>> hello, everyone. welcome to the journal. i am meggin leigh in berlin. >> i am steve chaid with the business news. >> coming up, a british court granted bail for wikileaks founder julian assange, but he has to stay in custody while swedish authorities appeal. italy's prime minister silvio berlusconi survived a vote of no-confidence. and germany's business leaders say they are dissatisfied with the country's governing coalition. ♪ >> a court in london has granted wikileaks founder julian assange

bail, but he must remain in jail pending an appeal by swedish authorities against the decision. he will also have to put up over 200,000 bell money if he wants to be freed. a hearing is set to take place within 40 hours. assange's lawyer says proceedings are turning into a show trial. >> it was a dramatic than the growing legal tug-of-war surrounding wikileaks founder julian assange. he will remain behind bars, pending an appeal by swedish prosecutors. that hearing is expected within 48 hours. earlier in the day, and it looked like assange would be able to leave prison. he was granted bail under strict conditions. >> the first is that he live and sleep each night at a particular address, which is given to the court. the second, that he has to be in that property between certain hours of the day and night, so

he can be geo-position with electronic monitoring clemmons. >> assange was taken into custody last week. he is wanted under an eu-wide warrant. swedish officials have charged him in connection with sex crimes committed against two women. lawyers for the 39-year-old maintain both charges are politically motivated. assange says the u.s. government is trying to punish him for his publication of secret documents. >> he is very worried about his colleagues at wikileaks, but he understands that the organization is functioning. >> supporters continue to stand vigil outside the jail where assange is being detained. they say it is obvious that the political elements have continued his incarceration. >> with sweden appealing the decision to grant bail, i asked our correspondent in london what happens next. >> it is considered unlikely that this appeal will be granted.

so julian assange can hope that he can leave prison within a couple of days. then he will actually have to appear in court again on january 11. until then, he has to surrender his passport and adhere to a curfew and where electronic tags. later on, there's another big court hearing which decides whether he will be extradited to sweden. so this is a big question in the weeks to come. >> we understand he has related to define message through his mother. what can you tell us? >> australian media have an interview with his mother, and then have been reporting on a statement that she had a 10- minute phone conversation with her son, and he delivered a statement -- she says that his convictions are on faltering. uses, i remain true to the ideals that had expressed any circumstance shall not shake

them. if anything, this process has increased my determination that they are true and correct. he goes on to attack paypal, visa, and mastercard, their instruments of the u.s., and he called for protection of his work. >> thank you for the update. a protest broke out in rome after italian prime minister silvio berlusconi narrowly won back-to-back no-confidence votes in parliament. they had used tear gas to stop angry demonstrators from smashing windows and setting cars on fire. around 50 people, including police officers, were injured. silvio berlusconi survive t lor house noonfidence motion by just three votes. he had a more comfortable victory in the senate. >> berlusconi was visibly nervous as the voting proceeded. after weeks of maneuvering, many legislators were also on edge. just before the vote, the opposition once again leveled

serious charges. >> no matter how the vote in its, mr. prime minister, we can be sure of one thing, you but these votes, and you should no longer govern. >> the prime minister then left the chamber. the senate backed him by a comfortable margin. it was a different story in the lower house, where he survived with a razor-thin margin of just three votes. the session was briefly suspended amid an uproar. the results embarrassed parliamentary speaker and former berlusconi ally who sparked the government crisis in july by forming his own political grouping. so it political reprieve for the prime minister. on the streets of rahm, public opinion is divided. >> i agree with berlusconi, so i am had with the outcome. >> that is democracy.

