>> hello and welcome to the journal, coming to you live from berlin. good to have you with us. >> coming up, finally signed and sealed. germany's new government now prepares to get to work. >> russia's foreign minister in brussels says the tug-of-war over ukraine's future continues. >> and the strike before christmas. amazon workers in germany stage a walkout over a pay dispute.

>> after almost three months of elliptical limbo in germany, chancellor merkel is soon to begin governing at the head of a grand coalition, after a signing of the deal today. exley government brings together big parties that are usually rivals -- and servitudes and the social democrats. -- conservatives and the social democrats. >> here is a look at some of the new personalities, and some firsts for women and immigrants. >> the coalition deal has been sealed. the third conservative social democratic coalition in the history of west germany and united germany can soon get to work. angela merkel remains chancellor and says the new government is well-equipped to shape germany's future. >> whatever challenges we face, we should never forget we are here to serve the people in our country.

>> spd leader sigmar gabriel had a similar message -- to serve the people of germany and europe. >> this has turned out to be a grand coalition for ordinary people, people who see that in our coalition agreement, we do not just talk cop -- talk about grand ideals. >> a toast to four years of cooperation between political rivals on the center-right and centerleft. cdu ursula von der leyen becomes defense minister, the first woman in the post. thomas denies he or -- a move from the defense to the interior ministry. gabriel will be deputy chancellor and gets a new economics and energy super ministry. and a foreign minister after four years in the opposition.

the highest office ever held by a woman from germany's 3 million strong ethnic turkish community. on tuesday, parliament votes to confirm merkel as chancellor and the ministers will be sworn in. >> what is going to top the agenda for the new government? let us bring melinda crane in for more. what is going to top this agenda? what are they going to get into off the bat? >> the coalition has yet to spell out a blueprint for the first months in office. we will hear wednesday from the chancellor in a declaration to parliament, that she is only scheduled to talk about european affairs. certainly, europe is one of the main challenges that will be facing this coalition. the eurozone by no means out of the woods. other european countries have been waiting months for germany's government to get back to work. big outstanding issues -- banking union.

we will know more about what is on store on wednesday. -- what is in store on wednesday. the area of energy policy, the coalition agreement signed today is relatively vague. but it is clear this is a major challenge. we are seeing electricity prices rise significantly in germany as the government tries to wean the country off of nuclear power and fossil fuels. a big challenge. sigmar gabriel, the spd leader, will become super minister for energy and the economy. he will have a lot to tackle. we also know that the spd, the junior coalition partner, wants to see a minimum wage at the top of the agenda for the coalition, and an extension of the pension system to people who in the past have had lower benefits. quite a lot to do ahead. >> we heard sigmar gabriel say this will be notify in the sky coalition. -- no "pie in the sky"

coalition. >> it is ambitious. it covers a lot of ground. when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of laws, things could get difficult. these are two parties that were former rivals. certainly, they differ on a lot of details. we will see how well they can negotiate when it comes to the nuts and bolts. >> archie elliptical correspondent. -- our chief political correspondent. >> ursula von der leyen switched from the labor ministry to defense. >> von der leyen is seen as a possible successor or angela merkel, although their relation has not always been easy. she pushed binding quotas for women executives. >> she can expect a higher profile than ever. the first woman to lead germany's defense ministry. >> this is a first in the history of germany, a woman as defense minister, commander-in-

chief of the armed forces. there have been 16 defense ministers in west germany and united germany since the war, all men. but ursula von der leyen seems to like a challenge. >> anyone who knows her knows she has always been interested in international issues, as well as social policy matters. i think it is a good combination for a german defense minister. >> ursula von der leyen is a physician turned politician, and the mother of seven children. she is used to hard work. >> i have huge respect for the job. it will not be an easy one, but it is good to tackle new issues. i am looking forward to it. >> there is certainly plenty to be done. for example, dealing with the logistical challenge of holing german troops out of afghanistan

to the end of next year. -- by the end of next year. defense ministers have often had to struggle to keep large-scale equipment purchases on track. von der leyen's predecessor stumbled over the euro hawk drone project. what do people on the street think about the surprise appointment? >> i served in the army. it is unusual for a soldier to answer to a woman. >> they could have found somebody better suited for the job. >> she is a leader. she always runs a tight ship. >> ursula von der leyen is widely admired. and there is much speculation about whether she might be a suitable candidate for the chancellorship, should angela merkel eventually call it a day. >> the coalition will take up its work with trouble brewing

not far from germany's eastern border, ukraine. the surprise tug-of-war between the eu and russia. >> mass protests since he have pulled out of a trade deal with brussels. the eu has criticized moscow for putting pressure on its smaller neighbor not to sign. >> russia's foreign minister was in brussels today for talks. in public, both sides insisted ukraine was free to make its own choices. >> as sergey lambro of -- labrov arrived in brussels, frustration over what they see as moscow putting pressure on ukraine not to sign the eu trade deal. >> what we have seen on the russian side is they have waged a propaganda campaign, based on outright lies. >> participant said both sides had been frank in the meeting between eu foreign ministers and their russian counterparts. lavrov spoke briefly to

