tv Journal PBS October 24, 2011 6:00pm-6:30pm PDT
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hello and welcome to "the journal." i am mainly with the news. >> i am steve shane with your business update. >> workers scramble to rescue victims from the sunday earthquake in turkey that killed more than 200 people. german chancellor angela merkle tries to win support of lawmakers skeptical about the deal to resolve the eurozone debt crisis. an islamic party looks to have won the most votes in tunisia's landmark election. rescue teams in eastern turkey
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are racing against time to find survivors from sunday's devastating earthquake. more than 260 people are confirmed dead. officials say that number is likely to rise. hundreds of people are still feared trapped under the rubble. the cities of van and ertich were the hardest hit. >> this man survived. he was buried 24 hours under the rubble, with subzero temperatures overnight. one day after the earthquake, rescuers are not finding many people alive -- only more bodies. locals are still not giving up hope there will be reunited with friends and relations that are still missing. >> it is my grandson's wife. she was trapped underneath the rubble. i figured i would look at the bodies to see if she was among them. that is why i am here. >> the interior minister has
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travelled to the region, as d the prime minister. the situation is difficult to assess. the initial death toll is lower than feared. >> 265 lives were lost. there were more than 1100 people who were wounded. but they are all being well taken care of. >> turkish soldiers have also been deployed to the area. they are supporting rescue crews and securing dangerous buildings, roads, and bridges. everyone i is on edge as aftershocks continue. the homeless have taken shelter in tense. many are too frightened to sleep in doors, but the canvas fers little protection against the biting cold at night. the provincial capital, a ban -- van, also severely affected. the first burials are taking
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place. there will be more in the coming days. >> our correspondent is following developments. earlier, she gave us this update on rescue efforts. >> that are continuing for the second night. even though not many people are being found alive, if you did come out today. we knknow from previous eaearthqkes that people can be found alive for up to five days after the earthquake strikes. they are going full steam ahead. the government has told us there is not a building in those cities that has collapsed where there is not a search and rescue team working on it. at the same time, a huge effort has begun to shelter the survivors. there are tens of thousands of homeless for the moment, with buildings if they are still standing shaky or too dangerous to enter. there are 30,000 huge tents already set up for up to 20 people each. they can be heeded. a lot is being done. it is working well, the rescue
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effort. authorities are asking how to get people to the winter, because temperatures are dipping below zero in the nights ahead. they are now around freezing. they will go below freezing. snow is forecast to come on wednesday. how to get these people through the long, hard winter in van is a question authorities are beginning to address. >> we know the earthquake struck in a kurdish region of turkey. given ongoing tensions, is this an issue when it comes to the rescue effort? >> it is an issue. the day the earthquake struck, sunday, hundreds of thousands of people were on the streets, protesting against kurdish rebels who attacked just south of van at the beginning of the week and killed 24 turkish soldiers. the feeling was running high, very nationalist. when the earthquake struck, people showed they knew the difference between a kurdish
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rebel and a kurdish citizens. everybody has been rushing to help with the effort. it has been an incredible civilian effort, people all over turkey donating blankets and money and food. there was a solidarity with the kurdish population. one or two racist remarks have been made on television and there was a huge outcry by people who say an armed conflict is one thing, but catastrophe and brotherhood is another and we are sticking together in solidarity. >> thank you for that update from istanbul. we turn our attention to the euro. german chancellor angela merkle has been briefing lawmakers in berlin on the outcome of sunday's eu summit, aimed at resolving the debt crisis. leaders say they have made good progress. but merkle has had a difficult time getting support from skeptics within her governing coalition. the bundestag will be voting on
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terms of the bailout fund on wednesday. >> into the merkle laid out the plan to german lawmakers at the chancellor's office. according to those present, the numbers are huge. greece will get a write-down of its debt. to fund it, banks will need big reserves of new capital. >> the german government believes tha banks will need 100 million euros in new capital. the figure for german banks is around 5.5 million euros in fresh capital. >> that will shield them from possible losses. this and other measures have broad support from the opposition. but the greens and social democrats say they need more information before reaching a final verdict. >> it is only right that today the government finally announced the plans will not be discussed secretly, tucked away in committees, but in the main chamber. parliament will vote on the plans. that is a key criterion for
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reaching a decision. >> the chancellor will address parliament wednesday morning before lawmakers vote. the outcome will be another crucial test for merkle on decision day for the euro. >> another big question is contagion and who might be next. >> its leaders get it right, they can stem the crisis. if not, contagion is a threat. as europe's leaders work out the details of their hotly anticipated solution to the debt crisis, they face the challenge financing a plan that will minimize impact on the banking sector and prevent contagion. it is generally acknowledged that holders of greek that will not be paid back in full. but the severity of the hair cut they will have to accept is under debate. if creditor banks are forced to write off too much, they could be pushed to collapse. if they do not write off enough,
