♪ >> hello and a warm welcome to the "journal" on dw. i am amrita cheema. >> i am ben fajzullin. afghanistan demands answers after u.s. soldier murders 16 civilians in a shooting rampage. >> angela merkel makes an unannounced visit to afghanistan to visit been the source soldiers. the winning -- winning ways at home to hamburg. ♪ >> the afghan problem and is demanding a u.s. soldier who went on a shooting rampage should be put on public trial in their country. 16 civilians, mostly women and

children, were killed in the shooting spree on sunday. >> president karzai has called it an unforgivable crime. the taliban has warned it will take revenge for the killings as public anger grows over the killings. >> in the provincial capital of kandahar, many residents have heard about the massacre in a village nearby. they are demanding an explanation and justice. >> we heard the soldier was mentally ill. that has to be investigated. if he did it on purpose, he has to be punished with death. >> this makes me sad and furious. i am ready to switch over to the taliban's side and fight against the foreigners. >> early sunday morning, a u.s. soldier walked off his face and went on a shooting spree in the village. he entered several homes. most of his victims were unarmed women and children. president barack obama expressed

his deep sadness over the attacks. in a telephone conversation with tommy karzai, he promised an immediate and thorough investigation. isaf is also attending damage control. the situation has been especially tense since the quran-burning incident last month. >> from isaf's point of view, of course these incidents and in particular the short distance between the incidents that we have seen in recent weeks are a burden and are of concern for isaf. >> isaf has good reason to be worried. the taliban are quick to exploit anti-western sentiment and the population and have already announced plans to take revenge for sun.'s killings. >> we just heard from the spokesman for the nato-led international security force in afghanistan. he is on the line. what steps are being taken to clear up this incident? >> well, at the moment, we are

obviously still in the face of the investigation. the shock about the incident has been expressed in the statement said general allen and the jana military command have passed. particularly on the u.s. side. we're looking into the incident. we're looking into what actually happened, how this soldier to leave the base, and what the background of the soldier is. so as this is an investigation that is ongoing and will lead to legal consequences, we have to wait for the outcome. >> on the background of these older, can you tell us more? >> well, what is known about a the supposed shooter that is in custody, in u.s. custody and is still in the country of afghanistan, is that it is a staff sergeant with 11 years of service in the u.s. army. he had been on the departments

before to iraq. it is his first deployment to afghanistan. he is under investigation canal and is in custody here in the country. >> we will have to leave it there. >> we stay in kabul for more and the afghan reaction to the killings. let's bring in our correspondent from the afghan capital. tensions are high in the country. it comes as negotiations are underway on the strategic partnership. how will this be affected by the incident? >> well, one of the issues is whether the u.s. should be able to continue carrying out night raids when combat troops leave. in incidents like this where u.s. soldiers enter people's houses, and this particular incident or innocent people were killed, really increase anger. this will strengthen hall made

karzai's case that the u.s. should not be able to carry out night raids after 2014. >> is their fear of more violence with the taliban sang it will take revenge for the massacre? >> the jelaboun tries to capitalize on these incidents. they have said that they will try to take revenge. i am not sure how seriously people are taking that. because the taliban have been waging a campaign for 10 years. they have been fighting daily anyway. regardless of incidents like this. the real fear is the public reaction. so far, it seems to have been quite restrained in kandahar. people have said that they want justice and the one an investigation, but they do not -- [inaudible] so far, there have been no protests. >> thank you for that update. german chancellor angela merkel has offered condolences over sunday's killings to president karzai.

