welcome to the "journal," coming to you from dw-tv in berlin. the tunisian prime minister takes over for the president, who has fled the country following amount of violent street protests. and floods devastate entire towns and brazil, leaving people dead. and the vatican confirms that st. code is closer than ever for the late pope john paul ii. -- the vatican confirms that sainthood is closer than ever for the late pope john paul ii. the president of tunisia

has fled the country following another day of anti-government demonstrations. it barely leaves the nation after 23 years of authoritarian rule. the prime minister is taking over, but it remains unclear who was in control of the country and what role the army is playing in these unprecedented events in north africa. ben ali's departure came after anti-government protests threaten to spiral out of control in recent days. >> the protests grew in size and ferocity. demonstrators pressed for an end to the president ben ali's 23 years in power. then the prime minister appeared on state television to announce that he would take over as interim president until early elections are held.

he said that president benli was temporarily unable to exercise his duties. having stepped aside, the tunisian leader reportedly left the country. earlier in the day, security forces used tear gas protesters in an attempt to break up the demonstrations, but more to nations took to the streets. what started as protests about living standards became a challenge to the president's role. even before the announcement, some predicted that change was coming. >> we hope this is the beginning of democracy. we hope for someone from inside, not outside. we want him out. just get out. >> of violent protests have left dozens of people dead. the government declared a state

of emergency and imposed a curfew to quell the unrest. it remains to be seen whether a change irole will call on the protesters. >>a just a short while ago, we spoke with a professor and to be shipped and what asked whether the prime minister would be able to restore order -- in tunisia. >> the prime minister has some good reputations. he is a technocrat, but on the other hand he has been very close to the president, so for sure he is not an option for secession. it is only totoanage the interim period after the president has left the country.

>> some say the former prime minister is the interim president and he enjoys the support of the military and other security services. >> one has the impression that maybe the army was involved in the takeover of the power. then this announcement came out. so he is a man of ben ali's system. he has been prime minister quite a long time. it is for sure a good relationship generally between the armed forces and him, but on the other hand, this is an absolute exceptional situation, so it is not sure how things will turn out and if the prime minister will succeed in

handling this particular situation. >> thank you very much. soaring prices for fuel and food it sparked demonstrations in the jordanian capital today. protesters included trade unionists and leftist political activists calling the prime minister a coward and demanded his resignation. while the government has announced price controls and measures to create jobs. i italian prosecutors have confirmed they are investigating possible abuse of power charges against prime minister silvio berlusconi. the case centers around his dealings with a 17-year-old moroccan nightclub dancer who attended parties at his home. the investigation includes allegations of under age prostitution. prosecutors are examining whether berlusconi intervened to have the girl released from police custody when she was

detained over theft allegations. the prime minister denies any wrongdoing. military police and brazil have been deployed to stop looting in flooded areas and rescue workers are covered more victims. brazil's worst natural disaster in four decades has claimed 500 lives. 10,000 people are seeking shelter and aid. the extent of the damage has exposed major flaws in the country's emergency plan. >> relatives waited anxiously outside of the hospitals for news of their loved ones. coffins are brought out one after the other. only now many learned that friends and family are among the victims. the police stations and churches have been turned into makeshift morgues. >> i lost my mother, daughter, and granddaughter. i don't know what to do now. there is no future, no hope left

in life. >> in a first effort to help survivors, the brazilian president has released the equivalent of 350 million euros of emergency aid and she has urged authorities to approve disaster management. >> there are always going to be landslides because of the heavy rains. we just have to make sure that people are not going to get killed because of it. >> emergency teams have not reached many remote areas and authorities expect the death toll to rise. forecasters warn of more rainfall over the weekend, which could hamper rescue efforts. the specter rough inflation is stalking the growing number of economists predict that ecb has hinted we could have a future rate hike, but they have been kept on hold.

at china has taken steps to curb lending, its central bank raising the amount of money that lenders have to keep in reserve. it south korea is trying to palm prices by increasing import tariffs ou. it is something the european central bank is closely monitoring, and it is no different in germany. >> the cost of living in germany rose last year with sharp increases in the month of december. according to the country's federal statistics office, consumers had to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for some items, for example vegetables. the price of tomatoes soared almost 50% from a year earlier. heating oil jumped almost 30%, as did potatoes, and there was more bad news for motorists. fuel prices climbed 12%. the higher cost of diesel fuel and gasoline knocked out a fact,

