the >> hello, everyone and welcome to "the journal." coming up at this hour -- a moscow court delivers a guilty verdict to russian oil tycoon, mikhail khodorkovsky. germany moves to protect computer networks against cyber attacks. a blizzard hits the northeastern united states, creating a mess for holiday travelers. >> the person once considered russia's richest man has been found guilty in a second trial

of my real -- of money laundering and embezzlement. mikhail khodorkovsky was due for release next year and a verdict drew immediate condemnation as it was seen as politically motivated. germany led the european criticism of the conviction, calling the verdict a step back for russia. >> khodorkovsky smiled at his family and decorum. the judge convicted him and his business partner of stealing nearly two under 20 million tons of oil from their own company. khodorkovsky, a vocal opponent of the kremlin, had been due to leave jail next year. but after the latest verdict, it looks likely he will spend more years behind bars. outside the court, his supporters showed their outrage. they were ordered by police to put away and the-government banners. there were scuffles.

around 20 arrests were made. lawyers said they would appeal the ruling. >> we have no hesitation in saying the court was under pressure. the court was not free to make a proper decision. >> his supporters have no doubt who engineered the verdict. >> the judges under tight pressure from mr. putin. >> the russian prime minister, who thrives under a strongman image, but is thought to want to see him in jail. the verdict will ensure he stays in jail for the vote. >> we ask our moscow correspondent have much political interference was part of the judge's ru9ing.

>> from the start, this trial has been seen as a political trial, master minor -- masterminded by vladimir putin. the allegations that were brought forward by the state prosecutors have always been doubtful. khodorkovsky was accused to have stolen all of his oil and that's impossible, according to a number of witnesses who -- and along the line of state ministers. it suggests there are political reasons behind the trial and khodorkovsky and his allies are pointing the fingers at the prime minister who they see as a driving force behind this. >> we will have more on the trial coming up later. a suicide car bomber in

afghanistan has killed at least three police officers in kandahar. officials say the vehicle exploded in front of the bank or people were waiting to collect their salaries. the blast damaged houses and buildings in the facility. the region is considered a stronghold of the taliban. in iraq, the deputy interior minister says to bomb blasts left at least 17 people dead and dozens wounded in one of the western cities. a vehicle exploded outside the building of the provincial government. that was followed later by suicide bombing. it used to be a stronghold of al qaeda, but in recent years, local militias have restored relative calm. in ivory coast, a call from it -- call for the general strike from the prime minister has failed to shut the city down. he asked him to go on strike

until the incumbent president steps down. western powers have been increasing pressure on him to step aside. many ignore the strike, but supporters of the paris succeeded in occupying the embassy there and demanding he step down. italian bond disposal experts have defused a bomb found at the greek embassy building in rome. police say the device was similar to two parcel bombs that blew up last week at the swiss and chilean missions in rum, injuring two people. an italian anarchist group claimed responsibility for the blast. >> italian police dispatched bomb disposal experts to the greek embassy in rome. a parcel bomb arrived on christmas eve, but it was not discovered until monday morning. >> we discovered a suspicious

package with the correspondence of the embassy. we immediately informed the authorities who arrived in minutes with the appropriate services and the bomb was neutralized. embassy staff were evacuated before the device was successfully disarmed. no one was injured. police say the bomb was similar to to devices that some -- tt exploded at the chilean and swiss embassies last week. an italian anarchist group claimed responsibility for the first two bombs and police say they could not rule out an artist involvement in the latest incident. >> german shop owners have reasons to be happy -- to be happy. >> they have done a brisk business and online retailing is doing well. german retail sales over the holiday shopping season have jumped to 0.5% over last year. this shows that consumers here

remain confident in keeping their jobs. this is in stark contrast to economic problems elsewhere in the eurozone. the association of german retailers picks sales will top 77 billion euros for november and december alone, including gift certificates which people are beginning to cash in starting today. >> just one day after the christmas holidays and german shops are bustling again, as here in berlin. many germans are using their days off leading up to new year's to redeem debt certificates they found under the christmas tree. >> we see more and more gift certificates because people are unsure of what to buy. this morning, a customer exchange state giant teddy bear, a present for a 1-year-old child. but the child cried upon seeing it. sometimes it gets to its advocates are a better idea.

