northern germany's windfarms are supposed to replace the power generated by southern germany's nuclear plants. you're up close and power grids were only designed for steady current from power stations while current from wind energy tends to just randomly wash into the grid. these sudden power surges can cause problems for the aging chet power lines. more and more, the control center finds its power lines running hot. >> the threat of a blackout is not only serious, it is very real. in late 2011 and early last year, we had to take every step available to prevent a black out -- really, every last set. at some point, all we could do was wait and see. so far, we have been lucky and scrape by, but the risk was extremely high. right now, we do not have any other means to prevent a black out. >> these emergency measures cost money. the czech has to shut down its own power plants or ask others for help, but it is they who have to foot the bill. >> we have to ask for help because the surplus flows over to us. the problems ought to be solved at the point of origin where they are created. if we h

for germany's gold reserves by two thousand and twenty the bundesbank intends to store half of germany's gold reserves in its own vaults in germany the other half will remain a storage at its partner central banks in new york and london while germany has no partner central banks this is every man for himself and those with the most gold are going to win the currency war as we have been warning about now for years this is why the euro has been trading relatively well against the dollar because in the euro zone there are twelve thirteen thousand tons of gold versus the u.s. which has maybe a thousand times but one of the big problem stacey of course is the central banks of elise there are gold out and sold it and it's now sitting in the pockets of hundreds of millions of indians on the continent of india and so when germany goes to collect their gold they find that it's not there it's been sold and that's what this war is all about especially now that the central banking system is collapsing and countries want the only currency without counterparty risk the only currency you can print more

and so when germany goes to collect their gold they find that it's not there it's been sold and that's what this war is all about especially now that the central banking system is collapsing and countries want the only currency without counterparty risk the only currency you can print more of and that would be gold now they mention their partner central banks and this is a remnant of the bretton woods system so post world war two the us dollar was declared the world's reserve currency but for international trade it was backed by gold and because you were having to settle your balance of trade via the central banks it was convenient in one thousand nine hundred five in one nine hundred fifty one nine hundred sixty four in germany to store gold in new york at the new york fed because if they had a trade imbalance with america they would just settle there through the bank or settle in the u.k. via the bank but now since nine hundred seventy one it's really bad there's no point for them to really store so much gold in the central banks so now they say to this end now that they have all the

member from germany. they don't know and she you know you don't know what's going on. i mean you don't know it's coming it's coming out of the most fascinating thing i learned is that all the gold in germany. he's in new york now since then was the mainstay see central banks around the world been buying gold they have also been printing money the amount of money the central banks have been printing sense that film is four hundred per cent. many many chileans of dollars yen and euro's have been created the total supply of gold around the world during the same period of time is a whopping eight percent well again you know that was before the collapse of lehman brothers before the collapse the near collapse of the global financial system and in response to that film gap to the gold antitrust action committee said this kaiser's documentary may be sensational forgetting it in the knowledge of it from the german central bank for the first time that germany's gold reserves are actually in the custody of the united states this is a detail the buddhist bank long has denied to a

germany views security in the region as part of its own security. terror in northern mali is not just the threat to africa. it is a threat to europe as well. >> merkel realizes that a tough fight lies ahead for mali, and she says germany will consider requests for future support. france, for its part, plans to triple its current troop level. >> a short while ago, we spoke with someone from the german think tank the friedrich ebert foundation. she is in bamako. we asked what the situation was like there. >> the situation is calm, normal. everyday life continues. people go to work. they go shopping. however, there are, of course [indiscernible] after the intervention on, cup. everyone is taking some precautions. there are more police. there is a higher police presence on the street. >> the french intervention has the full backing of the u.n. security council, but how do the people in mali feel about it? >> they are extremely grateful for an intervention because it came exactly at the moment when it was needed. they completely support it. for example,

