tv coming up on the show -- many dead in the syrian capital after the second bombing, in two weeks. germany's embattled president as he gets a boost from angela merkel. and it is happy birthday to one of the oldest quirks in the world. it celebrates 800 years. it is the second attack to hit damascus in two weeks, and the syrian government says a suicide bomber was to blame. at least 25 people were kled

the blast hit a busynded whenen intersection in the center of damascus. the attack cames arab league monitors prepared to report back on serious crackdown on protesters. >> scenes of carnage in central damascus. the syrian government says the blastas the work of a suicide bomber. the explosion destroyed numerous cars and a boss thought to have been transporting police officers. a short while later, supporters of president al assad arrived on ththe sce. they are blaming the attack on the opposition. the mood at anti-regime denstrations in cities across syria was angry. speculation about who carried out the attacks iss rampant o or opposition websites. many believe the blast is part of a government plot to underminine t opposition. arab league monitors say they have already inspected the scene of the attack.

the leak's reportrt on ria is due to beeleased -- the >> i i sena message to the authorities tellingng thait is imperative to work with honesty, transparency, and credibility to end the violence in syria. >> it was hoped that monitors would h help calm the mood i in that so far. >> officicialsn sudan say more than 3000 people have bee killed in ethnic violence in the past week between rival tribes. united nations as one town was attacked by 6000 armed youths from a rival tribe in a revenge attack for an alleged cattle rating. locals say 1000 children are missing, f feare abducted. in nigeria, at least 16 people have been killed in a gbattle in a town hall in the north of the country.

on thursday, six people were shot during a church service. the latest in a string of sectarian attacks blamed on a islamist group. here in germany, there was a welcome boost for the country's beleaguered president. after a long silence, angela merkel has given her backing to christian wulff, who has been mired in a scandal that threreaten to bring him down. today, he tried to get back to the business of being germany's president. > christian wulff pose a firt official appointment of the year was with a children's choir for me carol singing. this year, it was carried live on national television, and 150 journalists were waiting for the latest comments from the figure at the center of the affair. >> the past days and weeks of my life have been such that i would not want to relive them, so i think you will understand that i

amam glad 2012 is beginning and that i can get on with my real worke. >> for the german pressss, a important question remains unanswered -- did w wulff try to stop a story about a questionable whole load appearing in a tabloid? the paper wants to publish the transcript of a voice mail from the president. wulff says no. chancellor merkel is backing the president. >> what will happen -- and the chancellor has complete faith it will -- is the chance of -- the president will respond to complete questions, should they are, just as openly. at the same time,e are at the start of 2012. there is also a return to the official business of office. >> but whether christian wulff will be able to shake off the scandal and return to business as usual remains to be seen.

>> the drama surrounding the president is not the only thing giving angela merkel a headache right now. her junior coalition partners, the fdp, are struggling to stay afloat. they were hoping to o righthe ship at the start of your confererence in stuttgard, when more trouble hit. the conservative leader in a tiny western state announced that she was booed in the fdp out of her coalition, saying it was in too much disarray to be part of her government. it added to a nightmare for the party's national leader. many are now asking whether he has what it takes to turn things around. >> the free democrats are fighting for their political survival. their role is being talked up in the political successes in berlin, but the par has a disastrous showing in the polls. >> deueutschnd --

>> germany is doining under -- better under our stewardship than it did with the coalition or social democrat green government. germany is doing well with a conservative libereral clition. >> he empmphasid the importance of germany's social market model. he saiaid t fdp stood for the economy and clarity. >> when all others are turning their back on growth, germany needs a party which gives it a solid backing. that party is the free democrats, the fdp. >> talk of tax cuts, a key fdp issue, w was conspicuous by its absence. instead, they concentrated on other traditional positions like dernizing energy policy and reducing public debt. >> for more, let's bring in our political correspondent, terry martin. let's go back to what has happened to the f fdp in this ty

