>> had a warm welcome to "the journal." france and britain say nato countries must step up the military campaign against libyan government forces. the past prime minister moves to calm fears after the new package -- after the fukushima plant. and a prize to a woman who risked her life during the tunisian revolution.

>> of france and britain are calling on other nato members to do more in the air war against libya. the british foreign secretary is calling another alliance capitals to match the british amount of aircraft. they say nato is not doing its role and they need to move more aggressively against the forces of muammar gaddafi. >> of the fighter jets have been taking off night and day from this french air force base on corsica. north africa is not far away and they have been flying sorties to bomb targets in libya. paris wants to see more of the same from nato. the foreign minister says it is imperative to stop the forces from attacking this besieged city. >> nato has to play its role in full. nato wanted to take military command of the operation that we have accepted it. they have to play their role in

stopping muammar gaddafi from bombing the population. >> in the a spokesperson has rejected the proposition. they said they have done a good job removing the threat posed by the forces. >> when you look at what we have done over the last few days, taking out numerous tanks, armored personnel carriers, destroying ammunition storage as, i think we're doing a great job with the assets we have. >> on the front line in libya, rebel forces need all the help they can get. they're using makeshift weapons to defend the western gates of this city. forces loyal to muammar gaddafi are just a few hundred meters outside the town. >> until now, nato has been almost totally united on its approach to libya. what has cost the division and why is it coming at this point? i put that question to our

brussels correspondent. >> it reflects the growing frustration in london and paris over the fact that muammar gaddafi is still in tripoli. france never wanted made a takeover from washington in running the assault against libya. i think that frustration is coming out in paris. there is now still may living and no sign whatsoever that muammar gaddafi is going to leave voluntarily. a simple stalemate going on in some of the town's being fought over is what it is all about. there is a sense that if something does not give soon, everybody may be dragged into a long civil war. >> you mentioned the u.s.. they pulled out of the direct air war in libya. could that be one of the sources of criticism? >> yes.

america has the air power and resources. with some european nato allies, you see not enough air power to actually deliver the good. -- deliver the goods. what is everyone in libya for? is it to say psyllium lives or is it to bring about regime change? >> thank you for the update from brussels. >> the european union added to the economic pressure on libya today, extending sanctions with an asset freeze on 26 companies and to individuals. germany is not taking part in that military actions against the regime and it's hoping these tougher sanctions will help accelerate the and to the conflict. members of the opposition joined

a delegation in brussels to lobby for more assistance. >> dri been -- the arrival of a libyan rubble entourage was kept low-key. but they held talks with european foreign ministers. three weeks after intervention commence, they're pushing for a political solution to the end of the conflict. they hope to receive european aid for victims of the fighting. >> we have about 30,000 injured. 7000 are critically injured and their lives are in danger. >> the european union is pushing for intervention to guard against military intervention. germany is unwilling to get embroiled in another conflict but they're willing to help shake up the pieces. >> if you an office for

coordination of humanitarian affairs sees a need and says we need a military escort, for example, to reach harbor by sea, then we will provide assistance so that medical help can continue to get in. >> he hopes new sanctions will further undermine the ability of muammar gaddafi to wage war against his own people. >> the former president of egypt, hosni mubarak, is in intensive care right now. he has reportedly suffered from heart problems. he fell ill after being interrogated for the first time when investigators were looking into investigate -- looking into embezzling public money. it is alleged he paid gangs to assault protesters during anti- government protests. the 82-year-old has suffered from health problems recently and was operated on in germany last year. to japan now, or the prime

minister has told the nation there is no reason to panic after the country upgrade its nuclear emergency 27, the highest on the international scale. in a televised address, he said the fukushima nuclear power plant is gradually stabilizing. engineers at the plant have been using technology from a number of countries to cool the overheating fuel rods and an american drone aircraft is providing closeup details. >> images captured by an unmanned jones -- unmanned drone shows the extent of the damage. the fire was extinguished the reactor for on tuesday morning. japanese authorities have raised the severity rating to its highest level. japan boss nuclear agency previously rated a level 5 accident, compable to the three mile island accident. but an increase in the release of radiation has pushed it to

level 7, the same as the infamous chernobyl accident from 1986. the japanese prime minister says it's time to focus on rebuilding the shattered country and feels there's reason for optimism at the the shima as well. >> fukushima is progressing toward stability and the emission of radioactive substances are on the decline. >> the government appears to be reassuring citizens. the cabinet minister staged a media event to demonstrate his confidence in locally grown produce. >> the food in the shops and supermarkets and here today is safe. >> but those living in emerging -- in emergency shelters do not appear to be buying the message. suspicion is growing that the situation is more serious than the government was willing to admit. recent developments provide no

