>> this is the "journal" on dw in berlin. >> these are our top stories -- >> the greek finance minister tells the eurozone his country is not interested in their austerity, but does he still want their money? will go live to brussels for more. >> fighting is getting worse in eastern ukraine, and peace efforts have stalled. >> and the bundesliga is back with the first match after the winter break.

it is the face-off that investors had been fearing. reese's new government says it will make good on its plan to overhaul austerity in the country. >> that good throw athens economic reform program for a loop and mean no new bailouts and maybe even an exit from the eurozone. >> our complete coverage of the situation begins with a very tense meeting in athens on friday. >> greece's foreign government opened negotiations in a meeting between the finance minister and the head of the eurozone's group of finance ministers. he started things off with a terse rejection of austerity measures imposed on athens over the past five years. the new government says it will no longer allow imf and eu auditors into greece and it refuses to extend the bailout program. >> we will seek cooperation with the legal institutions of the eurozone and the international monetary on, but the tripartite

committee of imf, european commission, and ecb insists on a program whose logic we consider anti-european. >> according to the european parliament, the committee is poorly structured. we do not intend to work with her. >> the government of the prime minister is moving quickly to defy specific terms of the eu-imf bailout program. planned privatizations of a gold mine and gas distributor were canceled on friday. >> it is of the utmost importance that greece remains on a path of her country. this requires commitment, just to the reform process and to fiscal sustainability. taking unilateral steps or ignoring previous arrangements is not the way forward. >>as repeatedly voiced its strong opposition to the change in direction of the greek economic policy. the finance minister has rejected calls for debt relief or any relaxation of greece's bailout terms.

>> our correspondent joins us now from brussels with all the details. as we just heard, both sides are talking tough. the greek government and the country's creditors. it seems there's no room for compromise, or is there? >> how can there be room for compromise in a train crash? the whole thing seems quite bonkers, this strategy on the side of athens. it is as if you decided not to talk to the bank anymore who has given you a very big loan. you can do that it's a free world, but if you say you despise banks as a matter of uncivil and hate global capitalism, that will not leave you anywhere, and that is any much what they are doing at the moment, but you then have to bear the consequences. that means the troy, which is their creditor -- if they like this body or if they do not will not pay them the last is helmet from the financial package that would he do at the end of february.

that is $7 billion that greece really needs. plus, it might also mean that the european central bank could then not give liquidity anymore to greet banks, which would mean that no euros would come out of greek atms anymore. it really is rather a disaster. >> those are some potential scenarios there. how about the potential scenario of the rhetoric coming from a series of forcing the torque us to allow for a write-down of greek debt? >> how can this happen? the first question is why they worry about a write-down at all? they are not paying down anything. they will not be starting to pay down their debt of 42020 or maybe even 2022, so this is in the future. so far all they are paying is interest at a very low rate. that needs to be really noted. plus, the 80% of the greek debt is held by the european union which means the countries of europe would have to shell out

and that's not only germany but also italy and france and the rest of them. i would really like to be part of those negotiations to see what paris and rome says to that demand. also you can probably play games with the european union. i don't know yet, but that might be possible to a certain extent, but you cannot play games with the imf and washington. we can be rather sure that christine lagarde who is a hard-nosed lady, will not be charmed. >> the concern among the markets is if there is this potential write-down, could this spiral? thank you very much for that update from brussels for us. the stakes in these negotiations are high not only increase as we just mentioned. developments could also potentially reshape and unsettle other european countries. >> they are calling it the greek revolution, anti-austerity parties gaining momentum.

>> having a knock on effect in countries like spain, giving rise to parties calling for a rollback to spain's austerity measures. >> the success is down to people like this who joined four months ago the part of central madrid where the party was born. the neighborhood is known for being authentic, alternative. just like the image they want to project, and that is why it has won so many supporters. >> it's the first time i have been involved in a political party. i always had a lot of ideas about politics and was always interested but i never joined one. for the first time now suddenly, the party is really getting somewhere with a leader who is well prepared and with so much excitement, that made me want to join in.

