>> you are watching the "journal" here on dw. here are the headlines this hour -- and the german president christian wulff resigns, saying the trust in him have been damaged by his personal mistakes. year after the toppling of get off the -- gaddafi. the german president has resigned. >> this step follows months of scandal surrounding his ties to

business leaders, which could now be subject to criminal investigation. >> the work has already begun to find a replacement. german chancellor angela merkel is meeting with leaders of parties and coalitions to meet with a list of candidates. it was a somber christian wulff who appeared alongside his wife to address the media at his official residence in berlin. the german president appeared calm as he faced waiting journalists, but there was little doubt about why he had called the southern press conference. >> developments in recent days and weeks have made it clear that people's trust in my ability to reach out have been permanently compromised. for this reason, it is no longer possible to fulfill the duties of president at home and abroad in a way that is required of the office.

so i am resigning from the office of president today in order to make way for a successor as soon as possible. >> wulff said he was proud of his achievements as president, and then he spoke of the scandal that had cost him his job. >> i have always behaved correctly in public office. i may have made mistakes, but i always maintained political probity. the media reporting we have experienced over the past two months has pain both myself and my wife. >> wulff had refused to step down for weeks, despite a series of claims about alleged impropriety while he was state premier in lower saxony, but his position became untenable after public prosecutors asked for his immunity to be suspended. >> as regards the upcoming legal

investigation, i'm convinced that it will lead to a complete exoneration. >> he leads after just a year and half in office, the shortest tenure of any german federal president. >> the wulff affair came to a head when it came to light he had enjoyed favors from the rich and powerful state premier of lower saxony while he was in office as president. >> a look at the main events leading up to the president's resignation. >> wulff's test began in mid- december when it was revealed he had paid for a new house with money borrowed from an entrepreneur friends, but he had denied in state parliament having business relations with the couple. he subsequently secured a bank loan at an unusually favorable interest rate. he then tried to influence media coverage with a threatening phone call to the editor in chief of germany's most read newspaper.

a short time later, he spoke in public about the affair. he apologized for attempting to influence the media but said he never granted any -- anyone inappropriate favor spiritually before the statement, he fired his spokesman without explanation. in early january, he tried again to clear his name. in a televised interview, committed to making mistakes in his dealings with the media but defended vacations his friends gave him at discount rates. in what he called the interests of transparency, his lawyer posted an extensive but not comprehensive number of documents on the internet. in mid-january came the next big speculations. he was said at a state permit to have actively helped his friend find sponsors for a society event. his former spokesman was also implicated. in february, state prosecutors in hanover announced they wanted

to investigate reports that wulff in 2007 accepted a paid vacation to the resort island. wulff's lawyers said the then state premier of lower saxony paid in cash when he checked out of the hotel. the problem -- state government had already promised a 1 million your loan. although the offer was never taken up, state prosecutor's office said it was evidence enough for an investigation. >> let's pull in our political correspondent. he has been on the story since day one. what happens next? how does germany get a new president? >> it is interesting because the german constitution says that as soon as the office of president is vacated, in what has been put in place within 30 days. the clock is ticking. the race is on to name new candidates who can go before what they call the federal assembly, which is a group of more than 1200 delegates from

the federal states who will gather in berlin sometime in the next four weeks and decide who will be president. >> were the likely candidates? >> right now, no names have been put out in the field officially, but there is already a great deal of speculation, as you might imagine. the first name on the list is the candidate who was put up a year-and-a-half ago. there he is in the tie. but at -- put up a year-and-a- half ago by social democrats and greens. he is a civil rights activist, a protestant pastor, not a member of any political party, but he enjoys great popularity in germany. the current president of the german bundestag, a member of chancellor merkel's conservative party, is also being talked about as a potential candidate. he has been an mp in germany for over 20 years. he carries a presidential air about him, and he is not averse

to moralizing, it must be said. >> all right, as always, thank you very much. the timing of this resignation is horrible for the german chancellor, and joe merkel -- angela merkel. a domestic problem is distracting her from dealing with the eurozone debt crisis. >> she postponed a trip to rome where she was to hold talks on the crisis with italian prime minister mario monti. >> the resignation is a blow to chancellor merkel, who had hand- picked christian wulff for the post in 2010. >> with his resignation, german president wulff has placed his office, his service to the people of our country above his own conviction that he acted in accordance with the law. i explicitly respect this move. >> the chancellor told the opposition she would seek a presidential candidate by

