germany. thank you very much. >> the pre-election polls say that is unlikely to happen, but steinbrueck is convinced that a high turnout could swing the vote in his favor. the race is far from over. >> for some analysis now, we are joined by our political correspondent. why are so many voters telling us that they are undecided? have the candidates and parties failed to inspire? >> i suppose it could be that and -- that in part, but it is a remarkable number, 30% still undecided. it's not unusual in germany. a lot of people tend to leave it to the last minute to make up their mind how they are going to vote if they go to the polling stations at all. voter turnout in general elections has been all in for decades in germany. -- falling for decades in germany. one thing to say is that the conservatives, many of their natural supporters feel they have moved away from their core positions, and they do not feel represented i those big parties anymore. another thing is, of course, economies often deci

it is a product made in germany. some taiwanese businessmen had a great idea and are selling it here in taiwan. how can you sell china oil made in germany to taiwanese, for very high prices -- that is an interesting story. i met him, and he introduced me to his company. every german walking around taipei will notice this, notice these shops and not really know what to make of them. explain this to them, make them understand. >> okay. other than the controversy last year surrounding the bubble tea, if you look at the bilateral relations between germany and taiwan, a lot of things are happening. there is a lot of activities going on. we look at the number of mercedes-benz and bmw's in taiwan. there's a lot of business opportunity here. in your personal opinion, what is your assessment of the bilateral relations? >> relations between taiwan and germany are pretty well- developed. germany has three official or semi-official offices in taiwan. the political office, the economic office, the cultural office. they all operat

policy in germany in recent months. do politicians in washington expect that to continue up acting u.s.-germany relations after this election? >> i tell you what -- politicians in this country expect that to affect their own relations right here in washington, d.c. we are not done with that issue over here. looking at the way the germans have been upset about this or, for that matter, brazil or any other country you want to pick, it is probably less of immediate importance than straightening out what our own situation is with the nsa right here and our own country. >> thank you very much. later in this program, we will be looking at the role foreign policy is playing in this year's election. if you want to find out more about german elections, check out our website, dw.de/ germanelections. captain ashton has condemned the killing of a u.s. customs officer in kosovo -- catherine ashton. >> the shooting happened at a checkpoint on the border with serbia. two vehicles came under fire from unknown attackers during a shift c

would you have driven germany down into the ground and occupied germany? and, there wasn't the will to do that in 1918. i mean they'd already lost so many soldiers. the idea of going in and fighting door-to-door in germany was not something that appealed so, if you don't drive germany down into the ground, you leave a very strong germany at the heart of europe. how do you deal with it? and, it was a problem but i'm not sure that anyone knew how to deal with it, including the germans themselves, and it seemed to me also to say that something that happened in 1919 is responsible for something that happens 20 years later. well, what about all the people in between and their decisions and their failures? i mean you have to look at that as well. c-span: i thought i wrote the figures down but the reparations issues throughout your book too, whether or not germany was going to have to pay a lot of these countries back. >> guest: yes. c-span: do you remember what the total figure would have been? >> guest: the total figure that was asked from germany in the end wa

than in western germany. so far, far right german parties have never really fared well, have never gone the distance. i think there is the cdu and angela merkel. it has moved closer to the middle ground and she covers that middle ground really well. they did not lose a lot of voters to the ifd. the sdp did bleed out. you could say the only strong statement that angela merkel made is that you could draw from her speech that there is no space for anti-europe skeptics. within the sdu and that is a line she did draw today. she did not draw the line to do script -- stir up the discussion. she said there isfor that. -- no space for that. it will ebb down. they're too busy with their internal contradictions. >> we have seen how the debate over germany's place in europe is shaping up. part of the key of merkel's success is her domestic policies. even the social government of -- socialist government of france has looked at their model. there is a flipside treated for all those temperatures who do not have the national

