>> hello and a warm welcome to the "journal" coming to you from dw. china's outgoing premier announces record government spending at the opening of the national people's congress. >> one of the world's most important, show's opening in geneva with vw introducing its new concept car. >> and in world soccer, the champions league finals.

the chinese premier has made his final address to the national people's congress as the country prepares for a transition of power. >> he listed what had been achieved for the past 10 years and set ambitious targets for the next decade including boosting economic growth, tackling corruption and addressing economic inequalities. >> the change in leadership in china's communist party takes place once every 10 years. president hu jintao will also step down. >> for the last time, the chinese president opened a session of the national peepers -- peoples conference. xi jinping is set to take over as president. it is also outgoing leader wen

jiabao's last conference. >> this year's economic growth target of around 7.5% is necessary and appropriate, and we need to work hard to achieve it. >> sustaining strong growth of the last decade is becoming harder for china. beijing need to pay for its ambitious projects, which range from better environmental protection and fighting poverty to upgrading the armed forces. military spending is set to rise by 11%, to the equivalent of 90 billion euros. >> we should accelerate the modernization of the armed forces to strengthen china's defense and resolutely opposed china's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity and ensure its peaceful development. >> economic growth and a strong military are the main pillars upon which the communist party's power rests. observers expect xi jinping to

be confirmed without existence. the national people's conference has never rejected a proposal submitted by the party leadership. >> china is announcing another double-digit rise in defense spending, but the military budget is still exceeded by spending on domestic security. i asked our correspondent in beijing if this indicated china was more concerned about internal stability than and external threats. >> yes, i think so. there's a lot of ongoing tension inside the country. there are a lot of protests -- tens of thousands of protests about different issues. land issues, conflicts about environmental issues. so this is ongoing, and china is worrying that the stability of china might be in danger, so what they are trying to do is monitor the whole country and

not let them break apart. they use this dogma of stability in their speeches to maintain stability and suppress any opposing opinions, so they use this big, huge budget for state security basically to impress their own people and to make sure they can still stick to the power. >> ambitious numbers have been set for boosting economic growth, pitting the divide between the rich and poor and fighting corruption. how likely is it that the new leadership will be able to keep its promises? >> i think they will try hard to solve some of these problems, but i think as long as they have not solved the problem of corruption, then they will not be able to fight the other problems there early. for example, if you take environmental issues, a factory

does not stick to the law because up paying a price to superiors. even though there is a good law for environmental issues, they will never stick to the rules, so that is the major problem from my point of view. as long as they do not solve this corruptional problem, i think there will not be any big moves, and they cannot solve the corruption problem because there are not any checks and balances. >> thank you very much. >> the new leadership in china faces many challenges. top appointments to government ministries will be announced during the congress as a new generation of leaders emerge. >> as we mentioned, xi jinping will be confirmed. we now take a look at the man who will steer the world's second-largest economy over the next 10 years. >> xi jinping -- the new leader of china's communist party and soon to become its next president. from a powerful and wealthy

family, xi is one of china's princelings, a member of china's ruling elite, a rich aristocracy that firmly holds the reins of power. right next to beijing's forbidden city lies the seat of power from which chairman mao ruled china. xi was born in 1963, one of -- the son of one of ma'o's the original left tenants. his father fell from grace. he was imprisoned during the cultural revolution. young xi was sent to work with peasants on their land. he quickly rose in the village communist party organization and received permission to study in beijing. at the age of 21, he joined the party.

in 1975, his father was rehabilitated. >> xi became the top man because of his father. he is a princeling, and he wants what all princelings want -- to preserve the power of the communist party. >> what else does he want? that is the subject of much speculation both in china and elsewhere, and what can he do? he became party leader in a compromise between rival interest groups. his power is limited. and he is under pressure. the party's reputation has suffered as corrupt officials at every level shamelessly took advantage of china's economic boom to line their own pockets. xi has promised to clamp down on corruption, but how far will he actually go?

>> 20 years ago, stashing just a few tens of thousands of euros would have been enough for a long prison sentence or even the death penalty. today, officials take billions, and the gap between the poor and the rich keeps getting wider. that is a threat to social stability. >> one of xi's priorities will be to restore trust in the communist party. he likes to portray himself as a man of the people, and it is a role he is good at playing. unlike the stiff outgoing president, people like the incoming president. they also have high expectations of him. xi jinping is no chinese gorbachev -- he will make reforms, but he will not introduce western-style civil liberties. china's communist party has no intention of giving up its monopoly on power.

