hi, everyone. welcome to the "journal" on dw- tv. the top stories at this hour, heavy snow and freezing weather snarled european transport, leaving thousands stranded. student protests in london that turned violent as the british government approves a hike in tuition. about most people say corruption and business --- >> most people say corruption in business and politics is increasing according to a survey.

winter weather is taking europe by storm. more heavy snowfallhas caud disruptions across the continent. snow and ice brought trouble to a virtual standstill. in germany, the situation is not much better, the highways filled with traffic jams and the airport officials say there are major delays. they say that the fluid used to deice airplanes is running in short supply. >> about a quarter of flights were canceled at frankfurt airport and others were delayed as the crews worked to clear the snow. some 2000 passengers were stranded overnight, and many others had to indoor long waits before continuing their travels. >> my flight was canceled, and out i am waiting to see if i have to be read booked. >> berlin airports are also

affected, with about one-third of flights cancelled or delayed. they are running low on the de- icing fluid. they also had to cope with mother nature on the highways, leading to backups stretching as much as 30 kilometers. many drivers were stuck several hours. in other european cities, the snow has stopped falling. some parisians took advantage of this for a different descent down the steps. british parliamentarians had narrowly passed through a measure to increase tuition at universities, which could see fees tripled to about 9,000 pounds, just about 10,000 euros. the vote came amid angry demonstrators from tens of thousands of students across the country. >> student protesters clashed

with the police in the streets of london, with injuries on both sides. critics say the police used excessive force. but there were also reports that protesters tried to break through barriers outside of the parliament. the plan toa triple tuition has enriched this dude is across britain. >> what parliament does that we can undo, and our strength lies in the collective power of ordinary people. >> the governing conservative liberal democrat coalition refused to back down. the liberal democrats have upset many young supporters, who accuse the party of breaking an election campaign pledge to oppose any increase in fees. let's get more analysis on this story. for at, we go tour correspondent in ldon. there are reports coming in that protesters attackedhe car of

prince charles and his wife, camilla. what more can you tell us about that? >> this has been reported by the british media. that happened in central london, and it seems as though protesters just kicked the prince of wales' car. he was in there with his wife, on their way to the theater. it is reported date -- it is reported that day arrived at the theater on time. the protests started off calmy to begin with, but they have turned more violent. the protesters are most agree with the liberal democrats. they say it was complete u-turn. it had promised to abolish the tuition fee raises, and now in some cases the tuition fees will be tripled. >> tell us more about what this vote means for the governini

coalition. >> is a test of the coalition, one of many tests in the future. it is because the girl democrat mp's are much -- is because the liberal democrat mp's, their instinct is to protect the weakest in society, but more austerity measures are planned in the u.k., so the big question is whether liberal democrats will vote for them in the future. >> thank you very much for that. a commission set out by t german interior minister has recommended merging the country's federal police force with the federal office of criminal investigation. the report said the increased threat posed by international terrorists requires a more effective, national policing structure. >> germany is still on high terrorism alert and the country's security forces are stretched.

the operation involves the federal police, the federal criminal office, and the country's many regional police forces. after loong at the coronation of the security institutions for eight months, a commission has concluded that too many departments are doubled up and less effective than they could be. now the chairman says the federal security efforts should be unified. >> we have identified double or parallel activities that could be avoided. the usual conflict on such cases will be a thing of the past. >> the commission would also like to see control of air freight, with a report saying that the federal police it should take over some custom checking duties. the interior minister who was in charge of the federal police will come to the proposals. -- welcomed the proposals.

am i am aiming to get a clear political mandate and a schedule by early next year. >> he pointed out it would take time to restructure the federal police, but he hoped the process would be completed by 2013. > u.s. authorities have announced they will investigate cyber attacks attributed to supporters of the website wikileaks. computer hackers have disrupted a number of internet services, including paypal, amazon, and the websites of two major credit-card companies. mastercard and visa announced they would no longer pass along payment to wikileaks. the hackers cause -- the website caused havoc because of the lead cables. the founder of wikileaks remains in custody fighting extradition. the question is, how clean

is the business and political world? the finding of transparency international survey in more than 80 countries found most people think there is more corruption today than three years ago. >> transparency international told 90,000 people in their latest survey on corruption. -- polled 90,000 people and their latest survey. the study was not aimed at document proven cases of corruption, but finding out what people's perceptions of them are. worldwide, 56% believe that it has gotten worse. the mood in the european and -- european union and candidate countries is gloomy air. 7% say politicians are more corrupt. critics 70% say politicians are

