captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> hello, everyone, welcome to "the journal." coming up on our program, iran allows an end of your family does it for two detained german reporters in the country. thousands of people are stranded in moscow airport. west african leaders go to the ivory coast telling laurent gbagbo to step down.

the fate of two german journalists detained in iran remains unclear but they have been allowed to meet with their families. the men were arrested in october for working in iran without proper journalist permits. they were investigating the highly publicized case of a woman who was sentenced to stoning for adultery. >> the journalists shared a dinner with family members at a hotel. after 79 days in custody, the two men appeared tired and were reluctant to allow tv crews to some the reunion. the german ambassador to iran joined them at the table. the iranian security offices were present and authorities have dampened hopes for a quick release of the two men. iran said that the visit was granted on humanitarian grounds but their fate remains uncertain. >> the case lies in the hands of

judiciary officials and requires completion of judiciary procedures. if they decide that they have not committed any crimes, they will be released. if they have committed a crime, their case will be dealt with. >> the journalists were arrested in early october while conducting an interview with the son of a woman who was sentenced to death for adultery. her case has been widely condemned outside of iran. tehran says that the two men lacked the proper visas to work as journalists in the country. >> for more, we ask our political correspondent why things are looking less likely that they will beí released any time soon. >> that's right, the two german journalists have been in the iranian detention for over two and a half months and there is no indication that there will be released any time soon. on the contrary, a spokesperson says the fate of the two men

will be decided by the iranian justice system. the german government is applying pressure on behalf of the two detainees. the german foreign minister says that the government is working to assure that the two detainees are home in germany some. the german government was instrumental in ensuring that the meeting with the members took place. the head of the foreign relations committee is trying to get this case taken up at the eu level to apply pressure from that perspective as well. >> thousands of would-be holiday travelers remain stranded in moscow's airport with traffic disrupted for a third day due to power outages and ice. after freezing rain snapped power lines over the weekend, authorities brought in diesel generators. passengers are still complaining about food and water shortages,

a lack of sanitation, and lost baggage that some flights are finally taking off. >> this was a sight to warm the heart of stranded travelers, an aircraft being de-iced at the airport. thousands of passengers had to spend 18 night at the overfilled airport and this was an experience they are unlikely to forget. >> the toilet to not working, there's no water in the sink, no water, tea, hot food, only bottled water. >> you cannot get any information about flights or the timetables. this is complete and utter chaos. it is impossible to understand anything, how to return tickets, for example. no one is giving out any information. >> to compound the problems, airport restaurants hike up the

prices for food and drink. there was angry confrontation between passengers and personnel at the airport and power went out intermitteny. the situation is gradually easing and airport workers are getting anything -- everything under control. it could be days before the airports catch up with the backlog. >> several political parties here in germany have criticized calls by a german airport operator for passenger profiling in the way of making air travel more secure. this would see passengers screened according to risk groups and limit rigorous checks to those who are thought to pose a threat. similar checks are already in use at israeli airports and would speed up passage to security but critics have blasted the method as ineffective and discriminatory. lukashenko has named a new

minister. the move comes less than two weeks after his landslide election to a fourth term in office. the vote was widely criticized as unfair and led to protests in the capital. more than 600 people were arrested on a crackdown on protesters and leaders. three western african presidents have urged laurent gbagbo to step down or risk military action. he met with them at the presidential palace. he is under pressure to give up power to his rifle,, who is widely seen as the winner of last month's election. we spoke to a journalisk who has been following this story for us from nairobi.

they were there to deliver an ultimatum and we ask what their efforts could realistically achieved >> well, this is not the first time that they traveled to convince gbagbo to step down. three weeks ago, it was the former president of south africa. those past talks are negotiations. efforts to find a compromise did not have any concrete results. today, this is the president of -- the three presidents who came to put on pressure. the west african union does not exclude a military option. this does not frighten gbagbo but must fghten the generals. >> and radical islamic sect in

nigeria has claimed responsibility for the christmas eve bombings and attacks on churches in the country that left at least 86 people dead. in statements on the group's website, they said that they carry out the attacks. police said the bombings and the subsequent clashes between armed muslim and christian groups killed 80 people and wounded more than 100. six others died when two churches in northeastern nigeria were firebombed on friday. let's check in with peter for some business news. china is according some very valuable minerals. >> they are making many countries with the strong high- tech industries very angry. this is very bad news for the high-tech businesses. china is scaling back its exports of rare earth minerals

