♪ >> hello, and welcome to the "journal" on dw. here are our top stories. more shelling in syria. the u.n. warns this sending the nation into civil war. the german president has a symbolic state visit to israel and palestinian territories. and should governments in europe be allowed to keep records on mobile phone and internet use? ♪ >> a warning today to syria's richet from the united nations. you are pushing your country towards a civil war it will

never recover from. >> ban ki-moon talking about the bloodshed that continues despite an official ceasefire in the presence of u.n. observers. >> more reports of troops once again shelling the region of houla, the site of last week's massacre. >> and more violence in homs, one of the major flash points of the conflict. >> their houses are destroyed, and even as the people here tried to flee the destruction, new explosions can be heard. this is homs. fighting is raging across syria, like here in this internet footage from houla. few here have faith that damascus will implement the peace plan from kofi annan. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton rebukes moscow for propping up the regime when a political transition is what is needed. >> i can tell you that right now we're focused on supporting kofi annan, reaching out, both inside

and outside of syria, bringing together those that are most directly affected, particularly in the region. in the last several days, i have had numerous conversations. i will have many more over the next few days, with particular attention paid to the russians. >> russian president vladimir putin is due to meet german chancellor angela merkel on friday. her position is already clear. >> a catastrophe is taking place in syria. we will do everything we can to alleviate the people's suffering. >> while the international community fails to find a common line on syria, anger is growing. rebels have send the assad regime and all the made them. they say damascus must implement the u.n. peace plan by noon local time on friday. if not, they will no longer observe any commitments other than to defend its civilian lives. >> let's focus on those comments from hillary clinton earlier.

we will go over to washington. max, fill us in on hillary clinton's message. she is exasperated with the russians. >> yes, she is, and that is the big difference to the intervention in libya one year ago. this time, there seems to be no chance of convincing the russians to go further, to go beyond what they already have in the security council. they have backed the peace plan, but they seem unwilling to use their influence over syrian president assad to up the pressure and to stop the violence. that is what many here think would be the only possibility of changing things on the ground except for military intervention. >> at the same time, military intervention -- hillary clinton has been very clearly ruling that out at this point. >> that is right. one of the reasons is is an election year and the public here is very tired of wars. they were not especially enthusiastic about the intervention in libya, although it is judged a success looking

back. but they are less enthusiastic about an intervention in syria. the u.s. have good reasons not to go there. the secretary of state explained to them, they argue that intervention in syria would be much, much tougher than in libya. multiple reasons for that. first and foremost, the military in syria is better organized and stronger. there is no unified opposition there. probably most importantly, the international committee, including china and russia, so the security council would not back an action like that, and that might have the u.s. ending up with a situation if they went anyway to parable to iraq. they want to avoid that at all costs. >> thank you. >> a longstanding state of their emergency in egypt has come to an end after more than three decades. >> the country's ruling military says that the emergency law expires on thursday, and lawmakers decided not to renew it. it had been in place since 1981. it extended police powers and allow suspects to be held

without charge. human rights watch says 200 people are still being detained under that law. >> irish voters have just under two hours to finish casting their ballots before polls close in a referendum on the eurozone 's fiscal stability pact. >> it sets limits for countries sharing europe's common currency the latest opinion polls indicate the deal will receive irish approval but by a slight majority. the result is expected later friday afternoon. the head of the european central bank says that the eurozone is unsustainable unless it takes further steps toward integration. >> mario draghi arguments the national powers of regulating banks be transferred to the central european authority. he also criticizes some of the eu governments for underestimating the scale of the banking crises in their countries. he says banking changes should only be one part of revamping the entire structure of the monetary union. let's hope these types of

initiatives could save spain. it is closer to the brink of bankruptcy, and the job situation has gone from bad to worse. >> the government in madrid is trying hard to cut its big budget deficit. one measure is cutting subsidies to the coal sector, but unions say this can mean up to 30,000 layoffs. >> that has led to massive demonstrations. >> the march through the center of madrid was somewhat less than peaceful. police arrested at least two people, and there were several injuries. 100,000 took part in the protest against planned job cuts in the coal mining industry. they are afraid the colorado mines will be shut down entirely. 40,000 jobs have been cut in the past decade. -- they are afraid the mines will be shut down entirely. >> we do not want a conflict like this. in fact, we have not caused it, but we're ready to stick to our guns into the government agrees to keep the mines open. >> they're totally wrong. but i think they could still put it right. >> but the spanish government

