>> welcome tothe -- to the "journal." >> coming up, we go live to moscow. >> and rebels tried to take control of a city in the southern philippines. >> and some fresh technology. the electronics show in berlin.

>> it has been a day of twists and turns in the syrian crisis, as the world waited to hear how congress would react to barack obama's call for action against the side regime. suddenly, moscow is involved. >> moscow has called on syria to put all of their chemical weapons under united nations control. they were doing that with dave off the attack. >> some welcome to the idea. he will be talking to course on the in washington after this report. but. when ministers position came to many as a prize. he said damascus is written in its chemical weapons stock while under international control, but the remark was short on details, and washington has expressed serious them. the offer came after u.s.

victory of the john kerry raised eyebrows at a london conference if you was asked if syria could do anything to avoid military action. >> sure, he could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week, turn it over, all of it, without delay, and allow a full and total accounting for that. >> it seemed to be a new ultimatum, but john kerry talked about his statement. the state department immediately backpedal, saying he was speaking rhetorically and that there is no change in washington's position. the obama administration said it would continue to seek support at home and abroad for a punitive strike. however, russia took the secretary of state at his word.

the syrian counterpart was given another possibility of keeping military action at bay. for more on this story, we are going to cross over to our moscow correspondent. russia seems to have caught everybody off guard with the plan to put syrian chemical weapons under international control. what do you think is behind this move? >> yes, this move came as a surprise, indeed, as russia has blocked three resolutions in the united nations security council against syria over the past 2.5 years. obviously, russia is trying to do everything to prevent, to avoid u.s. military strikes against syria. russians minister today told reporters that they will continue to promote a peaceful settlement of this conflict and that they want to revive the idea of holding a peace conference in geneva later this year. >> russia has been the main

obstacle in the desire for military action against syria. are we seeing a change of course? >> this is unlikely a change. in syria, their minister made a clear there are the extremely dangerous military strike repercussions for the whole middle east. russia again presented itself as a cautious peace broker, and the minister made it very clear that the ball is now on the u.s. side. >> well, let's get the view from washington. our correspondent is standing by . max, how is this being taken? do they see a genuine chance to diffuse the situation?

>> well, that is exactly the contradiction that people are trying to figure out here in washington. what we saw from secretary of state john kerry was a piece of shrewd diplomacy, very discreetly executed, or it was what one u.s. official said in private, a major goof, so a spontaneous decision to say that, which is having these unintended consequences. either way, it could be a potential way out for the obama administration, a way out of military force, because it has this potential, but only if the syrians and the russians are serious about it, and there are major doubts about that in the united states because the syrian's in the past have proved that this might not be in earnest, and also, the question

is, how realistic is that, because there are probably dozens of chemical weapons storage sites in syria. there are an estimated 1000 tons in syria. there is a civil war there, so how realistic is it to put u.n. inspectors on the ground there to do their work? at appears to be very unrealistic at the moment, but having said that, having some kind of formal resolution coming out of the security council in respect to this would be a game changer, because it would take the pressure off of obama. >> a lot of open questions that perhaps we will find answers to in the next few days. there is a lot of focus on congress, obama trying to drum up support for a possible attack. we are talking about a vote as early as wednesday. >> right, but this new development might change it, it might provide an excuse to congressmen who were fighting

with themselves, wrestling with themselves, who wanted to say no but who may be out of allegiance to obama were going to say yes. in maybe an excuse, or maybe to delay the process further. it looks like there is no majority for obama in the house of representatives, and it is not clear if there is a majority in the senate, and you need both chambers to pass a resolution in congress, so it is not looking to opened for obama on that front. >> they have stressed they do not need congressional approval to do an attack. what is the word in washington at the moment? if congress votes no, do people think obama would go ahead with some type of strike? >> well, the only one who can really answer that question is obama himself. like you said, he is dodging the question. if he asks congress for approval and then ignores the approval,

that would not look good to the american people who are already opposed to any type of military action in syria, and it would not sit well. other than the short-term humiliation of not gaining the support of congress, it would be to go with it and say, i tried, but my hands are tied, because the american people have spoken through congress. >> a very fluid situation in washington. thank you. meanwhile, on the international front, the u.s. says it has signed up another 14 countries, looking at a strong international response to the use of chemical weapons in syria, and that includes germany. >> germany was not among the first to back the document, and with the elections just weeks away, the government is being cautious. and there are other key u.s. allies. >> while it agrees the use of

chemical weapons is a serious violation of international law, they will only give moral support, nothing more. >> we are saying germany will not participate in a military operation. >> experts believe that in the event of a military strike, germany will provide assistance in the region. it could supply special vehicles that could detect and defend against chemical warfare agents. in france, there is no doubt who is behind the chemical weapons attack. president hollande, he is prepared to support the u.s. militarily, but he wants to wait for the report from the human weapons inspectors before launching a strike. the most important u.s. ally will be sitting this one out. rich prime minister david cameron lost a parliamentary vote on the strike.