state. how bad is it for the party? >> it is amazing. just when you think that things could not get worse for the fdp, they go from bad to even worse. it is shocking, really. the news of that broke juste -- during the party conference when the party leader was just gettttingp to speak. the timing, obviously, was not very good. they had been having major problems at the federal level for a couple of years now, ever since entering government as a junior coalilition party under chancellor merkel. now, they have this problem happening on a state level. they were ejected from a state parliament last year, just a couple of months ago. now, thehey h been ejected from a state government. the christian democrat leader of that sta government saying they simply cannot work with the fdp. the greens are fine, but the fdp are fighting among themselves. this is another bad blow to a

party that has already seen its fortunes ithe cellar. >> the pressure cannot be more intense. do you think the party leader can turn things around? >> frankly, i do not think he can turn things around. i am not sure anybody can turn things around for the party at this point. it is clear that public opinion is turning a again him as well. a recent poll was just publishsd it came out and said 65% of german voters feel he will not be in his post as party leader by the end of the year. that certainly i is not a very strong endorsement. we had even heard from his own newly appointed general secretary, who has described him as noteing a fighter. that does not exactly instill confidence. it is looking rather doubtful if he is the man to turn things around. >> thing is not looking at all od for him. thanks a lot. time to get to business with sarah. somemetimetalking about the euro

feels like -- >> exactly. we have renewed worries todayay, it has been hovering near its west level in 16 months against the dollar. the market is on edge for many reasons, including the rising cost of borrowing for italy and spain. the ecb had to step in today to buy bonds from those markets. italy and spain will have their first debt auctions of thehe yer next week. and s some ak economic data is adding to the fears over the eurozone era in germany, factory orders fell sharply in november, the biggest drop in three years as demand from abroadd weekend. the official figure was down, germany relies heavily on exports, andnd anasts do not expect a turnaround in coming months, but they say there is no reason to panic as sentiment among business executives remains positive. a better than expxpectejobs rereport from united states coud not offset concerns that the eueurozo is aded for a recessssion. stocks closed lower in europe.

our correspondent has more from frankfurt. >> good news from the american labor market was simply not enough. in the eurozone, business sentg. the german manufacturing sector reports about less factory orders, and then the international monetary fund is considering another lowering of its growth forecast. all these factors w were just to much for the stockraders here in frankfurt. adding to this is the concern about the eurozone. the eurozone sovereign debt crisis. the interest which italy and spain have to pay on their buffer in debt has been rising -- o on their sovereign debt has been rising to very uncomfortable levels. >> we stick in frankfurt were germany's benchmark tax, as we mentioned, more than -- germany's benchmark dax index, as we mentioned, down on the day. the dow jones industrial average, not a good picture

there, either. more thann 0.25% lower there. the euro losing ground against the dollar. trading for $1.2722. pressure continues to rise for hungary as well. the debt ridden nation has been downgrgradedo delaware status by fitch, meaning the country is at a high risk of default. the country has been at a virtual free fall. the nation's cost of borrowing soared in the latest debt auction. e government wants to secure a lifeline, but first, it must resolve some opposition. >> hungary is drowning inebt, but the i and the eu broke off talks with the government in budapest about new financing because of concerns about a proposed law that threatens the independence of hungary's central bank. still, government officials appear confident that the talks will resume. >> we think it is important to

reach an agreement with the imf and the eu. we want to move towards a deal. we are ready to n negotte without preconditions, and we are ready to discuss everything at the negotiating table. >> the hungarian currency slumumped new lows this week. that, plus the new higher cost of borrowing, has put pressure on the government to make a deal. many analysts say that market confidence in theovernment has now hit rock bobottom that is reflected in the the minister value of the currency against the europe. and the increased value of default insurance for government bonds. an auction this week failed to reach the government's target, and thee situation could worsen unless the government talks with the imf and eu. >> thanks. the czech republic has granted political asylum to the husband of the former ukrainian prime minister who was jailed last

