>> hi, everyone. welcome to "journal" in berlin. >> welcome. >> the headlines at this hour. portugal pri ministerays his country will need a bailout from the european union. france says talks on getting ivory coast laurent gbagdo to leave power have failed. and a rescue from a capsized boat near lampedusa but at least 130 are still missing. captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- >> we begin with breaking news from portugal. the portuguese prime minister says his country will ask the european union for financial

assistance. >> burdened by unmanageable debts,. >> following a televised announcement, the prime minister said his interim government would place a request for economic aid. after several weeks of hesitation, portugal the now become the third e.u. country to seek a bailout. for more on this story, the european school of management and technology representative joins us. what do you think provokes the finance minister to admit that his country needs help at this time? >> i think we have seen an acceleration of problems over the last week particular. we have seen the resignation of the current government basically accepting that there's no real way of bringing through a new package. and we have seen interest rates keep increasing. so at this stage it might become

too expensive for portugal to go onhisay. >> t queion i aft bailing out ireland and greece does the european union have funds for this? >> it certainly does. i think this is one advantage in comparison to last year's. so last year when greece first came up, the question was, how do we really deal with it? and this all seemed to be rather ad hoc. still, it's a big question in which way we can proceed. >> what are the chances portugal can get its finances in order? greece hasn't managed to do so and it received a bailout. >> i'm rather skeptical about whether they will be able to go there. we havto bare in mind tha all the institutions now coming in will probably impose another prosperity package. and we've seen the portuguese government just resigned because of the reason of not getting through a package so i think political opposition will be quite tough it remains to be seen whether this package will go through. >> you mentioned austerity conditions. what kind of conditions will the e.u. impose upon portugal?

>> so this could be all kinds of cuts. for example, in social subsidies or in social networks. itould -- and i tnkthis should actually be done it should go more into the investment part. because i don't think portugal will be able to get through this just with austerity. i think there needs to be growth as well. >> we thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> turning now to ivory coast where the power struggle continues between forces loyal to ouattara and presidential incumbent laurent gbagdo. the french have called on gbagdo to exit the bunker below the presidential residence in abidjan where he's holdp. theyay negotiations have collapsed. but the united nations says talks are still underway. here's our report from abidjan. >> fighting in abidjan on wednesday, certaintied around the bunker of the presidential residence, where gbagdo is

thought to be hold up. clashes for the third day as troops loyal to the internationally recognized president ouattara tried to remove gbagdo from power. earlier paris backed talks to secure gbagdo's departure failed. the french foreign minister blamed gbagdo for the lack of success. >> the negotiations failed. so they were halted and president ouattara has decided to ask his republican forces to resume the offensive against the presidential compound. >> french troops have been patrolling the streets of abidjan. their mandate to protect the civilian population. they have not been directly involved in the factional fighting. former u.n. secrety general kofi annan called for gbagdo to leave office and for the divided country to reunite. >> he had deepened the divisions within the country. and i would hope that when

president ouattara takes him, he will do everything possible to heal and reconcile the nation. >> but that may take some time yet. the streetsf ivory coast's main have i still dangerous for civilians. most people are afraid to leave their homes. others are trying to escape the country. the french military transported foreign nationals to safety in armored vehicles. >> earlier i spoke to respond fran blandy and asked her to describe the situation there. >> good evening. well, it would appear that fighting is no longer going on around the residence after a morning of hea)y explosions and machine-gun fire seemed to have come to a stop. this may be temporary. residents living around the residence told us the troops seemed to have pulled back.

