dw, this is "the journal." the top stories, and the ukraine, thousands demonstrate against the government and demand the release of their opposition leader. russia insists on its controversial contract with savory area -- with syria to supplies service to air missiles. and angela merkel has met with pope francis in rome.

supporters and opponents of the ukrainian president are clashing after both sides held large rallies in the capital kiev. police in riot gear have been attempting to keep the peace. protesters were throwing stones and plastic water bottles. several people were reportedly injured. we will bring you the latest in just a moment, but first a look at the demonstrations in the ukraine, where the former prime minister is in jail and the opposition accuses the president of holding her. >> away from the protests, behind prison bars, ukraine's former prime minister remains the clear symbol of the opposition's campaign, led by this boxing champion, the tally click go. >> i am certain we can oppose this dictatorship. we are united by the fight against today's dictatorship. toare united by the desire

live in a modern european country and we will achieve this. we will fight for freedom and win. >> ukraine's government has placed huge obstacles in the country's path towards this. allegations of corruption and election fraud have been criticized by brussels, which has told kiev they will not sign a trade agreement until she is released. protesters say they want an end to the political issues. not all of the rallies proceeded peacefully. clashes broke out between anti- and pro-government protesters. several were injured, including a journalist. they blamed the police for letting the violence happened. fighting mounting pressure, the president's government does not seem to be budging. the was unfazed by european court of human rights which found the pretrial detention to be unlawful. the former leader is facing another trial or investigators

named her a possible accomplice in a murder case. >> the u.s. is calling on north korea to show restraint after the south said pyongyang fired three short-range missiles. the missiles were said to have come from north korea's eastern coast. h's defense ministry said they would remain on alert. tension spiked earlier this year after pyongyang threatened the u.s. and south korea in response to joint military drills and new un sanctions. the international community is still struggling to find a solution to the crisis in syria. un chief bank he moon and russia have agreed that a peace conference on syria should be held soon, but russia insists it will only participate if you ran is also it invited. -- if iran is also invited. a spokesman for vladimir putin

said that russia will continue to honor contracts to supply serious with weapons. >> schelling in homes and blasts in damascus. it is the latest amateur footage to emerge from the bloody civil war. the international community is in agreement that the situation cannot go on. but there is no agreement on how to stop it. russia is facing sharp criticism from other countries to continue -- for continuing to supply weapons to syria. moscow has delivered new high- tech antiship missiles and is planning to send antiaircraft missiles, a fact that could make it harder to enforce a no- fly zone or a blockade against syria. in washington, top u.s. military official slammed the russian deal. >> it is at the very least an unfortunate assertion that will embolden the regime and prolong suffering, so it is ill-timed and unfortunate. >> the situation is also a concern for israel. this week, prime minister

benjamin netanyahu tried to convince vladimir putin to put a stop to the weapons deliveries. the israeli leader is undermining israel's right to self-defense. in recent weeks, jerusalem apparently ordered strikes in syria on reporter weapons convoys said to be bound for hezbollah militants in lebanon. the chairman and foreign minister says he understands israel's concerns about syria. he has been on a visit to the middle east where he held talks with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and other politicians. he also visited the palestinian territories. in an exclusive interview, he spoke about the situation. through the entire region, there is great concern the conflict in syria could spill over and engulf all its neighbors. understandably, the concern is israel -- in israel is particularly great. there are some people fighting

in syria right now that are not looking for a new democratic beginning but who have a terrorist background and see damascus merely as a preliminary stop on the road to jerusalem perl tha. the situation is very serious. there is a lot that comes together, including the iranian nuclear program. i understand israel's concerns. and shallchancellor merkel has met with pope francis during a short visit to rome. merkel is not a roman catholic, she grew up in a lutheran family, but with elections on the horizon in september, she is well aware of the large catholic vote in many parts of germany. >> the chancellor spent 45 minutes talking to the head of the roman catholic church. merkel is a protestant. although they discussed religious issues, they also veered and politics. earlier this week, pope francis made an impassioned appeal for global financial reforms. after meeting the pontiff, merkel stressed the need for

better solutions. regulating the financial markets is our main problem in central task. we are making progress, but we are far from reaching the point where we can say that such a derailment of the social market economy will never happen again. >> after the papal audience, chancellor merkel gave francis a gift i a german poet and the entire works of a conductor, said to be one of the popes favorites. merkel received a set of vatican coins and a valuable photo op in the election year. >> france has become only the 14th country worldwide to legalize same-sex marriage, a day after france's constitutional council struck down a challenge to the bill which will also allow gay adoptions.

