♪ >> hello, and welcome to the "journal" on dw-tv. i am brian thomas. >> a steve chaid. >> our headlines -- german chancellor angela merkel calls for parliamentary support as she presents her plans to save the euro. >> a top-level resignation in her junior coalition partner over those bailout plans of the pressure on the chancellor. and marking a of the greatest expeditions of all time. norway celebrates roald amundsen and his term 8 -- his journey to the south pole. ♪ >> the eurozone debt crisis is likely to continue for years.

that is according to chancellor angela merkel, who just told parliament that last week's summit little painful, yet the unavoidable measures, to bring it to an end. eu leaders agreed at a conference last week to back a german and french drive for tighter budgets to save the eurozone. the plan contains deep spending cuts, tax hikes, and more power for brussels. >> the german chancellor was decidedly upbeat in his keynote address. the current crisis and more opportunities and risks, she insisted, and doorsteps in addition to overcome e billgs of the pass when the eurozone was set up. gen when political union, she said, was now in sight. >> the way to its fiscal union in the sense of the union of stability is far from completed. but it has been embarked upon, and i believe it is irrevocable. >> the chancellor also focused on britain, despite london's

rejection of the new pact, she said britain's role in europe was not diminished. >> as much as i regret that britain did not joinin us on our new course, i have also had not the slightest doubt that britain will remain an important partner in the eu. [applause] >> the opposition and raised doubts about the legal framework of theheir pposed fiscal union. its leaders insisted the european economy remains in bad shape. cuts are necessary, the cannot be the only answer, and answers are not forthcoming in the results of this summit but that is bad, not a way out of the crisis. >> such criticism did little to dampen markell's mood. the chancellor remained adamant that with the deal in place, europe will emerge stronger from the crisis. >> the eurozone bailout plan today claimed its highest ranking german politician today. the general secretary of the

coalition's junior partners, the free democrats, made a surprise announcement that he was stepping down. he does so after drawing sharp criticism from the party's anti-ballot wing for billing to back their drive for domination. the unexpected resignation has thrown the fdp in to complete disarray and added to the pressure on angela merkel. >> the leader of the fdp, philipp roesler, with no time in naming a replacement foror the ongoing general secretary. he chose patrick doring, who until now has served as the party's treasurer. >> i have no doubt that he will be quick to turn the fdp back into a party that people want to vote for and that he will be able to mobilize the party at the grass-roots level. i am delighted to be given the opportunity to serve the party in this way at such a difficult time. i have been with the party for 20 years.

>> patrick doring is known as a politician who is not afraid to speak his mind and is expected to be a more high-profile general secretary than his predecessor. he and party head philipp roesler are from the same part of germany and are seen as close political allies. christian lindner's resignation earlier in the day came as a surprise. he gave no details about his motives. >> there are moments when you have to make way in order to enable a new dynamic. the events of recent days and weeks to reaffirm that this belief. >> christian lindner is leaving it to others to deal with the party's crisis. >> just how well today's resignation affect the junior coalition partner, the fdp, and angela merkel's government? we put that question to melinda crane at our parliamentary studios. >> well, the big question, for

starters, is will this resignation contain the crisis within the fdp or is it likely to spread further? could it even encompass the chairman of the party, philipp roesler? those are questions that will be developing in coming days. the fact is the party has been in disarray for months. it lost a series of important regional elections and was booted out of several state parliament. now it is torn by this internal dispute over euro prices policy, with members at the grass-roots level saying they do not want any expansion of the european bailout fund. the fish through a referendum. party leadership opposed that. that is essentially would trigger this crisis. the chancellor has been governing more or less around the fdp with very little input from them for some time to come. so this does not necessarily change of policy in the short term, but it means our coalition is under pressure. >> melinda crane there speaking with us earlier. another prominent german politician is in the spotlight

