>> you're watching the journal from b.w. in berlin. >> here's what's woman wo -- coming up in the next half-hour. black smoke in rome. day one of the conclave of cardinals ends without a new pope. >> the winter that won't go away creates more travel chaos in northern europe. >> and germany debates ways to help women combine motherhood and their careers. >> one of the oldest and most

secret electoral procedures in the world is under way in vatican city. >> over is -- 100 roman catholic cardinals are in lockdown until they agree on who is going to be the next pope. >> just a few moments ago, the first puffs of black smoke emerged from the roof of the sistine chapel. black on black is difficult to see but that means the cardinals have finished their first ballot and have failed to elect their pontiff. of course, they'll try again tomorrow. simon young is at the basilica for us. how long can we expect to see the puffs of black smoke and possibly white smoke going on? >> there's really no telling. conclaves in the past have dragged on for up to three years but you have to go back to the

13th century for that. in the last 100 years or so, the conclave has never lasted more than just a few days. last time in 2005 joseph ratzinger was elected after just four ballots on the second day. this time the analysis are saying there's no clear frontrunner in the way that rats raths ratzinger was. -- ratzinger was. this time around we're talking about four or five frontrunners. it might take a bit longer. having said this, this lockdown, if you will, does concentrate minds and many of the cardinals have said they want a quick decision. >> what do the hundreds of people think who have gathered there braving the cold? >> there's a huge sense of excitement. there have been hundreds of people in st. peter's square milling around all day today and thousands this evening came down to witness the first wisps of

smoke from that chimney on the roof of the sills teen chapel. there was eenormous buzz when the black smoke appeared. people crying out nearer, nearer. when it was black smoke they were confirming it for each other. people here are fascinated by this extraordinary piece of theater. we know what's going on behind those ancient fresco covered walls but we don't know exactly what's happening and i think that's the special thing about a conclave. >> thank you simon. we'll be closely following developments. john joints us now in the studio. as we heard from simon no clear front-runner. isn't that an unusual thing? >> not really. i think it more was an exception last time that there was a front-runner. of course, presidential elections, you know, are something quite different from papal elections. with papal election, there is no official campaigning, there are

no candidates so it's -- it really is quite unusual to have frontrunners in the sense that an american election would have. >> who exactly is in the running? >> well, the media, of course, speculate about who's in the running. probably the most popular italian candidate, if you will, is a man called angelo sciullo, who's the chairman of the italian bishop's conference. he's been the head of two huge diocese in italy. is now the ash bishop of milan. most of the cardinals want somebody who will come in and clean shop. so they need somebody who noles the system of government in the vatican and has the force of character to do it. >> would that bring the papacy back to the italy for the first time in 35 years?

>> i don't think for the cardinal elek toirs that the country of -- electors that the country of origin is so important. it's much more for the media. for the cardinals, the personalities they're electing and the fact that he'd set the same priorities that they would set is far more important. >> if the church does get a more reform-mind pope, how much can he actually change? >> according to the doctorate papal infall built, he can change anything. in reality, catholic, christian, and orthodox views of christianity, the theology is built on tradition and on scripture so any pope cannot simply come in and sweep aside centuries of tradition and i don't think that any of the cardinals who is presently in the sistine chapel is likely to do that. >> thank you for the insight. to other news. the european union and the u.s.

are speaking out against hungary's moves to overhaul the execution, saying it puts too much unchecked power in government hands. >> germany is also critical of the amendments have -- after a meeting this morning with the hungarian president, chancellor merkel also expressed concerns to limit the constitutional court in budapest. israel's plt perez is calling on the arab league to intervene in the syrian conflict. >> he made the call in a speech to the european parliament. he says the world can't afford to stand by while syrians are being massacred. he's confineding up an eight-day tour of european institutions. in business news, posts of the german company have quadrupled. >> while superstorm sandy in the u.s. cost the country around 800

million euros but overall the cost of national disasters were down considerably. they say they've put losses on greek sovereign debt behind it and it's expecting earnings this year. but those positive numbers weren't enough to give european stocks a boost on toes. instead of fan has more on what was a down day in frankfurt. >> the stock market seems to one out of steam at the moment after last week's rally. investors are waiting for more positive impact but news has been rather negative. like the news that the company may have to raise more capital by raising more shares and a more or less gloomy outlook coming from the airport company, which said that the number of passengers will remain stable this year. this has been taken as quite bad

news so far. >> of course, a look at the market numbers, starting in frankfurt. >> stocks in frank further took a pause after hitting 4 1/2-year highs last week to close slightly in negative territory on tuesday. >> the dow jones is down at this hour but only a slight percentage, 4428. the euro trading for one u.s. 30. 25. the german government has a hole in its budget. that's after the central bank said it's transferring far less money to government coffers this year. >> less than half of what the government had planned. the bank has to boost its reserves because of increased risks from the european debt crisis and calls on policymakers to redouble their reform

