>> welcome to the "journal" coming to you from dw in berlin. here is where the head -- it is a done deal. germany's social democrats give the go-ahead for the grand coalition with the chancellor's conservatives. the and caring nelson mandela's body -- the coffin carrying nelson mandela's remains had to his hometown. ♪ the coalition agreement

providing a basis for germany's next e-government has finally been approved. members of the social democratic party voted 3-1 in favor of the agreement clearing the way for a so-called grand coalition with angela merkel's conservatives. this puts an end two months of political uncertainty. the new government is excited to be sworn in next week. is expected to be sworn in next week. >> jubilation and relief among both the social democrats rank and file any party's leadership. the results of the referendum shows overwhelming support for a grand coalition third more than three quarters voted in favor. >> 256,643 voted yes. is 75.96%. [applause] victory fort is a party head sigmar gabriel.

he is the one who decided to ask members to vote on the coalition in a referendum. many said this was a risky move. skepticalembers were about growing -- joining forces but angela merkel's cdu, gabriel's gamble has paid off. >> this is a subpoena -- celebration of interparty democracy. it is a fellow version of democracy itself. this they will not only go down the history of the german social democrats but in the history of german democracy. a the referendum was not only first in the history of the party. it was also a logistical challenge. hundreds of volunteers here in berlin but the night county more than 300,000 votes sent in from around the country. but the biggest challenge is yet to come. said yes to join the new government.

next week, they have to get down to the business of running the country. >> dw's chief correspondent melinda crane is with us. when a grid to put into a full membership vote, it was not even clear whether it was going to pass. now it has been approved by a much larger margin than many people were expecting. had youexplain the surge in support? >> that is right. it is a very resounding yes. i was there in the room when the results were announced. surprising third step very definitely relieved. the fact is many members of the grassroots spd had been skeptical about whether they wanted to go into coalition with the cdu again. as you know, the two parties govern together before and he spd had its weakest voting before. they felt they needed to step up

to the plate and take responsibility. he was very much a question of lever, thehip, very very thorough tactics. it went from town to town, village to village, and clearly it paid off for them personally as well. if comingmar gabriel out looking much stronger than before. >> the agreement has finally approved. there, theon is cabinet is beginning to take shape. what can you tell us about the composition of the cabinet? >> more than i am supposed to be able to peer it we were not supposed to be able to hear the cabinet post until tomorrow. in fact, they have been slowly leaking out. ,eadlines are soch sigmar gabril aader of the spd, he will be leader for both the economy and the party. that is a very important position. germany has been on this major

transportation -- and transformation of the energy system, trying to get away from nuclear fossil fuels to were nobles. will be a real challenge. a tough job. if he succeeds, that will be a very big gain for him. then we will probably see finance members -- finance minister wolfgang schäuble remain in his post, and another headlines, auf wiedersehen -- ursula von der leyen will become defense minister. that is also a first. >> this coalition is on a marriage of love, is a marriage of convenience. there is expected to be friction possibly in the cabinet during what you think should be the -- cabinet. what you think will be the main point of friction? >> anything that costs money. handve the spd on the one wanting to expand the pension system, wanting to give benefits to new groups. off on anyned coalition agreement, but when it comes to the nuts and bolts of lawmaking, the two parties could run up against each other. then we have wolfgang schäuble

as finance members at the fed -- as finance minister as i said. he has always been for cutting debt rather than expanding the economy. i could be an issue between him and sigmar gabriel. lookingy we see the spd a lot more competent things to this result. i will not make them any easier as the junior coalition partner. it could be a bumpy ride. >> plenty for us to talk about in the weeks ahead. to waver much, melinda. you very much, melinda. in ukraine, supporters of president viktor yanukovych holding a protest sure from where the opponents are protesting. minister --ime opposition have been protesting for three weeks. angered by the refusal or to

sign a partnership group -- deal with the european union. china has landed a probe on the moon carrying the country's first ever lunar rover. it is the world's for such landing since 1976 and represents a major breakthrough for beijing's space program. rover namedwered jade rabbit will conduct geological survey. it makes china the third country following the moon the u.s. and the former soviet union. the body of nelson mandela has arrived at his ancestral home in south africa's eastern cape. the hearse carrying his casket traveled in a convoy of vehicles to mandela's home village of qunu after being flown with a fighter jet escort from the airport near pretoria. trooper ae the rapturous reception for the funeral is set to be attended by funeral -- family members, national leaders, and foreign guests. earlier, the anc gave mandela a

final sendoff at a ceremony at the capitol. >> in the air and on the ground, nelson mandela's remains received full military honors as the approach to their final resting place. aroundhe streets mandela's home village, locals ame to get a final glance of man they called the father of the nation. ♪ >> it is an overwhelming feeling. as easy, all the people outside here. rejoicing, a celebration. >> earlier, a memorial ceremony was held at the air force base outside pretoria. mandela's family, friends, and members of the ruling african national congress paid their respects. south africa's current pros and that's president spoke of the sheer range of mandela's achievement. >> so many things have been said adiba because he has done so many things.

