board. one is of former kinsey

executive, and a former state education minister has been appointed to the board position overseeing human resources. up until now, the eight-person board was exclusively composed of men. and onto sporting ms.. >> thank you for that. hanging on to the yellow hjersey. the 108 kilometers culminated this finish, a whisker ahea for his first ever tour de france big 3. germany is gearing up for thehe tour de france. the coach says the team will

have to fine-tune its strategy. the german women may be failing to live up to their status. they are sticking to the game plan. the players are looking to improve. >> we have to start playing proper football. straight out attacking the banks so far, we've slipped up on making the final bass and converting our chances -- making the fina pass onrtinour ch if we can donce time. >>ngermy'ud

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rene. >> po companies with strong economic growth and low taxe they bef from the strategic locationon at eze borders right into the middle of europe. while some europeanouri are focused on getting their finances in order, poland is european s socce championship, icis chting with ukraine. many residents think their city should serve as a model for the other countries could learn from thr ccs. >> our openness to the rest of thwod n emper >> modesty. we are modest people. we fd ay to fix our problems began people in other cotrs t ucin w o

thinking and are perplexed when things do not work. when the going gets a hard, wee inofde tt not occur to others. >> weol know times of crisis, to. maybe we're just better a i during them than other counies. >> wages are sllow compared to other european countries. that is an vaag for employers, including in the thring.tndustry. e chlo rk on the outskis of the city provides office spaceorma cpaes in a supported environment. one of those firms -- it began as a small family business, but ow employs 130 programmers and engineers. >> it is not the case anymore that when you go to germanyou

see the latest technology. or make tt contacts with other companies. here, we workocally for the world's bigst corporations. >> th the new spirit of confidence and pride. and projections about:'s role in the rehain especially -- projections about poland's role in the eu are changining, especially wh the eu presidcy >>y pe is during the eu presidency, we will not be occupied with their own problems. i hope we take all ofeupe in aount and do a good job. >> the european union fell financial crisis will be t the focus of poland for l e u esen. even though it cannot be expected to fix all the problems, it does hope to offer some solutions. there are many youn poles who

are enthusiastic supporters of the european union. >> all right, l' csswires to our correspondent in brusls. thank you for being with us. as we heard, copland is takin erheu presidency -- poland is taking over the eu presidency and a very turbulent time. in the six month available, ey cannot do an awful lot. this is a csi w bonthe scope of one eu presidency, quite honestly. there is not a lot they can do. not least because there are several single currency unie think all poland can do is keep a steady ship, but as we know, there are osi fce at work here on the economic crisis. the problems of the eu are just one part.

do not cross yourinrsoo much on the poles. >> poland has vowed toouer skepticism and renew member commitment to the european projects. >> absolutely. again, in practical tmsha can they do? it is difficult to see. it is wonderful to hear them say at the launch of the polish esen,ure fantastic with english transition -- with english translation. this is a wonderful blend of innocence that we have not sn from many leaders have been jaded by the project. i think even that rhetoric will help. if he wantto save from where he stands the european union is a wonderful place to be and we can lift ourselves out of the glm,hesoet. but let's be reasonable. poland is on an economic upswing. there are grounds for prime minister tusk to be happier than

st >> six months is not a lot of time and poland has set ambitious goals. water some of the other priorities? >>general once include -- general ones include boosting the market, but signing of free trade agreement with the ukraine within the next six months. that is a primary goal. also poland is hosting a partnership summit with a view toward expanding europe further east than en poland is commonly in the ground for more enlargement. they want free trade with the ukraine signed withinix months, and that will be seen as a flag-waving triumph for them. >> all rights tha you that wraps up our in death this hour as poland's takes over the eu presidency. we did you a lk at the latest

-- we leave you with a look at the latest news headlines. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--