welcome to "dw journal." these are the top stories this hour. futuretle over ukraine's intensifies with no sign of compromise. from the overthrow of mubarak to three yearsf morsi, of turbulence in egypt marred by violence. germany throws up an exciting start the second half of the season showing who is in charge.

we begin with a power struggle playing out on the streets of the capital of ukraine. overnight, the standoff between antigovernment protesters and riot police continued in kiev. in an attempt to appease the opposition, the president offered to reshuffle his government. pro-european demonstrators say nothing short of his departure will do. unrest spreading across the country. in the western city, demonstrators have erected huge barricades and prevented government employees from going to work. >> like smoke hangs over the center of kiev on saturday morning. . few fires are still burning temperatures are down to minus 20 degrees celsius. >> we are coming here to support freedom and oppose the crimes.

why did they put up a police barricade to prevent people from coming here? why are the police not on our side? >> there were renewed clashes in the night. the tires -- protesters set fire to car tires and threw molotov cocktails. police responded with stun grena des. the frontline has hardened. since friday, the european union has tried to mediate in the conflict. leaders inposition kiev. >> the situation is very difficult. we talked about peaceful means to lead the country out of the political crisis. the commissioner also spoke with the president who expressed a willingness to make some concessions to the protesters by reshuffling his government and

loosening restrictions on freedom of assembly. >> we are still prepared to engage in further talks to find a compromise. protesterslikelihood will be satisfied by a compromise lessons with each passing day. meetsay they were only when he resigns. >> for the latest of elements from ukraine, let's bring in mar cus from kiev. has the president overplayed his hand by underestimating the staying power of the protests and the willingness of people to stay out in hostile conditions? >> that seems to be obvious. he seems to have underestimated the protesters'staying power. the nation has awakened and realized the brutality and ruthlessness of this president after casualties earlier this week. the standoff is going on. right now i am where the clashes

with riot police started last sunday. we see car tires burning. from theke is rising city center of kiev. working day, is a this saturday, protesters have gathered at the barricade in the thousands. >> what is the risk at this stage of no compromise? before, thee heard president offered amnesty for detained protesters to reshuffle his government and change the recently adopted anti- demonstration laws that enslaved to protesters. protesters and opposition leaders are not buying it. they say this is just another tactical maneuver by this president who is not willing or able to take any decisions. they ask the president and the government to resign. there is no other way out of this crisis.

we may have more bloodshed and violence ahead. >> a worrying prospect. thank you. we appreciate your insight on this. we turn our attention to the sides of the syrian conflict to have met face-to-face for the first time at a peace conference in geneva. neither side said anything in a half hour meeting and only listened to the u.n. mediator speak. they plan on a cease-fire in double egret city of homs. diplomats are calling this progress. more than 130,000 have been killed and millions have fled their homes in the three-year old civil war. correspondent is following the talks for us and joins us on the line from geneva. welcome to the program. what can you tell us about the first round of talks? >> they got off to a delicate start. the opposing parties came in through different doors. they did not speak directly.

they listened to the mediator speak for half an hour. position has ended. there was a calm atmosphere. there were no handshakes. there will be another session this afternoon to get into more detail. i think this was intended to build confidence and trust to get back onto the hotter topics at stake. >> what will the focus be of the second round this afternoon? >> an opposition spokesman has told us they are prepared to offer a cease-fire in homs from tomorrow. they will put that on the table this afternoon when discussions continue. discussedderstand will be an aid convoy into homs to ease the suffering of the syrian people. the next couple of days, we expect discussions about prisoner releases and cease- fires in other areas. this is going very slowly but is a step forward that both sides are at last in the same room together. >> yes, indeed.

nobody expects peace to break out with these talks. would you characterize today's talks as a success? >> i think this is regarded as quite a success. if you look back just a week or so, we did not know if these talks would happen. the opposition was reluctant to come. we did not know if the talks would go ahead. now they are here. they are determined to stay. the u.n. envoy told us they will stay through the weekend. diplomats believe the talks could go on for another week or longer if things go as planned. >> we will check in with you later. thank you. ever since the removal of president hosni mubarak in egypt three years ago, there has been no let up in protests and political upheaval. what started as a pro-democracy movement in 2011 with crowds gathering in tahrir square that forced out an autocratic leader and led to the first election only to see its leader removed.

