>> a warm welcome to the "journal" coming to you from dw in berlin. hour -- hear it at odds. the german chancellor insists eurobonds are not a solution to the debt crisis. >> more violence in syria. rebels attacked a pro-government tv station, one of their boldest assaults thus far. >> once bitter enemies, now a handshake. the british queen meets a former ira commander in belfast. >> it might not be the end game

of the eurozone crisis, but thursday's summit could chart the beginning of the end. when the block continues down the road of austerity or takes a new turn towards the pulling of eurozone debt. >> on the eve of the talks, the german chancellor has underscored her stand -- there will be no eurobonds before more control is seeded to brussels. several fronts. once again, she is facing a crucial negotiations. on wednesday, she tried to win over parliamentarians to the position she will take in brussels. merkel is opposed to a joint eurobonds. >> trying by political means to push through eurobonds with the same interest rates after it did not work well on the markets would be just repeating an old

mistake and not understanding the right lessons from our experiences. >> instead, merkel wants the eu to have more power when countries failed to meet obligations or break you budgetary rules. merkel says there's too much talk of joint liability but not enough about improved control measures. >> there has to be a balance between supervision and liability. supervision and liability have to go hand-in-hand. joint liability can only be considered when sufficient supervision is insured. >> merkel is standing firm, but she has made some concessions. on friday, both houses of parliament vote on the fiscal pact and european stability mechanism. merkel needs votes of the opposition to secure 8 2/3 majority, but they have set conditions for that support, such as a task to cut u.s. unemployment across europe.

-- on measures to cut youth unemployment across europe. >> we are relying on this government and on you, chancellor, to insure that our agreement is reflected in the outcome sent to the european council. that is the only way you will see 8 2/3 majority. >> but among german voters, merkel's tough stance is popular. opinion polls show the majority reject evermore rescue efforts. >> i think the chancellor is doing the right thing. because she is being tough. >> angela merkel is doing a good job. i think the way she stands her ground is good as well. i really support her. >> angela merkel, the iron chancellor or the euro terminator, as she was recently depicted by a british news magazine, just hours after addressing the bundestahg. agee's back to berlin for a crucial vote on friday.

merkel is fighting on all fronts. >> the chancellor is now in paris to try to agree on a common line with the french president at the eu summit. it is her first visit to the french capital since he took office. >> merkel said the summit would be addressing the future of the european union. both say deeper integration is needed in europe. she added that we need a europe that is functional and the markets would be looking for that, but she also said further integration would have to be based on the principle of mutual support. >> as that meeting got under way, we spoke to our brussels bureau chief, who is in paris with the german chancellor and ask for more on the significance of tonight's talks. >> germany and france will try to organize to prepare the european summit to the end of this week in brussels, which many observers see as a crucial turning point for the european

union. angela merkel herself has spoken about a very serious situation for the european union. these franco-german meetings before such a summit are something unusual. now everything seems to have changed because the socialist government and the conservative liberal government do not come to terms. they are not at ease. pawlenty -- francois pawlenty was pushing hard for a growth path and was successful -- francois pawlenty -- francois hollande will call for more austerity measures spiritual call for reform, and shedemands, fiscal union for the euro. the french government -- hollande sees it the other way

around. he demands more solidarity, which is exactly the opposite of what the german government is asking for. >> a sign of just how hard the eurozone crisis is hitting spain, the government has announced further cuts to health care for citizens just after announcing more cuts for medical care for undocumented migrants. this on top of numbers out today showing spain's recession deepening in the second quarter. spanish 10-year bond yields aren't notching 27%, forcing greece, ireland, and portugal to call for sovereign bailout. spanish prime minister has for more help from his eurozone partners. >> the spanish prime minister did not mince words in his speech to parliament. he warned that funding spain's debt would be unsustainable at current borrowing costs. >> we cannot keep finding ourselves for a long time at the

