♪ >> welcome to the "journal" on dw. >> i am richard walker. coming up -- >> the blind dissident at the center of the diplomatic drama. beijing and washington at spar over chen guangcheng. >> thugs in cairo blamed for at least 11 deaths. >> the moment of truth, nicolas sarkozy meets his presidential contender in a prime-time tv debate. >> it is a diplomatic drama straining ties between beijing and washington, and it is not over yet.

>> after days of being in hiding, the human rights activist, chen guangcheng, has left the usoc in beijing. he says threats made him leave. >> he told the ap news agency that chinese officials threatened to send his family away if he refused to leave u.s. protection. beijing denies that, and it has lashed out at the u.s. for meddling in its affairs. >> now chen says he wants to leave china, and he is appealing to washington for help. >> chen guangcheng was brought to this hospital after leaving the u.s. and the sea in beijing. originally both the u.s. and china said the blind legal activist left of his own accord to seek medical treatment and be reunited with his family. on wednesday morning, his lawyer made no mention of the alleged threats. he pointed out that chen had not years. the activist's extraordinary escape to the usoc last week has

passed a bright spot light on human rights abuses in china. now. washington and beijing are having to deal publicly with a delicate diplomatic situation. on wednesday, chinese state tv broadcast a statement from the foreign ministry which accused the u.s. of interfering with the country's domestic affairs. formally apologize and start a full investigation. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton is currently in beijing for scheduled annual economic and strategic policy talks. but that agenda might now be clouded by yet more allegations about how china deals with human rights activists. no matter how prominent they are. >> for more, we spoke to our correspondent in beijing. he gave us this report. >> chen guangcheng, the blind chinese activist at the center of the standoff between washington and beijing, left the

u.s. embassy yesterday after he received assurances from the chinese government that he and his family will be allowed to live a normal life. however, over the course of the day the story has changed quite a lot of the activist leaders said that he wants to leave china because u.s. officials have told him that the chinese authorities have threatened to beat his wife and threaten his family if he did not leave the u.s. embassy. the crux of this seems to be that the family was brought to beijing by guards from where he was kept under house arrest. they have been regularly harassed and beaten by the guards there. that seems to be the threat if he did not leave the u.s. mission. now the question remains to be seen how things develop, whether he can have his safety assured and that of his family and with a decision can be resolved in time to make sure that very important talks between china

and the u.s., which take place every year, and they're looking at big issues this year like iran, north korea, and the global economy, whether these dogs can be a success. >> thank you for joining us from beijing. >> of violence as it returned to the egyptian capitol. at least 11 people dead after clashes in central cairo. the victims or protesters demanding an end to army rule. >> tensions are running high at the presidential elections in three weeks after many candidates were barred from taking part. >> the assailants used six firebombs and stones to attack the demonstrators who have been camped outside the defense ministry for days. most are supporters of an islamist presidential candidate who has been barred from taking part in the >> why is all this happening? we're protesting peacefully. at the military council wants to put an end to this, why cannot divide the two sides like they did before? >> it is still unclear to the

attackers are. state media blamed local residents angered by the disruption. others said the military sent thugs in. >> the clashes started before 4:00 a.m. thugs of provoking the people. >> it went on for hours before security forces intervened. >> soldiers turned up after we clashed with the thugs and made the run away. >> but the situation remains volatile dollar amid growing calls for the military rulers to have power to civilian government. >> now, the u.n. security council has unanimously approved a resolution threatening sanctions against both sudan and south sudan if the violence on the order continues. >> the council wants them to return to negotiations over their disputed border and oil resources. the resolution condemns south sudan's seizure of heglig as well as sudan's bombings in the south. they're still reports of heavy fighting and the border region

with dozens of combatants and dying. >> taliban militants have struck kabul in a series of attacks just hours after a visit by u.s. president barack obama. seven people were killed in a suicide car bombing at the green village complex. that is a compound used by the eu, u.n., and aid groups. the casualties were afghan nationals. gunfire continued for hours after the blast. a taliban spokesman said the attack marks the start of the spring offensive and serves as a rebuke to a partnership pact signed earlier by obama and his afghan counterpart hamid karzai. >> welcome to the french presidential race is heating up as we speak with incumbent nicolas sarkozy facing off in a televised debate with his socialist challenger francois hollande. >> this is seen as a make or break for sarkozy. hollande has a lead of between six and 10 points in opinion