most the arab world's populous nation is deeply polarized. development, new it has been hit by a series of deadly bomb blasts. >> the day was to mark the anniversary of the egyptian revolution. it started with violence. fortunately, there were no casualties when a bomb went off at a cairo police facility. some see the military as the answer to egypt's problems. >> we will take to the streets to celebrate and demand army commander -- the army commander run for president because he's the only one who can defeat the terrorists. >> cairo is still reeling after four bombings on friday that left six dead and dozens injured. one of the blasts hit a heavily fortified security compound. the timing of the bombings is likely no coincidence. the popular uprising three years ago began with mass protests on tahrir square.

swelling crowds demanding democratic change and the removal of the autocratic president hosni mubarak. back.barak fought hundreds died when there was a bloody crackdown carried out on demonstrators. three weeks later, the president was ousted by the military. on this anniversary, tensions are again at breaking point. egyptian society is split between islamists, secular minded liberals, and supporters of the military. there have been frequent clashes in recent months. thailandmove on to where the government has offered to postpone parliamentary elections if the opposition ends protests. a court ruling on friday that says the vote could be delayed. that looks unlikely with protesters told rallying --still rallying against the prime

minister. they want him to call off the vote and resign immediately. voting is due to start on sunday. >hundreds of private letters and photographs of one of adolf hitler's top lieutenants has surfaced in israel. the german newspaper said the documents had been in a private household. according to the paper, germany's federal archives say wifeetters to himmler's are genuine. his anti-semitism is clear in the letters from the 1920's. he was a member of the paramilitary in charge of the concentration camps and secret police. turning to sports, li na has stormed to victory at the australian open. it was the third time lucky for li after losing the finals in melbourne park in 2011 and 2013. her opponent was always the

underdog, but she only narrowly lost the first set in a tiebreaker. li asserted yourself in devastating fashion winning the second set 6-0. it is the chinese player's second grand slam title. at 31, she is also the oldest woman to win the australian open. germany's best-known soccer team has proven why it is at the top of the table and so far ahead of the rest. munich has trounced the third- place contestants with a convincing win. it is the first home defeat of the season. munichs a new year, but is still dominating and classic style. the hopes were dented after just seven minutes. mario opened the scoring. the hosts were rocked. after half an hour, they started fighting back.

he tested the goalkeeper. in the second half, the defending champions reapply pressure. the keeper fended off a barrage of shots before the call for handball. the referee pointed to the spot. he stepped up and easily converted. 2-0. they were dogged but could not swing momentum their way. munich is straight back to their winning ways. >> things did not go so well for frankfurt last year. later on saturday, they will meet berlin. they will look for points if they want to start the new round without falling into the drops zone. >> instead of soaring, the eagles have seen their fortunes plummet the season. frankfurt have yet to win a single match at home and are in

acute danger of relegation. >> we know exactly where we are. we know it will be tough. we know we need a lot of work and a little luck to stay in the first division. frankfurt had given away points in the final minutes of play. they had been disorganized in defense and lack focus. to address that over the winter break, they recruited the veteran center back who was out of contract. with almost 250 matches under his belt, his experience could be a steadying influence. >> his experience will certainly be an advantage for us. he has fitted in really quickly. i have no problems throwing him into the starting lineup tomorrow. >> they will also need his forward line to fire. are trying toayer return from injury. a big win would be a big step in

the right direction. facenmark and france will off in the final of the european handball championship. earned the chance to defend their title with a narrow victory against croatia. in the other semifinal, france defeated spain 30-27. , he continues to hold his own the big names on the european tour. after a third successive round of 70, the 16-year-old german is just six shots off pace. he is currently facing the spanish player who only managed one over 73 in friday's third- round. he shares the lead with steve webster, seen here sinking a birdie on the 13th. the standoff between antigovernment protesters and riot police continues in kiev.

the president offered to reshuffle his government. protesters say nothing short of departure will do. that is all for the news for now. have a great day. someone is hurt again. i am following the mountain rescue squad on the slopes in the austrian alps. a woman is injured but conscious. for now, that is all we know. she fell and took a ski pole in the face. the wound will need stitches.

