>> live from berlin, this is the journal on dw. these are our headlines. former israeli prime minister ariel sharon has died at the age of 85 rate british soldiers are accused of torturing prisoners and iraq. the international court is to investigate. makes a stunning comeback, winning the women's world cup in austria.

former israeli prime minister ariel sharon has died. the 85-year-old passed away at a tel aviv hospital, where he had been in a coma following a stroke eight years ago. sharon held various government posts and was despised by many palestinians as a hardliner. shortly before his illness he withdrew israeli forces and settlers from the gaza strip and returned the territory to the palestinians. >> sharon passed away in this hospital near tel aviv. after years in a coma, his death was not a surprise but israelis were still saddened by the news. >> he was an extraordinary person. he got along well with people. he was a fighter, a man with no ego. defendingt his life israel. many israelis view sharon as a national hero. he was a brilliant military strategist to quickly rose to

the rank of army general. he served as defense minister before becoming prime minister. for decades he staunchly supported the expansion of jewish settlements in the palestinian territories. he was a man of great determination but showed political flexibility, especially when he chose to withdraw israelis from the gaza strip. >> i have made hundreds of thousands of decisions. many in regards to life and death. is decision about the plan the most. >> difficult of all many palestinians view -- all. >> many palestinians view sharon as one who humiliated them. an israeli government commission found sharon responsible for the massacre of palestinian refugees in beirut.

many blame his appearance on the temple mount in jerusalem in 2000 for triggering the second palestinian uprising, the intifada. >> this man was a tyrant who killed children, the elderly, and women, and who defiled the al-aqsa mocks -- mosque with his feet. >> a series of controversies interacted sharon's long political career, but he rebounded each time. a severe stroke in 2006 turned him into an invalid and he remained in a coma for eight years before dying at the age of 85. >> for more we go to our correspondent in jerusalem. what his reaction to sharon's death in israel? >> people were expecting the news.

over the past week or so there were updates about his worsening condition from the hospital. sharon has largely been out of public site since he fell into a coma eight years ago. there is a moment of mourning here, and tributes are coming in from israeli politicians across the board, international leaders. it is a time when israel remembers are ill sharon and pays respect to him. >> sharon was a polarizing figure. how will he be remembered? >> that is very much discussed here. it depends on your perspective and who you ask. nicknamed theas bulldozer. he was not an easy character. inwas admired by many people israel but hated by his critics. he was controversial in his decisions and actions. some remember him as the iconic buildingleader, enterprise in the occupied palestinian territories, or the

prime minister who decided to unilaterally destroy in gaza. he is are membered for the massacre at the refugee camp. arial sharon has shaped the political landscape. he comes from the generation of the founders of israel and there is a sense among israelis that one of the last of his generation is gone now. >> thank you for that. leaders around the world had been paying tribute to ariel sharon. barack obama described him as a leader who dedicated his life to the state of israel, and angela merkel praised him for making concessions to the palestinians. merkel said his courageous decision to withdraw israeli settlers from the gaza strip are represented a historical step towards reaching an agreement with the palestinians and a two

state solution. and a british law firm are asking the international criminal court in the hague to investigate possible war crimes committed by british soldiers during the iraq war. their complaint calls for investigation into the actions of senior british officials who they say did nothing to stop the alleged abuse. iraqis filedf complaints of grave mistreatment between 2003 and 2000 eight. they accuse soldiers of subjecting them to constant physical and psychological intimidation. they forced me to kneel down and put my head down. they hit me in the face, the stomach, and on my back. then they whacked me in the mouth. i also felt them giving me electric shocks on my back. thebritish law firm and berlin-based european center for

constitutional and human rights conclude that high ranking officials must have known about the abuse. >> they could have stopped it, and they should have stopped it. because they didn't, they're liable for prosecution. they held responsibility because of their position. this has not yet been followed up seriously in britain. >> the most notorious case is that of one who died after 36 hours in detention. his body was badly bruised and lacerated. only one soldier was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading guilty to inhuman treatment. the british ministry of defense issued a statement to the german daily on friday. well reject the suggestion that the you k's armed forces who domesticn line with and international law systematically tortured detainees, the uk regrets the small number of cases where abuses have taken place and have compensated victims and their