he has distinguished himself so many times. in everything you can think of -- madiba, a man of action. >> mandela will finally be laid to rest on sunday. we'll be a commendation of state funeral with military pomp and divisional ceremony, including the slaughtering of an ox and salutations from the king of mandela's clan. >> news on the faction in the bundesliga in a moment, but first let's take a look at other stories making the headlines. >> u.s. president barack obama and first lady michelle obama have lit candles and held a moment of silence to mark the first and her bursary of america's worst ever school shooting -- anniversary of america's worst ever school shooting. 26 people including 20 children were killed when a gunman opened fire in a new town -- at a

school in newtown, connecticut december last year. southeast asian leaders meeting in tokyo have called for freedom of the air and sea. the statement follows china's announcement of an expanded air defenses on in the east china sea. ship narrowlyar avoided a collision in the region really six people have been killed after a fire broke out in a high rise residential building in mumbai. gas cylinder a exploded on the 12 floor of the 26 story building causing panic among residents. sports now. bayern munich -- 2-0 up before peer michelle. showdown settled the match with his strike deep in time.

racedheim, the hosts, here, 2-0 lead before young man lucas wrested a .4 dortmund. far ine the results so round 16 theater was scoreless hanover came to draw 3-3 with nuremberg. wolfsburg and astute cart -- and stuttgart are playing a now. leverkusen takes on the frankfurt. desert for a rental -- desperate for a win on friday. once again, defensive failings play their part in a heavy defeat for -- >> it was a hard-fought affair

and in the end it was the home side that did the celebrating. raymond got off to the better -- neileil pio shall in pearson opened the scoring after a long-range effort. converted from the penalty spot. ramas ontes later, targeting and 30 with the colombian's -- target again. it was the colombian's 10 score of the season. the sides were level again. shortly after the break, more conclusion -- more confusion. to did manage to make it 3-2. raymond did have a last chance for the equalizer. putz came close on a pre-cake, but here comes -- and security -- they can close on a free kick, but they secured the

victory. >> seven points clear over neither could see the gap close if leverkusen brook maintains their form. maintainedkusen their form. the teams above them, both for freiburg hope they can relate in. world cup touchdown in switzerland, seymore is this week and verity women's super g was dominated by gina. let's see some of the action. thechiffman no stranger to -- she has been no stranger to the podium this season. she finally came out on top. conditions were perfect on the beach pier it was brilliant sunshine and next to no wind.

she hurtled down the slope at more than 100 kilometers an hour. it was only her second win in the alpine world cup and want to savor after a strenuous knee injury. >> since the age of 17, i have ligaments tears, so i cannot say i am worry free, but i've learned to relax again, although it has not been easy. >> for some of the event favorites, it was a day. last year's winner crashed out early. and germany's top skier could only manage a 2-8. heread, sweden's -- grabbed third top 10 finish in eight days. >> jamaican sprinter usain bolt has faced unusual opponents in the argentine -- argentinian

capital buenos aires. he faced children from a low income district in the city. he was there to promote education and physical fitness. he hoped his presence would promote children's involvement in sports and help them achieve their goals in life. stay with us. ♪ >> here in mali, german army trainers are coaching a session in hand-to-hand combat. this soldier says he likes the sound of the explosions. he is an engineer, and proud to be working with the germans.

