>> hello and welcome to "the journal." i am meighen leave with the news. coming up on the program, berlin lawmakers face a crucial vote to hand the chancellor and mandate to negotiate a broader eurozone bailout. relief crews rescued a 2 month old baby from the rubble of the earthquake in eastern turkey. an infamous party is on course for a victory in tunisia'' political elections.

german chancellor angela merkle is seeking full support at home on the expansion of the eurozone bailout fund. the parliamentary vote is due wednesday, just before she heads into a crucial summit. she is looking to secure a strong mandate before she heads into negotiations aimed at stopping the debt crisis from spiraling out of control. >> chancellor merkle wants to be in a strong position when she heads to the summit on wednesday, and she looks like she is getting the support she needs. government deputies overwhelmingly backed the bailout package in a test vote on tuesday. parliament is set to follow suit. >> this represes an enormous strengthening of the german government, the german chancellor's position in brussels, because it will show that what we are calling for has broad support in the german

parliament. >> the opposition social democrats and greens are also likely to vote for the package, although they are unhappy with the government pay for crisis management. >> i will be honest. this government makes things more difficult from time to time, because, and you have seen it yourself, there is tactical maneuvering going on. >> there is broad support among german political leadership for the bailout fund. agreement in europe is pending. >> it is time to end the uncertainty. that was the message from the commission chief two other eu leaders. there is intense pressure to strike a deal after other failures to do so. the european parliament is among those calling for a result at wednesday's summit. >> a rare show of unity.

the president spoke for all groups when he called for more courage from leaders. the head of the socialist group was less diplomatic. >> ladies and gentlemen, i hope we will finally get what we need tomorrow. in the end, it is not about content. it is about heads of state and government showing they are capable of mastering challenges they are confronted with. >> but will that happen? the head of the liberal bloc warned that plans to give the rescue package more leverage might still fail to convince markets. >> are we really going to get the bazooka? when we talk about the financial markets, they do not use small caliber munitions. the financial markets use the big guns. >> for the deputies here in

strasbourg, it is time for europe to start shooting back. >> on the eve of the summit, the italian prime minister could be close to agreement with his coalition partners, the northern league, over reforms that could cut government spending. berlusconi has put forward a package of proposals. his party says some progress has been made. there is still no agreement on the plan to raise the retirement age to 67. that is opposed by the northern league, berlusconi, if coalition partners in government. there is a lot of talk, but no action. another has been a bump in the road when it comes to the eu summit. >> a flurry of activity, but will they disappoint the world again? expectations were high heading up to the summit wednesday, but eurozone governments are warning it could take weeks to finalize

a plan to solve the debt crisis. leaders will gather in brussels as planned, but a meeting of finance ministers that was expected to lay the groundwork for the deal has been canceled. the on-again, off-again headlines out of brussels are creating fresh uncertainty about the capability of european leaders to take the steps to end the crisis. that means countries like italy and spain will remain vulnerable to speculative attacks, and greece will continue to languish with little hope of economic growth. >> buses stayed parked in athens on tuesday, and train service ground to a halt. the strike is the latest walkout crippling the public transport system. commuters are frustrated and angry. >> we still trust that the government may be understands the message from the people.

this is more crisis. look at the economic situation. >> there are big problems in our country. with more effort, we must do the best. >> the burden now rests on prime minister george papandreou. at a meeting with the greek president, he called for political unity, and assured the people his government will find a way out of the crisis. >> we are fighting a very difficult battle. it is a battle to lift this heavy debt burden we inherited. we are trying to share the burden, so the greek people can breathe easier, so the country can be reborn. >> at the moment, fate is out of their hands. policy-makers in brussels are calling the shots. >> a triple threat of the eurozone debt crisis, market

turmoil, and fears of global slowdown have combined to create the worst financial climate since the collapse of lehman brothers. germany's leading lender has reported a decline in profit, but did manage to beat forecasts. deutche bank faces huge charges in connection with its u.s. operations. >> josef smiling, but has reason for concern. he has seen hopes for record profits in 2011 slipped through his hands. it has been especially hard in the investment banking sector this year. just one year ago, germany's top bank earned a little over 1 billion euros in the third quarter. in 2011, pretax profit fell to 70 million, a result of the eurozone crisis. the troubling numbers will have an impact on employees. the bank plans to slash 1500 jobs in investment banking next

month. the company has picked up in other sectors. growth in retail banking and asset management have helped them offs. there is some relief in greece. the country has already written off f its vestments in greek bonds at losses of 50%, so its exposure is limited at this point. akerman leave the country without record profits, but the bank will likely emerge from the crisis without major damage. >> on to the markets. european stocks traded below eight to stay high. there was a decline in u.s. consumer confidence. this is the summary of the trading in frankfurt. >> investors hope the politicians will be able to solve the problems of greece, but one day before the eu summit, traders in frankfurt did not want to continue monday's