>> how is gbagdo managing to hang on for so long after being cornered? >> gbagdo is well known as one of the most -- [indiscernible] in the initial hours, he embarked on the negotiations. and now -- [indiscernible] enough heavy weapons to fight ouattara's army. how long he intends to do this remains to be seen. >> you're in abidjan. tell us what life is like now for residents there. >> well, it has been an extremely difficult seven days, since the offensive first started. people have gone into lockdown. the streets are dedeserted. the humanitarian situation is getting worse. aside from the fighting, you have armed militia looting. people are continuing to flee the violence.

in abidjan aid workers are unable to reach the wounded. people are afraid to run out of food. water has been cut, electricity has been cut. >> fran, we thank you very much for that update for us from abidjan. at least 130 refugees are missing and feared dead after their bock broke up in rough seas after leaving libya. it happened off the coast of the italian island of lampedusa. earlier reports said the boat had originated in tuneesha but -- in tunisia but italian authorities said it left two days earlier. only 50 people so far have been rescued. >> traumatized and exhausted, survivors are helped off a coast guard boat on lampedusa. a refugee from darfur recounted how the boat got caught in high seas and capsized. >> we had been on the boat for

three days when it stopped. there were many people onboard. a panic broke out. the boat broke up. i had a family. my wife and 3-year-old child died. >> the italian red cross and other aid organizations are helping the survivors. rescue workers have found 48 people alive and have pulled 20 bodies from the water. the coast guard says more survivors could still be found. >> the search operation is continuing. we've got coast guard vessels and a helicopter involved in the search for the missing passengers. >> 20,000 refugees have arrived in italy and malta since unrest broke out in northern africa. the e.u. wants other member states to help share the burden. >> as portugal's economy has

struggled, germany's seems to be going from strength to strength. >> you've's largest economy is set to grow even faster. media reports say germany's leading economic institutes revised their 2011 growth forecast output. the forecast due t come out ursday cncides with the economic industry showing industry orders soaring. >> the economic institute spring forecast makes for heartening reading. after sifting through data from the first quarter, the researchers agreed that german economic output this year will far outstrip previous expectations. in october they expected just under 2% g.d.p. brother this year. the spring forecast raises that figure to almost 3%. the upward revision comes on the heels of news that industrial orders are up sharply in february the growth in orders was fourfd what analts had been expected. they jumped by 2.4% from the previous month. and the labor market is poised to benefit as well.

the institutes expect the economy to add another 300,000 jobs this year. >> germany's bank is planning to release itself from the shackles of state control earlier than expected. the second biggest bank in germany is expected to pay back most of the rescue funds is received by june. berlin has been intensifying pressure on the lenders to reimburs t fun. >> two years after nearly going under, the bank is moving to free itself from independence. it would mean almost 90% of its government bailout would be repaid by the summer. the bank received the funds at the height of the financial crisis in 2009. it now plans to pay back $14.3 billion. the remaining 1.9 billion euros would be redeemed by 2014 at the latest. the c.e.o. detailed how the money would ab choired.

be acquired. >> 11 billion euros from freshly raised capital. we will produce 3,379,000,000,000 out of free regulatory capital. in other words, we'll come up with that ourselves. the chief executive said the first quarter profits came in more strongly than forecast and that the lender expects to pay a dividend again for 2012. >> and time check in on the markets. have morenthe day's trading from the stock exchange. >> the german economy is still on track, especially the industrial orders went down pretty well here on the frankfurt floor and led to a small rally on the dax. after two days of flat g's flat, the dax went up by half a percent. commerzbank shares gained by more than 4% due to the fact it

wants to get rid of the state aid money and wants to repayt by issuing new shares. investors say that they are quite sure that this will work out pretty fine and will help to give the commerzbank management more freedom. >> let's have a look at somef the market figures starting with the blue chips in frankfurt. the dax index closing half a percent higher at 7215. at 2971.stoxx 50 index, .07% in nework,heow nes dustals closing at 12,426. and the euro jump stopping a 14-month high against the dollar today. car sales continue to boom in china. german luxury carmakers saw sales soar in the first quarter. audi sold 64,000 in china, up almost a quarter from a year earlier. b.m.w. sales jumped 70%.