historically germany was happy to take a backseat. now germany is at the center of the game. what happens in germany matters to the rest of europe. for europeans it depends on who her coalition partner will be. she is not sure she can renew her coalition with the liberals. if that happens, i think we can expect more of the same. if angela merkel is in a position to perform -- form a coalition, i think we will see differences. during the campaign, they have been calling for more solidarity towards the rest of europe. they want the introduction of the national minimum wage in germany something that does not exist at this stage. that could change things. they will want to have secured the finance ministry. if you have a social democratic finance minister at meetings, it will be a different tone. do not expect a complete change. we are still talking about germany. germans are very proud of their system and believe the german recipe should work for the rest of europe. there is a new party in the campaign the alternative for germany. it is an anti-euro party. if they make it to par

first up, it germany. europeans are watching closely as 62 million germans went to the polls a few days ago. evil across the continent from sweden to spain are well aware that the outcome of the elections in the eu's largest economy is going to have implications on their lives as well. whether they like it or not, angela merkel is keeping her job as german chancellor. >> a triumph. angela merkel has one of -- has won the biggest victory of her political career. congratulations from all over the world. she is a pinnacle of power in germany and europe. a year ago she was the object of harsh criticism. greek newspapers debt of old stereotypes and all over germany old fears of germany emerged. >> suddenly europe is speaking german. >> the chancellor becomes the dominant figure. germany's southern neighbors are wishing they could vote. they would like to see the social democrats in power or at least junior partners in a grand coalition to tone down angela merkel's demand for austerity. >> the savings measures d

the backlash in germany was too great. many savers feared they would be liable for bank failures in other countries. but with the parliamentarians and the ecb now said to give the green light, he was bullish. >> the facts tell us that our efforts have started to convince . countries are paying less to borrow. industrial output is increasing. market trust is returning. >> but some parliamentarians did not share his rosy assessment. >> austerity is undermining solidarity between states and also between citizens. >> what we see is the second phase in this process. a long period of economic salvation. >> he says the banking union will be an important factor. >> let's get a check of what has been moving the markets. this summary from the frankfurt stock exchange of what was on investors minds on wednesday. >> the upswing of the stock market has softened somewhat, but this is not a big surprise, if we look at where stock prices have climbed again. the dax is not far away from its all-time high, and the ndax has reached an all-ti

to the right along with germany. and that's really some of the most amazing information you could possibly receive because it gives you a good insight into what's going to happen in the middle east. now, our booklets will explain this to you. i'll give you our booklets that will explain it to you. our trumpet magazine will give you information on this all the time, every month we'll be giving you information about this, and you can keep up to date, and you can know all about the news in the world in advance! because bible prophecy will give you that insight and that vision. but god is using all of these nations to fulfill his plan. but you're going to see some terrible things begin to happen in this world because there are going to be all kinds of crises, and that's going to make people panicky and desperate, and they're going to do desperate things. so let me just read you something here about what's going on right now, that you don't read much about in the world. "kuwait-the kuwaiti emir...toured europe in late apr

germany also has more hospital beds. so, again, more people can be looked at if there is a natural disaster. >> the new report weighs out the potential damage that natural disasters could cause in 173 countries. it found that pacific islands and parts of africa and central america face the biggest risks. >> countries can work on many things to minimize their vulnerability and the associated risk. >> they include the political situation, health care provisions, and drinking water supply. small changes, the report's authors say, can often have a big impact. >> let's shift to some good news. the print book is not dead. >> the popularity of you readers -- of e-readers has grown in recent years, leading many to fear that the old, bind the paper could be on the endangered list. >> but it is far from gone. case in point, brazil. >> half of the population is made up of book readers. some of them will be among the 600,000 visitors at the book i annual -- the book biennial in rio de janeiro. >> it is one of the most famous booksto

what are arab countries looking for from germany? >> well, the foreign had already made very strong statements on what happened in egypt, the recent military intervention against the former president. it was seen as an involvement in the domestic politics, but it was not actually seen as a major shift. it would not be really stopping at the talking. they might talk slightly different. in the end, it would not be seen as a very influential shift or change in the strategy of germany towards the arab world. >> you mentioned the foreign minister today. the german government believes that it was damascus that was responsible for the chemical attack in syria. will that be seen as a shift in german policy? >> german policy in the area had been mostly blurred, like there was no clear-cut standpoint in terms of the most vital issues. in terms of the palestinians, topics that struggled and in terms of the developments in the arab spring. the recent standpoint on the chemical attacks would be seen as a shift. >> thank you very much for joining