refuses to spare in the industrial sector from its austerity measures. mining unions have called for a strike of the government fails to revoke the job cuts. >> there is one economy that continues to defy the years of crisis, and that is germany. >> the latest proof comes from the labor market where workers continue to enjoy high levels of employment this month. many businesses hired new workers. >> the question is, how long can the positive trend continue? we have this report. >> as far as employment is concerned, germany is the fairing better than many of its european neighbors. the country's labor office says just under 3 million people were jobless in may. that is 6.7% of the work force. the figure is a 0.3% drop from april. but the head of the labor office says labor market growth is slowing down. >> we cannot expect to have

continually falling unemployment and continually rising job creation. >> half a million more people are in work and at this time last year, and many sectors are still looking for staff. skilled workers are in high demand in the electronics, metal, and automobile industries, as well as retail. >> let's get the lowdown from germany's financial capital. uli bartz had this to say for what has been a very bad month for equities. >> sale in may and go away. that is an old saying here. often there's not much to these sayings. the reality brings a different story. but this may, that was spot on, because the dax lost about 8%. it was the worst month in history for the decks. the problem is coming from the point of view of the people in the financial markets, that it is not just greece anymore that

is a problem in the eurozone. evermore, spain, a very large country with a large economy, is threatening to have to call the bailout fund for help. that could get expensive, and solutions are very difficult to find, it seems, when you hear of all the participants. there is fear emanating here. >> you heard it, fear is the catch phrase. let's look at what effect it is happening on some of the main indices here. the german dax continued to slide south, but not as dramatically as the past couple of days. the euro stoxx 50 did manage to finish in positive territory. to new york, where the dow industrials are pushing up but only ever so slightly. the euro is fairly flat, $1.2364. >> military officials in nigeria say a german man being held hostage has been killed. >> shot by his captors during a military operation to free him. the man was working in nigeria

as an engineer when kidnapped in a northern city in january. al qaeda's number never can wing said it wanted to swap the engineer for a muslim woman jailed in germany. in a moment, we will have a look at sweden's chances of winning euro 2012 soccer tournament. >> here is a look at some other stories from around the world. chancellor merkel says more european integration is needed to strengthen the european union, especially the troubled 17-nation eurozone. the chancellor was hosting a two-day conference. she said there can be a "no ban on ideas for the bloc's future." leaders can together in a northern german port. >> political and business leaders have gathered in bangkok for the world economic forum on east asia.

among the guests is aung san suu kyi, the burmese opposition leader. she's on her first trip abroad in 24 years. >> egyptian police say two u.s. citizens have been kidnapped by bedouin tribesmen in the sinai peninsula. police say they are negotiating to secure the tourists release. the kidnappers are reportedly seeking to have a fellow tribesman freed who was jailed in a drug case. >> a gunman killed five people in the u.s. city of seattle. the shooter open fire in a cafe before later shooting of a percent in the downtown area. when officers approached him, the suspect shot himself. time for a change and some sports. with just a week to go before the start of euro 2012 soccer championships. england has suffered a major setback. >> the midfield boat -- the midfielder has been ruled out after injuring his by a train on wednesday. the chelsea neighbor -- player

-- this may have been his last chance to win an international championship with his squad. time for air europe in 2012 team preview. this time we're looking at sweden. group d. not an easy one. it includes ukraine, france, and england. >> sweden can pack a punch in the form of the striker, but critics say he might not be enough. ♪ >> the idyllic baltic island has been the swedish team's training ground ahead of the tournament. fans welcome to watch practice sessions, and the atmosphere is friendly and positive. that is important for the men being forged into a squad by the coach. they've used -- and they viewed team spirit as the key to success. >> we need to work as 18. i think we have really good

players who are showing each other really good respect and loyalty for the team. >> they are counting on a back line with experienced players like this one. up front, they will be relying on the star striker. >> i feel good. i feel physically well. i have two more years in milan. while at the top, i wanna be a part of the national team. >> they will have to work like a well oiled machine to make headway in their group. but the striker at an excellent season and has high hopes. >> england and france are the favorites, and a think the first game against ukraine will be critical. anything can happen at the european championship. >> but will hope be enough to overcome the odds? sweden played a critical game.