prices we are currently paying. there are many institutions, including financial institutions, which have no access to the financial markets. it happens in spain. it happens in italy, and it happens in other countries. this is also an important issue. >> he said he will urge other leaders to ease spain's borrowing costs by allowing the bailout funds for the european central bank to stabilize markets. about high unemployment and an uncertain future. and they have reason to be. spain's central bank has warned that the contraction of the economy is picking up pace. spain has warned that if it cannot finance debt, it could eventually need a full-blown bailout. >> there are those that say the crisis in spain proves the case for controversial eurobonds, despite the strong opposition from germany we have been reporting on. for some analysis, we spoke to a

representative from the foreign policy think tank, carnegie europe. >> i think it is practically inevitable, whether it will be eurobonds or some kind of redemption fund. it is a question of technicalities, but i do not think that we can avoid them entirely, some form of sharing the debt, and the chancellor is against them. at some point, if push comes to shove and the euro is at stake, she will have to budge, but in the meantime, she wants to drive the political price of, which seems to be a rational strategy from her perspective. >> what would be the effect for the rest of europe if eurobonds were introduced? >> that is the big question, what they do get in return. what they want in return is they want some kind of political control, budgetary control over how the money that they have

pledged is being spent in the receiving countries. that is what they want in return because they want to have a say, and if they cannot get that, i do not think there will be the kind of grand bargain that we need in this kind of situation. >> does that mean a two-speed europe? >> we have that in many cases already. the euro is an element of it. i do not think that we will get a two-tier euro because it is not possible. maybe a euro with fewer members. but something has to give in this entire thing. either we get more political union, and then we can retain the currency, or we keep our sovereignty and probably we cannot have a currency. either way, you know, we have to make a decision. either the markets will break it up or political leaders will find a solution. i think those are the two

possibilities at the moment. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> positive news from the markets today in europe and the u.s., although investors are still holding their breath about the eu's summit. for more, let's turn to our correspondent, who sent us this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> investors reacted positively to news from the european central bank and the important u.s. housing market. the chief economist of the ecb said in an interview for a german newspaper it was not a doctrine that the lead interest rate for the eurozone could not drop below the level of 1%. and u.s. spending home sales shot up to a two-year high unexpectedly. that gives rise to the fact that the u.s. economy could be set to recover more quickly. still, all eyes here are on the coming summit for the european union this thursday and friday. people are anxiously awaiting news of decisions there.

>> let's have a closer look at some of the latest market numbers. we begin in frankfurt where the blue chip dax index closed over 1.5%. euro stocks 50 ended the day 1.75% of -- up. the dow jones is currently going up just over 0.5%, and the euro is trading at $1.2563. >> coming up, we will have the latest on the crisis in syria. >> and a landmark meeting in northern ireland between the queen and one of her former sworn enemies. >> first, let's take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. the italian prime minister has scored a victory for his landmark labor reforms just in time for thursday's eu summit. on wednesday, italy's parliament approved the deal, which includes incentives for employers to hire workers and ease firing procedures.

plan sparked protests by trade unions. italy hopes reforms will reassure investors. >> forest fires are continuing to ravage the western europe state of colorado. the city of colorado springs has issued a partial evacuation order. the flames have forced 32,000 people from their homes. many sat for hours in traffic ams. warm temperatures and high winds of hundreds of kilometers an hour have hampered efforts to try to control the fires. >> if a u.s.-led sting operation in 13 countries scored a victory against identity the spirit 24 suspected hackers were arrested. the men are accused of illegally gaining access to more than 400,000 credit card accounts with some $200 million. >> world powers are preparing for talks in geneva this weekend on the crisis in syria. and as the conflict intensifies,

the international media -- mediator for the region has called the meeting of foreign ministers of the five permanent united nations security council members to discuss new measures for a political transition. >> on the ground in syria, that transition looks very far away. >> on wednesday, gunmen stormed the headquarters of a pro- government tv station. officials said seven employees were killed. at the same time, attacks on demonstrators and civilians homes are growing in scale and brutality. in may, more than 100 civilians were killed. united nations investigators say government forces may have been largely responsible. >> syria's president, who previously blamed the violence on foreign terrorists spoke for the first time of a war in the country. meanwhile, the united nations special envoy is continuing to push for the implementation of a six-point peace plan and for a new action put to syria.

