It could be a major step in the search for middle east peace. The u. S. Secretary of state, john kerry, says israel and the palestinians are preparing to be launched direct peace talks after ayear stalemate. John kerry has been holding talks and says the two sides have reached an agreement forming the basis for talks. He said syrian negotiators would like to meet in washington within a week. For more on the latest development, we are joined by our correspondent in jerusalem. What has led to this breakthrough . Neither side was particularly optimistic on thursday. Thats right, but we do not know the details of this agreement. The American Foreign secretary has made it clear tonight in his statement that the agreement to start direct negotiations is still being formalized, but of course, there are those sticking points. Will there be any preconditions like the settlement questions or the settlement freeze . The current Israeli Government has been very clear about wanting to base negotiations on the 1967 borders, so we still need to know these details, and it will be interesting to see them emerge, most likely during the initial talks that will be heard in washington next week, as was announced tonight. What have both sides got to gain or lose . Of course, that also depends on the nature of this agreement. Certainly if you ask analysts on both sides, they would say that the current atmosphere is not really conducive to hold those talks. Theres a huge amount of distrust. The public is very skeptical, and expectations are not very high. One of the rightwing Coalition Parties is already expected to quit negotiations. We have to wait for the reaction of hamas in the gaza strip. It really all depends on what will be worked on and how substantial the stalks are going to be. Thank you very much. Thousands of supporters of ousted egyptian president Mohamed Morsi have been demonstrating across egypt. An estimated 3000 marched through the city of cairo calling for his reinstatement. The demonstrations took lace under the watchful eye of security forces, who fired tear gas as the crowd neared the president ial palace compound. Back here in germany, the media wants answers on the nsa surveillance kindle, but Angela Merkel says she does not have them yet. That was the bottom line at a press conference this morning. Germanys chancellor says she, too, wants answers, but she said she was prepared to wait. With elections just two months away, its not yet clear if the controversy will blow over before joe meant before germans go to the polls. Reporters were awaiting new details from chancellor merkel on the scandal of espionage in germany, but they were disappointed. Merkel put a damper on such expectations right at the start. Anyone who has come here today expecting me to share the results of clarification activities has come with misplaced hope. These activities are continuing. They are not finished. But when pressed by reporters, merkel admitted germany has little average little leverage with the u. S. For getting answers. Our American Partners need time for their investigations, and they have not yet made a statement, so we will have to work on getting them to make that statement. Otherwise, she stuck to some wellworn talking points on the issues. On german territory, one has to obey german law. Here in germany and in europe, it is not the law of the most our full accounts but the power of the law it is not the law of the most powerful that counts. It is mostly the same. You listen to her for 100 minutes and never understand what she is saying. But the criticism has yet to did her popularity. With elections two months away, polls show her well ahead of her rivals. Our reporter was at that press conference this morning. Lets talk to him about it a little bit. Did you come away a little wiser about these surveillance programs . As you mentioned, chancellor merkel opened the conference by saying that she was still waiting for clarification from the americans. Pressed by journalists, relentless questions from the journalists, she finally indirectly admitted that she felt that her helpless in the situation. She pointed to the fact that there are in various countries united aids, britain, and germany, for instance very widely differing views of the correct balance between National Security on the one hand and personal freedoms on the other. She said that, of course, that one needed in the circumstances international agreement. That, of course, does seem to most people, at least to the journalists there at the press conference rather lame. The point, or the bottom line, is the level of surveillance we have in a country like written, with one Closedcircuit Television camera, for example, to every 14 people in the population, is something that is unacceptable in germany. We have been talking about the media frenzy, but what about the Public Opinion . Do they care about the story nearly as much as the germans who packed into c Angela Merkel this morning . So far, the media in germany have not been able to communicate to the average german, it seems, the real dangers that are inherent in a violation of their right to privacy. That is probably because it seems a bit abstract and most people and also because the issue, of course, is very complex and difficult to explain. Thanks very much. Well, is the nsa surveillance kindle a wakeup call for all of europe . Germany and france have signed a joint declaration on Data Protection. Governments agreed to establish adequate safeguards that will balance protection of personal data with security. It is the first time that eu justice ministers have met since the revelations of u. S. Surveillance in europe. The disclosures by whistleblower Edward Snowden have injected new urgency into an idea that has been on the table for months. Introducing common standards for protecting citizens privacy across the eu. This is about giving new momentum to the Data Protection directive. We have already had a german french initiative. Germanys minister has given concrete per protections. We want to do all we can to ensure data security. The eus just as commissioner recently criticized berlin for dragging its feet on Data Protection. The new law would apply to all Companies Operating within the eu, even foreign ones, and it would shield personal information of eu citizens. Brussels also wants to scrutinize existing agreements on Data Exchange with the united states. It is a question of citizens rights, a question of the common market, and of whether we europeans can impose our own rules in europe, of whether european law of lies or lawlessness. Now, it is up to european governments to turn the political momentum into enforced rules. We spoke earlier to our dw correspondent in lithuania. I