>> this is "the journal" live from berlin. >> coming up in the next half-hour -- islamic state militants gain ground in syria, seizing a major air base in the northeast. >> the french president dissolves the government as his cabinet feuds over austerity measures. >> in the u.s., a final farewell to michael brown, the black teenager whose fatal shooting by police sparked weeks of racially fueled protests. >> syria says it is willing to cooperate with the west in battling islamist terrorists, but how willing are western nations?

>> the united states has repeatedly rejected cooperating with the government of bashar al-assad, saying the leaders -- the leader is responsible for the situation the first place. >> the civil war in syria has been raging for three and half years, and it's more complex than just a battle between government forces and one group of rebels. >> islamic state fighters have complicated the battles on all fronts and they have been making the latest gains. >> a long convoy of vehicles bearing the flag of the islamic state. this amateur footage is said to be from northeastern syria where i s militants have claimed a strategic victory. they have been in control of the airbase which was last government outpost in the area. hundreds were killed in battle and syrian forces confirmed their withdrawal from the base. the fall of the airbase means will -- means more weapons have fallen to iis forces and there are concerns they could use fighter jets in their campaign

to conquer the region. though it is unclear whether the militants possess the necessary training. syrian airstrikes continue. this footage is said to show the aftermath of an attack by government forces. damascus is realizing it may not be able to meet the jihadist on its own. it is asking for outside help on one condition -- >> any effort to combat terrorism should be corrugated with the syrian government. >> the foreign minister specifically mentioned the u.s. and britain as potential partners. but washington has already offered its support to antigovernment rebels and written has ruled out negotiating with assad regime. >> let's get more on the international response to that speech from the syrian foreign minister. how are officials in washington

reading this? >> the white house spokesperson has been speaking to reporters about this but says he hasn't had time to study this specific comments. what he would say is the united states is not interested in helping the assad regime. sort of echoing comments by chuck hagel last week who insisted the assad regime is part of the problem, not part of the solution. this notion of an enemy's enemy is my friend is very much in the air in washington, partly because of the rise of the islamic state being one factor that has contributed to the slight thawing in relations between the u.s. and iran at the moment. >> the u.s. has launched airstrikes against iis targets in iraq. any chance of that whitening into syria? >> there is a possibility. they say the possibility of

airstrikes is being looked at but they stretch barack obama has not this point made a decision to expand any action into syria. it's very much on the table but there have been mixed messages coming from the administration. just before the weekend, they seemed to be hinting something might be imminent, but now they may seem to be putting the brakes on expectations. it is clear they see a basis for it in counterterrorism terms, having referred to the murder of james foley as a terrorist attack. they draw attention to the fact that barack obama has shown willingness to take necessary action to protect american citizens in the past, and that number irrespective of orders. >> thank you very much for that.

>> in serious, government forces and kurdish peshmerga fighters are continuing their battle against the islamic state. >> nouri al-maliki has visited and airbase which government forces took back from the iso stop he says iraq will move to expel iis fighters from the rest of the company -- rest of the country. hundreds of thousands of christians and shiites have fled their homes. joining us is the editor of zenith magazine which focuses on middle eastern affairs. thank you for coming in. we are looking at coalition here in the fight against the islamic state question or >> i think no coalition is unimaginable, especially in the middle east will stop syria joined a coalition against iraq where

saddam hussein was attacking saudi arabia. the coalition itself is not unimaginable, but i find it an absurd idea to join forces with bashar al-assad now because they are not only responsible for emergence of a but there is credible information the syrian regime might have built isis in the first place. i don't see how the western coalition can cooperate on this. there are several narratives on this but it's the easiest way of destroying the armed coalition from within i building up an enemy and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. the sorrow -- bashar al-assad has said that this uprising is jihadist and that's what turned to be a couple of years later. >> the group has seen a massive

rise, some say 50,000 fighters. what do they say when faced with some sort of cohesive western existence? >> if the west and allies in the region react rapidly, they have a chance to stop iis whether it's in the back area or before he gets entrenched in the cities. once on the defensive, it would hide in the city and would be a lot of civilian casualties. but there is a credible chance to attack them though the west could not overestimate the capacity and endurance of the coalition. >> is the key going to be attacking more targeting them in syria and iraq western mark >> i believe in iraq, the government is somehow part of the problem and also as them of the solution. the government is not entirely part of the problem and solution but there has to be a creative approach in both countries.

