>> live from the dw studios in berlin, this is "the journal." >> are headlines -- our headlines at this hour. two people were reportedly killed in an anti-terror operation in belgium. we will go to brussels for more. >> pictures of widespread devastation. new satellite images reveal the destruction in northeastern nigeria by boko haram extremists . we will go live to our correspondent. >> and asia's largest catholic community, the philippines gives pope francis a rapturous welcome.

>> belgian media are reporting that two people have been killed during a police counterterrorism raid in the eastern town of verviers. >> a third person was seriously wounded, and several others detained. the raid was reportedly against a suspected radical islamist cell. belgian public radio says an operation was under way in brussels as well, apparently targeting a jihadist group that recently returned from syria. >> we want to go to our correspondent, who is in brussels with the story. this is breaking news. can you give us more information? >> absolutely. we are looking at apparently three antiterrorist raids all over belgium. one is the one you mentioned in verviers a small town between the city of liege and the german city of aachen.

we have received information that the third man who was seriously injured has also died, so we have three suspected terrorists that. no police forces have been armed. the second scene is in brussels itself and the mayor of the district has told he will not give further information for security reasons. the third town affected is in the flemish part,. the situation in verviers has apparently residents reported shots were fired police shouting and rating a former bakery -- raiding a former bakery, where they supposedly found three terrorists they had observed for a long time. three people who returned from syria after they left to be radicalized, so foreign fighters. >> these are people returning

from syria. obviously people will be asking, is there any connection that can be drawn to the attack that happened in paris last week? >> there is so far a tacit lead. the information we have, which is not confirmed, is that belgian investigators are probing whether an arms dealer possibly sold weapons used in the paris attack. what they could confirm was that this man apparently had bought a car from coulibaly a car belonging to his partner. icon located -- a complicated link that has not been fully confirmed. >> we want to make sure we have the information correct. three great -- raids in belgium, three fatalities. these are three terror suspects? >> exactly. three terror suspects, men who

had been observed for a longer time. that is the information we have so far. men who had returned from syria. bear in mind, some 300 people have left from belgium to syria and 100 have returned. police said they have been observing these men carefully. >> the story for us in brussels. thank you very much. >> parisians gathered for another somber occasion on thursday, to bury more of the dead from last week's attacks. >> funerals were held for five of the 17 victims. ceremonies included those for two of the country's best-love cartoonists, 57-year-old bernard verlhac, who went by the name tignous was laid to rest in a coffin covered in writings and drawings. 80-year-old georges wolinski was buried in a separate ceremony. both work at the satirical weekly "charlie hebdo >>."

in berlin, the german parliament held a special session in memory of the paris victims. >> german chancellor angela merkel pledged to strengthen security across the country, but warned against a backlash against thee muslim community. >> she said the country must remain united at this difficult time. >> members of the german parliament stood for a minute of silence to remember the victims of the attacks in in france. chancellor angela merkel said that democratic nations would not be cowed by terrorism. she was one of many world leaders who took part in last week's unity march in paris. >> a sea of citizens who stand tall went terrorists try to bring them to their knees. a sea of citizens who will not allow the psychology of terrorists to divide them into different religions. we in germany were not allow

ourselves to be divided, either. >> merkel added that tolerance and freedom of speech and the press are the unshakable foundations of democracy and she also read out a quote by former german president -- a former german president to show her support for muslims in germany. >> "christianity is without any doubt part of germany. judaism is also without doubt part of germany. that is our judeo-christian history. but islam has also become part of germany." >> merkel said that security needed to be tightened to prevent attacks in germany. the storage of telephone and internet data needed to be reproduced, she said. the opposition disagreed. >> more data retention and tighter laws are the wrong way to respond. if our freedom is attacked we must not respond by giving up the freedom ourselves. >> german lawmakers must decide