journalists before returning to moscow. >> it was a common opinion that everyone should respect the sovereignty of any country, including ukraine. everyone should allow the people to make a free choice of how they want to develop their country. >> the eu policy chief was keen to downplay talk that indiana code which were to sign the association agreement, that could damage ties. >> signing it would not have a detrimental effect on relations observed russia in any way. i hope that message will resonate with foreign minister laffer off -- lavrov as he heads back to moscow. >> a summit in january. ukraine is likely to feature prominently on the agenda. >> our brussels correspondent

has been following that story. he gave us the impressions of a tricky day of diplomacy. >> the eu's foreign policy chief, catherine ashton, has been hosting lunch with the russian foreign minister right at the time when the eu is not only trying to forge a new trade deal with russia, but when there is a tussle over who should win the favors of ukraine, who is either going to join a closer relationship with the russians or with the european union. nothing was resolved today on that front. certainly, catherine ashton is walking a diplomatic tightrope. she insisted relationships were as good as ever, with no contest for ukraine's favors. it remains to be seen whether ukraine will reopen talks with the eu on a trade deal which could lead to membership, or will favor russia. it could come down to who provides financial support to

win the contract. today, relationships are good and calm. >> meanwhile, the eu has signed a deal with turkey over illegal migration. what is being seen as a thaw in ties between the sides. >> a long-awaited deal allows eu governments to send back immigrants who cross into the eu illegally from turkey. the sides also signed an accord to open talks on dropping a visa requirement for turkish citizens visiting the eu. talks soured over turkey's crackdown earlier this year on antigovernment protests. antigovernment activists in syria say an unprecedented air attack on aleppo killed at least 76 people over the weekend. >> we have footage coming in, said to show some of the devastation caused when the air force dropped their roles packed with explosives on -- barrels packed with explosives. state television said they have been targeting terrorists.

the united nations says it needs almost 5 billion euros to provide relief to syrians affected by the civil war. the appeal is the largest in the history of the world body, and comes as the u.n. begins aid flights into northern syria. >> access has been restricted by severe winter weather over the past week or so. the conflict has led to a perla situation. the world food program says supplies are unreliable for more than half of the population in the country. adding to that, two point 5 million refugees have fled the war. the u.n. estimates that half the prewar population needs 8, 11 million people. -- needs aid, 11 million people. we are joined by a spokeswoman in damascus. can you tell us -- the un's secretary-general says the situation in syria has to steer your agent -- has deteriorated

beyond all imagination. can you give us an idea what people in syria have to deal with now? >> it is the third year of this conflict. it is wearing people's ability to cope out. in damascus, every time i come, i see a more difficult situation. people are queuing to get daily rations of bread. prices have skyrocketed. now, more than 100% price increase from the same time last year. over the last three months, prices have gone up i 60%. most of the people are displaced three or four times. yesterday, a woman who was displaced for the 10th time, i met. 10 times, she changed her location. in addition, thousands and thousands of people are living in unfinished houses -- no

windows, no doors. a difficult housing situation for the people in unsafe areas. extreme worry about people in the siege to areas, which we do not have access to. we worry about what the situation is like for these people. it is so difficult in the safe areas. >> a grave situation. what is the wf p -- wfp planning to do? >> a word -- the world food program are sending food supplies for 4 million people. we have started an airlift of 23 loads of planes, which are taking off and landing every day from iraq into the northeast of syria. syria has not had consistent supplies of food or humanitarian aid for the last few months. this is kind of a breakthrough.

it is important. it will feed around 30,000 people in the coldest months of the year. >> we have to leave it there. thank you so much. >> it is a year since a young indian university student was raped and killed in delhi. it has been one year since the brutal attacks that shook india and the world, when a 23-year- old student was gang raped on a bus. she died. >> it triggered a debate on sexual violence in india. the government responded by tightening some laws, but there is a lot left to do. >> today, protesters were back on the streets in their campaign to end the indifference about sex crimes. they are receiving some top- flight support. >> it has been a year, but these protesters will not be silenced. young people express anger at

continuing violence against women. some of hollywood's's biggest -- some of bollywood's biggest voices gathered in front of the cinematic -- the cinema where the student and her friend met before the brutal crime. >> you get saddened. we have to go out there and show that women like me exist. we get to be free. >> the outrage has prompted the government to act. rate is now a capital offense, except if committed between married couples. still, more women are pressing charges. an emergency hotline has been set up, but the network is only operational in delhi. every day, there are reports of new assaults, and then has bruised india's image. at the beginning of the year, tourism dropped by 25%. though the numbers are picking up again, many are still worried about their safety. >> we take precautions. we make sure we are a little

more sensitive to their needs. in the past, we never had to explain safety for women. now, more and more tourists ask this question on arrival. >> a day of mourning in delhi. but the protesters are sending a signal that change is essential. >> the president of south sudan says an attempted coup against his government has been thwarted. >> he appeared in military uniform to announce a curfew in the capital of juba after a night of heavy fighting between rival factions in the armed forces. he blamed his former vice president, who he sacked in july. the united nations has appealed for calm. south sudan gained independence just two years ago. >> the world has been watching south africa the past couple of weeks as it celebrated the memory of nelson mandela. >> it is time now to look ahead. with mandela gone, many wonder what lies in store for south

