>> this is "the journal." moody's slaps' britain with a ratings downgrade. oscar pistorius is free on trail ahead it is free on bond ahead of the trial for murder. it is time for this year's oscar ceremony. just as it seemed europe was making big strides in solving its debt crisis, moody's has announced it is slashing its top

credit rating, the first time britain will lose its aaa status since 1988. moody's says it has downgraded it because the economy is likely to stay sluggish the next few years. the news comes as an unwelcome surprise in london, especially for the finance minister who says the downgrade has made him more determined to cut the public debt. >> moody's lowered the rating by one notch. it is a blow to the government. some analysts say the austerity policies are hurting the economy at a time when it needs stimulus to generate growth. the finance minister sees things otherwise. >> this is a reminder of the debt problems britain faces and the clearest warning to those who think we can run away from dealing with those problems. >> britain has struggled to reduce its debt, a problem made worse by slow economic growth in recent years. bayless during the financial crisis have added to the problem.

the slowlamed recovery and weak global economic activity and said low growth is likely to hamper government efforts to reduce debt. osborn said the government will stick by its policies. if we weaken our resolve, it would make the difficult situation much worse. we are clear that we should redouble our resolve. >> the downgrade may drive up borrowing costs which might further dampen britain's recovery. many analysts say that risk is small. >> egyptian opposition politician has called for a boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections he democracy.uas sham opposition groups have warned the vote could further polarize egyptian politics. many egyptians say the ruling

muslim brotherhood has hijacked the 2011 resolution. the new parliament is to be convened in early july. it will replace the lower house dissolved last year after the constitutional court ruled 1/3 of the chamber had been elected illegally. u.s. officials say radioactive waste is leaking from six under grow storage tanks in the state of washington. the tanks are about 8 kilometers from the columbia river. officials say there is no immediate threat to public health. the former nuclear weapons production complex is america's most contaminated nuclear sites. the u.s. is spending billions in an effort to manage thousands of tons of nuclear waste. in mali, at least 70 people were killed in clashes between rebels and soldiers. at least 13 troops were killed along with 65 rebels. the fighting raged in the northern part of the country near the algerian border. over the last month, the

militants have been driven into the desert and mountains by french and african soldiers. france says it wants to start withdrawing its troops next month. are american troops leaving afghanistan at the end of 2014 or not? that dispute came up on friday. german and to the german defense minister told reporters at least 8000 u.s. soldiers will stay in afghanistan after 2014. washington says it is still weighing its options. >> it is some confusion at the defense ministers meeting in brussels. germany said the u.s. defense secretary told him the u.s. would be keeping up to 12,000 troops in afghanistan. leon panetta said that was not the case. he said those figures were for the total international contingent, not those from the u.s. alone. >> other nato countries will contribute as well.

>> the u.s. is counting on substantial support from allies. no firm decisions have been taken on which countries will be supplying soldiers. >> leon panetta initially -- officially announced the role in the north. germany is already the lead nation in the north. >> nato soldiers on the ground will have to wait for a final decision. the questions will be addressed at a special summit in june. former minister pledged cooperation with the u.s. following north korea's recent nuclear tests. he met in washington with his counterpart, john kerry, who said north korea's behavior was reckless. other issues included china. they pledged to work together on the middle east. we will continue with this later in the show. first, sports.

in germany's soccer, the match was a lackluster affair. the host had their best chances in the second half. the frankfurt defender managed to stop two near misses. the goalkeeper also managed a couple of spectacular saves. the dry leaves frankfurt fourth in the standings. this week's soccer action will see a battle for survival between two struggling teams. they're taking on the 16th place team. a single point separates the two sides. both the see the saturday dual as a chance to escape the fate of relegation. drastic times call for drastic measures. the training is being held in secret ahead of the big game. both sides are desperate to win to avoid relegation. >> we are excited about the game. we feel we have caught up to

them. we're chasing them from behind. after the 90 minutes, we want to have pulled ahead. >> fought hard to avoid dropping to the second division. the team has lost only one game since the winter break. it has only posted to dublin's all season. the draws are not enough. they need a victory. they decided to close trading to fans and media. they are under intense pressure ahead of the big match. they've only one wants to the last 12 games. it is also facing the possibility of a delegation prepared >> the players have to give it all they have got. they can feel the pressure. i am challenging the team and every player. i do not want any excuses. >> the winner of this game will

