>> this is the "journal" on dw- tv. here are the headlines this hour -- rumors of a massacre in libya. reports coming in the military aircraft are firing of protesters in the capital of tripoli. dozens of people reported dead. europe response. the eu condemned the violence in libya and tells its citizens to geout of the country. >> oil prices hit 2.5-year highs as countries moved international staff out of libya. >> there are reports coming to us that military planes and helicopters around our five --

are not faring in the crowds of and that as government protesters in the libyan capital. libyan state television said a large-scale operation is now under way, aimed at what it calls pockets of terrorism. l phone connections to libya have been cut. we do know that at least 60 people are reported dead in tripoli, and muslim clerics are calling their followers to join the protesters. we begin our coverage with this report. >> a convoy of vehicles left tripoli traveling at high speed. eyewitnesses said members of gaddafi's close families -- close family were sitting in the suv's. unconfirmed reports say the libyan military has bombed crowds. the government controls the media, so there is no way of verifying the claims. even libyas muslim leaders now say it is the duty of the people to rebel. to them, the government's regime is guilty of crimes against humanity.

in tripoli, more than just car tires have gone up in flames. witnesses said government buildings are burned out. the uprising has reached the heart of gaddafi's power base. as justice minister resigned in protest at the use of excessive force. amid the ireasg uest, gaddafi's son appeared on state television. he admitted mistakes had been made and promised reforms, but he warned of civil war if protests continue. >> we are all armed. the military and the public. we would have hundreds of thousands of deaths. there would be blood. people would leave -- people with sleep. there would be no more oil production, and foreign firms would leave libya. from one day to the next, there would be no more oil. >> weapons also seem to have fallen into the hands of protesters. this amateur videde posted onlie appears to show them celebrating.

reports say the arms were seized after security forces fired on mourners, killing 60 people. there are claims that libya's second-largest city is now under control of get off the's opponents. >> a glimpse of what is happening inside libya coming to us from two of the country's fighter pilots. pilots who flew their jets to malta on monday and defected saidhat they did so after they were ordered to fire on protesters in tripoli. the government spokesman said the pilots claim to be senior coddles in the libyan air force and that one of them has requested asylum. the officers said they were stationed at an airbase which has been overrun by protesters. for more on this story, let's get to our correspondent in neighboring egypt. what is the latest there? what are you hearing? it is a massacre taking place in tripoli as we speak? >> it is difficult to parse

these things together. because also thehehone lines are cut, so very difficult to get information, but of course, there are some reports saying that indeed, and demonstrators are shot at by air france and that they -- that there are a big group of mercenaries running around in the streets, shooting everyone who basically is out in the streets. what happened in the afternoon is that the people attended some kind of what they call 1 million man march that is, of course, like the to the example of egypt and tried to get a lot of people on the streets to reach the critical mass to overpower the security operatives, but of course, what happened on the other hand is that the libyan military seemed to use their aircraft in order to control the situation. >> what are you hearing in terms of the whereabouts of gaddafi? does anyone know where he is? >> no, it is not clear. there were all kinds of rumors,

and in the was the word of the british foreign minister who said he knows of reports that he left to venezuela. venezuela strongly denied the report, but what we see now, what is happening is an indication that gaddafi is still in the country because his son in his speech last night said, "we will fight to the last bullet, to the last minute." that is exactly what seems to happen right now. based on what you're telling us, it sounds as if they had taken egypt as an example, and that is why we e seng the military so orally willing to use force against its own people. >> yes, exactly. i think the lesson he learned out of egypt is no hesitation. go with full force immediately to get the demonstrators so they cannot go for the downfall of the regime. but of course, this means -- this needs also a military that