>> thank you very much for your analysis. moving onto other international news and another political earthquake has rocked france. >> a showdown over the government posse, policies between the prime minister and his economy minister has led to the resignation of the entire government. >> the french president immediately appointed the vice prime minister asking him to form a new team. >> it was the last straw -- the economic minister has repeatedly criticized french austerity policies and spoke out against eu mandated spending cuts. his room are brought down the entire government after months of occurring on how to pull the french economy out of the doldrums. in a farewell speech, he was unapologetic. >> the results of these austerity policies are clear. the french economy is in a slump and unemployment is rising to

dangerous levels. while it is dropping everywhere else in europe stop >> the president has asked his prime minister to form a new government due to be presented tuesday. what is clear is he will no longer belong to it all stop the beleaguered resident has been attending ceremonies and brittany to mark the 70th anniversary of france's liberation from nazi occupation. he made no public comment on another reshuffle of his cabinet, the second and five months postop >> we spoke with our correspondent and asked him to fill us in on what is behind the upheaval in paris. >> the heart of this crisis is an economic question. so far, the french president has been trying to boost these supply side of the economy and the prime minister says we need to try something else.

he's not the only one. this divide is not only within the government but within the socialist party. the president has decided he will continue to do what he has done so far and needs new ministers because he says he won't continue like this. if the economy does not improve and economic data doesn't back out, then the whole country is in real trouble. some say they won't only have a political crisis but in the end, there'll be a constitutional crisis if things continue this way. >> one reason the french economy has been tanking is its manufacturing sector hasn't been able to keep up with international competition. >> let's look at an industry that was once the pride of the nation and is one of the reasons france is being called the new sick man of europe. >> france once had a flourishing

auto industry but production has shrunk by 40%. this is symptomatic of the trajectory of the french economy with average labor costs amounting to 33 euros an hour, for more than germany and close to the top of the range in europe. french companies are seeing their global market share shrinking ever further. the figures are sobering. last year, manufacturing shrank by 4.2%. unemployment remains doggedly high. the economy has seen no growth yet this year. some socialist politicians are blaming austerity measures demanded by the eu and championed by germany for making the situation worse. any economies argue france has dug itself into an economical. >> that is what economists say.

we got this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> france is the most serious problem in the eurozone. that is the concern here. france has to become more competitive and productive and cut back the part the state lays in the nation's economy. whether a new government will be able to do that anytime soon while people are quite pessimistic on the frankfurt floor that that will happen. still, the share prices in frankfurt went up quite clearly. they hope the european central bank will act to prop up the european economy. remarks by mario draghi are being interpreted to that respect. >> in frankfurt, we can stay there for a closer look at the numbers. the dax finished the day up as did the euro stoxx, gaining more than 2%.

in new york, traders are still on the floor, the dow jones is in positive territory and the euro is trading at $1.31. >> spain has the top of the list of eurozone companies -- euro zone countries and received the backing of the german chancellor. but she has been reading -- been meeting to prepare for the eu summit where austerity and growth will be center stage. >> chancellor merkel met with officials in santiago and perhaps with a sense of indication, she said the austerity measures help pull the company out of a double-dip recession. >> i would personally like to say i'm pleased spain has had a number of consecutive quarters of growth and the unemployment situation is improving. this is the result of tough and difficult reforms.

>> unemployment in spain is still at 25%. he says they should be thanked for acknowledging the reforms. >> we know that we need to continue along the path of reform. we know that is the only way to avoid repeating past mistakes. >> on sunday, they walked a six kilometer stretch of the pilgrimage road leading to santiago in a show of unity with spain as it continues its path to economic recovery. the backing for the spanish economy minister to become the next euro group leader is also seen as an outlet of spain's progress in getting the economy back on track. >> still to come, the funeral for michael brown has just taken place. >> his death sparked two weeks

of unrest and sparked ongoing racial tensions in the united states. >> heroes of our age, glory lies in the stadium. kickoff pays tribute with a youtube channel with layers, coaches and fans. kickoff is now on youtube.

>> thousands of people packed into a church and in the american city of st. louis to remember michael brown. >> he was the black teenager shot dead by police earlier this month. the incident sparked nearly two weeks of protests. >> and calls for political change. >> those who attended the funeral celebrated the life of michael brown. the young unarmed man shot in ferguson. they also remembered other black americans who died in similar circumstances. >> we have the family of trayvon martin, tracy martin. [applause] we have the family of jordan davis. [applause]

and now we have the family of michael brown. >> round's family appealed for calm on the day of the funeral. they wanted fees as they sfrienr the life of the 18-year-old and tried to find words of farewell. >> i just want to say to mike that i love you and i wish i could hold you and kiss you. but i know you would say we don't do that stuff. >> in memory of michael brown, family -- flowers and personal possessions on his coffin. his loved ones hope the young man's death will not be in vain. >> our correspondent is covering that story and joins us from artisan. you have been on the streets.