i am not surprised by the results. but if you ask me if i am happy, no, i am not. >> opponents gathered outside parliament in rome, hoping he would be forced to resign. anger boiled over when the results were announced. scores of protesters clashed with police, smashing car windows and setting cars on fire. >> we will be taking an in- depth look at the silvio berlusconi and a talent politics coming up later on in our program. -- and in italian politics. another convoy over radioactive waste has left france down for a storage site in northern germany. the shipment is scheduled to reach the facility near the polish border by thursday. heavy security has been put in place, and demonstrations are expected to last month, germany saw widespread protests against

another nuclear waste shipment to another storage facility. welcome a crisis as been averted in the european union. members have agreed on next year's budget for the block. for some, it is less than with the european parliament had been hoping for. but members can be assured that certain projects will continue without interruption. >> agreement on the eu budget, just in time for christmas. the deal was crucial. without it, funds for ojects could have only been released on a month-to-month basis. that would have seriously hampered the eu's ability to function properly. >> thanks to this budget, we will be able to put into place policies in the service of european citizens. >> the lion share of the 126 billion euros will be devoted to infrastructure projects. over 40% will be spent on agricultural subsidies and rural development of the remaining portions of the budget will be

spent on foreign relations, security, and administration. parliament was on the whole happy with that break down, but it is fighting for a stronger stay in long-term financial planning. >> it was necessary to make the 2011 budget an issue, because financing for the coming years rest on it. let's be realistic, what we do not work out in 2011 will be considerably more difficult to deal with in 2012 and 2013. >> we're going into the locker rooms a little bit behind, but the game not over, and i am confident that in the second half, we, the parliament, will win the game. >> and the parliamentary team has begun to prepare for a wrangling over the long-term budget planning up until 2014. >> it's good to steve with news from the other side of the atlantic. >> some good news on the economy, but not quite enough.

at its last policy meeting of the year, the u.s. federal reserve says the nation's economy is recovering but not fast enough to justify any change in its controversial attempts to spur further growth. u.s. central bank has left its key interest rate near 0, where it has been for the past two years. in the closely watched statement accompanying the decision, the fed said it anticipates a gradual return for a new art -- to a more normal economy, but progress toward its objectives has been disappointingly slow. it is therefore move ahead with more quantitative easing and will pump another $600 billion into the u.s. economy through the purchase of long-term treasurys. germany's institute has raised its forecast for gdp growth in germany. that is historically low interest rates which drive-in assessments and falling unemployment continue to support domestic demand. germany's of its biggest postwar recession in two dozen 9, but it emerged faster than expected

from the slump and has now left most of the eurozone company's trailing in its wake. consumers in europe's biggest economy are now more confident about e future, and they're spending accordingly. >> german retailers are already feeling the shopping mood. revenu are growing slowly but steadily. the institute predicts the trend will continue, with a german consumer spending even more in the months ahead. according to the forecast, most german growth will be related to german consumer spending. this year, the institute predicts 3.7% growth. must attributable to booming exports. growth will slow in to death and 11, but they have revised the previous forecast upwards from 2% to 2.4%. the reason, stron domestic demand. -- growth will be slow in 2011. the positive mood has impacted the financial sector. a survey shows the economic el

look of finance professionals grew again in november. >> on to tuesday's market action despite positive german data, german shares finished flat. should be noted that shares in frankfurt are currently hovering near two-year highs. our correspondent sent us this summary of the trading action in frankfurt. >> the upswing in germany seems to remain stle. the outlook for for next year a very good, but neither investor confidence nor the outlook for next year has been able to raise share prices. the dax has been headlining. there might be the mood to take some profits out from the market. but some shares still feel the upswing and benefit from the good mood in the german economy, like this company that raised its forecast for next year, especially in the travel

business. this started to rally for two shares. >> we can stay in frankfurt for a closer look at tuesday's numbers. the dax finishing basically flat but a couple points to the downside. the euro stoxx 50 of leading eurozone blue chips with modest gains. crossed the atlantic on wall street, the dow jones enjoying a nice rally. in response to stronger than expected retail sales figures. and now thathe fedas announced it will be holding its interest rates steady, still trading higher by more than 0.5%. on currency markets, the year of trading in a valley of $1.3382. europe's largest budget airline, right in there, is planning massive cuts to services in germany in the coming year. the company says the decision is related to a new air-traffic levees in germany. capacity will be restricted at many airports throughout the