for 2011. they are essential for the production of cell phones, computer drives, an electric motors. numbers released by the chinese commerce ministry so that they will reduce the export quotas by 11% next year. china accounts for 97% of global production are rare earth. they control over 90% of the supplies and a drastic cutback sent prices surging earlier this year. precious metals are also trading at record levels these days. gold prices rose for the 10th consecutive year in a row. confidence in paper prices decreases. precious metals are becoming accepted as a more stable investment. no other asset has invoked as much stress as gold but it comes with a hefty price tag. -- as much trust as gold but it comes at a hefty price. >> a vending machines for gold

have appeared this year. the gold prices are picking up readily, everyone wanted to pick up the pressure just metal on the deep pockets. -- the precious metal will need deep pockets. after gaining a solid 1/3 in value in 2010. goldman sachs forecast it will continue up. the top 1700 announced in 2011. gold is regarded as a safe for long-term investment than stocks or currencies. as investors worried about the industrialized world increasing debt burden, that is where they're putting their money. there are fewer and exploitable deposits. geologists estimate that only 47 metric tons of gold left in the ground. the shortage is adding to the upward pressure on prices. >> stock prices gold -- closed mixed on european exchanges amid

the mix of mostly negative economic data out of the u.s.. we have more from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> car shares are in the limelight and investors stayed away from them. china is eliminating subsidies for the purchase of new cars. that could hurt car sales, investors think. this came a day after the minutes of the government in beijing announced that they were going to have a number of new car registrations that they will allow. investors here on the -- they are on the careful side because many professionals don't see a lot of reasons for going into the market with new purchases. also a disappointing economic data from the housing market and from consumer confidence spoke against lot of new purchases in the market. >> looking at several market

indices in more detail, let's begin first in frankfurt where we see the blue chip daxx index up by just a hair. the eurostoxx was down small. there was pessimistic consumer confidence. the dow industrials are up about 1/4 of a percent. the euro is trading for $1.31. weeks of snow and freezing temperatures have depleted the country's supply of salt from melting ice on the road services. the company is a eumopean producer for industrial and consumer markets and even when working to the limit, they cannot keep up with demand now. >> road salt is one of the most sought after commodities in

germany. some come from eastern germany which is home to the largest european salt mine. the company produces around 25,000 tons of road salt per day. to do that, the mine operates around the clock. >> the mine has an area of about 20 square kilometers and extends around 7 kilometers from east to west and 3 kilometers from north to south. that equals the dimensions of a small town. >> worldwide, then mind around 30 million tons of salt and italy but this accounts for nearly 15% of the company's sales. the most lucrative product is fertilizer. last winter was also fairly severe. the production capacity is limited including the one here. >> if we would like more salt,

the capacity has to be increased by hiring additional workers but there is a limit and our limit is currently 600 tons per hour. >> that is not enough to meet the current demand. as a result, they are importing another 100,000 tons from their subsidiaries in north america and chilly. >> i was calling to comment about the weather but i did not want to get into it. >> most of germany, including berlin, is in the grips of winter and we have lots of snow right now and the temperatures keep falling. for most of us this is a challenge, especially computers. for others, they feel right at home. >> for the polar bears at the berlin zoo, the winter weather is like a summer vacation. >> polar bears like the cold even in subzero temperatures.

they still go swimming and they lay around on the cold rocks. >> though less partial to the cold, elephants are sent out for fresh air and some fun in the cold. the unusually severe conditions are creating new challenges for the police department. instead of tracking criminals, they have their eyes peeled for icicles. >> we are getting a lot of calls from people about icicles on the roof. officers and firefighters have been called in to clear the dangerous eyes. >> the fire department responded to 70 alert calls on tuesday morning alone. drivers are often left to their own devices. often they need a shovel and some muscle power to free their vehicles from snowbanks. how long did it take you to free your car? >> almost two hours. >> even out on the street,

drivers are not necessarily on track to their destination. >> the northeastern u.s. is dealing with the aftermath of a major blizzard. the winter storm was the sixth biggest on record. vehicles were stuck in the snow. many streets have not been plowed after more than 50 centimeters paralyzed the city. the major airports have reopened but it could take one-two days to handle a backlog. elton john and his partner have become parents to a son. the baby boy was born to a surrogate mother in california on christmas day. they were overwhelmed with happiness and their son is doing well. the baby has been given a name that is extravagant, he is called zachary 11 -- john.

statement, we will be back after a short break.