>> the leader in the face of the party wants to abandon austerity in spain like the new government in greece. at a recent rally he said the days of spain's conservative government are numbered. the party's success is not just based on traditional political campaigning. it is also down to massive grassroots mobilization. they hold more than 1000 meetings across spain and -- every week to discuss local and national issues. it also makes good use of the internet. >> what impresses me the most is the amount of time people invest and the ambition to change society. >> but not everyone is excited. a few kilometers away the party is not so popular. >> i don't think it is the best aleutian. i'm disappointed, too, but it's too dangerous.

>> i don't like it at all. they are telling fairy tales. in practical terms it is nothing. >> in just a year, it has grown into spain's second biggest political party, but it's unclear if these fresh faces have lasting appeal. >> to eastern ukraine now where heavy fighting between government forces and pro-russian rebels has left at least 19 people dead. >> as a result cease-fire in mint between ukrainian government and russian separatists were called off the four they even began. >> in a moment, we'll hear more from our correspondent in kiev, but first, here's a closer look at the situation on the ground in ukraine. >> human tragedy in eastern ukraine. as the violence escalates, so do the casualties, especially among civilians. another 10 people were killed on friday alone. the largely ignored cease-fire is only in memory these days. pro-russian separatists control donetsk.

erratic shelling continued in the city center, including a mortar strike on the distribution center. diplomats once again are appealing for an end to the bloodshed. germany's foreign minister is calling for all parties to it here to the cease-fire agreements made last september in minsk. >> we hope there is enough sanity left on both sides to create a path to a cease-fire, hopefully, a permanent cease-fire. >> but neither side appears willing to seek compromise at the negotiating table. a meeting of the negotiations -- negotiating contact group was canceled with warring parties blaming each other. moscow now says it will boost its military presence in strategic parts of russia. a response to what it calls the changing political and military situation at its borders. >> this is why we need new strategic nuclear weapons and more soldiers for the army and navy. we also have to make more

resources available for development of air and space weapons. >> kiev is also digging in. president petro poroshenko is marshaling more firepower on the battlefield with a plan to arm and deploy 100 thousand reserve soldiers to the front. that has created an exit us of young ukrainian men out of the country. to stem the flow kiev is making it more difficult to leave. >> let's bring in frank kaufman who is standing by for us. peace talks have stalled. everyone is blaming each other. it seems like there is no interest in ending this fighting. >> i think what we can see here at the moment is how military developments on the ground, in the field are influencing diplomacy. obviously, rebels feel very strong at the moment. there's heavy fighting around the city which lies between donetsk and luhansk, held by the

ukrainian army, and they obviously feel they can set the agenda. they have since negotiated to minsk which was not exceptional for the ukrainian side. they say ukrainians are saying it must be a person that has signed also the minsk agreement of last september, and that was a strong man of donetsk. the chief negotiator here is insisting that he wants to talk only with the people who are in charge. >> are we going to see peace talks or not? >> we will have to see. we were talking to the foreign ministry just today here, and they are saying there are ongoing negotiations about possible substance of these talks. they say they are ready to get to minsk immediately in the course of the weekend. that was confirmed by the chief negotiator who was meeting the

media in the late afternoon here. he says he is ready to fight however the right people have to be. >> let's head out to one town which has been a flashpoint in the recent fighting. >> ukrainian government forces are holding out in a town that is between the two rebel strongholds of donetsk and luhansk. the area has been taking a pounding. >> a musician regular life, he has just received his call letters for ukrainian army, so he is trying on uniforms. the last two weeks have seen a surge in combat operations. he is sure the ukrainian army will win. >> right now, we will win this fight.

the enemy has incurred heavy losses but they keep getting new weapons from russia. >> area lies between separatist stronghold of donetsk and luhansk. the town is still in government hands, but its location at the crossroads of major highways and rail lines makes it a key strategic target for the separatists. >> we are trying to isolate as quickly as possible. but we do not want to many of our soldiers to die. the operation will take a little longer than i would like. >> the townspeople have had defend largely for themselves with little help coming in from outside. it's difficult for the red cross to even get close to contested areas. it set up an emergency shelter 10 kilometers from the front. many of the people here have lost everything.