with prices for other goods and services increasing as well. the overall inflation rate in germany was 1.9% in december, compared with a year earlier. that puts europe's largest economy below the eurozone average of 2.2%. greece and estonia had the highest rate at more than 5%, but ireland bucked the trend. it is still not clear how the ecb would react to a continued rise in eurozone inflation. normally, it would try to keep prices in check by hiking interest rates, the output and additional strain on an already troubled economic situation. the jititrs have the markets confused. european stocks closed mixed. there is optimis >> the earnings season is gaining momentum. technology companies have showed with a record high results that

company in general start to spend money for themselves, and this of course is something that investors like because it shows optimism and the company's. intel report results, sap and intel have record high profits and sales, setting a good mood on the frankfurt floor, keeping the dax above 7000. later in the day, new economic data from the u.s., and they have not been too bad. honing in on the numbers, the german benchmark dax index finished pretty much unchanged. the euro stoxx 50 finished slightly higher. the doubt is opt out on currency markets. -- the dow jones is up slightly.

things are looking good for the second biggest lender and the u.s., j.p. morgan chase, its shares rising after reporting a 47% jump in fourth quarter earnings. they beat analyst expectations, posting profits of $4.8 billion in the final three months of last year. the banks' revenues rose thanks to the increasing demand for loans from corporate and consumer clients. jpmorgan is widely seen as a barometer for the help of the u.s. economy. the number of new car registrations in europe has slumped by about 5.5%. the decline came after most government incentives expired for car owners to upgrade aging models carry the decrease affected most big manufacturers, with toyota, honda out, and fiat taking the biggest hit. iluxury brands but the trend. analysts expect 2011 to remain

sluggish for the european mark, but things will improve later in the year. the late pope john paul ii is closer to sainthood today. pope benedict xvi has approved evidence that john paul performed a miracle but during a french none of parkinson's disease. it will take place in a ceremony on may 1. the time between his death and his beatification is one of the shortest on record the entire history of the catholic church. for more, i asked our religious affairs correspondent why john paul was so quickly being declared a saint. >> contrary to what the media usually says about pope's making people famous, in fact, the process always begins with ordinary people, faithful refering somebody, and then the church looks and decides to leave their govett its blessing or condemns it.

on the day that john paul ii died, the people attended, thousands in st. peter's square, asking fohim to be declared a saint immediately. this popularity was so great that the pope decided to suspend church law that there should be five years cooling off and investigated immediately. >> can you tell us about the miracle that qualified him for beatification? >> god is intended to give his seal of approval to the beatification process by allowing a miracle to take place in the proposed saint's name. many think that is not a good idea is it emphasizes the rol of the saint as a miracle worker rather than as a role model. >> this was a french nun cured of parkinson's. what does this say about where pope benedict is taking the catholic church? >> pope john paul ii was a very

conservative, traditional fee elegist with a warm, charismatic personality. benedict xvi as a cartel at the time was really the brain behind that papacy. he was very comfortable standing in the shadow of john paul ii. what i think he is doing by sounding off on this is stepping into the shadow again, that is the kind of person we need in the 21st century. for more than a week, people in germany have been asking how safe is the food? dangerous levels of dioxin have been found in eggs, poultry, and pork. the consumer affairs minister is under fire for not doing more sinner. today she faced her critics and presented a 10. plan to present rigid. something like this happening again. -- she presented a plan to prevent this from happening again. consumers would be informed immediately of any contamination

of this kind in the future. the second half of the german soccer season is underway at this hour with tabletop purse -- table toppedpers getting wins. well they'd be up to keep up? >> the coach knows his team is the underdogs, but he also knows that can be dorfman. the one against them in the first half of the season 2-0. daly began their impressive series of victories after that opening match. they are especially helpful because there player is fit again. he is likely to be on the field for at least some of friday's match. their other star players are also available. they have all been told how to tackle dorfman. >> i am sure we can take the wind out of their sales by pulsing quickly and plain good soccer.

>> we will move the ball around quickly and keep away from their players. >> i think we will create opportunities and use them. >> but their opponents are not faced by such talk. their coach remains confident and dismisses talks of nerves. he says his team has not forgotten how to play good football over the winter break. >> the adrenaline will be flowing before the game. this is football, and you gain confidence by winning tackles. we intend to do that. >> with both sides determined to win, fans of both teams can look forward to what is sure to be a competitive fast-paced batch. -- matcgh. -- match. >> stay with us. we will have a lot more on the german soccer season, coming up in our in-depth in 60 sesends.