how to move forward after the terrorist attacks. >> new satellite images revealed just how destructive the attacks by boko haram militants and jihadists have been in northeastern nigeria. amnesty international says the pictures show the attacks in baga. the before and after images show that nearly all the trees in the area have been destroyed by fire. the human rights group says that as many as 2000 people were killed. the nigerian government says the death toll is much lower. our correspondent joins us now from nigeria. we have to point out it has become so difficult to report from northeastern nigeria that satellite images are basically as close as we can get it seems. >> yes, because parts of the

northeast of nigeria are basically a war zone. if you talk about the case in baga now, the military is trying to take control of the town and the surrounding villages at the moment. it is not possible for journalists or any observers to go and assess the situation. the other problem is that boko haram destroyed all the talking medication in the region, so it is not possible -- telecommunication in the region, so it is not possible to communicate. only refugees can tell us the story of what happened. they tell us what happened is really terrible, a real act of slaughter by boko haram. >> the nigerian president goodluck jonathan just made a surprise visit to the northeast of the country. why'd he do that? some people say you did that to prove that boko haram is not in total control there. >> that's what many people think. people are positively surprise he decided to go there.

last time he went to the northeast of the country was 2013 quite a long time ago. even when there was the abduction of more than 200 girls, goodluck jonathan did not travel in the region. he wanted to meet soldiers and talk to them, but only for a few hours. it is a good sign. on the other hand, we cannot expect the situation will change. >> on the story for us in nigeria. thank you very much. on thursday, pope francis condemned any form of killing in the name of god. but the pontiff also said that freedom of speech does not mean that one can make fun of faith. >> the head of the catholic church was speaking on his way to the philippines on the second leg of his asian tour. this is the first visit by a pope to the country in 20 years. >> bells tolled throughout the

country while thousands waited to catch a glimpse. even the weather put on a show for the arrival of pope francis in manila. the crowd put on a rockstar welcome for frances. eight out of 10 filipinos are roman catholic. many waited hours to see their pope drive by. >> i did not see him much, but knowing he is here in the area, it is really great to see the pope. >> it will inspire a lot of good people. through this experience, i think it will be a challenge for us. >> en route to manila, pope francis called for greater tolerance different faiths. as the world reacts to the mohammed cartoon from "charlie hebdo" france said even freedom of expression has its limits. >> a great friend of mine says

something to offend my mother -- he's going to get punched. that's normal. completely normal. because you should not challenge, insult, or ridicule the beliefs of others. >> but he insisted that people should not kill in the name of religion. francis has a busy schedule in the philippines. after manila he travels to the region devastated by the recent typhoonhaiyan. on sunday, an open mass for 6 million people, hailed as the largest ever by the catholic church. >> saudi arabia's courts sentence of flogging to punish a blogger is causing international outrage. >> raif badawi was given a jail term and sentenced to 1000

lashes on charges of insulting islam. he received the first 50 lashes last friday. the flogging is set to continue every friday for the next 19 weeks. his wife told amnesty international that he fears her husband -- she fears her husband may not survive a further round of lashes. >> this moment was not supposed to be caught on video. a crowd gathered friday outside the mosque in jeddah after prayers. they came to see the first public flogging of raif badawi a 31-year-old saudi blogger and human rights activist sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison. >> no flogging for blogging! >> amnesty international has brought more than 50,000 letters of protest to the saudi embassy in berlin. the protesters themselves are not allowed past this fence. >> raif badawi was sentenced for

setting up a website where people could freely express their opinions. creating that site alone constituted a violation of saudi law. he was accused of insulting islam because he poked fun at saudi arabia's islamic police. >> his wife managed to escape to canada with their three children. in this video, his children ask for his release. together with the u.s. and eu, multiple human rights organizations condemned the sentence. critics are calling for sections against saudi arabia. >> refusing to supply weapons is something that would hurt saudi arabia. that's an important debate we are here in germany, led by our economy minister. the saudis are worried about their international reputation. >> outside the embassy the activists counted to 50, the number of lashes raif badawi will suffer each friday for the next 19 weeks.