families wherever allegations have been substantiated. campaigners have called in vain for a public inquiry into the uk's detention and interrogation practices in iraq. the victims hope they will achieve justice from the international criminal court. >> the white house says it hopes to finalize an implementation agreement for monitoring iran's nuclear program, following high- level talks between iranian and eu negotiators in geneva. the agreement still has to be approved by the six countries involved. >> officials say they are pleased with the progress of talks over iran's nuclear program, but mistrust still exists on both sides. anguish language newspapers in iran talk about who still at the -- hostility in the u.s. -- english language newspapers in iran talk about hostility in

the u.s. >> i'm optimistic about the agreement that was reached and the talks, but some hardliners are against the deal. they won't allow this to happen. the agreement will only work if they allow it to go ahead. >> it's not easy to be optimistic about this. we should wait and see what happens. only time will tell whether the talks will finally result in a conclusion. >> the talks aimed at reaching agreement on how to implement a deal on iran's nuclear program. that deal would see iran's nuclear activities on hold for six months in exchange for some sanctions being eased. any agreement has to be approved by the governments of the five permanent members of the un security council. >> several antigovernment protesters have been wounded in bangkok after gunmen opened fire on a rally.

most of the injured were antigovernment protesters seeking to block a snap election set for february 2. they have been calling for the prime minister to resign, accusing her of corruption and nepotism. authorities fear more violence, as the opposition has vowed to completely shut down the capital next week. fighting has intensified in central african republic following the resignation of the country's first muslim president, michel djotodia. in overnightied violence, and there are reports of widespread looting. the eu says it is sending 600 troops to the country to support french and african forces who are trying to restore calm. eu foreign ministers will finalize plans for intervention later this month. they say securing the airport and the capital is a priority.

former ukrainian interior minister and opposition leader yuri lutsenko is in the hospital after being injured in clashes between police and antigovernment protesters. suffered head injuries after trying to intervene in a confrontation between right police and opposition activists. at least nine others were also hospitalized. the incident took place during a protest against the sentencing of three opposition activists. , berlinews now performance in the giant slalom. victoryear-old grabbed in switzerland. himsensational win makes the second ever german to conquer the discipline that many consider alpine skiing costs toughest. -- skiing's toughest.

in the women's downhill, continued absence has given the rest of the field a real chance. markedman skier has been out as a favorite for olympic they in russia, but at latest world cup, she was outdone by one of the sport's veterans. >> elisabeth görgl was delighted to return to form. she won the world cup event downtown -- downhill in austria. produced anold almost perfect run. conditions were difficult at the secured at gorgl fifth career world cup win. the rising star came in second. the skier kept her strong

candidacy for the upcoming sochi winter x. she will have to fight off competition from gorgl to claim gold. >> germany has kept up its winning streak in the luge doubles at the third to last race of the season. sasha were fastest on both runs at their home tracks. germans into second. in the women's singles, olympic ended theottie anna teammate's season-long winning streak. three-time olympic ski jump champion remains in stable condition a day after he suffered skull injuries and a bruised lung during a training accident. the ski federation in austria says it is too early to judge whether he will still compete at the upcoming winter olympics in

sochi. >> thomas is being cared for at a clinic. dr. say he came through the night well and his condition remains stable. >> we are monitoring him constantly. his condition is not life- threatening. the accident occurred during training. he lost his balance in the air and fell heavily. the crash seems to have been caught during the initial jump. he was treated immediately on the slope and then airlifted to the hospital. his coaches and the austrian olympic team are in shock. doctors say he is lucky not to have been left paralyzed. he finished runner-up in the tournament last week, making an impressive comeback after a bad fall in december. more serious is and he will remain in intensive

care until monday at least. >> you are watching dw. do stay with us. ♪ >> many of these people living close to the center of johannesburg have not been back to their home countries for a long time. they are immigrants, some legal and some illegal. communal prayer gives them a feeling of security and helps them deal with living in a foreign country. over 6 million people have migrated to south africa in the past two decades.