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the crisis could remain unsolved, and countries like italy could be next. >> banking shares in athens fell sharply. investors worry that writedowns on sovereign bonds will lead to larger losses than anticipated. in the summer, banks voluntarily agreed to forgive 21% of their debt. now some politicians say a hair cut of more than 50% is necessary. >> the situation that which is one of a common which is disintegrating. >> italy's massive debt is also raising concern. the country has 1.9 trillion euros of debt, 120% of its annual gdp. eurozone members are examining whether the financial stability facility would be able to intervene and buy italian sovereign bonds if necessary. if the eurozone's third largest economy came under pressure, there are fears the rescue fund
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would not be big enough to bail out room. monday evening, the italian prime minister summoned his cabinet for an emergency meeting to discuss growth measures and pension reforms. as mentioned, speculation over a huge debt write-down for greece sent shares in financial institutions there deep into the red. stocks in alpha plummeted 25%, dragging down greece's main stock index. what the hair cut more than 50% in discussion, it could hit greek banks particularly hard. shares rallied monday in frankfurt to finish at their highest levels in nearly two months. the summary from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the probable hair cut for greet that did not terrify the market too much this monday. analysts were saying that many banks already wrote down the
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value of greek bonds to market prices. another hair cut would not hurt too much. so thee m market has been mainly driven by optimism. the next summit on wednesday could lead to results that would help it to solve the great debt problem. but especially greekek shares wt down sharply. >> in frankfurt, we will stay for a closer look at monday's number. the dax rallied 1.4%. eurostoxx 50 also gaining. the dow finished up 0.9%. on currency markets, the euro trading higher against the dollar at a value of $1.3925. following years of belt- tightening in the wake of the global recession years of 2008-
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2009, german firms have been increasing investment in research and development again. according to a survey in the year gone by, 38% with 38.6 billion euros were spent on r&d in germany, representing a 9% ririse in 2010. germany has held its spot as europe's leading investor in innovation, ahead of france and switzerland. >> and volkswagen already devotes huge sums to development, but has recently increased research and development by 19%. this puts a vw in the same range as its competitors, top of the list of german budgets. it spends nearly 1.4 billion euros on resesearch and development a year. germany's big spenders only make it into the top 30 on an international comparison, because u.s. pharma companies
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dominate r&d spending worldwide. software giant microsoft has the world's largest budget for development. >> volkswagen could become the world's biggest car maker before the end of this year. japan's toyota is still number one, but face major challenges following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in march, which severely disrupted production and supply. toyota is back to full production, but vw has enjoyed uninterrupted expansion, especially in china, now the world's ggest market for cars. the german auto manufacturerr hs pulled ahead of toyota in europe by 8%. pay heavy truck maker in latin america plans to invest in brazil. the company was known as the w truck in brazil. it is the largest investment in its history. from 2012 through 2016, m.a.n.
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will double production. the plant in rio de janeiro is being expanded to handle expanded capacity. vw is also increasing car production in brazil. let us look at business. >> we look at libyan now. a day after declaring liberation, suspected human rights abuses by a revolutionary force is in the spotlight. human rights watch is putting pressure on the country's interim leaders to investigate the apparent execution of 53 of gaddafi's supporters in sirte. the body of the former dictator has been removed from public display. question surround his death. the transitional council says it is setting up an investigation into his killing. the king of jordan has sworn in a government that says it will institute political reforms demanded by pro-democracy
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protesters. the cabinet is made up by moderates, many with western education. one works at the international court of justice at the hague. politicians are included, but the powerful islamist movement has declined an invitation to take part. in indonesia, initial results from the country's first democratic election showed the islamic party taking the highest share of the vote, but it is expected to fall short of an absolute majority. executive party members said they would seek to form a stable national alliance in a new government. >> it will be at least tuesday before tunisian snow the official result of their historic election. counting is still underway, but one party expects to come out in front. the islamic party estimates it will capture enough of the boat. it was banned under the old
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regime. critics fear its emergence may pose a threat to women's rights. but the party insists it is moderate and committed to democracy. >> the most important thing is the very high voter turnout. that is what we believe is critical. the percentages achieved by any party, including our own, is only a secondary matter. >> turnout was massive, with more than 90% of registered voters taken part. despite long queues and minor hitches, international observers praised the fairness of the ballot. >> it is a passion for them. the emotion of the people is driving them to go out and vote, to choose who they want to govern them in the constitutional council. >> we are very proud. wefeel free. i think this is the beginning of anxtraordinary life for us and our children. >> it is the first time i have
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voted from my heart, not for something i am forced to vote for. >> after decades of rigid elections and autocratic rule, two nations and -- tunisians have had their first taste of democracy. the leaders will draw up the new constitution. >> the largest volcano is lighting up the night sky. mount etna is sending either rivers of molten lava down its slopes, and sending plumes of ash 100 meters into the sky. this spectacular attraction to terrorists -- to tourists is also a fascinating to geologists. an italian airport was closed because of the ash being admitted by the volcano. stay tuned. i will be back with the in depth and we will have more on the earthquake in turkey.