she spoke to him during an unannounced visit to afghanistan a day after the shootings. >> she is visiting bundeswehr troops in mazar-e-sharif. germany has almost 5000 troops deployed across the country, the third largest contingent in the nato-led isaf force. >> the chancellor's visit to a prisoner have a security. this is her fourth trip to afghanistan. at a military base in the northern city of mazar-e-sharif, merkel paid her respects to the memory of the 52 german soldiers who have been killed in the country over the past 10 years. germany is a major contributor to the international security assistance force. the plan is reduce the german contingents by 400 to 4400 early next year. and for all german troops to be pulled out by 2014. however, merkel did suggest in comments monday morning that the deadline might be pushed back. our political correspondent

is following the story from parliament terry studios. the afghan the point is very unpopular in germany. what should we make of merkel's comments about the withdrawal of bundeswehr troops? >> her initial, afghanistan did give the impression that she was calling the timetable for withdrawal into question. indeed, she pointed out the conditions in the country were not yet such that anyone could think about an immediate withdrawal of nato troops. she said that, therefore, it was not clear that conditions would be to the point during 2014 that a withdrawal could happen then. however, chancellor merkel has since said that 2014 is indeed the withdrawal date. she said that the process of transferring power for responsibility to the afghans has already begun. having said that, she noted, however, that much still remains to be done. >> this was an unannounced visit, the first one since 2010. why now? >> there does not seem to be

anything in particular about the timing of this visit right now. the chancellor has been to afghanistan four times. she was last there in in december 2010. it is routine for the head of government to visit troops in the field from time to time. this, i believe, would appear to be happening simply within the context. >> ok, thank you for that. >> is turning to syria. foreign ministers from key members of the u.s. security council meeting in new york today to discuss the violence in the country. >> russia and china have blocked attempts to pass the security council resolution condemning the syrian regime for its crackdown on protesters. >> german foreign minister guido westerwelle flew in after talks with saudi arabian officials and expressed some optimism that moscow might reconsider its position. >> i believe if russia analyzes the situation in soberly, it will see that we do not intend

to encroach on russia's strategic interest in syria in any way. we're only interested in bringing about an end to the violence. >> now millions of people around the world and not have access to clean drinking water. >> today, experts are meeting in the french city of more site to discuss how to change that you're part of the sixth world water forum. we will have the details for you after the break. >> italy is officially in recession. figures just released on the country's statistics of the show the economies shrank in but the third and fourth quarters of 2011. this year is expected to be even worse. in january, industrial output was down 2.5% from december, three times as much as forecast. the government's program has clearly taken its toll on companies and consumer confidence. italy's central bank says it expects the economy to contract

1.5% in 2012. >> europe's biggest comic of volkswagen says that it has more than double. the figure in 2011 it reached nearly 16 billion euros. the germans said that volkswagen will continue its progress towards the top of the auto sector this year. however, since the debt crisis is slowing sales in europe, volkswagen expects most growth to come from asia, latin america, and russia. let's check in with conrad pole at the frankfurt stock exchange. great numbers for volkswagen. howard a. going down there? >> the stock price of volkswagen is down a bit more than 1.5% at the moment. but to put that into perspective, i also have to say that the stock price since the beginning of this year has risen more than 20%. of course, at the moment, investors are easily to be seduced into profit-taking. several factors are difficult to

predict if you want to evaluate future projects -- profits of the volkswagen. one is the situation and the world right car markets. another one is the introduction of a new production scheme into the whole group of volkswagen, which will cost a lot of money before it allows to cut costs further. >> registered about italy sliding into recession. how are the market's reacting to that news? >> investors on the stock markets are reluctant after this news. the yield on the italian government bonds rose slightly after the news came in. but still, this field on the 10- year italian government bond is remaining near an eight-month low. so there is not a very negative reaction. and people here say that this shows that confidence in the ability of the european central bank to really keep the situation in check route is big. let's check the numbers. the german stock index dax is

pretty much unchanged compared to friday. the leading euro stoxx 50 indicates negative territory slightly. the euro is currently trading at about. about131. >> thank you very much. >> israel has launched more air strikes in the gaza strip. witnesses said five palestinians were killed in today's raids, including a teenage boy. crowds turned up, vowing revenge. cross-order facilities. over 23 palestinians are thought to have died in israeli raids. most of the militants. israel says to the targeting palestinian militants who fired nearly 200 rockets at its towns since friday. for more, we go live to our correspondent in jerusalem. as to imagine, it is the fourth day of cross-order facilities. what lies behind this latest