culling special talks for this saturday in geneva, he refused to invite syria's closest ally, iran. he said syria needed change from within. >> the action group for syria should agree on guidelines and principles for a syrian-led political transition and to agree on actions that will make these objectives a reality on the ground. >> for now, those goals are far from becoming reality. opposition activists say the past days have been the bloodiest in the 16-month uprising with nearly 1000 deaths in one week. >> we will be back after a short break with more news, including a look at an american who gives the german national soccer team fit. >> that is right.

as they prepare for the big semi coming up against italy. we will be back in one minute with more on that. >> when people get into trouble along germany's coastline, they are on hand to help. undaunted, even in high winds. they risked everything to save lives, even if it involves

risking their own. sea rescue workers, the series. >> thanks for staying with us. >> welcome back. soccer fans returned to the euro 2012 tournament, and excitement is mounting in spain and portugal, but the other big semifinal clash is on thursday -- germany and italy, and italians are looking to extend their very proud record of never losing to germany in the major final. >> but the germans are the only team to have won all their matches so far in this tournament. it will be a tight competition, and the german coach is keeping quiet on his secret to success. >> the last press conference before germany's semifinal clash with italy, and every wanted to pick the brains of the coach, but he was not giving anything away. >> all my ideas will come on thursday afternoon at 12 minutes

past 2:00. >> he did say he has his italian opponents all figured out. >> they have shown a lot of strength, quality, and ability in the tournament so far, but we also know where their weaknesses are and where we can cause them some problems. >> germany will be looking to dominate with a blend of watertight defense and lightning counter attacks. they are tired of hearing about the italian jinx. but the coach said his men should put memories of their 2006 world cup semifinal defeat to italy to the back of their minds. >> i do not think there is such a thing as revenge in football. we cannot make up for our loss in 2006. it is done and tested. we cannot turn back the clock. >> germany had a chance to put things right in a filing with italy in february, but all the boys could manage was a drop.

-- draw. >> germans live by professionalism, punctuality, and the like. but what i think is so good about italians is they have a more relaxed and laid-back approach to things. >> germany only has one year. the manhunt were for a spot in the final and plan on coming out all guns blazing. >> one man keeping those guns blazing is someone you probably have not heard of. >> german players undergo a rigorous fitness program that is run by an american who has been with the squad for about a decade. >> it may not be what you are expecting, but you cannot argue with the results. >> it may look more like a gymnastics class at first glance, but using these rubber bands helps correct imbalances that german players might affect for years, like having one leg stronger than the other. the man conducting the exercise

is 39-year-old chad forsyth of washington state. he says it is working on some of the finer weaknesses players have. >> they have built some imbalances, and we have to build things that correct some of these imbalances in the short term and keep them healthy, not only for us, but also when they return to their clubs. >> he came to the german national team in 2004 after the former german star had observed him in practice with the los angeles galaxy. he has been with the german team ever since. he helps assess players and put together individual fitness programs and goals, and it does not stop there. >> proper training with volumes and intensity. that is great communication between the trainer and a team. some days we hit them with intensity and other days, with volume. players that have played a lot throughout the year, we have to think about them differently. >> since the players have clearly stated that their goal is to win this tournament, the

trainer says the plan is 14 germany to physically peak for the semifinal match against italy. >> we only have two days in between. >> is getting ahead of himself? maybe, but then again, it could also simply be the voice of experience looking farther ahead to the final on sunday that many say germany will be in. >> in a sign of just how much has changed over the past two decades in northern ireland, today saw an unprecedented handshake between britain's queen elizabeth and former ira commander mcginnis. >> this long-awaited in counter symbolizes northern ireland's progress in achieving reconciliation after years of sectarian violence. >> queen elizabeth's meeting with the former ira commander also has personal significance. her cousin and his grandson were

