you are watching the "journal" on dw-tv. the headlines at this hour, raising the pressure, the european union agrees on new sanctions on iran after the nuclear program is exposed. and more details about germany's probe into neo-nazi murders. the authorities are asking the public for help and the french plan for saving the row, president sarkozy tells voters how the sees the future of the eurozone. tensions between europe and iran have hit a new high this week.

britain, germany, and several other countries have withdrawn their ambassadors from iran after a mob stormed to the british embassy in tehran. thursday, eu foreign ministers agreed to slap new sanctions on iran, demanded once again the country stopped its drive to produce nuclear weapons. >> the new sanctions have been in the pipeline some time, the implementation comes as the e.u. voices its backing for britain. >> i am very grateful for the strong support and solidarity with our partners in the european union the past 48 hours since the attacks on our embassy compound in tehran. >> tuesday, hundreds of protesters stormed the british embassy in tehran. that could lead to more sanctions against iran. thursday's round of tough sanctions were prompted by recent report published by the international atomic energy agency the said iran had carried out tests related to the

development of a nuclear device. >> we had no choice but to broaden sanctions against iran president -- against iran. travel bans or imposed on 180 individuals and their companies and their assets will be frozen. we also began talks about completely new sanctions against iran. >> foreign ministers hope to agree on an oil embargo next year by january at the latest, but iran supplies 6% of the will for the e.u. and alternative sources will have to be found. iran is planning an attack on german soil. that is what investigators are checking. they say they plan to attack u.s. military bases if the u.s. attacks iran. press reports name ramstein air base and the military hospital as possible targets.

ramstein is among the most important hubs for u.s. military operations in the middle east. the report says that iran has drawn up plans to disrupt logistics and supply lines in case of a conflict. it is a case that has shocked germany. now authorities arresting the public for help. prosecutors need more information on who may have helped a neo-nazi gang possibly behind a string of murders. investigators are also turning the spotlight on the far-right npd party. the rest of a senior party member earlier this week has renewed calls for the party to be banned. germany's chief law- enforcement agencies are appealing to the public for help. prosecutors and the police have unveiled the wanted poster showing the neo-nazi gang. they are hoping the campaign will result in information on the group's support network.

>> this would otherwise remain concealed. >> investigators are examining 2500 pieces of evidence, among them a weapons arsenal that includes a hand gun and silencer used in several of the killings. the police recently arrested a former npd official they believe help the gang for years. they believe that further links will soon be uncovered critic -- uncovered. am i convinced that we will discover further links, but this must be subject to the ongoing investigation and policymakers will have to draw the appropriate conclusions. >> security agencies have assigned extra manpower to the case, but say it will be some time before the full truth comes to light. french president nicolas sarkozy says he will announce a

new plan to solve the eurozone debt crisis at a meeting with german chancellor angela merkel in paris next monday it. sarkozy told 5000 supporters that france and germany will push for changes to the treaties which set up the european union. the french president did not go into detail, but he did say the euro will not survive without a convergence of economic policy in the eurozone. we are now on the phone line with our correspondent in paris. good evening. what do you make of sarkozy's plans for changing the eurozone? >> he did not spell them out directly, though he gave a hint monday that when chancellor merkel comes to paris still be some kind of announcementusselsd of next week. there was a hit in what he said

about what will be announced. he is talking about the idea of sovereignty the key thing was he said that europe needs more sovereignty, not less sovereignty because it increases our capacity to act. it seems they are preparing the french public for an arrangement where this issue of sovereignty will be addressed, where france will give up a certain degree of its sovereignty in the interest of this idea of greater european solidarity. it is sovereignty, which is the key. the french are not too hung up about sovereignty, but the germans are not happy about giving up this. >> you get the feeling, don't you, that we see a states men and preparing his electorate for a huge change, talking about the summit coming up on december 9. sovereignty may have to be given up? >> yes, the speech was part

statesman, part politician. that is the nature of the beast. i think a lot of his enemies were taken aback by the fact that this was clearly an electorial speech, phrase with all sorts of attacks on the socialists, the green positions ahead of the elections in april/may. from france's perspective, it was also outlining i think the making of some kind of arrangement in which france will give up some kind of sovereignty, will allow the european treaties to have powers over budgets, which is what is meant by sovereignty, and then returned i assume he is hoping that merkel will give some ground on the bank and the mutual a station of all of the country's debt. >> thank you very much creditarianna is rejecting the

very much. arriana is here. >> there was a sigh of relief after they sold their bonds. at wednesday's move by the world's major central banks pumped liquidity into the system to prevent a credit crunch, boosting market sentiment, and helping to lift demand. the ecb stressed the move is no substitute for sound economic policies. >> the president of the european central bank says that only politicians consult the debt crisis and central bankers should just stepped in during emergencies. >> any mechanism for monetary policy has a damaging effect on the availability and price of credit difference in households. this is a very important monetary policy reason for the ecb posada no standard measures. such interventions can only be limited.

