>> hello and welcome to this edition of european journal. good to have you with us. cold comfort, the fierce winter is forcing bosnian to help each other out. the italian women and slow but stylish, come with us on the legendary moscow train.

fighting the ice and snow by yourself won't get you anywhere. they are having to join forces. that, in itself, is astonishing in a country where politicians like to stress the differences between the various enicities rather than the similarities. it does not always work out, but it is a first step. >> snow has been piled high for weeks in bosnia. numerous villages are completely cut off from t outside world. we are going to try to get as far as we can. this is the last tavern before the road ascends to the villages. ey have not had any guests for week. it has prevented supplies and

customers from getting to them. >> the snow is being cleared by a bunch of private companies. i don't think they are working together. >> this region is right at the border. each side is muddling through on their own. they are not coordinating the snow clearing operations. those affected a fenng f emselves. >> about 10 villages here, almost nothing has been done for us for about a month now. >> he offers to take us further in his off road vehicle. >> getting this far is easy. but getting up there is tough. >> it is said to be the farthest mountain village accessible by

road today. snow starts to fallgain even the off road vehicle has trouble making headway. >> this is actually a perfectly normal road. helicopters are supposed to be flying in supplies, but we have not had contact with the people there. especially in the other villages. 20 kilometers past. >> then it is out of reach. we are stuck. we can't get through and had to turn back it. has been like th for weeks. so now helicopters have stepped in to help.

>> they are the only ones that can get supplies to the villages cut off by snow. a at a briefing they are reminded after each mission it is fortunate pass on information to the other members of the operation. the pilots come from all parts of the country, and they are living proof of what many politician in the country are so deeply divided and consider unthinkable. 16 years after the end of the bosnian war the soldiers are united. >> then we fly. >> the two bosnian serbs will fly to the croatian part of the

country. they take supplies wherever needed. >> there are no differences between us. we have two helicopter teams and weork closely on all of our missions. in the past seven days we have been sent to the bosnian federation and the serbian republic of bosnia. it is the same to us. >> the helicopters have been delivering supplies for weeks. this food is for snowbound villages. in middle february strong winds forced one helicopter to make an emergency landing. fortunately everyone survived and there were no serious injuries. the crash was in the bosnian-serb region, a place

currently inaccessible by land. he wants to know whether or not the road will be cleared today. but the serb workers who are never sent to that part of the country provide no information. >> the people cleari thenow should work together. >> bosnia's epic snowfall has brought some people together in the politically fragmented country. more perhaps than the politicians would like. 16 years after the bosnian war. >> most people would agree that a head of state should represent national values. what if these high expectations can't met? in germany the psident just resigned because he faced criminal investigation into

allegations of corruption. in spain king juan carlos is not likely to step down but he is being criticized for discrediting his position. the spanish are grateful to their king for restoring democracy. he did stop the army after all. or did he? according to witnesses it turns out he had more than a hint of sympathy for the rebels. that is not the only reason the king caused some discussion in spain lately. other members are also causing trouble. >> the man being massaged here is keeping out of the limelight. the former professional athlete hasn't played handball in a long time and now avoids public appearances. he is married to the spanish

christina. he will have to testify as defendant in a corruption trial. no member of the royal family has ever been put on trial before in spain. >> his behavior is not ethical. he presented himself ased head of a foundation to various companies in order to obtain public monies and diverted the moneys into private companies and from there to tax havens. were tking about beliz and panama and luxen borg. the journalist is an expert on the royal family has been following the case for quite some time. >> we report on the irregular business dealings of the king's son-in-law six years ago.

after that the king upgraded his son-in-law and told him to put an end to the business. his son in lall gave the appearance of having done so but in fact continued. >> he supposedly collected millions. he presented himself as its unpaid head. corrupt regional government are set to have transferred public moneys here. did the royal family know about it? >> they were afraid. as a king, is he also involved

in shady business dealings? when the queen visited the united states she was accompanied by a tabloid. that was nooincidence >> the press never writes about the king's business dealings. the dangerous thing is that they report on his amarous adventures but object short comings that are far more serious to me. risky business dealings. the spanish press is completely silent when it comes to these things. >> we met with a member of the spanish parliament. he has nothing good to say about the royal family. the case was clear-cut.

>> i think this has led many people to help people realize how rotten the system is and how scruppings rampant throughout spain's monarchy. >> spain say its cannot function without the monarchy. >> take the example of a priest who is a pedophile. it is a terrible thing but it does not mn the church is bad as a whole. and it is similar with the monarchy. one person who belongs to the royal family makes a mistake. it must first be proven in court. but assuming that is the case

then it means that he personally, and not the crown, made the mistake. the king is popular among the people. they have been barred from official engagements. the king is trying to rescue the reputation of the spanish monarchy. >> the spanish society is no longer enthusiastic about the form of government. the monarchy is ailing and in critical condition. but i don't think there will be a revolution that will abolish the monarchy, at least not as long as the king is alive. this year 74-year-old king juan carlos celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. now a book is reporting on his many love affairs.

it comes at just the wrong time. the year is off to a bad start for the spanish monarchy. >> italy's former head of government had a simple motto. i love life and i love women. now with mario running the country the days of bunga-bunga parties are long gone. there are women in italy who have had enough. >> three italian women who are tired of being reduced to botox or bunga-bunga girls. a small city in northern italy she is here to present her documentary, women's bodies.

now she has made it her mission to combat that image. scenes like these are seen daily on italian tv from early in the afternoon until late in the evening. it is unbelievable that women take part in and watch such programs. >> in this country many women are afraid of really becing independent. afraid men won't love them anymore. i come across as being a feminist and i am not. half of the people in italy are women. they can't just be ignored.

it is high time that we women have the courage to stand up and say no. >> further south we met a woman who worked as a quality control inspector. when she married, her female boss intimated she was planning to have children. many italian companies try to fire pregnant women as soon as possible. at times even she can't quite believe what happened to her. >> i was threatened. they said if i did not leave they would call the police to come and get me.

