berlin, this is the "journal." >> germany's parliament celebrates the 65th year of the country's constitution. it comes with criticism over asylum laws. >> thailand's former prime minister is detained by military to leaders -- cu leaders -- cuo oup leaders. >> vladimir putin says he will respect the ukrainian election, but slams the united states for causing the crisis.

>> germany is celebrating the 65th anniversary of its const fusion -- constitution, a document that changed the country. >> breaking with the nation's nazi past and playing the foundations for a modern democracy. >> a celebration was held, but it was not all congratulation. the main speech included sharp criticism of german asylum laws. >> more in a moment with our correspondent. first, this report. >> the german constitution of 1949 was more concise than many user manuals. but in the 65 years since it was approved, it has undergone many revisions. as the german parliament gathered to mark the anniversary, the changes came under criticism, especially from the guest of honor, a writer who is the son of iranian immigrants. >> it seemed that germany established a permanent openness with its constitution, but now

it is precisely that constitution that shuts out those people who most rely on that openness, the politically persecuted. they enjoy the right to asylum, a wonderful sentence. in 1993 it was transformed into way monstrous convoluted edicts to hide that germany had practically abolished asylum as a fundamental right. [applause] >> he said germans had to gradually adjust to democracy after the end of the second world war, but he praised the others of the constitution, saying they established the basis for a modern and open-minded nation. >> they would today probably notice and approve of the fact that a child of immigrants is paying tribute to the constitution, even though he belongs to a different religion than the majority. >> his speech was critical, lively, and they testament to democracy on many counts.

>> in the name of all the muslims who in germany enjoy rights shamefully denied to christians in many islamic countries, in the name of my devout parents and immigrant family that now numbers 26 people, i would like to say and give a symbolic bow, thank you, germany. >> his words earned him a standing ovation. >> let's bring in our political correspondent. he has been on the story for us. he watched that speech. the constitution, 65 years old -- is its ill the anchor of the german political process? >> germans are very proud of the constitution. they believe it helps them -- helped them to transform the country from nazi barbarism to a

modern state based on the rule of law. with a robust and proactive constitutional court and real checks and balances. perhaps even more importantly, they believe it has given them a framework to become more democratic individually. when you look back in the past at prussian times or nazi times, there was a time for too many germans to be i suppose what you would call subservient. but that has changed in the last 60 years. these days germans are very aware of their role as citizens in society, of their rights as citizens in society, and their duties. it is much more democratic. no wonder they are proud of the constitution, and no wonder the constitution has been adopted by other countries, at least as a model. >> what about the main address at this ceremony? very moving points. what was your take on what he said was to mark >> it was

interesting how he said he highlighted he found it rather than using to be in the bundestag -- bemusing to be in the bundestag, given his background. he praised germany on immigration, which is a hot topic. he said there are pitfalls. but he also was at pains to point out article 16 of the german constitution, which guarantees asylum to people persecuted politically outside germany. he said, he pointed to the fact that that was written by the founding fathers, aware of the fact so many german jews had been given asylum elsewhere. he says these days germany is not delivering on the from his. he pointed to serious unaware 9 -- syria, where 9 million people have been forced out of their homes. germany is taking 10,000, and clearly he believes that is not enough. >> thank you, peter. >> we will move over to thailand, where the constitution has been cast aside, at least

for the moment, following a military coup. the former prime minister yingluck shinawatra and her relatives have been detained. >> influential members of her family and government. the army chief, prayuth chan-ocha, has declared himself the new acting prime minister. international alarm bells are ringing. >> an army base in bangkok. this is where the military summoned over 100 members of thailand's government and opposition. former prime minister yingluck shinawatra responded to the call. this is reported to be her automobile. thailand's military said it would hold shinawatra and other politicians in a military compound north of bangkok to ensure priests -- peace and order. they promised to release her by the end of next week. army chief prayuth chan-ocha also invited foreign diplomats for talks to create a better