will germany become the 23rd? that question could help decide the outcome of september election. -- september's election. >> i traveled to the western part of germany to the city of bonn to meet alexander -- of the fdp. you are a member of the liberal free democrats -- the coalition number. >> boonn is a lovely city. not a big city but are used to be the capital of west germany before it was united. it has taken a very positive development. we were quite afraid what the government moving out -- >> you were quite afraid when the government moved out you would become a backwater. >> by privatizing the postal and telecom ministries and turning them into private companies, we now have t-mobile come a deutsche telekom, and deutsche post which of the world's largest express mail supplier and we have the smaller and medium-sized enterprises and we have a large university. >> if she wins this election, angela merkel made it clear she would like to renew a coalition with your party, the so-called black-yellow coalition. to

could the elderly be germany's ?ext major export they want to help german seniors find places in polish nursing homes. >> we are here for the first time. we will be visiting the homes over the next few days. >> ingrid wants to test out her nursing home. >> i will be flying to: tomorrow to visit rest homes -- visit rest homes. >i have to know where to go when i'm ready. >> the 74-year-old is well-off and owns her own apartment, but it means she will have to pay much of her old age care herself. not just any, it is possibility, but reality. when i need full-time care, i will lose my home. >> after every back operation, ingrid received months of in- house help. years, she fears she will need permanent assisted living. she's looking for a nursing home the won't cost a fortune, and she doesn't mind where it is. >> it doesn't matter for me. if the people their treatment well, poland is as good as germany. >> ingrid worked as a freelance translator, and earned good money. now she is learning her eighth .oreign language, pol

as well in germany we have something called debt break. so we are obeying to the rules and so she wants the others, as well, to obey to the rules. that is probably the biggest montra she has. we are helping, but they have to do something, as well. it's not unconditional love. take a listen. >> translator: solidarity and individual responsibility of the effective countries. ask for service in return, tw sides of the same coin. no euro bonds, no collective thinking funds. instead, everyone mutt do their own homework so all of us in europe end up strong in the end. >> so it's pretty difficult, really, if the key blocks make the gains that are predicted in the polls. it's difficult to see it having a great deal of impact on the euro at some point or on how quickly or otherwise germany might be willing to allow a bond buying program or other ways of assisting these indebted peripheral nations. >> and don't forget at least the german government is really having a party about these numbers we're getting from the periphery that growth is coming ba

could the elderly be germany's next major export? they want to help german seniors find places in polish nursing homes. >> we are here for the first time. we will be visiting the first homes over the next few days. >> ingrid wants to test out her nursing home. >> i will be flying poland tomorrow to visit rest homes. i have to know where to go when i'm ready. >> the 74-year-old is well-off and owns her own apartment, but it means she will have to pay much of her old age care herself. >> in germany, it is not just a possibility, but reality. when i need full-time care, i will lose my home. >> after every back operation, ingrid received months of in- house help. in the next few years, she fears she will need permanent assisted living. she's looking for a nursing home the won't cost a fortune, and she doesn't mind where it is. >> it doesn't matter for me. if the people there treat me well, poland is as good as germany. >> ingrid worked as a freelance translator, and earned good money. now she is learning her eighth foreign language, poli

and germany and the u.s.a. and that is a more bilateralist approach. >> thank you very much for being here. >> thank you. >> let's send it back to you, ross. >> as a thanks for that. the latest on the german elections. if you've just joined us state side this morning, this is where we stand with u.s. futures right now. we are a little bit higher for the s&p 500. two points above fair value. the dow jones up half a percent last week, the s&p up. we were up at fresh record highs during the week. right now two hours into the trading day in europe, the ftse up after being .2% last week, currently down .2%. xetra dax absolutely flat. on bull markets, treasury yields still around 2.73% is the yield. gilts yields a little bit higher. and on the currency markets, euro dollar has been up. still with the 135 handle. 1.7560 post the fed yesterday. dollar yen just below 99. remember, hit 9776 the three-week low dollar. >>> now we've had eurozone data today which showed a pick up in the composite pmi 52.1. china's factory w