consensus and syrian-backed >> we want to lead talks in the situation with the aim of finding a common candidate to propose for the next election of the german president. >> the opposition has welcomed the move. >> the aim now must be to find a president who has broad support among the parties in parliament but also among the people. we would be well advised to avoid any premature decisions and public speculation. that, however, has not stopped and the discussion of who will potentially move into berlin's presidential palace. one potential candidate could be the president of the bundestag. another possibility could be a

former east german civil rights activist and loser of the last presidential poll, but this time, the opposition is likely to insure that merkel does not go it alone in the search for a new president. >> monday is now the target date for a second bailout for greece when eurozone finance ministers meet in brussels. confidence is high that an agreement will be reached. >> agrees needs 130 billion euros to avoid bankruptcy next month. in return, greece must push through major spending cuts. the streets of athens, though, measures are being met with fierce opposition. there were more clashes outside parliament between police and students rallying against spending cuts to education. at least the markets seem happy today. stocks rallied on news that eurozone leaders are on track to approve the crucial bailout of greece. our correspondent has a roundup from the frankfurt stock

exchange. >> the eurozone will not drop greece. most people here are positive about this. this despite the fact that so many questions remain open. in terms of private-sector involvement into a greek debt restructuring. the european central bank, which also holds large amounts of greek government bonds, is said to a major by agreement with grease definitely not to take part into a hair cut on its greek bond holdings. spot august, the mood was very good on the stock market this friday. the dax has been climbing to its highest level in more than six months. >> here is a look at the blue- chip dax, ending the day of almost 1.5%. across the atlantic, the dow jones industrials also in positive territory. the euro trading for $1.3149.

>> if you have tried to fly out of the frankfurt airport today, you will certainly be glad to see the week and purified it was the second day of delays and cancellations caused by a strike by the airport ground crew. they stop working yesterday in protest of pay talks that have stalled. >> are having a knock on effect across europe, leaving passengers stuck in frankfurt. we have this report on how they are coping. >> for a second day, people at frankfurt airport are left waiting and wondering. most long-haul flights are able to land, but many passengers with connections our stock. friday's strike is to last a full 14 hours, twice as long as the day before. >> i'm sympathetic, but it is a nerve wracking the way they are pushing their demands. >> it has been quite an unusual experience in germany. i've been to germany many times on business and never experienced anything like this. >> some 200 ground controllers

are demanding up to 70% more pay. they say their job has become tougher since a fourth runway open. >> people should remember that we as a union were ready to agree to mediation, but we did not choose the mediator. the airport operators did. then there was a result that we expected, but the airport did not. it is not about 70%. it is less than that. >> the ground controllers are essential for flight operations. they are responsible for guiding planes in and out of parking slots. the union has said it intends to strike again next week if the airport does not show willingness to compromise. >> brace yourself -- screaming fans at the berlinale to it. "twilight" heartthrob robert pattinson is in town. >> he is in a costume drama set in late 19th century paris that tells the story of a poor man

who sleeps and cheats his way to the top of society. pattinson play is a an ex- soldier who uses his looks and charm to seduce society duties to climb the social ladder. sounds familiar. it is the first venture into movies for the director, who said that the novel covering a corrupt government and a composite media is still relevant today. >> imagine that. all right, scott is across town for us at the film festival. what did you think of "bel ami?" >> i'm not really a fan of costume drama or of pattinson, not be a 14-will grow. for fans, you have a lot. he gets to look sexy and broody and where a lot of pretty costumes, so for them, i'm sure they will really enjoy the movie, but for me, i would

rather put a stake in the old empire and move on. >> glad you're not on the jury for the golden bear, scott. can you hear me, scott? can you hear me? looks like we have lost scott. scott, are you with us, my friend? >> now i can hear again. >> ok, good. >> before we let you go, it is the final night of competition. what movie is your tips for the golden bear? >> i think it could be a real surprise. i think it could be an american film. billy bob thornton's touching, sensitive drama about 1960's america. i to be a surprise if it did win because we do not have american films when usually, but that is my heart to. >> scott, thank you very much. >> if that film wins, he wins over his ex-wife, angelina jolie who also had a film there. >> that is what happens when you get divorced.

>> we will be back with more news in just a moment. >> do not go away.

