>> this is the journal on dwd. -- on thdw tv. ministers meet in berlin to iron out their differences on libya. >> higher food prices are pushing tens of m millis more people into poverty. >> boys' day aims to break gender barriers. >> nato secretary-general is

promising to keep the pressure on miromacolonel gaddafi until e stops killing. in libya itself, the rebels are still under heavy fire from gaddafi's troops and are calling on nato to provide more support. >> libya's rebels are not the only ones s callg for more help from nato. the employees but the stronghold at benghazi are also asking for support. every day, they have to treat officers injured by government forces. france and britain want to increase military pressure on gaddafi forces. germany is still holding back. the disagreement in the alliance means nato officials face a difficult balancing act.

>> this is a clear calof our operation to protect civilians in libya. i fully agree that there is no military solution solely to the problems in libya. >> but all sides are keen to stress that they ultimately share the same goals and have endorse the statement calling for the removal of colonel gaddafi. >> we are doing our part. some contribute militarily. others, like us, focus more on the civilian side so that libya can have a free and good future. >> for the moment, nato's role in libya is l limit to aerial support. allied fighter jets hit targets 40 miles south of tripoli. gaddafi remains alive -- gaddafi . >> we see the first day of the

nato meeting here in berlin wrapped up. did the foreign ministers reach someme sorof agreement? >> yes, they have. of course, it is a fairly modest one, which is typical of nato, because it has to agree by consensus. in a statement today, he emphasized that the aims of nato are threefold. first of all, to stop t attacks on civilians in libya. secondly, the troops of colonel gaddafi must return to their bases. thirdly, the regime must allow humanitarian aid into the country. >> and thought it was significantt that he didot say that one of these specific elements was to r rove gadhafi from power. three weeks ago, when the resolution was passed, the military alliance thought that a no-fly zone over libya and the

bombing of colonel gaddafi's weaponry from the air would give the rebels an advantage, and military advantage, and that they would be able to unseat gaddafi. they haven't been able to do that in three weeks. everybody today has been talking about the fact that there is no military solution to this conflict. thereas to be a political one. so the of this is has changed. the differences within the coalition are the people on the one hand who said, like france and britain, that there needs to be a military intensity against the the dockery regime and on the e otheside, the germans and belgians, who say that a political solution should be found. that gap has narrowed somewhat. >> ok. we will have to leave it there. thank you very much. we will have more on the nato meeting in berlin and the situation in libya later on in this half-hour. e parties in yemen have rejected a move by the gulf states to mediate between them

and president abdullah saleh. thohousan of protesters took to the streets again on thursday, a day after five demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces. opponents of president soehnlein have given him two weeks to resign. -- of president sunlansaleh hadn him two weeks to resign. assad tried to placate protesters by releasing detainee's in recent protests. they tried to crack down on the opposition movement. at least 200 people are believed to have been killed in the unrest. in japan, hundreds of police officers have begun searching for bodies in a rubble close to the crippled fukushima nuclear plant. up until now, concern about radiation levels have prevented

any searches within 10 kilometers of the plant. 10 bodies have been recovered from the area so far. >> recovery crews have not been this close to the fukushima plant since the nuclear crisis started. now some 300 police wearing protective gear have started looking for the remains of people killed by the earthquake and tsunami. it is a dangerous job. if radiation levels become too high, the crews will break off their search and return to safety. >> many people want to look for their loved ones themselves. we can understand that because we are from fukushima ourselves. >> the situation at the ruined power plant remains critical. workers need to pump off some 20,000 tons of radioactive water just in reactor no. 2 before they can begin repairing the cooling systems. meanwhile, criticism of the handling of the crisis is

increasing. opposition politicians, as well as members of his own party, have called on now to come -- on naoto kan to resign. >> we do not want to go back to the way it was. i expect creative ideas. >> one comfort for the survivors is the concern shown by the champ -- but as japan's -- shown by japan's emperor and white. paris -- they show their respect for the people who have lost almost everything. >> high food prices are making things tough here. >> sobering news from the world bank -- with global food prices reaching those of 2008, tens of millions of people around the world will be thrown into poverty. the index was 36%% higher in the

first quarter this year. since the middle of last year, the bank estimates that 44 million people have been driven to party as a result of higher food prices. >> 1.2 billion people live below the official poverty line of $1.25 per day. the world bank now says that another 10% hike in food prices will add another 10 million people to this grim statistic. >> of this number is increasing by 60 people every minute. that is more than one every second. time is not on our side. we will have to run hard to catch up if we are not to lose a generation pierre >> natural catastrophes, droughts, and floods around the world sent food prices soaring 36% this past year. the world bank is now concerned that political unrest in north africa could make the situation even worse.