atthat was richard walker the alternatives for germany headquarters. we were talking about the afd in the run-up to this election, and how it was the wild card. we didn't think we would get quite this close. it lived up to its reputation as the wildcard in our discussion. what did they tap into? what is this party done to get it success? >> it is only been in the past week that it has looked like they could make it into the bundestag. at the moment they are not over that threshold they would need to cross in order to get in. it's very close indeed. basically, the euro was not much discussed in the election campaign, but it has been the topic of the past four years. we have seen a huge amount of consensus between the christian democrats, the governing party, and the opposition parties like the social democrats and greens who voted repeatedly for the government's policies on the , namely to impose austerity policies in southern european countries. to provide time, bailouts through the european stability mechanism. the afd opposes that. they wanted open d

voting is in full swing in germany's parliamentary election against a groundswell of anger over a government conclusion in america's spying and the country's a staunch support for its heavily indebted european neighbors. rampaging mobs greenford chances in greece where the killing of a prominent anti russians has sparked aprile while thousands marched in a national strike against endless of stary see. the latest news on the week's top stories we're watching the week we'll announce he with me us from our thanks for joining us western states are eager to gain a loophole for unilateral action against syria and don't care one bit about peaceful efforts to resolve the sewer in conflicts that's the impression the russian foreign minister says he's gained after several weeks of a diplomatic mother and son to avoid possible strikes against the waterhole state. as the details for us. you have to understand that just two weeks ago it looked like the u.s. strike on syria was imminent then the hope of a diplomatic solution of the syrian crisis started to show you through and now we're looking at another

and in the long term foster growth for germany ok what about economics beyond germany and the neighbors there for example the debt ridden states like greece and spain i mean she has in many ways been totally and utterly congratulated acknowledge for saving these debt ridden countries for near disaster she saved them so far and yet she's so in popular in those countries at the moment why is that. i would actually say that she did not save these countries from disaster merkel has one exit when she does european policy she puts the eurozone and europe on two sides of the same equation that means. the merkel government spends huge amounts of money and invest a lot of political power in keeping the eurozone together but actually look let's look what happened the last three and a half years since we have the eurozone crisis use unemployment in greece is about fifty percent that means that every one out of two young people it does not have a job. the depth of these countries is increasing increasing even with having debt cuts or haircuts these countries cannot structurally recover the economic

germany. with me now live for some analysis on sunday's election is business and government consultant chris to her stop this to her still welcome to r.t. it's good to see your looks very likely that angela merkel's party big christian democrats will win will be voted back again but what about her party's coalition is that on solid ground not at all the coalition is in great danger. very close race and it is quite possible that the left is. exactly as strong as the coalition i would heard a lot about voter apathy in the build up to the election don't people think it's important please tell us more about people's attitude that. you see people in germany by a large numbers very frustrated so frustrated that all the media are coming out these days with you know please take part in the elections daughter who go to vote don't stay at home the government is very clearly afraid the whole system in germany is afraid that more than fifty percent of the germans could epstein and that would be a very bad

voting is in full swing in germany's parliamentary election against a groundswell of anger over government and american spying on the country's a staunch supporter for its heavily indebted to european neighbors. rampaging mobs scream for justice in greece where the killing of a prominent county function has sparked an uproar while thousands marched in a national strike against and listen spirity. this is the whoopie on r c hello and welcome to the program. western states are eager to gain a loophole for you know actual action against syria and don't care enough about peaceful efforts to resolve the syrian conflict that's the impression the russian foreign minister has gained after several weeks of a diplomatic marfan to avoid possible strikes against the water state. joins me now live from central moscow hi there reno so we're hearing some harsh words from the russian foreign minister so what's behind this disappointment well of course you have to understand that it's the two weeks of first initially being under severe pressure two weeks ago it seemed like the united states are ready to es

spying scandal now cross germany we've seen demonstrations here in berlin as as well. people wanting answers from the german government germany was one of the main countries that was spied on by the the n.s.a. is part of their prism program no answers were forthcoming from either angle or merkel or her main challenger in this election campaign. of the social democrats particularly touched on in the lead up also the current financial situation for germans has been an increase in the amount of people in the country that would be regarded as working poor. put forward a minimum wage that he wanted to see imposed that was knocked back by angela merkel saying it just wouldn't work now to get into the german parliament any party just needs five percent of the vote in the past this is a lot smaller parties to get a foothold within german politics one party that it seems may get across that threshold and could have potentially huge influence when it comes to forming future coalitions alternative for deutschland alternative for germany or a euro skeptic party an anti euro party