not even his own party gave their backing. even so, additional fighter jets have been sent to fortify the bases in cyprus. if the mood in britain changes, they could quickly move into action. turkey is the u.s. ally most affected by the civil war. more and more refugees from syria are streaming across its border. it is already host to 460,000 people who have fled. the turkish prime minister supports the syrian rebels and wants to fight alongside the u.s., even without a u.n. mandate, but he is critical of western countries, saying they have so far done nothing to stop the killing in syria. while europe discusses a military strike, the civil war continues unabated. >> in russia, the opposition is

demanding a recount after the election for mayor of moscow. >> according to the official results, the kremlin ally got the reelection with 51% of the vote, but the other says those numbers were rigged, and the polls should have gone to him. >> he lost as expected, but the outcome has created a groundswell of protest in the russian capital. he is demanding a recount. >> we deny the outcome of these elections. he is not the legitimate mayor of moscow and can only get legitimacy by agreeing to a recount. >> election monitors reported no serious cases of ballot fraud, but he says the results were falsified to assure his victory, a prudent ally. >> it looks like you one an absolute majority by a mere 32,000 results area that is a

very small margin for a city like moscow. >> he believes he secured a number votes to force a runoff, but the other has strong backing from the kremlin. he won an absolute majority, according to official tallies, and state television declared him a winner. but his opponent got more than the polls were predicting, a kind of moral victory for the opposition, and whether or not they agreed to a recount, he has proven he is a force to be reckoned with. >> and just a moment, we will be back with violence in the philippines. >> at first, let's catch up. in thailand, at least 14 people injured after a passenger jet skidded off the runway. the airbus was landing with people on board when the incident happened, and officials say the landing gear failed to deploy. >> north korea has held a huge

parade marking the 65th anniversary of the founding. soldiers and citizens took part in the outdoor rally in the capital of pyongyang. the event was attended by kim jong-un. >> and the polls are closed in norway after a second day of national elections. early projections show the incumbent and his party have been defeated. most observers say conservatives and anti-immigrant populace most likely will run the next government. violence has erupted in the philippines, at least six people killed, dozens injured, after muslim rebels launched an attack. >> the piece had only returned to the island after decades of conflict. the president has announced the violence and appealed for help. >> gunfire on the streets. explosions.

residents flee the fighting. suddenly, the important port city in the southwestern philippines and finds himself in a state of emergency. soldiers put up barricades as they try to steer the civilian population to safety in churches and schools. >> we are not used to this kind of violence here. i am afraid. >> most of the 800,000 residents are christians, but overall, this part of the southern philippines is muslim, as are the rebels, who are fighting for independence. on monday, hundreds of fighters came ashore from a small flotilla and vessels. the philippine government is currently negotiating a wider autonomy agreement with a nation rebel group, but several breakaway militant groups are still fighting for a completely independent muslim state. the raid is being seen as an attempt to derail the autonomy

negotiations, talks that could and almost after your decades of civil war, in which some one hundred 50,000 people have been killed. >> time for a quick break, but plenty more. >> we will go on the campaign trail with the

>> welcome back. < w weeks to go before the germans go to. and this would involve angela merkel and her coalition. >> there were sweeping social and economic reforms that have helped to make germany the powerhouse it is today. >> but those reforms also alienated some, leaving candidates in these elections to fight for every single vote. >> this is about as close as most local candidates get to their voters, and there is really only one way to get around it. going door-to-door.

>> it depends on the situation and how the people react, if they open up at all. >> it is his first run for parliament. he and his team want to reach 100 houses in two hours. >> hello. i am lars. i am running for the bundestag. >> he tells people he is therefore them, and it appears to be working. >> if someone makes an effort to go to the voters and talk with them personally and gauge the mood, i think that is, well, good. >> running for office in a sparsely populated area. >> that is why i am doing the rounds and why i would like to give you one of my pens and the flyer. >> it is a thankless task. he only gets a response from one out of every five houses, it's still, he ensures it is worth it.