polls. and he has a reputation of being a better life speaker. we will find out who is doing best in the debate later on. >> standard and poor's has lifted it greece out of default territory. >> the move was expected after athens completed the onslaught of about 100 billion euros, canceling a third of the country's debt. but the credit rating agency kept greece firmly in the junk category with a ccc rating. the award of the deep recession, unpredictable elections sunday, and anger against austerity threatening efforts to get finances back on track. >> meanwhile, the eu finance ministers have been meeting in brussels to finalize a new banking rules for the next year. they determine how much capital that lenders need to keep on reserve in case of another crisis. >> the struggle with finance ministers and divided. at the meeting, one diplomat

warned that the international credibility is at stake. >> but you're out's banking authority says it is pleased with the progress by some banks, starting to reach cover requirements. >> the new rules are supposed to make sure that banks and lending stays in a safe relation to the amount of money the actually possess. some countries, such as spain, have already gone down that route, forcing their banks to strengthen their capital base. so the spanish economics minister came to the brussels talks in a confident mood. >> the spanish banks easily conformed to the demands of the accord. in terms of the quality and the amount of their capital. >> basel 3 his eighth agreement after the last banking crisis. economics and finance ministers are wrangling over whether to enshrine it in eu law countries such as britain, sweden, and

poland did not think it goes far enough and want to set such rules themselves. others, such as germany, want a pan-european approach. >> what the britons want is to be able to set stricter national standards. that is not wrong, but we must, of course, trying to have unified set of rules. >> whatever solution at the talks come up with will have to be put to a vote in the european parliament. >> the number of people out of work in the years and has hit another high. the figures for march showed joblessness at almost 11%, the highest level in the history of the euro. >> the picture is different in germany, where the labor market remains quite healthy. but how can that last with so much of europe in crisis? >> even though the spring upswing was not as strong as in recent years, germany's labor market is running smoothly.

in april, 65,000 people found jobs. that brought the number of people out of were down to 2,963,000, putting germany's unemployment rate at 7%. the german labor minister attributes the positive development to stable economic conditions in the country's business sector. >> we see that the hiring momentum is not as dynamic as a was a year ago, but that in no way signals that we have stopped just the opposite of the high number of vacant positions shows that it is imperative that we find highly skilled socialists. >> germany is something of a loner in europe. the european union released leaders wednesday showing unemployment at a record high. in march, the eurozone jobless rate rose to 10.9%. in italy, unemployment jumped to 9.6%, the highest level in eight years. like many of its european

neighbors, italy is struggling with the debt crisis and tough austerity measures. >> time to check in on at the markets. uli sent us this report. >> the german economy is strong at the moment. the labor market data shows that, still, the traders were not really pleased because they were looking for a bit more improvement in the labor market than was shown. add to that disappointing news, record high unemployment in the eurozone, and factory activity, according to the purchasers managers' index, in spain and italy and in the eurozone, all adding to a mix of shares being under pressure. late trading data derived from the united states, from the labor market there, which finally rushed european shares, the dax including, down words. >> let's take a look in numbers

in more detail. the dax ended at 6110, down. the euro stoxx 50 also down. the dow jones is also lower, 13,241. the eurobank losing ground against the dollar. $1.3155. >> and other top german politician is in the spotlight after allegations of plagiarism. a university is investigating anonymous claims that the education minister did not properly sourced parts of the doctor. >> a spokesman for the university says they have asked a committee to review the thesis. she has called for those behind the allegations, which were posted on an internet blog but, to come forward. time for some german soccer news. dortmund's striker is set to leave the bundesliga champions at the end of the season for china. >> the national player has signed a four-year contract with

