welcome to the "journal." the headlines at this hour, it in syria, more protests and deaths. the eu has announced sanctions against top syrian officials. al qaeda has confirm their leader is dead and thousand attacks on the west. >> and rumors that greece may abandon the eurozone causes the euro to tumble. we began in syria, where

thousands of people have begun taking to the streets in defiance of government protest bans. syrian security forces are said to have shot dead as many as 30 people. the newspaper says 10 soldiers were killed by what the government is calling terrorists. the european union has agreed to impose sanctions. >> the syrian president, surrounded by a loyal supporters, in the role of popular leader. pictures on state television showed him marking the mother's day holiday as if life is continuing as normal. but while he acts as a statement on the outskirts of damascus, hundreds turn out for a rally on the streets of the capital, demanding an end to his regime. what does this say soldiers opened fire on the protesters, but it was not clear if there were casualties.

there were similar protests all across the country. carrying their national flag, protesters shouted slogans calling on him to step down. this video shows the demonstration. a human rights campaigner said security forces opened fire on a crowd of protesters, killing at least six people and wounding dozens. security forces have reportedly detained more than 1000 people since the weekend. the opposition movement does not appear to be intimidated. friday's day of to finance saw many protests -- friday's day of the finance saw many protests. >> for more on the situation in syria, we areoined in t studio. christine, what are these protests continuing with this level of intensity? >> we have seen a major

crackdown on protesters. pundits have been arrested during the past two days. i think the strategy of intimidation does not work. people have to overcome their fear and everybody is expressing solidarity with the people being shot at and with people being injured. >> where it to you see th tuationn sya gog? >> on the short term, the regime has an upper hand because they still keep the city centers of damascus, the two major cities, calm. people there hesitate to follow the protests. there are three groups that to not join the protests. some people sympathize, but they're afraid to do so. second, there are people who have a lot to lose, businessmen, shop owners. and the third group is people attached to the system, govement officials, party

members, state employees. they are afraid that that whenever things change, they will lose their positions. talking about the long term, i think that syria cannot stay as it is. i think there will be some change because they cannot just go back to business as usual. the president has lost a lot of credibility and saw the country. -- has lost a lot of credibility inside the country. i think talking about western influences western reaions, we will not seek a military reaction or interference, but major sanctions could put more pressure on the regime. authorities in yemen are also facing increasing defiance. tens of thousands of people joined new protests both for and against the president. anti-government protesters in the capital called for a general strike tomorrow, saturday. they have been demonstrating

for three months, outside of the presidential palace. supporters called tofor an end to the protests. he said he will not signed a transitional deal. and cut the taliban and afghanistan said the killing of leader osama bin laden will give a new impetus to the fight against the foreign invaders in afghanistan. the statement was issued a short while ago, the first substantive reaction by the taliban. it follows al qaeda's bout to aven the death of osama bin laden with new attacks on the west. the white house says they are on alert. >> for these people, osama bin laden is a martyr. islamic sympathizers have been on the streets, voicing their rage against the u.s. they say america had no right to

kill the al qaeda leader. now they promise to avenge his death. >> i don't think this will and the jihad. -- i don't think this will end the juhad. >> the confirmation of its leaders death could dispel growing doubts and conspiracy theories in pakistan and elsewhere. at the same time, the terror network about to continue its campaign against the u.s. and its allies. and washington is taking those threats seriously. when u.s. special forces ormed the hideout, they seized computers and documents that contain details of the ongoing danger. the terror network was reportedly considering targeting the u.s. rail network this year, 10 years after the september 11

attacks. washington says it is examining the evidence, but says there is no immediate threat. the u.s. is continuing to launch missile attacks inside pakistan against suspected al qaeda and taliban fighters. up to 17 people have be killed near the afghan border, the first such attack since the raid that killed osama bin laden, which pakistan condemned as an infringement of its sovereignty. an inquest into the london bombings of 2005 has cleared the police and intelligence services of any responsibility for the deaths of the victims. the attacks killed 52 people and wounded more than 700. questions have been raised as to whether the bombings could have been perfected, but the coroner said there was no evidence of failing from the part of any organization or individual that could be blamed for the deaths.