100 horsepower and snowmobile carries her to the rescue station. it is a routine case for the doctor. he treats up to 30 injured skiers a day. he tells us they see the full spectrum of trauma surgery. me injuries are the most frequent. lots of torn ligament's and dislocated shoulders. head injuries have become more sporadic. almost everyone wears a helmet now. what causes these accidents? i decide to find out. modern materials definitely play

a part. skis glide faster and are easier to steer than just a few years ago. that makes people feel more secure and perhaps, overconfident. the slopes of gotten fuller. more people are becoming winter sports enthusiasts. he manages the ski slopes here. several times a day, he checks for potential dangers. while icy surfaces and stones can be taken care of, human error will always remain. he tells us some people always overestimate their ability and ski too fast. if you're not good enough or warmed up, chances are you will suffer an injury. lift,others relax on the he works. he says he looks around the terrain, especially for possible avalanche threats or any

changes. and of course, he checks the ski slope. appear, there is a totally different view. particular danger lurks alongside the marked ski runs. rocks and boulders can cause grievous injuries. schumacher's injury was a stark reminder of that, but many still ski outside of the marked areas. there are many other challenges. testing your limits has become part of the winter sports experience. better know my own personal abilities so i take a speed test. the run is short and not too steep, yet i reach 89 kilometers an hour.

the ski instructor has a new people. allays the legs have to do of the work. do not stand straight as a ramrod. the legs have to do the work, so let them. how fast do today's beginners learn? in the old days, a ski vacation lasted up to two weeks. now most folks seem to be here for just a long weekend like lar s, a plumber from colon. he has to keep reminding him it is all in the legs. he says people learn faster with all of the good equipment and perfect slopes. earlier, it took a while to teach people to ski. now it goes very quickly. at midday, the weather changes. visibility deteriorates.

skiers are getting tired and the accidents multiply. the rescue squad is working nonstop helping the injured. many have only minor troubles. but not this man who took a spill in the fun part. so injury could be serious he is being flown out to the nearest hospital. the helicopter takes 10 minutes to get there. on the roads, it would be an hour and a half. he is taking no chances. his headhe man fell on and was unconscious for an unknown amount of time. when he arrived here, the rescue squad had already immobilized his neck. they examined him and did not see any signs of fractures. the next patient is a young man from romania.

i came across the lift and tried to avoid it, but i could not. i fell on my hand. >> the rescue squad is back on the slopes. a snowboarder fell and his suffering great pain in his lower arm. it may be fractured. broken bones are less common these days. now it is mainly injured tendons and ligaments. like this man, many people on holiday here now come from eastern europe. that can make matters more difficult for the first aid workers.

he says there are often language problems with the injured. many cannot speak german or english. then they have to improvise. gesturing with the hands and feet usually does the trick. perhaps i should be more careful, but i like a challenge. the marked skiff area. my guide grew up here. an avalanche beeper for extra security. now i am equipped and ready to go. herbert tells me to keep leaning forward. the snow has been packed by the wind and makes for tough skiing. this winter has seen below normal snowfall. ower, i haveirgin pwe

to struggle for every meter. although i am no beginner, this run requires extra ordinary skill. herbert says the snow is to blame. it has been blown around too much forming hard layers and other soft ones. even the guides find it hard to ski. deep snow would have been far better and i would have handled it for sure. out.un is back how is our beginner doing, i wonder. he is working him.

he says, keep looking forward, downhill into the valley. after some words of encouragement, he asks if they should head for switzerland. nice long run, and easy blue one. no problem for lars. in the transborder ski area, skiing across the swiss border is a big goal for all beginners. lars is not exactly a born athlete. it too on his very first day. lars says when he looks back up the slope, he can barely believe he made it. he was trembling and hoping it would be all over.

but the instructor got him down in one piece. has absolute priority on the slopes at all times for the manager. he is readying the runs for grooming at night. using gps measurements, he knows exactly how deep the snow is in each section so you can tell the snow cats where to concentrate their efforts. the lifts close at 5:00 p.m. prefer the rescue teams, the workday is not over yet. they have to make sure all skiers and snowboarders are off the slopes. they don't have to search long.

ned skiselis who don for the first time today evidently underestimated the distances. the rescuers take them down on a sleigh. their coworkers have an open road. still, some have to be shown the right way down. not always so simple in the darkness. but then, it is quitting time for the rescuers, too. most of the men do not live here. they have to drive or take the bus to the surrounding villages. the town is now firmly in the

hands of the tourists. for them, the party has started in many of the pubs and bars. most seem to have gotten their second wind.

[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.