>> germany's government has actually raised its growth forecast for the current year from 2.3 to the two 0.6%, saying that the recovery is being bolstered by increasingly strong domestic consumption. while rmany does have growth, it is building on a strong foundation expectation -- strong foundation and expectations for next year are slightly more modest. >> despite higher oil prices and the crisis in japan, germany's economy is picking up steam. >> been germany is speeding down the highway right now. estimates show that we can expect to see an average 1.8% increase in economic performance in the years leading up to 2015. that is a good balance sheet. it is one we can build on. >> ordinary germans are beginning to feel the positive effects of the upswing. there are more people in work than at any time since world war

ii. that is boosting domestic demand and encouraging businesses to invest. >> we have strong fundamentals. germany has strength and stamina and the international view of germany's the building is very positive. we are an anchor of stability. >> the government also expects private household incomes to rise by 3% in 2011. that is the largest increase in more than a decade. >> did the improve forecast for the current year managed to boost investor sentiment? >> despite the stellar economic growth, the german equity market has closed down in negative territory. the greek finance ministers warning that the country may not go back to the capital market in 2012. the german finance minister officially does not exclude the option of debt restructuring for

greece. there is a different story where they have successfully managed to sell the it chunk of their capital increase. more will have to share the profit of the bank. that is bad news for investors. in april, they l lost 15%. >> we can stay for a closer look in frankfurt. the euro stocks index gave up more than a fullercent. in new york, t dow closed at the top of the hour appeared in the final hours of trading, it managed to go up into positive territory. british oil giant bp faced very

angry protest from fishermen and shareholders on thursday at its first annual meeting since the devastating oil spill in the gulf of mexico. representatives from gulff communities were banned frfr attending the meeting at the london headquarters. many are furious over delays in compensation payments. has been nearly a year from the explosion which killed 11 workers and dumped vast amounts of oil into the sea. the environmental catastrophe not billions offer of bp value. -- knocked billions of the bp value. >> the government has to come up with new legislation on this process. it is known as pre-implantation diagnosis allows doctors to examine embryos.

if one of the parents has a genetic disease, then embryos can be screened and destroyed if they carry the same condition. that is a difficult ethical issue, especially in germany because of the nazi era and their abuse of eugenics. the government has offered a free vote on legislation. leaders have been debating it in parliament. >> the free democrats have been trying to convince lawmakers to support embryo screening. when couples expected miscararage or a serious genetic defect -- a it does not mean an ethical breach in quantitative breakthrough. >> she has gotten support from a theology expert pierre >> imagine you were the suggest --

the physician in charge and you knew that the embryo to be implanted was not viable. i think your conscience and professional ethics would prevent you from in planting the embryo. >> supporters of a ban warn that it would be a dangerous change. >> those in favor of allowing this would alsohave to state which diseases and disabilities would be rejected in the future. >> seldom have the parliamentarians dealt with such a profound and personal subject. >> in tennis news, the monte carlo masters are headed into what could be a blockbuster weekend. on thursday, world number one rough file the doll -- world number one rafael nadal. roger federer also won.

they could reach the finals and face each other on wednesday. scolgirls get the opportunity to have first hand experience in jobsbs usuly done by men. germany mark wednesday for the first time. boys got a chance to find out about some typically femal jobs. >> he is learning to measure blood pressure. and also had to care for the elderly. he found the training place himself and is very motivated. >> it is a chance to learn something new. i think it is perfectly all right for a guy to do something like this. you get to know new people. >> tobias is one of over 35,000 young men taking part in the first nationwide bois de in gegerman family affairs minister christine a schroeder says that

it is a win-win situation. they hope the initiative will help find new recruits. four teenage boys, it offers a chance to find out what it is like to work in education, social professions, or as a terrocarer. >> a the guys bring a certain freshness to a profession otherwise dominated by women. city -- a bit of a mixture is good. >> 185 firms and institutions have taken part in germany's first bois dboys day. >> denmark's royal family has declared the birth of baby twins. the boy has been christened prince vincent and the girl is princess josephine.

prince vincent is the fourth in line to the throne. the twins were born on january 8. very cute.