country, including berlin where ryanair forces flights to and from the german capital will be cut by more than 50%. the company announced it would reduce flights servicing this airport by a third. germany is introducing an aid your levy for a short distance flight from the start of next year. the price of gasoline in germany has reached a new high. customers at gas stations are paying close to nearly 4% more since the beginning of the year. some said the high price of fuel is related to an improving global economy, where demand for oil is rising. another factor is the recent weakening of the euro against the u.s. dollar, making oil, which is priced in u.s. dollars, more expensive for eurozone customers. that is your business update. back to make news. >> thank you. germany's business and

political elites are dissatisfied with angela merkel. that laid the blame with our coalition partners, the free democrats. according to a svey, of the 541 german leaders in business politics and administration survey, 72% said they are unsatisfied with the coalition government. >> the figures still show widespread disappointment in angela merkel's government, despite the economy's strong recovery. many of those surveyed are unimpressed with wester wewe lle. they think he is overstretched in his dual role. but effectiveness is growing, albeit slowly. >> the initial difficult the coalition experience are still being felt. the majority of top managers feel these difficulties have not been totally overcome. >> overall, the business leaders

have a positive economic outlook, but they are less optimistic about the future of the european single currency, the euro. 45% say they have no concerns about the euro's stability, but a majority, 54%, fear for the stability of the currency. their biggest worry is the debt burdens of some eurozone members. >> the managers from the economic sector, in particular, have the view that a lot more pressure needs to be exerted on a highly indebted countries, to bring the problem under control. >> the business in the trust angela merkel to apply the pressure. a large majority of the managers view her as a strong leader, despite the weakness is they see in her government. >> there has been a global outpouring of tributes for the veteran u.s. diplomat richard holbrooke, who died late on monday of a heart ailment. the u.s. prison called him a giant of american foreign

policy. the german -- the u.s. president said he was a giant of american foreign policy. he shot to global prominence in the mid-1990s as a negotiator at the day in accordance. for the past two years, richard holbrooke served as u.s. special envoy to afghanistan and pakistan. visitors to the south korean and crannies -- aquarium were enchanted by an early christmas present. that was a visit by a swimming and dancing santa claus. that jolly elf performed underwater ballet with as many as 12,000 extras -- sardines. would just 10 days to go before christmas, santa claus naturally brought along some edible presence for the fish, and schoolchildren were also fascinated by the performance. >> no pun intended, school

children -- a deal like that? >> i get it. >> stay tuned for "in depth hel.

>> the world food program. >> silvio berlusconi has managed to pull it off again. allies have turned on him, bribery and corruption probes have dogged him, sex scandals of dominated the headlines, and his opponents have written him off time and time again. yet, as a politician, he is the classic comeback artist. on tuesday, he managed to survive a double emmy. a vote of no-confidence in both houses of the italian parliament. his problems began in the summer. his one-time political partner deserted berlusconi, leaving him to govern without a majority of his own. it remained open to the very last minute whether he would survive the vote of confidence. opposition politicians claimed he simply bought votes with promises of money and influence.

even though he may only have scraped through by a narrow majority, the end result is that berlusconi and his government can stay in office, at least for the time being. >> silvio berlusconi was in a tight corner, but once again, he has managed to hang on to the prime minister's job. delegates listened to his appeal. >> given the difficult situation italy is in, along with all other european countries, the only possible route is that of renewing confidence in the current government. it renew it because the government has worked well, and to renew it from a sense of responsibility for the nation. >> at the age of 74, berlusconi is the comeback kid of italian politics. he loves the limelight, and for the last 16 years, he has been performing on the country's political stage.

