>> this is "dw news." a new attempt to in syria's bloody civil war. the world's leading powers agreed to revive us shaky cease-fire and break the deadlock over the country's political future, but differences remain. know that has been set for restarting peace talks. also on the show, tension in turkey's parliament. after their last debate turned into this, lawmakers will try again to vote yes or no to lifting their own immunity from prosecution. and scuffles on the streets of hong kong is one of china's top communist party leaders arrives for a rare visit.

we will tell you why people are so angry. brent: it's good to have you with us. we will patrol, we will punish. the u.s. and russia are renewing their commitment to enforce a cease-fire in syria. after talks indiana, u.s. secretary of state john kerry and the russian foreign minister said that a broad understanding had been reached on the need for a political transition in syria, but they still disagree on the future of president bashar al-assad. they still have not set a date for new peace talks. >> despite their differences, there is common goal, and a growing consensus among members of the international syria's support group that action must be taken to end the five-year conflict.

>> we agreed that if a party to the cessation of hostilities engages with a pattern of consistent noncompliance, the task force can referred that behavior to the iisg, ministers, or those designated by the ministers to determine appropriate action. >> in syria, those living amid the fighting are still suffering. unverified footage posted on social media purports to show government airstrikes your homes in damascus. it's the recent surge in violence that has the international community worried. the cease-fire brokered by the u.s. and russia is repeatedly broken and president bashar al-assad's government is accused of stopping vital eight surprise being delivered to rebel held areas under siege. >> we're still -- vital aid supplies not being delivered. >> after 18 besieged locations,

and those are closest to a medieval type of siege we have seen in recent history. 12 of them have been reached. >> if the warring parties can in their hostilities by august 1. >> i spoke to a lecturer in international relations at lancaster university in england. i began by asking him why the cease-fires keep raking down, why agree to it if you are not going to abide by it. >> it says a lot about the complexity of the issue and the number of actors involved. the competing agendas start to clash with one another. you have a range of different actors in different agendas, it's increasingly difficult to make sure all are happy and all of these agendas are met to the

best of their abilities. often they're not willing to clock runs away from the events they really want to achieve. the language is quite ambiguous and it gives a number of people of that of a get out of jail free card. who defines persistent, and how it is defined is quite important. it provides a number of loopholes to suggest that it doesn't quite qualify -- there is still a lot of work to be done on the actual legwork and legality, the wording of such a cease-fire. i think that is really important right now, but clearly this is a step in the right direction, a step toward getting someone on the ground and stopping this humanitarian tragedy that is really engulfing the states. >> another geopolitical

flashpoint was on the agenda in the end it today. armenia and azerbaijan have agreed on the need to resolve the dispute over one region and respect the cease-fire there. the organization for security and cooperation in europe rocard the talks. shortly before the meeting, soldiers from both sides were killed in overnight shootings. it is inside azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic armenian locals. last month, fighting erupted between armenia bac from azerbaijan. it's the worst violence in almost 30 years. >> fighting words in turkey tonight. the parliament is debating controversial proposals to strip lawmakers of their own immunity. if the bill passes, dozens of pro-kurdish deputies could face prosecution, shifting the

balance of power in parliament in favor of president erdogan. opponents say that could pave the way for a major shakeup of the turkish political system. >> this is what happened last time the turkish parliament talked about it. a full out brawl between members of the ruling justice and development party and the opposition. it reflects just how much is at stake. one in five turkish lawmakers could face prosecution. it's the pro-kurdish party that has the most to lose. the vast majority of its parliamentary members would face trial. many are accused of sympathizing with the workers party, a charge they deny. >> we are the alternatives to violence. we are its antidote.

that is why we are in the parliament in the first place. we want to talk about alternative solutions to violence. we are trying to find nonviolent ways to solve the kurdish problem. >> is a thorn in the side of president erdogan. with that parliamentary meat -- without parliamentary immunity, they could support trials. violence there has intensified since last summer's breakdown of peace talks between the government and kurdish insurgent groups. there has also been an increased crackdown on dissenters. earlier this month, this man, a newspaper editor, was imprisoned for publishing a story revealing state secrets. stripping lawmakers of immunity would not just remove most htp members from parliament. it could also pave the way for a radical overhaul of turkey's political system. early one wants to increase his presidential powers and reduce those of the parliament --

erdogan wants to increase his presidential powers. to do this -- to do that, he would have to change his party's policies. the removal of mps to face prosecution could change the parliamentary mathematics in his favor. critics say that would result in a dangerous concentration of power in erdogan's hands. it's no wonder tensions are flaring. members of parliament are not only fighting to retain their own voices, many of them say democracy itself is at stake. >> we want to pull in our correspondent who is following the story for us from istanbul. people looking at this from the outside may be wondering why would lawmakers want to lift their own immunity from prosecution? what is motivating turkish lawmakers to do this? >> i think officially it's the

idea of restoring public confidence in the parliament. that's how the president is arguing it, and in particular what he claims is the presence of terror supporters within the parliament. the kdishshshshshshshshshshshsh parliamentarian. he says it's intolerable and they should face the courts. the party dismissed the charge but that is how is being presented. >> you were in turkey in 1994 and parliamentary immunity was lifted before. what happened then? >> it was a very grim time for turkey. parliamentarians were arrested in parliament, some were taken out in handcuffs and subsequently sent to jail for 10 years. what happened then was a major escalation infighting between kurdish rebels and the turkish state. thousands died on both sides and now the fear is that history could be repeating itself.

