>> hello. a warm welcome to "the journal" on dw. this is what's making news. protesters it -- voters in thailand go to the polls. in german csoccer more grief for hamburg, if they take their losing streak to five in a row. ar u forhe the u.s. gera this year's super bowl contest. thailand's election has been

marred by the deep divisions in the country. there was violence reported during sunday's poll. tohough protesters opposed the government did manage to partially disrupt voting at hundreds of polling stations in the capital bangkok and in southern thailand. >> voting is over and thailand's election remained largely peaceful. but the country's political drama is far from over. despite the vote, months of conflict between the president and her foes are set to continue. the prime minister is calling it a victory for democracy. >> i would like to thank all thai people who helped maintain democracy. the election was peaceful. >> the election revealed thailand's political divisions. in the north where she is

strong, voting went ahead normal. in provinces in the south and areas of bangkok, polling places stayed shut due to opposition blockades. millions were prevented from casting ballots. the opposition has rejected the poll is a legitimate. protest leaders say does -- say supporters will disrupt by-ele ctions. >> i don't know how many months it will take, but let them do that. i assure you, they will not get enough representatives to open the parliament. electoral commission has not announced results. that would only happen once voting is completed everywhere. and with the opposition vowing more deception, sunday's election may herald yet more political chaos. >> our correspondent has been covering the story in bangkok. asked him earlier what the

partial deception might mean for the election out come. >> although, a majority of the people clearly said they wanted them in, many of bangkok and the south had been disenfranchised by the opposition movement. the impact will be that the election -- for those voters not able to castt their ballots. take by-elections will place in a few weeks. a few weeks or months could be a long time in politics. we also have to keep in mind that the government only has limited power. so there is a lot of uncertainty ahead and very likely more violence ahead. there.angkok human british based rights group claims 90 people have been killed in syria's olep po region, as helicopters dropped barrel bombs. 13 of the victims were

reportedly children. militarypposition says helicopters targeted residential areas. and video purports to show the attack and the aftermath. are improvised weapons packed with explosives and nails. the use of such devices constitutes a war crime. after there days -- three days securitythe munich talks has come to an end. ukraine continued to dominate the gathering. the european union's foreign-policy chief says it is vital that the violence there stops, and that there is a constructive dialogue. she is due to visit the capital of kiev this week. the ukrainian crisis was a topic that generated heat in exchanges between russia and the united states in munich. our correspondent caught up with the conference chairman to get

his take on the tensions. >> this is the place where the reset button was pushed, ushering in a new era. from the rhetoric, it was sounding more like a new cold war. >> you are right. these are not what they should be. thee is frustration over inability to come to grips with syria. there is anger and frustration over the dispute, the tug-of-war over ukraine. and let's face it -- we will need to work with russia. and actually, i believe russia knows they need to work with us, with united states and with europe. i regard this as one of the downs, and there will be other ups. this is not a great moment of our our relationship with russia, but better days will

come. now a ukrainian opposition activists says he was tortured and has been allowed to leave treatment in lithuania. he has reportedly already left ukraine. according to the opposition leader who visited him at a kiev hospital. his mistreatment provoked outrage in the ukraine and in the west. thousands of antigovernment protesters massed on independence square. and in a separate development, the ukrainian president says he will return to work on monday after he was ill for a number of days. the country currently lacks leadership after the president accepted the resignation of the government last tuesday. storms have better parts of italy for a third day. in sicily, two women and the

seven-year-old child are dead after their car was swept away in floodwaters. the island was one of the region's worst hit. and the italian mainland has not been spared the bad weather. its forecast to continue for the next two days. sports now. a bundesliga soccer, turbulent match in berlin this afternoon. an investment deal was announced on friday which clear the club's debt, but on sunday, it crashed back to earth with a 3-1 loss. the hosts were denied a penalty when the referee rescinded a red card decision. sealed their second win of the season with a late penalty. un sunday's late kickoff -- by munich beat them 5-0.

rout.-- come pleaded the now, on saturday, hamburg sunk t -- fifthet in row defeat in a row. hamburg looked out of energy, out of ideas and out of sight. only their fans showed any, chilwhile chanting dissatisfaction. the hamburg coach could expect no better. that goal should have been ruled out offsides. but hamburg could only blame themselves for what followed. was unopposed on the stroke of half-time.