>> european banks have been finding it increasingly rigid the markets welcomed wednesday's coordinated central bank action to boost global dollar liquidity. they stressed such a step was a quick fix, not a long-term solution. france and spain had successful bond auctions thursday, investors keen to buy up the bonds, though the deals were mostly lower. we have this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> investors have become much less concerned they may not get their money back if they invest it knout in the eurozone government bonds. this became very clear if this thursday. at auctions of new french and spanish government bonds and bills, demand of investors was very high. the yields on many of the eurozone government bonds came down significantly. bond traders gave several

reasons for this. one is the concerted action of the central banks of this wednesday. then the installation of the leveraged bureau rescue fund, -- euro rescue fund, and talk of the imf standing ready in case of another emergency in the eurozone. >> the closing market numbers, starting in frankfurt, the blue- chip dax closed down the close to 1% creditthe euro stoxx 50 was down 0.75%. the dow jones is currently down a quarter percent. and the euro is trading at $1.3456 credi. the executive has extended a crisis plan that makes it easier for governments to bail out banks. it was introduced by the competition commissioner, but it weakens the rules. the plan was initially introduced in the in the wake of

the 2008 financial crisis in the first wave of bank bailouts. a extending it will give european banks more leeway. >> many european banks still need billions in state aid to cope with the credit squeeze, capital shortfall, and sovereign debt crisis. the eu competition commissioner job is to curb subsidies for the banks. but in the current climate, he said he had no choice but to ease bailout rules. he told a news conference he had planned to "disconnect life- support machine for europe's banks this month." but the exhibition exacerbation caused him to change his mind. it emphasized that banks should only ask for state aid to meet their capital requirements as a last resort brussels''s message is clear, he wants to facilitate

a return to normal conditions on financial markets. greek workers were on the streets thursday, protesting austerity measures. in a letter to foreign lenders, but as public a mazda said the government is determined to an plummet the reforms necessary for international competitiveness. >> the strikers carry a banner that reads "no more sacrifices for the the autocracy -- for the plutocracy." the new government said there will be tax hikes, wage cuts, and layoffs. the protesters say the government is on the wrong track. >> we must come together because as long as this is in power, and harms the interests of the common people. >> we have to fight for our rights. otherwise everything will just get worse. >> thursday's strike to protest the austerity policies shut down ferry services.

rail workers walked off the job, along with employees at government ministries and state- run the companies. even the acropolis was closed. it is the first major strike since the new prime minister took power and a sign that as long as the new national unity government insists on massive spending cuts, it is not going to get much public support. china's manufacturing activity has shrunk for the first time in nearly three years. the official purchasing managers' index fell below the key 50-point level in november. chinese exports have suffered the most. a european debt crisis and a feeble recovery in the u.s. have weakened demand, while the economy overall is continuing to expand. the figures show that growth is slowing more than expected. the chinese government has loosened credit to boost business activity. more measures are expected to follow.

u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has met with the burmese opposition leader. clinton is and are not on a visit -- is in bburma for a visit. there will be a more formal meeting later. clinton earlier met with the burmese president. the u.s. says it is willing to help burma financially and it could restore diplomatic ties if the southeast asian country keeps enacting reforms. today is world aids day, and the world health organization has asked for more fun that to combat the spread of hiv aids. the number of new infections is rising, but most are found in sub-saharan africa. over 20 million of the world's 34 million hiv-positive people live there. the who says african patients

are getting more access to drug therapies and that the rate of new infections is falling. we will have more of the fight against aids with reports from the ukraine and thailand coming up in just a few minutes. she has been called a literary what this of the 21st century. she has died in berlin. she was 82. she was one of the leading writers in east germany. her life under communism and form her work. some claimed that she was too close to the regime, but her writing earned her plaudits on both sides of the iron curtain bee. >> her life and writing career were dominated by political upheaval. she lived in nazi germany and communist east germany, but it was greek mythology that inspired two of foremost inspired works, recounting aged myths to explore contemporary themes.

