>> live from berlin, this is the journal here. coming up on the show. >> at least 21 people killed as the taliban strikes in the heart of kabul's diplomatic quarter. germany, as the u.s. president promises to reform the way intelligence agencies operate. and the rally goes down to the wire as urnser takes the lead.

>> the death toll from an attack on a popular restaurant has climbed to 21 people. kabul's police chief said the victims included 13 foreigners and eight afghans and a majority of them were civilians making it the worst violence against foreign civilians since u.s.-led troops invade it had country nearly 13 years ago. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was to avenge a u.s. air strike earlier in the week that also killed civilians. >> the restaurant targeted is right in the heart of the diplomatic district and was popular with foreign diplomats and afghan officials. strict security checks are standard. as in most restaurants. his did not deter the taliban. the chef at the restaurant broke his leg as he tried to

escape the attack. >> we didn't realize what was going on. then we escaped to the neighbor's house via the roof. there were eight or nine of us hiding. we could hear the shooting. there were two attackers. all the guests were killed and so was our manager and the other chef. >> many foreigners died. including the international monetary fund's representative and u.n. personnel. >> as you can imagine, we're very shocked and sad and it's a very heavy day here for us. we've lost some four u.n. staff members in this attack. you can imagine teesket it's had on staff members here. >> attacks by the taliban have increased in recent months since foreign forces handed over control of security to the afghan authorities. ahead of their full withdrawal by the end of this year. a german newspaper is reporting that germany and france are

getting ready to send more troops to two african countries. they say a german-french contingent will join the ongoing mission in malli and the german army will provide support for operations in the central frin republic. the report has not been confirmed by the german government. there has been a lukewarm response here in germany to u.s. president's barack obama to reform the way u.s. intelligence collects data both in the u.s. and abroad. last year's revelations that the u.s. was spying on the chancellor's private cell phone caused shock and outrage. on friday in a long-awaited speech, obama announced his plans to change the way the national security administration stores phone data. but critics say it doesn't go far enough. >> the nsa isn't going anywhere despite these protesters

demands. it will continue to spy for reasons of national security. however, u.s. president barack obama has promised an overhaul of the country's surveillance programs. >> we will reform programs and procedures in place to provide greater transparency to our surveillance activities. and fortify the safe guards that protect the privacy of u.s. persons. >> one of the biggest changes will be to the government's handling of bulk telephone data. the intelligence agencies won't be allowed to store these meta data. the agencies will now need court approval before accessing data about telephone calls. privacy rights that exist for u.s. citizens will be extended to foreign citizens. obama also promised that the u.s. will no longer listen in on the phone conversations of

allied leaders, such as merkel. >> we will not apologize simply because our services may be more effective. but heads of state and government with whom we work closely and on whose cooperation we depend should feel confident that we are treating them as real partners. >> he said he would pick up the phone to call world leaders to find out what they think instead of turning to surveillance. in berlin, the german government's new coordinator for transatlantic cooperation was somewhat skeptical. it's only a start to corrections that are extremely urgent to restrict the power of the intelligence agencies and the u.s. >> but green party politician who met edward snowden in moscow was positively surprised. >> the fact that other countries, civil rights in other countries, governments in other countries will not be

treated differently from the u.s. is a new line. >> the word from the chancellor's office was that barack obama's statement would be examined closely. >> in thailand, ant government protest has continued today undeterred by yesterday's deadly attack. in the capitol thousands have called for the prime minister to step down. elections are scheduled in two weeks but the protesters are demanding an unelected council be set up to reform voting laws. one demonstrator was killed and 37 wounded when someone threw a grenade into the crowd. lawmakers in ukraine have passed tough new legislation aimed at suppressing protests against the president. the law imposes a 5-year prison sentence for block cading public buildings. both the eu and u.s. have called the new law

undemocratic. leaders are calling for a big rally on sunday to protest. >> kiev protesters refused to be silenced. they're back on the streets a day after parliament passed laws. that legislation has outraged demonstrators. >> they've banned us from wearing hements, from covering our faces, and frol holding rallies in kiev. this is nothing more than a dictatorship, a police state. >> we must protest peacefully. but that means a protracted struggle. in the end, the people will win because the authorities represent just a very small percentage of the ukrainian population. >> brussels is supporting ukrainians' right to protest. the eu has condemned the new laws. >> the changes are deeply concerning for us and we are deeply concerned about them,

they are going against international obligations against democratic principles and ukraine's democratic and european aspirations. >> as the protests in kiev continue, ukraine's opposition leaders are mobilizing more support. >> ukraine's future depends on the ukrainian people alone. the only option left to them is peaceful protests. we're calling for a general strike in ukraine. nd it will begin soon. ukrainians must share whether they're willing to live under this kind of government or not. >> ukraine's opposition is calling for major demonstrations on sunday in defines of the got's anti-protest laws. >> russia has come under international criticism over its treatment of gays, and in particular a law that bans that calls spreading homosexual propaganda to children.