hamburg defendant like amateurs. it was the same an hour in, when beck capped a miserable day for hamburg. >> i keep seeing the same thing -- we will not stay in the bundesliga if we keep playing like this. >> even upfront, hamburg's relegation looks a genuine possibility for the only club never to have surrendered their top-flight status. >> on saturday, hanover hosted -- in a match which had repercussions for the champions league spot. it was hanover who triumphed showing how much they improved since replacing the coach. coach hasover reenergized this team. suddenly they look hungry again. they were well organized in defense.

and with some lightning fast counterattacks posed plenty of problems. in the 57th minute, the on lone striker. hanover grabbed a second in the 82nd minute, it was from -- he crossed brilliantly. powered home another header. hanover wanted this win more. later,groups and 2:00 they got them off the mark. but hanover would not be denied. 3-1. with back-to-back wins, the mooted hanover has been transformed. and the rest of the weekend's results so far look like this -- ---1 win against duke art

stuttgart. dortmant beat -- that leaves the bundesliga looking like this after the 19th round of play. byen remain at the top. schelke might have a place in the final race. in the bottom half, it has been a disastrous weekend for hamburg, they plunge to 17th. staying on sport. it is, of course, the pinnacle of the american football season and one of the most watched sporting events in the world. the denver broncos and the seattle seahawks face off on sunday in super bowl 48. this year, the big game takes place just outside new york city. >> super bowl fever has gripped

the u.s. thousands of fans have descended on new york and new jersey for the showdown in metlife stadium. heavy snowfall forced teams indoors for their final training sessions. nfl's bestts the defense with peyton manning being named the most valuable player of the season. >> hopefully, we can carry that through the playing field sunday. we are playing an outstanding opponent. >> that opponent is seattle, the team with the best defense. a win would give them their best -- first ever super bowl victory. >> we are into the home stretch in the run-up to the sochi olympics. the opening ceremony five days away. we will cover all of the winter sports action at d w.de/olympics.

one of the crowd favorites is the jamaican bobsled team. they are up next on our preview series. temperatures in jamaica are hitting 30 degrees celsius at the moment. so the countries bobsleigh team is preparing for the winter olympics in wyoming, where it is a more suitable temperature, closer to minus 15. >> every day, i feel like i want to quit. too cold. sometimes my fingers are freezing. >> they qualify for the games after other nations had to withdraw. the last time jamaica qualified in salt lake city in 2002. his age will not hold him back, he says. >> i am 46. me, i looklook at

like i am 26. so age is just a number. >> the team needed financial help. fans donated more than $120,000 online in two days. jamaica is not expected to win a medal, but the team embodies the spirit of the olympics. taking part is everything. >> anything that put my heart on edge. i like to approach this olympics as the underdog. >> jamaica bobsled team. sochi 2014. here we come. >> well, we have got breaking news. sad news. actor philipning seymour hoffman has been found dead off an apparent drug overdose in new york. he was 46. police are investigating the incident. hoffman best known as a character actor in movies like the talented mr. ripley took the best actor award in 2006 for

capote. he had struggled with drug addiction in the past. sad news. "the journal" will be back at the top of the hour. don't go away. >> the week began with signs of progress in ukraine's political crisis. after talks with opposition leaders, the president made key concessions. he promised to reverse tough laws against protests and offered amnesty for activists. but as his justice minister pointed out, there were strings attached. >> the amnesty will only take effect once all occupied buildings and roads are freed. if that is not done, any violations of laws that are committed will not be given amnesty. >> over the next few days, those

conditions were debated in the ukrainian parliament. the bill was passed, despite the opposition's boycott of the vote. on the streets of kiev, protesters say they will not give up until the president is forced from office. he's refusing to budge, but he did accept the resignation of the prime minister. army gave the go-ahead for its leader to run for president. he was appointed by former president morsi, but he later spearheaded the movement that led to his ouster last year. the army's nod came a day after the interim government decided to move the presidential forward to mid april. bundestag the commemorated the breaking of the

siege of leningrad in 1944. fgerman forces encircle st. petersburg for two years. a survivor describe the suffering. rations we were given were pitiful. the people became weaker and weaker. and people kept dying faster and faster. city hadtrapped in the to survive without electricity or clean water. andcold, the hunger bombardment claimed more than one million russian lives. monday was also dedicated to another somber world war ii anniversary -- holocaust remembered today. the israeli parliament joined survivors to mark the liberation of the auschwitz death camp where 1 million jews were murdered.