fulfills the orders, which was one of the problems in egypt. even if mubarak had given issued in order to the egyptian military, it would not follow the orders. libya seems to be a different case here. >>ndeed it doe reporting to us from egypt on the situation. thank you very much. the libyan leader has been in power forr nearly 42 years. during that time, he has been accused of sponsoring terrorism. in recent years, he has taken steps to repair relat with europe and the united states. the libyan leader has also invested some of the country's oil wealth into infrastructure and social programs, helping to win more popular support at home, but as the current wave of unrest illustrate, that support is far from universal. >> gaddafi likes to make a grand entrance, such as here at the eu/africa summit in lisbon in 2007. and he likes to be the center of

attention. in september 2009, a week of massive celebrations was held to mark 40 years since he ousted the king of lydia in a military coup. since then, he has been the country's absolute ruler. gaddafi is seen as unpredictable and eccentric by much of the international community. in his first speech to the united nations, he spent 95 minutes railing against that very institution. >> the security council is a security feudalism, political feudalism for those who have permanent seats. they are used against us. it should not be called a security council. it should be called the terror council. >> but gaddafi has had his own experience with terrorism. in 1988, a bomb blew up u.s. passenger plane over scotland killing 270 people here for many years, gaddafi refused to hand over suspects to face justice.

added nations imposed sananions on libya over the bombing, which were later lifted. in recent years, gaddafi has been courted by some world leaders. italy's prime minister, for example, is glad that he has prevented refugees crossing from libya to italy, but now, gaddafi has threatened to reverse the policy. he said that if the eu continued its position, he would halt cooperation on the refugee issue. >> we spoke to our middle east analyst and asked if gaddafi can hold on to his power. >> it would be very difficult because he made a very big political mistake. he ordered the army to shoot up on demonstrators in libya, which has really upset the opposition in libya, and now, we see whole parts of the country that have pulled away from the central authority in tripoli, the

eastern part of the country, and the south. and more and more defectors even within the government claim that they are not willing to cooperate and the longer, so it will take some time, but i do not see that his regime will survive. he will, however, not leave our moment midget voluntarily. i'm afraid he will call for another couple of massacres because he does not have the philosophy of excepting that his own people protest against him. >> in egypt, the military played a key role in keeping things peeful what role is the military playing right now in libya? >> that has indeed been a very decisive question. the military does not play the same constructive role as in egypt. military is more or less a mercenary army paid for by the government, and it is mainly tribal people from his own region in the south of libya,

and these people are not really interested in keeping the state together, but ther in defending their ow privileges, so this is very dangerous anarchy tight situatioio anything is possible when you look at the future of libya, including the falling apart of this country. >> the uprising in egypt was parked -- was sparked by things like unemployment and rising food prices. the uprising in libya had different routes? >> yes. although libya is much richer than egypt, theoretically, libya is the richest country in northern africa, but colonel gaddafi has wasted billions of dollars over the last 40 years for financing terrorist groups around the world. he has not invested very much in building infrastructure and the educational system of the country, and many, especially young libyans, are afraid that he is simply doing away with the natural richness of libya withoutaying a better foundation for them, and this

explains to a large extent this immense banker that we see in libya these days. >> we have to wrap it up there. thank you very much for talking with us. in berlin, germany's foreign minister has sharply criticized the libyan government's handling of anti-government protests. he demanded an end to the violence and spoke out in support of the demonstrators, who he says are making use of their human right of free speech. -- here is part of what he had to say earlier on monday. >> in view of recent events, if we are advising it -- we are advising against all travel to india -- to libya. many germans still in libya should leave the country immediately if they are able to do so safely. we are prepared to help our countrymen if it becomes necessary. >> that was the german foreign minister speaking there. the unrest in libya has triggered demonstrations around europe. against the four-decade long authoritarian rule of gaddafi.