the team. since 2010, he scored 39 goals. an injury early this season put him on the sidelines. >> berlin is packed with space experts from around the world today for a conference on the international space station. >> 16 countries are involved in the $100 billion station, so it is and as a global effort. over the next decade or so, it will be a platform for technological research that is out of this world. >> the iss is an ultra-modern space laboratory, and it is "with all kinds of high tech that allows research in a variety of sciences, from astrophysics to biology and medicine, to development of new materials. six astronauts man at the iss and carry out experiments. in all, the new window on human knowledge. in berlin some experts are discussing the benefits of research for humankind. the first experiments carried

out on the iss or conceived by german and russian scientists. >> german research takes center stage aboard the international space station. where are by far the most active country, and that means we are most active within the european union as well. we carry out research on behalf of europe, but we also cooperate with russia and america on bilateral projects. >> this shows the broad spectrum of research before an example, an alpha magnet spectrometers research and for antimatter. this piece of equipment helps doctors understand and treat equilibrium problems. the exhibition is designed to increase private sector enthusiasm for space research. it is a difficult prospect given the time span from experimentation to marketable product. >> stay with us. we will be back, and we're going to have a closer look at some of the research going on on the iss. >> and we will be looking at how germany is struggling to make

the transition away from nuclear power. ♪ ♪

♪ >> there is a federal election coming up in germany next year, and nuclear energy is still a nagging issue for the chancellor. >> in a massive u-turn last year, angela merkel dr. longstanding support for nuclear power after japan's fukushima disaster. >> the decision was a blow for many power suppliers, but merkel now has to try to get on board as far as government policy goes. >> the heads of the country's biggest energy company published companies are on the way to a meeting with chancellor merkel. her government has decided to phase out nuclear power. upper discussion now is how to plug any gaps in the medium term. nine nuclear power stations are being taken offline nine the next 10 years. they are to be replaced in part by new coal and gas-fired power

stations. but before the energy companies commit to building new plants, they want guarantees from the government, especially under -- on the deep -- especially on the construction of new power lines. the government is trying to show it has seized the initiative. >> producing a plant is unique and the history of our country, and we should do this as soon as we can, together with a civil society groups. and it is our aim to mainstream the process and to make it possible to build new power lines more quickly than we have up to now. >> the opposition for its part is annoyed that only the big energy companies were invited to they also say there's little chance of meeting the nation's unless the government soon changes its approach. >> staying on the subject of energy, a german motorists are paying more than ever at the gas pump.

a new office to monitor the price of petrol. petrol stations would be required to report price hikes and productions. the government says the plan is meant to increase transparency in this competition. weighing on germany's leading airline lufthansa. expected first quarter operating loss in 381 million euros, twice as much as another. still, lived on so says it is confident it will turn a double- lufthansa said it is confident it will turn a profit this year. all right, time to return to the french presidential debate that is going on in paris. we're joined now from brussels by nina. there she is. hello. watching this in paris.

millions of people watching this in france. it is almost as important in brussels, isn't it? how closely watched is this presidential race where you are? >> i am sure i am not the only one in brussels watching this television debate and watching the outcome of the elections on sunday. it is something that interests everybody here at the european union institutions, of course, european leaders. largest economy of germany. france and germany have been a key driving engines in trying to resolve the current crisis. there is plenty of interest. >> a lot riding on this debate, not just for friends but for europe as a whole. how is the debate going so far? >> in the first 15 minutes, it was a bit of -- sort of a very careful, a polite way of addressing each other. both candidates are trying to give the impression of being very calm and police.

they exchanged polite words, of course. now they are reaching the topic of a plymouth, something where people really want to know where the candidates stand and what they can expect from each of them. but you have to keep in mind, it is a debate which is fascinating the french media as well, and we started watching it with the promise that there's a lot of theater going on tonight, and you can also expect some politics. >> what about sarkozy, he has his back against the wall -- what kind of arguments is he deploying so far? >> he is mainly playing on the point that he has been the president of france so far for the last five years, so he has some experience which francois hollande does not. he has never had a ministerial post. he has been a politician all his life essentially, the was never really in a very important position. this is something that sarkozy plays on. so far, it is really interesting to see, because sarkozy does not have anything to lose.

