>> hello and welcome to the "journal" coming to you live from dw in berlin. >> thank you for joining us. coming up later in the show, condemnation around the world as russia puts another putin rival in jail. >> security lockdown and protest as germany's finance minister comes to town. >> we have a special report.

>> russia's president, vladimir putin, is being condemned as a dictator after the latest in a long line of his rivals was jailed. >> the opposition leader has been seen as a thorn in putin's side and potential challenger for the presidency. after what was widely seen as a show trial, he will not be able to run. >> we will go to moscone just just a moment, but first, this report. >> the verdict did not come as a surprise. he was found not guilty of defrauding a timber firm while working as an unpaid advisor to the provincial governor five years ago. >> having examined the case, the court has established that he is guilty of a crime against russia. >> back in december 2011, he was one of the leading figures behind protest rallies that roque out in the wake of national elections.

"who has the power," he called out to demonstrators. he became a well-known figure for exposing political corruption. his plan was to run for mayor of moscow later this year and stand for president in 2018. >> they claim the rule of law is being applied, but it is who is pulling the strings, but nobody will admit that. >> lawyers have said they will appeal the verdict. but the chances of the decision being overturned are painfully slim. >> for more on this case now, we are joined by someone who has been following it. prosecutors have appealed against his being taken into custody. what is that about?

>> that is actually quite a little funny detail. i believe it is an attempt by authorities to calm tempers right now rather than any major move. >> what would you say this says about the state of democracy and free speech in russia then? >> i think it is a dark day. this is definitely the second- biggest conviction of a putin opponent since russia's richest man was jailed a decade ago. so it is a very gloomy day. >> do you think that the government runs the risk of making him a political martyr? >> i think that is definitely a risk. for the time being, the idea is to just get him out of the playing field and prevent him from ever running for office again.

that is the short-term. in the longer-term, he will certainly be back. >> ok, and how much does this actually hamper his ambitions to becoming mayor of moscow and even president? >> as i said, technically, a conviction would mean that he cannot run for office ever again in his life, so it would mean the end of his political career, at least under the rule that putin makes. >> thank you very much for that. >> western nations have condemned the conviction. the united states said it was deeply disappointed, while germany's human rights chief called the verdict another step away from democracy and the rule of law in russia. >> in moscow, several hundred protesters gathered to demand freedom for the opposition activists. police detained several demonstrators but did not immediately move to disperse the

unsanctioned rally. a number of protests and detentions were reported in other cities across russia. and the german finance minister has paid his first visit to the greek capital since the economic crisis interrupted their four years ago. he stressed that the country has little choice but to press on with painful reforms. >> he is a controversial figure in greece, and athens took exceptional measures to make sure that his trip went off smoothly. >> the greek government banned demonstrations throughout the city city to prevent the large rallies of recent days. schauble's arrival came just hours after parliament passed a new round of austerity measures, and many greeks told the german finance minister responsible or the hardship they are being forced to endure. >> he needs to be more humane.

it's not just about numbers. >> he should go. we do not need congress. greece went through so much during the german occupation, and all those other supposedly european countries -- they are not helping greece. the german finance minister has brushed off the criticism and praised the reforms that have been put in place. >> i'm very impressed by what greece has already achieved. this gives me confidence that greece will master the challenges before it. >> he did not travel to greece and the handed -- and he handed -- and d -- empty-handed. the money should play a part in

helping greece get back on its feet. >> well, for more on this trip, we are joined by our correspondent in greece -- in athens, rather. the greek authorities have been very anxious to stop any protests while the german finance minister is there. have they succeeded? >> well, yes, in fact, it was a very, very quiet day. in fact, there is a sense of complete indifference that came out from the public. that said, however, we did hear some remarks from some politicians. one opposition lawmaker declared him persona non grata. a neo-nazi group made some sexist remarks about the government and also really recanted claims by greece for germany to pay back the forced loan it took back -- took out

during the second world war. >> to you think schauble has any chance of making germany less unpopular with the people in greece? >> he really tried to, in his own, stern faced away. he kind of lead with a charm offensive, tried to encourage the greeks today. he praised their success, whatever strides they have made. at the same time, he kind of showed greece some of his tough luck and told them that they really had to continue on this path of austerity and they will not be getting any further additional forgiveness. that has left them a bit concerned about the future, but it is very, very difficult for him to change his image because he has been seen here as the personification of austerity,