the late nelson mandela once spoke of south africa as a rainbow nation. is that still true? i'm here to find out, and the fastest way to do it is to take a taxi. many taxi drivers are immigrants, and the first taxi i call is driven by one. that?ind of flag is >> i am zimbabwean. 1990's, around 1991 is when i came to south africa. not ascome, things are they are now. >> he brought his family here from zimbabwe a long time ago. he said he feels comfortable living in south africa, but in recent years, the mood has turned sharply against immigrants. that is something he has experienced personally. in the middle of

the road with iron bars and to flag me down just to pull me over. i just try to drive and get away from them. just travel over the rocks, i will have a problem. i stopped the car and i just ran away. they could not catch up with me. >> he takes me to a slump not far from the city center. over 60 people were killed in an attack against migrants. the killing started here. he is afraid to be here. >> i'm going to drop you here. i'm not going to go in there. go there, they're definitely going to kill me. i'm not going anywhere close to here, sorry. >> it's ok. >> see you. bye. as i'm walking into the slum,

he drives off as fast as he can. the ground is littered with garbage, huts made of curry gated iron. -- currogated iron. the only safe time to come here is during the day. hardly anyone has electricity and there is no running water. a few of the lucky ones have occasional work. there's a lot of animosity about migrants. people here say they are the ones getting work. >> there are too much foreigners here. they take our jobs. i quickly began to attract attention. the subject of migrant workers .s a touchy one >> [indiscernible] >> what about food?

i'm buying food. and this food is too expensive too. that money we cannot afford. >> we don't even have money to go home. this is our land, but we don't enjoy our land. >> what do you think the government should do? >> if it's possible, they must chase them back. >> [indiscernible] one of the men shows me where he's living, he had made from curry gated -- currogated iron. >> i'm sleeping here.

we share everything here. this is mystove, cooking stuff. >> cramped conditions and no hope, and explosive mixture. thef we are to get community [indiscernible] >> that means? ?xample we are gathering together. [indiscernible] to chase him out. >> migrants rarely venture into the slums. i meet him.

he is from senegal. for years, illegal migrants have been squatting derelict houses in the city center. >> this is one of the buildings where you find a lot of migrants living in a sped condition. -- bad condition. they get sick. most of them don't have a paper to find a decent job. crimes happening in these buildings. people get badly sick. it is bad. migrants are not very welcome in joburg. -- >> he takes me into one of the occupied houses in the city. there seems to be -- risky. there seems to be little value

placed on life. these men are from allowing and have been living here for several years. it is not so good. to look for a living. >> [inaudible] >> most of the people living here can tell the same story. they're all at the bottom of the social ladder. there's almost no chance to break out of the situation. >> no toilet, no water. >> you come here for a better life. i've been here for 10 years, 15 years. unite. not africa

>> many of the people here survived by thievery. few will talk about it. they preferred to portray themselves as innocent traders, victims of south africa's justice system. to survive. [indiscernible] >> shortly after this interview we have to stop recording. we are told a group of people living in the house is planning to rob us. we managed to leave the building unharmed. there is another side to immigration in south africa, a story of success. a burgeoning society of migrants from various african countries have developed in the district. he tells me about how it was

.hen he arrived >> it was four years after democratic. used ton't give -- get seeing a lot of migrants in the country. nity,n the senegalese commu we sent a body home every week. it has been getting better and better for migrants actually living in the country. but now it is getting tougher migrants in the country. -- tough for migrants in the country. >> he continues to support new arrivals. they profit from his experience. only a tiny portion of the millions of migrants managed to rise out of poverty. he helped set up the african diaspora forum.

there are two main problems. one is that we don't have a proper immigration policy that allows people to come to south africa decently. immigration is a huge political issue, one which is led out of fear that immigrants are going to come and take jobs, take not one thats, and looks at the contributions that immigrants make to south africa's economy. ofshe is a good example someone making a contribution. we meet up again at midday in front of his restaurant, a trendy district in johannesburg's center. a street hawker and now runs his own business. he employed south africans as well as other immigrants.

he says many immigrants are more .usiness savvy than the locals backgrounde that [inaudible] say [inaudible] >> it's only a short distance from his restaurant to the migrant slums, the differences are huge. says it takes courage to start your own business up here. >> at that time you have been , i'm notof coming here talking about opening a business here, you know? more positives change in the country than negative change.

that is why i say we don't have a choice. it's a fact. >> he has seen his dreams come true. a7guc