should here in germany. where do governments draw the line when it comes to keeping the dissidents under control night turns out for the bahamian bodies' children are fair game on our website we tell you how young people are getting on the wrong side of the regime. also online over the past month we've been receiving frequent alarming updates from japan's crippled fukushima nuclear power plant and now mother nature could be about to make matters even worse the details at our tea dot com. right to see. her story. and i think the true. on our reporters were very. instrumental. in the. and other international news of this hour in greece teachers and school guards have launched a five day strike action day stage spending cuts some of the demonstrators were targeted with tear gas as they try to approach a government building and going public sector layoffs i am dead meeting bailout conditions imposed by foreign creditors the rallies come ahead of an inspection later this month why officials from the european comm

germany has also a lot of it wanted us from the euro in our exports and so forth so i think still to populate although days. and some problems in the mood of the popular bailout it also seems but there is still support here in germany and online for you from r.t.e. is it a bird is it a plane no it's a drone actually it had to our website how the arms industry is creating a new generation of under manned aircraft that look like some of our feathered flying friends plus. it appears paris could witness a once in a century disaster in the world famous louve gallery and the home of the mona lisa is moving scores of masterpieces into storage find out what's behind the concerns of log on to our to dot com. tourism is a booming industry in israel but travelers to the holy land could return with some unpleasant stories especially if they're women as artie's policy or reports when it comes to cultural differences the ladies are not quite prepared for the not so gentlemanly behavior of some of the local males. the middle east is known for many things it's had more than its fair share of war and

germany has also a lot of it wanted us from the euro in our exports and so forth so i think it's still to properly although days. and some problems in the mood of the popular bailout it also seems by the use of support here in germany online for you from our team is that a bird is a plane oh well no it's a drone at our web site to see how the arms industry is creating a new generation of unmanned aircraft that look like some of our feathered of flying friends plus. made of fears that paris could witness a once in a century disaster the world famous louvre gallery home of the mona lisa is moving scores of masterpieces into storage and find out what's behind the concerns was on the r.v. dot com. tourism is a booming industry in israel but travelers to the holy land could return with some unpleasant stories especially if they're women as artie's policy or reports when it comes to cultural differences in the ladies are not quite prepared for the not so gentlemanly behavior of some of the local males. the middle east is known for many things it's had more than its fair share of war and terr

, they needed a balance between west germany in this new united germany. she is a woman so he gave her a cabinet post in the first unification cabinet basically that was her spring board. >> rose: you said this is a relationship forged in crises. >> we mean the european debt crises which dominated her second term which started for four years now. and i think the point of that is that she along with the rest of europe faced unprecedented situation that really put created europe, as we know it, into jeopardy. >> rose: but most people i know and we've done a lot of programs about the subject of what's happening to the euro zone believe that she favors austerity and believes that germany will be called on to rescue, and it has time after time. but she does not want to do it until she's pushed to at the last moment. but that's her modus operandi. >> the internal workings of that are she's also very deliberative and she likes to weigh her options and i think we explain a bit and she says this herself it's due to the fact she's not a politician by, you know, prof

many hospitals in germany are struggling with too many empty beds. a study suggests every fourth clinic is threatened with bankruptcy. private clinics, however, have been gaining ground. in general, only privately owned hospitals are able to generate a good income. the number of nonprofit hospitals such as those run by churches, has decreased significantly over the past 10 years, and public hospitals are particularly hard hit with their number falling to less than 1/3 of the total. after numerous acquisitions over the years, it has grown into a global health-care company and now looks set to strengthen its position in germany. >> shareholders in germany's largest cable tv provider have approved a deal that should see mobile phone giant vodafone by the company. >> the 7.7 billion euro acquisition would allow the company to offer a combination of tv, internet, mobile phone, and landline services in germany. only one obstacle now stands in the way -- european union regulators still have to give the sale a green light. conrad, lots of deals today. what d

