laila: live from the dw studios here in berlin, this is your world news. welcome, i'm laila harrak. brent: i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. the headlines this hour -- listen two hours before the polls close -- less than two hours before the polls close. we will be live in london. laila: the german secret service is restructuring -- restricting it operation with nsa -- its operation with nsa. brent: a man burned alive as protests against foreign he's president's -- against burundi's president's attempts to power escalate -- attempts to

stay in power escalate. in less than two hours, the polls in britain will close and the ballot counting will begin. laila: across britain, voters are electing a new parliament in what is seen as the closest election in half a century. brent: the first exit polls are expected just after 10:00 p.m. british time. final results expected friday. laila: it hits the conservatives against the labour party and a host of possible kingmaker smaller parties. it looks like it could go right down to the wire. reporter: they have the choice -- cameron or miliband. polls indicate it is the closest election battle in decades. few are expecting a party to win an outright majority. >> we are fighting for a britain that is more fair more equal more tolerant, more prosperous and more just.

this is a britain i believe in. reporter: labor has been winning support -- labour has been winning support from people who don't like the government's austerity policies. many voters feel they have paid a heavy price with the harsh reality of short-term contracts and minimum pay. recovery has not benefited them and they are blaming the prime minister. david cameron's privileged background does not go down well with working-class voters. his strategy is to fuel fears of change. david cameron: this is the election that will define this generation. do we build on the work that has been done these last five years or do we go back to square one and waste all the sacrifices all the effort that has been put in? reporter: it is likely the two main parties will be forced to seek support elsewhere. and the smaller parties will hold the balance of power.

parties such as the left-wing scottish nationalists under nicholas sturgeon. and on the right, you get -- uk ip, led by nigel farage. laila: we've just two hours left for people to cast their ballots, let's bring in our correspondent covering the british general election. great to see you. described as the atmosphere. -- describe to us the atmosphere. is there a feeling the voters good bring about a political -- voters could bring about a political revolution? reporter: politics do matter. i think it started with the scottish referendum last autumn. people were so energized by it. there is a lot of discussion about the future of the u.k., of

the very fabric of the country with the union. will scotland stay or go? will britain stay or leave the eu? that has not been a subject discussed by politicians much in theamign,ut thi iis still in britain's mines in the political subconscious. the politics are really important these days. laila: let's talk about the contenders, the big main establishment parties, then lots of small ones. it will make it very difficult to form a coalition. could we see or is there a possibility that labour and the conservatives could join forces and form a grand coalition? reporter: i think that will not happen. politics here are very confrontational. if people to make -- people debate as prime ministers questions -- prime minister's questions, it is very passionate.

in this campaign, david cameron was portrayed as a posh boy someone who didn't really care that his cuts hurt working-class people much. then ed miliband is being put round has almost a marxist -- put around as almost a marxist and the city of london will suffer is there is -- if there is a labour government. i cannot see those two leaders sitting side-by-side and negotiating a coalition agreement. laila: very polarizing. when will we know who will be the next prime minister? reporter: actually, that's really quite exciting. we will know the results on friday. they will come in overnight. we will know sometime on friday. who has the majority of seats? who is able to form a coalition? that we might not know for the next days or even weeks to come. laila: thank you very much.

brent: all right. in every major opinion poll leading up to today's election, voters have said the same thing -- the economy is their number one concern. laila: prime minister david cameron says he steered the worlds fifth-largest economy out of the -- the world's fifth-largest economy out of the financial crisis, but not everybody is benefiting from that recovery. reporter: this job center is still busy on a normal workday. for many job seekers, short-term contracts at rock-bottom wages are all that is being offered. >> i've been offered a warehouse job. i've never taken it up. reporter: most of the jobs are on short-term contracts. it is hard getting long-term contracts. short-term, it is two months to three months in duration. laila: some -- reporter: some workers lando zero-hours job for low wages -- land a zero-hours

job for low wages and without any guarantee. >> you don't know maybe until monday morning what hours you are working that week, or the friday before. you can't plan anything. some weeks, they only want you for a few hours. other weeks, it could be 50 hours plus. reporter: sue has regular hours but only earns the equivalent of nine euros per hour, hardly enough to make ends meet in expensive london. >> my wages -- we survive on my husband's wages. we don't go out for a meal. we don't go to the cinema. we don't go anywhere where it is costing us to get an entrance fee. we can't afford it. reporter: the british economy is definitely on the mend. last year, gdp growth was 3%,

but it is mainly the wealthy benefiting from the recovery. their assets are growing by more than 100 million euros per day. british employers disagree. they say labor market deregulation is the primary reason for the u.k.'s upswing. >> zero-hours contracts in the u.k. have acted as a sort of employment stabilizer during the downturn and the fragile recovery. they gave employers the flexibility they needed in order to respond to demand or to counter against uncertainty. reporter: but the unions say it is time to give workers a better break considering the recovering economy. james has joined a union campaign to put an end to zero-hours jobs. >> we need jobs that pay. our members don't want to rely on benefits. millions of people are in this revolving door of benefits.