have a better chance of avoiding relegation. \ >> they used to be regular speaker struggle to stay alive in a subdivision. a striker. the visitors in the league which this blast. -- the striker put the visitors in the lead with this blast. five minutes later, his teammates gave them the 2-1 lead. he rested the point of this great shot in the 89th minute of play. -- we sum freddie's up friday's second division play. to a winter sports and the world championships in nordic skiing

got underway in italy. the focus was on nordic combined, a mix of ski jumping and cross-country. in the men's competition, a france of fleet set a new world's record. >> the title was decided on the final straight. he was the clear winner claiming victory by just 0.3 seconds. it was a remarkable effort. the frenchman to celebrate. the other three have to wait for the finish. the austrian came away with silver. the german took the bronze. the defending champion fought back strongly after the giants. at times, he was leading in cross-country. the german could not hold on. he came in fourth, less than half a second behind the winner. >> the german tennis player has

made it into the women's final of the indoor tournament in memphis, tennessee. she beat the 7-seed in straight sets. in the quarterfinals of the men's competition, the japanese player beat marin cilic. it is the second time he has made it into a semifinal this year. cilic was aiming for back-to- back titles before the loss. we take a look at oscar pistorius in a moment. first, these items are making headlines from world. the ruling to nation party -- the ruling tunisian party has named a new prime minister. he is seen as more hardline than the previous prime minister who resigned earlier this week. syrian activists say 29 people have been killed by a missile strikes on rebel-held areas. the opposition says it will pull out of talks in moscow and washington.

it says the international community is not doing enough to stop the attacks. lance armstrong is against the u.s. justice department. it has joined a lawsuit against the distaste cyclist. it says the use of banned substances violated the terms of sponsorship with the u.s. postal service. oscar pistorius and released on bail. the south african sports star walked out of court a free man on friday after the bail hearing. he faces a major trouble start in june. he is charged with murdering his girlfriend in a case that has shocked some of africa. >> oscar pistorius must have been braced for the worst as he entered the packed courtroom. the magistrate in charge of the hearing said he had doubts about the athlete's version of events. in the end, oscar pistorius got the ruling he wanted. >> i have come to the conclusion --

the kitchen has -- the accused has made a case to released on bail. >> family members and supporters applauded the decision. >> we are relieved that oscar got bail today. at the same time, we are in mourning for her with her family. as a family, we know oscar's version of what happened on that tragic night. >> the prosecution said oscar pistorius is a flight risk. he is looking at the possibility of years behind bars. he has a house in italy. those arguments did not sway the matter straight. he found he poses no risk to the public and set bail at 84,000

euros. he had to hand over to police his passport and firearms. he is forbidden to go back to his home. he is staying at his uncle's house. the trial is set to begin on june 4. >> the biggest names in the film industry will be in los angeles on sunday for this year's oscars awards show. beyond the glamour of the red carpet, the ceremony will honor the best films of the year. there are plenty of foreign films that could steal the show. journalist and filmmakers have packed into the tents set up for the ceremony. foreign movies are attracting a lot of attention this year, especially the one nominated as best foreign film and best picture. the producers are a bit starstruck. >> to be nominated in five

categories is fantastic. you have to imagine being in the same company as "lincoln" with its stores and steven spielberg. it is a thrill to be competing at this level. >> "amour" tells the story of an elderly couple's life after the wife has a stroke. it has garnered rave reviews. there is strong competition from scandinavia. two of the five films nominated in the foreign film category come from northern europe. one of them is the danish historical trauma "a royal affair." >> his grip on the king has tightened. ""lincoln" is up for best picture.

the producers are crossing their fingers will get to take home a statute or several. >> that is all for now. think you for watching. -- thank you for watching. >> i am in the bavarian alps driving up in a vehicle that is the stuff little boys dreams are made of. i am on the mountain on the german southern border. it is a small ski resort catering mainly to day-tripper's from the bavarian capital of munich.

today the busiest slow is the beginners' piece. the snow is melting fast because of the altitude. there has been little snowfall here for a few days. i am surprised to see nearly all of the ski lifts are operating. it is of thanks to artificial snow on the slopes. it has so many cannons it resembles a venue for the winter olympics. the skiers are used to the technology. havesay they're pleased to snow. one says it is not as good as the real thing. he says he sometimes worries about the environmental impact, but it is good to have the snow.