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welcome back. it is friday, and this evening marks the return of bundesliga soccer after the winter break. the second half of the season has kicked off with the league topping dorfman taking on third place team. the german soccer world is a bit mixed up. the traditional tightness down in the rankings and its star players cannot seem to make any magic. that is the teamwith smaller starts stealing the show this season. >> they celebrate their successes together, team work first, not star performances, is what counts at portman, and that has put them at the top of the

table. a switch quickly from a defensive to an attacking game, always on the move, always fast, and the payoff was 39 goals in the first half of the season, the best in the bundesliga. >> we just do what we do. we will be trying to do the same in the second half of the season as the first half. we will do our best and see what happens. >> he is young, talented, and ambitious, the youngest member of a young team. many teams are only in their early 20's. the central defender, then once the youngest bundesliga professional, who now leads the unpacked. >> we would rather take a hit for a teammate then leave them in the lurch. you could teach that by example and demanded of your players.

>> it is this person's third this season at portland. he is both the boss and an equal member of this group of vehicles. -- this group of equals. that is a different story in munich. the starke coach runs a company of star players. they just spent 17 million euros on another star. others have been out because of injury. but they are determined to robert dorfman of the top bundesliga spot. >> the most important thing is -- >> it is not to look too far into the future. >> in the immediate future, they have decided to take the goalie out and replace them. that will be another test of their team spirit, unsettling

the squad, especially since the move was not agreed with by the sports director. >> i can gauge thomas craft every day, but what i cannot gauge is whether he will be able to handle the pressure. >> all the bundesliga players have to handle the pressure. that includes the individualists if they want to overtake dorfman on the way to the title. one of the most impressive players has been there midfielder. the japanese international has been virtually unknown when he arrived, but he has managed to help the club take the lead by scoring eight goals. he was also recently voted top discovery of the year by a german soccer magazine. he is one of a growing number of japanese players in the bundesliga. we look at why so many are choosing to come to germany and

what the japanese have to offer. i>> it is soccer time at this tokyo sports bar. whether it is the japanese national team, the bar is packed with in the bundesliga exports flash across the screen. >> i am happy that five of our national players are now planning in the bundesliga. is every player's dream to play in europe, and they have made it. i>> the bundesligascouts have an eye for players with young potential. kthe most famous of them is this player who knocked in eight goals for dorfman, who have enjoyed the season break in first place. not far behind, these players, also a new arrival last summer. bu>> we japanese are light on or

feet and have good tactical fundamentals, which we bring to the bundesliga pitch. >> he is not shy. in order to get to europe and shine, the new generation of japanese players has adopted a new mentality. >> they are much more open when they come over, open to take part in discussions, to approach people. they are proactive and not reserved. we see them taking the initiative. >> this football scott specialized in asia early on and arranged all the transfers from japan this season, after only placing one japanese player in the bundesliga in the 1990's. but japanese soccer has opened up, and that is paying off for the scout.

>> more and more japanese teams are being coached by south american or european coaches, so soccer there has developed enormously. >> the german national players went to japan early on. after winning the 1990 world cup, they finished their playing careers and worked as coaches in japan. the scout still looks to them for advice. even with his next transfer deal in the making, he knows the generation of players is not about to replace the ever popular stars imported from south america. >> due to the relatively small size of the country, they cannot produce the amount of top players that brazil or south america can. that is clear just looking at the rankings. >> be that as it may, fans in tokyo are enjoying their players in the bundesliga.

and one in particular. [cheering] >> as the second half of the season gets underway, we decided to examine the biggest muscle and the achilles heel of the league. here are the seasons tops and flops so far. take a look. >> the team plays catch-up in the second half of the season after playing a fairly unspectacular first leg. they came into the season fielding 15 new players, hoping to take the top of the bundesliga table by surprise. no such luck. they lost seven matches in a row thanks to a persistent case of mediocrity. but the spanish icon raul treated fans to a slew of goals before the break. stoop guard is also on have to work on their form. that underperformed their way to the worst ever first leg in the crowns history, coming in 17th

place. this after firing not one but two coaches. now their new coach will get his chance. stuttgart is the bundesliga's comeback kid, having played impressive second legs and all of the last three seasons. everybody in frankfurt loves out this team. with 14 goals to his credit, the greek is the bundesliga's top scorer, and he came at a bargain price. his transfer cost frankfurt a mere 1 million euros. four years ago, he netted 20 goals and was the league's top scorer. a feat that he hopes to repeat by the end of the season. in the first game of the bundesliga, now under way after the winter break, the score is still 0-0 at this hour.

thank you for joining us, and stay with dw-tv if you can.