and mercedes sales rocketed 80% in the first quarter. german brands are especially popular among more affluent chinese buyers. back to megan. >> thanks. we turn our attention to italy where the trial of italian prime minister better better better on -- silvio berlusconi on sex charges opened. berlusconi is accused of paying a teenaged nightclub dancer for sex last year. it's expected to be the most watched trial in italy in years. berlusconi is also accused of abusing his office in an attempt to cover up the scandal. the prosecution says the 74-year-old paid for sex with a 17-year-old known as ruby. he then allegedly called a police station after she had been arrested on theft charges and ordered her released. the trial is set to resume on may 31. if convicted on both charges, berlusconi faces a 15-year jail sentence. and we'll have more on the case against berlusconi coming up later in "journal" in "the

in-depth." in libya rebel forces have been trying to retake the oil port of brega after days after fighting. this despite after coming under heavy fire from forces loyal to gaddafi. thheavy shellg pmpd them toash out at nato. they say nato is not doing enough to protect them and to stop artillery attacks by gaddafi soldiers. >> despite the latest setbacks, the rebels aren't giving up hopepe fresh supplies for frontline fighters are being distributed at this check point near ajdabiya. a spokesman said their withdraw on tuesday had been a tactical move. >> everything is ok. our soldiers are checking the area. sometimes gaddafi's forces shoot at them, and then they pull back.

>> further east, near the city of tobruk, rebels are preparing ship their first batch of oil from rebel controlled refineries this tanker can carry up to a million barrels. rebels say they've agreed on an export deal. the money gains will enyaibl them to buy companies to continue their fight against muammar gaddafi's regime. >> aigovernmenprotts contued in yemen wednesday with tens of thousands turning out in the city to call for the president to redesign. there were also mass demonstrations on the streets of the capital. reports say wednesday's protests went off peacefully. the president offered to step down at the end of this year, but protesters are demanding that he go immediately. some sports news. wednesday saw the sand marathon, one of the most challenging sporting events in the world. this year the course covers 230-kilometers of the morocco

desert. the fourth stage was the longest in the race from 82-kilometers. the challenging distance on flat roads, but this marathon crosses sand dunes, hills, and dried out river beds. >> a quick handshake before competitors headed to the start. most of the runners set off at 9:00 in the morning. the best athletes didn't start until the early afternoon. by then the tperatures we over 30 degrees celsius. but it would get cooler as evening approached. all the runners carry a backpack with essential supplies of food and an emergency medical kit, including antivenom in case of snake bite. most of the runners will have to camp out and won't finish until thursday. >> stay tuned for "in-depth" coming up next.

>> welcome back. ity's pri minister silvio berlusco didot sw up for the start of his trial on sex charges on wednesday. his reason? he's too busy being prime minister. berlusconi's defense lawyers submitted a letter to the court saying that he had institutional engagements in rome. and that's a legitimate excuse in the italian legal system. well, the trial, which is expected to be one of the country's most spectacular proceedings in years, will continue in may. however, it's already attracted intense media attention. berlusconi is accused of paying for sex with a 17-year-old bar dancer and then abusing his power to prevent her from being rested for theft. sex, money, power, and berlusconi. and the world is certainly watching. >> silvio berlusconi, known as a macho man who's never shy of the limelight and always brimming with self-confidence.

>> i am convinced that i am by far the best prime minister italy has ever seen. >> berlusconi has a long history of getting into scrapes with the law. in the early 1990's, his company was investigated for bribery of public officials to gain contracts. his battle with the judiciary continued after he became prime minister in 1994. he was indicted for tax evasion for dealings at his media company. in this case and others, administration past effectively delayed proceedings against him. the media set trial has since re-opened. a bribery case from the 1990's is also back in the court. berlusconi is accused of paying his lawyer of the time, david

mill, $600,000 for his false testimony during corruption trials. berlusconi has often been less than diplomatic on the international political stage. his response to criticism from a german politician in the european parliament provoked outrage. >> mr. schultz, i know that a film is being made in italy, a film about the concentration camps. i suggest you play the role of camp guard. >> berlusconi left the chancellor waiting at her summit in germany while he took time out to answer his mobile phone. this, too, is typical berlusconi, a lack of tact and sensitivity. policies are occasionally decided on a whim. in the 2009uropean elections he packed his party list with