cause for optimism. >> let's get more on the inflation fears stocking germany. the cost of living is rising even faster than we thought. german inflation accelerated unexpectedly accelerated the fastest pace in 2 1/2 years after energy prices jumped, meaning germany has exceeded the european central bank's 2% limit. that limit is designed to maintain price stability within the eurozone. high prices pushed the inflation rate to 2.3%, the highest rating since october 2008. the unwelcome rise in energy costs comes as booming exports and falling unemployment boost growth in europe's largest economy. european shares suffered their biggest loss in four weeks on tuesday. our correspondent sent us this summary. >> the start of the earnings season was a disappointment.

alcoa, a large aluminum company did not manage to negotiate price creases with its customers which will allow it to make up for the large price increases for commodities and energy that alcoa itself has to cope with. the situation many companies are in, steelmakers particularly, also with a large copper miller -- large copper mill help -- large copper mill here in europe. one of the reasons for the stock declines -- another is that economic index which came in much weaker than expected. it slumped significantly in the last four weeks. >> let's get a closer look at the market numbers. the dax tumbling, a the the eurostoxx 50 -- the dow jones

industrials closed, finishing down. our currency markets -- the euro trading at $1.74. dollar has announced a joint venture to produce electric engines. -- don miller has announced a joint venture. >> fossil fuels have long been the life blood of the automobile. now, the future is electric. battery technology will drive the industry for a nascar makers scrambling to forge new alliances. the mahler is working on a high- performance battery -- daimler is working on a high-performance electric battery and is teaming up to work on an electric motor. new partners are being sought across the industry, but it is

an expensive process and automakers want assistance from the government. federal subsidies of half a billion bureaus are currently available for research and development. but the auto industry is looking at a 12 billion euro investment over the last four years -- the next four years. carmakers need electric vehicles on the streets to encourage sales. they want berlin to read -- to fund a refund scheme. but the chancellor's government has not warmed to the proposals. >> electric cars are seen as one solution to reducing germany's carbon footprint. few to emissions -- emissions rose by a 2.3% last year, a 42 million ton increase in greenhouse gases. the rises linked to the economic upswing in germany. the steel industry, a big coal burner, boosted production.

germany does remain within the limit set by the kyoto protocol. >> to belarus now. authorities have made a number of arrests in connection with the bomb attack in the capital. 12 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the bombing. officials say they are still looking for more suspects. >> people are trying to come to terms with what happened at the subway station. many have laid flowers and candles in respect. >> it is a real tragedy. >> we never thought anything like this would ever happen here. now we are not so safe. >> this was the train station shortly after the explosion. it is unclear who planted the bomb. authorities say they have

detained several people in connection with the attack. the president has vowed to bring those responsible to justice. >> we have to solve this crime as it is possible. we have to find those responsible. >> miller is is a police state and security is always tight. the authorities have targeted -- belarus is a police state. many fear the bomb attack views as an excuse for a crack down again. a three-year jail sentence given to an egyptian blocker has been roundly condemned by international human rights groups as a blow against free speech. an egyptian military court found bloggers guilty of spreading what they called false information. in germany, this network's best of the bloggers award has gone to a to be a woman honored for

reporting at great personal risks on her own country's revolution as police rounded up dissident blockeke. -- dissident blotteggers. >> the best blog and human rights has to be from the arab world this year, they decided. the prize goes to a tahitian girl. the professor rest rely writing about profession -- writing about censorship under the former leadership during the january revolution. >> she was very active and telling the world what was going on in her country. >> blog from all over the world

reflected in 17 categories. >> we are introduced to a far more decentralized view of the world and people who would not find a voice otherwise. the topics are authentic because they are and filter. >> the jury members made their choices and the words will be presented in june. >> queen beatrix of the netherlands is here in germany for a state visit, her first year in nearly 30 years. her first thought was in berlin where she was greeted by the german president. she met with the chancellor, accompanied by the crown prince and his wife. i will be right back. you look at the question of will it take decades to clean up

fukushima in japan? we will be right back after the brea

million people go hungry. you tell them. >> welcome back. japan continues to be rocked by strong aftershocks after last month's huge quake and tsunamis. the seismic activity makes the push to cool the fuel rods all the more urgent. the threat level now stands at seven, the same as chernobyl. the prime minister has addressed the nation, appealing for calm. politicians have been eating local produce to allay fears food and water are dangerously contaminated. our first report loooo at how the resilience and the discipline of the japanese helps them stand up to ongoing pressure. >> smoke rising from the ruins at fukushima nuclear power plant. it is the immediate region around a power station that is most badly affected, including field belonginto farmers.

