>> this is the "journal" coming to you live from dw in berlin. >> these are our headlines -- ukraine's president announces a seven-day cease-fire on his first visit to the east since being elected. >> a damning statistic -- the number of refugees is now greater than at any time since the second world war. >> another surprise at the world cup.

>> ukraine has announced a weeklong unilateral cease-fire to come into effect right now. >> it's the first step in petro poroshenko's plan to put an end to the bloody conflict with pro-russian insurgents in the country's east. he has been visiting troops in the area where have made the announcement. the proposal includes amnesty for some separatists, but rebel leaders opposed the plan. >> there are other troubling developments according to the white house. it has more evidence of a buildup of russian forces on the border with ukraine. >> we'll hear from kiev in a moment, but first, this report on events in the east. >> people have been streaming to the train station, anxious to get a ticket out of town. they are scared they could soon become caught up in the fighting. >> where should i go? my sister lives in russia and invited me to come to her place.

i could stay there for a month, but what what i do than? >> the army says several soldiers and 300 separatists have been killed in just two days in clashes in the donetsk region. the government insists its forces are making progress. >> i received the report of the commander of the armed forces of ukraine. our troops have completely surrounded the conflict region and restored order at the border with the help of the armed services. >> is the army said it was advancing, president petro poroshenko released details of his blueprint for peace in ukraine. it includes a unilateral cease-fire and amnesty for separatists who have not been accused of serious crimes. and he wants to devolve power to the regions and hold early elections. separatist leaders have already dismissed the plan, and with the

prospect for peace far from bright, many people are choosing to leave the contested area, hoping for safety further west. >> we asked our reporter in kiev what the obstacles are in this peace plan. >> of course, this is only a first step. it is expected from the separatist side that they would follow with their own steps, which would be to lay down their weapons, leaving occupied buildings, and freeing hostages. indeed, over the last days already, a lot of separatist leaders have said that they would not lay down their weapons. indeed today, a separatist leader said that as long as there are ukrainian government forces in the territory of the central plains, they would not do this. this is one major obstacle, and another is also their stud -- still unclear the position of russia. russia has not found an answer to this.

russia is a little bit on the defensive side now i would say because they have always asked for an immediate stop of military action, and now ukrainians can say they offered a one-sided cease-fire for a week thomas a why is russia not using its influence to make them contribute on their own? even if this peace plan fails, ukrainians can at least put the blame on the russian side. >> will there ever be a compromise that is acceptable to separatists and kiev both? >> it's hard to imagine because the bottom line for separatists is recognition of what they created by using violence and weapons, recognition of this supper claimed peoples were up of it. they want the ukrainian forces to leave their territory, and this is, for any government in the world, very hard to accept. besides do not want to talk to each other. this is also a real problem.

and of course, we should wait and see what russia is doing because russia has influence, and they have the possibility of helping ukrainians to control the border, although they are denying that they delivered the rebels arms and armed men. although we have ovens that there is indeed reinforcement from the russian side. if the information from kiev issued by the defense ministry is true, this is, of course, a far better situation now from the perspective of kiev. >> the united nations -- united nations agency for refugees says more people were forced from their home last year than at any time since the second world war. >> they said more than 50 million people are currently either displays or seeking refuge. the conflict in syria and other parts of the middle east have contributed, and crises in a

number of central african countries are also adding to the problem. >> on world refugee day, our reporter spoke to some african migrants who risked their lives to get to europe. >> these people have just arrived in sicily from africa. they have survived the trip across the mediterranean and are now waiting to be recognized as refugees. >> we've got no food, no water, no nothing. >> most of the arrivals say they are fleeing violence or human rights abuses in the countries. >> there's war in my country, so i have to run far away. i don't want to die young, you know? >> they have arrived in europe with nothing. they are hoping to stay and make new lives. >> i really miss my parents. i really miss my wife and my

kids. they do not know my whereabouts, whether i'm alive. they don't know. my hope is to stay here and benefit myself and my family, my wife, my children, my kids. >> i would love to stay and work . in nigeria right now, you cannot work. here they are good to me, very nice people. >> but italian authorities have been overwhelmed by the situation. it's often up to local residents to help migrants in the holding center. with clothing, for example. many refugees who have been in sicily longer tried to move on a legally to other regions in europe. more than half of the migrants here are women. this mother says it is an unbearable situation. she had to abandon her child in

the course of her long journey. >> i can only hope that my husband and child can reach me. it is not certain if they will make it. my trip was very risky. i had to leave my child behind in khartoum. i don't care what happens to me. i'm just concerned about my child. >> she gets food from a catholic relief organization. for now she is dependent on handouts. >> i don't have the money to travel any further. i'm looking for work. when i have enough money for me and my child, i will move on, but at the momnt, i'm living on

the street. >> they want a new life in europe, but for many refugees, that dream is a daunting challenge. >> israeli troops have killed at least two young palestinians during incursions into the west bank. several others were reportedly wounded. >> israel launched the raid after three israeli teenagers disappeared while hitchhiking. israel blames the militant palestinian organization hamas. >> the israeli report suggests a 15-year-old was hit by a stray bullet when paratroopers used live rounds on a rioting crowd. a neighbor described what he saw . >> there were more than 50 heavily armed soldiers. mohammed was standing there. he was posing no danger to them or their lives. they shot him with three bullets. he was shot in the chest, and he died on the spot.

