>> hello and welcome to "the journal". >> our top stories. treaty. the european parliament takes the first step towards establishing a euro zone banking union. one of the greats of german cinema has died.

bashar al-assad's government has taken a first step towards giving up its chemical weapons arsenal. the u.n. has confirmed that syria has applied to join an international pact that bans the production and use of such arms. >> he stressed that a russian initiative on securing the weapons could only work if the u.s. stops its military threats. john kerry met with his counterpart from russia in geneva. the u.s. remains skeptical about any commitments made by the syrian regime. >> john kerry said that he and his russian counterpart counterpart for serious but he rejected a deadline for damascus to layout the details of its chemical weapons. he had four key proposals. first, that serious should join

the chemical weapons convention. it must disclose the location of the chemical stockpiles and allow international inspectors in to examine the weapons. and hand over the weapons for destruction. the u.n. says that it has received an application from syria to join the chemical weapons convention which bans the production and use of those arms. the syrian president said the proposal for securing his country's chemical stockpiles would only work if the u.s. dropped its threat of military action. washington insist a strike against syria is an option. >> this will take some time but we also will not deal with the delaying tactics and we believe it is very important to hold assad accountable. >> many practical questions must be addressed. can the proposals be put into action in the midst of the syrian civil war?

there is no exact timeline right now. the syrian rebels have rejected the plans saying they just give bashar al-assad more time. >> our correspondent is in geneva and joins us from there. what have the two diplomats been saying at the press conference? >> it was quite interesting. you can consider that those talks are really important to finding compromises to do a step forward. for secretary kerry, it was very clear. he said this is not a game and expectations are very high and they are here to test the propositions. there is skepticism on the side of the u.s. and the russian counterpart sergey lavrov said he was much more optimistic. he said it is a good chance to go forward and maybe do a step towards the geneva conference

not only on chemical weapons but on the solution for syria in general. >> is there a sense of optimism that these talks might lead to a breakthrough? >> well, they want to find a solution to do a step forward. i think there is a will on both sides. we think that there is a possibility and the fact that they are able to stay here for at least two days underlines that they take the time to talk and not only to interchange opinions. >> thank you very much. if there is some sort of agreement at the diplomatic level, implementing the plan to put the chemical weapons under international control could

prove tough. >> those in the u.s. and russia have been decommissioning the old stockpile of chemical weapons but they do have the techncal expertise. the logistics of the mission could be long and complex. >> the facility in western russia set up to destroy the country's cold war stockpile of chemical weapons. the gas is burned or neutralize chemically. ruia has the know-how. >> the assad government is most likely to accept an international team. there will be u.s. experts, scandinavian countries that will be represented. and russia of course. >> what killed these people and how large is the stockpile of chemical weapons in syria? the u.s. has damascus has about 1000 tons of chemical agents of mustard gas manufactured at four sites by tracking them down is

risking. you will need a protective force. i cannot imagine that u.s. or nato soldiers would be given access to syrian arms dumps. so, they will have to cooperate with the syrians or turn to the russians. >> russia is a major ally of the assad regime. how much influence does russia have an damascus really. how will this take place? >> they could take the weapons out of the country by ship and destroy them nausea -- and destroy them. the transport of weapons is dangerous.

>> the process can take years. russia is behind schedule. they missed to their 20 12 deadline for eradicating its own chemical weapons. >> we are joined by an expert from the german institute for security affairs. can you give us details about how chemical weapons can be destroyed? >> we are talking about a long and expensive process. the initial steps can be taken fairly quickly, serious has announced that it is going to join the chemical weapons convention. then we can have initial spot checks and probably at these sites where some of these chemical weapons are stored to check whether it was accurate.

if we go into monitoring and securing the stocks and actually destroying them, that would take a long time. >> what would be the best way of monitoring them, prticularly in this civil war situation? >> that is one of the biggest challenge is harmonize and synchronize the political process of creating peace in this country or it will be a precondition for continuous monitoring and destruction of these stockpiles. the interest of the main actors have now conversed and this could provide a handle to provide an opportunity for the destruction of those. for example by creating zones where there is no fighting going on. >> can germany play a role in the monitoring process? >> there's enough expertise,

particularly when it it comes to chemical weapons destruction and setting up facilities that can actually destroy these weapons. this is going to be towards the end of the process. we will begin the physical destruction of the sites. there might be something that they could do but it will will be more risky and more tricky. we are not going to act on those. >> thank you form in else's. moving on to other news now, thursday has marked a milestone when it comes to banking regulation here in europe. the european parliament has given the green light for the first step towards establishing a banking union. it will start with a banking regulator to keep the industry healthy so taxpayers don't have to bail out bad banks. >> the ecb in frankfurt.