saturday, the president signed the law, making good on one of his campaign promises. but it remains highly controversy all. opponents have staged huge, often violent demonstrations in recent months and more are planned next week. conservative religious lawmakers in afghanistan have blocked voting on a law aimed at protecting women's rights. the bill would have criminalized child marriage, put a stop to the practice of selling women to and disputes, billutlaw -- a broad before parliament. the law has been in effect since 2009 3 presidential decree, but they want to see it cemented by a vote. .ports news, and the bundesliga the qualifying round for the champions league. the visitor triumphed 2-1. the bundesliga.

scored thester decider. more drama at the bottom of the bracket, where dusseldorf for fault for survivor. they will get another shot in the bundesliga after beating their opponent. they need it one last win to avoid relegation, and he did not disappoint. their 15th place finish keeps them firmly in the bundesliga. they surprised everyone with their 2-1 win. they will face-off for the second division to secure their spot in the top five. but it was a bitter goodbye for dusseldorf. their 3-0 loss to hanover sent them straight to the second division after just one season in the bundesliga.

>> for a look at all of the results from the day, and as we heard, they went down 2-1 at home. 3-0.er smashed dusseldorf .amburg finished a goal down nuremberg into the season with a 3-2 win. stuttgart drew 2-2. at the finallook bundesliga standings. what a season has been for munich. he won the title by a massive 25 points. they are all through the to the champions league and could be joined. frank vert it holds on to the europa league spot. -- frankfurt holds on to the europa league spot.

they will play off against the third place second division team. dusseldorf is not as lucky. he will start next season in the second division. as the 15th bonus league season comes to an end, it is time to look back. it has been a fantastic year. there will be an all-german champions league final next weekend. here is a look back at how the season has been for some of the other teams. it has been a season to forget. hard as they tried, they could not find the back of the net. not one home win all season. a depressing bonus league record. bonus leagueng record. the award for best role goes to

münchen, shot from over 40 meters. the coach had a great season. his players steady performance secure them a spot in the probably. >> we played our hearts out. every point was fully deserved. >> week after week, spectacular goals and acrobatic action proved why the bonus league home to some of the world's finest foot all. with so much bang for their buck, it is no wonder that lovers of the game cannot wait for the summer to be over. when august rolls around, they will return to the place they like to call home. the stadium. >> another bitter defeat for real madrid, this time at the

hands of their crosstown rivals, who hold off a major upset to win the king's cup. the coaches calling it a disastrous season after failing to pick up any major trophy. , but nownock them out real's poor fortune was good news for the other team, whose fans spent the night celebrating. >> the night turned violent when fans began hurling bottles and downtown madrid look like a war zone as riot police crashed with the unruly revelers. a stark contrast to the celebrations that kicked off the evening. they snatched the king's cup from real madrid in a dramatic upset. to win in the stadium after being one goal down against such a powerful team, that is one for the books. >> rinaldo scored the winning goal in the 14th minute. they20 minutes later,

fired back with the equalizer. miranda scored the winning header eight minutes into extra time, securing the cup for athletico. real's frustration was visible. red for taking the cap and. -- for kicking the captain. >> this season was the worst because we do not win any important titles. o's first athletic victory over their crosstown rivals in 14 years. what was a night to remember could go down in history for all the wrong reasons. >> festivities underway in hong kong and macau to celebrate what many say is buddha's birthday. they were celebrating buddhist

it is birthday, and expected to attract 1000 villagers. don't forget to check out more information on our website. >> the women of this gang are fighting back against rapists, rule husbands, and corrupt police. if necessary using sticks. the founder is training her troop of indian women. on the head,ts you she says, hold the stick like this. if he attacks from the side, like his. and pink saris are the hallmarks in northern india.

defendnot allowed to ourselves? are we not allowed to protect ourselves? this is not a weapon, it is only a stick. we are not criminals. ♪ this person and her sister-in- law join the gang five years ago. the ganged help, and provided it, quickly and without any complications. many women have joined the gang for the same reasons. with her daughter, she explained. she ran away with a boy from another cast, she said. for two years, i do not know where she was. when she came back, she was three months pregnant.

