>> hello, and welcome to the "journal." i am brian thomas. >> i am steve should with the business news. >> in syria, an attack on a pro- assad demonstration in homs killed several people, including a french journalist. and nuclear scientist is murdered in a bomb attack in tehran that iran says was conducted by israeli operatives. >> french data indicates europe's biggest economy got smaller in the fourth quarter of 2011. ♪ >> we began in syria, where an

attack on a crowd in the city of homs has reportedly killed at least nine people, including a french tv reporter. homs is considered an opposition stronghold. but there was a pro-government demonstration attended by foreign journalists. an arab league monitor resigned, calling his mission a farce. and the syrian president made a rare public appearance in the capital damascus. >> the city of homs was once again and the scene of blood shed on wednesday. at least seven people were killed, including this camera man. he was working for french state television and was among the few journalists who had recently been allowed by authorities to enter the country. he is the first western journalist to be killed in the unrest since it began 10 months ago. in damascus, president assad spoke to thousands of supporters in the center of the city.

he blamed the violence in his country on foreign conspirators plotting to end his rule. he insisted he had the trust of the syrian people. at the front of the crowd, where assad's smiling wife and his children, and observers from the arab league have proved powerless. one of the monitors said the government was trying to fool the observers by staging the release of prisoners. one person announced he was quitting the mission in disgust. >> the regime did not meet any of our requests. they tried to deceive us and steer away from what was really happening, towards an insignificant things. >> following violence, the arab league said it would not send any additional observers to syria for the time being. president assad says his government will not give in.

he vowed to use an iron fist to crush his opponents. >> the "guardian" newspaper -- newspaper respondent spoke to us earlier and told us more about the event. he was in homs when the attack happened. >> two groups of journalists were taken to homs today by officials who wanted to show the government side of the story of what is happening in the city, with an itinerary determined in advance by syrian authorities. there was sort of a lecture about the atrocities that have been committed by the opposition, by terrorists, as they called them, causing the unrest. surely a good bet, the group left for damascus -- shortly after that, the group left for damascus. a second group of journalists apparently went to investigate

the source of an explosion or something like that. at that point, the french journalist was killed, along with eight syrians, and 20 are 25 other people were injured. a lot of confusion about the circumstances of exactly what happened. was it a mortar shell or a rocket propelled grenade? there was confusion, claims and counter-claims about the incident. >> thank you so much for that. let's go to nigeria, where observers are warning of the dangers of the civil war there. in the latest sectarian violence, a gunman believed to be from the boko haram islamist organizations shot dead four christians. and online video of a man calling us up the leader of boko haram challenged nigeria's

president and warned of more attacks. the country has been paralyzed by three days of nationwide strikes protesting massive increases of fuel prices. most nigerians live in poverty, although the country is a major oil producer. the united states has condemned the killing of a senior iranian nuclear scientists and said it had nothing to do with it. iranian officials suspect the assassination in the capital of tehran was part of a series of targeted killings of scientists linked to the country's nuclear program. the iranian vice president called it a terrorist attack and that it would not stop iran from making advances in nuclear technologies. >> iranian state media said the scientist was killed by a magnetic bomb attached to his car. witnesses claimed they saw to the people on a motorcycle plant the device to the car was parked outside university buildings in northern tehran. the victim was identified as a 32-year-old chemistry expert and director at the natanz uranium

enrichment facility. western nations believed tehran's in richmond program is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. the circumstances of the bombing quickly aroused suspicion that israel was behind the attack. israeli officials said previously hinted that covert operations in iran. tehran officials said the bomb was the same kind as once used to assess the date to the nuclear scientists in 2010. and further scientist was shot dead last year. >> for more, we went to the director of the german institute for international security affairs. we asked them who, in his opinion, could be behind the covert operation to sabotage the iranian nuclear program. >> we do not know who is behind it. it is very likely that there is a state behind this act of sabotage. states do these kind of things in covert wars. there is a certain pattern which we have seen here.

we had another attack that was a covert operation against the operation of nuclear facilities in iran. there have been explosions and assassinations before. it is very likely that there is a state behind it. what is important to stress is, aside from the moral issue of telling scientists, is that it is a dangerous escalation in an ongoing conflict with iran. at some point, i fear that the iranian leadership will decide that what is good for others to do on their territory, they may as well do on other's territory. we know that tehran has a history in covert terrorist operations abroad. >> that was from earlier. other news, germany has reassured italy its tough austerity measures would be rewarded amid signs its own economy is set for a slowdown. tensions are simmering in the eurozone as leaders searched for

a path forward to halt the slide into recession. the latest talks have the italian prime minister here in berlin today. bo in rome remain above 77, commonly seen as unsustainable. >> almost two months after being thrust into the role of italian prime minister, mario monti was eager to explain the positive impact of his reforms to the german chancellor. he wants germany and the financial markets to recognize the progress being made in overhauling the italian economy. >> italy does not present a threat of contagion in the eurozone. germany can count on italy making a positive contribution to europe, along with france and the other european states. >> before his visit, he told a german newspaper there could be a backlash in italy of the country's reforms to not bring tangible benefits led lower