90% of new housing benefit claimants are in work. that's because they are on zero-hours work. reporter: the cut -- but employers don't want to lose flexibility. laila: germany's foreign intelligence agency, the bnd has reportedly restricted rated cooperation -- restrict cooperation -- restricted cooperation with the nsa. brent: allegations that the agencies work together to spy on european companies and officials. -- worked together to spy on european companies and officials. reporter: the bnd station is still monitoring and indications. according to reports in the german media, the u.s. won't be getting as much data as before. the bmd is no longer sending enervate -- the bnd is no longer sending internet

surveillance information. >> it is astonishing that action is only being taken now come when the problems have been known about since at least -- now, when the province have been known about since at least 2013. -- when the problems have been known about since at least 2013. reporter: the parliamentary inquiry does not know to what extent nsa aspired on -- spied on european companies and politicians. the government and opposition say it is time for germany to reevaluate its cooperation with the nsa, and they want a complete list of search terms used by the u.s. intelligence agencies. >> it has been made clear to our american partners that the heat is on here, that the investigative committee is putting on pressure, and that's a good thing. reporter: meanwhile, the

parliamentary investigation into the scandal continues. several bnd employees have been asked to give testimony. brent: let's pull in richard walker, our correspondent in washington. the course -- the cooperation will continue with the nsa and bnd, perhaps with a few more questions being asked by the germans. is there any reaction in washington to this? reporter: as usual, not a lot being set in public. behind the scenes, you can expect about -- expect a bit of collective eye rolling. there is a deep sense of fatigue among officials in washington. what they see is political sensitivities over intelligence bubbling up in this way. the political leaders in germany, as they see it, are hypocritical. they know that intelligence is not it -- not just about chasing stereotypical bad guys, but that there are very good reasons why you might want to monitor what a big defense company that sells

weapons around the world is up to. that's the sort of thing you wouldn't expect the white house spokesperson to say in public, but it is sort of thing people will be saying to each other behind the scenes. brent: something happening for everyone to see is a federal appeals court ruling today a blow to the nsa. richard: that's right. a lot of americans wouldn't care that much what the nsa is up to abroad but what is much more controversial is its thomistic program -- domestic program of essentially scooping up all telephone data across the u.s. telephone network and having a look at who is calling whom. that program revealed in the weeks from edward snowden. now, a very high appeals court in the u.s. has ruled that program is effectively a legal that it was not -- effectively illegal, that it was not justified by the patriot act. so now the bullet is in the

court of congress, where that piece of legislation is up for revision by the end of this month. brent: thank you very much. laila: now, the reports are embarrassing. germany's military uses a rifle that were orderly doesn't work properly -- that reportedly doesn't work properly in the defense ministry may have known about it for a decade and done nothing. brent: the maker of the g-36 assault rifle allegedly approached the jeweler -- german military secret service and requested help to muzzle the media to reduce or stop negative reports about the g-36. reporter: the weapons manufacturer wasn't happy about the leaks to the media about the rifle's shortcomings. the defense ministry official asked germany's military invest -- intelligence agency to investigate where the leaks were coming from and stop them. that's according to the defense minister. >> i would be completely in

favor of a parliamentary inquiry into this issue because we need to know exactly what happened. reporter: the minister reassigned one senior official over the affair, but the particular individual kept his job and even retained an executive position. coalition members are demanding further consequences. >> it really is a big deal when a senior minister acting in close cooperation with a company tries to unlawfully engage the military intelligence unit. the official could be manipulated. i think there should be more consequences than just someone losing their job. reporter: the opposition green party has called for a parliamentary inquiry and the left party may be on board too. both parties want to know why the defense minister did not react earlier. brent: we will take a break. we will be back in one minute. stay with us.

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laila: welcome back. in burundi, protests against sitting president. nkurunziza -- president pierre nkurunziza have taken an angry term. -- turn. brent: protesters set fire to a militiaman they say set -- set upon them during the protests. laila: thousands are on the run from the violence. the african union disapproves of the vote going ahead and has refused to send its observers. reporter: there were chaotic scenes in bujumbura. two weeks of violence have torn apart one of the world's poorest countries and tens of thousands of people have fled the country. the protests began when president the air -- president.

nkurunziza -- president pierre nkurunziza said he would seek a third term. the court said his first appointed term did not count. that hasn't stopped the violence. the president has offered a concession. >> we are letting their indians and the rest of the world know that if i get voted in, then it will be my last term, as is stipulated in the constitution. reporter: but this has had no effect on the chaos. at least three people were killed in the capital, one of them burned alive. the president is all but sure of victory in the june 26 election, thanks to the majority that dominates the countryside.