>> it has been very hard on the front lines. the winter conditions mean many people cannot leave. so they stay here which makes it very difficult to buy food and eat on a daily basis. >> he carries on nonetheless. the united nations now says that more than 5000 people have died in the ukrainian conflict, and the situation appears to be escalating. >> you are watching the "journal " here on dw. we're going to take a quick break. >> coming up, a notorious apartheid-era death squad commander is given parole in south africa. we'll tell you why. >> plus, the bundesliga is back after its winter break. we get the latest about what is in your the second half of this season. don't go away. >> we have to take a short break. stay with us. >> back in 60 seconds.

>> welcome back. the african union once employed thousands of soldiers and a campaign against the violent islamist group, boko haram. >> militants have been aging more and more brazen attacks in recent weeks and nigeria has been unable to stop them. >> the african union is stepping in as the conflict spills across borders. >> he is the new head of the african union, zimbabwe's 90-year-old president, robert moog got a. his new job will not be easy. he'll have to deal with many problems and crises facing africa. at this summit, one of the main topics is the challenge posed by extremist. >> in particular, the brutality of oklahoma rom against our people. the senseless killings, the destruction of property, the enslavement of our people especially girls are a threat to

our collective safety, security, and development. >> attacks by boko haram in northern nigeria have grown in intensity over the past few weeks. zuma says boko haram is no longer just a nigerian problem. the african union's peace and security council is calling for a regional force of 7500 troops to fight the militants. the united nations secretary-general is on board with the idea. >> terrorism knows no boundaries . >> the african union is hoping that the united nations will provide the money for its military offensive against boko haram. >> at lst 49 people have died after an attack on a shiite mosque in southern pakistan.

>> officials say the attackers set off an explosive device during friday prayers. dozens were wounded. the explosion also caused part of the building to collapse, varying survivors. the sunni militant group has claimed responsibility. pakistan's shiite minority is often the target of extremist attacks. human rights watch estimates at least 800 shiites have been killed in the past three years. >> iraqi kurdish forces have repelled a nashville -- massive attack by islamic state fighters in northern iraq. >> militants began a three-pronged assault on areas near cure cook -- cure cook -- kirkuk aimed at critical oil and gas facilities but the oil stations were successfully defended by the kurdish fighters with support from u.s.-led airstrikes. >> we are going to head to south africa now where the man once nicknamed prime evil is set to

walk free. >> the leader of an apartheid era death squad was jailed for his role in the murder and torture of dozens of opponents of white minority rule. after 20 years behind bars, he has been granted parole. >> the government is ready to pardon him but it's decision has still sparked a fury. >> this is the face of one of apartheid south africa most infamous killers. he has confessed to over 100 acts of murder, torture and fraud. as head of the notorious police death unit, he is thought to be behind more apartheid era atrocities than any other individual. he has been handed two life sentences and 212 years behind bars, but he is now set to walk free. >> in the interest of nation building and reconciliation, i have decided to place him on parole. he has requested the actual date

and conditions of his release should not be made public. >> delivering the ruling, south africa's justice minister said he had expressed remorse for his crimes and had helped authorities find the remains of some of his victims, but his decision is proving contentious and a country still dealing with the legacy of the apartheid era. >> that justice is corrupt from the very top, and even though we feel it is wrong that they are letting him out because he killed people's and -- people and others disappeared, there's nothing we can do. >> at some point, we need to defend one another, but how can we? there are some of our black brothers the killed a lot of white people and also white people that killed. to build a nation, that is the problem, and it's difficult. >> forgiveness is where everything has to start. when people have paid for their

crimes and are remorseful, i think it's very good to start to actually continue for the future. >> by all accounts, he had been a model prisoner. he also became known for publicly reaching out to the families of his victims, but there are still many who believe his rightful place is behind bars. >> some business news now. european stock markets finished the week on a downer on fears that the eurozone could be heading into deflation. >> that is after the latest statistics showed consumer prices fell by more than .5% last year. the main cause of the draw is the plummeting price of oil, but food and drink were also slightly cheaper. the european central bank is preparing a one trillion euro stimulus program to try to get prices rising again. >> this week's numbers also show europe's biggest economy germany, is facing a downward spiral into deflation. our markets correspondent has more details on the floor of the

