>> hello. a very warm welcome to the "journal." international condemnation of the government crackdown on protesters in turkey. >> protesting greece after the government shuts down it's probably -- it's public broadcaster -- shuts down its public broadcaster. >> no end in sight. scores of villages battling against rising water levels.

>> we begin in turkey. calm has, for the time being at least, return to taksim square after battles took place there yesterday between demonstrators and security forces. >> after almost two weeks of unrest, prime minister recep teo erdogan -- recep teo erdogan -- recep tayyip erdogan -- >> the sides came together under difficult circumstances following the clashes. one group of protesters said the delegation meeting with erdogan did not represent them. >> we have not discussed who should be there. we were not able to approve or disapprove the people who were supposed to represent us. only erdogan determined who would take part. >> thousands of lawyers have

also joined the protest. they rallied against what they say was rough police treatment of their colleagues. >> they are the protectors. [indiscernible] it is unacceptable. >> throughout the night, police used tear gas, water cannons, and build dozers against protesters -- and bulldozers against our testers as they tried to clear taksim square here dozens -- and bulldozers against protesters as they tried to clear taksim square. the broadcasting authority has find several tv stations -- fined several tv stations for their coverage of the road -- protests. this man said the the menstruation should be resolved in a democratic way, without resorting to said the demonstrad

be resolved in a democratic way. the gezi park activists remain skeptical and plan to continue their demonstrations. >> our correspondent joins us on the line from istanbul. relative calm has been returned to taksim square. a large number of protesters aren't -- are still gathered at nearby gezi park. what should we expect? >> it is very difficult to say. people have slowly been coming to the park, helping the protesters repair the damage caused from the -- from last night's violence. as we are speaking now, those crowds are growing much more quickly than -- quickly. many people coming after work. there are thousands of people around. there is loud cheering. it is very difficult to know what is going to happen.

it is very tense. people are even entering the square. it is very unpredictable situation. there there is speculation possibly that the piece -- police could move in and clear the park tonight. the whole park is now surrounded by police. the people are very nervous at the moment. they don't know what to think or what will happen next. >> how important or not is this meeting that is taking place between prime minister erdogan and selected representatives of the protest movement? >> the meeting itself has been dashed by all the major organizations involved in the protest. they say they were never consulted. they say this is the prime minister doing a publicity stunt. the spokesman is speaking. he indicates there may be -- they may be prepared to make a major concession. he says one option they are considering is offering a referendum on the issue of the

development of gezi park. gezi park, the government wants to redevelop and build it -- billed as possibly a shopping mall -- billed -- build as possibly a shopping mall. the government are possibly offering the people around the park a referendum on this dieting the state of the park -- on deciding the state of the park. >> is prime minister erdogan listening? >> if this concession is granted by the prime minister, then that would be seen as a very significant step -- sign that he's listening. everything is very confusing at the moment. which with the government are going -- which way the government are going -- it's a very unpredictable moment in turkey. >> thanks for keeping us up-to- date from istanbul, a volatile situation.

>> as we just heard, the turkish government's hard-line response to the protest so far has met with growing international criticism. germany's foreign minister guido westerwelle says the turkish authorities are sending the wrong single. the u.s. has expressed concern and called for dialogue. >> eu foreign-policy chief catherine ashton has criticized the turkish government saying the best response is not to disengage from turkey, but to engage more closely. >> the crackdown on turkish protesters also made the agenda in germany's parliament. politicians from across the party spectrum condemned the violence and appealed to ankara for calm. >> in the spirit of european values, i expect prime minister erdogan today -- to de-escalate the situation and seek out constructive exchange and peaceful dialogue. >> our thoughts are with the many people who have been injured. we mourn the victims of massive

state repression. we denounce this brutal violence. >> turkey is called upon as the previous speakers have already said to respect the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly. >> some members of the bundestag said that talks with turkey should not proceed, but others say the talks will help support democracy in the country. >> a court in tunisia has sentenced three activist from a women's right group -- women's rights group for staging a topless protest in tunis last month. >> the government -- the judgment said that they threatened public order. they were detained after protesting against the arrest of a tunisian activist outside the country's main courthouse. >> to greece, where there has been a defiant reaction to the government's decision to close down the state broadcaster with practically no notice. >> prime minister antonis

samaras is facing what is being described as a political revolt within his own coalition. the unions have called a 24-hour strike in protest. >> protesters angry over the shutdown that ert held a vigil outside the broadcaster's headquarters. the news took employees and the public completely by surprise. >> resisting this decision is the only way forward for us until it is overturned. the state broadcaster and new programs cannot be driven into the ground. >> some employees spend the night inside the building. others defied the shutdown and streamed programs online. the government of prime minister antonis samaras is defending the move, saying it had to put an end to "incredible waste" at the state-run broadcaster. >> we are going to reopen it weekly -- quickly. it's going to be a much more efficient organization now. >> opposition parties condemn the closure and say they will take action in parliament.

