>> live from dw in berlin, this is the journal. good to have you with us. >> welcome. our top stories. germany jails a homegrown militant for the first time, convicted of fighting for islamic state in syria. >> the nasa space capsule orion has returned to earth after its first test flight. >> south africa marks the first anniversary of the death of former president nelson mandela. ♪ >> judges in frankfurt have sentenced a german national to three years and nine months in prison for fighting for islamic state in syria.

this is the first time that someone has been convicted in germany for the crime rate >> the 20-year-old spent six months in syria last year. thousands of western volunteers have been joining militant groups in syria and iraq in decent months -- recent months. >> the young man admitted traveling to syria and joining militants to fight the assad regime. he said he took part in military operations, but never fired shots at people. the court sentencing took into account his guilty plea. >> on the other hand, we must keep in mind that he supported a very dangerous terrorist organization. at the end of the day, the crime of being a member of the terrorist organization is a serious one. >> the judge said he was concerned the man would continue to be influenced by extremist rhetoric. the young man failed to distance

himself significantly from the aims of islamic state. his defense lawyer hinted at the vulnerability of his client. >> a nice and friendly young man who is shy and still acts like a teenager. that is perhaps how you could describe him. he hasn't grown up yet. >> the man says he intends to lead an entirely normal life after his release. >> nina house and has been covering the trial in frankfurt. i asked her whether the verdict might act as a deterrent to others considering joining i.s. >> i personally doubt that this verdict will deter others from joining the fight. it is a fairly high verdicts when it comes to juvenile law. standards in germany -- even the judges said they can't rule out that the man himself doesn't ever travel to syria again. german authorities are saying there are more than 500 german citizens currently fighting in

syria, about 180 of them have returned. there are more trials happening here in germany. it is very difficult to prove that they actually constitute a threat once they have returned from syria, and that is why the second charge against the man, i .e. plotting a terrorist attack in germany, was dropped. >> that was nina covering that trial in frankfurt. >> moving onto other news, one of china's most powerful politicians has been arrested and expelled from the ruling communist party. >> zhou yongkang was in charge of domestic security until he retired in 2012. he was last seen in public a year ago. in july, the party said it was investigating him. zhou is accused of accepting bribes and leaking state secrets. he is the most senior figure to be brought down in president xi jinping's drive against corruption. foreign ministers from around 50 osce countries attended a

two-day meeting in basel, switzerland. the ongoing conflict in ukraine was high on the agenda. >> the russian foreign minister slams the west for blaming russia for the crisis in eastern ukraine. tensions in the region remain high, despite thursday's agreement on a cease-fire, which is due to begin next week. >> our correspondent has been covering the osce for more than a decade. we asked him if it was true that the conference and basil did not provide any breakthrough between the west and russia. >> there was no consensus among members of state street. 57 of them to issue a joint declaration on crane -- ukraine, which they wanted to do. that is not stop to speaker from criticizing the actions of ru ssia. it is a platform for russia to

defend its actions. we just heard the u.s. ambassador talk about destructive and illegal actions by russia. what we see here is the osce struggling to come up with answers when one of its members, in this case russia, doesn't play by the rules. >> the international criminal court in the hague has dropped all charges of crimes against humanity against kenyan president uhuru kenyatta. >> had faced charges of murder, rape and other inhumane acts in the wake of troubled elections. prosecutors dropped elections -- charges. >> a new blow to the criminal court's credibility. >> it was a long and drawnout case, fraught with difficulties. after a four-year investigation, and charges against kenyan president uhuru kenyatta were dropped because prosecutors

failed to produce enough evidence. there had been allegations of witness intimidation and false testimony. the 52-year-old leader was accused of committing crimes against humanity following kenyan apostolate and in 2007. the charges included murder, rape, and deportation. more than 1200 people died and hundreds of thousands more were displaced in the violence which took place after the election. kenyatta's supporters welcomed the decision. many of them believe the investigation was orchestrated by his political opponents and feel their leader has been vindicated. >> happy, and we hope that mr. kenyatta will lead kenya and give the citizens what we want so he can have enough time to concentrate especially on security. >> all along we knew that president uhuru kenyatta was innocent, and it is only his detractors and political competitors who have been

pushing for this case to proceed. there is never been any evidence. >> the decision to drop charges is a blow to the international criminal courts are it prosecutors in the hague say if enough evidence is gathered in the future, new charges will be brought against kenyatta. >> for more on that story, correspondent julia joins us on the line from nairobi. what has been the response to the court's decision in kenya? >> the government, president kenyatta and his supporters are celebrating. he gave a long statement. [indiscernible] he always claimed that he was innocent. the opposition after seven hours, they talk to the press and the opposition leader. it must have been a blow for them.