next year, 700 staff will begin their task of watching over 130 banks which together account for 80% of banking assets in the eurozone. it is part of a plan to guarantee financial stability in the block. the european parliament is now giving the green light after last-minute wrangling was delayed the vote by couple of days. the european commission wants more. >> we still have lots of work to do. the joint supervisory body is a very important step but it is only one step towards a greater banking union. >> the supervisory body is one of three pillars of the union. the other involves a scheme to close banks and a common deposit guarantee system. a fund to compensate depositors when a bank is out of business. if a bank fails, who should have the power to shut it down?

the commission would like the authority. it is still facing resistance from national governments unwilling to see their role diminished. >> the eu's move towards establishing a banking regulator has been closely watched by financial markets. we resent the summary of the action from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the first jump for the new supervisors will be to conduct another stress test for the banking sector. meanwhile, it is becoming clear that the problems of the banking sector are no thing of the past. in slovenia, the government plans to close down to banks and as slovenia's banks as a whole are sitting on bad loans worth more than 7 billion euros, slovenia could become the next case for the euro rescue fund. the finance ministers of the euro area are expected to discuss this topic intensively

at their meeting this friday. on the training floors, this makes a few people nervous, especially as the dax has reached a relatively high level. >> we stay in frankfurt for a closer look at thursday's numbers. the blue-chip index closed the session flat at 84-94. the euro stoxx 50 ended the day pretty much unchanged. across the atlantic and in the u.s., the dow jones industrials are currently down. finally, the euro is trading at one u.s. dollar 32. vodafone says a computer hacker has stolen the personal data of some 2 million customers in germany. the company is working with german police to resolve the

matter. they say the data includes names, dates of birth, and bank details, but not passports, phone records, or credit card numbers. the british-based company which has 32 million customers in germany say that police have identified a suspect linked to an outside computing contractor. the german chancellor has officially kicked off the frankfurt auto show. the one scene, going green. they would like to put one million german cars on the roads by the end of the decade and adapting to an eco-friendly future is key to the industry. this makes up a sizable chunk of the industrial base. >> efficient and environmentally friendly. german automobile manufacturers know how the chancellor likes their cars and they are keen to impress her. the sea el -- the ceo of dime

what is asking the chancellor to guess the engine capacity. she is guessing six leaders. the answer is just three. there is serious concern in the industry, the eu would like to limit co2 emissions to 95 grams per kilometer. that will have a big impact in germany, the leading producer of high-end vehicles. while companies like voles flagging and bmw are key to showcase their innovations, they are unhappy that their competitors in the u.s. and china are not facing the same regulations. >> europe, which is on the search for areas of growth at the moment, should not put a cap on its own growth potential. in the automobile industry, growth and innovation apply to all classes of vehicle. >> as she steps up her campaign

for reelection, she might be hoping that showing goodwill to some of the top dogs will do her some favors. >> we will have in this collusive report from our correspondent who has just come back from afghanistan. back from afghanistan.

>> all eyes might be on syria at the moment but another international conflict, the one in afghanistan, is still not over. >> the situation has stabilized, the forces are gradually taking over or security. international forces are said to withdraw by the end of next year. serious problems remain, the number of civilians killed has recently spiked and many afghans don't know what the future might hold. >> the situation in northern afghanistan has improved him at

least four german soldiers stationed there. in june, the forces took over the official responsibility for their security. there are fewer confrontations with insurgents and german soldiers. they say the afghans have things under control. >> we now serve in the background as a support division. i have been very impressed by the transition and how they are for filling their responsibility. >> the statistics remain sobering. the number of civilian casualties has nearly doubled in the first half of this year. the death toll among afghan soldiers and police has shot up faster. police worried about the future after with the withdrawal. >> i would be happy if the foreign troops stayed here. everyone here feels the same. they need to be here. if they go, it is important that we continue to perform well.