on tuesday, the former bosnian leader refused to testify at the trial of his ally. he denounced the un's war crimes tribunal as a tenant. -- as satanic. they are accused of being the chief architects of serb atrocities during the three-year war. u.s. president barack obama used his annual state of the union address to focus on the economy and the fight against income inequality. he had a warning for obstruction as lawmakers that he would go it alone if they refuse to work with him. >> america does not stand still and neither will i. so wherever and whenever i can expand opportunity for more american families, that is what i am going to do. >> obama called for support to

raise the minimum wage for millions of working poor. the president's reform efforts have been frustrated by the partisan gridlock in congress. waning popularity could hurt the democratic party's chances in november's midterm congressional elections. folk music icon pete seeger died at the age of 94. classics like if i had a hammer and where have all the flowers gone. seeger's political views got him blacklisted in the 1950's, but he went on to be inducted into rock 'n roll hall of fame. on wednesday, angela merkel presented her government's legislative program. speech sitting

down because of a recent skiing accident, she singled out germany's transition to renewable energy as a major challenge. an overwhelming majority of germans support this decision. make no mistake, the world is watching with interest and disbelief, wondering whether this transformation will succeed. merkel also spoke to the growing criticism of mass surveillance practices and had sharp words for allies. right that our closest partners like the united states or britain gain access to every imaginable piece of data with the justification that it serves their own security and the security of their partners? no, that is not right. >> but the opposition was not buying her indignation. order for an embassy employees who are spying to

leave germany? federalderal -- are prosecutors not investigating? >> the opposition will have a tough time being heard. the grand majority, coalition will face fewer obstacles to its program. the parliament lifted the limits on presidential terms. the constitutional changes allow longtime president ortega to be reelected indefinitely, potentially keeping the sandi nista leader in opwer for -- in power for life. they approved a military reform that further strengthens the hand of the army. the crisis in ukraine took another turn on thursday when presidents? kovic announced he had gone on sick leave. some suspect a tactical maneuver. >> because always if some soviet

union leaders have to make unpopular decisions, they go to hospital. >> but a day later, the embattled president was well enough to sign into law an amnesty for jailed activists and repeal anti-protest measures. the opposition remained unimpressed and so, too, the international community. in berlin, germany's foreign minister warned him not to play for time. >> it's time for proper action. deliver on what you promised the opposition. >> russia also warned it will euroback an 11 billion bailout until a new government is formed. defense secretary chuck hagel accused syria of stalling the handover of its chemical weapons. this, after the opcw, revealed that syria has delivered only 4%. n government says it

needs special equipment. n agreement, the chemical stockpile has to be illuminated by the end of june. an italianond time, court found amanda knox and her ex-boyfriend guilty for the murder of meredith kercher. the court sentences her to 28 years and six months in prison. kercher's family were in court for the trial. they welcomed the reinstated verdict but said they were still searching for the truth. the case is full of unsolved contradictions and inconsistencies. the british exchange student was found stabbed to death in november, 2007, in this house which she shared with amanda knox. knox returned to america in 2011 after the original guilty verdict was overturned. she's vowed to fight any attempts to extradite her.

schumacher's doctors started to bring the formula one legend out of his induced coma. the 45-year-old has been in intensive care in grenoble in sustaining major head injuries in a skiing accident. it was the first update on his condition since january 17. in a statement, his manager warns the waking up process could take a long time. on friday, the world's top diplomats and defense officials gathered for the 50th munich security conference. the talks were preceded by calls for a stronger german presence in allied military operations. in opening the conference, the president supported a more proactive role. inbecause of its experience human rights and the rule of law, germany could do more to

reinforce and shape the framework of order. u.s. secretary of state john kerry stopped in berlin for talks. he iterated that relations have gone through a rough patch but remained uncommitted to a no-spy deal. >> we are partners above and beyond bumps in the road. and we will find our way to be able to move forward, resolving any kinds of differences in an appropriate way that respects our relationship. said it was time to deal with the negotiation of a transatlantic trade agreement. in geneva, a week of peace talks over syria ended on friday with no progress. the government and opposition remain at loggerheads over the future of resident al-assad.

and there was no agreement on getting aid to a besieged city. a mediator tried to be positive. >> it was a very difficult -- but the sides have become used to sitting in the same room. they have presented positions and listens to one another. >> a major breakthrough had always been unlikely. the first between the warring sides in syria's a conflict. he wants a second round of talks to start on february 10. opposition has agreed, the syrian government delegation is still refusing to commit. friday, millions around the world ushered in the chinese new year. calendartional lunar has now moved around to the year of the horse. are normallyons

accompanied by a cacophony of fireworks and firecrackers to bring good luck and scare off evil spirits. but this year was quieter than usual due to concerns about air pollution and smog. and that was the week in review.

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