efforts. vokes wagons works with a -- as a company with close ties to the nazi government was part of the reason it was privatized. it guaranteed the same cito rights. >> today the european court of justification delicate whether germany has done enough to comply with an earlier ruling that declared the rule at odds with. u. competition rules. >> germany's v.w. law goes back to 1960 when the state-owned company was privatized. they a-- retained only 22.2% of the shares but the v.w. law inshowers it can still override other partners on vital decisions. that makes the company less attractive other investors. the european court of justification ruled that the law is illegal. >> the perspective of v.w. ice

global exeltors is understandable. they see themselves as being subjugated to different regulations. if a company wants to buy up shares as part of a hostile takeover they can do this to company x or y but not to v.w. that gives v.w. a competitive advantage. >> the law's backers say investors still trailed plenty of v.w. shares, as with any other publicly listed company. they say brussels should keep out of v.w.'s corporate affairs. >> in a moment, we'll delve into the endless archives of the former east german secret police. >> first a look at other stories making the news. residents of the falkland islands have voted almost unanimously to remain british. 9 .8% said they wanted to carry on being british overseas territory. the referendum was organized in response to renewed teams by

argentina on the islands which it calls the malvinas. >> and the people of greenland are voting in a general election. the main campaign issue has been away what to do with the arctic islands vast untapped natural resources. some 40,000 people are eligible to vote. results are expected on wednesday. now in the last days of the east german police, or east german regime, the state police believe -- began destroying the unbelievable amount of documentation they'd taken on people. >> the local people managed to stop them. afterwampleds the local government tried to restore the archives. >> there's even interest from from beyond. the head of the agency has now filed his first official report.

>> east germany secret police kept tabs on so many people that it fills up 111 clopt -- kilometers of shelf space. millions of pages have been reconstructed with the help of special software. more than 23 years after the berlin wall was breached, nearly 90,000 people still apply to access to their files each year. will the fascination ever tamer off? >> there's a new generation and they're asking new questions. the questions are aimed at their parents. they want to know why their parents acquiesced and how the dictatorship could have survived for so long. >> the work of the archive has attracted attention from around the world. it's visited frequently by human rights activists from egypt and tunisia. it's a role model for many nations that have toppled their

own dictators. >> the important thing is that we don't tell them what to do. we simply report what our experiences were and they decide for themselves. >> in confronting injustice, countries can share some tools. he's convinced this archive will long remain relevant. >> you may have noticed it's pretty cold in europe. heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures continue to cause chaos around much of northern european. >> frankfurt's airport shut down for two hours and is operating at severely reduced capacity. >> the late winter snowstorm caught people off-guard. frankfurt airport was closed for two hours. authorities called off nearly 2/3 of tuesday's 1,200 flights as crews struggled to keep up. >> we had to completely clear

the run way. -- [lost a] >> just the same as when it's dried. >> then there's the doe icing of the planes. the traffic meant scores of traffic jams. north of frankfurt, several cars were caught in a massive pile-up. several dozen were injured. the snow also hampered public transportation in france. many planes two -- to and from europe were canceled. some travelers took it all in their stride. >> it's snowing, isn't it? snow. snow stops everything in europe. >> but it wasn't just the trains and planes. snow drifts and high winds meant school classes were canceled across northern france and there's no school wednesday either. authorities even urged commuters to stay away from downtown

paris. the storm surprised many british compute -- commuters. traffic moved a at a snail's pace if at all. >> i think we'll stay indoors here at d.w., bringing you the news, of course, throughout the night. >> stay with us.

>> welcome back. we've heard it time and time again. europe is facing a demographic crisis. too many people reaching retirement age and not enough people having children. >> governments across europe have been offering all kinds of incentives but so far it's failed to solve the problem. >> now merkel's government is hosting a family summit in berlin. one proposal would guarantee mothers their jobs when they go back to work. >> around the world it's becoming increasingly difficult to work and look after a family. germany is no exception and it's

had a democratic effect on the drug and intoxicantic effect on the birthrate over the last couple of years. many have to choose between work and their careers. the government wants to give women the right to move back into full-time employment. the family's minister says it's time for business leaders to have a rethink. >> even the best work time arrangements aren't worth anything if people see them as a career killer. that's why businesses have to accommodate people who want to make use of them instead of treating them like a handicap. >> after the summit one opposition member accused the government of failing to live up to its promises. >> the results that chancellor merkel is holding up all stem

from the last social democrat green government. all of the family policy initiatives since she took office have flopped. family care leave and the childcare supplement. >> the government is also under pressure under day care provision. the government has just six months to find places for 150,000 children. >> let's look also that day care provision. it sounds like a simple solution to helping parents get back to work. >> some parents have been finding out that the reality is not so easy. >> it's his turn to look after his 89-month-old daughter. her daughter, kristina works

full time. they'll need a day care place for charlotte and that's no easy task here. >> we feel completely left in the lunch. we have no idea where we can put charlotte. whether she'll get a kindergarten place nearby or if at all. there are so many factors still up in the airplane and that doesn't make life any easier for us at the total -- moment. >> they say women should get top management jobs but the whole system is set up against that. >> from august, the government has given all children aged 1 to the right to such a place but demand far outstrips supply and with seven months to go there's still a huge shortfall. the state is coping worst of all. this kindergarten can take 35 children but not charlotte.

