>> you are watching the "journal" from dw in berlin. >> coming up -- a possible way out of tennessee democratic row -- a messy democratic row. and nato reassures the kremlin that its missile defense plans pose no threat, saying a russian pre-emptive strike would be unjustified.

drama over a chinese dissident that has been straining relations between beijing and washington. china is now allowing him to apply to study in the united states. >> a week ago, the 40-year-old estate house arrest fleeing to the u.s. embassy in beijing. he was sent to a chinese hospital for treatment, which is when the activist made a dramatic call took a u.s. congressional hearing, asking for asylum, fearing for his and his family's life. >> though under heavy guard, he has been communicating with the outside world. he made an emotional call for freedom from his hospital in beijing. sadly, it seemed as if the diplomatic logjam between the u.s. and china might be breaking -- suddenly, it seemed as if the logjam might be breaking. >> i'm pleased that today, our ambassador has spoken with him again. our embassy staff and our doctor

had a chance to meet with him, and he confirms that he and his family now want to go to the united states so he can pursue his studies. >> the plan gives china a way to save face and avoids the sticky issue of granting chen asylum. china's foreign ministry has played down the up side. >> chen has the same rights as other citizens and they applied to study abroad and go through relevant procedures with the relevant parts. >> but he and his family did not have passports, and acquiring them could take a long time. the u.s. has said it expects china to process the document quickly. >> this is not just about well known activists. it is about the human rights and aspirations of more than 1 billion people here in china and billions more are around the world, and it is about the

future of this great nation and all nations. >> it appears as if the u.s. and china have overcome their current diplomatic row, though chen and his family are still in china. >> we spoke to our correspondent in beijing and asked if china is approaching a crossroads in how it treats dissidents. >> the question of whether they are at a crossroads about how decisions are treated in china has become more pertinent as the prospect of how to deal with chen guancheng has arisen. one of the other well known rights lawyers here has disappeared, and their questions as to whether he is still alive. he is now believed to be in prison. we have had other less well- known activist in jail -- activists in jail after working

for people seeking land rights in beijing. we have to see first of all whether the deal holds firm and whether he does get out of the country and possibly whether that could be a template for future deals or whether this was just a one-off which was given such high profile because of who chen guangcheng is. >> thanks for joining us. >> to cairo now, where protests outside the defense ministry have turned violent. there were reports of dozens of injuries. >> activists protesting the exclusion of many candidates from the upcoming presidential elections. >> it is the second round of violence this week. the military is imposing an overnight curfew in the area. >> stones thrown at protesters shouting their anger. the security forces responded with rocks, water cannon, and

tear gas. there were many injuries on both sides. the generals had banned demonstrations in the quarter ended the defense ministry, and 11 people were killed here in clashes on wednesday. today's protests began peacefully. thousands prayed together on tahrir square. "no more bloodshed. hand over power on june 20, 2012," says this poster. despite their political differences, that is one wish that people here share. >> god willing, this friday the protest will be strong. it will send a message to anyone trying to force by the revolution or turned it back. we will stay in a square until the last second appeared on june 30, the military council has to hand over power to an elected president after a clean election. >> three weeks before a vote that will give egyptians a chance to freely choose their leader, the situation remains extremely tense. >> a teenage suicide bomber in

pakistan has killed at least 20 people. >> the local television has claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted a security checkpoint. >> more than 40 others were wounded when the bomb went off near a crowded market. the tribal area near the afghan border has been one of the front lines in the country's fight against the taliban. iranians have been voting in a parliamentary elections. they could see opponents of president ahmadinejad win more seats. >> ahmadinejad's rivals got a majority of first-round voting in march. a ballot is seen as a test of the popularity of iran's clerical establishment. polls closed earlier in most of the country, but voting time has been extended in the capital of tehran. just two days until the presidential election in france, and the candidates have been wrapping up their campaigns. >> that are not allowed to go out on the campaign trail the day before the vote, so this has been their last chance to get their message across. >> polls have tied that in the