the pain that these greeks have had to endure for years now. >> thank you very much for much for that. >> cheers. >> there is fresh controversy here in germany over the u.s. surveillance revelations, with media reports suggesting that the u.s. national security agency is building a new outpost here in germany. >> the report says that the site will be used to monitor communications. germany's forein intelligence service has denied the claims. >> could israel and the palestinians be on the brink of new peace talks? u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been driving a round of diplomacy, and he says the gap between the two sides has narrowed very significantly. >> today, top palestinian leaders gathered to discuss

whether to take the plunge. so far, they have failed to arrive at a decision. >> palestinian factions came together to discuss recent u.s. peace efforts, and whether to resume talks with israel. leaders say they are willing to return to the negotiating table, but president mahmoud of us -- abbas' party alone have also laid out clear conditions. u.s. secretary of state john kerry has spent months trying to kick talk the peace talks, which have been stalled since 2008. his latest proposal has won over the powerful arab league. he's appealing to israel to seize the moment. >> israel needs to look hard at this initiative, which promises israel peace with 22 arab

nations and 35 muslim nations. >> israeli officials say they will not accept palestinian preconditions, but they are still open to talks. >> i believe that their supreme effort that they have made will bear some fruit on both sides. >> but there is a long road ahead. earlier this week, the european union announced it would been funding to israeli settlements in the occupied territories. israel is urging the eu to delay the decision, warning it could damage the peace process. >> panama has asked the un security council to investigate whether a north korean ship found smuggling arms from cuba was violating international sanctions. >> pyongyang has called for the immediate release of the vessel, which was carrying soviet era

weaponry. it has denied the shipment pranks sections, saying the equipment was being sent to north korea for repair before being sent back to cuba. panama says the current cargo is illegal because it was not declared. on to business news now, and famous cell phone giant gnocchi a is still in trouble. second quarter revenues were down nearly 25% year on year. >> sales of its new smartphones did pick up, but not enough to make up for weak sales of its other phones. on the bright side, gnocchi a said its cost-cutting program brought its lost -- no kia -- nokia said its cost-cutting program brought its loss way down. profits at software giant s.a.p. grew in the second quarter. >> strong sales in cloud computing and support divisions also boosted the numbers, but

the company has lowered its outlook for the whole year in its core software business, blaming slowing sales in the asia-pacific region. they now expect annual revenue to grow by 10%, down from earlier estimates of between 11% and 13%. s.a.p. was a big talking point at the stock market in frankfurt today. our correspondent has more. >> the numbers show the outlook has been a big disappointment. traders are mostly worried about the weaker business in china. this could be a negative signal. this was first weighing on the german market a positive economic data from the u.s. improve the mood, pushing the dax forward. there have been signs of improvement in the u.s. job market, and at the same time, the fed chairman reassure the markets that the central bank will only wind down their massive stimulus with care.

>> let's look at the numbers for you in a little more detail. starting off in frankfurt where the dax gained around one percent to close at 8337. across the atlantic, the dow is still trading, of course. those comments from ben bernanke also fueling gains. the euro trading right now just a shade over the $one point 31 mark. >> onto cycling now. the first frenchman to win a stage in this year's. >> britain's writer struggled but still managed to boost his

overall lead. >> time now for a short rate, but when we come back, we will be looking at the man who changed the face of south africa and a special birthday. >> welcome back. nelson mandela has been celebrating his 95th but they today. he is still in hospital, but family members say his condition is improving. >> well wishes have been coming in from far and wide. i pastimes nist are said a billion indian hearts were rejoicing, and even up in the international space station, people marked the occasion. >> let's see how people have been celebrating back home in south africa. >> birthday greetings resounded in all of south africa's schools as nelson mandela turned 95. people also marked the day out on streets, giving thanks for

all that mandela has done for south african society. >> a real pioneer, a real stalwart, and thank you for all that you have done for this country. >> is a source of inspiration for a lot of south africans. to go through what did and actually come out of it. >> july 18 is not only the former president'. it is also international mandela day, established by the united nations. -- july 18 is not only the former president's birth eight. it is also international mandela day. his daughter had good news to report. >> i would like to assure everyone gathered here today that my father is making remarkable progress, and we look forward to having him back home soon. lex that announcement was met with cheers in front of the

hospital. cheers for a hero who never gave up. >> for more on nelson mandela on his 95th birthday, we are joined by a freelance writer who has been following his life from his trial which sent him to jail until now. thank you very much for joining us here in studio. what else have people been doing in south africa to celebrate mandela's birthday? >> we have heard it before, that this is international day for volunteerism and service to your community. people have just been amazing today, going into the communities, giving 60 minutes of their time for all sorts of raw jets, and it across all political parties. opposition leaders, people from other parties have been doing exactly the same, and in some ways, it shows a sort of