jessica knows all about such pressures. she works in day care, looking after kids from 4 months to years of age. >> it's under 3s that need the most help with everyday things. just getting dressed or fed or changing napies. if one or more kids are having a bad day then it can be pretty stressful. >> trained statue such as jessica are in short supply. wages are comparatively low. it's estimated that some 140,000 day care workers are need told meet to growing demand in germany. >> it annoys me that the government announces universal day care and then there aren't enough places. they didn't make sure that there would be enough childcare specialists first. it's annoying.

>> in the meantime, christina and oliver are hoping to get a lucky break before august. if not, they'll probably have to hire an expensive private child minder. >> how tough is the situation for parents today? earlier we asked our political correspondent peter craven. >> let's focus on that issue of the under 3s. of course, mothers do want to have the feeling if they're going to go out and do a full day's work and make a full contribution to the economy, they want the feeling that their young children are in good hands during the day. there haven't been enough free school day care schools here in germany and they've also tend told close their doors rather early in the afternoon, almost working on the presumption that many women don't work or only work in the mornings. that's participate of the bigger picture here in germany because women here do tend to work more

full time and less full time. there's also a disincentive because the wage differential with men is quite substantial here in germany. no wonder, therefore, that perhaps birth rates are so low here in germany compared with other european countries and also the glass ceiling is very low here, making it difficult for women to go up the corporate ladder. the problem addressing the under 3s has been perhaps taken care of by the government, saying there will be places for all children by august. >> tuesday marks world day against cybercensorship. the pressure group reporters without borders have been -- has been signaling out countries that are among the most offenders. >> they ininclude bahrain, china, syria and vietnam. but they have a lot of help from companies based in the west.

>> blue pat from the u.s. and a french firm. >> he's enjoying his new life in berlin. here, unlike in his native aaron -- iran, he's free to say what he likes. the iranian authorities accused him of spreading propaganda and sent him to jail. >> they blocked my personal website despite a lot of readers. ! reporters without border say such cases are common in iran. the government tracks the content. the technology is made by european and american companies. >> we're convinced this software is the same as an analog weapon. it's a digital well. >> reporters without borders is calling for a ban on exports, for example, to places like bahrain. censorship is so strict that

everyone is being monitored. reporters without boarders have has also dubbed china an enemy of the internet. it snooms on journalists, steals passwords and listens in on scrambled internet calls. >> china has a sophisticated system of censorship but we can also detect the emergence in china of opposition movements. there are people who tweet independently who keep uncovering scandals. >> >> he's come to berlin with german from the pen center. he's been granted political asylum and is unemployed. >> time for some football and the uefa champions league gets back into swing on tuesday night. >> in the round of 16 span spaish champions barcelona tries to overcome a 2-0 deficit to a.c. milan. and here in germany, hoping for

a win on home turf. >> and the royal blues will be counting on a rising star to protell them into the quarterfinals. it would be the third time in the last six years. >> he may be only 19 but he just celebrated his 100th competitive match for chelqa with a dole golf against the local rival. tuesday night's clash with the turkish champions will be his 259 european outing. >> we know that they're very good. for me as a young player it's great to face world dallas players like snyder and drogba. >> streicher and hunt la is out with torn ligaments and first leg goal scorer jermaine jones is suspended but homes are still high of a quarterfinals place and a much-needed financial

boost of 4 million euros. >> we'll go into the game with the confidence we've built up in recent weeks and which we've worked hard for. that's our approach. >> and they'll need off the confidence they can muster. >> they have big apple bigs. they've spent big to bring the likes of snyder to istanbul and now they hope the investment will pay off with success in the champions league. >> two stars of the london olympics have taken the top honors at the world sports awards. usain bolt picked thank you men's award for the third time with the women's award going to british x athlete jessica enis. >> the european ryder cup golfers won the award. felix baumgardner won. he made history by skydiving from the edge of space. >> ok, a bit of an accomplishment. i think that's an important part

of the news today. another important part of our news bulletin is the papal conclave and what's going on in rome. >> black smoke has billowed out of the sistine chapel chimney, signaling that the catholic cardinals meeting behind closed doors have failed to elect a new pope on their first day of the conclave. they're going to vote four times a day until that black smoke turns to white and we have a new pope. >> 2:00 in the morning, 2:00 in the afternoon and we'll be following all of them for you here on d.w. >> keep it here. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--