>> life, from berlin, this is your world news. good to have you with us. monica: hank you for joining us. >> winning the right to bid for the olympics, they are officially in the right to host the 2024 games. monica: vladimir putin returns after a rare absence and dismisses rumors about why he vanished for 10 days. >> indian christians rally for an elderly none, sexually assaulted in an attack that has shocked the nation. in the last hour germany has made its decision as to which

city will be the candidate to host the 2024 olympic games. the president of the olympic federation made the much-anticipated announcement. >> hamburg beat challenge from berlin but it will now need to stage a local referendum to shore up support. the new german candidate will now face stiff international competition to host the games. the winner will be announced by the international olympic committee in 2017. >> are sports correspondent jefferson chase, has been following this decision. hamburg has finally beat berlin to at least be a candidate to host the olympic games in 2024. what give them the edge? >> well, at the press conference they talked a lot about how they wanted to build up hamburg as a new sports center in northern

germany and europe. but everyone knows that the real deciding factor was the enthusiasm of the people. the head of the german olympic committee used a phrase twice that means they were passionate about it. they really wanted it and that is what we think tipped the scales in favor of hamburg over berlin. >> this really is just the beginning, jefferson. how do you rate their chances of actually being able to host the games? they're up against some tough competition. >> yes, they are. boston in the u.s. is considered the front runner. that is of course one factor. boston i think is a better known city around the world in hamburg, maybe. there is another twist to the story in that germany is also going to apply to bid to host the european football championships in 2024.

in the past, no country has hosted to events of that scale in the same year. a lot of people are saying, you know, hamburg and 2024 is not being taken seriously, but they are looking at 2028 instead. . >> we will have to leave it there. thank you very much. >> leaving the 2024 olympics behind for a while, russia is holding a series of military drills in the art take and the defense minister says that these are designed to test the capabilities of the armed forces in the face of new threats. >> the news comes as vladimir putin was seen in public for the first time in 10 days. his reappearance coincides with the first anniversary of a referendum in crimea on joining russia. >> the russian spring, that is the name of the sailing regatta being hd in theexat cr. l e on board.

the kremlin envoy calls out that they were always russian. that the city has been the headquarters of the black sleep -- alexi fleet since the czar era. in a disputed referendum one year ago they voted to leave the ukraine and join russia. western countries denounced the vote as a sham. the kremlin said that they were protecting the mainly russian speaking population from what they called fascist. many locals agreed, even if the euphoria ebbed. >> at least we do not have a warlike in eastern ukraine. the people here are still able to smile. >> the whole of russian bureaucracy is still new for us. lots of things are in limbo. >> unemployment has risen in the past year.

many companies were seized by the authorities and the effects of the european union sanctions are being felt here. russian state media per trays the annexation as a success story. and a highly germanic one thanks to president vladimir putin. in a documentary he said he had been ready to place their nuclear forces on alert, just in case the west decided to intervene. >> of course, no one wanted that, but we were forced to. we had to be prepared. >> that interview was recorded weeks ago, before the 10 date disappearance of vladimir putin from the spock -- from the spotlight. he resurfaced on monday to meet with the president of kurdistan. he will almost certainly be present for festivities being held this week to mark the anniversary of the annexation of crimea. >> as you just heard, vladimir

putin returned to the public eye on monday after his absence sparked worldwide speculation. we asked our correspondent what he said about the global guessing game. >> the president himself was playing with the situation by telling reporters that life without gossip is a bit boring. as a matter of fact there were widespread and even feverish rumors over the last days about what had happened to him. there was much talk of an illness. the flu, stroke, black -- back problems or simply even plastic surgery that had gone wrong. top tabloid newspapers discussed a possible clandestine trip to switzerland, where his alleged mistress was said to have given birth to a baby. there were also less flamboyant, political speculations. many observers think that there is a fierce power struggle going

on in the kremlin these days involving the secret service and the army leadership and others. whatever had caused his absence his disappearance for 10 days, we will never know, but many russians these days remember the soviet era, when the health, whereabouts of the party leadership were kept as state secrets. monica: that was for moscow. >> vladimir putin's back and the ukrainian president has been lobbying for support and held talks with angela merkel. he said the germany and the eu should put more pressure on moscow if they do not fully implement the terms of the minsk treaty. >> how should the european union deal with russia? the ukrainian president says that they need to extend sanctions. until the end of the year at least.

in berlin they say that russia and the separatists are disregarding the cease-fire deal. he accused russia of not completely meeting its responsibilities, especially when it comes to cooperation with osce observers. he also accused the separatists of failing to meet the timetable for the withdrawal of heavy weapons. the german chancellor also believes that russia needs to stick to the minsk deal. their government may discuss sanctions on thursday, but the chancellor refused to be drawn into the issue. >> it has been said again and again that if there are serious infringements, a decision will be made on further sanctions. but that is not our main concern. we are focused on political discussions aimed at securing the entire accord.