-- gift certificates are a better idea. >> i brought my grandfather a card shuffling machine. it did not work and he did not seem happy so he's getting a gift certificate. >> another trip to the department store in grand debts future. as a post-holiday season gets under way across germany. >> automobile stocks in china tumble today when beijing announced plans to introduce a lottery system for license plates and a plan to cut new-car registrations to more than half. the policy is aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the chinese capital by allowing cars with even or odd number license plates to drive on alternating days. analysts expect smaller automakers to be hit hardest. >> beijing traffic is threatening to grind to a standstill as 2000 cars are put

on the city's roads every day. there is frequent gridlock and pollution is getting worse. the government has begun to act by restricting new registrations to half the current level. other large cities to follow suit. it is a worrying development for german car makers who thrive on the china's rapidly expanding car market. volkswagen alone sold nearly 2 million new cars in china between january and november of this year, over a quarter of its global sales. bmw's china's sales topped 153,000. daimler sold 130,000 of its luxury mercedes benz brand this year. german car makers expect the performance to continue next year witholkswagen announcing plans to invest 6 billion euros in china by 2012. these optimistic forecasts are based on china's rapid car

market expansion in recent years. >> the announcement to restrict driving in the inner city of beijing has a knock on effect in europe. automobile stocks were among today's leading decliners. our correspondent in frankfurt asore. >> investors were shocked at the news from china -- said that prospects for volkswagen, bmw and daimler seem to have darkened. what if other cities besides beijing take the same measures and curtail sales of new cars? the investors sold the shares and were the top losers this day, but they have a lot to offer. they have developed in value this year with volkswagen and bmw doubling in value so far. so there was some profit-taking as well. the daxm also suffer for another reason -- what is raising the elite of interest rates there

and people fear this will further affect orders for export from german companies. >> looking at several market indices in a bit more detail, we stay away fact -- in frankfurt, the dax blue-chip closed down 1.2%. the eurostoxx 50 was down about the same period in new york, stocks are moving a tad lower following the interest rate hike by the chinese central bank. the dow jones industrials currently nearly unchanged. the euro is trading for $1.31. the german chamber of commerce, the dihk, says the boy and jobs market is likely to continue throughout 2011. the dihk forecast industrial output to increase by 5%, twice the rate the rest of the german economy. thisncrease is expected to

create 70,000 of an expected total of 300,000 new jobs. next year, especially in electrical engineering and rubber and plastics. >> germany's foreign ministry says to german journalists being held in iran will be allowed to meet with their family members. earlier, berlin summoned the iranian ambassador to express anger over the denial of a christmas visit despite earlier promises. the two reporters were detained in the town -- were detained in october on the case of a woman sentenced to death by stoning. authorities said the men had not obtained permission to work as journalists in the country. the german interior ministry says germany plans to create a cyber warfare defense system to fight spi attacks. authorities registered 1600's

for attacks, mostly from china, on computers and mainframes and government networks and in rman indusy thisear. the government is moving to defend sensitive information. >> the number of attempts to attack government and business computer networks have soared in recent years. the attacks often originated in china, raising suspicion the chinese government may be involved in cyber espionage. >> these attacks aimed to extract know how and confidential government intelligent and economic data which outline how germany has prepared for certain situations. the palace of knowledge is quite big and figures show there is keen manifold interest in it. >> cyber spies are interested in high technology and seek to disrupt targeted networks. in 2007, estonia and computer systems were paralyzed by a tax believed to have come from

russia. delegates at the annual congress in berlin warned companies and authorities not to rely entirely on the internet. >> germany is a classic case. there are efforts to keep critical systems away from the internet, but it is no longer the case in other countries. sometimes, electricity stations are managed by the internet and that could be fatal. we should try to seal them off. >> germany intends to set up the cyber warfare system of the 2011, bundling together expertise from police and intelligence agencies to improve network safety. >> a major blizzard has paralyzed the northeast of the night states. thousands of flights were canceled, leaving many people stranded after the holidays. the stes of maryland, new jersey, north carolina, and virginia declared emergencies after record snowfall. residents of america's biggest city and themselves in a winter wonderland on monday.

>> new yorkers woke up on monday morning to find hardly any traffic and usually drowned pact times square. -- easily jam packed times square. up to 57 meters of snow has falling -- has fallen between maine and north carolina. most trains have stopped running. snowplows for the only things moving at new york's airports. 1400 flights were cancelled on sunday, leaving many travelers stranded and uncertain about when they would reach their destinations. >> we should be leaving at 4:30, but it seems like we will make out until tomorrow morning. by wedding is in about a week and half. >> stranded passengers are camping out in terminals, using anything they can find to sleep on, even luggage trolleys. little things count allot in

such situations. >> we got lucky. i had one and she had the other and we wheeled them together. >> staying indoors is the best solution on a day like this. several states have declared snow emergencies and have urged people not to travel. >> in europe, the situation is not better with the snow and ice on roads across jeremy mang travel difficult. buildings could collapse under the weight of the snowfall. this has happened in one city where the roof of a gymnasium came down. crews have been clearing snow off the routes to prevent more collapses. many public buildings have been closed as a precaution. crews are looking over time to keep traffic moving and sidewalks clear. forecasters say this winter weather isn't likely to continue well into the new year. it is selling as we speak.