>> [speaking foreign language] from mali'smatters -- i am the the meters from mali's capital. in command of the german contingent 30th of the climate and western africa is hard to deal with. the temperatures can hit 50 degrees, and in the raisin -- rainy season, it is monday. soldiers can only train for a few hours before they need a break. the weather affects somalians the same way. plus, there are snakes and malaria to contend with. >> [speaking german]

>> the camp is part of an e.u. mission third armies from 22 european countries are represented. germany sent 100 personnel. the rail mission starts in three weeks. malians will be deployed to the north or the german commander says that europeans use high-tech weaponry and acquitted. he adds the malian army has everything it needs for the mission but some material is much more basic than what the europeans work with. it poses a challenge for the trainers. if this were a real life combat situation, there would likely be casualties. in this case, the malian

commander simply interrupts the exercise. reflexes crucial to their survivor. he says everyone is afraid. but you have to face your fear and conquer it. as for the honor and liberty of the country. that is why he volunteered to go to the north, to help save the nation. this general was in charge of troops in the north when heavily armed rebels launched an offensive, executing entire garrisons. he watched helplessly as his soldiers deserted, one after another. quite a bit offt military hardware behind on the battlefield. rebuildfirst had to their armament stocks before they could concentrate on other

things. u.n. military mission, germany is helping transport equipment and personnel to the north. -- is in charge of the german air mission here. he told me overland transport is too dangerous and all civilian flights have been granted -- grounded. the airport is a true clash of cultures. the loading process a lot more hectic than it would be in germany. have no idea how heavy this palette is, so the german soldiers help out. 440 kilograms on the right, for under 40 on the left, almost one-timed. -- 440 on the left. almost one ton.

finally, the adjournment -- the german loading supervisor determines how many pastors can arrive in the transport plane. tomorrow they are heading further north to the algerian border region. i asked how dangerous it is there. the air commander says it is not as serious as afghanistan, but throughout the north and their operating area there are incidents and some are fatal. the journey begins at 5:00 a.m. final preparations, then the plane clearance for takeoff. the loadmaster also acts as a steward, reminding passengers of safety procedures. only woman on board. some of the men are wearing bullet-proof vests.

it is my first flight in a plane like this. the belt does not stabilize me much. shortly after starting, and the geforce pushes me onto my neighbor. river,along the niger and after two hours, we reach this area, where it is, your the loadmaster says there will be problems with the heavy load because there is no forklift and there probably are not a ruptured if by some chance there is one, it will belong to the french army. the french are not part of the u.n. mission. today's offloading challenge is weighing 500ocker kilograms for the loadmaster says everything is supposed to

be registered, but the information is not always passed onto him. 45 minutes later, the frustration is growing. the gun locker is still in place . eventually, the pilot is set up. he goes off to talk to the head of the french mission. within minutes, everything is straightened out. the amazed at how jealously french and u.n. defend their turf, with petty squabbles like this over trivial matters. fly on toward the algerian border region, a rough landing runway.irt the propellers taking it from a rock. i ordered to stay in the plane until the airfield is secured. as to avoid soldiers from chad here. it is difficult to tell the various international contingents apart. the nervousness is palpable. the area came under attack last week.

1000 kilometers further south, the mood is much different as we take a walking tour. visitrman soldiers a village near the training camp. >> how are you doing? >> the german soldiers have prepared well for this visit. a translator is coming along, and they have brought a half sack of rice for the village elders. the children receive the gummy bears. the visitors are welcomed. the soldiers also present the visitors -- the villagers with a schedule of the training.

it is important to know before the explosions began. the german commander says the destinations are deafening. he has to wonder people so they are not frightened or surprised. on the other hand, he must make it clear that the soldiers are performing an important task. the training will help the malian army secure regions in the north. the sight of white people causes quite a sensation in the village. some are curious and want to talk to the soldiers. this man says the explosions do not bother him. if he hears a banging, he knows it is a training exercise from mali's soldiers, and that makes them happy. this woman says she is glad the germans are here because they are helping. back at the training camp, the germans are engaged in an exercise.

to me, it seems like the soldiers take forever to come to the aid of their injured comrade, but that is also part of the training. personal safety comes first. this exercise is finished. the soldiers have spent seven weeks in the camp. they are crackling with energy and self-confidence. capital.o the it is my fourth trip here, but this time everything is different. the international military presence has changed things. food prices are up, milk is a luxury in africa, but does vendor tells me it is even more expensive now.

downtown, the u.n. has taken over one of the best hotels. transforming it into mission headquarters. they have their own safety standards and rules. it is a world unto itself. meet a person, i who offers consulting services for foreigners in mali. like everyone i've met here, he is grateful for the international aid, but he also sees a downside. he says it is nearly impossible to rent a car because the u.n. troops and other military trainers taped prices far beyond what the locals can't afford. there are other effects, too. prices are up because thousands of additional people need lodging, and wherever the u.n. troops go, lots of babies are born afterwards.

despite these problems, the malians are optimistic. they swear that