protesters gathered outside the libyan embassy, carrying placards, demanding an end to the massacre in the north african country. around 100 activists took part in the protest. >> the situation in libya, of course, has got the attention of the world, especially people who need oil. >> the market is wondering whether oil supplies are secure. libya is a significant producer of good quality crude oil, and as oil prices rise in response to the unrest, saudi arabia says the -- there is enough oil in the market and that the current situation does not warrant intervention by opec. oil traders are speculating on potential supply disruptions. >> german companies have begun evacuating their employees from libya. winters hall has already flown 130 of its staff out. oil production in libya buyoff

has already been cut back here that could pose problems for germany because the north african country is a major supplier. last year, germany imported goods worth 3.1 billion euros from libya. oil and natural gas accounted for most of that sum. in the opposite direction, germany exported around 1 billion euros worth of products to libya -- mostly industrial machinery d electronic technology. the unrest in libya has led to concerns about future supplies of oil and put upward pressure on oil prices. on monday, a barrel of crude rose above $105 for the first time since before the global financial crisis. >> the unrest in north africa also hit global shares on monday. we have this wrapped of the day's trading. >> avoiding any risk disrupting, guideline for investors at the start of the trading week, the

dax dropped sharply. the of the will, the rising tensions in libya have been the reason for selling shares. this is driving of the oil price and makes the market's very nervous. chemical companies are very dependent from oil and the oil price, and companies have to be prepared for higher oil prices due to the tension. >> thank you very much. the european union has called for an immediate end to the crackdown against anti- government protesters in libya appeared on monday, for it administrators issued a statement calling on all sides of libya to show restraint and condemning the violence. >> what should the e you do about libya? tripoli has threatened to stop cooperating with europe on immigration issues if the eu further encourages anti- government protest, but eu foreign ministers feel uneasy about their ties with gaddafi, and representative condemned the deepening violence. >> we are very clear about the need to have this dialogue for

the future and see peaceful protest being allowed. >> germany's foreign minister sent his deputy to the meeting. he called on the e you to do more to help arab countries. >> we have to review our visa policy, to streamline things there. we need to improve our contact with universities in the region, and we've got to revive the tourism industry and open our markets. >> but southern european countries are concerned that more openness could lead to an influx of at that -- economic migrants trying to reach their shores. foreign ministers will have to resolve those differences before a summit of ec leaders in march. >> switzerland has accounts of the former egyptian leader, and egypt says it is seizing the assets of its deposed president. egyptian state television said the public prosecutor has begun

the process whereby all the assets of the mubarak family will be confiscated. the reports say egypt is also asking other countries to seize the assets of mubarak and his family. the family fortune is believed to come in at some 53 billion euros. all right, let's recap our top story now, and that is the situation in libya. despite a news blackout, activists have been using the internet to broadcast details of the uprising there. protests have spread from the east to the capital where unconfirmed reports said that libyan military aircraft had attacked protesters in the capital. protesters say people have been killed in operations against what it calls pockets of terrorism. international leaders have condemned the violenc against protesters, and western governments have become evacuating their nationals. no news on the whereabouts of the veteran leader. venezuela has denied reports that he is on the way into exile

there. stay with us. we will be right back. thank you.

>> welcome back, everyone. at least 30 people were killed and 40 injured when a suicide bomber struck a government office in afghanistan on monday. the attack his place in the northern afghan province of conduce. the suicide bomber blew himself up next to a group of people who were lined up to pick up identification papers. the bodies of three german soldiers killed in afghanistan last week are on their way home. their comrades in german is a large base pay their last respects to the fallen. the soldiers were killed by afghan soldiers on friday.

in germany, a controversy surrounding the epidemic honesty of the country's defense minister. there are allegations that he plagiarized substantial parts of his doctoral thesis. good number now says he will no longer use the academic title of doctor. on monday, german chancellor angela merkel who also holds a ph.d. says that she is standing behind her foreign minister. >> recruits at a swearing in ceremony in berlin. they could be germany's last conscript, ahead of reforms that will turn it into a professional army, but the ceremony was largely ignored, overshadowed by a deepening controversy surrounding the defense minister and his doctoral thesis. initial charges of plagiarism are now giving way to suspicions that the dissertation is the work of a ghostwriter.