africa. our next report takes us to the streets of johannesburg. >> he shows off the new house he is building. but he was also proud of the tiny home he used to live in, allocated to social housing policies when nelson mandela was president. most lax in south africa through gratitude for what the african national congress did in the past, and troubled about its future. >> next year is our year to vote. we do not know which party to vote for anymore, because our agency is corrupted. our president, always crisis there and there, misusing money. >> mistrust of the anc is spreading. for many, life has hardly improved since independence. about half of all working age people have no job. while mandela is revered, governments that came after him, including the current president,

are blamed. it's mandela was a father, a hero. he was everything to us. the president does not give a dam about anything except himself. >> mandela was respected as a leader keeping the nation together. some fear that after his death, ethnic conflict could ignite. but others dismiss concerns, saying his values and ideals will move on. >> there is nothing to be worried about, because he taught us everything. people can live with love and unity. there is nothing to worry about. >> this family does not expect south africa to change radically now that mandela has died. but their commitment to the anc is in question. in recent years, one major reason to vote for that party has been loyalty to nelson mandela. >> airmen -- and the socialist leader if chile will have her

second term as president. she was very popular in her first term. as a centerleft candidate this time around, she won 62% of the vote, easily beating her conservative rival. she has promised a major overhaul of the educational system and hikes in the corporate tax rate to pay for it. she also wants to legalize abortion, a controversial issue in the predominantly catholic chile. >> in germany, workers at amazon have begun strike action in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions. >> workers will walk off the job at several logistics centers as part of that call for better pay and conditions. the action comes during the busy run-up to christmas. >> the conflict between labor and management at amazon germany has been brewing for a long time. conditions are unacceptable. surveillance and pressure

excessive. wages, too low. workers are on strike at three of nine centers. >> we are calling strikes for the whole week. the run-up to christmas is an important time for amazon. it is a time during which we can stir things up for amazon. >> swift delivery has always been a company strength. germans are eager online shoppers. last year, online purchases accounted for seven percent of retail sales. they amounted to more than 29 billion euros. amazon's share was 6.8 billion. it was and is the biggest player on the german market. staff at amazon germany, say the union, should be paid in line with the retail sector rather than lifted just ask -- rather than the logistics industry.

christmas deliveries will not be seriously disrupted, says amazon. only 800 of 9000 workers are on strike. it also says logistics center staff packed packages and do not serve shoppers. >> european stocks have been on the rebound after some heavy losses last week. dorothy hawkes has the story from frankfurt. >> a strong start into the new trading week. the dax almost made good for the losses of the previous week, fueling hope there might be a year-end rally. traders welcome positive economic data in the eurozone. economies gaining momentum, driven by a strong industry -- energy sector. terminate has the lead. shares of siemens and deutsche telekom -- siemens profited from mentor buys from a u.s. energy supplier. deutsche telekom rose after rumors sprint might be

interested in the u.s. unit t- mobile usa. >> let us look at some of the market numbers in more detail, starting in frankfurt. the dax gained more than 1.7% to close at 9163. strong gains on the euro stoxx. trading still underway in new york. the dow is up. the euro is certain -- is currently trading for one dollar 3761 -- $1.3761. >> the power company mid- american energy is buying 448 turbines for an estimated $1 billion. they will be installed in five wind farms in iowa. together, they should provide enough clean energy for 300 20,000 households. siemens will handle the

servicing and maintenance. >> sports news now. in champions league soccer, the door has been made for the 16 spots in the left. >> for german teams have made it to this stage for the first time. >> by her nana cap been drawn against arsenal. -- bayern munich have been drawn against arsenal. barcelona will take on manchester city. ac milan are up against madrid. quite a pair up at this early stage between manchester city and barcelona. the german side will consider themselves in with a chance, but definitely have a mountain to climb against roma dread.

-- against madrid. >> this is what we hoped for. we have never played paris saint germain. they are still an unknown. we are happy to be going to paris, and i am sure our fans feel the same way. >> it is unpredictable. we are a german team. you know how competitive they are. we are going to play the second leg at home. that is an advantage. >> we are playing against a very strong team. they are able to score a lot of goals, because they are brilliant. what we will show we can also be brilliant. >> joan fontaine, the only actress to win an oscar for a role in an alfred hitchcock film, has died at age 96. the british-american actress won best actress for her role in "suspicion."

it was his american debut, "rebecca," that really made her a household name. >> because i put it there. >> joan fontaine was described by some as one of the last lading -- leading ladies of hollywood's golden era. she passed peacefully in her sleep on sunday morning. that is all we have time for right now. thank you for joining us here. remember, we will have more news at the top of the hour. >> you can check on our website any time. see you soon. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

back to the studio. the headlines. europe and the way forward. the eu foreign ministers will be meeting in brussels. in the ukraine, a compromise? german spacing life under a , and angelaion merkel prepares to be sworn in for the third time as chancellor, and israel retaliates with bullets. lebanese sniper fire.