>> we are dealing with a curb -. >> trade unions will hold a general strike thursday. journalists elsewhere have walked off the job in solidarity. >> in germany, now is the north of the country that facesd be over 12 billion euros. >> the river elba was about five meters above normal here. the water is not expected to rise much further, but it is said -- set to stay at that level for days, putting the area's levies to the test. chancellor angela merkel was on hand to pay tribute to workers' efforts. >> i have nothing but respect for those fighting for every meter of levy, day and night, for days now. it is an admirable achievement, seeing the country come

together like this is a great experience. >> public funding to fix the flood damage is expected to total 8 billion euros. that is more than for the floods in 2002, when the government set aside 7 billion euros. >> the federal government and the states will each pay half. it will cover reconstruction costs and long-term damage. we know that those will be very high. >> the situation remains dire further upstream around the town of fishbeck. after a levee broke on monday, the whole region has been it is valued at some 7 billion euros on the stock exchange. the takeover price could be as much as 10 billion euros. analysts say that vodafone wants to push into the quadruple-play market, that means offering custom broadband, internet, and mobile phone services. what do the markets make of that possible deal? we have the reaction from the frankfurt stock exchange.

>> mobile phone company vodafone is interested to enter the tv market in germany and wants to bid for -- investors would appreciate this deal, but because of this -- the fact that it would be very expensive to buy the company, vodafone shares went down sharply while the company's shares rocketed on the frankfurt. the market could not benefit from this merger and acquisition story. the dax went down sharply again and seems to be in a consolidation mode. >> let's check out consolidation mode for you. let's check out the numbers. the dax closed about 1% down. the euro stoxx 50 losing a little bit less, about three/five of -- 3/5 of 1%.

the dow jones just under the 15,000 mark. the euro is well above $1.33. >> a strike by french traffic -- french air traffic controllers has caused delays to more than 2000 fights. the walkout stranded thousands of passengers, notably at the main airport in paris, charles de gaulle. france said 2/3 of its scheduled flights have been called off. the strike has been scheduled to run through till thursday. >> several thousand people have reportedly taken part in a march through the russian capital, moscow, in support of jailed anti-kremlin protesters. >> the protest was led by an antirruption blogger and was dubbed "march against butchers." >> protesters carrying photos of 12 activists now behind bars.

they were arrested on the eve of vladimir putin's inauguration as president last may. they are accused of stirring up mass unrest, but critics day the dissensions -- detentions are a way of sil -- encingitics say the detentions are a way of silencing dissent. >> the media corruion and the crooked elections -- everyone is for sale. this is not normal government. >> we have to change the system. we are sick of living with this chaos. it cannot go on. >> these demonstrators say they will continue until the prisoners are released and putin is out of power. putin is russia's demise, says this poster. the public criticism does not sit well with the powers in the kremlin. it will take more than protests and posters to bring about real political change in russia. >> they have taken to the

streets in their thousands again, but the anti-kremlin activists led white at support -- act -- the anti-kremlin activists lack widespread support. >> to south africa, where president jacob zuma says nelson mandela is responding well to treatment. >> the former south african leader has been intensive care -- in intensive care since saturday, battling a lung infection. his family is at his side. coming up, rebuilding berlin's palace. find out why it is so controversial. >> and a possible threat to borderless travel in europe. >> welcome back. >> the du wants to step up its efforts to fight tax evasion with sweeping new regulations on banking transparency. the proposal from the european commission would force banks to provide the authorities with far more information on their

customers' accounts. until now, they have reported only on interest payments. the new plan would include account balances, dividends, capital gains, and more. the world's most celebrated footballer has been accused himself of tax fraud. >> barcelona superstar leonel messi and his farther -- father are facing allegations that they owe some 4 million euros in back taxes. the complaint accuses them of filing fraudulent tax returns from 2006 two 2009. and of using shell companies and tax havens. messi and his father deny any wrongdoing. >> one year from today, the soccer world cup will kick off in brazil. it is estimated that around 28 million people will visit the country and organizers are scrambling to make sure everything is ready on time. >> there have been quite a few problems along the way, from

buildings running behind schedule to shortcomings of infrastructure. >> nightfall on the copacabana, and training kicks off at the soccer school. thing the in sand fine-tunes the youngster's technical -- playing the game in sand fine- tunes the youngsters' technical capabilities. one of the 19 boys who comes here four times a week to train for their dream of becoming a pro -- >> soccer is the most important thing in my life, and the best sport of all. training is fun. we are all equal here. >> he hopes to get a glimpse of the world's best at next year's tournament. and this is where the winners will be crowned, rio's iconic stadium. it has just undergone a major renovation work costing the

equivalent of 425 million euros. and it has artie passed its first test with the fans -- it has already passed its first test with the fans, but there is still work to be done. 8000 construction workers are involved. in the capital, brasilia, problems of a different kind. the city boasts a brand-new 70,000 seats avm, but how many of those seats will be filled after the tournament. their best team plays in the third division. critics say it could be left empty when the world cup is over. the government disagrees. >> that is not quite true. people here love soccer. although it is true that in brazil we have difficulty filling stadiums, not just in brasilia. >> tickets are too expensive for many fans, but the biggest challenge brazil faces is security. police have increased their presence at soccer matches and

in the favelas of rio. they have declared some of the poorest areas to be safe for soccer fans during the world cup. >> there won't be any no go areas. we have a security plan for the whole country. and every visitor who comes here will be able to move freely. >> back on the copacabana, he is dreaming of the world cup final. but which teams will make it? >> brazil key argentina -- brazil and argentina. >> for the youngsters here, they can -- there can only be one winner -- brazil. >> in a moment, a controversial new landmark right here in berlin. >> but first, a look at some other news in brief. the american civil liberties union is suing the u.s.