northern germany's windfarms are supposed to replace the power generated by southern germany's nuclear plants. you're up close and power grids were only designed for steady current from power stations while current from wind energy tends to just randomly wash into the grid. these sudden power surges can cause problems for the aging chet power lines. more and more, the control center finds its power lines running hot. >> the threat of a blackout is not only serious, it is very real. in late 2011 and early last year, we had to take every step available to prevent a black out -- really, every last set. at some point, all we could do was wait and see. so far, we have been lucky and scrape by, but the risk was extremely high. right now, we do not have any other means to prevent a black out. >> these emergency measures cost money. the czech has to shut down its own power plants or ask others for help, but it is they who have to foot the bill. >> we have to ask for help because the surplus flows over to us. the problems ought to be solved at the point of origin where they are created. if we h

that we're going to see a serious repercussions against germany in other words. you have a private investor who is stepping into the fray here and virtually threatening germany with libya like actions for simply wanting their gold back there's a couple of moving parts here what do you see casey i really don't know what's on the minds of the germans except it seems it impresses me is a very intelligent thing for them to do and i'm sure they're sorry if the americans and their french don't like it but they have to act in their own best interests and it's certainly in their own best interest to have their gold repatriated. to the place where it belongs and as far as whether we're going to have any wars in the future i don't think there's any question about that because as the going gets tough within countries governments always like to redirect the problem to somebody else some nasty foreigners that are hurting us and some of these people actually think that war is good for the economy so yes i'm sure we're going to see more of that type of thing and maybe not just

germany views security in the region as part of its own security. terror in northern mali is not threat to africa. it is a threat to europe as well. >> merkel realizes that a tough fight lies ahead for mali, and she says germany will consider requests for future support. france, for its part, plans to triple its current troop level. >> a short while ago, we spoke with someone from the german think tank the friedrich ebert foundation. she is in bamako. we asked what the situation was like there. >> the situation is calm, normal. everyday life continues. people go to work. they go shopping. however, there are, of course [indiscernible] after the intervention on, cup. everyone is taking some precautions. there are more police. there is a higher police presence on the street. >> the french intervention has the full backing of the u.n. security council, but how do the people in mali feel about it? >> they are extremely grateful for an intervention because it came exactly at the moment when it was needed. they completely support it. for example, when you

well i mean the major factor in this is of course germany's history you know germany traditionally since since the end of world war two has not really rushed into military conflict is really is really important and it has backing in the german population for not doing so and especially this year i'm going to makan is up for reelection in the fall it would be very difficult for her to change the stand so i don't think we'll be seeing any movement in the short term but it really does depend on how the situation in mali developed you think there are political scientists at the free university of berlin thanks for your analysis thanks for having on the show. second time's the charm right while during his inauguration speech in washington president barack obama forcefully laid out the priorities for his second term in office and with the special stress on backing democracy around the world his pledges have already led to concerns of further u.s. involvement in foreign states artie's going to camp explains in his inaugural speech president obama sort of for spawn it to those who have been wond

convenient in one thousand nine hundred five in one nine hundred fifty one nine hundred sixty four in germany to store gold in new york at the new york fed because if they had a trade imbalance with america they would just settle there through the bank or settle it with the u.k. via the bag but now since nine hundred seventy one it's really bad there's no point for them to really store so much gold in the central banks so now they say to this end now that they have all the storage they say it's just a storage plan remember the bundesbank is planning a phased relocation of three hundred tons of gold from new york to frankfurt as well as an additional three hundred seventy four tons from paris to frankfurt by twenty twenty this means they're taking their percentage of their gold held in france to zero and they're reducing their holdings in new york by twenty percent because right now they have fifteen hundred tons there so over the next seven years they can bring forty tons a year back now since two thousand and nine central banks in buying gold reversing a forty year trend and i would expect g

germany and france would stand by one another. the current german and french leaders are hardly united in the struggle for stability of the european currency, but some say that is nothing new. >> there is one thing to take from 50 years since the treaty is that we do make a difference. but this is perhaps not the worst strategy for getting through the current crisis. >> for more, we have our correspondent from the parliamentary studios. franco-german relations have been put to the test over the last year. has it caused by problems to date? >> of course the two have had their cautious over the strategy meant in tackling the eurozone debt crisis. we know that merkel is very fond of talking about universality. the clashes have been stronger between other heads of government between france and germany in the past 30 years. it is so fundamental to the sense of their identity. any clashes will not seriously rock about. >> why not britain or any of the other global powers? >> in fact, he insisted in the treaty there should be a preamble