>> she got pregnant and was fired. for seven years she has been fighting for her rights and compensation and has won on several occasions. she wondered often if it is worth fighting for, but she does not want to give up to disappoint her many supporters. >> i had a guilty coniousnd fell into a depression, which luckily i have overcome. what happened? i just got pregnant. i did not commit any crime. so many women are let go. they are not told it is because they are pregnant. they are saying the business is having problems or the marketshare has gotten smaller. but if you look closer you will see that the women being fired are expecting or got married that year. in reality they are getting rid of these women because they

think they can no longer count on them.f >> early in the morning in rome we catch up with a woman who ran a garage with her husband. then he died and left her oner own. her world had fallen apart but she did not want to give up, especially not at a time in italy when a woman's looks accounted for more than her brain. throughout her working life she has been confront with the stereo type that women can't fix cars, especially not men's cars. but now she is the boss. five men work for her. >> at the beginning i did not know much about repairing cars but i decided to go for it. i studied manuals and got extra training. now i understand it and like

what i do. >> she led many discussions primarily with young people. the film maker thinks hers is a lost generation and puts all of her efforts into talking with students. she wants quotas for women. >> i used to be opposed to a quota. i thought if women were not good enough they would succeed. girls get better grades but are shut out of the working world. not even a genius stands a chance. so we need quoteas for women immediately, 50-50 in companies and in politics. >> many of the school girls found a new role model. they were thrilled by the presentation. it took a bit longer to win her

employee's confident, now her men recognize the value of the women who have been their boss for 13 years. she is the best boss i have ever had. there is much more respect when dealing with a woman than a man. she believes things are slowly move negligent right direction in italy. >> here women in traditionally male professio are regularly met with resistance, but i get the feeling that is changing. one thing remains the same. unlike men we still have to prove ourselves. >> things are changing in italy, but it will take another generation until women are no longer a rarity.

until then they will continue to argue about where the men can hang their calendar. >> connections like the orient express conjure up the experience of romance and adventure. it has a long tradition but it was interrupted. it was not particularly missed by travelers. you can fly between the french and russian capitols in a mere three hours. but rail travel always had that special something and this journey across europe is no exception. >> it is 7:30 in the morning in paris. the paris-moscow train is ready for departure. the journey is 38 hours. it is an experience porter and a professional.

greeting every passenger is part of the boarding ritual. the paris-moscow route is the highlight of his career. >> we had more passengers during the winter holidays. now it is a bit quieter. i hope the numbers will pick up in the summer again. >> the state and russian railway launched the service to great fan fare last year. it is popular, but mainly with russian travelers. a visit to paris holds a special glamour. but so far the voyage tomas cow is not quite as enticing. anna is a student and with her mother, who is afraid of flying, she went to pair oice a shopping trip. >> we provide some clothing and shoes and everything you want.

>> the luxury carriage it is are popular. >> every day we don'tave time for it. >> luxury comes with a steep price tag, around 1,000 euros for a round trip fare. second class is more affordable, about 350 euros. this is the only french passenger on this trip. >> i don't like flying. it is very bad for the environment. i enjoy the experience of rail travel. 38 hours is not that long, really. >> but even before the journey began his patience was put to the test. getting a visa to enter russia is a lengthy process with long lines and endless application forms.

>> a lot of people were sent away because they did not have the right paperwork. a copy of the first page of your passport for example. there is a ton of paperwork. a hold over from soviet times i guess you could say. >> the paris-moscow line is supposed to dispel the legacy of the soviet era and build a new bridge to the e.u. even though the ukraine abolished the visa requirement, russia is holding fast to bureaucratic tradition. and europe does not seem willing to take the first step. the gulf between western europe and russia is especially apparent as we leave the bounds of the e.u. the doorway to bellaruse. we arrive at the border at 6:30 in the morning. there is a chilly silence as the boardy officials check our entry

papers and another relic from an age the passenger cars have to be lifted on to a new undercriage. to the slow down invading armies the zaurs laid their tracks 10 cent meters wider than standard ones. it paid off during the second world war. even the machinery recalls days gone by. >> all of it looks the way it did in the soviet union. the locomotives and the trains are bigger and more cumbersome. you get the feeling that time has stood still. >> only a few passengers have come aboard on route. russian passengers do not ming welt rest. the chilly atmosphere puts a damp or the experience. it is a point of pride to impress with his hospitality and

excellent service. even the french authorities have shown little enthusiasm for the line. the french state railway carries out the necessary inspections but apart from that, they keep their distance. >> the train attendants only speak russian. the signs are only in russian. for me this train is more russian than french. >> we arrive at our destination at 1:30 in the morning. pierre walks to his hostel. he wants to see the kremlin right away. it is the start of has russian adventure. the par-mosw route is no ordinary journey. it is a voyage back in time but with little of the glamour of the orient express. but the city of moscow holds its

own attractions. >> that wraps up today's european journal. thanks for watching. goodbye for now.