borrowing costs. angela merkel rejected the reception that italy has been getting a fair criticism. >> we're not doing this to torment another. it is so that we can become a stronger continent to the that is attractive to investors. >> despite the differing viewpoints, merkel is optimistic that any eurozone fiscal treaty can be in place by the end of the month. >> let's go to steve with some indicators that germany could be slowing down. >> the slowdown has reached germany. fresh numbers indicate europe's biggest economy shrank by 0.20% -- 0.25% in the final quarter of 2011, fuelling worries of a further slowdown. overall, 2011 was a strong year, with germany recording impressive growth of 3%. >> high employment levels in germany in 2011 translated into strong consumer growth, and

people here spent readily on big-ticket items in particular. private consumption grew 1.5%, a rate not seen for the past five years. the report by the federal statistics office shows domestic demand was the main factor behind gdp growth last year. in 2009, the international financial crisis pulled the brakes on germany's economic performance. gdp contracted by 5.1%. after that, a recovery started. in 2010, the annual growth rate was up 3 + 7%. last year, the economy grew by 3%. the country's balance sheet is good news for finance minister. all the extra tax revenues have cut the budget deficit to 1% of gdp, the first time in three years the figure has been under the eu's 3% limit. >> according to forecasts published on wednesday by a leading german, french, an

italian economic institutes, the eurozone is experiencing a brief recession that began late last year. germany, france, and friends expect gdp in the eurozone as a whole to have contracted by 0.3% in the final quarter of 2011, to be followed by a smaller contraction in the current quarter. fitting the common definition of recession as two consecutive quarters of contraction. they do forecast a return to growth in the second quarter of this year. on to the markets, a german blue chips finished wednesday slightly lower after a strong performance on tuesday. stefan wolf sent us this summary from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the main reason for wednesday's slow trading has been tuesday's rally, when the dax went up by 2%. maybe this has been a little bit

too much, as traders said on wednesday. they said that for several reasons, especially because of the fact that thursday, there is the ecb meeting, and there will be two options of italy and spain on thursday and friday, and these issued new bonds of course, is uncertainty. investors fear they will be too expensive for spain and italy. this is also why the euro has been dragged down to this day. >> we can stay in germany for a closer look at the numbers to the starting off with the dax. it closed with a big blank on the screen. it was down by nearly 0.2%, 6152. the euro stoxx 50 sliding by more than 0.3%. across the atlantic in new york, the market opened in late trading down by 0.3%1%2,425. the euro is lower against the

u.s. dollar, trading at $1.2699. >> human rights groups are planning to hold some international protest condemning the guantanamo bay prison camp as it enters its 11th year of operation. the american facility is a location where hundreds of people, even children, have spent years in prison without being charged with any crime or appearing before a judge. the camp is notorious for systematic abuse. it was set up by president george bush and continues in operation in spite of promises by president obama to shut it down. >> it is a somber anniversary. prisoners were kept shackled in wire cages under the hot sun. rights groups say physical and psychological abuse was rife in guantanamo's early days, during the u.s. war on terror. more than 600 prisoners have been released. several live in britain. like this man who spent five

years in guantanamo, and he bears the scars. he was blinded in one ieye. >> they started beating me up and putting me down to the floor. one guard pushed two fingers inside my eyes and try to take them both out. the officer was standing there, saying him to do more, pushed his fingers more. after they did this to me, i felt pain in both of my eyes. i did not realize what was going on, and i started slowly losing sight in my left eye. >> he was released in 2007. he does not believe the camp will close anytime soon, despite the fact that president obama began his term with a promise. >> the process whereby guantanamo will be closed no later than one year from now. >> that was three years ago. but objections from congress and

the public made the task much harder. few places have been willing to accept former guantanamo inmates. reports say abuse has since stopped in the camp, but 171 inmates remained, waiting to be prosecuted or released. in december, obama signed a law letting the military indefinitely detained al qaeda or taliban members without trial. >> here in germany, an opera star and grammy winner who its voice is loved by millions around the world has announced his professional retirement. thomas quasthoff says he will be devoting more time to teaching with his family. his musical career has long been an inspiration. he overcame serious birth defects to share his gift with music lovers everywhere. ♪ >> thomas quasthoff is often hailed as one of the greatest singers of our time. shot in the musical that his career has come to a sudden end.

