>> hello, and welcome to the journal, coming to you live from berlin. >> headlines for you at this hour. >> islamic state set a new deadline for jordan to release a jailed female militant, otherwise they say they will execute a captured jordanian pilot. >> we see the massive devastation left behind in the war-torn syrian border town of kobani after the city was liberated from i.s. forces. >> a float with a charlie hebdo theme is banned from a carnival celebration in cologne. ♪ >> we begin in the middle east,

with a race against time. jordanian officials have until sunset in just about over an hour, to save the life of a jordanian fighter pilot captured by islamic state last month. the radical group is demanding that a convicted terrorist be released, or else the pilot dies. jordan is scrambling to arrange a prisoner swap that will set the pilot and japanese hostage free, but time is running out. >> it is dominating jordan's media. people are worried about what might happen to the jordanian pilot. some say they would pay the price being demanded for his life, the release of the suicide bomber. >> the government has different points of view, and looks at this issue from several angles. everyone knows her terrorist history. her exchange for the son of jordan would be a gain for

jordan. ensuring his safety would be a gain. anything to secure the citizen's life is a gain for jordan. >> just as people in jordan are worried about their hostage, people in japan are concerned for their hostage, the journalist. it can be heard on the announcement that the deadline has been extended. it now runs out when the sun goes down in northern iraq. >> i hope he comes home safely. that's my feeling as his mother. >> relatives and supporters can only wait and maintain pressure on their governments. the jordanian government has said it will meet the i.s. demands, but no one has yet been freed. >> as we have been saying, time is running out. the journalist joins us on the line from jordan. what are you hearing? >> there seems to be some development after hours of silence.

the government just announced at the female prisoner is still in jail, in jordan, and the reason is that jordan still doesn't have proof of life of its pilot captured by isis, and that was part of the condition of jordan. they want proof that he is still alive, and that he will be released. the general tone is although the spokesman has reaffirmed that jordan is still ready to release in a swap if the pilot is in good health and alive. the statement less than one hour before the deadline with isis. that gives the impression that the tone is of a dead end. the mood in the street is grim, and there is something else that

the spokesman has mentioned, the strength of the jordanians in the state of crisis and difficulty. this looked quite pessimistic note. >> what about the fate of the japanese hostage? what are you hearing about him? >> the spokesman did not mention him. initially before they had said he's part of all the negotiations. negotiations have taken place from last night all through this morning, until it seems just now. jordanians did not mention -- they said part of negotiations is the fate of the japanese hostage, but now no mention of him. >> thank you very much for that. kurdish forces have claimed a huge strategic victory in the fight against islamic state. over the past few days they have

secured control of the syrian town of kobani near the turkish border. together with the u.s. and international air power, the kurds' campaign in kobani is seen as a blueprint for winning back other i.s.-held territory. but the victory has come at a heavy cost. >> the battle for kobani has left the town devastated. entire blocks, people's homes and businesses reduced to rubble. after months of fighting, islamic state militants have finally left most of the town what little remains of it. despite the heavy losses, it's a huge victory for kurdish forces, who broke the i.s. siege with the help of international airstrikes. for months i.s. terrorized the people of kobani. there were fears of a massacre if the g hottest gained -- jihadists gained control.

many watch the battle rage on from this camp in turkey. now there is some hope that they >> we want our fellow countrymen and the countries that have helped kobani to pave the way for us to return. let us go home. security forces should be established there to protect us against violence. we should be protected so those vicious people don't come back. >> we want to see those villains completely juvenile way from our town. we want to be protected. we want countries to help us. >> but for most, it is still a long way back to kobani. fighting continues in the region and for now turkey says it won't open the border to let the refugees return. >> back here in europe, the european union is discussing overhauling anti-terror laws in

the wake of the attacks in paris three weeks ago. >> interior ministers from across the eu are meeting in the latvia capital to look at measures including internet surveillance and storing airline passenger information but critics are asking for more details on what will be collected, arguing that it could infringe citizens' rights. the prospect of homegrown jihadists is one of the issues causing concern in europe. in belgium, the focus has been on the district in brussels. >> the neighborhood was one of the targets of recent counterterror police raids. community leaders are now working to stop some of society's most disaffected from turning to extremism. >> dw's max hoffman went there and has this msn report. >> the midday prayer is not usually a place for cameras, but he wants to demonstrate that his

community has nothing to hide. many belgians are worried about what has been happening and demand that the imam takes a stand against jihad is him -- jihadism. >> we are supposed to help out like a fire department. that's the feeling we have been getting. even the fire department has consulted in advance so they can make preparations. we were not asked for help beforehand. we are just called when the crisis is already happening without being asked our opinion. belgian politics has suffered a rude awakening. it will be a formidable task -- youth unemployment is over 50% him leaving many socially excluded. many of the younger inhabitants feel threatened by the media. i want to talk to them, but most declined.