understanding between four and representatives and the army, but many ambassadors, including germany's, politely declined. protesters cleared camps in the capital after months of demonstrations. the military has increased its presence on the streets of the thai capital. the supporters of the former government, the redshirts, have the most to lose. they represent the interests of thailand's poor rural class. >> the soldiers should return to their bases. they cannot do this to the people. >> the yellow shirts represent bangkok's middle and upper class. although the army has closer ties to this group, many are unhappy with the current situation. >> i will come here ainga if they do not do what we are demanding. if they go ahead with reforms, we will not come out. >> thailand's military leaders feel the pressure themselves, knowing the relative calm could

change at any moment. >> earlier, our correspondent in bangkok told us more about the whereabouts of former prime minister yingluck shinawatra. >> there have been news reports coming up during the evening quoting sources that they -- that's a former prime minister yingluck shinawatra was sent to a military base in a province around 120 kilometers north of bangkok. where she would remain in detention alongside other members of the family and associates. we also heard other reports, quoting the online portal "the nation," that many of those who reported to the army have been detained at camps in five provinces. the report said it is expected they will be detained for at least three to seven days.

the latest reports. we are still waiting for further details. >> there is a lot of uncertainty now in thailand. how worried are the thai people by this dramatic turn of events? >> i have spoken to a lot of people who are very worried, but also very angry. when you are looking at what is going on in bangkok, in thailand as a whole regarding the political situation, you will hear all those members of thailand's old elite, how the conservative elites are using a military coup to hold onto power. treating the voting rights of ordinary democracy-loving people with utmost contempt. you feel like you are in the stone age. today there were hundreds of people taking to the streets of downtown bangkok who love democracy, despite military coups.

they came out to the street and shouted ,prayuth get out, or we want elections. several people processing the -- protesting have been arrested. >> thank you very much. >> a former mining magnate has been sentenced to death by a court in china. state media in china reports liu han and his brother were found guilty of leading a gang that committed mafia-like murders over two decades. >> he used to be the chairman of mining conglomerate sichuan hanlong group. he is thought to be connected to the chinese former head of security. the case is part of a wider crackdown on corruption by president xi jinping. >> the international criminal court has sentenced congolese warlord germain katanga to 12 years in prison. >> the court convicted him for his role in an attack on a village in eastern congo in

2003. he was found guilty of arming a militia group that used weapons to brutally shoot and hacked to death around 200 people. he is the second person ever to be sentenced by the icc. across europe, people are heading to the polls to elect a new european parliament. ireland and the czech republic voted on friday. the election is a litmus test for prague's centerleft government. the netherlands and great britain already handed in ballots. written's nigel farage and his anti-eu party are predicted to perform well. the final tally will be released on sunday. >> but in the netherlands, surprise early results showed a far right dutch populist geert wilders has underperformed and was beaten into fourth place by pro-european parties. >> all predictions pointed to

them winning more of the vote, but exit polls in the netherlands indicate geert wilders'base far --geert wilders 'party got five percent less than in the last election. >> naturally, it is because of the low voter turnout. just 37% went out to vote. that means the country is far from being pro-european. >> now wilders hopes right-wing politicians elsewhere will make up the difference. she already formed a union with the leader of the french national front, green -- marine le pen. their plan is to weaken the eu from within. right-wing politicians in ireland have not played a noticeable role. the left-wing online sinn -- left-wing aligned sinn fein is

expected to make gains. in the czech republic, the problem is different. polls show 80% of the population are not interested in the elections. politicians, on the other hand, are. 38 parties are standing, improving -- including a group promising to improve conditions for the socially disadvantaged roma. official results will not be known until sunday evening, when all members of the eu states have gone to the polls. >> business confidence in germany fell slightly this month, reflecting concerns about the pace of economic recovery. >> the latest survey from the ifo institute comes the same day germany confirmed a growth -- first-quarter growth in 2014 that was the strongest in three years. the economy has been buoyed by strong domestic demand. analysts say germany's growth is steady but no longer accelerating. >> let's hear how they went down with investors on the markets.