they would hope it would weaken the government. the most disappointment, a lot of people say here are the victims. they get nothing out of the trial and they hoped so much with this trial starting, the long tradition of impunity would have an and. >> -- end. >> do you think kenya has come to terms with the post-election violence in 2007 and 2008, or are those tensions still simmering? >> yes, they are. in society and between the politicians and the opposition. the ethnic line is at the center of the conflict and violence. [indiscernible] politicians take more care about what they say, to whom they say what. all in all, they are much more

aware about that, about what we say -- they say and how they treat people. >> the correspondent joining us on the line from narrow be. thank you for that analysis. u.s. president barack obama has named a former pentagon official as the next secretary of defense. >> carter will replace chuck hagel. obama said carter, quotes, brings a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know-how to the job. a german estate has elected a governor from the left party, for the first time since the country's reunification. >> bodo ramelow was elected to lead the state of thuringia. >> that has raised quite a bit of controversy. chancellor angela merkel to say,

it is too earlier -- early for the former communists to govern a state. >> the election of ramelow marks a shift in germany's political landscape. it's the first time since the fall of the berlin wall that a party that traces its roots to the former east german communists will head up a regional government. >> i want to thank the majority who today have shown they have conference in me. to those who did not vote for me today, i would like to say that despite our differences on policy, i attach a lot of importance to working well with the opposition. for angela merkel's christian democrats, the turn of events is a blow.

. >> they reigned supreme in the state since 1990. now they have to make way for a party and state premier that some call divisive. bodo ramelow hails from west germany and used to be a trade unionist. he is also said to be influenced by his protestant upbringing. his first speech was conciliatory in many ways. he called for debate, but a democratic and fair one. >> let's go to our political correspondent, kerry martin. how serious is this development? is it just cold war paranoia, as one analyst calls it? >> the left party is an established fixture in germany's political landscape, but it does remain controversial and it is a lightning rod for lingering cold war animosities in germany. there are a couple reasons for that grade the party does indeed have its roots in the former governing party of east germany, the s.e.d., so it does carry the

legacy of the former communists in east germany. it is also accused of harboring a number of former east german secret police agents from the [indiscernible] in many people are really upset about that brought a number of people out in front of the parliament last night, some 2000 people were protesting, many of them victims of the former stasi. >> the coalition in place in goods they, social democrats and greens. could we see that on the federal level? >> we certainly won't see that constellation anytime soon. the left party is pulling 8% nationally in germany. even if you put the greens and social democrats together with the left party, they are not as strong as chancellor merkel's conservatives and the small, right-leaning a.f.d. party. the social democrats are always asked will you form a coalition with the left party. so far they have not bit on that.

they so far reject the left party, if not from ideological reasons, pure policy. the left party wants germany out of nato. that is something the s.p.d. would never go for. >> terry martin, thanks for joining us. nasa is calling it a new era of space exploration with the goal of landing humans on mars. the new unmanned spacecraft, orion, has splashed down in the pacific ocean after a successful debut spaceflight. >> it headed into orbit, flying further and faster than any cap still built for humans since the apollo program. after nearly five hours, nasa calling it quote, the most perfect flight you could imagine. >> would you take a trip to the red planet? >> absolutely. first we paid a tribute -- visit to the national air and space museum.

♪ >> what comes to my mind when i hear the word mars? chocolate bars. >> red, space, aliens. ♪ >> imagine if we finally realized we are not the only living things in the universe. >> i don't think there's any large i logical creatures out there, maybe small microscopic types of creatures. >> it is the next step on from the moon. >> whenever people leave earth to colonize other things, mars will be part of that story. >> i don't think we need to send people there. it's nonsense. >> we are staying on earth.

we will be right back. >> unimpeded access to knowledge and opportunity, and the same access for everyone. a central goal of the global community, but what is the reality on the ground? education for all. dw's media special for all highlights extraordinary projects the world over.

find out more on the internet. dw.de, education for all. >> welcome back. the u.s. is bracing for another night of demonstrations after thousands took to the streets again on thursday. the protest a jury decision not to charge a white police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man. >> anger is spreading across the u.s. over what many say is excessive use of force by police tom often along racial lines. last week cleared an officer in the shooting death of 18-year-old michael brown in ferguson, missouri. >> both cases have many asking how accountable police are for their actions. >> yet another unarmed black man shot dead by u.s. police. another example of what activists described as excessive force and racism within the department. there are growing calls for reform. >> we need to take a deeper dive

into why police officers are feeling compelled to shoot and kill as opposed to apprehend and detain, arrest and jail. >> the death in phoenix is likely to fuel more protests. demonstrators are already furious over the decision not to indict the police officers who killed another two unarmed black man, one a teenager in the town of ferguson, the other a new yorker choked to death after a verbal disagreement with police. phoenix authorities say they will investigate the latest case. >> have a duty to retreat as a police officer. we have a duty to investigate in this particular case, and he made a decision when the suspect got out of the vehicle believing he would leave the area that he was going to interview -- intervene. >> these words are unlikely to reassu protester ban kmoons amg those urging u.s. authorities to

respond to demands of greater accountability. >> to the philippines now, where hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes as a major typhoon bears down on the country. >> the storm is due to make landfall on saturday. forecasters fear it could hit the same area as typhoon [indiscernible] 13 months ago. >> thousands were left dead. this time residents are braced for the worst. >> these images are eerily familiar, evacuation centers once again packed with frightened residents. still reeling from the devastation brought from a typhoon last year. at least 7000 people were confirmed killed or have never been found. this time authorities are urging residents to leave. one official issued a stern warning. >> residents who don't want to evacuate will be forced to. the army and police are here to

help. we have been telling the residents to forget about material belongings. their lives are most important. >> forecasters say the storm packs winds of 195 kilometers per hour. that is slightly less than estimated. its cause has become dangerously erratic. concerns are escalating here in northern summa and in the province in the south. >> i hope it will make landfall anywhere. i'm not just praying for [indiscernible] but all the provinces in the path of the typhoon. i'm frightened. >> authorities insist they are better prepared this time. excess debris is being cleared to prevent injury.

