>> this is "the journal". >> welcome. >> the happy couple. prince william announces his engagement to his longtime girlfriend. >> ireland's financial crisis in the spotlight. finance ministers meet in brussels. >> the debate on embryonic screening. > the wait is over.

prince william has proposed to his girlfriend. loon in spri or summer of next year. he popped the question while in kenya last month. >> the speculation is that an end. prince william and his longtime girlfriend, kate middleton, are to marry next year. she showed off her engagement ring. the one diana had received from prince charles when they got engaged. william described how he had proposed of a holiday in kenya last mth. >> we were in kenya and we had

part-time away together with france. i decided it was time. we had been talking about marriage for a while. i to occur somewhere nice in kenya and proposed. >> he is a true romantic. >> the news was welcomed through britain. >> i am sure the country will want to pass their best wishes to the couple and wish them a long and happy life together. >> as protocol demands, he asked permission of her father and queen elizabeth ii. william's father has not yet commented in public. the parents of the bride to be more clearly thrilled at the knees. were -- were clearly thrilled. >> they make a lovely couple. >> they met as students in st. andrews university.

they have been a couple for eight years. they broke up for a short time in 2007. kate has not spent all her life in the public eye. she has had to deal with the photographers and a media frenzy that is sometimes reminiscent of that surrounding her fiance's late mother. kate middleton is a popular figure in the country can look forward to what promises to be the wedding of the year in 2011. >> i spoke to our ndon correspondt and askederow the news was going down in britain. >> it certainly could not have come at a better time for the british government. the british people will look forward to this wedding. it will deter some of them from the cuts that were announced that will be felt next year. i think the majority of the british people -- i am not sure if they're enthusiastic. there is nothing dramatic about

them. we have not seen any scandals. that will be expected. people are happy and they wish them well. i have not seen anyone dancing in the streets today. >> kate middleton will be the subject of scrutiny. how well equipped is she to do with this? >> she has had eight years to get used to this. they have only had a short time when they were studying. it was something that the media would be fed information and would leave them alone. since he has left st. andrews and has been living in london or in wales, there has been a lot of interest. so far, we have not seen as much as a bad hair day. she has behaved impeccably. she is equipped to deal with the media.

>> there is a question i am sure a lot of people are asking. what does this mean for the succession? >> they look like the perfect worlcouple. in t way they have and the way they lead their lives, this well mannered, well beyond. i think it will not be a long time until we see them being paroled couple. is prince charles going to have a stint as king? he is an eccentric figure. he has controversy with his outspoken views. prince william is different. but his father beat king may be for a short time until we see prince william succeed him? >> thank you. the british government has agreed to pay compensation to a group of guantanamo detainees. at least six former prisoners have been granted out ofourt

settlements believed to amount to millions of pounds. a spokesman said the payments were being made to avoid lengthy court proceedings and mass of legal costs. the settlement also enters a confidentiality clause which will prevent embarrassing details tfrom coming to life. the two men were shown on iranian television. they were detained october 10 after authorities said the man entered without proper procedure. there were trying to interview with the sun about a woman who was about to be stoned to death for adultery. >> carolyn survive without an emergency bailout? irish -- the irish prime minister reiterated his would statement he would not apply for a bill of.

eurozone members have seen a willingness to help ireland. all 16 members would have to prove such a move. >> the pressure continues to mount on ireland as the meeting got under way. trichet would prefer dublin to request a bailout. it is working closely with dublin. >> we're working in order to solve the serious problems of the irish. >> some finance ministers believed the fund should be tapped sooner rather than later. the president of the european council sees the you posies to rubble at stake. >> we have all worked together to survive with the eurozone. if we do not work with them, we will not survive the european union.

>> dublin fears it could lose some sovereignty of it receives an e.u. or imf bailout. has not ruled out european hub for its base. ireland does not want to wait -- go the way of greece. >> if greece is not meeting the target, we have something to talk about. >> the greek prime minister has criticized german statements on involving private investors in future bailouts, arguing it makes borrowing more expensive for athens. the finance minister emphasized eurozone members have to work together. >> austerity is not a one-way street. that is something great should not regret. >> the eurozone will have to keep looking for a way out of this latest crisis. >> european markets closed slightly lower. hi-- sharply lower. hit by concerns about the ireland cris.