you just want to stigmatize us, many say under their breath. they don't want to be connected to terrorism, neither by the media, nor the state. >> everywhere you look there is the police. they terrorize us. we walked down the street and they stop us once, twice, three times. we feel horrible because of that. two you understand -- do you understand? >> these young people are looking for ways to escape the spiral of mistrust. they have just been elected to the youth council at a workshop outside brussels. they play out conflicts in front of the group. the representative for integration has come. she's familiar with the frustration i encountered on the streets. >> it is obvious that some young people and some who aren't that young have been to syria and iraq. there is a problem but it's a

tiny minority, and that is why people have the need to say in front of the camera that they're just like anybody else. >> the youth council has had to start from scratch. the members are supposed to figure out how they can help, but they are convinced the fight against medicalization has to be led by others. >> i think that is something politics has to deal with, and exchange between politics and young people might be something interesting, but that is our main task. it is clear that radicalization has to be fought, no matter what form it takes -- muslim catholic, and all the others. the question remains how to take this on. there is an extremist underground. that is something the people here will have to fight if they want to lead a normal life. >> staying in brussels, and emergency talks are being held on further sanctions against russia over the worsening crisis in ukraine. >> the meeting of the eu foreign

ministers comes after renewed fighting in the country's east. more than 5000 people have been killed since the conflict began nine months ago. pro-russian militants last week pulled out of peace talks and vowed to seize more territory. we have the president of the european parliament, martin schulz is in athens. he's the first eu official to meet alexis tsipras says he became greek prime minister at the start of the week. >> is also set to meet other government and opposition figures. yesterday the new greek cabinet said it would go back on some big-budget commitments named by previous administrations as a condition of the bailout by the european union and the imf. >> these talks come as prime minister suppress begins to reverse many of the unpopular austerity measures tied to greece's international bailouts. this includes putting a stop to privatization plans.

>> caress, greece's largest oport will remain state property. the government announced it is suspending the planned sale of a majority stake. chinese investor costco was among the bidders for the port. >> the chinese ministry of commerce will continue to monitor the direction of relevant policies of the new greek government, maintain contact with the greek government and urged the greek government to protect the legal rights of chinese companies, including costco. >> the sale of regional airports and power companies is also being halted. they too were to be privatized as a condition of greece's bailout by the eu and imf. financial markets have reacted with dismay. shares in greece's biggest banks have fallen by up to half since sunday's election. >> that's get a quick check on

markets. we know greece has been weighing heavily on the markets all this week. is that still the case today? >> it is still the case. it is weighing very heavily in terms of the mood here, the confidence in the market, and the political and economic situation. it is not being shown quite as clearly when you look at the share prices. the dax is losing slightly, and stock prices in athens are recovering also. banks not making nearly the losses they incurred in the past few days. the kind of policies that the new prime minister in athens seems to want to push through backtracking on reforms, edging closer to russia, that makes people here very nervous. >> germany has entered a. of -- a period of deflation. what is behind this? >> it's mainly the energy prices that are forcing price levels

statistically officially down. when you go to a restaurant you buy a -- restaurant, you buy a car or clothes you don't see much to flechette and there. officially germany is facing lower and dropping prices. the range of prices in january dropping 0.3% for the first time since 2009. the economic situation is vastly different today. many people don't speak officially of deflation. the euro stoxx going down slightly, and the euro going up and up throughout the day. >> thanks for a much for that. >> we have a short break coming up but when we come back, we will be looking at the international outrage over the public flogging of a blogger in saudi arabia. we will be speaking to the director of human rights watch here in germany. >> we will find out why the organizers of cologne's famous carnival have banned a cherlie hebdo float.

that is coming up. ♪ >> dw in february. depart the usual points of view, and discover new perspectives. as a stranger in another world. as a spectator in the front row. or as an observer right up close. see the world through different eyes. our program highlights on dw, china on two wheels, and painting. february on dw, all broadcast

times online. >> welcome back. controversy is brewing here in germany over this year's carnival celebrations. in cologne organizers of the country's biggest carnival had put a stop to the construction of a float dedicated to shirley -- charlie hebdo, the french satire magazine that was the target of this month's terror attacks in europe. >> the parade does traditionally feature floats poking fun at politicians, but colognes carnival committee said they were worried that this float dedicated to the freedom of expression would weigh down the parade's celebratory atmosphere. not everyone agrees. wielding just a pencil, a carnival clown stops a terrorist in his tracks. this was meant to be the design of the charlie hebdo float. thousands of people voted for it

online and many local groups were even keen to get a spot on the float. in the end the organizers say they received too many concerned calls. facebook users were outraged. giving into stupidity one wrote. a setback for freedom of expression. what a shame. absolutely the wrong signal. opinions at this costume shop are divided. >> it is so personal for so many people. i think it's below the belt. >> i think it is a bad decision. it's about free speech and what cloning is all about -- clowning is all about. >> with germany's carnival capital gearing up for revelry the deadbeat -- debate is heating up. >> and many other countries