the issue is threatening to overshadow the olympics with gay athletes and some dignitaries choosing to stay away. now president putin has spoken out about gays in russia but his remarks appear more likely to inflame the situation. >> speaking to a group of young volunteered in sochi, he says gay athletes and visitors have nothing to worry about. but the warning he then issued provided little reassurance. >> we aren't banning anything, we aren't rouvending up anyone. we have no criminal punishment for homosexual relations. one can feel relaxed at ease. but please leave the children in peace. but in the next breath he appeared to liken it to child molestation. >> some countries in the world are considering legalizing ped fillia. >> three weeks before the games

begin the uproar seems unlikely to end. >> to racing. the rally is set for a showdown between two drivers. on friday handle took a lead despite team instructions not to do so. >> his victory was not quite what the team boss expected. he allegedly told his drivers to protect taking risks and protect the leader. the leaders were criticized. >> we tried to ensure a fair ace until the end. >> he took the lead after his spanish teammate suffered a puncture early on. and despite the team orders ended up taking the narrowest of overall leads, just 26 seconds.

>> maybe we'll get new orders for the last stage. we'll be listening. >> whatever those orders are, the final stage of this year's rally promises to be a nail-biter. >> in the monte carlo rally, world champion raced into a commanding 51-second lead over fellow frenchman on day two of the race yesterday. conditions are tough with sharp bends and wet, icy roads posing threats to drivers and spectators alike. one driver lost the initiative when he skidded off the road into a field. tennis now at the australian open in melbourne, title contenders federer and murray advance into the fourth round with impressive victories. 17-time winner federer of switzerland quashed kneely in three sets. federer is chasing his fifth

crown. three-time finalist murray of scotland had to work harder. he ended up beating the spanish left-hander lopez also in three sets. to winter sports now. it's shaping up to be a good weekend for german athletes. henchingle had her first win of the season just a few weeks before the olympics. she made no shooting mistakes hitting all 20 targets. the 36-year-old made a strong finish crossing the line less than two seconds ahead of her fellow russian. it was a widely expected victory in the luge doubles. taking their sixth victory in the season. and it's not just germany's winter athletes gearing up. coaches too are pulling out all the stops. but not all will be rooting for the german teams.

for example, one coach who has coached belarus' team for five years now. have a look. >> he rejoices when his pupils do well. he works hard to develop their skills. his star performer has been world champion twice and now she is heading to the olympics and would quite like to win gold. >> she's talented and we build on that talent. she's in great form now. she can perform for longer without getting tired. >> he has coached at home in germany, austria and china and working with the bella runalen women's team for five years now. he's happy about her achievements but wants to create other athletes to create an unbeatable team. >> it's the most impressive trainer we've ever had. he does a great job.

and he's a good person, a good psychologist, and a good friend. he coaches have gone from strength. still, fellow germans take it in sporting spirit. clause is a great guy, a fantastic person and someone is good for the sport. it would not be so exciting if germans always won. >> he will soon be off to the olympics with every chance of success. >> rio's christ the redeemer statue is in need of repair work after it was struck by lightning. it chipped the right thumb despite a conductor. the middle finger was damaged in a storm last month. luckily there's still a stock of the stone that was used to build the statue in 1931. repairs should be completed before they host the world cup in jun.

and that does it for us here on the journal. please join us again at the top of the hour. >> he has been fighting against pollution in china. he used to work as a journalist but now he's one of the country's best known environmental activists. uncovered a case of cluster cases and made it public. >> the villagers call this cancer street. at least one member of every family has cancer. and that family over there, the woman is suffering from stomach cancer. she's bed-ridden. and here's another case.

he has bowel cancer. she is ill too and this is where the family lives. she has burn cancer. we can visit the family. >> the farmer is unable to work. she's been confined to bed for years. >> every time i drink, i get a rash and the water leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. i can't eat. i don't have the strength to walk. i have these spots everywhere. i feel so weak. leo says that since she's been ill her whole body hurts and

her bones and joirnts are swollen. >> he explains that the doctors couldn't find out what was wrong with her until a senior physician at a hospital in city diagnosed borne cancer. - bone cancer. analysis of the water in the well showed heavy metal levels 3,000 times higher than permitted. he takes us to meet another eighbor. who has esophageal cancer. my whole body hurts, he says.

