>> you are watching dw coming to you live from berlin. this is the "journal." >> our headlines for you at this hour -- >> the g-20 summit gets under way with the divisions over the syrian crisis. >> egypt's interior minister survives an assassination attempt and calls the attack a start of a new wave of terrorism. >> and a city that knows how to party gets some business done, too. berlin business week gets under way.

it's a gathering that is meant to steer the world economy, but today, the g-20 summit in st. petersburg is being overshadowed i a war in syria that is becoming a crisis of global diplomacy. >> russian president vladimir putin is the strongest opponent of possible american intervention, and today, china confirmed it was on his side, arguing that any attack would be a threat not just to peace, but to the world economy. >> one u.s. official accused russia of holding the un security council hostage over the issue. first, this report on the days diplomacy so far. >> a ensley handshake belies the urgency of the situation. the united nations secretary- general needs a solution on the crisis. he is at the g-20 two present information about a chemical weapons attack. europe is calling for a report

by united nations investigators as soon as possible. >> this remains a stain on the confidence -- conference. >> this economic summit is being overshadowed by syria. u.s. president barack obama is seizing the opportunity to campaign for military intervention, while russia is pulling -- pushing for proof that the chemical weapons attack was ordered by the syrian president. germany has already signaled it would provide humanitarian aid or political support in syria. chancellor angela merkel wants to mediate between the u.s. and russia, but hope of a diplomatic situate -- diplomatic solution is scarce. >> those who listen carefully saw that the assessment of the causes of who is responsible for the use of chemical weapons are very different. for that reason, i do not think we will reach a common position in the united nations security council. >> world leaders will continue to smile to the cameras as hope

fades of persuading russia to rethink its stance on syria. >> our correspondent is at the summit for us. marcus, we have heard there's not a lot of optimism to go around. is there any chance whatsoever of some common ground being found between putin on the other -- between putin on the one hand and obama on the other? >> there was one group headed by president vladimir putin, and in the far distance even a couple minutes later, we saw president rock obama arriving, so maybe this depicts the situation around the syria conflict. the united states and russia are the best experts here, and russia says they do not expect any solution or any improvement in this conflict, and some even say that president putin is in a quite comfortable situation. he can just sit back and watch

how president barack obama is leading his country again into another terrible war in the middle east, and he can -- president putin -- present himself as a strong leader, strong man who stands up against the united states and tries to broker peace. >> this summit is not even meant to be about syria. it is meant to be about the economy. is there any hope of slightly more unity on that front? >> yes, that is for sure. we saw the russian finance minister tonight saying that they agreed on a st. petersburg action plan that is a plan to boost global growth and job creation, and they reportedly agreed on so-called action plan against tax evasion and tax avoidance, and they agreed on concrete actions within the next two years, but there are a lot of other topics to be addressed further on. for example, fighting corruption and fighting protectionism when it comes to global trade.

>> thanks for that. we will be coming back to you throughout the course of the summit. >> it has taken more than two and half years for the conflict in syria to reach a point where there is finally a serious possibility of western powers intervening. it's estimated that more than 100,000 people have been killed, and that even before the so- called red line was crossed. >> one of the main fact that has been keeping intervention off the table for so long as the sheer complexity of the situation with the tangle of regional and global powers all having a stake in the outcome. the year of a wider war is very real. our next report looks at the players now entangled in the crisis of the arab spring. >> it began as a civil war, but it has spiraled into an international conflict. or in powers are maneuvering for influence in the region. the alleged chemical weapons attack in august is threatening to draw in even more outsiders.