polls open in germany's parliamentary election which except to see chancellor merkel securing a said time but growing social and economic difficulties and leave many is illusion . and this dream is part of that balance greece awaits the outcome we're getting now decisions made in berlin will echo in the country where there is growing anger and this severe austerity measures. the latest news on the week's top stories you're watching the wiki on l.c. with me and we'll start with breaking news this hour on the u.s. is threatening but the international chemical watchdog will stop its work on sea whereas weapons harmed if moscow does not support a small school resolution on syria russia's foreign minister made the comments in his latest interview let's now get more details from reno going to join us now live from moscow irina hi there so what's how's it sergei lavrov had to say about this matter. well basically the russian foreign minister has resisted some of the points that russia has made before but there have been some new bits as well for example at this point the russian foreign min

germany. well the pontiff next. sometimes it seems like in the face of giant corporations people are just sort of helpless i could be pretty pessimistic myself about what a few individuals with no real money or power can really do against the system but you never dull in fact if you remember tour discussion about ammonia doused pink slime being used across america and frozen fast foods well shift jamie oliver has actually managed to shame mcdonald's enough on t.v. to get them to back down and stop using this ultra processed form of quote meat at their establishments also we recently discussed gamer rage at the rather racist portrayal of russians in the game company of heroes two well all the rage actually worked and thanks to the seventeen thousand signatures on the change dot org petition that game has been pulled from russian shelves by the developer the thing is that massive corporations do a lot of bad things because they have no morals and are obsessed with profit but because they have no morals and are only ob

angela merkel has declared germany's election. and mobs cream for justice in greece where the killing of a prominent anti-fascist sparked uproar as thousands march in a national strike against endless austerity. the top stories and latest developments. this be is the weekly here on rt. western states are eager to gain a loophole for unilateral action against syria and don't care enough about peaceful efforts to resolve the syrian conflict. well, that's the impression the russian foreign minister says he's gained after several weeks of a diplomatic effort to avoid strikes. >> two weeks ago it seemed like the united states are ready to essentially strike syria. then they seemed to ease up a bit and now again russia seems to be facing some sort of animosity especially ahead of the u.n. general assembly meetings to take place next week. russia's channel 1 showed lavrov making some of president points he's made before but about the harsh manner in which the west is approaching the syrian crisis the >> our american partners are starting

elections, but they want to raise the taxes on germany's higher wage earners. that was very unpopular, and voters punished them for it. now, angela merkel's finance minister says perhaps conservatives would be prepared to agree to higher taxes if that was the condition for the social democrats forming a grand coalition. that's very unpopular in germany, and what i think it is, really, is a shot being fired over the social democrats, saying to them, "if you insist on raising taxes, we will make it clear to the voters that it was you who was insisting on it, and they will punish you at the next elections." >> as germany waits to see the outcome of its talks over possible coalitions, neighboring austria is preparing to vote for a new government the sunday. >> that's right. many polls suggest the ruling party will win just enough votes for a new term, but there are serious competition from austria's far right freedom party, which draws on fears of new eurozone bailouts and voter unease over immigration. >> the picturesque town, a conservative heartland. in the dist

there's been quite a bit of flooding in germany in 2013. and they are also concerned about growing old, taking care of themselves when they get old. at a concern and reflected democratic -- demographic shift. what is interesting is what it tells us about how anxieties are shifting. we have one particular indicator that i want to mention, and that is -- are you concerned about your politicians being over challenged? there, we see a 10-percentage- point drop. we do not know why, but it is there. >> is it possible to say that germans are overall loosening up a bit? are they getting less anxious about life? >> overall, we have actually seen a one-percentage-point rise in the overall angst and dekes. people are slightly more concerned but less concerned about certain things. for example, the rising cost of living -- we have seen a slight drop there. we have seen a slight drop in concerns about the overall situation. we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but we have to look at the overall perspective. over 20 years, germans have fewer yea