over defense military matters germany and france not agreeing. from sydney to suing a policy of intervention we've seen not in libya we're also seeing that right now in mali where was germany they have said that they were going to contribute any of their troops in this was backed up by. the finance minister here in germany and a key member of anglo merkel's christian democrat party but he said that germany didn't want to be a major player in foreign policy said going on to say that well after hitler and auschwitz how could they be a major player so there is a difference there between how fronts views its place in the wider world how germany does based on well the two countries relative history so this meeting all smiles and handshakes however they are some deep underlying cracks in the relationship between europe's power couple. berlin based political scientists judy is very clear believes that francois along the thames to counterbalance germany's sturdy push will only prolong europe's agony. well i mean certainly that was something that was very

germany is in 17th place. the united states ranked just 32nd. press freedom is especially in danger in countries like mexico and eritrea, which ranks last. turning our focus to mexico where press freedom groups are demanding more protection for journalists in the central american nation. >> our next report shows the gruesome reality for reporters there since the start of the government's war on drugs in 2006. since then, 67 journalists have been killed, and 14 more have disappeared. >> in july of last year, police recovered the mutilated bodies of three photojournalist from a river in the mexican port city of veracruz. they had taken victims of victims of the drug war currently waging in mexico. the photos sealed their fate. the body of reporter regina martinez was also found in the same state. she was looking into connections between drug cartels and the political world. she was tortured and choked to death. mexican ngo's said 91 journalists have been killed in 12 years. it is impossible to guess how many more reporters have been intimidated or

the netherlands, germany, and the u.s. are each sending two patriot batteries and hundreds of support personnel. nato has given repeated assurances that the missile systems are being used for defense of systems only. member for some analysis, we're joined now in the studio by our middle east expert. why would syria even think about attacking turkey? damascus would certainly have more loose to gain -- more to lose than to gain by attacking a nato ally. >> absolutely. i do not think the regime is considering attacking turkey. that would be suicide. it is one thing to wage war on your own population and another to declare war on nato, which would be the case once syrian missiles land on turkish territory. so far, they have only attacked the area at random with grenades. from a military point of view, this patriot defense system is not really a must, but for political reasons, nato decided to go ahead. >> by comparison, it did not take part in the air campaign in libya. >> the german government has learned from its mistake in

the netherlands, germany, and the u.s. are each sending two patriot batteries and hundreds of support personnel. nato has given repeated assurances that the missile systems are being used for defense of systems only. member for some analysis, we're joined now in the studio by our middle east expert. why would syria even think about attacking turkey? damascus would certainly have more loose to gain -- more to lose than to gain by attacking a nato ally. >> absolutely. i do not think the regime is considering attacking turkey. that would be suicide. it is one thing to wage war on your own population and another to declare war on nato, which would be the case once syrian missiles land on turkish territory. so far, they have only attacked the area at random with grenades. from a military point of view, this patriot defense system is not really a must, but for political reasons, nato decided to go ahead. >> by comparison, it did not take part in the air campaign in libya. >> the german government has learned from its mistake in

domestic consumption has been playing a central role. >> germany's traditional -- traditionally known as a nation of savers, but right now, people love to spend. the labor market is robust, financial markets stable, and many consumers feel it is the right time to make big purchases like a new home. that is according to the latest survey of consumer analyst, gfk. respondents have given the overall economic outlook a big thumbs up. >> expectations for the economy have risen in four of the last five months. it looks like we've reached a turning point. it is safe to assume this trend will remain stable in the future. >> many german workers are expecting their pay to increase this year. that's one reason for the upbeat mood among consumers. that's why many are considering making this year won for the big-ticket purchases. >> well, that consumer confidence data combined with a report out of the united states showing a rebound in the real estate sector prompted investors in europe to buy on tuesday. our correspondent sent us this summary from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the german consu