>> isn't it fun? >> maybe for you. >> "in depth" is coming up nextn

dwtv. >> he's one of the most well- known prisoners in the world and it appears he will name -- will remain behind bars for some time to come. mikhail khodorkovsky has again been found guilty by a moscow court which hardly comes as a surprise. critics say his first conviction was politically motivated and many say little has changed this time around. he and his business partner now face the prospect of several more years behind bars. prosecutors asked the judge to sentence khodorkovsky to six additional years. the guilty verdict will ensure he is firmly out of sight during the country's presidential elections in 2012. >> khodorkovsky was putting on a

brave face as he was led into court last september. he and his partner are accused of stealing oil worth the 16 billion euros. they have already been convicted of already been paying taxes on. many believe the government just wants to lock khodorkovsky away for as long as possible. >> i do not doubt we will win in the in -- we will win in the end. this is clearly nothing but a show trial. >> khodorkovsky made a huge fortune in the 1990's from russia's rich oil reserves. it made him the wealthiest man in the country. his company was regarded as a model state of the art enterprise. khodorkovsky was one of the country's first oligarchs -- the collection of post-soviet rich businessmen suspected of using dubious methods to make millions. but unlike other or and --

unlike other oligarchs, khodorkovsky used his money to make inroads into politics. he supported the opposition, denounced corruption under vladimir putin's presidency, and criticized state influence on the economy. that proved to be his downfall. in 2003, he was arrested and charged with fraud. he was sentenced to eight years in a siberian prison camp and his oil company was run into the ground with constant demand for unpaid taxes. the latest trial has prompted international protest. many see the case as a political vendetta. vladimir putin's successor, dimitry medvedev, says rule is paramount in russia. but others argue if that were the case, this trial would have never taken place. one thing seems clear -- the russian authorities continue to see khodorkovsky as a danger. >> the latest guilty version

certainly backs that view. although he will remain behind bars, he will also remain the symbolic figure for the russian opposition and civil-rights movement. khodorkovsky became one of russia's most powerful business and by buying state assets cheaply and trading commodities after the soviet union fell in 1991. but the average russian is simply unaware of his plight. state media is controlled and seldom reports on the case. few media outlets take the chance to criticize the kremlin. a show of public support for him and his co-defendants is a rare event. >> a miniature of khodorkovsky made of papier-mache. it picks everyone involved in the trial, as well as those who may be behind it. the exhibition by a young moscow artist a is to show the support for khodorkovsky.

>> i admire the accused. before they were arrested, they were handsome oligarchs i did not care about. but now they're standing up for their ideals. >> a few finishing touches and the exhibition is ready. everyone knows their views are not shared by the most russians. >> i was that my parents last summer in the small town where they live. when i told people about the khodorkovsky exhibition, a lot of people asked who he was. they don't know anything about him. there is no information available. >> few russians have heard about the boarding school set up to educate orphan children. his mother shows visitors are on the school on the outskirts of moscow. the opposition politician remains contact with the family.

>> khodorkovsky did not flee russia when he had the chance. he stayed, fought and sacrificed his freedom for his ideals. he is a unique example of civil courage. i'm convinced that sooner or later, russian society will appreciate that sacrifice. >> khodorkovsky's mother received support from the students and teachers and the kremlin critics. he feels the white russian public is ill informed about his influence. >> the vast majority of russians formed their opinion about what is going on in the country and the basis of the information they receive on state-run media channels. they only disseminate propaganda. >> this students at the boarding school have been targeted. state media reports is nothing but a school for criminals. but the 160 students here are proud of their school's founder,

no matter what the rest of russia thinks. >> we talked earlier to a member of the german-russian parliamentary group and has been following the trial. we began by asking her aut her impressions of the proceedings. >> in this court room, there has not a chance for arguing and discussing what is really the truth. the prosecutors have only been reading pages and pages and pages and they'd never scussed an argument given by the lawyers. they would have to act spontaneously and the judge would interrupt the trial. prosecutors could withdraw and came back again with written pages.

you did not have the impression that with in this courtroom, there was a true search for the truth. >> after the verdict was postponed, you asked the german government and european commission to step up pressure on russia to ensure a fair trial. that seems to have happened without success. why? >> the statesmen and stateswoman of the european union to not act enough together. there is not enough joint action. we have given russia and the kremlin the chance to divide each other up and, remember nikolas sarkozy having a good friendship with vladimir putin andagetting an oil field for the hotel. we have a bilateral agreement --

and oilfield for totale. the possibility that the kremlin could act and by one by one european states was very bad. on we would have needed joint actions by the big firms. they all want to invest in russia and russia wants them to invest. if they would have been more outspoken that they need the rule of law in the country where they invest, maybe the kremlin would have understood. everyone just went on coping the money would come fast enough. that they would get by and it would not happen to them, what happened to their enterprise.

>> thank you very much. with that, we wrap up "the journal" at this hour. thank you for joining us.