unifying or stayed he still is in south africa. >> he has become such a global thinker as well, but you have met him personally. what is it that makes them so special? >> it is difficult to say. i was outside his house when he came back from prison after 27 years. when you meet him, he is tall. he was imposing, and he had a natural authority. i once saw him meeting the queen just after he was released, and he basically said, "your majesty, how are you?" not the other way around. he's also incredibly charming towards women. i think, in some ways, also the way he reconciled south africa. it came to the brink of civil

war so often, and every time, he tried again and tried again to get people to talk to each other, to say let the past be the past, and let's move on. he managed that. and you know, he still sort of feels in some ways like the mascot for our country. >> you have followed this. where are the anc and the country heading nearly 20 years after the fall of apartheid? >> one has to make a division between the anc and the government. the anc, i think, is a bit in turmoil at the moment. there's also it's a power struggles going on. next years elections are going going to be very interesting. one does not know what is going to be happening. and the government has not delivered on everything. dictation is still in shambles, -- education is still in shambles, but on the positive

side, the economy is still strong. 20 years of democracy, so people are a bit tired and a bit cynical in many ways. mandela's health is also weakening the mood of the country. >> thank you very much for that. >> onto other news now, and the european commission has published a long-awaited report on bulgaria. an update on the political and economic state of the country, which joined the ee you in 2007. >> its major focus is on justice reform, the fight against corruption, and organized crime. bulgarians have been protesting for months, hauling for a cleanup in political life. >> this man and his daughter have come to protest on independence square. for more than a month, people

have gathered outside the government building every evening at 6:30. they are calling on the administration to resign. >> we are here to try to make sure that criminals do not get important positions. >> and to alert society to the moral perversity that surrounds us. >> at the stroke of 8:00, the crowd starts to move. this evening, there are more than 10,000 people here. like many others, his wife comes to the demonstration straight from work. we meet them early the next morning. before work, they take heart in another protest against bulgaria's political elite -- by drinking coffee outside parliament. >> they have been telling us for so long that everything will get better.

are our children supposed to do that now, to? i'm not ok with that. >> she runs a small shop and says corruption is part of everyday life here. there are too many senseless regulations. cardboard has to be put in bins and not next to them to make it easier to make things easily -- to make it easier for recycling collectors. >> a year ago, city officials tried to find me for that. i would have had to pay the equivalent of several hundred euros. to get out of it, i had to pay them a bribe. >> we do not have the same moral values as these people. for example, this governor who is linked to a mafia organization. >> but they and other protesters

to have some support in high places, even from the president. >> bulgaria's democracy is more a democratic façade, and less what we all wish for, which is a real european democracy. i believe that both gary and civil society is leading the way, reaching out to politicians and giving them a chance to change and to create a real democracy. >> it is evening again, and they are protesting once more, this time in front of the german embassy. it is an sos call to western europe. these people hope that there will be support for change and for democracy. >>) a change of pace now. let's get to some sports. it is that time of year. the second division of the german bundesliga is getting

underway. >> second-tier clubs might not have the glamour or money, but they still draw plenty of fans. >> this is germany's best known team mascot. the billy goat is a symbol of cologne, just like the city's famous cathedral and its famous beer. >> the city is crazy. it is just great to be a fan of this club. >> i grew up here. cologne forever. >> being part of the club is everything. >> 25,000 cologne fans gathered to celebrate the start of the new season. more than half the teams currently in the second division have reviewed sleep late in the top flight, and they include big-name clubs like dresden and 1860 munich, all with huge fan bases.

there is even a kindergarten unit stadium. those clubs, like cologne, know how to draw a crowd. >> there is a profound relationship between a club and the fans who suffer and celebrate along with it. >> that holds true even once a team has dropped to the second division. the past season saw an average 40,000 spectators at every home match in cologne, more than the number of spectators for the preigning italian champion. >> the fans here are loyal to their team, no matter what league they are in. like it says in our anthem -- we will go through thick and thin with this club. fans prove that everyday. >> but there is a huge fiscal gap between the bundesliga divisions. over the summer, first division teams have already spent more than 200 million euros on

transfers, but the second division has to count every cent . so far, 9 million euros have gone to buying new second division players. clubs like cologne have to economize. >> what is the best place to reduce our debt? the first division, of course. so promotion would not be a bad inc.. >> he would be happy to return to the first division, two. the loan would take it for step in that direction if they won their first match in dresden on saturday. >> you are up-to-date. do not forget -- more -- more news at the top of the hour. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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