more correct. in real terms, more than one in four people are paid some sort of bribe. however, some experts say that websites such as wikileaks could help stem the tide of corruption. >> we asked transparency international if she thinks wikileaks is a positive or negative force when it comes to honor thing corruption. wheit comes to uncovering corruption. >> the principals are of crucial importance. the idea of shedding light on the lack of transparency in many political and public areas is extremely important. we have to protect the people who are willing to speak out about misdeeds and corruption. at this point, we need to see to what extent wikileaks contributes to the uncovering of

corruption. it is important not to shoot the messenger bulook beyond the responsibility of companies and the private sector and government to transparency. the burden has to be on transparency. they have to defend the secrecy. an italian court has sentenced the former head of parmalat to 18 years in prison for his role in the company's collapse in 2003. the collapse left debts of 14 billion euros and its demise wiped out the savings of tens of thousands of small investors. he was found guilty on charges of fraud and bankrucy and criminal conspiracy. at his first trial, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for market rigging and obstructing market regulators. iceland has reached a deal with the u.k. and the netherlands over compensation for billions launched in iceland accounts. the have already compensated

300,000 investors. iceland has agreed to pay back 5 billion euros of the cash that dutch and british sabres had deposited on accounts. an earlier agreement was thrown out after 90% rejected the referendum. prepayments will begin in 2015 and will be completed by 2046. the financial markets had a little bit of a rough day, investors worrying about the eurozone budget deficits. conrad paul has this report. >> every desire to buy stocks was driven out of investors this thursday when the rating agency fitchdownadedrish government bonds to triple b- plus, which means they are not recommended by fitch as a safe investment anymore. the reason is insecurity about how much money the average banking sector will finally cost

the ira's tax payer. the biggest dax losers this thursday with the shares of lufthansa. the weather paralyzed parts of the air traffic, especiall luhansa hubs. let's start with the blue- chip dax index in germany, 6964, slightly lower. the euro stoxx 50 slightly higher on the day. the dow industrials, also lower. and the euro at $1.3230. the world's biggest car market keeps getting bigger, a forecasting a record year for car sales. 18 million new cars solthis year, increase of 30% over 2009. analysts say you should keep your seat belts fashioned. the middle class is growing,

meaning huge growth potential in the next decade. one of every five cars sold in the world is sold in china. bayer is planning to invest 1 billion euros to increase production of high great plastics at its shanghai plant. -high-grade plastics at its the shanghai plant. it will relocate their entire polycarbonates unit from germany to china next year. they're used in cars, electronics, and construction. they expect sales in china alone to double in the next five years to 5 billion euros. time to talk about the climate talks in cancun. about word coming from cancun is hardly any progress has been made at this climate change talks on key issues like setting binding targets for the reduction of greenhou gas emissions. many of the 194 participating

states are concentrating on smaller issues like the accord to fight deforestation, supported by the united nations secretary general. it is highly unlikely the delegates will agree on a follow-up to the kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012, and the summit finishes on friday. as norway gets ready to present the nobel prize on friday, the head of the award committee said the choice of the jailed chinese dissident was not aimed agast being. at a press conference in oslo, he said the prize and to honor the people of china. beijing has refused to release xiabo from jail to receive the reward. he will be honored at the ceremony by an empty chair. >> oslo is preparing for the awarar ceremony without the recipient. he is not allowed to leave china.

>> when such a powerful governmentears pers in jail to such an extent, this shows that the country is very weak and fearful. >> china has called on its allies not to attend the nobel prize ceremony. despite china's reaction, the nobel committee intends to go ahead with the award ceremony. >> we cannot look to serve national interests, in this country or other countries. we are only lking at the real nobel. about 18 countries have said it would not attend. -- >> at 18 countries have said they would not attend. >> we will not change because some anti-china plans interfere. >> instead, a defiant china has awarded its first peace prize,

the confucius' award, to taiwan's vice-president. the award honors his efforts at reconciliation with china. but alternative prices and rents will not prevent liu xiaobo from being awarded the prize in absentia tomorrow. spanish police have questioned a world steeplechase champion following several are rests in a major anti doping operation. the police searched several homes and businesses as part of the operation. the raids targeted athletes, coaches, and doctors. reports say he is suspected of supplying other athletes with drugs, but is not chargedwith taking any drugs himself. a sport physician was also implicated, accused of masterminding a vast blood doping network four years ago. state to end, i will be back

after a short break with in depth. we will be looking at metals and ores.