>> the dax lost considerably. there have been some stress factors. china may make steps to curb inflation which would dampen the economy. the situation in ireland was an influence. they want to pay a dividend after a decade. this was a woman's program for shareholders. >> time to look at some indexes. the blue chips finished down as well. the dow jones industrials down 11,013. the euro continues to decline due to concerns about ireland's have edessa said. it is trading at $1.3492.

the government is pumping ney into to bholding. it manages and controls more than 20 companies that deal in real estate, finance, and a host of other industries. the company is one of three mainly state-owned enterprises. last year, the government turned to its richer neighbor for a bailout. struggling german lender [unintelligible] ballistic has managed to reduce its losses to 400 million euros. since theutbreak of e mets -- market crisis, the bond business managed to post positive test results. it almost collapsed in 2008 and needed a 100 billion euros taxpayer bailout.

germany's semiconductor maker is back on track after years in the red. it reported its quarterly earnings surge. revenue climbed by more than half. thanks to the performance, the plan to give back cash to shareholders the first -- for the first time in a decade. >> as the global economy agaibes to improve, the company is writing that trend. shares are bouncing back to become an attractive investment on stock markets. in 2009, one share was selling for 39 cents. by this tuesday, the rate shot up to more than 6 euros. the german semiconductor specialist sold off its cit unit to u.s. technology giant intel. for $1.40 billion.

they are concentrating on its core segment. security and industrial chips. with more high-grade rates projected for 2011. >> back to you. >> here in germany, the christian democratic union has narrowly voted in favor of the procedure. it isesting and screening embryos before thethey are implanted. the issue is sensitive in germany because of experimentation along those lines carried out during the third reich. >> it has been a few successful good days for ange merkel. her partended up following her

personal view of seeking to ban the procedure. this despite pleas from importers and -- supporters. >> 25 to 30 years ago we were locked in a discussion about in vitro fertilization. test-tube babies became the focus of such debate. all of us here today have friends, quinces, family who could not otherwise have had a child. we said at the time we cannot do this. what we now say we were wrong? >> merkel has taken the focus of internal rivals within her coalition. >> we have to fight to get the majority we need in order for our political plans to come into law. the chancellor is the conference

in a strong position and will hope that bill winner -- win back support. >> we will have more on the discussion on genetic testing and embryos later on in this half hour. authorities in india say they still hope to find survivors beneath the remains of residential building that collapsed in delhi on monday. rescue teams have recovered 66 bodies and 130 survivors were treated for injuries. 250 people were in the building at the time. heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding are believed to have weakened to the foundation of the structure and local media reported it was built without the proper construction funding. the u.s. has secure the extradition of a russian man alleged to have masterminded illegal international sales. he was flown out of bangkok after the thai government decided to hand over following months of legal wrangling. u.s. agents arrested him in bangkok two years ago. it is alleged he supplied

weapons to african war lords and islamic militants. >> victor boot, being transported under heavy security. he was put on a chartered plane where he will face terrorism charges in the u.s. court. american ofcials say that for much of the last 20 years, but to sold black-market weapons to dictators. moscow says but should never have been arrested. >> i believe there has been a lot of pressure on investigating authorities and the thai government. it is a real travesty of justice. we, as the russian state, will make sure that our citizen receives all the help that we can give him. >> russia asserts the former soviet air force officer is innocent. he himself has been denied any

wrongdoing and says he has been trained. -- framed. >> idal muslims have begun a festival, which marks the last day of the hadj. nearly 3 million people attended this year. the world-famous newseum in paris is taking an unusual step in an effort to hold onto a painting it deems a national treasure. it is asking the public to come up with 1 million euros to buy it. the work at issue is th"the thre graces". the louvre hopes to raise 1

million more to match the price tag said by the paintings private donors. the museum has until the end of january to raise the funds. you're watching "the journal". we will be back in a

>> the controversial issue of genetic testing on embryos has been a subject of debate. delegates nearly back to calls by party leader and german chancellor angela merkle for ben. the procedure involve sths thye e cells being removed before being implanted in the womb. a court ruled it was not automatically prohibited.

the government, led by the two conservative sister parties, the christian democratic union and the christian social union will from a debate. many argue life begins when a sperm fertilizes an egg. others believe it will lead to customize children if parents can reject a number because of gender or other characteristics. parents who could pass on genetic disorders say they have a right to protect their future offspring. >> they want a second child. she would like to conceive naturally but there were about the risks. she carries the gene for a degenerative disorder that leads to blindness. her son would get the disease. she opted for a pre implantation genetic diagnosis.