chancellor merkel continues to defend her minister. >> i did not appnt a scientific assistant for a doctoral student or the holder of a phd. i'm interested in his a work as defense minister, which he does magnificently, and that is what counts for me. >> the opposition social democrats and greens have put the issue on the parliamentary agenda, and the left party is demanding his resignation, a step gutenberg has categorically rejected. >> the german government has reached a deal with the opposition on reforming the country's welfare system. after weeks of the negotiations, the sides agreed that benefit payments for the long-term unemployed will rise by five years from month backdated to january 1. in a compromise deal, the government agreed that payments will rise by a further three years beginning in 2012. opposition argue that a five year will rise was simply not enough.

a terminal at milan's airport was evacuated on monday after a man smashed his car into a departures' lounge. a police officer reportedly shot the man. he was brandishing a knife in the foot. the man apparently drove his car into the departure lounge in a desperate attempt to stop his wife from leaving. operations at the terminal were briefly interrupted by now back to normal again. >> indeed, and we still do not know if his wife was able to leave. >> for nine months in a row, we are talking about the business confidence index, just wrapped up its ninth increase in a row. executives at german companies polled say the economy is even better than in january. >> germany's economic recovery looks set to boost the country's labor market. many manufacturing companies say

they will be hiring new workers to keep up with demand. improve business sentiment has pushed the index to a new record high of 100 points. the index has set a string of record since last spring. >> exporters are also doing very well, but domestic demand for investment goods has been key to the boom. companies are increasing capacities. they are making and buying machinery, and as a result, the cut construction industry and engineering sector are very busy, and that is rippling out to the rest of the economy. >> banks are also helping to bloom by giving german companies easier access to loans instead of investing the money abroad, as they did before the global financial crisis. >> could not counteract the pressure on shares as investors worried about disruption to oil supplies. let's look at some of the european figures, srting in frankfurt with the close there. the blue-chip dax closed almost

1.5% down. u.s. market's close on monday for the presidents' day public holiday. on the currency markets, the bureau at $1.3676. commerzbank says it intends to pay bonuses to staff members for 2010, despite receiving a bailout from the general government. one board member has told german media that commerzbank was actually obliged to pay bonuses because of the extraordinary accomplishments of its top managers. the payment of bonuses had even been discussed with the german government. rail travelers in germany could face disruptions on tuesday. the train drivers' union is planning strives to begin at 6:00 a.m. and last two hours. the industrial action will affect private operators. strikers are demanding that the company's accept a nationwide collective agreeme for all of the count's 26,000 train

drivers. one sector that the global economic crisis has not heard as the arms industry. the stockholm international peace research institute says arms makers posted growth of 8% in 2009. the sector has been making bumper profits ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. >> their product range from firearms to armored vehicles and satellites to land mines. business is, well, booming. excluding chinese companies, the world's 100 biggest defense contractors have seen revenues ow by almost 60 percent since 2002. u.s.-based companies dominate the list. first as lockheed martin with sales of 244 4 billion euros, just ahead of the world number two, uk-based bae systems. eads group comes in a 7 with 11.6 billion euros in revenue. the biggest german defense company.

defense budgets are expected to fall in coming years. over the long run, that means falling revenue for arms makers, but because contracts often run for many years, weapons dealers will keep earning well, and russia and china plan to expand defense spending. >> next month's opening race in bahrain has been cancelled, following the on gone -- ongoing unrest there. one possibility would be to watch the season down under in australia in april. a volcano has erupted in central philippines, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes. after weeks of inactivity. the army is of forcing a 4

kilometer zone around the volcano and assisting the people who were fleeing. 2000 villagers have moved to emergency shelters. the location has been active since november of last year. again, we wt recap our top story -- the situation in libya. anti-government protests have spread to the capital, tripoli. at least 60 people reported to have been killed in the city, and witnesses said government and state television buildings have been set ablaze. there have also been reports of military airplanes shooting live ammunition at demonstrators. gaddafi's hold on power is seems to be crumbling. as justice minister and diplomats have reportedly resigned. religious leaders called on leaders to protest against the country's leadership. you are watching dw-tv. stay with us for the latest on libya. we will be back shortly. stay with us. don't go away.