[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] brent: this is dw news live from berlin. the images of u.s. cuban relations, a frozen cold war relic. a new policy, a new normal. obama: the u.s. has agreed to formally reestablish diplomatic relations with the republic of cuba. brent: live with reactions from washington and havana. how to read the greek prime minister. alexis tsipras appeals to voters to say no and sunday's referendum on a new bailout. just hours after telling the eurozone he wants the deal.

europe is sweating in a heat wave. even the mother of tennis star andy murray is handing out cold drinks at wimbledon. i'm brent goff, it's good to have you with us. a door slammed shut 50 years ago is about to be reopened. at the white house, barack obama today announced that the u.s. and cuba are normalizing relations. in this is fast-track policy change. in the season washington and havana are scheduled to reopen this month. >> a historic moment and havana as the diplomat handed over a letter from president barack obama to his cuban counterpart. the letter made it official that diplomatic relations will be restored after 54 years.

obama later spoke about the long road that led to this moment. in part, he blamed decades of u.s. policy saying that it had isolated cuba. obama: the progress is another demonstration we do not have to be imprisoned by the past. when something isn't working, we can and will change. >> he'll so addressed ongoing problems. open obama: i have been clear that we will continue to have very serious differences. that includes america's enduring support for universal values like freedom of speech and assembly. and the ability to access information. we will not hesitate to speak out when we see contradictions against those values. >> we have been in this situation for 56 years and i think this will benefit the country in certain respects. i think it benefits those that want to see our families and children in the u.s..

>> and after all those years this affects the deadline. they are slated to open around july 20. brent: we will cross over to our correspondent. good afternoon for us. does this mark a return to normality? >> diplomatic outpouring to cubans and it has just recently been erected. you can see that the cubans are really getting ready to make this very building a full-blown embassy in the very near future. and they chose the reopening of the embassy that is a major

staff and normalizing relations between the u.s. and cuba. it will end hostilities for good because once you establish close ties, it is difficult to cut them. but the trade embargo is still in place and president obama called, in his speech, to convince congress to lift the embargo as soon as possible. brent: as he said, it is still a step forward. what has been the reaction in the united states? how is this being received? >> the majority of americans support obama's strategy. 70% of americans want the trade embargo to be lifted and even cuban americans support obama in his position. it is critical and skeptical. some say there should not be closer ties until the human rights situation has really improved.

and we take a look at marco rubio, the senator and republican potential candidate that basically said he will block any nomination. but obama said that the best way for you guys to support our values is through engagement. he wants to make sure the+ relations between the u.s. and cuba are normalized. it is one of his major foreign-policy goals. brent: many say this will be a defining moment in his presidency. thank you very much. for the cuban perspective i am joined by barbara from havana. we have to say it's a historic development. barbara: thank you for having me. i must say that we will have to

wait for a couple of days for reactions. people haven't heard about it. only 25% population has access. it has been going around facebook, twitter, and websites. brent: is it being reported as a historic and momentous change in policy? barbara: of course. they have been covering the issue that we did not have afternoon editions. it did include the news. the cuban population is going to hear about this more tomorrow or on the news tonight. there is, of course the

reaction that has been very positive. and it is finally happening. the willingness of the two countries to advance the relations is truth. it is finally happening. brent: definitely happening. barbara, thank you very much. let's get back to europe. next messages coming out of athens today. a defiant prime minister today urged voters to vote no in sunday's referendum on a new bailout saying that a yes vote will make greece a comp us is to blackmail. that same prime minister sent a letter to leaders of the eurozone saying that he would

accept their bailout proposals. are you scratching your head? yes, you may. >> alexis tsipras did not hold back on tv. he accused fellow european governments in behaving in an undemocratic way. he says a referendum will go ahead and he will campaign against the bailout package. >> the referendum is not about if the country will remain in the eurozone or not. that is a given. no one can doubt that. on sunday, we choose whether to accept the specific agreements or seek a more viable solution with the public's approval. >> earlier, athens spoken in far more conciliatory tones. they said it was ready to accept proposal with some conditions. all of this uncertainty is hurting one of greece's biggest industries.

tourism. many are choosing to stay a wave and though people with bank cards have not been affected by limits. >> there are people n the streets. we hear that reservations are being canceled. >> the uncertainty continues.

the both yes and have tried to convince undecided voters. if greeks vote yes, it could lead to a change in government. if they vote no, fresh cash for athens looks to be out of the question. brent: we want to pull inbrent: our correspondent barbara. the head of the eurogroup just sent a letter after the referendum. barbara: he made rather clear that the continuation of talks and depended also on the outcome of the referendum. the eurogroup may not see a

basis. it is something that they say we have no basis. it is all completely turned over and across at the moment. it is not a referendum on staying in the eurozone. brent: promising them they will keep the euro and the european central bank has said that there will be no more emergency money for the banks. >> the one european introduced in -- institution has helped. it has given money to greek banks for months now. it has decided to keep still now. that means no fresh money comes in.

they just gave an interview on greek tv and said to the question, when will the banks reopen? he said, very soon. everybody knows that a new agreement will take weeks and weeks to negotiate. brent: these definitely are days of destiny for greece. angela merkel is definitely on the same page with the eurogroup. she dismissed any talk of making any kind of deal with athens. germany is greece's largest european creditor. fault or a new bailout will be expensive for berlin.