that is why dw gives the scandinavian citi rating of just two out of six. odds are they will be packing their bags in the group's stage. >> the italian soccer federation has begun to secure 50 players accused of match fixing. >> 14 people were arrested in raids, including one at the national team's training camp. if found guilty, the players and officials could face long suspension. they're accused of rigging matches in the second division for bribes. 22 clubs could have points deducted, including three that moved up to the first division last year. >> not a good omen for the italians. >> stay with us here on dw. we are back in a minute's time. we're going to look at jaochim gauck. he has been in the palestinian territories today. settlements have been one of the big issues. >> we raised a question earlier. what do you think? do you think government here in

europe should be in control of your data as far as online activity goes? see you in a sec. ♪ >> true art has a mind of its own, dislike beethoven and the artists who interpret his work -- just like beethoven and the artist to interpret his works. at the beethoven festival bonn 2012. september 7 through october 7. order your tickets online. ♪

>> israel has returned the remains of 91 palestinians killed while carrying out attacks against israeli targets. the israeli government says it is a humanitarian gesture which it hopes can revive stalled peace talks. >> the palestinian officials downplayed those chances as the returning coffins received a ceremonies will come in at ramallah. family and friends of the dead were waiting to receive the bodies, some of which have been buried in israel for 40 years. germany's president jaochim gauck has been holding talks with palestinian leaders in the west bank, urging them to get talking again with israel. >> that message is being echoed by the u.s. secretary of state y israel should be seen as a sign of confidence-a building. >> for president mahmoud abbas,

talks cannot resume until israel stops building settlements in the west bank, and he repeated that today to jaochim gauck. >> jaochim gauck's trip has been as symbolic as political. today, one big focus was education. >> the girls basketball team paid -- played a friendly match to welcome president jaochim gauck. their school is one of 80 educational institutions in the palestinian territories that were built with german aid. the west bank town is surrounded by israeli settlements. jaochim gauck said that access to education is essential for all palestinians. >> that is what a future palestinian state needs, just like germany and every free and democratic society in the world. mature citizens who can take over responsibility, every country needs that. >> some were hoping for a clear

statement from jaochim gauck against israel's settlement policies, but the president kept a low profile, stressing the importance of education to resolve conflicts. jaochim gauck was a bit more outspoken in a ramallah meeting with palestinian president mahmoud abbas. he told him he called on israel to show restraint with his settlement, but that was not enough for abbas. >> i told the president that israel is violating international treaties. that concerns its settlement policy in the west bank and in jerusalem. >> jaochim gauck said all people in the region yearn for an end to the long-running conflict. >> well, some of the girls we saw in school at the start of the report may become police officers. >> the number of female police are growing.

>> they are realizing how important it can be to have a woman with a badge at their site. >> until recently, this was no place for women. at this training groundrtrainingiot police -- at this training ground, riot police are being drilled. two female officers are training for raids in crowd control. >> sometimes people just stop and take photographs of us. they are glad to see as with the police. many people are proud. >> they tell us we're something new. we're the very first female officers to join a specialist unit here. i hope other regions will start in listing women as well. >> policewoman fitted out with what they need. until recently, that would have been unthinkable in this male- dominated society. but times are changing. the palestinian police force recently appointed its first equal opportunity representative.

streets a daily in their regular uniforms. they are well aware of their special position. as women, they can take on duties which are too sensitive for men. they can search other women, for example, or arrested them -- arrest them. >> society here is made up of the tribes and clans. it is an acceptable for police to search a house that there are women there. that is why we need female officers. they can speak to women and search them. >> this control room is where emergency calls coming in. it decides which cases land on her desk. she's often called on to investigate suspected domestic violence. >> sometimes a girl or young woman comes to us with signs she has been subjected to sexual and physical violence. then it is much better if she can talk to a woman.