>> the soldiers are still the targets of attacks. this one in early august (soldiers wounded. >> attack on delta one, the vehicle has been flipped onto its side. a biggest lotion, get out of the way, delta. explosion to the left of our vehicle. we are taking fire. we have returned fire. >> international aid workers are concerned about the withdrawal of foreign troops. many rely on their protection. a german ngo has a contingency plan to save staff in danger but they are careful to avoid politically charged issues. >> we work in villages and remote areas, so first we spent time building trust among the residents, drinking tea, introducing ourselves. >> other charities have more cause for alarm. hard-line muslims reject those

that want to improve education for girls. aid workers received death threats. no women's organizations were giving interviews but all eight workers are familiar with the situations. >> this is a sensitive issue. they are the decision-makers and they have a bigger role and they have shown the reaction. >> international troops are set to and missions in afghanistan by late 2015 but some soldiers will stay behind to train and advise afghan forces. it will continue to receive financial aid. afghanistan is likely to need help for a long time to come. >> concerns are growing of a report that north korea has

restarted its growth. >> pyongyang closed down a plant in 2000 seven in change for aid. they have vowed to reopen the facility in april. russia has warned the reactor is unsafe and it is extremely outdated. north korea has not allowed international inspectors into the country since 2009. the netherlands has officially apologized to his former colony of indonesia for executions carried out by dutch soldiers in the 1940s. >> the dutch ambassador delivered the apology at a meeting with relatives of the victims. the executions took place during the war for independence. benevolence hopes that the apology will will help to close a difficult chapter for those affected and they have agreed to pay compensation. still to come, we visit the

first center for treating victims of female genital relations which has opened in berlin. >> first a look at some other stories in brief. >> the state of emergency is to be extended by two months. the military and the government in cairo same security situation left no other choice. the state of emergency was imposed after the bloody riots in august. it gives the police far-reaching powers. >> in the russian capital, an opposition candidate has failed in his bid to stop his pro- kremlin opponent from being sworn in as mayor of moscow. a court rejected his charges of vote ringing. the ally of vladimir q2 and had a slight advantage. as government forces are

battling muslim rebels in a second city in the southern philippines. this is close to the port city where it's scores of people have been held hostage for four days. several have been killed in the latest clashes. >> europe's first clinic to help victims of female genital relations has opened in berlin. >> it offers reconstructive surgery and psychological help. an estimated 150 million girls and women have had their genitals mutilated, mostly in africa. >> many suffer from pain and many long-term convocations. >> this doctor is meeting his new patient from ethiopia. he's the chief surgeon at the new desert flower center. he will carry out reconstructive surgery on her. her genitals were mutilated as a

child. >> i want to be a normal person. >> a new medical center is the brainchild of a supermodel turned human rights activist who has campaigned for years against genital relations. a practice she was subjected to at the age of five. >> a human being can do that to another woman, i'd call this the worst type of violence against women. >> the medical team to treat women from all over the world. if they are unable to pay the center's own charity can help. this is the first medical center of its kind. more could follow in africa, asia, and the u.s.. >> colombian police have arrested a woman who tried to smuggle cocaine into a fake belly made to look like she was pregnant. she was stopped while attempting to board a plane. an agent noticed that her belly

was unusually cold and hard. she found two kilograms of cocaine inside of a latex pouch designed to look like a pregnant belly. the man who will likely one day be king has ended his career in britain's military in order to focus on his duties and charity work. the prince completed his last shift as a helicopter search- and-rescue pilot on tuesday. he will be returning from wales to live in london. he and his wife are set to take up residence in kensington palace with their son prince george. one of germany's leading actors, otto sander, is dead at the age of 72. he began his acting career in theater before moving to films and working with well-known directors. he was best known for his role

as a shellshocked submarine captain in "das boot." >> there was always a chair reserved for otto sander at a legendary paris bar. he was a towering figure of film and theater and a master of comedy and tragedy. he was a precocious talent named the prettiest baby in lower saxony where he was born and raised. he made a name for himself on stage in the 70's. it is a very delicate process. i want to let part of me out, open myself up so you can look

in. he moved to the big screen winning international acclaim in films including "wings of desire." and for his role as a captain in the epic war film "das boot." last year, he was in a comedy called "fly away" where he pai played a cancer patient. he will be remember as one of the great actors of his age. >> arsenal has presented their prize signing of the summer. ozil has shown off the red and white shirt for the first time. >> arson in -- arsenal are

looking for the german playmaker to elp them get the english title. he will play alongside one of his german teammates. >> returning to afghanistan which finally has something to investigate, its first international soccer trophy of. they played india to win the championship. hamid karzai turned out. many have been partying all night. afghanistan is ranked 139th in the world. one fan said he hoped that this is not just about war and conflict in afghanistan. >> that is all for now. do stay with us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--