>> you are watching the "journal." we are coming to you live. the hunt for the nsa whistleblower. >> a guilty verdict for italy's ex prime minister, he gets seven years for sex with a minor. >> munich will condemn their new coach to keep them at the top of european football. barack obama is pursuing all legal channels to try to secure the nsa whistleblower.

he failed to board a flight from moscow to havana. >> we would hear from moscow and go live to washington. we bring you up to speed on the hunt for edward snowden. >> the flight took off. his seat was empty. then there was more confusion for journalists at the airport. first, they were told snowden would be on the next flight. then they were told a former cia cia contractor was not even in moscow. now wikileaks has joined the game of cat and mouse. wikileaks said snowden is healy and fit -- d safe. the group has helped snowden apply for political asylum, a request that seems to have the support of the foreign minister.

>> the man who intended to expose our fundamental freedoms, they should be offering next donation of those claims to the governments and citizens of the world. >> those remarks were clears the united ateswhich has issued a warrant for his arrest and canceled his passport. washington issued a wning to any country that helps them fully. >> it's would be very disappointing if he was willfully allowed to board an air plane as a result. there would be without any question some affect and impact on the relationship. >> attention has shifted to

speculation over where the whistleblower could finally end up. >> there are reports that russia is considering an american request to extradite edward snowden. we have more. >> what we hear is that russia is ready to consider this request by the u.s., but that does not mean they move so much in this case. earlier, russia defied u.s. pressure. they said they had no reason to dispel him to do united states because he did not commit any crime in russia, according to russia law. he did not even enter russian territory. relations between russia and united states, they remain tense. we have seen this several times before, that russia is positioning itself as the power is up against the western world

and the united states. apparently, this case is another example for this political gain. >> from washington, a correspondent standing by. obama has been speaking on this. how hard is the u.s. going to be pushing? >> there are mixed signals from russia, as we just heard. some experts here in ec think that the reason he was not on that plane to cuba, is because of the negotiations and the u.s. between russia might be making progress. of course, it is hard to say. there is no treaty between the u.s. and russia, so it is unclear what obama meant by pursue all legal channels because negotiation is the oy option the americans have.

jay carney was trying to do today. he repeatedly referred to china and hong kong and the administration as being very disappointed in that respect sendg a cle signal to russia that if edward snowden really leaves russia on a plane, but this will have serious consequences for the relationship between the u.s. and russia. >> how does that get snowden act home? -- back home? >> let's say he does make it to cuba, which many people but was his original plan and then move on to latin america. one kind of crazy idea that has been floating around here is that he misses the flight, touches the u.s. airspace on its way to cuba, which a lot of flights to do, and then the u.s. would have the means to force that plane to land in the u.s.

and take snowden out. but not necessarily comic is some flights take a different route in latin america itself. those countries do have treaties with the u.s., but there is always a loophole saying that political persecution is exempted of that. it depends on who is in power. if snowden is protected by latin american government now, it does not mean the next will be protected area >> all right. >> ecuador's foreign minister says a u.s. request is under consideration, saying a decision will be taken in accordance to national and international law. >> one has already been given refuge by ecuador on grounds that he was defending freedom of expression. many ecuadorians say at home the government is less tolerant of dissent. >> julian assange was the first major whistle blower to seek

asylum in ecuador. the founder of the internet platform, wikileaks, fled to the ecuadorian embassy in london. he is there today, protected by diplomatic immunity. the ecuadorian president is but -- attempting to portray himself as a guardian of freedom of speech, as an upstanding democrat fighting u.s. authorities. some say he is seizing the moment left behind by the anti- american venezuelan president, hugo chavez. but it is a tough sell for him because he has tried to silence ecuadorian voices in the media. in 2010, the president brought a libel case for holding him responsible for ordering a deadly crackdown of a police demonstration. the editors were sentenced to three years in prison. he won damages of over $14 million.

the government recently passed a bill which human rights acts call an assault on free speech. in addition to making it illegal to hang people on the dry, it makes it a crime to undermine the security of the state, the very thing that whistleblowers like assange and so note in -- and snowden are accused of doing. >> he was banned from public office for life. >> date said the billionaire paid for sex with an underage nightclub dancer in 2010. they found him guilty of abuse in office. he is appealing the verdict. the case could affect the stability of italy's government coalition which he is a member of. >> we can go straight over to rome. tell us more about the case and why berlusconi was convicted.