winter sports and tourism are an economic mainstay of this part of germany. many jobs depend on good snow conditions. the area has to compete with larger ski resorts just across the border in austria. keeping the slopes of the white costs about 1 billion euros a season. -- 1 million euros a season. gonethe day-trippers' have home and the temperature 6, it is time to turn on the snow cannons. they are fed by reservoirs' with pumping stations. the cannons are located on the side of the peaks. he explains how the public pressure has to reach a certain level. when the pressure is high enough, he can switch them on. the systems as one of the artificial snow machines appears to have broken down.

he will have to go and fix it. he takes along. -- he takes me along. the men have to be able to deal with all kinds of problems with the palms and electronic system. he tells me the first thing to do is check there is no blockage in the fan system. it does not take him long to identify the problem. it is a short circuit. 10 minutes later, it is fixed and ready to go again. he says conditions are good. the air temperature is low. the water pressure is high. all he has to do is press the button to start the compressor,

the fan, and the water supply. four the work by spraying and pure water without chemical additives into the air where it freezes because of the low air pressure creating artificial snow. just pumping out snow is not enough to create the perfect peace. the slopes must be groomed. three special groomers venture out each night. i hitch a ride with one. he tells me all the vehicles are in constant contact by radio. it is not long before i realize how much work is needed to prepare the artificial slopes. this group alone weighs 3.5 tons. he tells me learning to control the groomer is like learning to

drive a car. you have to develop a good instinct for the conditions and territory. we move on tuesday. ground. -- we move on to steeper ground. he secures it with a cable to stop it from sliding of control.

it is hypnotic and makes me feel drowsy. i asked if it is difficult to drive. he offers to let me have a go and explains the controls to me. immediately, i notice the steering is more sensitive than a car. there is little danger as our top speed is about walking pace. the skiers will thank me in the morning. i am wide awake again.

i managed to complete my maiden voyage without major damage. it is time to fill the tank. i ask how much fuel he thinks we have used. he estimates about 150 liters of fuel, maybe more. shortly before dawn, his shift is over. they get to enjoy and after work beer. there is one for me, too. after a few hours of sleep, i take to the slopes to judge the results of the work. the snow feels good. no patches of ice.

i have come to the mountain rescue service to find a a out. he and his colleagues monitor safety on the slopes and cross- country trails. he takes me along on his tour of inspection. he shows me the extent of his area. from here to the mountains on the horizon. behind those mountains is the austrian border and the mountain range. he says the visibility is good today apart from the low clouds in the valley below. that could cause problems later. it is not unusual for conditions to deteriorate. he says they're not expecting much to happen today.

no sooner has he said those words than an emergency call comes in. the rescue service is there to help anyone stock on the mountainside for whatever reason. i follow them to the scene of the accident. he has injured his shoulder in the fall. he is in pain and shock. the mountain rescue service says on average about one in every 1000 skiers will be involved in an accident. the injured snowboarder is a day tripper. as he is carried to the hospital, i wonder if the artificial snow was the cause of his accident. he says it seems as though the snowboarder made a mistake and fell. it is unlikely to be down to the artificial snow. the slopes are in excellent

condition. he has to rush to another emergency. i am off to test the quality of the snow. about half of the snow on these peaks is artificial. i cannot tell the difference. it is lunchtime. here is a scope -- a cozy ski lodge. side is a group of ski -- school s,ds, a couple of day-tripper' and a table reserved for the locals. they invite me to join them. the landlord pours schnapps distilled according to his great-grandfather's recipe. one of the oldest traditions is winter sports. about half of the people here are dependent on winter tourism for their livelihood.

it is no surprise there are in favor of investing in artificial snow. the practice is controversial. supporters have fought battles with environmentalists and local authorities over it. there is no alternative to snow, he tells me. the tourists have come to expect snow. they are spoiled. in the past, we skied on just 5 centimeters of snow, he says. that is bad for the grass. using snow cannons is the perfect alternative. you can have great snow for skiing. the weekend is approaching. it has started snowing real snow. that is good news for the resort despite the technology. it should attract more day- trippers.

my visit makes me realize how much time and effort goes into making sure the skiers have the snow they