as we speak, there has been a resurgence of fighting of kurdish rebels and the turkish army. they have said if we go to jail, there is no democratic road left for kurds living in turkey. >> correct me if i am wrong on this, but if everyone prosecution immunity is lifted, that also means that many lawmakers could also be prosecuted, correct? >> that's right. it's very specific, this constitutional amendment. it says those that are presently under investigation, as a whole that party, and that could be a factor why this amendment eventually will they'll because too many people will feel -- will fear that they also could end up in jail. >> doreen, thank you very much. there have been clashes in brussels between prison workers and police.

prison employees have been on strike for three weeks over pay and working conditions. some managed to force their way into the justice ministry. they damaged part of the building and there were scuffles as police forced them back. the violence comes as the government and trade unions try to break a deadlock in negotiations. austria has sworn in a new chancellor. he takes the reins in the countries ailing centrist government, following the resignation of the former chancellor last week. he was the head of austria's state railway and has a strong business background. his appointment comes just days before a presidential runoff which would put a liberal candidate against the candidate of austria's far right freedom party. one of china's most powerful communist party leaders has arrived in hong kong and has promised to to various

political viewpoints, including those of pro-democracy activists. hong kong enjoys greater freedom and civil liberties than the rest of china, a legacy of its british colonial past, but many believe those freedoms are under threat rum beijing. -- from beijing. >> the visit hence a chinese in china's top leadership, as signs of potential trouble return to hong kong. he arrives at the coastal territory of officially to attend an economic summit, but his first remarks addressed the trouble and recurring issue of hong kong's relationship with china. >> i will listen to suggestions and demands of all sectors of society on executing the principal of one country, two systems. self-governance on allowing hong kong a high degree of autonomy. this is why beijing is concerned.

anti-chinese protests turning violet. resentment of mainland and hong kong is both economic and cultural. this clash erupted last year. one of the movements of holes hong kong's old flag is a british colony. two months ago a political party was founded to make hong kong independent. >> we want hong kong to be an independent country to maintain the identity of hong kong peoples. x it certainly calls for self reflection on the part of the chinese leadership. why this very sharp deterioration in relations between mainland china and hong kong within a very short time? >> thoususainst y disturbances during the three-day visit, but pro-democracy groups have announced demonstrations for wednesday.

>> she is south africa's top lawyer, known for trying to keep the politicians honest. she has been awarded the 20 16 german africa prize for her efforts to crack down on corruption, efforts which led all the way to the president. the government has made her popular figure, but has also made some enemies. she is currently under police protection after receiving death threats. to iraq now or three bombings across the capital of baghdad have killed at least 68 people, wounding dozens more. a suicide bomber blew herself up in a marketplace in the city's north in an attack claimed by the so-called islamic state. around the same time, to bombs went off in shiite areas of the city. the latest in a string of

bombings that have killed nearly 200 people in the last week alone. we will take a 62nd rate. -- 60 second break.

>> welcome back. live from berlin, the international olympic committee says 31 athletes from six sports could be banned from the rio olympics for doping. the move comes after the ioc retested more than 400 samples from the 2008 beijing olympics. >> the ioc carried out the tests using the latest scientific analysis methods. they focused on athletes who competed in beijing in 2008 and could potentially compete in rio. the 31 failed tests cover

athlete from 12 nations and six sports. the ioc president says the tests are needed to protect clean athletes. all the measures are a powerful strike against the cheats who show once again that developers have no place to hide. we keep samples for 10 years so the cheaters know they can never read. the ioc is set to test 250 samples from the 2012 london games and on top of that, there will be more testing to make sure that if athletes are stripped of metals, the metals are not rewarded to dopers. they say the aim is to stop any drug cheats coming to the olympic games in rio de janeiro. >> it will always catch up with you, they say. the german coach has revealed his provisional squad for the upcoming european championships. he announced the selection of 27 players at a ceremony here in berlin. they will have a chance to stake their claims later this month.