>> it is worth it for every contact i make. is the whole point. obviously, we will not reach everyone. >> as a former police officer, lars is an expert on security, but he has to be able to talk about all the issues. his message is simple. >> so you will vote? >> yes, i will. >> wonderful. >> the more people that go to the polls, the better. he is hoping to win over many undecided votes, so he will continue to go door to door right up to the election. >> and for more information, go to our website. whoever wins the race for the election next will have another fight on their hands. major demographic changes. >> a shrinking population is already creating labor shortage. they say they have to turn down orders because they cannot find the staff. >> and it is also a problem

keeping some communities alive. >> this town on the border between germany and poland is shrinking. just over 2000 people live here now. it is typical of many towns in eastern germany. for decades, the government has tried to raise living standards with investments and subsidies, but a new study shows that could be the wrong approach. >> the phenomenon is so widespread that we have to change our thinking. we cannot fight the program with the same old tools. we have to figure out what really works. >> that might mean abandoning entire villages. the government can help by offering incentives to move to more populated areas. in the long run, that would save money, and in sparsely populated areas, they say the regulations should change. >> rural areas need exemptions from certain standards.

for example, it makes no sense that a population of the residence is subject to the sewage fees, which were created for big cities. >> the changing german demographics offer them a chance to try out new ideas. one idea is an on-demand bus service that would respond to individual calls. that would lower expenses and ensure that the rural residents are not completely isolated. >> and they can look forward to cheaper calls when they travel. reports in a german magazine says the eu plans to abolish roaming charges within the eu by july 2016. they normally face higher costs when they use their phones abroad, and the eu wants to encourage providers to do away with roaming fees by allowing them to offer short contracts at much lower rates. >> and in the japanese economy,

new figures show growth hit an annual rate of 3.8% in the second quarter. it is up from the estimate. they say public and private investments have contributed to that figure, with new construction spending making it up along with the government stimulus program. let's check in on the markets. a summary of the day's trading in frankfurt. >> investors did not want to decide for either direction, which also has to do with the fact that over the course of the week him a many events are due, which might move the market a little bit more. this tuesday, apple will come out with its new iphone, and anticipation of this, the stock price increased above $500 again. also this week, international auto fair is opening its doors. this is going to happen in frankfurt, and the news of the ceo of fiat canceled his visit to the fair, which led to

speculations that that ceo might be busy negotiating an increase in the state of chrysler, if not a complete takeover of chrysler. >> in frankfurt, where we can stay, first of all, for a look at the closing numbers at the end of monday's trading. the dax was almost flat. the stoxx 50 slipped just a ittle bit into the red, but not by much. closing numbers there. in new york, trading slower, and the dow. here in berlin, gadget addicts have just a couple more days in their fix of the electronics show. lexmark phones and tablets. as a reporter found out, even refrigerator technology is not

standing still. >> an estimated 1.3 billion tons of food land in the trash worldwide each year. one company has turned that statistic into a marketing strategy. their new refrigerators are designed with a vacuum pump, designed to keep food longer. >> the owner presses a button to start the vacuum, and the oxygen is sucked out of the fridge. we estimate that the less oxygen keeps food fresh or five times longer. you can hear it, too. and nutrients are kept. that is an advantage. >> it is also incredibly energy efficient. eu agencies have given it a top score, and saving electricity is one of the hottest trends at this year's ifa. small startups are also trying to ride the wave. one is looking to save costs by

cooking heaters to smartphones. >> it lowers the temperature automatically when you go out and raises it again when you are on your way home. that can save you money, but you still come home to a warm house. >> manufacturers hope their latest energy efficient remissions will be a hit with consumers and retailers alike. >> finally, in sports news, tuesday sees another round for next year's finals in brazil. the top team against the bottom. >> and it hardly seems fair. in terms of market value, the sports are about as lopsided as you can get. 2 million euros is more than an entire team. >> here is a look at some of the german players and some of their

earning potentials on and off. the first german soccer player to appear in a television advertisement nearly 50 years ago. today, the advertising industry seems to rely on soccer players to sell just about anything. germany's national layers and coaches are especially popular figures. they advertise everything from cars to cosmetics to candy. >> companies hope to capture some of the allure for their brands. on the one hand, they draw attention to themselves and try to profit from the needy and prominence of the athletes. there is also an image transfer, like youth, dynamism, and success. >> they try to win matches, and in advertisers, they score points by winning interest in the product. one consultant writes the market

value of german soccer stars. its latest rankings have the following -- >> the market value is not only determined by athletic achievement but also through the athlete image off the pitch areas if i am successful at sports, then i get good publicity, and good publicity gives me a good public image, which raises my market value. >> one player who is taking the industry by storm at the moment. his media popularity is mostly due to his outstanding athletic abilities, but he is also profiting from his turkish background. he just signed a multi-year contract with sportswear maker adidas. >> of course, we are pleased to have such a great soccer player under contract. >> in addition, he is extremely

popular with our younger group, 14 to 19. he has 11 million friends on facebook and nearly 3 million fans on twitter. >> germany's national players have their sights set on next years world cup in brazil, and this premier sporting events will provide plenty of opportunities for advertisers. fans can expect to see their favorite players out on the pitch and in the commercial breaks. >> well, that is, unfortunately, all we have for this edition of "journal." >> and be sure to check us out any time at dw.de. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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