some real concerns today about the strength of the euro? >> there are rumors everywhere at the moment about whether greece will accept the eurozone, whether these rumors are true is something we'll have to find out during the night. what we know is a handful of eurozone finance ministers' held closed-door talks in luxembourg. in reporting that beat exit from the block is on the agenda, but e.u. and. officials deny the report. -- but the eu and greece officials deny the report. a german government spokesman said that the greek exit from the eurozone was not planned and austrian officials say it is unthinkable. this week marks the first anniversary of greece's formal request for an economic bailout that arrested the country om bankrupt, but expose the truth

about it staggering -- about its staggering debt situation. the euro was already trading lower because of the strengthening dollar on the back of the strong economic downturn and the u.s., where the rumors of greece pulling out of the eurozone, the euro currently trading at $1.4350. it european commission says there are no plans to restructure the greek debt, also meant to be on the agenda at the meeting. portuga is also struggling with mountains of debt and is one of the poorest nations in the eurozone, having a tough time trying to savee. some have taken to the streets under proposed austerity measures at. >> employees of several lisbon hospitals began striking friday morning. staff treated only emergency patients. at t t medical workers protested against the government austerity measures and bailout package

conditions. but few residents of the capital believe the walkout will do any good. >> the people who have appeared so far have not achieved anything. we will have to pay. there is no way around it. the way the strike is going now will not achieve anything. >> it is dangerous now. >> workers from other public service sectors joined the strike. they fear they will have to beaa the brunt of the cutbacks. portugal has agreed to strict conditions to receive the bailout package. the government has to reduce public-sector salaries. unemployment benefits and pensions. it also has to cut many administrative jobs, as well as increase the value-added tax.

lisbon will also have to sell off the state run airline and delay some infrastructure projects. the country has no choice but to continue economic reforms demanded by the european union and the imf in exchange for its aid package. hiring by u.s. companies has hit a five-year high. the world's biggest economy added four more private-sector jobs last month and says the recovery continue to pick up the pace. forecasts called for a gain of 185,000 jobs last month, but the u.s. department of labour said that 244,000 were added. the rate is now 9% for unemployment. that is mixed, but investors concentrated on the positive, sending markets higher. the monthly jobs report is a crucial snapshot of the economy as the u.s. tries to remove -- tries to move from recovery to expansion.

in germany, a steelmaker has revealed plans to reshape the company and reduce its debt. investors like the plans very much. they share -- their shares moved up by 9%. the company said it would jettison its stainless steelmaking business andeduce supply activities to car makers. they say they plan to refocus on technology and engineering. the ambitious restructuring plan comes four months after the chief executive officer took over. european stock markets rebounded friday, the ftse gaining 4%, and the dax closing up. euro stoxx 50 closed at 2952, up 1%. in new york, the dow jones finished up. basf has topped analysts' expectations with its first

quarter profit. the german firms as a rebound for demand in chemicals and plastics boosted profits. higher cost for raw materials were passed on to customers, which saw both chemicals and plastics divisions get 27% increase in sales. in sharp contrast to the strong earnings this week, but deutsche telekom has pushed it -- boychik telecom has posted a sharp drop in profits, falling 37%, 480 million euros. the company mainly attributes the figures to falling customer numbers in the u.s. >> if it had not been for the robust smart phone market in germany, but to telecom's results would have been worse. -- deutsche telekom's results would have been worse. european revenue outside of germany fell 8%, but the decline

was the most acute in countries hardest hit by the economic downturn. greece and hungary were the most critical. the-mobil also struggled to compete against larger rivals, losing nearly 500,000 customers in the first quarter. deutsche telekom has agreed to sell the unit to at&t, regulators still have to approve the sale. deutsche telekom has sought to reassurenvesrs a reaffirm it full-year profit target of 19 billion euros. a major electoral victory for nationalists in scotland, now step closer to a vote on independence from the rest of britain. nationalists in the parliament have made historic gains, winning the majority for the first time. the scottish national party won 65 seats in the 129-seat

legislature. and the party says that it will hold a referendum on indepeence witn fi yrs. opinion polls suggest it is not certain that scots will vote to end the political relationship with the u.k. and british voters have overwhelmingly rejected the proposed reform to the country's voting system. the no result in the referendum is a major blow to the liberal democrats. the junior partner and david cameron's coalition government had campaigned for that change. as work continues in japan to stabilize the crippled fukushima nuclear power plant, concernsbout another nuclear facility. the government has ordered the closure of the other power plant, one of the biggest in the country, located southwest of tokyo. the prime minister says the move was prompted by fears that a strong earthquake could trigger another nuclear disaster. it lies close to a fault line,

and scientists have warned that a major earthquake could occur at any time in the region. the ice hockey world championships in slovakia, where germany was defeated by finland in the opening match of the second round. the score was tied at the end of regulation at 4-4. it was still stalemate after five minutes of overtime, so the lead to penalty shootout, which finland won. germany still got a point for their efforts and are optimistic about progress in to the quarterfinals. the formula one world champion crashed out of practice for sunday's turkish grand prix, skidding out of control on what conditions. he was not injured in the crash, but his car was badly damaged. the 23-year-old championship leader had to sit out the remainder of the session. he will be able to return to the track for saturday's qualifying. the fastest lap of the day was

recorded by mclaren, and mercedes had the second-best time. i will be right back, looking at the fallout from th

welcome back. al qaeda has confirmed that osama bin laden is dead, dispelling doubts that he was kill by u.s. forces. in the announcement, al qaeda warned it would launch new attacks on the west and urged pakistani to rise up and cleanse the country of american corruption. that is adding to the pressure on the pakistani government which is already trying to explain to an angry washington how been layton could have lived for years in a garrison town -- angry washington who is angry at how osama bin laden could have lived for years in a garrison town. our first report looks at the politica fallout from the killing of osama bin laden.