>> nato operations in libya have been going on for just about a month. air strikes have limited the activities of the good of the regime, but the situation on the ground has not changed -- of the gadhafi's regime, but the situation on the ground has not changed much. "nato foreign ministers are in berlin for a two-day meeting to discuss the future of t alliance's operatation libya. they hope to come up with a coherentt strategy and overcome their differences their mandate is clear to protect civilians. but with gaddafi troops on the offensive, that is sometimes

difficult. >> nato warplanes flew 159 sorties on wednesday alone, including six years strikes on targets throughout libya. military analysts believe that the dockery may have lost half of his heavy armaments. nato is slowly running out of things to drop bombs on. >> gaddafi troops are hiding tanks in city centers, near schools and mosques. thisv is utterly irresponsible. >> nato is doing everything in its power to keep civilian casualties to a minimum, but air strikes have claimed innocent lives. rebels captured this tank just before it was pulverized in a missile strike. experts warn that the situation in libya is at a stalemate, raising the specter of a long and costly civil war. >> we are clearly in a situation where the gaddafi forces are

more o o less in equilibrium wih the rebel forces. >> nato is now discussing plans to supply the rebels with guns and heavy weapons. that would remove any doubt that the alliance is on the rebels' side. chief of staff man furred longer told us that troops are being ruled out for now. -- chief of staff medforanford e told us that ground troops are being ruled out for the now. >> we will find a solution that will ovoid the deployment of ground forces. >> despite that optimism, planning has begun, adjusting case troops are sent in to protect civilian aid convoys. it is a clear sign that nato is frustrated with the libyan mission so far.

>> we must maintain and intensify our efforts in it appeared that is why the united kingdom has, in the last week, supplied additional aircraft capable of striking ground targets. of course, it will be welcome in other countries do the same. there is always more to do. >> tensions within the lines are clearly mounting and costs are mounting, too. but after thousands of sorties, gaddafi remains firm and defiant in tripoli. >> and for some analysis, we are joined by our political correspondent. john, i gaddafi firm and a defiant. >> what we have been hearing from foreign ministers today is that gaddafi must go. it was summed up by the german foreign minister in a press conference this afternoon when he said that gaddafi has

forfeited his legitimacy as the leader of libya by declaring war on his own people. and the nato secretary-general has said in his press conference that he agrees that gadhafi should go and it was interesting that he did not state that as a precondition for the political solution in libya. more and more, the foreign ministers are talking about be simply a military solution. there has to be a political solution. but they are not saying exactly what that should be. the reason is, i think, because they have learned lessons from iraq. that is when the collision of the willing went into iraq to force out the brutal dictator saddam hussein. they imagined that the iraqi people would simply will come their liberated -- simply welcome their liberators.

but that was not the case. they do not want to appear to dictate to the libyan people and the political order they ought to have. >> the rebels are sayinthat nato needs to do more. what more can do? >> of course, france -- what more can the alliance do? >> of course, france and britain had this meeting today. intensifying the operations, it is interesting that the secretary-general did not talk about intensifying at all. he talked about maintaining the military operations. the other thing that had been talked about had been back perhaps nato members supplying the rebels with arms. the french foren minister said explicitly yesterday that france was not in favor of giving arms to the rebels. what else can they do? one of the things that concerns the nato ministers a great deal is the humanitarian situation. that is the third 0.1 of three

points. -- that is the third point of three points, providing humatarian pick aid, that the regime must allow humanitarian aid. the united nations would have to request that a parent it has not done so at the moment. if it -- request that. it has not done so at the moment. >> opposition groups believe their country is poised on the threshold of change. after decades the gaddafi autocratic rule, they want freedom and democracy. they want nida to step up air strikes and they are looking for international recognition -- they want nato to step up air strikes and they are looking for international recognition. >> the libyan revolution began

here in benghazi. morale remains high and leaders have a clear vision for a democratic future >> we will form a new nation based on principles and goals that we hold dear, according to the objectives of the revolution that began on a february 17. no one can tell us how to run things after adoptee's downfall. -- after gaddafi's downfall. guga is one of the best known rebel leaders and has become the face of the opposition. he was at the forefront of the revolution from the start and serves as a council spokesman and a deputy. the interim council has taken on the task of maintaining public

order, everything from organizing security forces to cleaning up after battles. the body is making its mark on the glglobal stage. two weeks ago, it attended a london conference on the future of libya. but its members are not ready to establishing new order. >> this is a transition. this will not be the final government of libya. this will only guide libya until a constitution is drafted. >> even though the foundations of a new government is in place, an executive charged with making the decisions of the council. he is in chchge of finances. kelly ellis sally -- the rebels are increasingly relying on nato to level the odds on the playing

field. they say that it is vital to their foremost goal, getting rid of gdafi and establishing a free and democratic libya. >> nato and libya were the focus of in-depth as nato foreign ministers are in germany to discuss libya. thank you for watching. 1

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