is now finished in germany parliamentary election expecting the exit polls to come through any moment now so stay with us for the early results and analysis. rampaging mobs scream for justice in greece where the killing of a prominent fascist. and a national strike against. austerity. in the back of the past seven days top stories and the latest developments this is the weekly. western states eager to gain a loophole for unilateral action against syria and don't care enough about peaceful efforts to resolve the syrian conflict well that's the impression the russian foreign minister says he has gained after several weeks of a diplomatic marathon to avoid possible strikes against the war torn state. has the details. two weeks ago it seemed like the united states are ready to essentially strike syria then it looks like things are going to ease up just a bit and now again russia seems to be facing some sort of alley masi especially head of the un general assembly which is to take place in new york next week so the russian foreign minister in an interview to russia's channel one has used t

germany. as germany's politico heavyweights make their final pitch for their seats in parliament a brand new force is making serious political inroads but really hard to get since its creation the alternative for germany party is already close to having a presence in the bundestag and a recent poll suggests the euro skeptic party could win five percent of the both in sunday's election which is just enough to get in and let's not talk to one of the parties members dr kristen schmidt is deputy head of the berlin branch dr shrader welcome to r.t. is good to have you with us so it looks like it's so major success for a party there's just been found what does it mean do you see this as a sign of growing frustration discontent with the current mainstream policies. i believe that the fact that the euro is not working the way it was supposed to from the beginning is finally making headway with and some of the voters who look beyond today's difficulties what you have just we sided and look to the long

party and the greens another party though that could make quite a bit of difference is alternative for germany the f.t. of tentative for deutschland are a new party when it comes to to german politics their euro skeptic party and anti your own party and as it stands they looking like they just got a fall short of being part of the coalition but if they get it being part of the pollen to make it hard if they do get in there. they can make quite a bit of difference though they are vehemently opposed to a lot of the policies being put forward by angela merkel is very interesting what everybody is looking towards is who will be in charge of germany after these elections angela merkel has got has taken us to say the lion share of the votes it would be the first time since one thousand nine hundred fifty seven that a party had ruled unilaterally without a coalition there a very fond of a coalition here in germany i mentioned alternative for toys and if they were to

that germany's political new kids on the block but it does seem that alternative for germany will have a key role to play in shaping what the country does politically over the next few years now the most recent polls ahead of the elections next sunday suggests that alternative germany will be taking a good four percent it's expected they'll take far more from not when germans actually get in to the voting at the polling stations now five percent is what you need to take a seat in the bundestag and it seems alternatively germany will do just that a euro skeptic party they are anti euro and their party leader has been outlining exactly what he wants to do when just when alternative for germany gets into the bundestag well you know that but you're a skeptical skeptical of the efforts to find currency and that we have a number of other issues like for instance our energy policy or like the ability of our social security system something to be sure. great if you need you to ration you any time you show up if you change everything so he's not going to be just because you will the next four y

polls open in germany's parliamentary election which looks just looks set to see chancellor merkel securing a third term but growing social and economic difficulties leave many disillusioned . and as germans cast their ballots greece awaits the outcome we'll look at how the decisions made in berlin will echo in athens. you're watching our team live from our moscow studios i'm lindsey france thank you for joining me syria has fulfilled one of its key obligations and part of a chemical disarmament plan handing over a list of its toxic stockpiles to the international watchdog the deadline set in a russia u.s. deal hammered out last saturday was also met this apparently surprised american officials with some saying the inventory was more complete than they expected but despite serious compliance so far not everything has been smooth on the diplomatic front this week r.t. is amiss and now he has the details. as chaos and violence continue in syria so does the diplomatic battle surrounding the conflict this week a un investigation concluded chemical weapons were used on august the twenty first th

but not with enough votes for her party to rule on its own how many in europe appear frustrated with germany's choice. and we're saw in iran's leader readies for the un general assembly pushing to ease economic sanctions that appear to hit the weakest part of the iranian society. you're watching our team live from moscow i'm going to france thanks for joining me . russia's foreign minister believes that western states are undermining its efforts for a peaceful resolution to the syrian conflict after weeks of diplomatic talks to avoid military action in the war torn state sergey lavrov says that the u.s. and its allies are simply looking for a pretext for a military strike in syria artie's guyana to come and has more details the u.s. says they will stop the work toward securing syria's chemical weapons if russia does not sign off on a u.n. security council resolution based on chapter seven that would allow use of force so you are upset this is not something that he and u.s. secretary of state john kerry agreed on in geneva the russian foreign minister said instead of using this agreement broker