put it to him that merkel once german Data Protection law to be european standard. How likely is this to happen . The european authorities are now trying to do that. German standards should be european standards, said the home affairs minister. Now they are trying to get through negotiations with american counterparts, and that could be a problem because americans are not very eager to adapt to european standards, so there is a long way to go. The new organization will not be in place before 2014. Are the europeans afraid of the u. S. s ability to spy on us so well . Yes, and rightfully so because europeans are very eager to protect their data now. The scandal was a wakeup call for europeans. Now they want to tackle the problem swiftly. The big question is will the americans play along . How likely is it that americans will play along . Europeans want to connect the Data Protection issue with the free trade deal currently in negotiations, and they say to americans that if they get their Data Protections, they will give in to some demands in the free trade deal negotiations, so it may be a titfortat, but nobody knows if congress or the American Administration may retaliate or may have new ideas which could complicate the whole negotiation process. Thank you. On to Business News now and British Mobile phone operator vodafone continues to be blunted by yours economic problems as well as fierce competition. Turnover slumped to just under 12 billion euros, down by 3. 5 compared to a year ago. In germany, the companies hemorrhaged almost 4 million customers in single year. Two giants of the computer world microsoft and google have seen their share prices tumble after revealing lower thanexpected quarterly earnings. Microsoft reported a 50 drop in profits on its operating system, windows 8, while its Tablet Computers lacked the hind the competition. Google software failed to perform on advertising rates, but analysts say the outlook is still bright for the worlds most popular search engine. Those numbers did not go down very well on the markets. Lets have a look at the figures for you here in germany. The dax did manage to crawl back and ended slightly down on the day. The dow jones in new york still trading at this point in time, of course, but very slightly down, and the euro currently trading for 1. 3136. G20 finance ministers meeting in moscow are backing a fundamental rethink of the rules on taxing multinational corporations. The ministers have Companies Like apple and google in their sights that make huge profits but lloyd loopholes to but exploit loopholes to minimize their tax payments. Customers in britain boycotted a coffee chain once it learned that the company had paid virtually no tax at all. The g20 is trying to clamp down on this questionable tax practices. The people of japan hold elections this sunday that the Prime Minister hopes will strengthen his grip on power. Aid abe has a marked on a major push to revive the stagnant japanese economy. An apostate elections are for the upper house, which is party does not control yet sundays elections. He says he needs the ability to push ahead policies that his supporters say are already showing results. These deluxe watches cost around 7500 euros each. You might think the market for them would be limited, but since the start of the year, sales in this shop have risen by almost 30 . Demand for other luxury items is also rising. The appetite for consumption was receding, but after the change in government, we feel that the general mood for recovery or the anticipation of economic recovery, seems to be improving consumer sentiment. Japans economy has rallied since last december. In the First Quarter of the year, the economy grew by 4. 1 , and a weaker yen is boosting income for exporters and pushing up stocks to precrisis levels, but many japanese doubt the rebound will continue. They are going to raise taxes and take other steps. It is going to be hard for the elderly, especially. Im worried how things are going to turn out. The rich are getting richer, but it is not trickling down to us ordinary people. Critics doubt that abe will reduce reforms to reduce japans high debt burden, though it is something the japanese Prime Minister has promised. We will be back after a short break. Lots more to come, including the latest development in russia, where there has been massive protest against the conviction of yet another opposition politician. As it turns out, he has now been released on bail. We will have the latest on that story. Just 24 hours ago, he was a man sentenced to five years in prison. Now the man labeled the biggest threat to russian president Vladimir Putin is free. The court has agreed to let him go, meaning that he can, for now, continue his campaign to become the next mayor of moscow. There was relief in the courtroom when judges ruled that he would at least temporarily be a free man. What happened here shows once again that this is a politically motivated trial. I would like to thank everybody who protested against the sentence and who helped bring about this new decision. Thousands had taken to the streets of moscow to protest navalnys jail sentence. Many believe the trial was concocted to protest one of the strongest critics. The prosecution requested he be released while his conviction is on appeal. For the first time, people him and straight against the conviction of an opposition member of our country, not just in moscow, but in many cities such as st. Petersburg. That has never happened before. After just a day behind bars, navalny was again able to return home to his family. The turnabout can be seen as a small step forward for the embattled russian opposition. Germany has rebuffed European Commission draft plans to allow eu countries subsidized Nuclear Power. The proposal would allow Energy Companies to obtain public subsidies to build power plants. The draft is yet to be taken up by member states, though. However, it does go against germanys antinuclear plan, which already subsidizes renewable Energy Companies in a bid to close all German Nuclear reactors down by 2022. The Antinuclear Movement has been around for 40 years in germany. Lets take a look back. This force at the French Border was the scene of an important chapter in modern german history. In june 18 73, it became known that a Nuclear Power plant was to be built here. And a Resistance Movement formed. When construction began in 1975, local residents occupied the site. At the time, Nuclear Power was still considered the clean energy of the future. It was not the threat of radiation that mobilize people. According to this winemaker who was there at the start. The cooling towers made us think that the whole region would be covered in fog, and fog