frankfurt stock exchange. >> lots of nervousness in the market. you could feel it in the air on the floor. the dax starting off relatively well, but then going up and down. at the end of the day, there were worries over greece and russia, and those dropping prices in euros a slant. a totally different picture where the dax is at now. it is posting again for this week. in between it posted a record high of over 10,008 hundred points. positive aspects from the point of view of the traders here -- the low euro, good for exporters. low energy prices, and above all, all that central bank money that will be forthcoming from the ecb in the next months. >> take so much. -- thanks so much. the long wait is almost over for soccer fans. the bundesliga kicks off after ace x-week winter break and the

first game is between league leaders bayern munich and i can place wolfsburg, but everyone's focus on the moment is on a major transfer about to happen at wolfsburg. german media is reporting chelsea's entree shall is joining the side. his rival would be a welcome boost for the team. >> he was a bundesliga star before switching to chelsea a year and a half ago, but the goal-hungry midfielder was never a regular at the current premier league leaders. the world cup winner is seen as a huge boost. especially as the club is still reeling from the loss of their belgian midfielder, who died in a car crash three weeks ago. >> it was really tough for the players. we can only make it through as a team. we just have to keep going.

>> the runaway league leaders bayern munich have been relaxing over the break. manuel took time out to unveil his doppelganger in berlin's wax museum. the team is cruising into the second half of the season with an 11-point lead. >> it is not as exciting as a neutral fan would like, but i'm not neutral. i'm biased. >> they know buyer nor almost untouchable the season, but they'll still be looking to ruin their unbeaten run. >> let's bring in our sports correspondent for the very latest on this big face-off we are having tonight. the first bundesliga matchup 2015, and it's going to be a big one. >> it is. i mean this is a huge match tonight, i've got to say. the top teams in the bundesliga as you say and the only team really putting byron -- bayern

under any pressure at the moment. no one else is even coming close, but if they can win tonight, they will cut the points gap. not just that, it will be a big psychological boost for them. they have not lost all season in the league. they have this air of sort of invincibility, and there is an air of inevitability about all their matches, they are just going to go in and win. it just gives the rest of the teams hope that maybe they can actually get a win against bayern. also, they got a lot of commitments. they might just spread themselves a little thin. if they can get on a win starting tonight, it will put them on a great position, so it's a fantastic game coming up hopefully, really important match, and definitely, viewers should stick with dw for coverage of this.

we have guys live tweeting updates, and we have the highlights of the match later on on the "journal." >> we keep hearing rumors about the transfer from chelsea. is that the most important deal this january? >> i think it is. certainly, if it goes through it will be the biggest transfer financially, and also, it would mean a lot for the team in terms of momentum. he is a star, a world cup star for germany, of course and i mean, he scored some really important goals for germany at the world cup, and i think it's 30 million euros they are thinking of spending on him or about to spend on him, and he would really add something to that forward line. clearly, they believe in him if they are willing to spend that much money, and he will hopefully be able to give them a boost in their title push next season and possibly the season as well, as i just said but the transfer has not been confirmed

yet. the biggest deal that has gone through so far was for dortmund.- dortmund obviously in a bit of trouble at the moment, so clearly, they brought him and hoping he can get them out of that trouble. >> we will see if that is enough to get dortmund back on top. thank you very much for all of that insight. be sure to watch the game tonight. as oliver just mentioned we have full coverage on our website and also on our at. >> more on the next show, so stay tuned. >> deep it here. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

♪ november 2014. a unique evacuation drill is being held in sendai.

it's designed specifically for the city's nonjapanese residents. using earthquake simulation equipment, they can experience shakes resembling real earthquakes. jason hancock visits sendai to report on the training. >> hi. where are you guys from? >> korea.