the u.s., the netherlands, and germany are each providing a two missile batteries. turkey requested aid to defend itself against possible spillover from the civil war in neighboring syria. the u.s. congress has approved just under $10 billion in aid to the victims of superstar sandy. the senate earlier approved a $60 billion package. the speaker of the house of representatives called off a vote on that bill, incurring the anger of fellow republicans in the states hardest hit, new york and new jersey. the young pakistani education activist has been released from a british hospital three months after being shot by the pakistani taliban. she has made a remarkable recovery and reconstructive surgery was scheduled for next month. she was struck by the taliban because of her advocacy for girls' education. we start with ski jumping in sports. an austrian has won the third leg in the four hills tournament. he is looking good to retain his four hills crown prepared heading into the -- his four hills crown. heading into the final round on sunday. >> defended his claim to the

the finance minister here in germany and a key member of angler merkel's christian democrat party but he said that germany didn't want to be a major player in foreign policy said going on to say that well after hitler and auschwitz how could they be a major player so there is a difference there between how france views its place in the wider world and how germany based on well the two countries relative history so this meeting all smiles and handshakes however that there are some deep underlying cracks in the relationship between europe's power couple. well berlin based political scientists to drink their believes that francois along the thames to counterbalance germany's austerity push will only prolong europe's agony. well i mean certainly that was something that was very important for him in his election campaign and it was an important aspect in getting elected and he has had the minor success of having the growth pact to the fiscal pact but you know i think that can and probably are very focused on their authority politics and i don't think it will be an agreement that was before

fight for germany with freedom, the free democrats of germany. we are not just called the free democrats, we are the free democrats. free and independent and holding our heads up high. >> despite their rhetoric, the free democrats know their position is vulnerable today are fighting to stay in state parliament -- is vulnerable. they are fighting to stay in state parliament. >> fears are growing for around 100 missing people after fires in tasmania. firefighters have been battling blazes since friday. dozens of houses have been lost in dunalley, the town hit hardest. extreme heat triggered the fires. while temperatures have cooled off, fire chiefs are warning of more extreme hot weather this week. there have been more riots in the northern irish capital of belfast. police arrested one man on suspicion of attempted murder after shots were fired at officers. last week, a peaceful rally came -- became violent when please came under attack -- when police came under attack. there was a decision by the belfast council to end the century-old tradition of

. >> did germany's education minister plagiarize her phd? her university launches an investigation. talk about putting a cap amongst the pigeons a day after german and french leaders pledged to deepen e u's economic and monetary union. the british prime minister has signaled his country could want out. >> in a very -- delayed speech, david cameron said he wants to renegotiate the terms of britain's membership and the referendum, but not until the end of 2017. >> that has rattled london's biggest allies and some investors. more uncertainty and possible of people are not what they have been wishing for. >> kamen said he'd campaigned for es you vote, saying he had won the decisions he had -- the concessions he had campaigned on. >> the move had long been anticipated at home and across the european union. david cameron laid out his vision of britain's future. it is one that involves major changes and giving the british public a say in what happens. >> when that referendum comes, let me say now that if we can negotiate such an arrangement, i will campaign for it with all my heart and all

>> funded largely by germany, the e.u. and the i.m.f. moved quickly to dole out 110 billion euros in cheap loans to keep greece's economy afloat. soon after came similar bailouts for portugal, ireland and spain. >> the european central bank has started to help. germany and other members of the core have provided through new institutions bailout money to the country distressed. in some cases, like greece, ireland, and portugal, the help has come not only within europe, but also from the international community, the international monetary fund. >> these countries, greece and portugal and spain and italy and even ireland, uh, which for very different reasons no longer were able to manage their national economies without some form of european intervention. and that's where you have a problem, because unless you get the intervention, unless you get the bailout, you can't fix the problem. >> but the bailouts came with a heavy price. german chancellor angela merkel demanded the recipient nations adopt more fiscally responsible policies. >> it h