government over the constitutionality of its telephone surveillance program. the recently revealed program secretly collected the phone records of millions of american customers of the verizon phone network. >> austria has begun pulling its peacekeepers out of the un's mission in the golan heights. they left the buffer zone early on wednesday. austria withdrew from the mission after fighting from the syrian civil wars over into the area last week -- syrian civil war spilled over into the area last week. >> governor -- chancellor angela merkel has given their backing to legislation that would give same-sex couples the same tax privileges as those in -- as those enjoyed by heterosexual couples. the bill will be put to a vote in parliament on friday. >> the european parliament has voted to allow members of the schengen zone to reintroduce temporary border controls through next year if there is an emergency.

>> the schengen agreement allows free travel across 26 european countries without border checks. riddick spirit anew move will set back the cost -- the critics fear the new move will set back the cause of german reintegration -- >> many crossed the rhine river to shop on the other side -- many crosse the rhine river to shop on the other side. the mayor cannot imagine having a border crossing here. >> driving across, as you can see here behind me, is totally unproblematic. from my local perspective, i consider our open border to be very valuable, and we should maintain it as long and as well as we can. >> but most eu parliamentarians see changes to the schengen agreement are necessary. the reforms will eventually allow member states to close their borders for up to two

years, but only in exceptional cases. germany supported the push for the new rules. >> some countries are not able to secure their borders, like greece, for example here now that we know this, it is right for us to adjust these rules. >> the green party says that does not justify back tracking on a key european achievement. >> we think it is a cornerstone of the eu, that it really is something eu citizens profit from, something we experience in day-to-day life. and we think it is unbelievable that an ax is being taken to schengen. >> young europeans only know what europe with open borders. now they could have some adjusting to do. >> berlin is getting a new landmark -- i say new, but it is a combination of old and new that most berliners either love or hate. >> president joachim gauck laid the foundation stone today. >> joachim gauck at the site

where the kings of pressure once ruled. -- prussia once ruled. he came to lay the cornerstone and marked the official start to construction work. >> i wish everyone who works on this building site constructive time together without accidents or other incidents. >> for centuries, the palace in the heart of berlin was at the center of german history. it was torn down by the east german government after being badly damaged in the second world war. now it is to return with the baroque façades modeled on the original. inside, it will house a center for history, culture, the arts, and sciences. the first stone is laid. the time capsule installed. the project follows years of controversy. the government says it is right that the palace is being rebuilt. >> through this palace and the

four of inside, berlin, the city, the capital city of germany, is getting its historic center back. >> critics are opposed to the cost and what they see as the reconstruction of oppression monument -- of a prussian monument. it will take six years to complete. and it will take its place next to the city's cathedral. >> let's think of it more than about that debate. is it reeked -- is it right to rebuild old monuments in the 21st century? >> berlin is not the first city to face the decision. here's a look at some other famous buildings that are not as old as they might seem. >> this is the most well-known replica of a historical building in germany. it was flattened during world war ii. five decades later, people donated almost 70 million euros to help finance its reconstruction. heavy artillery reduced warsaw

's city center to rubble during the war. poland rebuilt the city stone by stone in a copy of the original. the whole country prides itself on the successful reconstruction, but critics say a city's architecture should embrace its scarred history. >> there is nothing wrong with repairing parts of historic monuments that have been damaged. conservationists do it all the time. but there comes a problem and we reconstructed building that has been completely destroyed and then pretend it is the original. that just confuses the fact that anything has happened at all. >> the city the -- this city rebuild its palace to look like the original, but not everything is like it seems. today, the palace is a modern shopping center. >> i don't like architecture that pretends to be something it is not. if you rebuild according to an original design, you must do it with honesty.

>> honest conservation means traditional style combined with modern architecture. he says this house is a perfect example. >> it means confirmation -- conservation in a critical fashion. it lets viewers see this building was built in the 21st century. >> critics hoped rebuild -- or linen would -- critics hoped berlin would rebuild with modern architecture. the jury is still out on what is the better approach. will berlin's new palace be a tacky imitation of the past, or is it a triumph of tradition over passing fads? >> let's find out what richard thinks. >> i know which side i'm on. i'm against it. i think it is a little bit daft. >> i am for it. i think it fills a vacuum in the city. it is a mixture of old and new. >> you want her highness to come

back and live in it? >> no more kaisers, thank you.

>> as we learn about the scope of the u.s. surveillance state, what can we do to stop the government accessing our data? you are watching "inside story americas" from washington.

shihab rattansi. edward snowden's revelations about the u.s. national security agency's internet and telephone monitoring programs have provoked a debate at home and abroad. supporters of surveillance argued that law-abiding citizens have nothing trr