>> osama bin laden was killed behind these walls. it's compound has turned into a key tourist attraction -- his compound has turned into a key tourist attraction. it is still not clear what happened on the top floor. instead of facts, plenty of questions remain, and that has unleashed a lot of speculation. was the world's most wante terrist executed in his bedroom, or did u.s. president barack obama and his clost advisers watched a failed attempt to take him into custody? many analysts are convinced the was planned to kill bin laden anyway. >> based on everything we know, the u.s. issued a shoot-to-kill order. the americans did not want to take the risk of bringing h h to court.

which court would be, the international court of justice in the hague would be the right place, but the.s. does not recognize it. they chose the off with his head method. >> washington denies that bin laden was executed, but admits that he was not armed. pakistani newspapers are not the only media asking why photos of bin laden are not being released. state voters have been circulating in the case has triggered plenty of conspiracy theories -- state photos have been circulating. many consider him a martyr. >> he was their greatest enemy and they did not release a photo? who would believe that? if a man dies in an accident here, the pictures of the dead body are published five times in the newspapers. >> if they really found him here, they have to prove it. if he was not armed, why not just arrest him? either way, there is no proof.

>> even al qaeda has confirmed the death of bin laden. president obama has already explained why washington has decided not to release the photo of the terrorist gup's leader. >> it is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement of additional violence, as a propaganda tool. that is not who we are. >> pakistan's role remains unclear. the country's intelligence services and the army have been accused of incoetence. the renowned military academy is situated just 800 meters from bin laden's hideout. many experts thought that terrorists might have sought refuge in a large city like karachi.

>> the fact he was found in the pakistani general retirement paradise will raise new questions, especially, how is it possible for somebody like bin laden to live in this city for years and go undetected by securi forces? th is why i think the people in the intelligence service were not faul -- were involved. >> diplomats met in islamabad. despite the apparent harmony, there was plenty of anger behind the scenes. washington feels betrayed after providing billions of aid to pakistan, but of it earmarked for security. pakistan has criticized washington for violating the country's sovereignty. nowt islamabad's plants -- now somislamabad plans to look for the second-in-command of al qaeda.

barack obama says the world as a safer place without bin laden. for many, the al qaeda leader was considered more of a symbolic figure out. the terrorist network cast vowed to avenge the killing with new attacks, but analysts believe the terror cells have been weekend. >> it is significant the environment is no longer what it was 10 years ago. the democracy movement and the arab world is focusing on new issues. the age of terror and radical islam is not over yet, but we are approaching the end of the era. >> terror cells in yemen and somalia may protest that view. experts are sure some terrorist attacks will continue, but many hope the death of bin laden will usher in a new era of dialogue. let's bring in our washington correspondent, max hoffman. confirming the death o osama

bin laden, al qaeda threatening retaliation, what is the response where you are correct -- where you are? >> the white house says beirut are extremely vigilant, but have turned this to their advantage, saying the statement by a cut confirms that osama bin laden is dead. >> what about the material the was found after the bid late in reid? -- what about the material the u.s. found after the osama bin laden raid? >> the americans did not think that he played a big operational role. the materials show he was still giving ideas to al qaeda. the question is, to whom did he give the ideas and what is the structure for al qaeda with osama bin laden still in the picture? we have heard some official pakistani intelligence saying that al qaeda was actually split

in half, part under the control of osama bin laden, the other half under the control of his deputy. we still have a lot of questions about this whole thing. the americans hope that the answers lie and the data. >> is there a chance the u.s. could start pulling its troops out with osama bin laden dead? >> president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton said right after the killing of osama bin laden that the war on terror is not over at the war in afghanistan is not over, but this is crucial for the americans. obama was going to announce plans for withdrawal from afghanistan and the war is deeply unpopular with americans, two-thirds against it. many thought the main mission was to capture osama bin laden, so tkere is higher pressure to withdraw troops from afghanistan. this was not the big military machine that got osama bin laden

it, it was a small operation, prepared over years. this might be the new face of the war on terror of the americans. >> the united statess reating to cut aid from pakistan. could we see further deterioration between relations? >> use said it, it is already a bad relationship, a new low point, but the two nations are dependent on each other. the americans need the pakistani is for their war on terror. there is no way around that. and the pakistani is the the financial aid from the americans. they have not done anything for that, they still need $3 billion annually, and so both countries will remn dependent. >> thank you for that update from washington. and thank you for joining us, as al qaeda confirms that osama bin laden it is dead and threatens more attacks against the west.

this is dw-tv. thank you so much for staying with us. captioned by the national captioning institute www.ncicap.org--