>> the director of germany central bank, germany alone could use 80 billion euros if the greek crisis can't be turned around. wednesday afternoon, german finance minister presents a balanced budget for 2016. the contrast could not be greater. shortly after, the focus is back on the crisis in greece. >> this whole thing is deeply depressing. >> germany's parliament debates the greek crisis.

from day one this has been about one fundamental question. europe is about a common destiny. its hallmark is a legal union and shared responsibility. the essence is the ability to find compromise. just like germany, france, and all the others. wednesday evening she talks about her relations with the greek prime minister. >> i have spoken to alexis tsipras several times and our personal relationship has not been damaged at all. still, merkel insists she will only start talks about the next rescue package after sunday's referendum. brent: you are watching dw news.

we will take a break.

brent: this is dw news live from berlin. good to have you with us. u.s. president barack obama has announced the former restoration of diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba. the two countries will reopen embassies in their capitals later net -- this month after more than 50 years of facilities. the greek people urged to say no on the new bailout.

called an undemocratic way. strong words. then is here to talk about more behavioral problems. the therapist? ben: maybe greece. i don't know. the governing council has been meeting and there are reports that they decided against increasing the liquidity lifeline. the situation is getting desperate in so many ways. the greek banks reopening on wednesday. many waited for hours. and global investors in new york more and more traders say a greek exit could be a good thing.

on wall street for us. why do they want greece out? >> traders and also academia calling for a greek exit. for greece it might be better to leave the eurozone. economists like paul krugman and others saying that all those a sterritt he measures did not help greece. it just made the economic situation in greece even worse. if you look at the past 45 years, the situation got worse so it might be better for greece to leave the eurozone. that is what academia is talking about quite a bit these days. ben: a trader told us that the greek problem is not first and foremost on wall street. why is that? >> it is really reacting on the

latest news. why trade on it? it was true for most of the american carmakers. and we also got data from the private sector and better than expected. that did help that we had a pretty good start into the second half of the year. ben: the international monetary fund has still yet to make up its mind on greece and there are reports it could take weeks. that leaves everything in limbo including the question of if they can get their money back.

85 billion euros, a staggering amount. the next biggest lender is france with 65 and it could be gone for good. italy stands to lose 57 billion euros. that is money it desperately needs. spain may just have to part with her 9 billion -- with 39 billion . greece can get the money from elsewhere but the money that it owes other countries is being -- it is giving greek pharmacists a headache. the current bank controls transfer abroad. they guard against stockpiling. even before the government slapped controls on the banks to stop the system from collapsing, stocks have grown scarce because suppliers were not getting paid.

the situation is expected to worsen as stocks run down. the uncertainty is giving people around the world headache. a follower with bated breath and many have taken the social media to express their concerns. it has turned into a heated discussion over bailing out that debt ridden nation. they join us from the social media desk. you have been taken a closer look -- taking a closer look? >> that is definitely the case for the dw readers. there is a heated debate going on. people are discussing whether or not greece should be leaving the eurozone. i think the greeks should get out. another one of the dozens of

comments the greek exit 2015 they expect it. that would be a spanish exit in 2017 and in 2017, who? it seems they are predicting the future when it comes to the eurozone. ben: the bailout referendum is this weekend. where do you go online besides our website? >> there is tons of information out there and it can be confusing. we put together some twitter accounts that will helpfully cut to the noise. these are some of the interesting ones. this is peter spiegel, a journalist. and the brussels euro chief for the financial times and he has great content. he has been covering this story from the very beginning. alexis tsipras has a twitter pages well.

and he tweets in english. definitely worth checking out as well. these are some of the top ones being used. in the thousands, one of the most popular ones. it is not a neutral one describing greece leaving the eurozone. the words for no and yes, greek people are using those #'s to mark their territory when it comes to the referendum vote. ben: are those users actually communicating with each other? >> there is a lot happening on twitter. it is being turned into a rallying cry. many european nations say that we want greece to vote no and leave the eurozone.

here is a man in italy. he is using -- i would like greece to vote no. also, portugal. ireland as well. and even a country with a very strong economy. it would be the european central bank. you see that graffiti there another mark. and dw.com. ben: back over to brent where things are heating up. brent: heatwave in the studio and outside. up to 40 degrees celsius. nine days of relentless heat. the traditionally cool u.k. has seen the hottest july day on

record. >> a vacation spot in the southwest of england. locals are heading to the beach to enjoy the unusual high temperatures. >> it is fantastic, isn't it? it's as good as you get abroad. >> not everyone is able to enjoy the extreme heat. >> it is difficult for people with underlying health problems or a breathing problem. >> in france's capital paris temperatures have risen to almost 40 degrees. in town halls, rooms with

air-conditioning are open to the public. we are now on alert. we have doctors practices and there is no reason for concern at the moment. tourists and locals are taking advantage of the chance to splash around. the heatwave is expected to last through the weekend. brent: braving the 35 degrees celsius heat to advance, novak djokovic kept up his good form and dispatched your countrymen and in straight sets -- jarkko nieminen in straight sets.

serena williams made quick work. 59 minutes to notch her when. maria sharapova sent the dutch woman packing 6-3, 6-1. ana ivanovic fell in straight sets to the american qualifier bethany maddock sans -- matt ek-sands. the top stories we are working on right now, barack obama has announced the formal restoration of diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba. we will see you at the top of the next hour.

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