by taking the wealth of the ants of germany and greece. it means we're going demand a new deal for europe. a european new deal that is going to set the productive abilities of the european confidence in motion to come back poverty and hopelessness -- cut back poverty and hopelessness. last june -- [inaudible] spiked from 4% to 27%. we did not place first. many of you have made -- perhaps heard the propaganda that a dangerously inexperienced party. today i stand here before you ready to answer any of your questions. while at the same time, probably declaring that yes, we are in fact, inexperienced. we are inexperienced in forming shady deals and robber barners. unexperienced in covering up standoff and payoff like the infamous seaman scandal. yes, we are inexperienced. we've never signed any them memorandum that run contrary to the logic of macroeconomics. yes, our thoughts are steady, and so are our hands. above all, they are clean. the last thing i'll tell you, but not my final word, is that my message to this the audience here at brockin

there's a rising feeling here in germany that it's not the germans who were really in charge of their country. the government has taken the sovereign rights of the german people and given them away to bureaucrats in brussels specifically with regards to currency this is a painful injury to the sovereignty of germany the issue is said to be fought out in the e.u.'s second tie is to court this group calling themselves the civil coalition movement want to stop germany's fiscal future being decided by the european central bank particularly how much german cash goes to the eurozone countries and set the prep to democracy because it's no longer the governments who have to make a policy but is the european central bank deciding which policy is paid for over five thousand people back their petition as they look to challenge one of the most common pieces of perceived wisdom in europe that germany is the success story in the eurozone and this is one of the biggest arabs in the whole discussion saying that germany was the one who had the biggest benefits. and there was no other country which had

please stay with us. >> welcome back. >> 2013 is a big election year in germany. chancellor angela merkel is in a strong position to win another four years in power. >> but if her conservative christian democrats come out on top, they will likely be forming a new government without their current liberal ftp coalition partners. on wednesday, merkel held her first cabinet meeting of the new year, and some of the faces seen here may not be around in 2014. although her conservative party has been gaining in the polls, the free democrats are under intense pressure. unless there numbers improve, they could be out of the bundestag after the election. >> with so much at stake and with all the parties gearing up for the battle at the ballot, we bring you this special report on what we can expect in the coming months. >> who will be the next tenant of the german chancellery? the election campaign is gathering pace. eight months remain to win over voters. angela merkel is hoping to lead conservatives to a third term in office. peer steinbrueck wants to unseat her, but the fo

there is no minimum wage in germany. though the current government is thinking of creating one ahead of next year's elections. around 7 million people in germany are working at so-called mini jobs, kerning $530 a month, a relatively paltry amount, less than one-fifth the national average what is worse, the wage gap is widening. a trendy opposition and media accused the government of trying to hide in a recent report on income. >> we have a well-to develop low income sector where people are working in tempore situations. it means they cannot get out of the situation by working -- working in poor situations. >> of the increase in the number of working poor came about after the very reforms that may germany so competitive in europe. a competitive edge paid for in many ways by those who can least afford it. al jazeera cumberland. >> india has made an official protest to neighboring pakistan after two soldiers were killed in kashmir. india's summer and -- summoned but pakistani high commissioner to explain. the army said paki

well there's going to be much pomp and partying in berlin as germany and france celebrate fifty years of post-war friendship but the very do it which was supposed to be at the heart of european unity is proving to have deep divisions on some core issues the eurozone crisis and foreign policy well for more on how why the cracks are between the two powerhouses let's cross live now to peter all over in the german capital so peter what's behind the public show of unity between france in germany. well it's certainly a meeting that's filled with pomp and circumstance but as they celebrate the formal icing of the friendship between former foes what we are seeing though is that they're hoping that the celebration can paper over some of the divisions between europe's power couple of course france and germany the two major economies well the two biggest voices in europe really however angle of merkel the german chancellor and. the french president don't exactly see eye to eye on everything and this isn't the type of relationship that angle of merkel enjoyed with nicolas sarkozy where they would

the finance minister here in germany and a key member of angler merkel's christian democrat party when he said that germany didn't want to be a major player in foreign policy said going on to say that well after hitler and auschwitz how could they be a major player so there is a difference there between how france views its place in the wider world and how germany does based on well the two countries relative history so this meeting all smiles and handshakes however that there are some deep underlying cracks in the relationship between europe's power couple. peter oliver and berlin will max out as a business professor at an independent investment fund manager he told me he's never had any illusions about relations between paris and berlin basically it's really some of the same have seen for so trees i mean france has had a policy of basically keeping germany down for since louis the fourteenth and of course of the twentieth century you saw i mean if you put this in a fright wider framework it doesn't surprise that the. frictions and also little fissures and of course the economic stren