the civilian regime's most powerful backers are russia and china. moscow says it has not been convinced that the syrian regime has used chemical weapons and wants to continue arms delivery. russia has key interest in syria including its early naval base in the mediterranean. the united states once limited military action against the assad regime. washington is convinced that syria has used chemical weapons. it has promised to act in the past, but it is not clear if the obama administration has delivered on a pledge to on the rebels. for the united states, this is not just about assad, but the ambitions of iran. iran is a key player in the conflict. it supplies weapons to assad's

troops. thousands of hezbollah militia are believed to be fighting alongside assad's forces. the main players in the european union remain divided over serious -- over serious -- over syria. british lawmakers said no to taking part. germany wants any action to have the backing of the united nations. the eu is also split on whether to arm the rebels. it fears the weapons could fall into the hands of islamist extremists. saudi arabia and turkey both want to stake a claim as regional powers. the saudi's have given financial help to the rebels. turkey has provided refuge to the free syrian army. assad's forces have repeatedly attacked the border area between the two countries. for israel, assad used to be a

predictable adversary, but as the conflict has raged on, fears of a poison gas attacks have grown. at the same time, there's concern in israel about what would happen if assad were to fall. the syrian war is a complex clash of regional and international interests. even the rebel groups have turned their weapons on each other, and it is the civilians who are mostly caught in the crossfire. >> exactly the debate over what to do in syria is not just one for diplomats and world leaders. the people with the most at stake are the serbian people themselves. >> 2 million have now fled the country, most to the surrounding region. some have made it as far as europe and here in germany. >> we meet one refugee here in berlin who backs military intervention. >> we cannot reveal his real name. he has been in berlin for a year now.

he comes from damascus and lives in fear of the syrian secret police. back home, he demonstrated against the regime, but when the fighting moved into history, he decided to leave the country. he fled to lebanon, then to turkey and onwards to germany. but his thoughts remain in damascus with his sister who stayed behind. he skype's with her everyday. today, she talked about the aftermath of the chemical attack . >> the chemicals do not have a smell, but it yields like having an allergy. our throats itch, and our eyes water. >> his anger with the assad regime has grown since the alleged chemical attack, which is thought to have claimed hundreds of lives. he wants the united needs to strike at the regime.

>> this attack on a side should be as effective as possible. it should hit his military bases, his arms the pose, his communications centers, and the air force. this attack must they'll assad's and. any attack which does not will only strengthen him. that would be a nightmare for the syrian people. >> he escape serial with other family members, but his livelihood has been ruined. he was a successful business owner in damascus. here he has no work and lives on welfare, but he has a dream. >> i wish that my family could live in peace and safety, that we can one day return to our home in syria. >> but the dream still seems far from becoming reality. he cannot even be certain that he will ever see his relatives in serbia again -- in syria again. >> in kenya, lawmakers have voted to leave the international criminal court.

kenya is the first country to hold a vote to suspend links with the tribal court. >> the move comes as the icc prepares a case against kenya's president, who faces charges of crimes against humanity dating back to the year 2007 when post- election unrest left over 1000 people dead and 60,000 displaced. the vote to pull out of the court will not affect his trial. >> for more, we are joined now in the studio by a law professor and former chairman of the eu's international law commission. many thanks for coming in. first of all, can kenya just withdraw from the icc just like that? >> yes, they can do so. a court says existing obligations are not extinguish. they continue. >> let me ask you -- the icc says it will go ahead with the trial. is that the right course to take ? >> i think the court must go on

because the proceedings have been initiated, and the court can not at its whim and fancy just stop a proceeding which has begun, so it must go on. it is its duty to do so. >> critics of the court say there is a wider question not just looking at kenya, but the court is biased, that it will meet targets africans. do you think there is a problem with the icc? >> there is a problem because most of the defendants are african statesman. but on the other hand, the chief prosecutor from gambia said there is no bias whatsoever. they prosecute when they see a need to do so. he says this is their duty and they have no bias whatsoever against africans. >> has the icc been undermined by this process? how much of a problem has this whole dispute really been?