>> the israeli military went into several west bank towns overnight as the search for the abducted students entered its second week. at the same time, soldiers have arrested hundreds of members of the islamist hamas group and rated linked welfare organizations. hamas has applauded the kidnapping without claiming responsibility for it. the israeli government is open about the twin objectives of this military incursions. >> the operation under way is designed to bring about the return of the re-kidnapped teenagers -- three kidnapped teenagers, students who were on their way home from school. concurrently, we are acting against the machine. hamas is a brutal organization that targets israeli civilians. >> speaking there with a 15-year-old was killed early on friday, palestinian prime minister urged international

condemnation of what he called collective punishment i israel. meanwhile, israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has met the parents of the three missing teenagers. after eight days with no leads, he is under growing pressure to force a breakthrough. however, as palestinians mourn the death of another one of their teenagers, it is hard to see how this confrontation can be resolved anytime soon. >> in iraq, hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in the past week alone as the country slips towards civil war. >> the surge of militant group isis has not just wrongfooted the iraqi government, though. >> tensions remain high in baghdad, as this has underscored its about to seize the iraqi capital. fighters have set up positions just 60 kilometers away. locals fear the army will not be able to protect them.

>> actually, it should be america's duty to protect us. that was the plan. >> on thursday, u.s. president barack obama responded to calls for help from iraq that made it clear there would be no combat troops on the ground. >> american forces will not be returning to combat in iraq, but we will help iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the iraqi people, the region, and american people as well. >> he left open the possibility of what he called targeted and precise military action at a later stage. obama also challenged iraqi prime minister al-maliki to create a more inclusive leadership and do more to overcome sectarian divisions that have fueled resentment among the sunni minority. there's also increasing pressure on the prime minister at home. during friday prayers, a representative of influential

shiite cleric read a sermon calling for a new effective government to avoid past mistakes. the statement also called on iraqis to band together against the insurgents and expel them before it was too late. more than 2 million shiites have reportedly volunteered to take arms across iraq and help the army defeat isis. >> could the crisis in iraq bring a better -- bring enemies together? spokesman for the opposition green party in germany who was himself born in iraq gave us his view. >> there are a lot of common interests the west and iran are sharing, and iraq is one of them, and nobody wants iraq being such a disaster, and of course, there is common

interests to bring stability to the country and to push the government to include sunnis, too, obstatatatatatatarmrmiziono iran. of course, the question of the existence of israel. >> what about the iranian perspective? could some kind of cooperation over iraq encourage tehran to soften its stance on this nuclear program? >> i do not think that the iranian government is ready to give up the nuclear program because of the situation in iraq . any successful cooperation means that there is maybe a little bit more trust, and trust-building is the most important thing between the west and iran. there have been a lot of incidents for the last decades destroying the trust, starting with iran to the occupation of

the u.s. mc. it's good to have cooperation to build trust, and we can go on with negotiations and with with negotiations and with >> welcome back. staying with iraq, the one group that has been successfully fighting back against isis has been the kurdish militia in the north of the country. >> the crisis has benefited the kurds after the iraqi army. some want to declare full independence from the rest of iraq. they already enjoy a great deal of autonomy. >> this car dealer sells new and secondhand japanese vehicles, and business is very good. he used to live in germany, but 10 years ago, he came home to

northern iraq, to autonomous iraqi kurdistan. he says since saddam hussein was ousted, things have been getting better and better. >> we have no problems in kurdistan. it's a new country. everything is new here. >> the capital of iraq he kurdistan has a flourishing economy. new office buildings and shopping centers are going up in the suburbs. unemployment is condered low. some are calling the region the new dubai. as chaos sweeps through the rest of iraq tom of people in iraq he kurdistan enjoyed relative security -- as chaos sweeps through the rest of iraq, people in iraqi kurdistan enjoyed relative security. >> our borders are established now and defended by our soldiers. the economy is strong, and we have started exporting our own

oil. >> right now, the rest of the country is falling into chaos. we should go our own way, but without any help from foreign countries, especially the europeans and the u.s., it will not be easy. >> iraq he kurdistan -- a rocky -- iraqi kurdistan's president has to take into consideration larger neighboring populations in turkey and iran. the kurdistan democratic party does not want to create the impression it is seeking to benefit from isis attacks at the expense of iraq. >> whenever we make any decision, that decision is in coordination with the sunni community, with the shiite community because we believe we are living in the same area, and we have to stay as brothers and his neighbors, and whatever decision we make, it must act to stability in the region.