year for abuse of office. a lawyer s said alexander, in te pictures coming up here, had asked for asylum because the government in kiev have launched a criminal probe against him in order to pressure her. both the eu and united states saher conviction was politically motivated. turkish police have arrested a former head of the military in connection with an alleged plot to destabilize the government. the general is being held after several hourss of questioning st night. prosecutors allege that he was part of a plot by t military to fund and internet campaign aimed at discrediting the government have the time the -- the government of the prime minister. several suspects includiding havelready been charged in the case. it is one of the oldest acquires in the world, and no doubt, johann sebastian bach' would be

proud he was once director -- it is one of the oldest choirs in the world. this year, it tends 800 years old and is planning a party that will last all year. >> getting every note right can require a lot of fort. >> my father was also in the choir. i thought i could try that, and now i have managed it. >> the selection procecess is highly competitive. every boy has to pass a tough audition. this year, the choir, along with the school and church, are lebrating their 800-year anniversaries. the most famous director of the choir was johann sebastian bach. when he worked here, the choir

sang his cantatas. to this day, the choir plays an important role. >> i find it interesting that in today's hedonistic society, children and young people still find time for such a serious pursuit. > centuries after it was foundeded, it is still going strong, thanks to the passion of its director and young singers. >> time for some sports news now. in winter sports, germans bobsled team has picked up two championships in germany.opean in t women's two-person event, two captured gold ahead of their teammates. the bronze medal went to the swiss team. on to soccer the former france striker is moving back to the

arsenal, the club where he enjoyed his heyday between 1999 and 2007. he is on short-term loan to the club for just two months. he will return to his team when the season gets under way in the u.s. on march 10. he scored a club record 226 goals for arsenal in his eight seasons there. he also led france to a world cup victory in 1998. filly, a new york auction house is to sell off 5000 artifacts from thee titanic. the sale will be held in april 1 hundred years and a day after the ocean liner sell in the north atlantic. they will be sold as a lot and have been valued at about 150 mimillio euros. the money goes to the company that recover them, using remote- controlled submarines to bring them up from almost four kiloliters under the sea. stay with us. in a minute's time, sarah will be bacwith some business newsws. numbers, it is one of the most closely watched economic

figures. it came in really solidly today, and yet, markets are down. why so? find out after the break.

>> welcome back. e u.s. jobs market continues to improve. the labor department said the economy added 200,000 new jobs in december, the biggest increase in three months. it exceeded analysts' expectations. higher payrolls also triggered a drop in the unemployment rate to 8.5%, thehe lowest level since 20. despite the of the jobs report, investors, however, remain cautious. for more, we are joined by our correspondent, who is standing by at the new york stock exange. this is a pretty solid report. why are we not seeing stocks higher? why such a negative reaction? >> to start with, there was nothing g wrong with the job da. if you look at the unemployment

rate falling from 8.7% to 8.5%, the lowest since february 2009, also 200,000 new jobs got created, which was more than the expected 150,000 jobs. there might be some seasonal factors with the holiday seasosn came in higher than expected. on stocks on wall street as the euro at some point -- it traded lower than $1.27, the lowest since september 2010, and the weakening of the euro does put some pressure on stocks here on wall street. on top of it, we had some negative comments on some of the big american banks who will report earnings in a couple of weeks, so that sector is putting a bit of pressssure on stocks, even if trading volume remains extremely low. people taking it very easy and

cautious in the first week of the new year. >> i want to talk about one stock in particular, u.s. aluminum giant alcoa. they are reducing production. wiesel, and what does it mean for the economy? >> they are talking about bringing capacity down by about 12%. the reason why is that aluminum prices are under quite some pressure. last year, aluminum prices were down by about 18%. there are some concerns regarding global economic owth, and that is the reason why alcoa is dririving down the smelting capacity. there probably will also be some layoffs and maybe closings of some plants. it is not certain yet how many, but a pretty cautious tone from alcoa, and that puts pressure on that stock, losing 2%, making it