today, president christian wulff. he has dismissed criticism that he deceived lawmakers over a loan from a wealthy friend. christian wulff brought half a million euros to buy a house in 2008 when he was state premier of lower saxony to the christian democrat later said he had no financial dealings with the businessman whose wife provided the loan. opposition lawmakers accused christian wulff of concealing the truth and of being deceptive about his ties with the couple. let's go straight to steve. the markets are not looking very impressed today with the mer- kozy it is the eurozone. >> the euro, how low will it go? it has fallen below $1.30 u.s. for the first time since january, as signs of increased funding stress in europe prompted foreign exchange traders to sell the currency but the 17-nation euro declined to 10-week lows against the japanese yen, as borrowing costs

for italy rose further and money borrowed byypanish ban from the ecb climbed to the largest amount in a year. >> it seems as if your cannot do anything right these days. after forging an agreement for a close their fiscal integration in brussels last week, the euro continues to drop. investors are pulling money out of the currency union and putting it all started up they are only interested in sovereign bonds at a record high interest rates are attached, as with italy. the dwindling confidence has taken its toll. at the end of october, the euro was still trading at $1.41. since then, it has plummeted more than 8%. to make matters worse, the prident of germany's bundesbank says his institution is against to add the ecb lent money to the imf and prop up struggling eurozone e economies. printing press to save national

governments or it will lose its independence. >> the opec oil cartel has agreed to keep oil output in its member countries steady at current levels for the coming year. the decision was an important show of unity after its previous meeting in june, when it ended in acrimony in disarray. it is in is for oil consumers who have shared production cuts. crude-oil futures in london and new york eased wednesday in reaction to the opec agreement. >> the global economic downturn has not changed much in the oil industry. prices are still sky-high. ministers from the 12 opec countries meeting in vienna wednesday decided to cap output >> i d not think any of us s is complaining at this time, but we're watching very carefully, because, obviously, as media ramps up, the expectation is that prices will drop a little

bit. >> the clear trend is toward higher prices thouough. sinc early 2009, the cost of a barrel of brent crude has more than doubled, climbing well above $100. one reason is the prospect of sanctions against iran. opec's second biggest producer. the u.s. and europe have both discussed throttltlingranian oil exports. >> according to an influential stitute, the germany colony will grow a meager 0.4% next year and could slide into recession at the eurozone debt crisis worsens. the revised growth estimate is just half the level the munich- based think tank forecast with other leading economic institutes back in october, reflecting the sharp deterioration in the outlook for europe's largest economies. germany long looked impervious to the debt crisis, engulfing its neighbors, but data last week showed exports posting their biggest fall in half a year.

on to the markets. german blue chips suffered declines for the third day running. our correspondent sent us ts summary of the wednesday trading session from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> only shares of commerce bank work swimming against the stream today, shares went up by 5% after the german government announced that there will be a revival of the banking rescue fund, and that banks come in the near future, will have the opportunity to give bonds into a bad bank. the market in general wind down sharply again, driven down by concerns about the debt crisis and also about the economy. if the upswing in germany comes to an end, this will mean that also the profits of the big companies will be smaller in the near future. one reason why car shares have been down today. >> we will stay in frankfurt for

a closer look at the numbers for wednesday. the dax finished the day down by more than 1.7%, 5675 points. the euro stoxx 50 also dipping by more than 2.4%. in new york, the dow down by more than 1.3%, 11,007 never notified. on currency markets, the euro is very weak, trading at $1.2975. trade tensions are growing between the world's two biggest economies, the united states and china. the u.s. commerce department says china will begin charging import duties on passenger cars and suv's and exported to china beginning this week to the new duties will effectively at 20% to the cost of vehicles that are built in the u.s. and sold in china. the news affect america's top three automotive names, the foreign brands built in the u.s., including mercedes and bmw, will also be suffering.

the import duties are only the latest round in ongoing trade war between the u.s. and china. back to brian. >> today the white house. president barack obama has marquees symbolic end of america's war in iraq, welcoming home hundreds of iraq veterans. the present a call the war when it the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the u.s. military. he said many of the soldiers now returning were still schoolchildren when an began about nine years ago. obama said the iraqis leave behind is not a perfect place, but that is now self-reliant. the last u.s. troops will leave by the end of this year. pakistani president zardari has reportedly been discharged from hospital in to buy. a spokesman said zardari was resting, and there's no word on when he would return to pakistan. he was hospitalized last week for treatment for heart condition, fueling speculation that he would resign.