rally. the dax ended up slightly in negative territory, while big banks like ubs have been able to convince investors. countries reported -- companies like ubs and deutche bank did report better results than expected. they did earn more than people expected before. >> we will stay for a closer look at tuesday's market numbers. the dax managed to finish slightly lower at 6040 points. the euro stocks 50 fell over 1%. on wall street, the dow closed of the top of the hour, down by almost 1.75%. on currency markets, the euro trading at $1.3893. germany's biggest energy firm,

ion, is reportedly interted in buying the portuguese government's stake in [unintelligible] but they are facing stiff competition from sectors in brazil and china. a 21% stake in edp is being sold as part of a bailout agreement between portugal, the eu, and the imf. portugal has committed itself to shrinking the size of the public sector and government control over the private sector. the privatization is attractive because of its large renewable energy assets in the u.s. and brazil. the pharmaceutical firm novartis will be cutting around 2000 jobs, mostly in switzerland and the united states, as it tries to cope with price cuts for drugs in europe and the u.s., and the strong swiss franc. the company reported 2.5 billion

euros in profits for the third quarter and said sales were up 18%. novartis has already cut thousands of jobs and close down plants in the last year to boost profitability. shares sank 4.5% tuesday. despite fears the eurozone debt crisis will create a major drag on germany, consumers have not significantly cut back on spending. the gfk consumer research group has predicted a slight rise in consumer confidence after a stable october. people in germany remain opoptimiic about income prospects. an improving job market eases fears of unemployment and urges consumers to purchase big-ticket items. >> thank you. we have news on the rescue operations in turkey. there is still hope of finding survivors. a number of people have been

pulled alive from the rubble, including an 11-year-old boy and a two week old baby. over 400 people have been known to die in the earthquake, but many people are still missing. >> it is moments like these that keep hope alive. 52 hours after the devastating earthquake, rescue workers carried out an 11 year-old from the ruins of a house in van. \ it is the second small miracle in one day. just a few hours earlier, a two week old was rescued. the baby was brought to a makeshift medical facility. doctors there say she is healthy and will recover from our ordeal. -- her ordeal. in van, help came too early for her mother, but her grandmother

survived. it is a miracle that saved the family. >> i am nervous and happy. i pray to god that my daughter and granddaughter are going to be all right. >> the situation remains critical in the region as body after body is recovered. many survivors are spending another night on the street. the turkish red crescent is delivering blankets, food, and more tense, but people are fighting over supplies. police had to step into 00 in to calm the crowd. >> those in need cannot get tents, and we keep waiting in line. >> the chance of finding survivors dwindled by the hour, but there is still hope. >> tunisia's moderate islamists say they want to share power with secular parties after victory in sunday's elections.

it won the largest support in the first democratic vote. the electoral commission says they have around 30% of the vote. the congress for theepublic is running a distant second. the new assembly will have a year to craft a new constitution and appoint a caretaker president ahead of fresh elections. the former libyan leader gaddafi has been buried five days after he was captured and killed. his body was moved from mizrata overnight. gaddafi was buried alongside his son at a secret l locatn in the desert at dawn. their bodies had been on public display. the national transitional council has set up a committee to investigate the exact circumstances of gaddafi's death. the german president has pledged more help for victims of the fukushima nuclear disaster. as part of a state visit to

japan, he has been meeting with people who were forced to flee their homes who are still living in temporary housing. because of the disaster, germany has decided to close all its nuclear reactors over the course of the next decade. >> there is little left of the coastal town. the few buildings still standing are damaged. the mayor showed the german president pictures of what the town looked like before the disaster. >> when you see with your own eyes, the level of destruction is worse than you imagined. i have nothing but respect for the enormous reconstruction effort here, but see many problems still to be solved. >> around half a million people in japan are still living in emergency accommodation, like this container village 50 kilometers from the reactor. germany gave 50 million euros in aid immediately after the tsunami struck.

>> as a japanese citizen, i would like to thank all of you for helping us so much, and the german president for visiting us here today. >> it was clearly a very emotional encounter for all concerned. >> a world famous conductor and pianist has been honored in germany for his contribution to international understanding. he is the first recipient of a prize named for a former german chancellor who helpeped imove relations between the west and the soviet bloc during the cold war. the prize went to the argentinian israeli for his work with young arab and israeli musicians. he is the founder and director of the divan orchestra, which uses music to build bridges in

the middle east conflict. a well-deserved prize. stay tuned for the in depth. i will be looking at alzheimer's disease.