after that, they will cut the squad down to 23 players for the tournament in france. now some business news. >> the heat is on. as of now the state campaign is extending its lead, 15 percentage points ahead of the outcome. the makers placed the figure now even higher. the result from other surveys or make but the markets are certain , the british pound is searching to a 2.5 year high. >> the skyscraperstower above london's financial district. besides enjoying a powerful image, the british capital plays a huge role in the country's economy. the financial sector accounts for 12% of british gdp and 11% of tax revenue. prime minister david cameron warns that leaving the eu would

jeopardize economy. >> if you leave the eu and you leave the single market, you give up right to a passport, that means that any bank or financial services company based here in the u k and trade automatically throughout the monarchy. giving that up would in no doubt destroy a huge amount of jobs. >> it would weigh on england's financial district and other banking sectors as well. the sector could see a 10% drop in business in the coming years. many or in banks consider london at the gate way to the eu market, but the importance of london's location would decline after a grexit. the city would continue to prosper even if england leaves. it has been around longer than the current 28 nation bloc. but it could hurt business in the short-term. >> consumer prices in the u.s.

rose at the fastest pace in three years in march. a search .4% since march, mainly because oil prices have risen. prices climbed 1.1% compared to a year ago still under the federal reserve target rate of percent. very strong indicators there. let's talk about that. there are many other factors weighing in there on the market in the u.s.. can you tell us more about that? >> overall we got a bunch of pretty solid economic news. let's stick to the inflation data that we got, as you already mentioned the increase in the price of oil play quite a bit of a roll over a year and oil prices on tuesday reached the highest level as last october. we also got the numbers from

industrial production that came in better than it acted, and on top of it also, fresh numbers from the housing market, building permits in housing starts also reading pretty strong gains for the month of april. the u.s. economy is to be in pretty good shapef we look at those numbers. if prices keep climbing and climbing, is that a good reason are reason enough for the beds to increase the interest rate hike anytime soon? >> the probability definitely increased with those latest numbers that we might see the next step at the next meeting in june. we also got two prominent members of the federal reserve hinting that thth june meeting is a likely event, many anything is possible. we would get more jobs data before the next fed meeting but

the chances that we see a second increase after december definitely increase and increase the chances of an interest rate increase. we saw the market getting nervous, blue chips lost three much everything they built up on monday. it's not 100% given, but june could be the time the federal reserve will act again. >> of possible interest rate hike in the u.s., thanks for the a from wall street. what about nuclear power in europe in the future? the eu commission is set to lay out his policy that wt energy. unlike some individual member states such as germany. instead, the commission plans to replace most existing nuclear reactors to ensure a stable nuclear generation capacity over the coming decades read the answer is subject to a ruvell by

the eu -- to approval by the eu parliament. they are the so-called small modular reactors. the ideas for eu countries to collaborate on development of these mini-reactors that are more flexible and easier to build. the reality is that nuclear reactors are -- can be they will continue to operate with errors. those near the german boarder were repeatedly found to have defects. the oldest reactor is over 40 years old and is that to continue operating until 2025. belgium is dependent on the year energy which accounts for more than 47% of its electricity production. at the end of last year, a total of 128 nuclear reactors were operational across the eu.

france opepe 58 reactors which generates reporters of its electricity. germany, justt eight reactors ae still operational out of a total -- previous total of 17. in britain, 16 reactors are online. 30 years after the nuclear disaster at chernobyl, europe still relies some countries such as britain or even planning to build new reactors. germany, on the other hand, plans to shut down its remaining react by the year 2022. >> staying in brussels, agriculture ministers have been discussing a range of issues today. animal welfare, the role of farming in climate change, but milk is called -- causing the biggest star. -- causing the biggest stir.

quick small dairy farms in europe are especially vulnerable. tch to organic farming in charge slightly higher prices. many have artie given up and many will likely follow. the drop in milk prices has been staggering. in germany, farmers received $.40 for a kilo of milk in 2014. in april of 2015, it sank to $.30. it's now reached a record low of less than $.20 per kilo. rgo onon russia, weaker demand from china, and price wars among supermarkets have also driven down prices due to an oversupply. >> there's too much milk in the market. there are too many farmers producing, over 650,000 in the eu and thousands will go out of business if prices fall further. x getting dairy farmers to produce less may seem like a

quick fix, but there are doubts that this would help. in theory, that's correct. if there is 10% less milk on the market, then prices go up, that in practice it isn't feasible. we have open markets. the rest of europe is also milking their cows. the others will boost their output to compensate. >> as the pressure grows, farmers from across the european union have staged, like this one in brussels in march. they are united in concerns about their livelihood. >> that's the update from the business desk. after a short break i will -- all be back to take you through the day. first, a flash mob in a berlin shopping mall directed by world-famous conductor. enjoy.

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announcer: "euromaxx highlights." and here's your host. host: hi, everyone, and welcome to our highlights show featuring the best picks of the week. here's a look at what's coming up. lovely lingerie. london's v&a museum showcases underwear through the ages. made to measure. we visit a luxurious house with a compact floor plan in vienna. personal playlist. how streaming services have changed our lives. we always love a good excuse to celebrate something or other here on "euromaxx," and what better occasion to raise a glass than on the anniversary of the german beer purity law?