>> there are some dispute among africans. they feel that this is really something which has a kind of neo-colonialist touch, but i think that this is really erroneous. in africa, there have been many centers of worry, and therefore, the court was called upon to take action, which it has done, and i think until now, very successfully. >> we will have to leave it there. many thanks for coming into the studio. >> the egyptian interior minister has survived the bomb attack on his convoy. the apparent assassination attempt occurred near his home in the capital, cairo. >> he escaped the attack unhurt, and he warns that the country could now face a new wave of terrorism as police crack down on islamist. >> the interior minister's convoy had just left his home when the powerful bomb exploded.

the area is viewed as a stronghold of the muslim brotherhood, and mohamed ibrahim has been at the forefront of the crackdown on the islamist movement. officials say the damage indicates that 50 kilograms of explosives may have been used. an eyewitness described the lead up to the blast. >> 15 minutes before the minister went by, i saw three people going down the street. another one came from this street behind me as the minister approached and the police were holding other traffic. a small car sped past. the blast came a minute later. >> he called the attack a heinous assassination attempt. he said he was lucky to escape unhurt. at least one person died, and police are investigating whether that victim was involved in the attack. nearby vehicles and buildings were damaged. there was no immediate claim of responsibility, but speaking after the ass warned at a wave of terrorismof the we hot

ache now, but we will be back in a minute's look at a word that is very

>> welcome back. serious and thorough, even successful, but germans are not considered to be the most happy- go-lucky people in the world. >> an annual survey even keeps track of the biggest concerns on german mines. it is called the angst and dekes -- index. this year's results show germany could still be a nation of worrywarts. the worries of people in the former east have fallen to the same level as those in the former west for the first time since the survey began. we are joined by our correspondent, terry martin. let's get into these angst numbers in a bit more detail.

this survey is really just a bit of fun, but there is some interesting stuff. >> some of the figures are really knows a prize -- that germans are worried about the rising cost of living. everybody is worried about that. they are also particularly concerned this year about natural disasters. there's been quite a bit of flooding in germany in 2013. and they are also concerned about growing old, taking care of themselves when they get old. at a concern and reflected democratic -- demographic shift. what is interesting is what it tells us about how anxieties are shifting. we have one particular indicator that i want to mention, and that is -- are you concerned about your politicians being over challenged? there, we see a 10-percentage- point drop. we do not know why, but it is there. >> is it possible to say that germans are overall loosening up a bit? are they getting less anxious about life? >> overall, we have actually seen a one-percentage-point rise

in the overall angst and dekes. people are slightly more concerned but less concerned about certain things. for example, the rising cost of living -- we have seen a slight drop there. we have seen a slight drop in concerns about the overall situation. we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but we have to look at the overall perspective. over 20 years, germans have fewer years now than they did at almost any other time. >> so things are looking up on the angst front. thank you very much for coming in. one factor that is causing some worries in germany is, of course, the eurozone debt crisis. the european central bank has held its interest rates at the current record low of zero .5%, saying that it remains prepared to cut rates again if the crisis worsens. >> ecb president mario draghi said the situation remains extremely fragile and that he is

hairy cautious about recovery. the central bank predicts that the euro zone economy will contract by .4% this year before returning to growth in 2014. onto thursday's market action now, and european stocks climb for the second day running in reaction to the ecb's pledge to keep interest rates low for an extended period of time. our correspondent sent us the summary of the thursday trading session in frankfurt. >> the ecb is stuck at between a rock and a hard place these days. on the one hand, they promised low interest rates for a long time, especially to the financial markets and the financial sector, of course. on the other hand, in the u.s., we see that the yields to go slightly up and the u.s. federal reserve may stop its bond buying program pretty soon, so the markets reacted to the ecb decision only slightly. the euro went down a little bit

because the interest rates will not rise in the near future. on the other hand, shares managed to get just slightly into positive territory. >> we stay in frankfurt for a closer look at thursday's numbers. the dax finished the day up by nearly .5%, finishing their at 80 234. the euro stoxx 50 doing even better. across the atlantic, the tao at this hour trading up very slightly -- the tao -- the dow at this hour trading up very slightly. the trial resumed in munich a -- beate zschape. >> 10 people died between 2000 and 2007. the court was set today to hear from one of the defendants, who is accused of helping the killers.