>> welcome back. we continue with a look at alzheimer's, a terrifying disease that robs people of their memory, and when advanced their ability to function. 60 million people are assumed to suffer from alzheimer's worldwide. the number is set to triple by 2015. dealing with the disease is one of the issues being discussed at the world health summit this week in berlin. there is no cure for alzheimer's disease. early detection and medication can ease the symptoms, but do not target the cause. however, there have been breakthroughs in manipulating the genes that cause alzheimer's, giving hope for new

therapies. >> the personality changes and memories fade. those are just two characteristics of alzheimer's disease. over a century ago, malawi's alzheimer's discovered what happens in the brains of those affected with the illness. proteins known as plaques interrupt transmissions. nerve cells began to wither away. scientists have yet to find a cure. as the number of elderly increases, so does the number of alzheimer's patients. one key problem is that the disease is often recognized too late. the eye offers a chance of early recognition. scientists have found that the plaques that kill brain cells also build up on the retina. scientists hope they can inject a patient with a fluorescent compound that shows up in a non invasive imaging process.

a lot of research is still needed, but an early diagnosis would make new treatments possible. this mouse is confused. it has alzheimer's, and has forgotten the way to the island at the center of this. but it appears that memory loss can be reversed in the early stages of the disease. scientists have succeeded in shutting down the gene responsible for the damaging effects of the plaque. more research has to be carried out to see if this process could treat humans. but this mouse is once again capable of learning, and remembers the way to the island. another recent breakthrough is the discovery of evidence that the plaques can be reduced by certain cells produced by the immune system. successful tests with mice showed that the environment

plays an important role, and keeping the brain active can slow down the effects of alzheimer's. but scientists still have a long way to go before they find a cure. >> in colombia, a region high in the andes mountains has become a hub of research into alzheimer's. 50% of the population carries a gene mutation responsible for the genetic form of the disease. genetic alzheimer's is compatively rare, but scientists believe it may cause -- may hold the key to successful treatment and preventative medication. >> he plays a tune for his sister, gloria. but he often cannot remember what he has just played for her. he is 51 and has been suffering from alzheimer's for the past five years. he is not the only one in his family with the affliction.

his other sister, now 61, used to be a nurse, but for the past 16 years, she has had the disease. they belong to a family that has been affected by the elements for generations. >> there are four cases of alzheimer's among my siblings alone. my father, grandmother, and three uncles also suffered from alzheimer's. >> in the mountainous region in northwestern colombia, an unusually large percentage of the population has the disease, and many show symptoms at a relatively early age. the residents used to think they were cursed. now, they understand it is a genetic defect. around 5000 people from just a few families have intermarried

over several generations. half of them came down wiwith t disease in their 40's. lucia moved to the region to work as a nurse at the end of the 1980's. >> in 70% of the families we see here, there was at least one case of alzheimer's back them. now, there are still a lot of people with the disease. >> lucia established a catalog of medical records and family trees together. years later, a doctor identified the genetic defect, and mutation of the 14th chromosome, and recognized it offered a -- offefered opportunity. >> worldwide, we have the largest concentration of genetically-inherited alzheimer's. that is perhaps a chance to fight the disease.

>> as a result, researchers around the world have turned their attention to the region and i its uversity hospital. the doctor has been preparing a comprehensive study here. it includes research on a large group of people who are certain to get alzheimer's. it is a unique opportunity to test drugs before the disease appears. >> there are some drugs that are currently being tested on the patients. we are evaluatating em. we then give the drugs that have proven to have good results to help the people, as preventative therapy. >> the researchers hope their work will eventually lead to an alzheimer's vaccine, or at least a preventative drug that could delay the disease. 300 volunteers from the affected families are taking part in the

study. for ethical reasons, it was agreed they would not be told who does or does not have the genetic defect. >> it is simply horrible, but we cannot always think about it. we have to live our lives and simply wait and see if we come down with the disease. i don't want to know. i am not interested. >> we will give a certain drug to half of the people with the genetic defect. the other half will get a placebo. during a long-term conservation, we will see if there are changes. >> cesar is among those taking part in the study. his father suffers from alzheimer's, but not h his moth. he know he has a 50% chance of getting the disease.

he and his siblings had to learn to live with this fear. >> i always think i will be the one, not my brother, but me. that is why i am taking part in the study. i also want to be prepared, because in thening phase of the disease, youo not recognize you have it. i want to be prepared if i do get it. >> the project is already receiving funds from american research institutions. the first results are expected in a few years. that will be too late to help cesar, but he hopes his sons or grandchildren will benefit. >> god willing, someday there will be a cure for alzheimer's, whether it be an injection, a pill, or something else. that is why we are making ourselves available for the

trials. >> it is a ray of hope in the small mountainous region, as well as for millions of alzheimer's patients worldwide. >> thank you for joining us.

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