last couple of days, but the socialist challenger still appears to have quite a significant lead. >> still the man he wants to beat is fighting to the end -- still, the man he wants to beat is fighting to the end. campaigning reached its final phase on friday. just a few more hours for incumbent sarkozy to shake hands with potential voters. sarkozy's last day of electioneering was intricately staged -- royal blue background, triumph of music, and emotional speeches -- triumphant music, and emotional speeches. despite the perfect show, last minute polls indicate sarkozy is still lagging behind his rival, francois hollande. >> the 6.5 million people who voted are not second-class citizens and are not criminals. >> cell sarkozy courted the

ultraconservative camp in his final election speeches, highlighting his support for the catholic church, pledging to maintain a hard line against illegal drugs, and rejecting the notion of assisted suicide. earlier in an interview, sarkozy brushed off claims that his chances have some sense leaders of other parties have thrown their support behind hollande -- that his chances have sunk. hollande appeared confident on the final day of campaigning as he joked with audiences. >> i am a hard nut to crack. >> also in a radio interview, he appeared confident of victory. >> i want a comfortable majority. when the french people make their choice, they should do it unequivocally.

>> french law prohibits campaigning on the day before the election, so the electorate will have time to consider in peace whether they want hollande or sarkozy as president. >> british voters have also been going to the polls, and they have given the governing coalition a pummeling in local elections. >> results are still coming in from thursday's vote, but prime minister david cameron's conservatives and his liberal democrat partners already lost hundreds of seats with big gains going to the opposition labour party. but there is one bright spot for the conservatives in capital london -- the incumbent there is expected to win reelection. final results are expected later tonight. there have been two gruesome discoveries in mexico, both of which authorities say are linked to drug cartels. the bodies of four women and five men were found hanging off a bridge close to the u.s. border.

>> and police have found four dismembered bodies in a canal. two of the victims were photojournalist who had been investigating organized crime. press freedom advocates say mexico is the most dangerous country to be a journalist. nato has again made it clear that its missile defense plans pose no threat to russian security. >> the atlantic alliance insists that the system aims to protect member states from a possible attack by iran, but moscow fears that the shield could undermine the effectiveness of its own nuclear arsenal. >> the head of nato says he would much rather russia cooperate on missile defense, saying they have shared interests. >> with the nato summit in chicago just weeks away, and nato's secretary general met chancellor angela merkel in berlin. on the agenda -- nato's planned anti-missile shield which was the object to. merkel has pledged her support. >> we must use every chance to persuade russia that this is not

acting against them. rather, it is a measure for more security in which russia can participate to a certain extent. >> the kremlin has demanded a legally binding guarantee that the system will not be used against russia. the united states has refused. but rasmussen said russia's fears were groundless. >> i think the best way that the russians could see with their own eyes that our system is not directed against russia would be to engage actively in the cooperation that we have suggested. >> the defense system is to be completed in four phases by about 2020 and includes intercepted missiles based in poland and romania. >> on to business now. facebook has set an ipo price of between $28 and $35 a share, which could value the company of up to $96 billion a share,

dwarfing its rivals. >> trading in facebook stock is slated for may 18. it said to make company founder mark zuckerberg one of the richest people in the world. he is due to sell about 5% of his stake in the company and raise $1 billion in the process. our correspondent at the frankfurt stock exchange gave us this round of friday's trade. >> people here at the stock market sincerely hope that the facebook ipo will be a success. it is important that they are glad the process of will be under way. if investors are interested, if they buy a lot of shares willing to pay a high price, it is considered to be a good sign for the state of the stock market. hurt the mood here. the mood needs brightening. bad labor market news from the united states hurt the shares today because there were not enough jobs created in order to help the u.s. economy along on a

safe recovery. and there was bad news from the eurozone as well. after that, nervousness, uncertainty ahead of those important elections in france and greece over the weekend. >> now for a more detailed look at the market in frankfurt, the dax was falling again today by almost 2%. the your socks 50, a similar amount. -- the euro stocks 50, a similar amount. the your trading down as well, back down to $1.3933. >> time now for a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. >> twin car bombs in russia have left at least 12 people dead. more than 100 others were wounded in the attack outside a police station in the capital. >> authorities suspect that islamic insurgents are behind the glass.

