captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- welcome to "the journal" on dw tv. >> here are headlines this hour. fighting rges in the syrian capital as moscow says it will not bowed to western pressure to end the conflict. >> by north korean army chief relieved of his post. is the start of a struggle for power? and an unborn child -- how to tell if an unborn child has down syndrome. >> relations between russia and

its western partners reached a new low on monday when the russian foreign minister accused the west of effectively trying to use blackmail to secure a new solution to and syria's civil war. >> in syria itself, of violence escalates on monday. the fighting is spreading in the capital of damascus. the government's deployed -- the government deployed armored did -- vehicles in the city. >> this amateur video is said to show a fierce fighting between government forces and rebel fighters in the capital of damascus. now it seems the heaviest fighting is where it began. international leaders are stepping up pressure on syria's rival, russia. the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov accused the west of strong arming moscow.

>> we are seeing elements of black male much to our regrets. -- upblackmail -- of blackmail much to our regrets. i find this to be counterproductive and dangerous proposal. >> serious opposition and sharply criticized president assad's allies. the syrian national council of leaders are seeing russia and iran are helping fuel the violence. >> we're calling on russia and iran to respect the will of the syrian people and to stop supporting the cruel regime. to stop giving them financial and logistical support. >> the snc has also called kofi

annan's peace plan into question, calling it unrealistic. a peaceful solution to the crisis looks increasingly unlikely. >> hosni mubarak has been ordered back to jail. the former president's health has improved. >> mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for failing -- for killing thousands of protesters. he was moved to a military hospital last month after his health deteriorated sharply. >> i u.s. naval but sold -- a u.s. naval vessel has opened fire, wounding three. >> the small motorboat ignored all warnings while approaching the supply ship. a security team opened fire. it happened just outside the u.

a e -- uae port. it will be months before the eurozone knows if it has a bailout plan are not. >> germany says a ruling is not coming anytime soon. judges have announced they will not make the decision until december -- september 12. the say thoroughness takes precedent over speed. german critics of the european bailout say it takes too great a risk for taxpayers. it is time now to turn to the markets to see what is going on with trading on this first day of the week. our correspondent sent us this from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> mid-september, that's a long time for the judges to take on their estimates as to whether the esm is constitutionally

right or not. people are understanding that it takes time, but this is really on the nerves of traders here. in the end, the dax managed to crawl up to the positive is done. you can see the market is nervous by a lot of money falling into the safe haven of german government bonds. the credit institute was among the largest losers. >> let's take a closer look at some of the latest market numbers. the dax closed just a tad out. the eurostoxx 50 about .3 down. the bureau is trading at $1.2278.

>> it is the same rate as in may and represents a 16-month low. the inflation rate still exceeds what the european central bank would like to see. the ecb would like to keep inflation under 2%. the world trade organization warns protectionism could slow global economic growth. >> in its annual report, the group says steps to protect companies have risen 66%. agricultural products and pharmaceuticals are among the goods most needed. and the international monetary fund is morning the eurozone debt crisis, sluggish growth,

and the u.s. are threatening the global economy. >> areas likely to contract this year posted only weak growth next year. this could plunge economies such as spain into a deep recession. >> spain's jobless rate is the worst in your. the imf says the eurozone debt crisis continues to cause serious trouble. this year, it still expects 3.5% growth, but the eurozone is expected to contract by 0.3%. germany is the exception. its gdp is forecast to expand by 1%. the imf sees a slight recovery in europe next year. but it warns there could be a

problem if the eurozone fails to rein in its spiraling debt. >> the jailing of a german citizen in beijing has caused questions about the rule lot. >> the man has been sitting in prison for months now and has yet to be charged. >> he has lived in china for five years. he has been the last 100 days in beijing prison -- in a beijing prison. he categorically denies all accusations of wrongdoing. his friends in germany are working. >> we feel so helpless. we can do anything. we wake up at night, we dream he has been set free. >> his friends have set up a facebook page in his support.

german officials are refusing to comment. >> i can say anything about it. especially our talks with chinese officials. >> justice ministers will bring up the case in meetings with chinese interviewer's. >> a scandal that has rocked germany's intelligence services has cost it another top official his job. >> it goes back to the discovery domestic intelligence failed to notice a seven-year killing spree by a neo-nazi cell. erich fromm will be gone when his contract? prizes. >> he acknowledged the agency failed to spot the neo-nazi

cell. >> for more on this, we go to our political correspondent, simon non-. >> we have the resignation of several individuals. this investigation has claimed the head of the federal criminal office. is there more to come, do you think? >> the two top officials charged with dealing with this type of crime have stepped aside. the head of the police investigations and before him, erich fromm, the head of germany's's domestic intelligence agency. i think both of those resignations were probably necessary given that unprecedented series of killings. i do not think we will see other senior resignations. i think the attention now will move to how to prevent this kind of thing happening again. the unprecedented series of

killings by neo-nazis over a series of years, even though they had plenty of information about these people. the politicians say it is the system that has to be changed. >> is it a reorganization of how germany deals with internal threats? >> certainly, what is needed at some level is better information. everybody says that. but there is a battle raging in government about this. the justice minister says germany's intelligence structure needs to be made smaller. there are 16 regional authorities and the federal authority as well. she says that is too much and they do not work together properly. the interior minister says it is not about size. is about culture. -- it is about culture. this is a fully fledged political battle. >> simon, thank you for the

analysis. simon young, our political correspondent. the economic downturn is undermining the global commitment to reducing greenhouse gases. >> on monday, the german environment minister said investments in clean energies needs to continue if the world will meet its targets on rain in co2 -- rein co2 production. angela merkel as come under criticism of late for putting the environment on the back burner. she warned that much more must be done to reach global targets. >> b two degrees celsius limit is not too ambitious. b-2 degree rise would put an unimaginable -- the 2 degree

rise would put an unimaginable strain. the measures we have in place are not enough to meet the limit. >> binding restrictions under the kyoto protocol run out at the end of this year. >> it will not be easy to reach a deal by 2015. is always tough when you have 180 countries trying to reach one agreement. >> still, the scientists and 35 government ministers at monday's conference hope they can make a new legal framework at the conference in november. >> we turn to sports now. the 15th stage of the tour de france. it was at the foothills of the pyrenees. he was in a breakaway group and meet -- and beat the american.