>> even if he has yet to be convinced, the position of berlin is clear the cease-fire deal is the only diplomatic tool available to defuse a conflict that is the greatest current threat to security in europe. >> melinda crane has been following those talks and joins us now from the parliamentary studios. our angela merkel and poroshenko on the same page what comes to dealing with the crisis? >> they appear to be at the press conference today, but it took them some time to get there. the talks were extended by one hour and both sides described the discussions as intensive. basically, if there are some differences at least in new wants they pertain both to skepticism about the degree to which the cease-fire is working and also the degree to which additional pressure should be placed on russia going into the talks over the weekend the president told german media that

he thinks that it is not working, however at the press conference it look like the chancellor had persuaded him to at least stay with it for a while because he said in fact that there was no alternative. the chancellor, for her part admitted that there were big gaps particularly with regards to the degree in which it can be confirmed that pro-russian separatists have been with drawing heavy weaponry as promised and she said that there is a lot of work to be done, but she also affirmed that for now minsk to is the solution that is out there in that we need to work with. >> the ukrainian president is clearly pushing for more pressure on russia. we are talking about more sanctions. how likely is it that more sanctions will be coming? >> he essentially said that he would like to see the eu leaders at the end of this week when they hold a summit state quite

clearly what they plan to do in the way of additional sanctions of moscow does not adequately fulfill their part of the deal. the chancellor sounded a great deal more reluctant to move ahead with additional pressures. she said -- look, the sanctions there will stay in place as long as minsk to has not fully been carried out. but that i do not want to talk about more sanctions right now basically germany will support them if needed but only if they are needed and when the time is right. >> good to see you, melinda. if you would like to find out more about the development head to our website dw.de. our correspondents have held a special report about life in crimea. israel has said that they are ready to offer increased support

to libya if the warring factions reach a peace deal. >> the foreign minister said that they were open to the idea of sending soldiers to protect the government and infrastructure. the eu has seen a flood of refugees as libya has descended into chaos. their rival governments are currently in un-sponsored peace talks. kurdish forces in northern iraq have accused militants of using chemical weapons against fighters there. now the u.s. has weighed in saying that if the claims are true it shows that the militants are resorting to desperate tactics. >> british authorities say that independent laboratory results show them using chlorine gas during the fighting back in january. they are also investigating two other possible incidents. maureen has been banned under the 1997 chemical weapons convention. india has overtaken china is the world's biggest importer of weapons. that is according to the latest

report of the stockholm peace research institute. but the united states and russia still remain in the first two places by a wide margin, with the arms industry they're doing this business. >> the new reports say that global arms trade grew by 60% over the past decade. some regions saw a bigger increase than others. >> asia is the biggest market for exports and the u.s. remains the biggest exporter ahead of the europeans. other players are emerging. we are seeing more activity from russia and the chinese are expanding their arms sales. >> the three largest exporters the u.s., russia, and china showed a big increases in the arms trade compared to the previous five years, where chinese weapons exports grew by 150%. germany slipped to fourth place exporting 40% less.

german hardware, like a leopard tank, is in demand, but the government is approving fewer deals them before, even though germany has filled some big orders in recent years including to the middle east. the second largest import region after asia. >> the middle east now has a burgeoning arms industry. we can expect export levels to that region to drop. not because it is becoming more peaceful, but because the middle east is starting to produce its own weapons. >> among the findings of the study this year, erect received arms for many countries to assist in the fight against the islamic state. -- iraq received arms are many countries to assist in the fight against the islamic state. monica: another shopping rate -- another shocking rape case in india after the assault on an elderly run by a group of men.

>> they with us. ♪ >> secrets of transformation, our internet series on the winners and losers of transformation. many emerging markets in developing countries are undergoing rapid change. white as some make progress on the road to democracy and prosperity while others backslide?

secrets of transformation, at dw.de. >> welcome back. in india thousands have been attending a rally in support of an elderly nun who was raped on friday following an appeal by the roman cart -- roman catholic archbishop in east india. >> police have detained a number of people for questioning, but no arrests of been made. the attack is the latest in a series of high-profile rape cases that have fueled public anger over violence against women in india. >> a vigil there for the nun in delhi. hundreds of christians follow the call to show solidarity with the him. but there is more than one issue at stake for the people here. it is not only about violence against women, christians feel that they are being targeted as a minority.

>> it is like all of the responsibility is on you and your system. being from a female community i think that this kind of event is taking place and i think that the government should acknowledge it for the protection of the woman. >> the police want to talk to these men, they were filled by -- filmed by a security camera after breaking into the conference where the attack took place. west bengal authorities have appealed for help in identifying them. >> we have got the best team that we have on the case and they have been given all of the equipment that they need. criminals take a lot of precautions. we will catch them. to find out where they are hiding, we need clues. >> the elderly nun is being treated in this calcutta hospital. she needed surgery from injury suffered during the attack but doctors say that she could be discharged in the next few days.