number that most not the banks but i think germany has benefited most from the euro zone that's why i see the u.s. come painting on staying within the euro zone and that's why merkel has forty percent of the approval rate because germany is thriving germany exports all over europe and they are have a disability interest in having a stable currency zone. to london to brussels i can only say that he is looking at the completely wrong end of the stick simple is that the euro was a political project it never had any financial standing. and he is supporting a political decision not the economy and germany is has vowed to cover twenty six percent roughly a quarter of the bailout money that is going to greece now we're looking at two hundred fourteen billion that means german taxpayers in the end will have to pay for sixty billion euros this money is badly needed in germany our infrastructure is suffering the railway system needs. investment so does the famed out to bonn and the industry. i think mr the greek colleague is only rooke looking at this one side of the coin and not seeing and not

proof or persuasion germany reportedly says it too has phone intercepts suggesting the syrian government ordered the use of chemical weapons last month out of desperation. and while critics accuse germany of just trying to back america's push for war against syria we report from damascus on just how worried people are at the prospect of u.s. strikes. there's still no plan on what to do with america's most infamous jail in afghanistan a facility so dark that former detainees say guantanamo is a holiday camp compared to bob. and shouting to be heard a london street performer with a booming voice and an eye for controversy put up a megaphone ripped from his hands by the authorities. you're watching our t.v. live from moscow i'm lindsey france berlin has joined to the clamor to convince the world that it was syria's president who ordered a chemical weapons attack outside damascus last month german media reports suggest the country's spies have intercepted calls and communications which points directly at the syrian leadership artie's peter all of our reports on the evidence. what we've seen

polls are about to open in germany's parliamentary election which looks set to see chancellor merkel securing a third term a growing social and economic difficulties leave many disillusioned. and as germans cast their ballots greece awaits the outcome we'll look at the just how the decisions made in berlin will echo in athens. you're watching our t.v. live from our studios in moscow and thanks for joining me. syria has fulfilled one of its key obligations as part of a chemical disarmament plan handing over a list of its talk six stockpiles to the international watchdog the deadline said today russia u.s. deal hammered out last saturday was also met this apparently surprised american officials with some saying the inventory was more complete than they expected but despite serious compliance so far not everything has been smooth on the diplomatic front this week or to use a missile now has the details. as chaos and violence continue in syria so does the diplomatic battle surrounding the conflict this week a un investigation concluded chemical weapons were used on august the twenty firs

here in germany. we have some breaking news now out from syria russia's deputy foreign minister is in damascus amid reports that the soon government gave it is crucial information about the use of chemical weapons in the country our correspondent for national reports by phone now from damascus the russian deputy foreign minister the he went for a militant today here in damascus and that is yet another meeting of the country's department and the last week of course to make a deal russia connecticut agreed on tuesday to go in geneva accord and to reach. the shore you remove the chemical weapons by me two thousand and fourteen and the fourth and over a full recovery within a week and of that meeting we think that the jews are closing down in detail exactly how in a loop or two or even well written on the gear we who would want to see went forward minute that period had biled and prove that it will have been more used in iraq by the minute and that information was planted or we. don't know the details of.

russia is germany's main energy supplier. germany is russia's second biggest trading partner. but german concerns are growing. violence against homosexuals have long been a source of tension. former chancellor gearhart schroeder once described putin as a flawless democrat, a label few would use today. >> russia is on the way to becoming flawlessly despotic. anyone who criminalizes gays and lesbians simply for who they are and because they don't hide it is violating the most fundamental of human rights. >> the tough sentences against the russian punk band pussy riot also drew hardinge criticisms -- harsh criticisms from germany. >> i think it is vital that we keep the door open to countries whose democracy and parliamentary system is still in a different phase, or whose democratic freedoms are not quite there yet. everything else only serves to escalate the problem and cause tensions. >> a new government under the spd would perhaps seek a softer tone with russia, but would moscow be a reliable partner? relations are likely to remain difficult as long as putin continues to value