>> of course, it has had huge repercussions around the world. the lurid allegations about his private life. a rare occurrence for a statesman to be facing charges like this. clearly, his conviction is quite a severe sentence, tougher than most people were expecting, could have severe repercusons because he is a key member of the coalition government at the moment. his supporters have been coming out very strongly criticizing the justice system. clearly threatening to make the government wobble. >> he does say he will appeal.

is there any chance he will actually serve that sentence? >> i think it is a pretty remote possibility. he has two levels of appeal. the case could be timed out under the statute of limitations. as somebody aged over 70, as he is, it would be unlikely to go to prison for an offense of this nature. what would be more worrying is a lifetime ban on holding public office the cousins that is upheld, that's really would mark the end of any political career for him. >> thank you very much. >> we turn now to the middle east where kutcher has decided to hand over his job to his son. >> ruled since 1995. he hands

over to the 33-year-old and it is unusual in a region where it often means for life. he has been a prominent actor of the rebel side. meanwhile, at least 12 government troops are being killed in lebanon involving followers of a sunni cleric. >> soldiers stormed a mosque in the city where gunmen experienced a hold up. it was the deadliest fighting in lebanon so far. he is believed to have fled. now to business and business confidence rose in germany, despite the economic woes. that is according to the -- >> confidence rising for a

seventh month in a row. expectations have helped to feel optimism in the industrial sector. >> naturally make a deal in telecoms. they are buying the biggest cable company for seven point billion euros. -- 7.0 billion euros. they are looking to capitalize on germany's largely fragmented cable market by combining tv, phone, and cable services. for a look now at how the proposed deal went among investors, we have this from our correspondent at the stock exchange. >> shares were among the few gainers of the stock market this monday. but the stock price did not increase up to 87 euros, which is the price.

obviously, there was a lack of courage among investors this monday and a lack of confidence as well. the reason for this came from china where the stock markets lost five and six percent this monday alone. this is our concern about the state of the banking sector in china after years of increasing credit markets, the government is now putting a brake on. soon, a few banks in china might run out of money. now, a quick look at the markets by the numbers. the dax was down. euro stoxx 50 also down. the dow jones industrial average at 14 76, slightly down. the euro, slightly up against the dollar.

to india now where authorities say as many as 1000 people have been killed as a result of devastating floods. the government has warned that the death toll could rise higher. >> around 20,000 people remain cut off. the forces are carrying out a massive rescue effort. soldiers have been trying to move people to safety. the ex-wife winnie has joined other family members. he is said to be in critical condition. another doctor, mandela was among visitors to the clinic in which he was receiving treatments. we'll be back with one minutes time.

we'll be back with angela merkel's program. >> stay tuned.

>> welcome back. the opposition is ahead in the albanian elections. the socialists have pulled further and further ahead of the ruling democrats. >> been proceeding slowly. they say the election has been tainted by irregularities. angela merkel has unveiled her party's platform ahead of the elections coming up this september area >> it is full of sleeping proposals to improve the infrastructure and create jobs. what is short on details is how to pay for them. it has come under fire from both the opposition democrats and her current coalition.

>> angela merkel arrived with pledges to relieve family and restrict eurozone crisis. a believer party still has something for everyone, but she did not dwell on the details, choosing instead to talk about her governments successes and the challenges that conservatives face on election day. >> that day, the 22nd of september will decide which way this country is going. it is about whether germany will continue on its successful path or whether it will go downhill with the social democrats party. but who is going to foot the bill? these protesters are not the only ones threatening the feasibility of the row graham. merkel insist there'll be no

increased taxes, but that has let the social democrats to blast the manifesto as empty promises. >> we have to ask why she cannot get things done in this term that she she has now made the goals of the next term. >> even the conservatives says the program will be hard to finance. her popularity is high and she seems able to deflect most criticisms. >> for more, let's bring out our political correspondent. merkel is personally very popular. is this the kind of popularity she can just ride to a first place finish in september? >> she has enormous support. they are pulling around 40%. it looks very promising for angela merkel to remain as chancellor after the election, but just to make sure she is getting the check out with these