>> this man, a suspected neo- nazi, could be a key witness in the trial. he confessed to police that he delivered a gun to the suspects on behalf of his co-accused. he is also accused of supplying them with identity documents. but there are doubts about whether that is the whole story. he has refused to reveal more. that has been badly received by lawyers representing the victims. >> it appears, for instance, that she was with him once and alone indeed, and we would really like to know what happened there. i'm surprised that such an important visit was not mentioned at all. >> that information could damage the defendant, but for now at least, the witness is keeping quiet. >> probing him is the job of the court. of course, it tries to encourage defendants to reveal more, but our client does not currently

see any reason to answer further questions. >> while he has the right to remain silent, his decision to do so has caused consternation. >> from our point of view, it is not acceptable to put a brake on things halfway through. this would have a significant effect on the nature of the symptoms. >> the 39-year-old knows that, but still, he is keeping quiet. >> staying in germany, a slap on the wrist from angela merkel's government from its own data protection czar. >> he says the government has been failing to answer his questions over the nsa surveillance scandal. now he has gone public with his complaint. >> germany's data protection commissioner feels slighted. he has been seeking information about foreign surveillance programs since june and has hit a brick wall with germany's interior ministry, which claims he is not entitled to answers. >> i formulated clear questions,

which i had rigorously checked by lawyers. in particular, i checked how far my oversight extends. >> revelations about the nsa's worldwide surveillance caused great concern here. last month, the government attempted to draw a line under the affair, claiming that there had been no across-the-board spying in germany, but he says important questions remain unanswered. >> what about the spying that is not across-the-board? what about german telecommunications being intercepted somewhere other than on german soil? there's been no message that all is ok with that, which unsettles me. >> he has lodged a formal complaint. he is demanding the government take measures to improve data protection and warns against cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies. >> let's go to sports now, and there's another round of qualifiers for the soccer world cup coming up on friday, and

germany are up against austria. >> it will be a special night for the captain, who is playing his 100th game for the national team. >> his friends and family will pbe in the stadium in his hometown of munich to watch him. for now, the player is more focused on the results and the celebration. >> what is important is winning against austria and extending our lead in the group. it's incidental that it's my 100th international. it's nice and i'm looking forward to it, but it's not the most important thing. >> he was called up for his first scene international in 2004. he was then 20 years old and had played just 17 bundesliga games. rudy fuller expressed full confidence in his new charge, and lam was enthusiastic about representing his country at the

highest level. >> i was delighted. it's always a nice thing to play for the national team. when it's the a-team, that's amazing. >> but it wasn't that is him i are -- but it was a baptism of fire. it was not until later that his true international rise began. few players manage the achievement. the teammate joked that the squad probably would not mark the occasion. >> we will wait until the game is over and see if the team does something, but i do not think we will. >> one thing seems sure -- until the final, the players will be sticking to water and not popping open any bottles of champagne. >> get ready to rock. the eyes and ears of the music world are focused on berlin this week.

>> in recent years, the german capital has become an increasingly important creative and commercial hub for the music industry. >> its music week in berlin. for many, that means a show that is not to be missed. like this performance. thousands of other musicians have flocked to berlin for the festival. for them, the german capital is the perfect place. >> it's relatively cheap to live here, so it's a good breeding ground for artists. there's just a lot going on here, and the city's attractiveness has a part to play, too. >> i think there's everything here, from completely mellow styles of music to electro and hip-hop to classical music in the berlin cathedral. i thought that especially great about the city. >> it is an increasingly

reciprocal relationship. berlin values and needs the 600 million euros the music industry generates, not to mention the 12,000 jobs. the concerts, talks, and parties that make up berlin's music week continue until sunday. >> a lot of energy here in berlinright now. >> it's great if you are coming to berlin for musically. enjoy it. that is it for us at this point. more news in about 30 minutes time. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--