but it was bradley wiggins retained the yellow jersey with a comfortable two-minute lead. >> and to soccer news now. the former anglin coach -- england coach fabio capello is taking over russia. >> the soccer federation confirm speculation about the italian appointment on monday. capello is waiting for moscow to work out the final details efore assuming his new post. he looked for new job early this year after he felt his authority was challenged. >> after the break, a new test that can tell pregnant women whether their unborn child has down's syndrome. we will look at some of the moral questions it rises.

>> and a power struggle in the north korean regime. we will get analysis from an expert. >> don't go away.

>> welcome back. north korea of the most secretive countries in the world and analysts are speculating about what could be a sign of a power struggle within the regime. >> the top military leader ri yong ho has been removed from his post. officially, he is ill, but it is speculated this could be a means for kim jong-un to gain control of the powerful military. >> no details were provided on ri's medical condition. >> i believe what really

happened is that kim jong-un might have had concerns over ri yong ho's position in the military. >> he was a key member of kim jong-il' and her circle. kim jong-un may be trying to put his mark on the country. that could mean more shakeups in the coming weeks. but it is unclear whether this signals a shift in pyongyang's policies. last week, kim jong-un posted an unusual disney concert featuring icons of western popular culture like mickey mouse and winnie the pooh. this by strict sanctions,

consumer luxury goods are on the rise. yet a slight upturn in the economy and access to luxury goods mean little to most north koreans. the country is still one of the poorest and least developed in the world. >> for more, we spoke to asia's analyst from the german institute for international and security affairs. when asked whether this development was a surprise, he pointed to those closest to the young korean leader. >> that is true. we saw this in the funeral festivities in pyongyang. the changing of this person seems to be hinting at a new balance between his party and

north korea and the military. it looks like the military has conceded they will be slightly changed to something more political for the regime. >> so, is that part of a power struggle inside north korea? >> i don't see signs of a power struggle. i think the young leader is trying to fortify his position inside the communist party. we have witnessed a long history of military first policy. right now we have a new charm

offensive from the political side. i would expect even more members of the military will be replaced. >> thank you for that. still to come -- if you were pregnant, would you want to know if your unborn child had down syndrome? a new test to enable potential parents to do just that, but what are the ethical precautions. more on that in a moment. here is a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. >> and nazi war criminal has been tracked down in budapest hungary. it was in slovakia to organize the deportation of thousands of jews to oust that's. he was living in canada under a

false name. >> tens of thousands of demonstrators have been rallying in the japanese capital of tokyo, calling on the government to halt plans to bring another nuclear reactor online. >> the african union has selected its first female leader. nkosazana dlamini-zuma was appointed to the commission on sunday. she says she aims to make the african union more efficient. >> several people have been hurt on the island of sardinia in italy. hundreds are forced from their homes. come check my cell.

>> the heat wave left -- led to the closure of -- several areas in italy. the elderly and young children have been encouraged to stay indoors. >> they cannot go into the acropolis. the monument was closed for their own safety. it's just too hot. >> to come to greece and not be able to see the most beautiful monument -- i know the water would be hot. but it is hot and united states, too. >> the best they can hope for is

their comrades will wipe the sweat off their faces now and then. the heat wave has reached temperatures of 46 degrees celsius. some like the heat. >> it is great and it helps to burn extra calories. >> many spurn these events for a relaxing snooze. >> the test for down's syndrome carries some risks, but the results can also pose parents a difficult decision. >> the tests will go to market. they are repeatedly more accurate than ever before. >> when two couples with very different views experienced this. >> they decided early on they

did not want the test for their own -- unborn children. >> i would make the same decision then that i made again. we would try to deal with it and make the best of it. >> on the other hand, she wants to know if her unborn child has any illnesses. she is three months pregnant, and at 35 years old, she belongs to a high risk group. down syndrome is a genetic disorder. 90% of women abort fetuses with down's syndrome. >> i'm worried that if the child has downs, whether it -- whether

to go forward with an abortion are not. you think that it could be a burden. >> but testing a woman's amniotic fluid can be dangerous because it carries the potential of injury to the fetus. the new test is completely safe. all that is needed is a few drops of blood from the mother. the blood under those protests. -- undergoes thorough tests. >> the new test will allow us to test for 90% of the chromosomal changes. >> many of you a test without risks as a positive development -- many of you a test without risks as a positive development.

>> what is key is that this test does not lead automatically to an abortion. it should be to the pregnancy being terminated. that is where we start devaluing people with disabilities. >> the fear is that the test can change how people approach high- risk pregnancies. >> if doctors start doing this test as a routine procedure, then it could become problematic. then society needs to have a policy discussion. >> critics are concerned disabled people will be less expected. >> parents should not allow themselves to be pressured by medical possibilities that

cannot make things easier. >> at the end of the day, up happiness has many faces. -- happiness has many faces. >> it is a difficult decision for parents to make. >> don't forget, you can get more news and background information. >> stay tuned to dw, comign live fromt he heart of europle. >> see you soon.