the incident has only added to a grim record of sexual assaults and india, which have sparked national and international outrage. >> to running now, sonja from delhi. government pledged tough action to protect women and punish the guilty. this case, again seems to show that nothing is really changed. >> that is right. this incident is really the latest in a string of disturbing sexual assaults against women in india. it is easy to say that nothing has changed but lets her member that the gang rape case of early 2012 did leave to a major revamp of indian laws. the indian media has consistently covered stories by these women. the entire public debate around sexual violence is changed. there is a willingness to openly

discuss rape and harassment subjects that were previously taboo. more women are coming forward. things are certainly changing. on the other hand, campaigners say that very little is being done to make sure that these lws are being implemented. this widespread police corruption, this apathy in the systems that are in place but the biggest problem i think remains changing the mindset. campaigners say that what is not happening is an effort to really educate the masses, specifically men about treating women with respect. recently i spoke to a man who said it was high time that lawmakers begin to treat sexual assault as a male issue requiring a dedicated awareness campaign, no longer one that simply involves talking. >> this particular case in india, christian leaders there say that this was not just about

gender violence. that it is also about targeting a minority. what is your impression, is that what we are seeing here? >> i think that we have to be careful, we do not know enough about this particular case. it is too early to save this is a case of sectarian violence are not. but what is certainly true is that the christian minority in india, which makes up about 2% of the countries population, they have certainly been feeling very insecure in recent months. there have been a sate of attacks across india and the debt -- and the capital of delhi. the christians are really feeling under siege, in a way and i think that this incident would certainly raise questions about that. >> think you are a much, sonja. sonja: thank you.

>> tomorrow, israel will vote in parliamentary elections and it looks like it will be a close race. benjamin netanyahu could find himself out of a job. the zionist union is pulling ahead in the polls, its leaders want better relationships with palestinians. >> for the first time, israeli arab parties have united on a single ticket. the new party is expected to drive up voter turnout among the countries arab minority. >> he is campaigning in the city . he is the lead candidate for the joint list, an alliance of israeli arab parties ranging from socialists to palestinian nationalists and islamists. that makes him something israeli voters have not seen before. >> it is a historic moment.

we have never had this in the past. a single party for all arabs. it has finally happened. >> 1.6 million israeli arabs represent about 20% of the israeli population. some of them are christians, most of them are muslims, they are all full-fledged israeli citizens. they live side by side with jewish israelis, but they say they are experiencing rising discrimination from their jewish neighbors. he runs a household goods store and is outraged that even prominent israeli politicians use anti-arabic rhetoric. >> the foreign minister called for a boycott of our stores. even though we sell israeli products.

that hurt my business. >> for him the choice is easy. he will void for the arab list. today he is meeting with party activists. opinion polls show that the list could emerge as the third strongest party in parliament. but no matter how well his alliance does, he rules out joining the governing coalition. >> our voters would not accept that. we cannot be part of a government that arms gaza. the tears down palestinian houses. and would rather spend money on jewish settlements in the west bank than on cities. >> but he might just do well enough to become the opposition leader in the knesset.

israeli arabs think that that could help them defend and promote their rights as israeli citizens. >> that will be an interesting election there. an interesting day. also the fact that the stock exchange for the first time in its history has closed above the 12,000 point threshold. the dax surged through the threshold just one hour after trading started on monday morning and continued to gain strength throughout the day. >> it may just be a way station on their upward climb. the index has rallied over 20% since the beginning of this year. >> the dax has broken one record after another. on monday it closed close to 12,167, a gain of 2.25 percent on the day. to traders this came as no surprise. next the euro continues to weaken against the dollar, bringing momentum to the market. it was only a matter of time before it broke through 12,000.

>> the major reason for the rally is the european central bank bond buying program driving down bond yields. they are seeking better returns on snapping up stocks. that has little fire under the equity markets. the bond buying program as quantitative easing is slated to part from 60 billion until the end of september of 2016. analysts are expecting more record-breaking results in the months ahead. >> the dax is buying -- fly high thanks to the bond buying program. our markets correspondent sent us this report. >> fireworks at the german stock market have been started by the ecb and their bond buying program. this is part of the fact that the yields have been dragged down, making shares look more attractive to investors. there is one more thing, the

weak euro eludes to the fact that foreign investors see german shares as cheap. this way especially they bought german shares today and added to the rally. >> here's a quick look at the numbers for you now. we begin in frankfurt, where the dax ended the day on a super 12,167 up 2.4%. up 50, also going strong, one .13%, closing at 37. the dow is also currently going strong at 70,961. the euro, gaining slightly, but still pretty weak. one u.s. dollar, 581. just before we go in hanover it is the first full day of the big german trade fair. the german economics minister

toured with the chinese premier. >> they have more than 600 chinese companies on hand there. of what focus is networking and production? analysts say that businesses are undergoing a revolution with the rapid speed of digitized technology. that is all of the news for now. >> thank you for watching. >> we will be back at the top of the hour with more. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

♪ ♪ anchor: hello and a very warm welcome to "focus on europe," with some of the best personal stories behind the headlines. great you could join us. on today's program -- in belarus, a mother with nowhere to mourn. in paris, cleaning the air. and in sweden, marvelling at the sky. belarus is often called "europe's last dictatorship" by western journalists.

but over the last year, the crisis in ukraine has distracted the west from worrying about alleged human rights abuses there -- and, after hosting ukraine peace talks in the