>> if the option is there to have pgd, i should have the right to have the test done. >> a couple intended to have a pgd when there were planning their first child but she accidentally got pregnant before the appointment. she remembers the fear of having a child that could eventually go blind. >> on the one hand, i was unbelievably happy to be pregnant. on the other hand, i was terrified he would have the disease. i blamed myself and i cried a lot. >> their son was born without the disease. the couple has no intention of taking the same risk with their second child and they have no misgivings about genetic screening. >> from the moment when thit was implanted. that is how i feel. >> ts year, germany's federal

court of justice sanctioned the tests but only for severe genetic disorders. this does not necessarily cover the loss of vision. faced with such a legal ambiguities, they decided to go to belgium for pgd. >> i would do anything not to be carrying this disease. i will be overjoyed to spare my child. i will not give up on having children. i will travel much further than brussels. >> barbara's father has the disease. over 15 years, his side has been gradually deteriorating. these days, he can only distinguish between light and dark. >> i can only make out the bright counter here. i cannot see the items on it. can sort of see the shelving. i cannot recognize anything in

them. >> he says he has learned to live with the disease but he does not excepted. he says going blind midway through life is afraid he would like to spare his grandson with the help of genetic screening. >> you can live with an illness like this. but to let it happen to be will close to you when it could be prevented, i do not want that to happen to anyone. >> despite his visual impairment, he still enjoys life. he is also glad that genetic tests are no longer illegal under german law. he believes the decision for or against the the the test is a personal matter. >> i am the one who has to live with it. not the church, not the state. it is easy for them to talk about it when they are not facing the problem themselves. it affects me, si feel entled to say it is my

decision and nobody else has any say in the matter. >> jean-nicolas takes a different view. she says no one has a right to a healthy child a nd pgd attaches conditions to having children. >> it will be aborted in certain events. >> she believes in protecting life in its earliest stages. she says pgd will lead to widespread acceptance of genetic tests which could become standard practice in in vitro fertilizations. >> there are illnesses that you may and may not diagnosed with the test. people are living with these

diseases. they are being sent a message that their lives are not worth living. >> she herself has a daughter who is severely disabled. eva is 19 and has a neurological disorder that affects intellectual development. her mother says genetic screening questions her right to exist. >> the question is, what was such a choice caused our society? will that mean the people like ito will be subject to incomprehension and irritation? i think that price is too high. >> should this state intervene in the decision making of would- be parents? she says yes. it has an obligation to do so. >> everyone is out for themselves and thinks it is justified in their case. that would lead to the indiscriminate use of the procedure.

>> what is wrong with that? >> children would become the object of parental wishes. >> he was instrumental in following the test to be permitted in germany. this year, the federal court ruled the doctor had not broken embryo laws. he won his case but there are limitations. >> the boundaries have been said by the federal court. they allow the diagnosis of severe genetic disorders only. that applies to families who would otherwise never have healthy children, who have a high risk of repeated miscarriages. >> the benefits of prenatal screening are self-evident. a mother can identify embryos at risk before pregnancy and decide not to implement them.

the process focuses on a single genetic condition. because of this, he says fears of designer babies are completely unfounded. >> it is absolute nonsense. it is not possible technically. treats like hair color, eye color, streespeed, or football skills are genetically determined. >> they're hoping the screenings will turn out ok and they will be able to have another healthy child. >> it has nothing to do with being egotistical. it was -- made me sad to see him not be able to do reading it wanted because of that illness. i do not think any parent wants that for their own child. >> the couple won the right to choose. for themselves, and for their unborn children.

>> that was our in-depth report. you are watching dw-tv. please stay with us.

ow! of course. thank you. i'd call her honeydew goodbody, not lisa. the very fact that she is called lisa proves that she exists.