>> turning out to venezuela where the government says the health of president hugo chavez has suffered another health back -- another setback. then he has suffered another respiratory infection. he's currently being treated in a military hospital in the capital caracas. he has not been seen in public in almost four months since undergoing his fourth cancer operation. syrian opposition fighters said they have taken control of a key city. >> if confirmed, the capture would mark the first time an entire city has fallen into opposition hands. activists say rebels have attained a provincial governor. the news sparked celebrations in the central square. provisional results coming in from kenya's presidential

election indicate the deputy prime minister has a clear lead. >> that could change. monday's election was largely peaceful, but the country is watching the peace count with concern. if neither candidate wins an absolute majority, they will face a runoff in april. in 2007, with a 200,000 people were killed in post-election violence after allegations of widespread fraud -- more than 200,000 people were killed in post-election violence. this year in hanover, the focus is on shared economy, and poland is the partner country. thousands of visitors are expected over the next few days. >> today, there was one high- profile visitor -- german chancellor angela merkel. she worked as a scientist before getting into politics. at this year's fair, she also expressed an interest in high- tech fashion. >> if someone ever claims polish i.t. products are out of this

world, they could be talking about this -- german chancellor angela merkel learns that the mars rover probe is outfitted with infrared sensors made in poland. without the technology, the red planet would remain more of a mystery. green computing remains an issue. in this hall, about 50 new companies are showing their latest ideas. like a portable solar panel, which allows smartphones or other mobile devices to be charged with sunlight. that gives chancellor merkel a fashion brainstorm. >> so, could we now make handbags with a solar panel on the flap out of this? that would be practical. you would always walk facing the sun. >> merkel also visited software giant s.a.p., which asks students to write programs using its software. >> how long did you work on this?

>> really two weeks and two months preparation. >> do you need to know how to program for this? >> merkel spent more than two hours visiting the various exhibitions this year. she worked as a physicist before getting into politics, so she has a genuine interest in technology. >> eurozone finance ministers say they hope to come up with a 17 billion euro bailout for cypress by the end of the month. the announcement came after the government agreed to a key demand over concerns of large- scale money laundering. the ministers want an independent review of how separate banks are implementing new laws. they also want to see more privatization of state assets. a commission of experts from the european union international monetary fund is expected in cyprus today to get a better idea of the island's financial situation. more on that with our markets

reporters in frankfurt. what is the talk of the trade for today? >> this aid package for cypress fund's a positive book among the trading floors. the creditors of the state of cyprus can be reassured now that their investments are safe and, also, people here reckon that eventually the banks will be saved and recapitalized by the euro rescue funds rather than by the creditors or the owners of these banks, which is something which is reassuring investors today as well. >> what has really caught the eyes of investors is the dax today, shooting up by almost 2% this hour. >> that's true. the basic driver is the old bet on monetary policy. the bet is being fueled, for example, by a relatively weak data we have been getting from the eurozone services sector. it is also fueled by statements from the vice chairman of the federal reserve, who said that the generous monetary policy is

needed for further recovery of the u.s. economy. this is what is fueling and driving the dax of ford right now. the your stocks 50 -- euro stoxx 50 also trading up right now. >> russia's far east is one of the most remote places on earth and it also has some of the world's most active volcanoes. >> no one lives near the wall cannas, so the fast moving layers of mud and rock are a threat to only plants and wildlife. the irruption that started in november is likely to continue for some time. -- the eruption that started in november. >> we will have more coming after a short break. we will look at the indonesian

president who is visiting germany. we also have more on the geneva auto fair, and we will take a look at some bundesliga soccer action with an important champions league game coming up.

>> welcome back. boosting business ties is the main focus of talks in berlin. >> the business meeting is believed to involve a prickly issue -- the sale of tanks to the southeast asian nation. germany's foreign minister has refused to rule out such discussions. >> the german foreign minister agreed -- greeted the indonesian president with dozens of reporters on hand. in contrast to many countries, indonesia is economy is booming. german companies are eager to

expand their economic activities in the market. the german government is also eager to forge closer links with the state. >> it is impossible to overestimate the importance of indonesia from a global economy. then a german military equipment is one of the most sought after exports. jakarta has expressed an interest in buying methods to combat tanks. the german government is still trying to maneuver around the sensitive issue. >> one can never say it will not happen, that security interests are discussed buying confidential meetings, but the focus right now is putting a spotlight on indonesia as a destination for germany's tourism industry. >> later in the day, the president runs german chancellor angela merkel to open the berlin international travel fair.

>> as we said, create ties at the heart of this visit, but there are some prickly questions about the sale of tanks. >> indonesia recently ordered 103 level two tanks from a german company and 50 slightly smaller tanks. that caused a great controversy here in the media because there are fears in germany that these could be used against the population of west papua where, for a long time, there has been movement among independents of indonesia. military experts tell us that these large tanks weigh 62 tons apiece and cannot be used against the civilian population because there's hardly any infrastructure there, hardly any votes, and they just get mired down in the rain forest. the question remains then -- why

does indonesia want to buy them? >> i the keen to deepen economic cooperation? how do you assess relations between indonesia and germany? >> indonesia in the last 15 years has made serious progress in terms of democratic reforms. european countries, in britain as well as germany, are trying to court indonesias favor -- indonesia's's favor. they want a slice of the action. relations are relatively good. there is concern about human rights violations, but basically, they are played down by the german government, which says indonesia it is making good progress. >> thank you. if you are into glitzy fast new cars, you should be in geneva right now with the annual automobile show is going on right now. >> this is a difficult time for the car industry, especially in europe with sales dropping as a result of the economic downturn.