attractive women, paying scant regard to their political experience. and now ruby, the latest in a string of women making negative headlines for silvio berlusconi. so far he's managed to joke his way out. but now his luck may have just run out. >> well, berlusconi has been tried on at least 17 charges since his first term as prime minister began in 1994. none of the cases has resulted in lasting convictns. several weroverturned on appeal. a remarkable legal winning streak for berlusconi. or are the laws in italy simply too lenient when the prime minister is involved? many italians are fed up and want to see true reforms in the legal system. >> there were rowdy scenes at the italian parliament building last week as the government tried once again to shorten the statute of limitations for one of silvio berlusconi's pending trials. this time the defense minister

bore the brunt of the public anger, and he had to leave the square under police protection. for the demonstrators, the long list of litigation demonstrates that berlusconi has to go. >> it's a disgrace. >> he doesn't even care about governing anymore. he just wants to say it's in. >> you call this government? it's a dictatorship. >> for his supporters, though, the prime minister is a victim of a judiciary out of control. at his office, a local politician talks to constituents. since he's a lawyer, he also enjoys discussing the ry trial. but even more than that, the justice system, he thinks, is too slow and inefficient and serves the people badly. >> a civil trial can last 10 or 12 years in italy. that puts us last in europe. criminal trials are even worse. seven years can pass before a verdict in the first trial. and they can appeal to two

higher courts. >> the way he sees it, the justice system needs to reform itself rather than hound the prime minister for decades. especially when it comes to morality, as in the ruby trial. >> berlusconi never tried to hide a thing. and as long as nothing is proven, he's a free man. i care only about what he does for our country. his private life is his business alone. that's why it's called private life. >> young activists from berlusconi's people of freedom movement meet in a rome hotel. here, too, the arguments for giving the prime minister a break are the same. >> no other politician in europe has had to cope with 28 or 29 trials without ever having been legally convicted. so i ask myself, is berlusconi really that immoral or is this

political persecution? >> there's one thing berlusconi has managed to achieve. he split italy into the two camps of his if a nat cal supporters -- natil suorters and tter enemies. >> for more analysis on this, let's -- we're joined now in rome by correspond pattying anew. thanks for being with us. as we just heard there, italy is divided into fenatical supporters and bitter enemies. how divided is the society over berlusconi? >> they're very y ep and very bitter. there are simply those who --3 his supporters, who believe he's the victim of audicial tch-hunt conducted by leftist sympathizing imagine straits and buys his way in politics and

through politics and to do all sorts of crooked deals in politics. >> are italians surprised that wednesday's trial was adjourned so quickly? >> no, no. that was exactly as expected. the opening session was a prosecutorial event to decide the timetable for the rest of the trial. but it may be in fact, adjourned even more quickly than that becausthis week tueay in parliament, parliament voted for this whole trial to be referred to the constitutional court to decide the jurisdiction. because mr. berlusconi's defense argue that the case should be heard by a thing called the tribunal of ministers rather than milan. they say milan does not have jurisdiction. if the constitution court did rule that way, if it went to the tribunal of ministers, it first has to go through parliament. and parliament almost certainly would not to have it go. in other words, it's a long way of saying it. buit would mean that mr. berlconi would not go to trial at all. the trial would be stopped.

>> but in any case so far dozens of witnesses are being called to testify including famous actors like george clooney. it seems that this is turning into a giant media circus. do you think, then, there's a risk that the trial will collapse because of this? >> no, it won't collapse because of that. it will collapse because of the issues i just mentioned. áúe questionable, the witnesses under the prosecution and defense have called between them 210 witnesses. we'll enup wh maybe 100 witnesses and they could include some famous people like actor george clooney, footballer renaldo. neither of them i think will be called. but the point of calling all of these witnesses is basically -- as far as the defense is concerned, they're character witnesses for mr. berlusconi. as far as the prosecution is concerned, they're there to prove that he had all of these girls at parties in his private residence. >> thank you. we're going to have to leave it there now in rome.

that wraps up "journal." thanks for joining us.