>> it continues to occupy me how early civilizations and the history of other people's is still visible today. >> christa wolf grew up in the 1930's in what is now western poland. she studied the literature and worked for a publisher before starting to write for herself. her breakthrough came in the 1960's, but her strong subjective writing style was met with increasing criticism. she moved to the countryside, where writing became a means of self discovery. many of her novels reflect faces of her life. >> i have never wanted a different life than i have had. if i had my time again, i like to be smarter and do lots of things differently. if you could bring this wisdom along, it would not be the same life. >> stay with us.

i will be right back with our in-depth report. >> stick around parid.

welcome back. as the world marks world's aids day, the fight against hiv is entering its fourth decade. progress is being made in many parts of the world with infections and death rates falling. first, a report on the region where the problem is still getting worse. in eastern europe, infections have been rising quickly over the past 10 years, mainly in the heterosexual community and among drug users. the ukraine is especially hard hit. we paid a visit to the hospital in odessa, we're pioneering doctors have devoted their careers to ensuring that mothers do not pass the virus on to their children. >> an unexpected visitor has stopped by the doctor's

practice. she has good news that she wants to share with her. her baby has received a clean bill of health. the mother was diagnosed hiv- positive 16 years ago. with a doctor's help, she has since given birth. >> we are as happy with the result as the mother wrists. it is wonderful when there is good news, like super -- like her, who have three healthy children. it feels good to help. >> she has given me a second chance at life. since my children were born, i have it presented live again. i have a future and want to see my children grow up predict -- i want to see my children grow up. >> at odessa has the highest hiv infection per capita in europe. it is not only the port.

the middle class is also living with hiv. this person began her career as a doctor trying to save newborn children from. she received advanced training abroad and passed her knowledge on to the colleagues. a>> at the end of the 1980's, as the first pregnant women with hiv began turning out in our clinic, we were powerless to help them. the staff was afraid they would be infected. we even burned each at the's patient's bed linens. -- we even burned at patient's bed linens. m over 95% of patients born here to infected mothers are now healthy private budget are now healthy. she treats hiv-positive women from all over the ukraine because she knows that there will not discriminate against them. a m in the past, hiv patients

were isolated, marginalized. in our clinic, they share the same words as non infected patients and we maintain confidentiality because hiv cannot be transmitted by air. >> she has recommended the clinic to many other women. she has learned that having a chance to answer the hope and strength to live with her hiv infection. >> hiv infections are still growing in the ukraine and eastern europe. in other parts of the world, there is a downward trend. the u.n. hopes to halt the spread of aids altogether by 2015, but that leaves just a few years to act. there is more on the progress the world has made against aids and how much more needs to be done. >> this is a typical aids test to date. it did not exist 30 years ago when the disease first emerged. today, the incurable condition claims millions of victims, but

over the past decade, the numbers have been decreasing. in 1997, 3.4 million people got infected with hiv which causes aids. in 2010, the number of new infections had gone down to 2.7 million creditin 2005, 2.5 million people died of aids. in 2010, that was 1.8 million. and more people than ever are managing to live with an hiv infection thanks to new medications and improved access to them. that has helped save millions of lives, particularly in impoverished areas like south africa. un aids has presented a comprehensive action plan for the upcoming years. the aim is to end new infection by 2015 by focusing on better prevention. aids deaths are to be reduced to zero banks to widely available medical treatment and the plan

calls to and and against discrimination for hiv suffers. un aids is aware this is a vision and is not likely to realize the goals in just four years. at one of the main reasons for this will be the declining funding of age projects due to the global financial crisis -- of aids projects due to the global financial crisis. one group especially vulnerable is sex workers, and thailand has made it big strides in protecting people. they cut annual infections for more than 140,000 in the early 90's to just under 20,000 in the last decade. a government policy has played a role, but ngo's are just a part, distributing condoms, educating, and overcoming taboos. >> this is an english lesson that could save lives. in this school on the resort

island, the class is not just learning how to say hello and how to argue, but also more graphic vocabulary -- just hello and how are you, but also more graphic vocabulary. the students are sex workers in the popular vacation spot. this 26-year-old enjoys learning english. >> i could ask my customers if they use condoms. it -- if not, i can say no. >> these lessons have been organized by and power, a non- profit organization designed to support sex workers to educate and counsel them and make them more aware of their rights. >> empower has contributed in a significant way to the number of people affected by aids. we deal directly with the prostitutes.

we tell them to go to a doctor if they are seick. we also tell them to find out more about hiv. >> empower is fighting to break taboos about condoms, sex, and hiv aids which thai society avoids. >> at college, you learn about protecting yourself from aids, to use condoms when you have sex you find that on brochures and posters at the university. >> when you have sex, you should use condoms. men and women both have to take responsibility. >> i have not had sex yet, but

when i have sex, i will use a condom. >> it is evening, antic empower's work is far from over. the female and transsexual prostitutes and the tourists seemed glad to get the free condoms. it tonight, the women distributed 13,000 of them. >> we are proud of our work and we plan to continue it in the future so prostitutes can protect themselves from aids and other diseases, so they can live longer and not die from them. >> thailand has practically no state run education or health programs for sex workers because officially prostitution is illegal. that makes the work of organizations like empower all the more important. that aids, putting prevention first.

that has been the health care report for today. thank you for watching, and thank you for the company, everybody. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--