>> welcome back. they are celebrating in benghazi. >> that is the city in libya with the revolution began one year ago today, the revolution that would eventually topple muammar gaddafi. >> this report of the party people could only dream about one year ago. >> freedom square in benghazi over year ago. people are celebrating their victory over the gaddafi regime. >> we are glad that the revolution finally came to an end. we hope that things will be better and the country will go forward and everything will be freer. >> a year ago, libya was a very

different place. people took to the streets to demand reforms. a defiant muammar gaddafi reacted with a violent crackdown and appeared confident of victory, but the protests led to civil war. >> after nato intervened, rebel fighters took the capital, and the dictatorship was toppled. today, there is reason for hope in libya. in june, people will vote for the first time in national elections, but not everyone is happy. there are reports of continuing human rights violations and some rebel militias remain armed. out of respect for those who died, the new leadership has not organized celebrations at a national level. a year after protests first erupted, many people remember the victims with traditional muslim prayers. >> not everyone is joining in the celebrations in libya. >> that has everything to do with the fact that the revolution has not brought about positive changes for everyone.

>> we have this report on activists who are doing their best to remind their new leaders of a lot of unfinished business. and he is on his way to libya's state broadcast. it used to be an organ for gaddafi's propaganda machine appeared to become a civil rights activists make use of the studios. he produces talk back radio with the host. listeners can call in and ask questions about the new libya, about politics, and their new democratic rights. >> thank god that democracy and freedom have one. with these words began the show marking the anniversary of the revolution. freedom of expression is new to libya, and it is opening new opportunities. he explains the aims of his show

to the broadcasters had a radio.

it has only been one year since the beginning of the revolution. when we talk about how much better things are for libyans, what exactly are talking about? >> i think the situation is a lot better than a year ago. the civil war was relatively short. the security situation right now is not too bad. it could have been worse, at least. in june, there will be elections. that is far better than anything we could have expected a year ago. at the national transitional council seems to have, i would say, significant problems in maintaining order right now. there are reports of fighting going on. amnesty international also said this week that armed groups are

imprisoning and torturing people just like gaddafi's forces did. >> it is libya, after all, after a civil war. these militias you are talking about are effectively ruling the country, and that is why the central government -- that means the transitional council -- has got major problems to exert its control over the country, and that will not change in the coming months. that is probably the biggest problem libya is facing today. >> thank you very much. back to our top story -- the resignation of the german president, christian wulff. then he announced he's leaving office today after months of scandal surrounding personal favors he received. >> until the scandal broke, and enjoyed strong popularity among the public. we asked people what they think about his decision to leave office. >> he made the right decision. i'm very happy. in fact, i'm going to drink a beer right now.

>> maybe he should have done so sooner. to keep the charges being raised by prosecutors under the rug. >> as head of state, you have a moral duty to your countrymen. i think it is good he has taken this step. if he had not, it would have hurt germany's image. he was not a role model anymore. he could not stay in office. >> i feel sorry for him that it went so far, but it is probably better for germany. >> i do not think it is good for us to start changing presidents every few years. >> it was a moral issue, his behavior. if one of us did what he did, accepting a free gift, we would be fired. >> i did not like that there seemed to be a smear campaign in recent weeks to uncover any information about him. i think it reflected negatively on germany.

>> maybe we need to rethink whether we really need this office. >> you have to stop and ask if we need a new president and whether it would not be wiser to other use. >> thank goodness. he should not have even been a candidate. given what we found out about him. >> the office of german president is largely ceremonial, but it matters. >> the president is seen as a moral compass for the nation. a person who dares the country to honor its values and ethics. >> with integrity of the president himself comes in a question, it is a situation that can quickly become a trauma for the country, and today's resignation is not the first time this happened. germany has seen two of its president resigned in space of just two years. a first in the history of the country's highest office. the resignations have tarnished the office and sparked debate about whether germany even needs

a president. the first crisis came in may 2010 when the president resigned without warning after intense criticism for remarks he made on a trip to afghanistan. >> i hereby announce my resignation from the post of federal president with immediate effect. >> the shocking announcement left the country reeling. even today, the reasons behind the resignation are unclear. the president yields the power that lies in his words. to some, a single sentence has shaped entire term. >> germany must give itself a shake. we must give up chairs the tablets, especially in our heads where we put everything in the same basket. >> but the president's words can only carry weight if he is viewed as a moral integrity figure.

it was germany's first ever present is to set the moral tone as the office. for years, german president's followed in his footsteps, even if they were not quite as flamboyant. heinemann was the first social democrat to hold the post. shield became the second president put forth. it was only in the 1980's that a german president once again played a prominent role on the political stage. the first president of a united germany. "we want to serve global peace in a united europe. -- europe." after unification celebrations were over, he succeeded in

winning the trust of germany's neighbors. his subsequent dollar has a shadow over presidency, but he managed to resist calls for his resignation. wulff was a close ally of chancellor merkel. some say he is the post as a weapon of power in politics, some say to the detriment of the post. germany hopes his successor can restore faith and integrity to the country's highest office. >> and the story goes on. that wraps up this edition of the "journal." captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--