>> starting on friday, the u.s. will ease restrictions on its own citizens traveling to cuba. a new era -- it is the first concrete steps since the two countries began normalizing ties last month. that followed more than 50 years of hostile relations. fully unrestricted tourism to cuba is not in the cards yet for certain travelers including artists, journalists, and athletes, will be allowed to travel to cuba. it will also become easier for cubans living in the united states to send money home to family in cuba. the united states had blacklisted cuba since the cold war. >> that's right. half a century of policy. we will take a break. when we come back, we will get to the movies. >> gets oscar time. the nominations are in. place your bets.

>> switzerland's central bank triggered unprecedented turmoil in currency markets this thursday after it unexpectedly ended a policy of maintaining a stable rate of 1.2 francs to the euro. >> it prompted a 20% collapse in the euro versus the franc the biggest single-they move in -- single-day move in a developed market that traders could remember. >> it took traders by surprise. the swiss national bank ended its long-standing policy of capping the franc's value. >> the swiss national bank has decided to abandon the minimum rate of 1.2 francs per euro, and no longer supported by purchasing foreign exchange. >> for three years, the swiss currency was supported to

maintain a minimum of 1.20 franc s to the euro. within minutes of the announcement the franc sword exactly the effect the central bank sought to prevent. during the euro crisis, investors bought swiss francs as a safe haven, putting upward pressure on the currency's value. the central bank tried for years to suppress the franc, but finally decided the effort was unsustainable. >> the swiss franc remains highly valued, but the overvaluation has fallen since the introduction of the limit. the economy was able to make use of this phase to prepare for the new situation. >> markets took a very different view. the country's main share index fell nearly 10% on the day. fears are that a strong franc will drag down the export-driven economy. >> the move by the swiss sent markets on a wild ride thursday.

our correspondent set this summary of the day's trading from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the swiss national bank lost confidence in the euro area. that's what some analysts and traders on the frankfurt floor set. but mainly swiss shares have been dragged down. the swiss stock market half -- had its highest losses in its history. the euro was dragged down sharply by the news, down up to 20% against the swiss franc. but the frankfurt stock market's rally continued. there have been good news coming in. the low euro is seen as very positive for german exporters. >> we stayed for a closer look at thursday's numbers. as we saw, a big get early in the session, but then the dax

came right back. stoxx 50 also trading higher. across the atlantic, the dow trading down more than 0.3%. the euro, weak against the greenback, at a value of 1.1614. parity not too far away. the german economy returned to growth and is expected to gain more momentum in the coming months. >> official data shows europe's largest economy grew 1.5% in 2014 after barely expanding the previous year. >> those figures come despite a tough year in germany. the ongoing debt crisis in the eurozone and tensions with russia weight heavily on german export-oriented industries. >> trade last year could have gone better for this german company, which manufactures ventilators. they were hit by the western sanctions on russia over the ukraine crisis. its exports suffer dramatically.

sanctions took their toll on other german sectors, such as the car industry. falling exports gave rise to a spirit of pessimism, with analysts saying the german economy was grinding to a halt. as 2014 came to a close, falling oil prices and the cheaper euro brought some relief for german businesses, fueling a renewed sense of optimism about the future. in recent years, germany had delivered mixed performance. it bounced back from the global economic crisis in 2010 and 2011, but then struggled. 2014 saw the beginning of the recovery, as germany's economy grew 1.5%. if oil prices remain low analysts say consumers will find themselves with more spare cash this year. >> i assume that consumers will start spending more because of the relatively favorable