would be anything but good for the grape vines in the area. The conservative premier condemned the demonstrators as leftwing extremists in order to crack down. He did not realize the majority of the activists just wanted to protect the environment. Resistance was successful. It was the first time that happened in west german history and explains why it remains such a strong symbol today. It marked the beginning of germanys Antinuclear Movement, which would later grow into the green party. Pope francis has named a commission to help perform the vaticans administration and finances. The aim is to improve transparency in the vatican after a series of scandals. The pope has appointed mostly lay experts to the panel, which would be authorized to review every piece of paper or Digital Document the vatican. He has made tackling corruption and mismanagement in the church a priority. Australia says it will no longer take in refugees who arrived by boat in search of asylum, deporting them instead to papua ne guinea. The Prime Minister signed an agreement, which will see boat people immediately taken to papua new guinea. 16,000 refugees have arrived in australia by boat so far this year. Almost equaling the 17,000 that arrived in all of 2012. Argentines are being told to do without one of their favorite foods, the tomato, because of a seasonal shortage. That is not the only problem facing the nation. It has been plagued by high inflation for years now, making the daily shop a struggle for many. Argentinian tomatoes are getting a lot of attention these days. They have become a hot topic of conversation. Cold winter temperatures and the poor harvest just a quick cut supplies. Higher prices are hurting peoples wallets. In the past two weeks, prices for tomatoes have doubled. Customers are buying less. Instead of buying a k, they will just pick out two or three. Im just not eating tomatoes. The tomato shortage is one of many problems to hit argentinas grocery stores. A bout of high inflation is making everything more expensive. Unseasonably dry weather hurt Wheat Production as well, but farmers also blame government agriculture policies for making a bad problem worse. As the biggest u. S. City average of file for bankruptcy, detroit, the cradle of the American Auto industry and the home of motown music, is broke. 18 billion in the red, the city, once one of americas proudest, faces an even more uncertain future. Detroit is a ghost of its glorious past. And the buildings haunt the streets of motor city. Ford and General Motors have taken most of their business elsewhere, leaving behind soaring unemployment and crime rates. The population has shrunk from 1. 8 million in 1950 to less than 700,000 today. 1 3 lives in poverty, but some are still hopeful. This is very difficult for all of us, but if it is going to make the citizens better off than this is a new start for us. In march, the state of michigan hired a financial expert. He decided that insolvency was the citys best option. As far as things are concerned for the provision of services and the conduct of city business, it is business in the ordinary course. Services will remain open. Paychecks will be made. Bills will be paid. Nothing changes from the standpoint of the ordinary citizens per spec. But detroits creditors may now have to swallow a huge loss on their investments, and many fear the citys already battered image could be damaged beyond repair. From ashes to ashes, dust to dust, not the sort of thing you want to hear when talking about the masterpieces of the art world, but that is exactly what has happened to a whole series of stolen works. Pieces by the likes of picasso and monday were burned after being stolen from a gallery in the netherlands. The mother of one of the thieves said she wanted to destroy the evidence. Picassos 1971 work head of a harlequin gone forever . Claude monets views a cheering cross and Waterloo Bridge in london and matisses 1919 painting meeting girl in yellow, also appear to have been destroyed. Romanian experts are still examining the fragments, but the forensic evidence seems conclusive. My colleagues have found calcite and several types of mineral pigments white lead, chinese white, barium sulfate, cinnabar. This woman has already admitted to burning the masterpieces. She is the mother of one of the men who allegedly stole the works of art from a museum in rotterdam and october 2012. She has told investigators that she initially buried them in this cemetery following her son s arrest but then decided to burn them. Experts have put the value of the torch paintings at more than 100 million euros. But the loss of unique artworks such as these far exceeds their monetary value. Terrible story. Onto sports now. And portugal portuguese writer has claimed his second victory in the tour de france. Writtens writer keeps the overall leaders jersey, over five minute ahead of spain with only two stages left ago. The icy waters of hudson bay in canada, two artists have been connecting with nature in an extraordinary way. Their creative partners are none other than the waves. They have decided to put on a series of concerts specifically for their underwater friends. Imagine rolling out to sea and being welcomed either lugo whales beluga whales. You sing with joy, and the whales respond. You sing together. Humans and marine animals connected, united by music. These performance artists have fulfilled the stream. Amplified through the sound system. These beluga whales are so beautiful. In canadas hudson bay, they have made contact with them. A are very gregarious, playful, curious, extremely vocal. I think of all of the whales, belugas are perhaps the most vocal. How do they hear each other . How can they mix human song and whale song . The artist took this special underwater speaker so the belugas could hear their music, and this underwater microphone records the whale song, but are the creatures really responding to the human voice . Well, here is the proof lauras overture is followed by the whales response. Now, for the mix version. For me, it is not really about understanding what exactly they might be saying. It is about just thought of occupying this shared space of musicmaking and of sound. The duo are holding a series of summer concerts for the whales. They will be joined by other musicians whose works will be piped into hudson bay via a underwater sound system. You are up to date. Captioned by the National Captioning Institute www. Ncicap. Org celebrating mandela and a momentous milestone the former activist, prisoner, and president turned 95. The world pays homage to an International Icon who helped end apartheid in south africa, but has south africa lived up to Nelson Mandelas vision . This is inside story