observers fear this could be the beginning of a full-blown civil war. brent: we stay in africa. in nigeria around 300 women and children rescued from a boko haram stronghold last weekend are living in a refugee camp. laila: although they survived the ordeal of being held hostage, their trauma and suffering is far from over. eight workers at the camp are overwhelmed and black supplies. -- andid workers -- aid workers at the camp are overwhelmed and lack supplies. reporter: this three-year-old almost did not survive. the boy is extremely weak. use currently being cared for by an acquaintance -- he is currently being cared for by an acquaintance. his mother cannot look after him because she was badly injured during the rescue last week. the captros gave -- the captors

gave their hostages very little to eat. >> i think about how boko haram came to our village and kidnapped us. life in their prison was unbearable. the worst was the constant hunger. i will never forget. reporter: of the 150 children at this camp, more than 40 are suffering from malnutrition after their ordeal. this three-year-old does not even weigh seven kilograms. the nurses still have some special food for the underfed children but supplies are low and there is no sign of the doctor assigned to the camp. he did not show up to shift. -- show up for his shift.

two nurses and midwife -- that the entirety of the medical personnel available in the camp. no one knows how it will continue in the next days and weeks. 20 of the most severely injured women and children were a make it -- were immediately taken to the hospital after they were freed, including his mother, who was seriously hurt when a woman in front of her stepped on a landmine during the rescue operation. >> i think god i survived -- i thank god i survived, and the military too. i hope one day i can live a normal life with my family. reporter: some psychologists have come to visit the camp. their job is to find the most traumatized victims and offer them therapy. >> the more they talk about what they have gone through and the more activities they join in the easier it will be.

those who do not want to participate in anything -- those are the ones i am worried about. reporter: his condition worsened in a matter of hours. the nurses rushed him to hospital but the emergency room was full and there were no spare beds. he was eventually admitted after much discussion and placed in the same room as his mother. brent: the saudi-led coalition fighting cootie rebels -- fighting houthi rebels has promised a harsh response. shells killed five people. laila: there is talk of a possible cease-fire. after meeting with u.s. secretary of state john kerry saudi officials proposed a five-day halt in operations to allow humanitarian aid into the country. the suspension of saudi-led airstrikes will depend on whether the iran-backed houthi

rebels accept the offer. time for some business news. german engineering giant siemens says it will cut 4500 jobs almost half of them here in germany. brent: this is the second time the company has announced it is slashing jobs this year. siemens says the move is part of its global restructuring plan which aims to improve rapid ability -- improve profitability. reporter: power generator prices are sagging and there is weak demand for gas turbines. instead of making a profit, siemens continues -- the unit continues to weigh on earnings. the ceo wants the sprawling corporation to concentrate on fewer but more profitable units. after several rounds of bloodletting, the number of jobs/worldwide now totals -- jobs worldwide now

totals 13,100. they employ 114,000 people in germany. siemens employees are worried. 800 jobs may be last -- lost in the gas turbine plant in berlin alone. the union is criticizing management for taking too long to reveal its strategies. laila: the news from siemens did its share price no good. we have this report from the stock exchange. reporter: the share price of siemens fell this thursday because cutting jobs costs money at first. redundancy payments have to be made, and it costs money if you want to change the inner structures of a large company like siemens. what's more, many analysts are convinced that it will not be enough for siemens to just cut jobs. if the company wants to become as profitable as the large competitor, general electric

more measures will have to be taken. on the broad market this thursday, the dax managed to climb upwards in afternoon trading, but most traders here are convinced that the times of high volatility, heavy ups and downs, are not over yet. laila: let's get you up on how financial markets performed on thursday. as we just heard , shares in frankfurt fell early but rebounded. the dax ended 0.5% higher. the euro stoxx 50 was little changed. in the states, trading still underway. investors cautious following comments from fed chair janet yellen that stock prices might be too high. one euro will get you 1.1270. a decade ago, the memorial to the murdered jews in europe was

inaugurated in the heart of the german capital. brent: it was bert -- built after years of emotional debate. there was concern it would become the target of new nazi attacks -- of neo-nazi attacks. today, it is one of berlin's most visited sites. reporter: it's easy to get lost within this monument. to feel trapped, threatened, without orientation. thousands of people wander among the columns each day. for many, it is a moving experience. >> it starts off slowly, but then they engulf you. >> i think i can have a sense of isolation and fear and wondering what is going to happen next. reporter: the holocaust memorial is the brainchild of a journalist who campaigned for its construction for many years. he -- she says it is a sign of

germany taking responsibility for the not the cost -- the hazi' -- the nazi's persecution of the jews. >> no other nation in the world has erected a monument like this to the people it victimized. and that is a success story, so to speak. reporter: in the museum underneath the monument, visitors can learn what the word "holocaust" really means. but not all visitors come to reenter -- remember the victims. many use the collins as a backdrop -- the columns as a backdrop for holiday snaps. the monument's architect himself is not bothered. >> why not? this is not sacred ground. it is part of berlin. when you walk in the field, you

know it is something different than being over there. it is that difference -- let them judge what that means. reporter: the monument is and just show people what it means to be imprisoned -- monument doesn't show people just what it means to be imprisoned, but also what it means to be free. brent: that's going to wrap up this addition. -- edition. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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