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>> welcome back. rescue teams are working frantically to find survivors of sunday's earthquake in eastern turkey. hundreds of tremors have followed the earthquake. the situation has forced thousands of people from their homes. many are sleeping outdoors in the freezing cold. the prime minister has pledged swift action in the affected region and has called in the army to help. >> fear and confusion in the streets of the eastern turkish city of van. the mostly kurdish province has not had an earthquake this strong in living memory, with a magnitude of 7.2.
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even modern buildings like this one were completely destroyed. hotels, school dormitories, and filling stations all collapsed. much of van has been reduced to rubble. hundreds of people are still missing, trapped under the debris. survivors are still desperately searching for their loved ones. the town 100 kilometers north of van seems to have suffered the worst damage. now, it is a race against time. after the first eight hours, the chances of survival for those trapped fall dramatically. at night, temperatures fall close to zero. parents are looking for children. others are looking for neighbors, often with little more than their bare hands. dozens, like this girl, have been found and rescued.
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for others, help comes too late. family members are left in shock. the hospitals are overwhelmed trying to care for scores of injured. the buildings are overcrowded. many patients are treated in the open air. this is my son, says this man. "i saved him with my own hands." hundreds are sleeping in the open for fear of aftershocks. many others have no other place to go. their homes have been destroyed. >> turkey lies in a zone of high seismic activity. earthquakes are not uncommon in the country. the worst in recent memory was in 1999, when thousands were killed. the government has been criticized for not doing enough to insure buildings are safe
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enough to minimize damage and loss of life. >> august 17, 1999. the earthquake lasted just 45 seconds. by the time it was over, more than 17,000 people were dead. there were buried under the rubble, crushed by houses that collapsed as the earthquake struck. on may 1, 2003, an earthquake hit the province in southeast turkey. more than 170 people were killed. among the dead were eight children at a boarding school. -- 80 children at a boarding school. 51 people were killed on march 8, 2010. the epicenter was in the east of
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the country. much of turkey is prone to earthquakes because of the friction between the earth's tectonic plates. sunday's earthquake was caused by movement along the fault line where the arabian plate and the eurasian plate meet. but the entire country is crossed by numerous fault lines, making turkey one of thee worl's most active seismic zones. millions of homes, buildings, and factories are under constant threat, such as those in the province of van. yet most of those buildings are not earthquake proof. many are built without planning permission, and construction laws are often ignored. this although risks are well known and disaster is frequent. in 1976, an earthquake in van similar in magnitude to sunday's killed 4000 people. >> as we have seen, turkey has
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had four major earthquakes in the past 12 years. earlier, we spoke to a processor -- a professor and geoscientist in potsdam. we asked him if this frequency was normal. >> the rate is never constant. it is changing all the time. but the changes are usually relatively small. there is in no case in the conclusion we can draw from such a change in the seismic rate. they are not sufficient to predict any earthquakes. >> there are several fault lines across turkey. experts warn that istanbul could be hit. how likely is that? the population is 13 million. >> india is moving to the north, pushing against the eurasian continent. at the same time, it is pushing
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to the west. the big fault is running parallel to the black sea. along the asphalt, there are many large earthquakes in the last decade. this fault is passing south of istanbul. there have been no earthquakes for a long time in that region. therefore, it is likely there will be big earthquakes in the future. however, we can never predict how big or what time this earthquake would occur. of course, there is also a possibility there might be a slow displacements there without many big earthquakes. but as i said, unfortunately, earthquakes are unpredictable. we cannot say the if and when and how big, if istanbul will be hit by an earthquake. >> what does the government need to do to minimize the damage and
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the loss of life caused by earthquakes? >> earthquake prediction is still not possible. so the best precaution is to build houses that are safe, to have all the construction, like idges, roads, and especially schools and public buildings -- to check them, and if they are not earthquake proof yet, they should be strengthened. this is the most effective precaution for any earthquake damage. >> is it's stilll impossible to predict an earthquake, or are there in the craters? >> unfortunately -- indicators? >> unfortunately, the common feeling is it is stillll impossible to predict earthquakes. 30 days ago, some seismologists were expecting it would be possible in the near future that
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some observations could predict earthquakes, but all these expectations did not turn out in a successful prediction. so far, nobody was really successful, was able to predict successfully an earthquake. the common opinion says this will remain for a long time like that. but this does not mean it is, in principle, not possible to predict eaearthqkes. but we do not have enough information about the stress, which is changing deep in the interior of the earth. we must be able to look more accurately at the interior of the earth.then, we might make a, or some step, closer to the future of prediction. >> professor, we thank you for joining us. that has been our in-depth look at the earthquake in turkey.
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