raif badawi would have been just another voice in the clamor of the internet. as a blogger he argued for the separation of state and religion, but he was writing in saudi arabia, and his words were taken as insulting to islam. >> is punishment, 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes. he has already received the first 50 lashes and will be subjected to the same amount of lashes every friday. badawi's flogging is on hold for edical reasons. it may also be in part thanks to the international outrage at his treatment. amnesty international has been instrumental in organizing protests like this one at the saudi arabian embassy here in berlin. >> a dw correspondent visited badawi's wife, ensaf haidar. she lives in exile with her children in canada. >> while ensaf haidar is in

snowy canada, her husband is in a saudi prison. if he serves out his term, raif badawi will have spent 10 years behind bars for writing a blog. she's getting used to dealing with journalists as part of her campaign to save her husband. they are lining up to listen to her talk. >> i'm hopeful. i really am. i expect the lobbying going on right now will yield results. i would like king solomon to grant my husband a pardon, and for him to be freed. >> the two have been together since 2001. after badawi was arrested for what he wrote in his blog in 2012 she fled saudi arabia with her three children. they were granted asylum in canada. she has been fighting for him ever since. >> if i am to do raif justice i

would have to speak poetry to describe them. he's a very respectful person. and wonderful husband. he is the love i always dreamed about, the one i had in my imagination. and he is a compassionate father. >> haidar and the children only have sporadic contact with badawi. he's only allowed to call them now and again, and not for long. >> the last i heard was that his health is not good ricky has very high blood pressure, and he's not doing well psychologically either. >> at least haidar has support in her new home. she lives in sherbrooke, a couple hours' drive east of montréal. social workers have helped her to find her feet. >> our services for ensaf's

family started when they got off the bus. we help them settle down, look for an apartment, register the kids for school. >> yet haidar's situation is far from normal. prison far away and is to be flogged every friday for months. >> i hope that raif comes back and can be with us, with his family. that's all he hope for. -- i hope for. >> is that hope that inspires ensaf haidar to keep fighting for raif badawi's freedom. >> to talk more about this case we are joined in the studio by the director of human rights watch here in berlin. think you for being with us today. the continuation of badawi's

punishment of 1000 lashes has been delayed twice. how much can this be attributed to international pressure? >> this can be absolutely contributed to international pressure. without that, he would have been flogged, but because his first flogging took place just a very short time after the terrible attacks on the french satirical magazine charlie hebdo the pressure of the international press increased and the western world could not look away. >> raif badawi is literally in the middle of fighting for his life now. what could organizations like yours do to help them? i understand you're not even allowed access to the country. >> yes. we do this with everything we can, we have in our power is to ask, urge countries to put pressure on saudi arabia. only as we have seen through

international pressure anything can be done, anything can be improved. the international community is not allowed under international human rights laws to look away. they are obliged to actually engage with the saudi arabian government and press him to improve the human rights situation in general, but also in the special case with raif badawi. >> in countries like germany and the u.s., on one hand denounced human rights abuses in places like saudi arabia, yet that does not stop these countries from doing business with saudi arabia and other oppressive states. what kind of message does this send, especially to the saudi's? >> it's a double standard. it sends the message that it is ok to abuse human rights, because as long as i don't say anything and continue business as usual, the dictatorships and

authoritarian regimes feel encouraged to do what they are doing, oppressing human rights. we urge western countries to put pressure on these governments. >> thank you very much for your insights today. >> next we headed to australia where an investigation into the seizure at a sydney café last month has concluded that police bullets killed one of the hostages. >> officials have confirmed that a woman was struck by fragments of police ammunition that ricocheted into her body. a gunman claiming to be working for the islamic state took control of the café in downtown sydney. after he killed one of the hostages, police stormed the building. >> malaysia has formally declared the disappearance of flight mh-370 an accident, and says the 239 passengers and crew

must be presumed dead. >> the flight went missing last march. a massive search operation was launched, but no trace of the aircraft has ever been found. >> the official declaration clears the way for relatives of the victims to receive compensation, but for many of them, they would rather have concrete answers as to what caused the plane to crash. >> it is one of the great mysteries of our age what happened to flight mh-370. search efforts have been concentrated far west of australia over the southern indian ocean. that is where experts think the aircraft went down after inexplicably veering off course while on its way to beijing. the operation despite being the most expensive in history has failed to turn up any trace of the plane. malaysia airlines held today's announcement will offer the families closure of sorts. crucially, the right to claim

compensation for the deaths of their loved ones. >> 13 nations have also lost sons and daughters to this tragedy. it is nonetheless important that families try to resume normal life, or as normal a life as may be possible after this sudden loss. >> but for many other relatives most of whom are chinese the announcement brings not comfort, but anger. >> why do they have to rush to answer in this way? what do they have to gain? >> many accuse the malaysian government of bungling the operation. >> we are very upset and very hurt. we feel very bad. this is not possible. we don't believe what they say. >> for many, there can be no closure until the wreckage is found. the government says the search will go on, but nine months

after the disappearance of the plane, the prospect of success still looks remote. >> with that we come to the end of the journal. you can always get more news and information on our website. >> thank you for your company. >> we will see you again soon. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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