he says his failing health means he can no longer meet his own high standards. in his almost 40 years as a classical singer, thomas quasthoff has earned four grammy awards. he performed giant world famous concert halls, from vienna to new york, and worked with world- class conductor is. >> it is a great musician an extraordinary man, and everything he sings it is full of the very deepest meaning. >> thomas quasthoff succeeded against great odds. he was born in 1959 with serious birth defects. a music conservatory rejected him because of his handicaps. but he was not deterred. today, he is a conservatory professor. after his retirement, the school be his focus, training young talent to one day take the stage. >> we look forward to hearing

that talent. i will be back with a look at preparations for the winter youth olympics. they began on friday. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> thank you so much for staying with us. the first ever winter youth olympics get underway in the austrian city of innsbruck on friday. the vision of the international olympic committee is to encourage excellence among young sports people and inspire them with olympic values and ideals. more than 1000 athletes between 14 and 18 from all over the world taking part. dozens of germans are among them. their training hard for the big event. the recent heavy snow falls in europe are adding to the challenge. >> katarina focused on getting off to a good start. in a ski cross, the first few meters can be make or break. under the watchful eye of the

national coach, germany's young hopefuls are determined to do their best. the heavy snowfall is making the going particularly tough. >> shift your weight once the tips of your skis are over. then you can take it more smoothly. >> i just did on and do not think about it too much. the coaches tell you what to do, and then you try to do as best as you can. >> the 16-year-old took up ski across two years ago after competing in alpine races. in suu kyi cross, speed is everything. four competitors start simultaneously. only the top two progress to the next round. the young sports people tried to continue training, but heavy snowfalls have made the course

treacherous. so the skiers are forced to wait around in bone-chilling temperatures. >> skiers ready? attention. >> you have to get straight out of the gate, get going the second it opens. take a fast start with the first push of the poles. then you can work on picking up the line you want to ski. >> but the weather is to pour for any real practice today. the coach calls it quits. >> the wind is blowing pretty hard. that makes it dangerous and difficult. the wind is blowing the snow everywhere. everything gets slower. that means you do not have enough momentum to get over a lot of spots. >> instead of practicing with jones and curves, these two can

only head back to the valley and hope for the weather to get better. ski cross is a new winter olympics discipline for the youth games in innsbruck. freestyle people and snow boarders are also invited. the games also include classic olympic disciplines like ski jumping. they are practicing here. women are competing for the first time. everyone is warming up for the big jump. katarina is among those to qualify for the german junior olympic team. she is from a winter sports town and was introduced to the sport by her brother. this intent is successful.

she clears a distance of about 100 meters, one of the best german results. >> i love flying weightless lee through the air for a few seconds. >> but those few seconds require a huge amount of time and preparation. she attends a winter sports academy and trains almost every day. one of her mentors is the german national coach. >> she is a pioneer. she is the first woman ski jumper taking part in the olympics. >> another innovation in innsbruck are 15 new mixed gender disciplines, with men and women competing for the same metals. -- same medals. >> back with the ski cross hopefuls, it means strength

training and stretching. ski cross is tough on the joints and tendons, and building up muscles can help avoid injury. both want to do well in their first olympics. >> the aim is go along, get some experience, and of course, win a medal. >> it is time to pack for innsbruck. katarina has good chances of a medal. shoes at the top of the pack in preparation. but she admits she has been a bit nervous as the countdown continues. >> here in germany, winter sports is especially popular in the mountainous regions and amid the top alpine of kids come from higher altitudes. there is a share fare of a flat-lenders as well in many disciplines. catch them young is the motto of

many top coaches. we met one in the eastern german city of dresden. she is looking to nurture talent for the extremely fast race called short track. >> is this the future olympic champion? or maybe this one? it is a first taste of skating for three to 5-year-old. deanna things it is never too early to start. >> keep going, like you're walking on a snow. very nice. >> she heads a training center for winter sports in dresden. she is constantly on the lookout for new talent, not just on skating rinks, but at schools as well. and she knows what to look for in a budding skater. >> how they fall is important. if they get up quickly, it shows they are fighters. some cry, but some get right back up again. that is when you could say they might be good athletes some day.

>> she also coaches the junior short track team. skaters 14 to 18 years old. the squad has made a name for themselves. they are a dominant force in their discipline. several national champions come from dresden. short track has been an olympic sport for two decades. the skaters zoom several times around a 111 uighur rink at speeds of up to 60 kilometers an hour. unlike regular speed skating, time does not matter. all that counts is to crosses the finish line first. >> keep your left shoulder down, your left shoulder. >> the coach says short track needs $10,000 of training to compete with the best. every move has to become second nature. back muscles need constant work to endure the g-forces in the curves. that is six days a week in an elite sports school.

>> i think germans can endure a lot. that is important to get to the top. i think we're doing so well, because athletes often know what they want to become. they have good role models, and that makes them train harder. >> she was once a rol for 10 years, she was a short track racer. now she is passing on her knowledge. >> i like becoming a coach. having my athletes on the podium is a huge success for me. it motivates me every time. >> and perhaps heard charges will bring her medals at the first youth olympics in innsbruck, where a team germany plan to prove they are the world's best. >> those games kicking off later this week on friday, and we wish the best of luck to all the contestants. thank you so much for joining

us, and see you again next time. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪ ♪

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