>> some here believe it would be better for regional security and stability if iraqi kurdistan remained part of iraq. others say the dream of an independent iraqi kurdistan has never been so close to becoming a reality. >> neighboring syria state media reporting that a powerful truck bomb has exploded in a government-held village, killing at least 34 people. >> state tv showed what it said was the aftermath of the blast. >> police sy the truck was passed with three tons of explosives. >> moving on to business news. >> the french government says it favors general electric. the u.s. firm be a vital -- rival offer from siemens.

>> it's looking like a pretty complex deal with the french government taking its own stake in the business and imposing sweeping conditions on everything from jobs to nuclear security. >> the siemens boss was optimistic early on friday after a meeting at the elysées palace. siemens and mitsubishi up there but again, but it was not to be. u.s. rival general electric will likely get the nod, but under one condition -- the french government wants to take a 20% stake in the company, which would make it the largest shareholder in the engineering giant. >> these measures are tough but necessary. >> france has done this before. companies like alstom are seen as part of the french identity. the state has preferred to first poured billions of taxpayer

revenue into alien corporations and then to set its shares. siemens has tried before to use it stake and oust him -- tried before to seize a steak and oust him -- seize a stake in alstom. the government hopes the deal will secure thousands of well-paying jobs. >> onto the markets now, and today, the top -- the talk sounded like something out of macbeth -- triple witching. >> there was a lot of movement in the last trading day because of the triple witching. shares jumping without a special reason, caused by expiring futures and options. the event happens four times a year, and this time, it led to a new record level, but traders are warning the into careless --

being too careless may lead to setbacks. >> let's have a look at the markets. we start off with the closing number in frankfurt. the close just under the 10,000 mark. euro stoxx 50 losing about 1.4%, to end the day at 3302. across the atlantic, in new york, trading is still under way. the dow is slightly up at this point, 16949 is the number. the euro just under $1.36. >> heavy rains and floods in northeastern bulgaria have claimed the lives of at least 12 people. many others are still missing. >> water surged through the streets, hindering rescue workers and piling up cars. the government has declared next monday a day of national mourning.

right, let's get to the world cup now, and a match with an impact. >> a shocking 1-0 defeat of italy, but it was england who suffered even more than the italians. >> the group arithmetic means there is now no way england can make it through. >> more on that after this match report. >> costa rica stunned the football world again. the italian superstar and his teammates havilland themselves to blame. he squandered a number of great chances to score but despite some sublime passes failed to hit the mark. costa rica mounted numerous assaults on the italian defense and were denied a penalty in the 43rd minute when the defense of striker -- headed home a cross from the left wing.

italy found no answer in the second half. >> our sportsmen joins us now. there's a lot to talk about. the shop, of course, -- the sho ck of the day, costa rica. >> it's a big shock, although we should not be that surprised given how well they did against england. they really deserved it. they played a better game than italy. they neutralized italy and kept attacking italy. it was very difficult to deal with. and they played such a great game in the first game against england. he supplied a number of good passes, but he cannot convert, and italy in the second half were completely neutralized. they go through to the next

round, deservedly so, and there's a trend here we are seeing. four teams have reached the next round so far. holland, europe, and now costa rica. >> costa rica is top of the group. >> yes, it is such an interesting group. there's just one slot left to go through to the round of 16. >> if you follow on the logic of the south american teams doing well, then uruguay has a great chance. italy did not play that well in this game, but italy have that kind of ability. they are still the favorites to go through. i think it's going to be a very, very interesting match, and it will probably come down to the battle between suarez and bar tally. >> very briefly, the switzerland-france cannes, france is up 2-0 at the moment. >> it is incredible.

there's been a lot of talk of france. switzerland are normally a difficult team to beat. they scored early on, and they are cruising at this stage. >> keep cruising with us here on dw. we have a lot more news coming your way. finally, the man rescued from germany's deepest cave has been talking about his almost two-week ordeal to journalists. >> he's being treated in this hospital south of munich. he was brought here after a rescue mission that involved more than 200 people. despite a fractured skull, he was in good spirits. doctors said his condition was outstanding. he thanked everyone who helped bring him back up to the surface. he also apologized for his slurred speech but said that things were improving.

the message was loud and clear -- doctors are amazed at his recovery and said he was awake and alert. >> he knew that the world cup, even though he is actually not into soccer. >> medical experts say his condition is a minor miracle, given his ordeal. after he was struck on the head by a falling rock thomas's life hung by a thread. he went in and out of consciousness for days while trapped underground, making his recovery all the more impressive. >> incredible story. >> definitely. >> we have a lot more incredible news coming your way at the top of the hour. >> thanks for watching. bye-bye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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crisis in iraq, mounting pressure on the prime minister thereto resigned. the countries most senior shiite toric says that iraq needs form an effective government. ukraine's president has announced a weeklong cease-fire. part of the big question, will it convince pro-russian rebels in the east to stick to his peace plan? there are still no agreement at the latest round of talks on iran's nuclear program wrapup. iran will not accept what it calls world powers excessive demands.