those who aren't being forced to vacate are being ordered to board up their houses. no one wants a repeat of last yours unprecedented disaster. >> switching gears to business news now, the u.s.conomy is gaining strength. the latt employment figures show more workers were hired in november than in any month for nearly three years. >> unemployment remains at a six-year low of 5.8%. the jobs report lifted the dollar to a five and a half year high on friday and despite a broad selloff pushing the yield on the two-year note to the highest level in more than three years. the report also helped european stocks back on their feet after thursday's losses following the ecb's announcement it would not introduce a plan to kickstart the european economy just yet. this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> on thursday, therhave been some disappointment on the markets that the ecb did not announce new monetary easing measures.

this friday, investigators realize that the ecb's announcement to further increase its balance sheet means in practice that further monetary easing is underway. this could trigger demand for shares, and also adding to this positive economic data came in from germany. at the beginning of this quarter, german factories got many more new orders than economists had anticipated. last but not least, positive data came in from the united states label market -- labor market. this showed that the american economy continues to recover. >> here is a quick look at the numbers for you now. germany's dax rallied. across the atlantic, the dow jones industrials currently well

in positive territory. on currency markets, the euro losing ground again, currently trading for one u.s. dollar $.22. the last car rolled off the assembly line this morning. >> it is closing its plant after 50 years, around 3000 jobs are expected to be lost as a result. >> opal was once a model of success in the region. built on a side of a former mine, the factory was a sign that times were changing for germany. the dying coal industry was about to be replaced by car manufacturers. it gave thousands of people their work and revive the fortunes of the entire region. the models may there, such as the opel cadet, became known throughout the world.

from 1962, some 14 million models rolled off the assembly line. but then demand dropped, and opel started to go out of fashion. a petition grew as prices went down. -- competition grew as prices went down. opel factories in the u.k., poland, were performing better than [indiscernible] car sales in europe, a key market for opel, adventuring thing for many years. >> it really is sad. >> nearly 3000 of the plant's workers have lost their jobs. opel is set to become a footnote in the history of the region. >> south africa has been holding memorial services to mark the first anniversary of the death of nelson mandela.

south africa's first black president died last year, aged 95, after a long ellis -- ill ness. >> this towering statue is no stranger to the crowds. today the mood was different. a somber re-laying ceremony at the memorial. the service was attended by dozens of his friends and family, as well as fellow veterans of south africa's anti-apartheid movement. these were the scenes at this time last year. mandela's death sparked an outpouring of grief across the globe. dignitaries and world leaders lined up to pay tribute to south africa's first black president. today an exhibit open to mark the anniversary. during a state visit to china,

south africa's current president ahmed jacob zuma, said his was a legacy that will not be forgotten. >> we are continuing to promote president mandela's legacy, ideas, humanity, values, and his commitment to the notion of a free, united, democratic and prosperous south africa. >> further events marking mandela's death are planned throughout the weekend. >> germany's olympic committee is set to vote this week on whether it should bid for the 2024 olympics. berlin and hamburg vying for the chance, but will their bits get anywhere? -- bids get anywhere? >> the olympic committee rejected a bid from the capital in 2000 and one from leipzig in 2012. now berlin and hamburg could put in rival bids to host the 2024 games. >> the lengthy games are the

world's most important sports event. this is a great opportunity for germany to show the world that it has what it takes to host the games again. >> germany's olympic committee has been speaking to interest groups in berlin and hamburg to gauge the public's interest in hosting the games.. levick officials say this time will be different. berlin and hamburg are focusing on sustainability. berlin already has an olympic-sized stadium. both cities want to keep costs low by integrating new construction into existing infrastructure. >> the most important thing we have to take into consideration in hamburg and berlin is that we are going to have to build additional infrastructure for the games. the estimated cost for each city will be around 2 billion euros.

>> berlin and hamburg's plans allies with the reform plans of the international olympic committee. the ioc wants to give host countries more say in how to run the games. the ioc president will present planned reforms next week. a german bid to host the games could stir up more interest in olympic sporting events. not a day too soon. germans are winning fewer medals every year. >> that is all for us for now. thanks for watching. ♪

this week on moyers & company, chevron tried to buy the election. >> as soon as you enter the borders of the town, you see that it's a battleground. you see billboards everywhere. you see signs on every corner and you can tell that someone is really trying very hard to win an election. >> we have a community that is clear that we cannot be bought and that is what the voters said this past tuesday. so it's been a real, real success for grassroots democracy. >> announcer: funding is provided by: anne gumowitz, encouraging the renewal of democracy. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and