the boy had simply thrown her out. then i joined the gang, she says. they track the boy down and made them get married. as they now know how to demand their rights, even though the traditional role of an indian wife requires her to remain silent and obey the will of her husband. this 18-year-old visits at home. she needs help. , in-laws, and husband are beating her. these are bruises from being hit with sticks, she explains. tell me everything right from the beginning. they have been married two years. a conflict with her parents-in- law are getting worse. often little things make make them angry. my mother-in-law pulled my hair. my father-in-law grabbed me and forced me to the ground.

i started to cry, but he kept hitting me. almost every day, women come to them with their concerns. many are being beaten by their husbands or forced into arranged marriages by their own parents. this person's mother has known them for a long time. she hopes the gang will be able to talk sense into her daughter's parents-in-law. like many young women in rural india, she married when she was very young and soon was with child. husbandnts chose her for her as was the tradition in india. you go on, i will be right behind you, she says. when they marry, indian women move into their parents-in-law's home. they all have to adapt to the change. it is wash day. everything here is pink. no matter where i go, i always wear a pink sari. i have a lot of them.

there are at least 50 in my wardrobe. pink, pink, pink. pink walls, pink skirts. 20 people live in this house. ran children, children, husband, daughter-in-law. the boss has five children, four daughters, one son. she herself married when she was 12 and had her first child at 15. i had no idea at the wedding what was going happen, she says. i did not know anything about my future, if i would be criticized or beaten. a lot of people beat their wives after the wedding. i knew i was getting married. i was far too young to really understand. at the police station, everyone is waiting for her husband to show up. he has been asked to explain why he drinks so much and beats her.

this person takes charge. the local policeman is not keen to get involved. even the police have come to respect the boss. in most such cases. no problem is too private for her to get involved in. look at the state of you. i have no money for clothing, the husband says. but you can afford to buy alcohol and beat your wife. getting you also spoil your pack? he says he did not. can remember that you cannot hit her, she says, but you have have forgotten that you spoiled your pants, and then your wife is supposed to clean up your filth? clean your soiled pants. she does not deserve that. don't talk nonsense. do your work, and get yourself a job.

i promise to stop drinking. you can go now, if and don't beat her anymore, you understand me? say it out loud. i won't beat her anymore. no one seems to take the husband's pledge seriously, not even the husband himself. to keepsks the police an i on the man. if he misbehaves again, she warns that he will get a visit from the whole gang. her youngest daughter recently married. now she is preparing to move. she chose her husband and her new family for her. the boss believes in arranged marriages. in a few days time, the 20-year-

old will move to the house of her parents-in-law. i'm a bit sad because i'm leaving my mother and father and family behind. if my daughter is happy with her new family, then everything is ok, but i don't know before hand how they will receive her, she says. when my daughter comes to visit, she will be a stranger in my house.

she won't be able to talk about any problems with her new family. even i as her mother will be a stranger to her then. she is making her rounds. this time, it is a shocking and tragic case. shortly before the mass raid in delhi that made headlines around the world, a seven-year-old girl was raped and killed here. she asks how the family are doing. is the perpetrator still in jail? yes, the mother says, but i think he is going to be released soon. no, he won't be, she says. what a pretty girl.

if the perpetrator is ever released, he will never be able to walk the streets. we will tattoo on his face rate rapist andrder -- murderer. he will never want anyone to see his face because people were persecuted him. that is how we will do it from now on. so instead of frequent calls for the death penalty for rapists, tattoos. so far, the gang has not resorted to such methods, but

her plans to officially announce her new vigilant a punishment method to the media soon. the gang women are working on it. as straw figures will serve rapists. they will tattoo therefore heads, symbolically using charcoal instead of real thing. we are going to announce it everywhere. if we get our hands on one of these rack this is -- if we get our hands on one of these rapists, we will tattoo him immediately. i'm not afraid of the consequences. i never thought i would have to do something like this. but i believe it is necessary, she says. indian media for daily report brutal rapes.

the united nations has named india the most dangerous place in the world for girls and young women. she hopes to deter potential rapist with the tattoo threats. if they're going to destroy somebody's life and he wants to kill me, i don't care. ,veryone has to die sometime she says. at the demonstrations, the straw rapist takes a serious beating. the gang wants to show that women cannot be taken for granted. here, that message is getting through. everyone here knows the women in pink. protest parade stops. somebody has found a baby abandoned in a field. it is a girl, of course. many indian families consider

girl babies a burden because they have to provide a dowry for them one day when they marry. luck.is baby is in the people who found her want to keep her. and the gang will help with the adoption.

[speaking native language] [birds singing] [captioning made possible by t