the president faces sharp criticism at home, although allegations of close aides saw u.s. help to limit the power of pakistan's military. a high turnout in the second phase of voting in each of parliamentary elections, but there have been reports of some irregularities at the polling stations, opened late on some occasions but it is a the first elections since the ousting of hosni mubarak. there'll be a third phase of voting in january, followed by an election of an upper house and president later next year. time magazine has named its person of the year, the protesters. the magazine said it is honoring the change brought by protests around the world from the air about spring to the occupied austria movement. the european parliament has also honored arab spring activists with its own human-rights prize. >> the error of spring and many faces. these are two of those honored by the european parliament for the part they played.

in total, five activists shared this year's prize. among them, this libyan dissident who spent 31 years in jail after planning a coup against muammar gaddafi. >> i was tortured. i was humiliated. still, we always hope that our dreams would be realized some time in the future. >> the tahrir square in cairo remains the focus of egypt's demonstrations. a month after the ousting of former president hosni mubarak, one of those who helped organize the protest is this woman, who expressed her thanks but did not shy away from voicing criticism. >> the egyptian revolution brought down the regime, even though the u.s. and other european countries support it mubarak for much too long. >> for those killed in the arab spring, the changes across the region came too late. parliamentarians and

prizewinners honored them with a minute's silence. >> a high tech for my interest and has received the prestigious future award from germany for its pioneering work made semiconductors. president christian wulff announced the winner at a ceremony in berlin. the research team was doing groundbreaking work and it is called organic electronics, generating life and energy from tiny plastic semiconductors. in the future, the scientists believe the technology will be used to add wafer thin screens to items like clothing and furniture. the price comes with a 250,000 euro stipend. it is as inspiring today as it was 100 years ago. a group of determined man put on their skis, get this lead dogs, and risked their lives as they penetrate the icy known that leads to the south pole. today, and norwegians and the world are celebrating roald amundsen and his team for their daring ingenuity.

>> he had a much easier time getting to the south pole than his famous compatriot. the norwegian prime minister only ski the last five, tours of the historic expedition route. roald amundsen and his companions spent two months skiing across the antarctic. the treacherous conditions a constant threat to their lives. when they eventually reached their goal, it took three months for the news to reach the outside world. roald amundsen was celebrated as a hero on his return. the epic field was used to highlight the threat of global warming to the and touched beauty of the antarctic. >> it was a great experience to go skiing on the south pole. and i really saw howreat the nature of around there is. > the norwegian prime ministr said humanity will need to show as much courage and staying power as roald amundsen to face the challenges of climate

change. >> much-needed characteristics. i will be right back with more news. stay with us. ♪ ♪ >> her mother is hiv-positive. he was infected at birth. she probably will not live to the age of five. the program dream and to prevent the mother-to-child transmission of hiv. the german aids foundation is

supporting the project and assembly. give the baby a future. make a donation, saved a life. ♪ >> welcome back. it has been 20 years since the dissolution of yugoslavia. but to the emergence of several independent states, it was a very violent and bitter breakup. political upheaval unleashed lethal ethnic tensions that turned frienends a enemies overnight. the 1990's added to other far older grievances, dating back to the last two worldld warand beyondnd. th turbulent events that led to the breakup of yugoslavia. >> under president tito, socialism united a mosque site -- multiti-ethnic yugoslavia ino state. but in 1991, civil war broke out in the balkans. as a result, yugoslavia gradually broke apart into smaller states.