one of the biggest losers in the dow jones industrial average. >> unemployment across the eurozone remains stubbornly high. the average rate forhe 17 countries using the euro is just over 10%. the overall jobless figure has increased by 600,000 of them to the previous year. spain has thehe highest unemployment rate in nearly 23%, and it is only slightly lowowern greece. austria, meanwhile, is the best place to be looking for a job. they are young, well-educated, and they cannot find a job. that is the reality in many european countries right now for so many 16-24-year-olds. in europe, it is not a problem here is limited to the continent. >> the 24-year-old son of somali immigrants fished school with good grades and still has found it impossible to get a full-time job.

>> i have applied for approximately about 1000 jobs in the past year and had only 5% replies. it makes me feel like i am being thrown aside. they did n not look at me in the same way i want to be looked at, and i do not know what i am doing wrong. i must be making mistakes or something like that. that is how i feel right now, bu no feedback, so no movement forward. >> he s turned to tag for assistance. the charity runs workshops to help young people find work. almost 2000 job-seekers have taken part. half of them went on to find permanent jobs, but the government's austerity drive is hitting organizations like this one hard. their budget has been halved, even though the services it provides have never been more urgently needed. >> the profile of unemployed young people has changed. before it w young people without anyraining. ththen i was people with some

qualifications. now, 50% of graduates are unemployed. as the profile of that group changes, so is the profile of the group we work with. the one thing they have in common is they are finding it difffficul to get a job. and the businesseses ple the blame on government policy. school graduates, they say, are under qualified with an increasing number able to read and write properly. they lack adequate social skills and have a poor work ethic. the confederation of british -- british industry level strong criticism at the country's job centers. them the front line is to narrow the first quarter call for people who are out of work. it is where they go to claim benefits and with a good toook for aa job, but at the moment, they focused too much on benefit administration and not enough on work search, and that is what we need them to do, focused for the young people are out of work, helping employers get the candidates they need for the jobs they have on offer. >> these are ble times for young britons.

all he can do is fill out job applications and weieight,ut he has a message for the prime minister. >> i would tell prime minister david cameron that i need that to happen, but every young person who is unemployed feels like they are doing somethingng wron to be honesest, iis the case that the government is doing something wrong. that entire geneneratis trust in democracy is at stake. once lost, not even a multi- million euro youth program can regain i it. under way in delhi, and carmakers are trying to grab their share of the indian market. tata motors made and it had to do just that when it debutedts nano years ago. it was supposed to be a sub- compact car for the middle class. the executives had hoped for a big success, but instead, sal have been disappointing. >> the streets of indian cities

are bustling,g, but if you are looking for a tata nano, good luck. the world's cheapest car is a big flop. >> i just do not like that car. i would prefer a litittle gger. >> for your use ago, it was lebrated as a major innotion. 35 hp but inexpensive enough for the most modest i incom, but it has been plagued with troubles, including fires. consumers have lost confidence in the sub-compact.. only 25% ofrojected sales in 2011. > we have seen the satisfactn ratetes increasing survey after survrvey. the most recent survey, ovever 90% of our customers are extremely satisfied with the product. >> it costs more than expected, too. competition is growing. the latest volkswagen polo model sells for just 6000 euros in india. vw wants to increase its market share to 10% in the country becoming more important to automakers. >> the tiny casino resort of

macao is the biggest gambling resort in the world, the only place i inhina where you can lay your bets. despite a slowdown in growth, it remains a global leader in the industry. our numb cruncher has more. >> 26 6 billn euros -- that was the amount of revenue casinos in the gambling haven macau raked in last year. the total was 42% higher than the previous year and about 16 times the sum recorded 11 years ago when the former portuguese colony was handeded back to chi. since then, minkow has surpassed las vegas to become the world's biggest gambling center. the special administrative region profits from the legendary chinese passion for gambling, which is viewed by manyny as way to make money and not seen as a vic >> that is all for business for now. you are watching dw-tv, and the weather is next. keep it here.