and germany prepared to stand up for the money is the central bank plans to centralize control of members cash to send it to troubled states. international news and comment online on screen around the world this is. they promise to tout his square and it's not looking too far from it has been used in warning shots again being heard outside pakistan's parliament with thousands of demanding immediate and sweeping changes leading them as a charismatic and enigmatic cleric is said to be a favorite of the military among his and his followers demands are calls for broader government reform and a harsh crackdown on corruption in apparent effort to mollify the demonstrators by the supreme court has ordered the arrest of the prime minister who is caught up in a bribery scandal correspondent has more now from islamabad. we are standing here in a very crucial point actually it is called the famous disk where or with the local language where dr qadri and his protesters are gathered and demanded the government to step down. and he has added to that the seven demands which briefly sais that the all par

germany may soon bring its foreign gold reserves home caving into the years of public pressure the move could help restore confidence domestically but the timing could hardly be coincidental just weeks before the united states hits the so-called debt ceiling the failure to lift it higher threatens the stability of the world's largest economy our correspondent in germany peter all of our has all the details. well just a couple of months after the bundesbank told us that the vast majority of german gold reserves being placed abroad was in the best interest of everyone it seems they're bringing a huge chunk of it back home here to germany now by twenty twenty almost seven hundred tons of german gold reserves will be brought into the vaults of the banks in frankfurt now that gold is being taken out of paris and out of new york where it has been stationed along with the gold it's also in london now all of the gold that had been placed in paris will be taken out and brought the frankfurt and a huge portion of what is a in new york as well right now now the reasons are being given for this is

the finance minister here in germany and a key member of anglo merkel's christian democrat party when he said that germany didn't want to be a major player in foreign policy said going on to say that well after hitler and auschwitz how could they be a major player so there is a difference there between how france views its place in the wider world and how germany based on well the two countries relative history so this meeting all smiles and handshakes however that there are some deep underlying cracks in the relationship between europe's power couple. well microsoft's a business professional independent investment fund manager joining me live on the line at the scotts the legacy of the prospects of the future relations between berlin and paris by their acts good to see you do you share the skepticism when it comes to franco german relations then what's your thoughts on it well it's been an on off thing for a decade aids but basically it's really some of the same thing have seen for certain trees i mean france has had a policy of basically keeping germany down for since louis the four

also rising concern here in germany over the state of the french economy the german people and german finance is looking to shoulder thinking well we don't want to get caught up to cold if you'll recall and he sneezes it was a expected that the french economy went into recession at the end of twenty twelve hours also when it comes to matters of defense military might is germany and france not agreeing that friend certainly pursuing a policy of intervention we've seen not in libya we're also seeing that right now in mali where is germany they have said that they were going to contribute any of their troops and it was backed up by. the finance minister here in germany and a key member of a christian democrat party when he said that germany didn't want to be a major player in foreign policy said going on to say that well after hitler and auschwitz how could they be a major player so there is a difference there between how france views its place in the wider world and how germany does based on well the two countries relative history so this meeting all smiles and handshakes however that t

senator, who served as ambassador to germany. could you comment on germany's role in the world today. arguably given their financial and economic strength, could they be doing a lot more, even in the military sphere? the second world were 70 years behind us. could you give us your view on germany's role today? >> i could. there's somewhat of a myth that are about this german economic machine. compared to the rest of europe, it looks terrific. when you look at gdp growth, 0.4%, they get to 1% and call it a holiday that celebrates. >> we did enjoy the holidays of the affair. >> it's really a wonderful place to serve because you can sit in a cafÉ and drink coffee and talk. germans love to talk you are talking about whatever problem there is, let's have some dialogue about that. so germany isn't in the position that projects itself to be. i think it has a reputation and obviously producing magnificent machines and cards and the germans do that, they do it right. but with some failing economies are weak economies that heavily depend