vegetables from the prefectures have been contaminated with radiation. farmers are worried how they will make a living. >> is such a waste to throw away all of this spinach. >> green grocers in fukushima are taking matters into their own hands. they use a geiger counter to show contamination levels are below safety limits. it helps us alleviate fears over the vegetables and helps us sell our goods. this tokyo resident went on the offensive, setting up a facebook page decorated with images of japanese dishes and appeals for a more pragmatic approach. >> people are afraid and are forced to live under impractical circumstances compared to their previous lives. but they're not panicking. >> the page as pictures of

typical japanese food products. but highly contaminated algae has been found at radiation has been discovered in milk. japanese have grown familiar with hearing bad news from their government, including about their release of highly carcinogenic plutonium. the seat beside fukushima is also contaminated. levels of radioactive iodine, almost five times above safety limits have been measured. cesium has been found in fish. is a disaster for tokyo's fishmongers. drinking water has also been contaminated. however, some people living in the affectededegion have come to terms with the situation according to this woman. >> according to the official report, the water contains a slight amount of radioactive

material. but they say it is below recommended levels, so i am not worried. >> bottled water is in short supply. it is being rationed to families with children. authorities warn cldren should not drink tap water. parents are worried. >> the water i'm using could have been contaminated. >> there is no alternative but to struggle on. this guitarist from tokyo says he is not getting into fear. >> we have a very inconvenient life now and aftershocks are still coming. we are afraid of radioactive contamination for the power plant, but i will never run away from a year. we will stand up again. >> he goes on to write that the situation remains critical and japan is still in the grips of an ongoing disaster. >> we have more now on how japan

has raised its nuclear emergency to the highest level on the international scale, meaning it is now classified as a major accident with widespread environmental and health effects. this puts it at par with chernobyl, the world's worst peacetime nuclear disaster that took place 25 years ago. there are some significant differences between chernobyl -- the reactor exploded where is the act -- the reactors that fukushima are leaking. in the next report, we hear how radiation at low levels can spread far and caused long and lasting damage. >> this physicist uses this lab to test foods for radioactivity's. these mushrooms from southern bavaria were found to be contaminated full 25 years after chernobyl. they contain high levels of cesium, indicated by this long

red line. it takes about 300 years for radioactive cesium to vanish from the environment. >> any kind of radioactivity is dangerous. it doesn't matter if it is from a natural or artificial source. what is released through radioactive decay determined how dangerous it is. >> radiation. and have the atomic nuclei break down. some nuclei like those from cesium or iodine in it radiation of varying energy levels. >> low energy radiation does not have a very long range. it's able to release its energy into the tissue which can damage it. >> much like radioactive iodine. it remains in the human body for 80 days, releasing high levels

of radiation. that poses a danger to the thyroid which exposes regular iodine to food. >> when thyroid glands are exposed to radioactive iodine through food or the air, they absorb and store it. that results in a high concentration of radioactive iodine in the thyroid. >> cesium builds up in all of the body's tissues, especially muscle and nerve cells. the resulting radiations can kill some cells and can damage vital building blocks such as genes. >> we have repair mechanisms in the body. if they cannot fix the damage, the problem remains and cancer develops 20 years later or earlier. >> the air disperses radioactive nuclei. if cows eat contaminated grass

as happened after chernobyl, radioactive elements can enter the food chain. the large leaves of lettuce and spinach make them especially as oregon. radioactive particles can enter the plant through pores. whenever rains or snows, the grounded sorbs up to 10 times as much radioactivity, which can travel up the roots and contaminate edible parts of a plant. how much is absorbent depends on the consistency of this soil. >> some soil might contain radioactivity, but that cesium has boundless clay minerals. that keeps the plant from of sorting it. >> plants take in less radioactivity through their roots and leafy vegetables do through the air. environmental researchers say that means root vegetables like potatoes and radishes are

generally safe to eat. but the soil as much different in european forests. hear, the ground is covered with a loose layer of humus that clings to radioactive particles. mushrooms are also more susceptible to contamination. though the concentration level depends on the tight. consuming three portions of these mushrooms grown in an especially contaminated area of southern bavaria exposes the body to as much radiation as an x-ray of the lungs. the meat of wild boars from the region also contains high levels of cesium. that animals feed on routes and plants that grow in the most contaminated layer of soil. >> 25 years after chernobyl, the effects are still being felt. a sign the struggle may last for

decades in japan. thank you for watching.