>> the ifo business confidence fell in may even stronger than expected, but the euro was therefore under pressure. it is evident the ukraine crisis already left its mark on german companies. unclear is what it means for further german-russian business. that is why traders are very curious about the outcome of the election in the ukraine. more important, for sure, the elections in europe. how strong will opponents of the euro and austerity be? what about the very important reform process? on monday we will see very strong reaction on the floor, but ahead of it the dax was higher. >> we are going to take a short break, but when we come back we will let you know what vladimir putin had to say about ukrainian elections this weekend. >> putin's pledge is how it is

being described. back with more in just one minute. >> welcome back. ukrainians are heading to the polls on sunday, and russia is promising to respect the outcome of the vote. president vladimir putin made that pledge at an investment for him in st. petersburg. >> but he stopped short of declaring the: sunday legitimate. he had sharp words for the united states, accusing them of causing a full-scale civil war in ukraine. >> he says washington could be pressing sanctions against russia to gain an economic advantage over europe. >> president putin's appearance was a forceful display of self-confidence. again, he blamed western powers for the ukraine crisis, which he

referred to as a civil war. still, he expressed willingness to cooperate and negotiate with the new leadership. >> i want to underscore that we also want de-escalation. we will respect the choice of the ukrainian people. >> his audience was made up of business leaders looking to increase ties with moscow. the st. petersburg forum is an important nue for achieving that. putin dashed hopes for de-escalation, stressing instead his fears independence -- fierce independence. he said he will invest in his countries industrial base and will not be blackmailed by sanctions. >> in must be obvious that economic sanctions as a tool of economic pressure have a boomerang effect in our modern interdependent world. in the end they will affect the very economies of the countries that initiated them. >> publicly at least, russia refuses to a knowledge western criticism.

putin underscored that. >> vladimir putin signaled he respected the will of the ukrainian people, but also took shots at kiev, brussels, an washington. it seems the kremlin cares more about the geopolitical struggle for power than ending the struggle -- let's chat in ukraine. >> separatists in eastern provinces have vowed to stop the poll going ahead. in the city of donetsk, pro-russian supporters seized ballot boxes and smashed them to pieces in a nearby square. at least two people were killed as ukrainian military unit attacked a pro-russian checkpoint in an eastern town. the clash comes one day after another ambush claimed the lives of more than a dozen ukrainian soldiers. earlier i spoke to a spokesman from the osce in ukraine.

i began by asking him about the security situation in the volatile southeast. >> the special monitoring mission to ukraine, which has 200 monitors on the ground, half of which are in the eastern and southern parts of the country, have been documenting escalation over the last week. especially around luhan -- around luhansk and donetsk. in luhansk, rebel forces are in control of most of the city. armed groups of about a thousand people doing abductions, stopping traffic. in donetsk, the situation is becoming even more serious than it was a couple weeks ago. armed groups are using things like intimidation, abduction, to gain the loyalty of the local population. this includes ordinary citizens, even the election committee workers. there is a presidential election

coming up on sunday. above and beyond that, another worrying trend is the proliferation of weapons. not only talking about ak-47s anymore. talking about rpg's, and a while ago there were mobile launching pads for surface air missiles. all that taken together is cause for concern. >> preparations are underway in ukraine for sunday's elections. are the osce monitors in the southeast seeing any problems? >> there is a separate osce election monitoring mission -- and they have 900-plus observers throughout the country. a number of those are in the 70's. -- southeast. our monitors monitor the general security situation. we will be monitoring the structures that support the

running of the election. of course, security is a big concern. some of our teams have been delayed or detained briefly, but they continue to move about. we are hopeful that this access we have been receiving over the past few weeks continue throughout the weekend. >> do you think people in these regions are going to be able to vote on sunday? >> the ukrainian government has offered alternate plans for people to vote outside their immediate area. so it remains to be seen how that works, but what are observers have noticed is really in smaller towns and villages where people feel the most intimidation and stay home, things like that. whereas in the bigger cities with bigger populations, people have more freedom to go about their daily lives. hopefully that will come into parsley -- play on sunday. >> an osce spokesman, speaking to us from ukraine.