what was the mood like during the funeral? >> it was useful and very calm. i don't think we're going to see any rise in st. louis tonight. people from all over the u.s. came to st. louis. the' show support for milychael brown. at thee op said they would like to see justice. the man who shot michael brown must be arrested. >> has the death of michael brown changed anything as far as race relations go and sparking a deeper debate on that issue in the u.s.? >> there is a debate, a new awareness of racism in the u.s.. as the preacher put it into word

today, they said we have to have a discussion of how to police in the u.s.. this will continue on tv and radio. not only to give wonderful speeches but do something about it. >> thank you for cering those events. >> from the midwest to the chaos in the middle east -- we focus on libya which is going through some of the worst turmoil since 2011. >> islamists are refusing to accept the new harlem an elected in june and reconvened the outgoing parliament which they dominated. >> this leaves libya with two rival assemblies both backed by armed militias. this comes as a slot next -- as islamist militias are gaining ground. >> the aftermath of the battle for the international airport in

tripoli, rival militias have been vying for control of the site for weeks. on saturday, an alliance of islamists seized the airport from pro-government forces who have been holding at the last three years. for the islamists, is a key strategic victory and embolden them to demand change. not long after they post these pictures of themselves taking over the airport, they called on the old parliament in tripoli, the one they used to domate summit to resume its work. they said the new liberal parliament did not represent the interests of the majority of libyans. such developments are creating alarm, not just in libya but abroad. regional leaders have been meeting to discuss the situation. but they rejected a call to help restore stability.

most importantly, we need to respect the sovereignty of libya. we want to announce violence and terrorism while supporting the political process. but an end to the violence is not in sight. fighting between rival islamists and pro-government militias has become ferocious in recent months. both in the capital and recent -- and eastern city of benghazi. the two sides are struggling for supremacy. ordinary libyans are concerned about the future of their country. some fear the political divide could the been and the nation could fall apart. >> with libby on the edge, let's go now to cairo. there have been recent airstrikes by unidentified planes, behind them, egypt and the emirates. what can you tell us?

>> this is basically toward seniors saying there were two airstrikes. ere are concns the airplane started in egypt and there was a refueling operation in the air i the united mp -- united arab emirates. egypt denied this report and the spokesperson from the state department was asked about the article and he referred to the relevant country saying why don't you ask egypt, the emirates and libya. >> how credible are these reports despite the denials? >> the question is what kind of airplanes? we are seeing unidentified

airplanes and it might be the egyptian air force and the emirates were named. but right now, categorical denial from egypt. >> there is a lot of focus on gaza, but is a failed state in libya more of a danger to regional security? >> to the east, there is a place that turned into a little somalia. we have militant groups operating there. libya is a failed state and egypt is in the middle. at the beginning of the month, we had a checkpoint in the western -- 23 egyptian soldiers were there.

the gunman might have come from the libyan order which is somehow protected. >> thank you very much for your analysis. leaders in mozambique have selected a new air after the government signed a peace deal with the opposition. >> the deal includes amnesty for the romano party which took up arms against the government two years ago. the head of thailand's military is being confirmed as the new prime minister. he is given the written approval of the king in a ceremony at army headquarters. he called on the parliament to join on reforms on the way back to democracy. the general led a crew -- let a cu and promised elections next year.

some sports now and it was a big day for a newly reported that about. >> they nearly came away with a historic victory. >> they had to settle for a draw because of the goal in the final seconds. here's a look at the action. >> the bundesliga adventure began as many expected, falling behind after half an hour. the newcomers are back into the game. in the 87th minute, the captain made it to 21. there is are victory was within touching distance. but they let their nerves get the better of them. a clumsy penalty was given away

and they stepped up to convert it, making it to all in the last minute. exit has been nearly a decade since a home game was won against stuttgart and nothing changed after the teams clashed on sunday. >> things would just not go right for them. it was alexander maxime who put them ahead after the break will stop they did manage a draw. there it is. stars of the music industry were out in force for the and tv video music awards. >> the top prize of the evening went to miley cyrus. the singer has often been criticized for crude antics, but this year, she asked a homeless man to accept her award to draw

attention to the growing crisis of poverty in america's streets force -- america's streets. for many, the star was he on say who sang a 20 minute edley of her hits will stop and she took three awards. for the finale, she was joined onstage by her daughter and her husband. a beautiful family. >> you are watching "the journal " we will see you soon.

>> hello and a very warm welcome to dw's "european journal." good to have you with us. let's look at what is causing a stir in europe this week -- anti-somatic agitation in little jerusalem. turkey -- the dangerous life of coal miners. and czech republic -- the spot town that loves its tourists. when it comes to religious communities, france is european recordholder. france is both europe's largest jewish community with about half a million members, and the