escalation in violence? >> it is round of violence is one of the deadliest we have seen here in some time. it started on friday after a targeted killing by the israeli air force of a militant leader of the so-called popular resistance faction. a smaller militant group in gaza. this new round is attacks and counter-attacks. >> what is being done in an attempt to deal escalate the situation? >> although we have been told by israeli officials that there is no interest in further escalation by hamas, it is hard to tell when this will stop. we understand that hamas officials are in cairo to try to negotiate an end to the violence. but it is seemingly the smaller factions involved, like the islamic jihad. the question is how hamas will deal with it without appearing to week with in gaza. we have seen passed similar

flareups that ended with cease- fires negotiated by egypt. so far, efforts have failed. >> our civilians on both sides coping with this situation, very briefly? >> it is very difficult situation for civilians on both sides. the israeli side, schools have been closed for a second day. most people are advised to stay in nearby shelters. in gaza, the san tepco situation. there are no shelters in gaza. people are worried that this round of violence could get worse. and they hope that it will not end up in a war like to dozen a. >> right, thank you very much for that. >> you're watching the "journal" on dw. coming up, bundesliga soccer and securing the champion fleak qualification spot. >> sunday's match after an embarrassing defeat. all that and more coming up after a short break.

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♪ >> the challenges are huge and the problems are deep-rooted. >> that is what the french prime minister had to say is the open this week's world water forum in marseille. >> there was a demand for access to clean water and a decent sanitation for everyone. >> here is a look at 3 troublespots around the world which are sure to cause a stir at the global meeting. >> water makes life on earth possible. but the natural resource is scarce in many places. half a billion people worldwide have no direct access to clean drinking water, and the problem is getting worse. the reasons why are manifold. take mexico city as an example. as in.

mega cities, the population there is soaring. water supplies for its 20 million residents are limited and often polluted. decades of draining the city's underground water reserves are also causing it to sink by up to 40 centimeters each year. this makes it unstable, damaging buildings and infrastructure and increasing the risk of flooding. another case study is in northeast china. in november 2005, an explosion at a chemical plant spilled the cancer causing toxins benzine into a nearby river. the accident resulted in the authority's shutting out the water supply for five days. living on to bolivia. here, the water shortage resulted in a bloody protests. seven people died in the war for water when the community mobilized against the government's move to privatize the provision of water to the

city. a decision that made water unaffordable for many. so how should we deal with this precious commodity in the future? time for solutions. that is the motto of this year's world water forum. >> as you have seen, water scarcity is a huge problem in an megacities, but it is also true for india's financial capital mumbai. >> 21 million people. over half of them live in slums. for the poor, accessing drinking water is a daily struggle. >> early in the morning in mumbai, india. for one to two hours a day, the city's water works palm drinking water into residential areas. during that time, the inhabitants of mumbai's slums can collected in buckets from communal taps. latecomers have to make do with the dregs, dirty water that is not necessarily fit for

drinking. experts say the constant competition for such an essential commodity sparks conflict. >> on one hand, they produce the new challenges for providing services. on the other hand, they're like a bomb waiting to be ignited. because deep social unrest produces a very, very dangerous and eerie vocable problems. and people get angry. they feel that they have not got what they want. >> 21 million people live in mumbai, more than half of them in crowded slums. and the population is growing. providing them with water is becoming increasingly difficult. there is no water on tap here and no proper toilet facilities. streets and daughters are littered with human waste. in wealthy areas, it is a different story. residents and even water their gardens. in addition to drinking

supplies, well water is pumped out and sold to residents for household use. but there are projects under way to improve the situation. here, they're building a tunnel to transport more drinking water into the metropolis. its creators say it will double the city's water supply. by 20201, we will have no problem with the water. we will be surprising fault -- supplying fresh water to the hall of mumbai. but after 2021, if this goes on increasing, then we will have a problem. the water will come from several major reservoirs outside the city. mumbai is just one of many cities facing an acute shortage of drinking water. it is a worldwide problem than mostly affects the very poor. >> on average, every person goes through 4,000 liters of water a day. >> but most of the water