>> germany's government approved changes to the retirement laws, allowing many to retire earlier. >> after long debate, the legislation was passed with a strong majority. workers of 45 years will soon be able to retire as soon as 1963. >> mothers who had children before 1993 will also benefit from changes, including those forced into early retirement. >> he is called the retirement and role -- retirement rebel. he voted against his party retirement plan. he was not the only one. many conservatives feel the law will hurt the economy and put an unfair burden on younger workers paying into the system. >> we will not be able to finance this plan. in the coming years, we will see pension contribution cost rising for every working person. it is a bad deal for the next generation. >> more germans will have to pay

more, but only a few will benefit. the social democrats push through the reform. they say it is fair. >> we can send out a clear signal that this country's economic success also benefits those who helped create that success. >> the opposition greens and left party listed a number of reasons why they are against the law. but all the critics agree on one point -- >> we have to align our retirement systems with expected increase in lifespan. we are so adamant about southern and eastern europe sticking to it, and we are sending out a deadly signal by moving in the opposite direction. >> despite objections, germany's parliament passed the reform by a large majority. >> deutsche welle has sealed a deal to work more closely with the television station in poland, tvp.

>> they signed the agreement in warsaw. the networks will cooperate on joint productions and program exchanges, as well as combining efforts to cover major events, such as the current crisis in ukraine. pope francis begins a pilgrimage to the holy land this weekend. his three-day trip will take into jordan, israel, and the west bank. >> security is high. israel has issued restraining orders against jewish extremists. the pontiff's only public mass is in bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of jesus. >> we caught up with the city's christian mayor. >> this is one of the better parts of her job. she is meeting pilgrims from all over the world in front of the nativity church. two years ago, the palestinian woman became the mayor of bethlehem. >> when i became mayor, the --

it was not really positive in a place directly opposite to the nativity church. i changed the place to be opposite the nativity church. it is more than beautiful. it is as if i am a conductor who gets paid every morning. >> the eyes of the world will be on bethlehem when pope francis visits on sunday. the mayor has a lot to do until then. 10,000 people are expected to come to manger square, where the pope will hold a mass. today, a majority of bethlehem's residents are muslims. they want the pope to experience the daily life of palestinians. >> god willing, this will be a visit in the name of peace. i don't expect anything other than that he will support peace, and of the situation here will change. the wall we have here --

the israeli and west bank village -- barrier separates residents from sacred places in nearby jerusalem. beth lennon -- bethlehem has the highest unemployment rate in the west bank. she is the first female mayor of the city. >> i feel proud and responsible, and i also feel like i'm continuing the path of my ancestors, regardless of whether they were men or women. >> there are always many visitors waiting outside her office. the people face many different challenges, and their catholic mayor wants the pope to know that. >> he should see the reality. he has to see the geographical reality of the wall, and the presence of people living here. we have the living stones that

spread the message, and the light of the star of bethlehem. >> the pope will only spend seven hours in the place where jesus was born. there will be one mass, one visit to a refugee camp, and eight lunch with local families. those are his chances to get close to people in the holy land. the mayor and the city residents want to make the most out of that time. >> you are up to date on the "journal." >> more news at the top of the hour. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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>> good evening. we begin in thailand come a country where the constitution has been suspended, tv and radio stations are only to broadcast military enactments and a nighttime curfew has been imposed on the capital bangkok. in a move that has drawn criticism from the u.n. and the u.s.. the former prime minister was removed from office earlier on this month currently being