you're so thin. ou don't look well at all. he collected money when cong fell sick eight years ago. the family couldn't afford the difficult operation she needed. cong's husband even considered selling their daughter to pay for his wife's treatment. they managed to prevent that. cong lost most of her large intestine. sometimes i can only walk a few steps, she says. i can hardly move. when the cancer hurts a lot, i would rather kill myself than carrying on suffering like his. >> the cancer doesn't come at the beginning. first people have diarrhea.

the cancer comes later in the liver, the stomach, and the bowls. >> we gather data for eight years. when we evaluated it, we determined that many more people die here than elsewhere. the cancer rates in the villages are 15-24 times higher han in comparable areas. the irrigation canal in the village is a stinking cocktail of toxins. the sediment contains heavy metals and many carcinogenic chemical compounds which have been washed in by the river. farmers have used the contaminated water on their fields for decades. it finally reached the ground water and from there the wells. almost all the rivers in eastern china have become gigantic suers for the largest industrial area in the world. thousands of companies pump

toxins into the country's rivers to this day. and the effects are hitting everyone who lives near the river. they're not limited to factory workers. he has set up a base for his campaign to save the river in his home city of shenchu. a center for fellow activists. he spent the past decade documenting the environmental abuses. he publishes a blog in state edia also carry his reports. he's even won prizes for his photos in china. that helped him finance his work. private donors also support his efforts. but most of the time, money is tight. his sons often help him at work. but things can get quite dicey.

this mission would have been life threatening without a breathing mask. >> he says only two weeks after these pictures were take b and only a little further downstream farmers went to get water for their fields. there was a lot of foam and they tried to scoop it away. but that released the stink of the contaminated water. they lost consciousness and collapsed. it was hydrogen sullfide. someone called an ambulance but it was too late. it ended in tragedy with six killed and four injured. >> together with his eldest son, he has set up eight observations posts along the river. local helpers even use paragliders to document new sources of pollution. when they find a case, he rings up the ministry of environment in beijing. the local authorities only react to pressure from the top.

and sometimes the water quality improves as a result. but it often takes only few months before the pollution returns. his youngest son studies art and helps out with the photography. he finds his father's dedication inspiring and is painting a portrait as a birthday present. >> in the past 10 years or more of working to save the river, my father has experienced a lot of injustice, contempt, and abuse. he's been beaten up and hurt. but right from the start he's fought vigorously for what's good. it's also thanks to him that awareness of the dangers of water pollution is growing in hina, he says. so far he and his son have

visited 400 villages along the river and documented the results of the accumulating pollution. today, they want to install a water purifyication plant in the village. they built the water taveragee with the villagers. years ago a chinese man living in japan saw a report about him and recommended a microbiological water pure fir. and because the technology works, they're installing it in village after village sponsored by supporters in japan. >> in recent years we've installed 2 water purifyication plants which are providing around 10,000 people with clean water. the rates of cancer have fallen, he says. in many of the villages with the equipment, there haven't

been any new cancer cases for five years. >> we've also spoken to the water and technology minstriss to make sure they use this technology where it's needed. ut that's led nowhere. >> but they haven't given up hope that their solution might one day be applied on a greater scale. >> a lot of people asked me why i let my sons carry out this poorly paid environmental work. they could earn a lot more money working elsewhere. but i think there are enough people in our society who earn a lot of money. what is missing is people with a sense of responsibility. i hope that the younger generation develops a stronger sense of responsibility,

compassion, and respect for ife. >> the chinese government in beijing is investing the equivalent of billions of euros a year in economic development. at the same time, the protection of the environment is being left to individual citizens who often have access to very limited funds. he has come to beijing. he is visiting a fund raiser for a foundation which seeks to provide clean drinking water for school children. it shies away from criticism and in return it has plenty of coverage in state media. the well-known blogger set up the foundation. he wants to work with our guest and try at least to get more money from the government. but first, a prize is awarded to him for his work in saving

the river. the organization's hope that if they work together the environmental movement in china will achieve more. he knows that without state help, private controls, and a strictor application of the law to polluters, his struggle will achieve very little. >> whenever i'm out in the country and speaking to people, i feel very sad. that's the reason why i want to change this tragedy and make the situation better. i have to do something in this life. but i will only be really happy f i achieve something.

he has waited for 15 years for state recognition and at last a commission is coming to visit his clean water project and to speak to those ill with cancer.j

[soft exotic flute music] ♪ captioning and audio description provided by the u.s. department of education >> bokara: i'm bokara legendre. join me and my guests: scholars and scientists, spiritual teachers, and philosophers, as we explore the boundaries of religion and metaphysics, of science and spirituality. join me and some really fascinating people as we try to figure out what life's all about and how it can have meaning for each one of us.