>> at a united nations breathing in geneva, spokesman for the envoy to syria, kofi annan, have said that the united nations-led peace plan for syria is on track. a spokesman added that the conflict would not be resolved quickly but said that there were "small and slow signs of improvement." a 97-year-old australian man has become the world's oldest university graduate for the second time. >> he graduated with a master's in political science in new south wales on friday. back in 2006, the great grandfather and retired dentist set his first world record when he graduated at the age of 91. he says it is never too late to challenge yourself and embark on the adventure of learning. a little lesson for us all. >> stay with us. we have much more to come, including a look at the greek elections. and find out what it bishop looks like when he is doing the gardening. >> to and in for that.

>> a woman with a vision -- development of women as economic drivers. she produces high-quality seeds for farmers. she began small, convinced the bank to give her a loan.

>> i think we are prove to the bank that a woman can be equally competitive -- i think we're proof to the bank. >> give women opportunity. it is smart economics. >> time to check out the situation in greece. the leader of the socialist party says sunday's elections will decide whether greece stays in the eurozone. >> he gave his final campaign speech in athens, the scene of many anti-austerity protests over the last couple of years. the crowd included demonstrators and supporters. he warned that the country could head towards bankruptcy and massive poverty if voters make the wrong choice. >> with support for both major parties at historic lows, a record number of small parties are likely to enter parliament. our next report looks at the leader of one of those. >> he is unusual fall -- for a politician. his style is modest.

he comes across to many greek voters as almost shy. that image and his party's policies have helped his standing in the polls. >> we oppose the cutbacks. they are keeping the country in recession. we also oppose the new austerity package that is part of the great -- the bailout deal. it is part of the endless number of the austerity measures that will in the end cause the middle class to disappear. >> his words have struck a chord with greeks who are weary of three years of crisis. he's among the most popular politicians in greece. politically speaking, his party stands between the socialist party and the communists. together with like-minded supporters, he founded as party just two years ago. the party's guiding principle from the beginning has been yes to the euro and the eu, note to wage and pension cuts -- no to

wage and pension cuts. >> in order to pay our debts back, our country needs to defer the payments for a long time. we also need to have more time to pay the debts back. i believe that is the only way we will be double -- able to repay our debts. >> what do greek voters think about kuvelas' ideas? >> he represents a small, left- wing party, and i think their policies are good. >> i do not believe in any politician. you never know what they are really thinking or if they will honor their election pledges. you cannot trust anyone. >> he is a man whose interests are clearly different from those of the two main parties. personally speaking, i would prefer if prime minister papademos continued to govern. he could get the necessary changes through. >> kuvelis says he will not

cooperate with grease's two major parties. he will that go into coalition with either of them, even if it means you'll return to the opposition benches after the election -- kuvelis says he will not cooperate notgreece's -- cooperate with greece's two major parties. >> the current instability have many businesses preparing for all scenarios. >> this material could be considered a symbol of the uncertainty among greek businesses. the mock fashion company brought huge supplies. it cost 1.5 million euros, a huge burden for the medium-sized enterprise. >> there is certainly a chance we will see political instability. that could lead foreign companies to lose confidence and cut off deliveries. that is why we have bought our

fabrics earlier than usual. that will certainly allow us to fulfill our orders. >> greece's kiosk owners have other concerns -- they are among the country's typical small entrepreneurs. they depend heavily on domestic demand, and they would be glad to see an end to the government's austerity measures following an end to the elections. >> above all, i fear the next round of cuts in june. wages in the private sector will be reduced drastically. we do not know for certain what the consequences of the cuts will be, but we will definitely face new problems. how can there be a recovery if people have less money in the problem -- in the pockets? >> i intourist centers, there are few -- in tourist centers, there are few foreign visitors ahead of the vote. many have stayed away, fearing