worldwide, the hunt is on fo scarce rawaterls use i high-tech products. the production of the cell phones, cars, and flat screen televisions requires certain metals. the imports of these materials became clear last month, when china drastically reduced exports of what are known as red earth elements, which are found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods -- rare earth elements. countries that possess these raw materials are in a position of strategic power. control of these resources can also be a source of conflict. >> this desert in chile is rich

in lithium. the element is an essential ingredient in it batteries from cell phones to laptops. the hope is it will also power millions of electric cars in the future. some 70% of global lithium deposits are located in the andean countries, chile, bolivia, and argentina. the deposits are processed in state of the art factories in europe, the u.s., and japan, where developers are trying to come up with more efficient ways of powering electric cars. if they are successful of the the next few decades, lithium supplies could soon start running low. one substance that is already in short supply is cold and or, found in the democratic republic of congo. it is extracted from small, often a legal minds by people

working for a pittance. those who profit are for the most part armed militias. many believe the struggle for the control of the metal has fuelled struggle in the region. it is essential for the production of small funds and small computers. it is just one of an increasing number of covered it raw materials needed for the manufacturer of high-tech products -- number of coveted raw materials. china is in a strong position as regards rare earth metals. open cast mines produced scandium, and other vital products necessary and the manufacture of solar panels. beijing was recently accused of limiting shipments. germany had to scale back production as a result. >> some countries are relatively poor in terms of mineral wealth, making recycling very

important. a german company is extracting silver from industrial waste, old knives and forks, n.d. and silverewelry. lastear alone the recovered 400 tons, mostly for the communications and automobile industry. if the company was ranked alongside silver producing countries, it would be in ninth place. 20% of the world's global silver demand is covered by reclaiming, which presents a great opportunity for countries with scarce mineral wealth. >> at first glance, this looks like an ordinary recycling yard, with stacks of scrap metal piled high. but one man's trash is another man's treasure. this plant recycles piles of industrial waste, old knives and forks, and even silver jewelry. these two men make it possible. they turned this scrap into pure

silver. >> our company processes about 400 tons of silver per year. that is a huge amount. if you do the math, that is 600 euros per kilogram of silver, that is a substantial amount of money. >> they begin by melting down all the metal objects. once they are liquid, a metal worker ladles out a small sample to test the silver content. the more silver in the mixture, the more the customer gets in return for the scrap metal. then the hot liquid is cast into ingots. the silver has not been purified yet. it is still a crude alloy that needs to be separated from the other metals by electrolysis. copper is the first medal to be reclaimed. after three weeks, it can be

removed and reused. another round of electrolysis is finally produces the desired metal, pure silver. it takes a full week before the silver fleece separates and materializes into miniature crystals -- before the silver fully separate and materializes into miniature crystals. that is a long process. >> the process costs and aot of moneynd there are strict environmental guidelines to follow up, so you need a material that is worth at least five euros per kilo to make a profit. at today's rate, as long as it is 1% at silver, it is worth it. >> the company stores its daily production, about 1.5 tons of pure silver crystals, in this container. the crystals may not look very shiny, but the contents are still a glittering 1 million euros. the company takes the crystals and processes them further in its metal works. the silver is recast into these

glowing bars. which can then be spun into wire, something that can be used later in the automobile industry or electronics. silver is an ideal conductor of electricity. >> every switch that you see, whether in a car or household appliance or light, could have a piece of our silver in it. wherever electricity flows, we may be part of the process. >> by recycli silver, they are capitalizing on a vital industry and proving it can be very lucrative. your average car contains dozens of substances extracted from the earth. with demand for hybrid cars increasing, the demand for rare earth metals is also on the rise. this means there is growing concerns the world may face a shortage of such materials unless new sources are developed. most of the world's rare earth supply is currently produced by china.

some of these elements are used in the latest cars made by bol gon we visited the volkswagen plant to find more. >> this golf model is the most common car on german roads. it is made up of 10,000 individualal parts and lots of w materials and familiar to most people. for instance, in the catalytic converter. the cars internal combustion engine turns these carbon monoxide into soot particles. the catalytic converter detoxifies this with two rare metals. most modern cars have helpful features to keep inexperienced drivers from causing damage while parking. a rear view camera, distance sensors, and a display. to give the display the right contrast, three medals are needed.

-- three metals are needed. it used to be that you could make a car using just metal, water, and plastic. now you need it rare elements. there any -- they are meant to be more environmentally friendly and help safety. one rare metal is used as a lubricant and has replaced the highly toxic asbestos. and rare earths are put into the car from outside. just as with the catalytic converter, this is added to the diesel fuel to ensure cleaner combustion. speaking of clean, soap and water are too old fashioned for many. but here also, industrial chemists have come up with something new. a professional's clean their windscreens with syria and to ensure the extra shine. but these raw materials are

expensive, so much so that the automobile industry reclaims the scraps to use most of the rare earth. a >> rare metals and or, key strategic resources. -- rare metals and ore, key strategic resources. that doesn'40does it for us hert dw-tv. thank you for joining us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--