snia declared itself independent. in 1992, a new war broke out in bosnia between ethnic serbs, bosnians, and croats. three years later, 1995, the u.s. and europe helped negotiate the agreement which brought the fightingng to end. bosnia herzegovina became a federation with regional entities, with the country's different ethnic groups living side by side of the many cflicts remain. eu trips are still posted in the country to keep the peace. >> bosnia herzegovina has two main groups. bosnian croats, mostly catholic. and bosnian muslims. in some areas, they live side by side but not together. tensions often run deep in just under the surface. for example in the education of children. the receipt completely every education's from the content of what they learned to how they learn it. most of the time, the children

are segregated in the same building with little personal contact. this is just one example of how catholics and muslimsms hav isolated from each other in parallel societies. as we discover in r next rern, ancient enmities are being reinforcedn today's classrooms. >> amina is 9 years old. she is in third grade at an elementary school in central bosnia. the majority of people here are the bosnian muslims and bosnian croats, or catholics. the two groups faced off against each other during the war. she shows us her school. she has to use the left entrance, because it is the only one for the bosnian muslims. the school is divided. the muslim and catatholichildren are taught early on to keep their distance. the other entrances for bosnian croats, and she says the muslim kids never go there.

just before age, the bosnian muslim kids are brought into their part of the building. it is much too small. they had to build makeshift walls to create enough rooms. >> we had to liberalize. the connection to the croat part was walled up. >> the headmaster r woullike to tear the walls down, but it is a political fight he says he will not win. croat forces won out here during the war. it said international pressure to relinquish a part of the school to bosnian muslim children. the war was more than 16 years ago, and many children here wonder why they cannot go to school together. this voice says his parents told him that is jusust thway it is. amina says her parents told her that the kids on the other side might beat them up.

we w wante to find out more f fm the croatian side of the school, th headmaster there declined to talk to us. we decided to take a look around anyway. on this side, the kids have a small store, their own music center, and large comfortable classrooms. they even have a completely different curriculum. the city is a few kilometers away. he is in his last year of high school here. he is a student spokesman. as a bosnian muslim, he has to go to school in the yellow building on the the left. the bosnian croats study on the right-hand side, which was recently renovated by the catholic church. the chururch owns the entire

building. the muslim side is in disrepair, and many of them believe the catholics want to get rid of it entirely. >> we do not even have the same start time, breaks, or end times in school. they do that so we do not have a chance to get to know each other or even fall in love. it is not politically acceptable. >> there are in around 50 of these divided schools in all of bosnia, all in regions as saw brando -- bitter and brutal fighting during the war. for their part, the bosnian croat side says there's good reason their children have an advantage at schooool. tells us that the catholic church and neglect the muslim children because bosnian muslims were especially quarreled during the war. -- cruel during the war. he says this church was used for

physical education crisis. >> now, even though we finally have the charge back, they continue to illegally use their half for school. i want to reiterate that we have nothing against the kids. they are just as sweet as o our >> the catholic director says muslim kids are more than welcome to steady in his school, too, as long ass they respect te valulues of a catholic educatio. amina's school day is over. she scored a two biomathematics, her favorite subjects. and her father encourages her to work harder to reach her goal. she wants to become a teacher. she says she wants to teach in a school where all children can study together. that is what her family wants,

too. but their wishes clash with nationalistic political schemes that play. and that leaves them feeling helpless. >> not one person in power is going g to me concessions to another. it really scares you to think what they're teaching our kids. >> the results of that education are clear at this school in central bosnia. the boys try their hardest to oppress the girls, whether their croat or muslim. -- would they try to impress the girls. these girls tell us that the boys are croats and muslims. they say there is an invisible line in the school yard. they know a few croats in their neighborhood, but the do not pay attention to each other in school. they say they cannot talk to each other or they will be reprimanded. when we talk to young crowd of girls, they said they have no interest and mixing with the muslims. this girl says she has friends in her o own religion and that s enough.

this girl says she has not even considered becoming friends with anyone on the other side, because she does not know how people would react. but that is something that these students are learning. this 18-year-old invited peers from other schools to a workshop. he encourages them to play a game. he asks them to imagine that they are holding a small white rabbit and to think where they would kiss that rabbit. then he tells them to kiss their neighbor in the same spot. the result, all the students reacted the same, whether they're bosnian muslims or croats. this hour. thank you for your company. stay with us if you can. we leave you now with the latest news headlines. ♪

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