germany's large carmakers have been spent some of the pain. some had even posted record profits. >> for example, volkswagen has unveiled its latest green car in geneva. >> volkswagen calls its concept car a super efficient vehicle. light weight, carbon construction, all two sleek aerodynamics, and a diesel electric powertrain make the 70 hp two-seater capable of going 100 kilometers of less than a liter of fuel. that is about 260 miles per gallon. vw says the call will be produced in limited numbers and soon be on sale for about 40,000 euros -- vw says the car will be produced in limited numbers. >> the technology for the car were developed for serious production and will be gradually introduced into our mass volume models. >> the city car, and the other hand, is a pure electric. with a full charge, it has a range of about 160 kilometers.

when it goes into limited production, it will be available with an optional integrated gasoline engine but -- that can generate enough electricity to power the car. the idea is to go into production later this year. >> the euphoria over elctro- mobility is over the car's cost too much and do not go far enough. there's no focusing on hybrids, but they, too, will remain in its product for years to come. >> for years to come, a place where some 75,000 people worked on the world's top secret projects -- the atomic bomb. >> since then, it has become a world-renowned center for nuclear research and has chiseled itself out in interesting and controversial niche business processing nuclear waste, including shipments from germany. >> we have this report from a town that has been burning low- level waste from all over the world for 20 years now.

>> it is early morning at the jefferson found diner, and there's no escaping the atom. the breakfast specials are named after radioactive storage sites, a clear sign that locals have no beef with the nuclear industry. on the contrary, this unique tennessee town is inseparable from the technology that founded it. >> our particular belief is most people out there are scared of radiation because they do not understand it. once you are around it and understand it, the fear level just goes away. >> even if many locals feel comfortable, they live in a town under high security. for decades, the u.s. military has soared and enriched uranium in oak ridge. tennessee is the only state in the u.s. to permit the commercial burning of radioactive waste, and germany is taking advantage of the offer. after months of requests, we were granted permission to visit the energy solutions site,

which is processing up to 1,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste from germany. the company specializes in dealing with contaminated material. it was entrusted with the cleanup of radioactive water at the damaged fukushima a radioactive power plant in japan. containers such as these carry the waste to the incinerators. the contaminated material is burned to 1/10 of its volume, and the radioactive ashes are shipped back. the energy company is in a lucrative business with few competitors. >> i believe this is a location that best served germany for having this material come here. there are other countries that send the material here as well. canada. we've had shipments from belgium, france, the u.k., it is not uncommon to have other countries ship their waste here for processing. >> the nuclear waste industry is

ever present. the atomic symbol even adorns the local high school, but the lawyer and energy policy specialist frank munger says that life here is not as idyllic as it looks. you can fish in the river, but it is not safe to eat your attached. frank -- to eat your catch. frank does not welcome more waste from germany. >> it certainly was not done with the consent of the people of tennessee. the government acted almost invisibly, rejected our efforts to create a process where the public could be aware, could comment, could have a public hearing and express its views. the first thing that is wrong is the invitation was not from us. >> back at the diner, people say they are happy about the new business dealings with germany. they are more surprised about germany's decision to phase out nuclear power. >> i think it is a big mistake.

because i think power is important for citizens. >> 4 oak ridge, it seems the more radioactive waste that comes here, the better, if it is from germany or not. >> we've got some sports news now for you. it is basically their only shot left and taking home some silverware this season. dortmund challenged for a place in the quarterly finals. >> he is battling about the floor right now, so he may miss out on the clash and battle with the illness on another sharpshooter. >> dortmund will be looking to this player to make a difference. he scored 23 goals in competition this season. after drawing the first leg, and

i certainly in a comfortable position. >> the game has not been decided. we build ourselves a good foundation, but so have they. >> i think that the players are in better shape than ours. they are used to playing at very high speed, passing along and spreading the ball around, but my team will be prepared. >> they turned down a chance to sign him five years ago. tuesday's match could make him regret that decision. it is unclear if the polish trecker will leave dortmund in the summer, but either way, he will want to add a champion's lead metal to his growing collection. >> finally from us, if you want to know the secret of a long and healthy life, this is the person to ask. >> she's the world's oldest

woman. she is celebrating her 115th birthday today, so happy birthday to her. she receives flowers and gifts at a nursing home in osaka. she was born back in 1898 to a family of merchants. two of her three children are still alive in their 90's, and she has six great-grandchildren. she says she put her longevity down to a good diet and plenty of sleep. i bet a lot of see she was involved. >> i agree with that. >> one of my favorite foods. i could eat sushi every day. >> thank you very much for being with us. thank you for your company. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--