environment. that will be a support for the german economy. that is different from how things were four or five years ago. >> some economists predict that might lead to even stronger growth in 2015. >> to ukraine now, where president petro poroshenko ordered a day of mourning for the victims in the bus attack in the east of the country. >> 12 civilians were killed on tuesday when a bus was hit by a shell near a government checkpoint southwest of donetsk. separatists and pro-russian separatists both blame each other for the attack. there is little sign of a meaningful peace agreement. >> the sound of shelling ranges from the airport to the center of donetsk, the bastion of pro-russian rebels. they face the ukrainian army along the city limits, in some

of the fiercest fighting in months. the deputy head of the osce monitoring mission in ukraine has arrived to assess the situation. most of his men are stationed here. >> for now, we are still able to operate. the security situation is severely limiting our ability to move around, but we are able to carry out our mandate. >> but the deteriorating situation prompted some of the 57 osce member states to consider removing their observers from the danger. >> for many years, the role of the osce was in danger. some member states were asking if it was still needed. now, the unarmed service finds war zone here in eastern ukraine. >> over 20 experts from several member states have come to donetsk to decide whether to be that the mission or pull out completely.

this is what could happen. on tuesday, a rocket slammed into this bus near a government checkpoint southwest of donetsk. 12 civilians were killed. both sides are busy trading blame. >> these deaths are on the conscience of the donetsk and luhansk gangs and those who stand behind them, feeding them, arming them, training and inspiring their bloody crimes. >> kiev cannot control the situation, and it cannot control its own troops. >> but he has not given up on silencing the weapons, even as the shelling continues. in a nearby administration building, there are glimmers of hope. he is here to help negotiate a truce. the meeting offers an unusual sight, ukraine commanders sitting alongside russian army officers. and the self-reclaimed russian

leader of donetsk. >> we proposed a cease-fire around the airport to take affect this afternoon. if it lasts we will try to drive to the airport ourselves. >> but the truth is short-lived. reports of new clashes forced the osce observers to turn back despite the rebels's assurances. >> if it were that easy, the conflict would have ended a long time ago. >> the fighting looks set to continue, despite the osce's presence. >> to sports. there is a ground breaking ruling by a german court. five-time olympian -- a five-time olympian speedskater says she can proceed with a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the sport's governing body. >> she failed a drugs test and was banned from skiing -- skating in 2009 over a regular

blood results. but the munich court decided rulings in the previous casework invalid, including from the court of arbitration for sport. the decision could open the door for other athletes to settle disputes through civil courts. >> the high point in the film world's approaching with the announcement of this year's academy award nominees. topping the list are the comedies "birdman" and "the grand budapest hotel," with nine nominations each, including best picture. >> "the imitation game" falls with eight. and a six each for "american sniper" and "boyhood." >> our entertainment group scott roxboro is in the studio with us. what do you think of the nominations? >> not too many surprises. most of the films i thought

would get nominated got nominated. what an incredible year it has been. look at the nominations. you have everything. the typical oscar films "imitation game" or "soma," these dramas that one expects to be nominated. and these amazing magical films "grand budapest hotel," "birdman ," and small independent movies like "boyhood" and "whiplash." it shows what an incredible your hollywood had. this year, we don't have a front runner. usually there's one film you think will take it all. this year, all the films nominated for best film could win, and i think all deserve to win. >> wim wenders was nominated for best documentary. >> it is a great documentary called "the salt of the earth," about a brazilian photographer who is known for doing two things -- shooting scenes of horrible language and war and poverty, then shooting amazing

beautiful scenes of nature. sort of does heaven and hell in his photography. wenders did an amazing job for this film. it's a very competitive year this year. he has been nominated before. >> what is your personal favorite and which film do you think is going to win? >> it will come down to "birdman " and "boyhood." my personal favorite is "boyhood." i really hope it wins. >> thank you very much for taking us to the movies. thanks for watching. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

♪ ♪ this week on "wealthtrack," charting your course for the new year. we'll have our exclusive annual outlook with evercore isi's superstar economist ed hyman and new york life's chief investment officer john kim. what do these two pros see for our future their predictions and strategies are next on "consuelo mack wealthtrack." ♪ ♪

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