killed in a 1979 ira attack. the historic handshake comes 14 years after they ended their claim to the burden province and draws a line under a 30-year conflict that cost the lives of more than 3500 people, including 1000 british soldiers. but the gesture of reconciliation has drawn criticism from relatives of victims who hold mcginnis responsible for their deaths. >> the ira blew up the ship. no one has been brought to justice for that, so it is hard for us to accept mr. mcinnis shaking the queen's hand. >> it also prompted violent reactions from some local republicans. on the eve of a landmark meeting, signs of tensions resurfaced when dozens of police clashed with youths in belfast. >> a european court has upheld a fine levied against microsoft

but has reduced the amount the software giant will have to pay. >> the commission originally imposed the fine after microsoft failed to comply with an order to share product information with rivals to make their software compatible with microsoft's windows operating system. a general court in luxembourg has cut the penalty by 39 million euros. it is still the biggest fine resulting from a single antitrust case in europe. >> the former director of bavaria's state bank has been sentenced to 8.5 years in prison. >> a munich court found him guilty of corruption, embezzlement, and tax evasion. he admitted accepting $44 million in bribes as part of a deal to sell formula one to a private equity group. eggleston is still under investigation but has not been charged. >> economic contraction in

western europe sending thousands of migrants back home. those of the latest findings from the organization for economic cooperation and development. >> migrant workers who once flocked to western europe before the crisis are choosing to return home. an increasing number of migrants leaving especially the worst-hit countries. >> one example is ireland, which once was a magnet for eastern european workers. it has in one of the most dramatic reversals in migration with roughly 1% of the population living in the last few years, but in germany, it is a completely different story. >> germany has some sectors with shortages of qualified staff. more and more immigrants are coming to fill these positions. over the last 10 years, 500,000 people have settled in germany. overall, immigration to oecd #countries is down, but germany is bucking the trend. immigration to germany affected by the eurozone debt crisis jump

in 2011. more than 40,000e from greece and spain alone. >> of course these immigrants are benefiting from the freedom of movement within the extended e u. there are no major administrative hurdles if it wants to come and find a job in germany. the most immigrants to germany enjoying those rules continue to be from neighboring states in eastern europe. many no longer are looking for work in countries affected by the debt crisis. ireland, for example, saw a 55% drop in immigration. greece had a 51% drop. portugal, 17%, and a 10% drop in spain as well as italy. immigration to germany from asia remains relatively low. overall, asians are the largest immigrant group, but only 2% go to germany, less than to any other oecd member country. >> if you have ever signed up on facebook to be a fan of a city, you may be surprised to see that

the page might know longer be there. >> facebook has been cracking down on those pages, removing some of them. the network's policy is no one can have control over the name of a place and that the practice violates the sites terms of use. >> some of the world's biggest cities who want to have a social networking presents are being forced to come up with creative solutions. >> he runs hamburg.de, the city's official portal. he also runs a facebook page called simply hammer, which violates the websites guidelines. if he does not rename it, he could wake up one day to find it deleted. >> we have 683,000 fans, we do not just want to lose. every day, we answer questions and send out bulletins through facebook. it is one of the ways we communicate. we will simply have to give in. >> facebook's terms of service state that pages may not represent geographic locations. the policy is designed to

clearly separate city news from politics. cities that flout facebook's will are seeing the pages deleted. it happened to munich in february. its official page was spiked apparently without warning. >> facebook makes the rules. you can like them or not. but i think it would have been nice to inform us in the bands that they were going to shut down our page and cut off -- shut down our page. being cut off from one day to the next was very annoying. >> facebook declined to comment. munich, for its part, renamed its site to bring it in line with facebook terms of service. german cities use facebook to connect with millions of tourists at home and abroad. hamburg is now prepared to rename itself to comply with facebook's rules. >> we are not sure how much time

facebook is giving us, but we are thinking of ways to get our fans a say in the renaming. >> desperate not to lose their social networking presence, german cities have no choice but to dream up new names. >> american screenwriter and director nora ephron has died at the age of 71. >> she started out as a journalist and novelist but was best known for her romantic movies. >> she got to -- honored oscar nominations and skyrocket actress meg ryan to fame. thanks for joining us. a level we will see you soon. -- >> we will see you soon. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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