>> each year, a city as chosen as the european cultural capital. in 2010, the honor was shared by 35 separate municipalities. this is a bold plan but it worked. some 300 projects and more than 5000 separate offense drew a record number of visitors. -- events drew a record number of visitors. 2010 was a major milestone on the path to structural readjustment for one region. >> this was one long party. especially when 3 million thronged to create the world's longest street party.

thousands had already swarmed to the yellow shark signs, bright balloons indicating the region's former coal mines. there was something for everyone, the old and young. special exhibitions were designed to bring the history back to life for the youngsters. the ambitious goal was to give the entire region an image makeover marking a successful transition from coal mining to cultural metropolis and it worked. colossal and austral relics drew tens of thousands. -- colossal relics drew tens of thousands. there was a major performances like an opera project. then tragedy hit at a parade in late july. 21 people died and hundreds were injured in the crash caused

by bad bad crowd management. the disaster cost 8 shadow over the the celebration but the region had been selected as a center of culture so the remaining defense went ahead. being the cultural capital as but what was once the grubby industrial heartland in a totally new light. long neglected and looked down upon, the valley enters 2011 sparkling with brand new confidence. >> duisburg is in the western bally, a center of steel production and also a university town with over 30,000 students. like many other cities, they face industrial restructuring. all of the coal mining is

closed. the residence hope that the 2010 events will change the dirty industrial image of the city for good. we start with one of the less prosperous suburbs. >> this area has had a reputation as high unemployment and a high proportion of immigrants. this is starting to shake off their down trotted image with a number of projects including a media bunker. as part of a project called next generation, young people have been able to train in this old locker for a year with media professionals learning about film and photography. this is one of several houses of the future. they are cultural centers with projects focused on a general theme of the future. these translate young people's

ideas into reality with the help of professionals. >> film and photography are my hobbies anyway and i have learned things here working with professionals who are open- minded and teach me practical things. it has been a learning process with all of these projects. >> some of these young people would like to work professionally in the media. they get a chance to test out whether this is the right thing for them. >> i go to school. i am getting ready to go to university. people would like to hear about this. however, this area is seen as negative and that is a shame. the future has helped the reputation and help to expose prejudices. >> those prejudices make the team wanted, to get there. they like to make this area and

brand name. they took part in the audubon street party -- autobahn street party. >> this was a kind of catalyst for us. we have managed to meet lots of people through different projects. we have attracted much media attention. we have reached loads of people, especially german. we wanted them to come here so that you could say that we have a kind of monoculture here. >> the fashion shows bird on some 30 turkish businessman from a variety of branches to team up together. they know that they can only improve the image together. instead of competing, they have set up a network. this is a good example of the principles behind it -- 2010. >> we would like more german

customers to know this new side. this is important to german customers who can come here without being afraid. they don't have to be afraid these days. >> the music school is doing its cultural work on influenced by all of the offense -- events. >> earlier this year, it was set for closure. that is being postponed. no one knows how things will continue. the staff is hoping for more from being europe's cultural capital. >> we could have designed a really unusual projects that would have made a said part of the festival in some form or another. things did not happen that way but it would have been what i would have liked. of >> this work -- duisberg has

no money in their coffers like many municipalities. however, they have a new image. >> a great new image. >> people used to complain about a valid but now there is a bit more green around. i think this is all quite good. >> this has shown itself in a positive way. the exhibition on the autobahn, it was impressive. >> marketers have worked hard to come up with a unifying identity. they have decided to focus on the region rather than individual cities. >> the terrorism specialists manage that. we now need cultural institutions to say that they represent a the area. >> this is a good example of that. this brewery has been transformed into a center for arts and creative business. it aims to attract a broad

public and they have called them large crowds with some of the exhibitions. it also helped that people knew it from and it was a brewery. >> i was worried that they had pulled down the whole building. this was a landmark. when you pulled into the railway station, you knew that you are important. -- were in dortmund. >> this cooperates with other museums. >> obviously, this can be very appealing when different institutions exhibit their of specialities so that a tour from one museum to another can become exciting. >> after a year of being part of the capital, institutions hope to continue their cooperative ventures. they have seen all too well that going in alone gets you nowhere.

>> thank you for joining us this hour.

♪ after you've gone ♪ and left me crying ♪ after you've gone ♪ there's no denying ♪ someday when you grow lonely ♪