unrest. hotel owners are closely following media reports on the election campaigns. the results of the elections are likely to have a huge impact on the country's most important sector. >> i really hope that we will get a broad-based and stable coalition government, one that is capable of implementing an austerity measures to consolidate the budget, even if they are severe and painful. i think that would be best. >> the outcome of the vote is still a tossup, but the latest polls suggest that more political instability could be on the horizon, and that is likely to further deepen the current recession. >> in the next few hours, argentina's president is expected to sign legislation nationalizing spanish-owned energy company ypf. >> parliament overwhelmingly approved the bill on thursday. thousands of people gathered to

watch the debate on screens outside parliament. the vote prompted loud celebrations and singing. the scenes inside parliament would just as striking. but the spanish oil giant is demanding compensation for the loss of its company. the european union is considering taking retaliation measures. ikea is investigating claims that its factories use products made by forced labor in germany in the 1970's and 1980's. >> the swedish furniture giant has requested documents from the secret police to find out more. pcommunist party leaders exploited thousands of political prisoners. >> many of those making furniture had done nothing more than say they just wanted to leave the country. >> dieter spend time in prison back in communist east german days. he was jailed for requesting permission to leave the country. in prison, he made furniture.

>> i had to work in a three- shift system. we were brought out in buses to a factory building. i sat there at a punching machine and did metalwork. >> he says he later found out he was making components for ikea. swedish journalists say they use political prisoners' work on a large scale, but it is unclear whether the company's bosses knew that. >> at the moment, we do not have a good picture of what happened. we have no indication of whether the new political prisoners were employed making ikea products. >> the company says it is taking the allegations seriously and has started its own investigation. there may well be other companies that benefited from prison labor back in the communist era, but ikea is the first to confront the issue. >> time for a change of pace

now. you are what you wear -- that seems to be the lesson from a fascinating new show that has opened up here in germany. >> if you have ever wondered what a bishop looks like when he is doing the gardening or a geisha when she is on a day off, this one is for you. >> it is a lot of fun, but it is a serious idea about the power of clothing to define who we are. >> from the selfish -- from the bishop -- a contrast with the tracks of a start. the same share person out of uniform. and aggressive ice hockey player, and the same young man with a friendly expression. these contrasts fascinate helen. her exhibition explores this notion of offices and allowed it to discover the power a uniform has on its wearer.

>> in private, they are more laid-back. of course, they want to be seen as friendly people. for some of them, the difference between public and private persona is very big. for some others, the two are almost the same. but for the majority, there is a huge contrast. >> she did not tell her subjects how to pose for the camera, but she says most felt more comfortable showing themselves in uniform. she photographed 70 men and women from nine different countries in their professional attire and there after workloads. -- their after-work clothes. >> when i wear a uniform, and taken notice of. i'm somebody. when i'm out of uniform, i disappear. that is a very big theme -- that people want to be seen and they are something special. >> that applies to the sumo

wrestler from japan. clothing is a key part of a person's character. that is true across cultures. yet, there are subtle differences. >> some of them told me that when they change out of their uniform, a switch slips inside them, or that their second sense of self emerges. it was only clearly expressed to me in japan. >> a uniform can help a person be who he or she wants to be, and for some, it can provide a power of transformation they might not have within them. >> some sport now -- the ice hockey world championships are on, and in stockholm, the german national team has advanced with a 3-0 win over italy. it is the spot but the first championship victory over the italians in 30 years -- it is the squad's first championship

victory over the italians in 30 years. >> plan as solar is the first sun-powered vote to circumnavigate the globe, and it has just returned to monaco. the catamaran set out with 38,000 solar cells. the owner says the round the world trip was an effort to demonstrate just how effective renewable energy can be. stay with us here on dw. we will have more news at the top of the hour. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--