she can be much more open, maybe even show as her body and the evidence of an assault. >> duties also include patrolling the city center. some areas are under israeli army control, making it a difficult beat for all palestinian police. but the female officers come under extra scrutiny. for most people here, they are still a novelty. many women react positively. >> sometimes it is good for a woman to be able to talk to a woman. it is better, isn't it? >> the women work side-by-side with their male colleagues. for them, it is important show that they can perform whatever the men can. >> it is very important for the palestinians to see that a female officer can go about her duties just as well as her male colleagues. >> these two officers hope that

they have opened the door for the next generation of palestinian police women. >> and now, he is a free man after months in captivity. the french tv journalist has been let go by farc rebels in colombia. >> he was captured last month. he was with colombian soldiers at the time. they were raiding a cocaine labs. >> friends and family members welcome the freed journalists on his return to bogota after 33 days in the hands of farc. his captors released him not far from where he had been abducted. he said the militants treated him well, and once they were convinced he was a journalist, they told him he had nothing to fear. he also shared concerns about the fate of the region's people. >> after my release, people will leave this area. those here will remain with

their illegal crops. there are problems relating to the conflict. and the media will leave, and the people will be forgotten. >> he said the farc want peace with the colombian government, but they are also ready to fight on for decades. the group says it stopped abducting people, yet it is thought to be still holding about 100 civilians. the 35-year-old was captured in april while embedded with colombian soldiers on an anti- narcotics mission. when rebels attacked, he was wounded in the arm and ended up in rebel hands. >> should there be records made of mobile phone calls and web sites visited here in europe? that is a question that has ignited a legal battle between the european union and germany. >> the eu wants to keep records of internet traffic and mobile phone calls for six months for security reasons. >> germany is refusing, sang the data should only be kept it there is suspicion of a security

threat. >> after a leader -- a year of legal curling, the european commission brought its lawsuit, hoping the court of justice will force berlin to do what it says. the german justice minister remains steadfast in her opposition to the directive from brussels. she still refuses to implement it. the commission says telecommunications data must be stored for six months as a precautionary measure, even when criminal activity is not suspected. the information includes ip addresses, telephone numbers, and details such as the beginning and end times of connections and locations of mobile telephones. the content would remain confidential. it has divided the german cabinet. one minister wants the measures implemented. he sees the lawsuit as justification of his position. but the justice minister insist data should be stored only if there is concrete cause for suspicion good for germany, the

legal action could result in a hefty fine. >> if elected. but hate sitting back and watching, we may have something for you. >> hamburg's live art festival promises to get you involved in the show. >> the performers are one of the same at this event. >> dead in the middle of the theater. it is where this person will spend the coming weeks. she is in a group of young european theater enthusiasts who meet around the continent. for them, theater is more than just sitting back and watching. >> being in the audience is already acting in a way, because you are reflecting, interpreting, and judging. that is why i never say watching as something passive. what makes us different from the audience who are just there to watch is that we're actively involved.

>> it is not about getting up on the stage and saying, no, do it this way or york cut. it is not trying to find a way. if you know what the audience wants, that will change what people are making art about. >> it is his first performance at the live art festival. the event is tailor-made for her. from one moment to the next, audience members are thrust into the spotlight and read it their lines aloud. >> there is a contradiction. >> this estonian artist dreamed up the project. >> i tried to make performances which i would myself like to see. then there is a part of me that really likes to perform, so i thought that maybe i should offer that to the audience instead of enjoying myself on stage. >> there is a blur between the play and real life. audience and actors almost

become one. that is where she was hoping for. >> people often go to the theater images become an anonymous group separate from the artists. here, everything gets mixed up. everyone is at the same level. >> back in the living area, art and lack become one as well. >> i would not mind a sleep on the job. >> i would be entertained. >> stay with us sitting on dw. in about half an hour's time, we are going to have some more news for you. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪

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