he first became prime minister in 1994, just six months after entering politics. his party at the time campaign for conservative values and free-market economic politics. berlusconi portrayed himself as standing for traditional family values and power. the billionaire businessman gradually extended his empire over the years, buying up ac milan football club, construction companies, newspapers, magazines, and nationwide tv channels. berlusconi's media -- as are convinced that i am the best prime minister if lilly has ever had. -- italy has ever had. >> but abroad, berlusconi is not view quite so positively. a u.s. diplomatic communique

recently released by the whistleblowing website wikileaks described him as vain and ineffective. berlusconi's sex scandals and legal cases often create bigger headlines and his politics. the prime minister has faced litigation for alleged corruption and tax evasion several times. but while still in office, is protected by an immunity law that he himself initiated. the prime minister's popularity ratings have plummeted. italy's problems appear to be left untouched. like the rubbish on the streets of naples. berlusconi's many promises to solve the trash problem have all come to nothing. hundreds of thousands take to the streets annually for in no berlusconi day. the italian leader has faced difficulties in government since falling out with his former ally, but berlusconi remains undeterred. >> peop keep saying berlusconi go home, but i do not know which homthey mean. after all, i own 20.

>> for now, berlusconi escaped with his job and title in tact. now he can look to e future and breathe a sigh of relief. >> well, outside of italy, berlusconi's style of doing business has raised plenty of eyebrows. and the italians are divided about the political leadership. surely after he won the vote of confidence, riots broke out in rome. protests are a common occurrence in italy. berlusconi has met lots of promises to the italian people over the years. his second term lasted five years, the longest time of political stability in italy since world war ii. he had pledged to revolutionize the italian economy, but it barely grew during this time of his third stint as promised started off with efforts to rescue the national airline of the country and solve the nabal's rubbish collection crisis, but it soon crumbled into scandals and probes. in our next report, we talked to some ordinary italians to find

out how they feel about the state of politics in their country. >> this family follows political developments from their living room. from here, rome seems a long way off, and many italians, they say they're tired of politics. there are especially skeptical of their prime minister. >> berlusconi relies on his charisma. he can tell people anything, and he always manages to appeal to the taste and the dreams of average italians. like his jokes about women, he likes to cast mself as the rich tycoon desired by all women. >> then there is a talent to do not bother to find anything else. the only watch tv. that is why berlusconi's tv monopoly is so important. what you see on tv becomes the truth. >> one glance at the lunchtime

news is enough. the state broadcaster focuses on one man only. >> they only show useless news, just berlusconi, commercials, green holidays, and christmas trees. >> in politically uncertain times, silvio berlusconi's media machine is on overdrive, both outside and inside a government building. berlusconi has been in politics for 16 years. one thing is known for is his resilience. >> that men will keep fighting to stay in power while there is any breath left in him. and his power is the men's in industry and financial markets. berlusconi's wealth greatly exceeds that of any of his rivals. >> his critics say silvio berlusconi's politics have done lasting damage to italy.

>> since coming to power, berlusconi only passes laws that benefit him personally. and that protect them from judges and state prosecutors. for a decade and a half, he has been systematically eroding our constitution, and the principle of everyone is equal under the law. >> some italians have given up on politics altogether. others continue to support berlusconi, describing his political style as unconventional, witty, and go- getting. some admire him almost like a rock star or as someone who always knows which direction he is going in, even under pressure, like during the no- confidence vote. they are prepared to turn a blind eye to his blunders, sex affairs, and corruption allegations. many in italy say all

politicians are corrupt anyways. >> we're better off with him. we cannot do without him. right now, we need a government and can keep us afloat. >> that the government expected this outcome of the vote. as long as berlusconi is alive, we should accept him. >> the best thing for italy right now is to continue this way, because the other side, the opposition, does not have a suitable candidate for prime minister like our current premier. >> yes, he was my choice, too. i voted for him, and a think it is fair to all people that voted for him that he should serve out his term. >> back in bellona, these two men not agree with that. they say italian politics is increasingly out of touch with ordinary people, despite the rate tuesday's vote wind. >> that habeen our "in depth"

of look at italian politics and the resilience of the silvio berlusconi. thank you for joining us. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