>> turning to the challenger, hollande is the front runner, and he has a lot to lose. what kind of strategy is he using? >> no, people have described him as being a bit bland so far, and of course he knows that he has to get a bit of character as well to this debate. so he is trying to show people that he can be charismatic as well, and he makes jokes. he makes a bit of fun of nicolas sarkozy when he interrupts him, for instance. it will be very interesting. >> we will be coming back to you later. thank you, nina. as we heard, there is a big meeting going on here in berlin today on the international space station, that $100 billion laboratory orbiting the earth. >> everyone thinks that is money well spent, but you often find that technologies developed for manned space travel can help down here on earth. >> here is a look at some of the research taking place on and off the iss.

>> at the micro gravity user support center in cologne, germany, scientists can exchange data with the international space station. that allows them to conduct experiments on the behavior of materials in space without leaving planet earth. police and the astronauts center, scientists are trained for missions -- in the astronauts center, scientists are trained for missions in the used equipment identical to what is aboard the iss. in space, a machine like this is used to build small symbols a medal in the zero gravity. researchers tried the same experiment on the ground here. >> on the ears, gravity would cause the heavy particles to sink within the molten mass. and with experiments on the space station, that does not happen, because there's no gravity and no difference between heavy or lighter particles. >> as they cool, the metal

samples develop different microstructures than on the ground, meaning the space symbols of completely different properties. this machine is known as a levitate there. it allows researchers working in space to melt metals without causing impurities in to examine how it hardens again. it is planned to operate the machine on the space station, making it possible to conduct systematic research on various alloys in the zero gravity environment. scientists will then compare those samples with metals that have gone through the same process on earth. the use electro microscopes to examine the structures of the metals. the researchers want to know which processes influence the hardening of the metals, how these processes affect the structural formation, and what properties developed as a result. >> if we can determine and

understand basic properties, then we will know, for example, wear rubber -- whether we only have to keep a particular talent to a certain temperature to define the desired property. each degree saved saved energy, time, and money. >> their goal is to develop materials needed by sectors such as the auto industry. metals that are light and stable but remained flexible. and to write a computer program that can show how these materials can be produced as efficiently as possible. >> what is it actually like to do research in space? we spoke to a man who knows the answer. thomas reiter spent many months doing experiments in orbit. now he is back down on earth as director of human space flight operations at the european space agency. we asked him what kind of projects he was working on in his career as an astronaut. >> maybe i can give you two examples in the area of human

research. osteoporosis is a widely distributed disease, and still, it is not very well understood what the real cause of this disease is. of course, today we're able to fight the symptoms, but we're not yet able to really find the root of this disease. working in microgravity can help to understand the mechanisms that initiate this disease and help to protect people on earth who are suffering from osteoporosis. maybe another example from the area of biochemistry, it is possible in weightlessness to generate protein crystals. proteins play a very important role in all life functions, in all bodies. crystallizing those proteins and analyzing them gives us insight in how these proteins are actually working, how their functioning, and that is indeed

a prerequisite to develop better drugs, better madison to fights -- better medicine to fight certain diseases. >> what will happen to the diocese after 2020? the russians said it would be brought down after that time. >> already today, we're using iss as a test platform for the development of new technologies, new exploration technologies which will be needed once human beings will be going beyond low earth orbit. certainly, iss will not stop working at the end of this decade. still, i cannot tell until when iss will be available, but foreshore, there will be still, even after 2020, the demand to do research in microgravity and under space conditions. i am confident that this unique regime for scientific research will be used even in the next decade. >> thank you very much for joining us, thomas reiter.

as we just heard, there are just a few days ago and the french presidential runoff, and greenpeace is marked the occasion with a publicity stunt. >> the environmental group was arrested after dropping a smoke bomb over a nuclear facility in southeastern france. the organization says it was meant to show the nuclear site's vulnerability to an airborne attack. >> definitely do not like seeing red smoke coming out of that. stay with us. we're going to have more news at the top of the hour right here on dw. >> thank you for watching. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪

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