consumed is used by the agricultural sector. it is also here that it is most wasted. pizza for example, to report irrigation systems. >> it is 14 on coming up with more water solutions. >> these little probes attached to leave by means of a magnet measure just how much water the plant needs. it is not restricted to potted plants. this innovation functions on farmland from australia to spain. the name that the deals astounding results. >> our trials on olive trees near seville in southern spain have shown that it is possible to cut water consumption by over 40%. without adverse effects on at the harvest. >> far data are evaluated in real-time on the internet. the temperature near adelaide in australia is 30 degrees celsius. the spikes sure that these

grapevines need water again. 150 agricultural enterprises worldwide are already using the technique developed by this technology group in brandenburg. >> we are the first with this technology. we take the plant blood pressure and a sense as a text message when it is thursday. >> every probe is checked in the laboratory. the next batch is destined for south america. water is becoming scarce there as well. in the face of increasing drought, farmers are rethinking their methods. >> and now, chile has problems with its water supply. the last two winters saw very little rain and very little snow. they have problems keeping all of groves and vineyards water. and then at the end of april, we're off to south africa to install our first assistance there. -- first systems there. >> but they have also got

customers closer to home. only 60 kilometers away, he is investigating the energy efficiency of different would types further enlarge biomass power plant. beginning this spring, his probes will be here, looking at which species of tree uses the least water. >> the idea is to use the things we're developing here in brandenburg and the knowledge regain from them and to transfer them to other regions in germany or elsewhere in the world where we see similar conditions. that way the technology can be put to good use their as well. >> farming techniques that matched the soil. another way to save water. >> especially given that water stress is a huge issue in the world right now. you're watching the "journal" on dw. bundesliga action is coming up in a moment.

>> but first, a look at some of the stories in the news. following recent protest in moscow, the city council wants to tighten restrictions on the demonstrations. the deputy mayor said the costs for emergency personnel were in the millions. the local government never complained that traffic and commerce worsened evidently disturbed. the opposition has criticized the move as an attempt to curtail civil rights. >> reports from nigeria say there has been more violence in retaliation for sun.'s suicide bombing of a catholic church. seven people died there when the car blew up in the church compound. three others were killed by security forces who fired on a crowd of onlookers. >> of voters in switzerland have said no to a lawyer paid vacations. in the referendum, over two- thirds rejo increase and will leave from a minimum of four to six weeks. critics argued the

competitiveness. sports news now. the german bundesliga, both shalka and hamburg were looking to get back on track. it was the royal blue suit broke their losing streak after getting off to red-hots start. >> the game was only five minutes old before shalke for all the board. the strike hurt big advantage of a hamburg defense who seem to have missed the opening whistle. hamburg's defensive shortcomings were again on display 20 minutes later when the hosts advantage was doubled. >> lie in my 12-year career did the ball never fall at my feet before like that in the box? >> soon after, the referee judged there had been a foul in the box, awarding a penalty. >> if that was a penalty, there should have been 10 penalties.

the game would have ended 7- fiber something. >> they stepped up to the spot, giving them a 3-0 lead. before the break, a claw back. one goal for hamburger. but it was score sheet cosmetics. not even refreshments could spice up a dull second half. they ran out the match ended with a bid for champions league placed back on track. >> send it was a much happier day for hamburger's northern german rivals bremen. they made the most of their chances at home and ran out 3-0 winners against hanover. >> have never had more position in the first half and were more aggressive. scoreboard after half an hour. did after the restart, sebastian and headed it in to make it 2-0.

a successful return from injury. then, a complete of this somewhat flattering score line. >> anyone who watched the start, they know we blew a huge chance. >> we wanted to keep hanover behind us and we succeeded. but we have tough matches coming up. >> this was the sort of efficiency bremen have often lacked. this is their first home win cents round 16. >> that is that for now. good to have you with us. >> do not go away. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicp.org-- ♪ ♪