promises and spending money on families, infrastructure, and other things to make sure they realize that the conservatives are the right people to lead the country after september as well. >> some of the reaction is that she is stealing a page from the social democrats playbook with all this spending. is she warming up to the idea of a grand coalition? >> there is a lot of flexibility in this program. there is a lots of overlap with the kinds of things -- the center ground that they are fighting for. she is no longer adamantly opposed to the idea of taking action to stop companies paying wages that are too low. that is a key policy. having said that, they are heavily criticizing these

proposals saying that conservatives do not seem to know how they will be paid for. it is absolutely clear that angela merkel would rather continue rolling with her current coalition if the voters allow her to do so. that is the big question. >> we shall see. thank you for your insights. >> someone angela merkel's own side of feel she has moved the party to do below much to the center. they are asking questions like, what does the cdu under her leadership even stand for? >> we decided to check out the rank and file. >> he is the young christian democrat leader. he sees himself as dynamic. he wants his party to reflect those values, too.

people are interested in local issues. for him, this is what his job is all about. right now, he is trying to convince people that they have the better program. >> we are the party for families and people. when people change, society has to as well. >> not everyone likes change. christian democrats have changed a lot. germany is ditching nuclear energy. same-sex couples will soon get family tax breaks. conservatives have something for almost everyone. they are liberal, green, and worker friendly. but are they still conservatives? they are divided. >> i am very disappointed that

she has been leaning toward the left. big parties, like the christian democrats, must be open to taking ideas from anyone and everyone on board, including the social democrats. >> that is her goal. to capture the ground and reach out to new voters. he has the same goal. he denies they are beginning to occupy the same political ground as its rivals. >> the differences are pretty obvious. we have the political leader of europe on our side. she is steering germany. >> the christian democrats campaign focuses. they're convinced with her in charge, they will win the election. maybe it is her current

popularity in the polls that are keeping in party criticism of policies to a minimum. they have been a member for nearly 70 years. he agrees with merkel that the conservatives have to reflect a change in germany. >> that is a real advantage for the party. that means they are forced to keep re-examining things and adopting different views. >> her popularity has given the cdu a mighty bump in the polls, the christian democrats still have to convince them that they can go hand-in-hand. >> wimbledon has had its first upset. 7664 was the score. it is the first time they have ever lost in the grand slam

tournament. >> some soccer news now. germany has officially unveiled their man at the top. the new coach said it was not only a pleasure put a it to be there. the last post was at barcelona, the dominant force in football. >> the new coach has finally arrived. they spoke to 240 journalists. like a lot of things for him, it was a new experience. >> i am a little nervous. >> expectations were already high. >> i am happy to be here. i can take the pressure. >> when the topic turned to soccer, he repeatedly switched back to spanish.

he summed up his philosophy. >> i love to attack. that is my idea of football. >> a few went to to her his new workplace. to avoid headlines, they stayed away until now. he is supposed to lead them. in another challenge, he will have to get along with the buyer and management. >> for more, let's bring in the correspondent. what is the club expecting? >> first and foremost, success and plenty of it. that is his lifeblood, certainly. but more than that, it is about achieving that in a certain manner. if you think back to barcelona, he transformed a cult club into one with a transcendental moral

quality. they were playing the right way. i think that is something to say. this is really about creating a status, a legacy. really cementing their place as the most valuable brand in football. >> you mentioned the success being his goal. he won everything last year -- the league, the cup, the champions league. can they go anywhere but down? >> it is certainly a tough act to follow. it is better for him to walk into this situation if he had lost the champions league final. it would have been doom and gloom. the monkey on his back. everyone is euphoric, optimistic, and will be forgiving. they are bound to win a trophy of some sort this season.

i think that is what everyone is looking for, too. >> just a few years ago, we cannot imagine someone like him. >> you saw the media scrum today. that is a combination of a whole year of intense scrutiny. it is about being a successful lead, but doing things in a certain way and a sustainable way. i think that is what is so seducing. >> thank you. we are out of time on this edition of the "journal." keep watching.

welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, june 25th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the man who exposed government surveillance programs is at the center of diplomatic discussions. the state representatives are trying to get their hands on edward snowden. they are negotiating with russia to extradite the former contractor who is charged with espionage. state department spokesperson said the americans believe snowden is still in moscow. he nodes deputy secretary william burns and otherer officials are holding