>> you are watching me "journal -- the "journal" live from berlin. >> coming up -- dangerously cold. temperatures plunged to record lows across north america. >> also, royal scandal. in money laundering investigation. >> with a month ago to the winter olympics, russia launches a massive security operation. >> from canada all the way to

the southern tip of the united states, blasting cold has swept across most of north america. >> this so-called holy vortex has been breaking records throughout the region and causing massive disruption to flights and on the road. authorities in many areas are simply telling people to stay at home. >> forecasters say relief from the deep freeze is expected to come later this week. >> lake michigan is frozen solid . if it was not too cold to survive outdoors, it would be possible to walk across it to canada. temperatures are -20 seven degrees celsius, an all-time record, and it is -40 win the wind chill is factored in. >> it is brutal out here. it is unbelievably cold out here. it is just -- this is ridiculous. >> don't want to be outside at all. not at all. my skin -- the moment you walk outside, your skin hurts.

>> americans in the north and midwest have been battling arctic conditions for days as the low-pressure front christina sweeps across the country. extremely cold air is blowing in from the arctic across the atlantic. schools are closed. more than 4000 flights have been canceled. authorities are urging people to stay home if at all possible as temperatures could be life- threatening. residents of new york are digging in as the cold front prepares to move east. temperatures fell almost 30 degrees celsius within 24 hours from 12 degrees plus to -14. and it is set to get worse. >> meanwhile, on this side of the atlantic, powerful storms have been battering coastlines in western europe. at least five people in pain and france are missing after being swept out to the sea. >> authorities have been warning people to stay away from the coastline. an amateur video taken in

portugal showed the dangers of wave watching. a huge wave swept into the mouth of the river, taking several spectators by surprise. at least four people were injured, and dozens of clouds were damaged in that title search -- tidal surge. now to turkey where media say some 350 police officers have been dismissed in the capital. it's being seen as the governments latest reaction to a corruption probe. >> those who were sacked reportedly include members of units that combat financial and organized crime. authorities have been probing the government for weeks and arrested 24 people, including business allies of the prime minister. he has denounced the investigation as a conspiracy, but three of his ministers have resigned in its wake. now our correspondent joins us from istanbul. dorian, thanks for joining us.

what's behind me sacking? >> this latest wave of dismissals and reassignments follows similar purges that have occurred ever since the prosecutors launched a massive anticorruption probe into the government over allegations of massive money-laundering. this has already claimed the jobs of three ministers, but the prime minister is standing firm, saying that this is part of an international conspiracy aimed at overthrowing his government, the same conspiracy he claims that was behind the anti- government protests this summer. >> apparently there's a power struggle going on. how much influence do these so- called glynis have? >> the government certainly claims this, but they

stringently denied the allegations. it's difficult to know how much authority they do have because they are a secretive organization. one might describe them as ghosts, but having said that, for many years, there have been suspicions. >> all right, the prime minister says this is also part of a conspiracy. can you put into perspective what kind of pressure he is under over this investigation? >> this is possibly the biggest challenge to his 11-year rule, particularly because it could possibly implicate his family. the prime minister, on the other hand, is saying that he is equally determined to end what he describes as this parallel state, and there have also been no signs this crisis could end any time soon, and that's having a major effect on the economy. if the crisis does not end soon,

it could be the end of all of us, he says. >> thank you so much for joining us. the united nations has begun shipping chemical weapons out of syria. the hazardous cargo was brought to a port where united nations workers loaded it onto a danish argot vessel. >> warships from norway, russia, and china accompanied the transport into international waters. the u.s. navy will destroy the toxic cargo later this week. according to a united nations resolution, syria must hand over all of its chemical weapons by june this year. the report coming in from iraq that government troops are delaying an assault on militants who are holding the city of falluja. >> they say their sphere of civilian casualties after fighting and missile strikes in nearby romani (teen nine dead. a defense ministry spokesman said 25 of those killed in the fighting were al qaeda militants . also on tuesday, a car bomb

destroyed a police station in the northern city -- nordic city of cure cook -- cure cook -- kirkuk. a very warm welcome to the "journal." let's start by the lack of appetite on the u.s. part to have roots on the ground. can iraq he government forces win this on their own? >> theoretically, they can. they have the manpower. they have the training. they have the equipment, but the melekeok of them and does not have the political strategy. it has alienated most of the sunni population, and you cannot i a terrorist organization if you do not have the support of a majority of the population. >> what about the u.s.? does it still really hold any sway in iraq? >> i think it wants to preserve -- the obama administration wants to preserve the last remnants of its political clout by providing the malik e- government with some arms, but

otherwise, iran is the most important patron of this new government, ever since 2012, ever since the americans left. >> al qaeda seems to be back with a vengeance these days. does this mean that the war on terror that cost so many lives and so much resources as well, is a ale your? >> it is a ale your in iraq. what we see today is a result of this intervention in iraq in 2003 when the americans invaded. there were hardly any terrorists over there. now there are thousands. that is a direct result of misguided american policies in the region. >> tell us a little bit more about this new franchise of al qaeda. can they really form a state of their own as they appear to want to? >> they want to convey the impression that they can form a state, but it is rather the relatively small terrorist organization of not more than

15,000 to 20,000 fighters at most, and they are strong because their enemies, especially the malik he -- maliki government is so weak. they are not strong at all, and they will not be able to build an islamic state, never. >> thank you so much for joining us in the studio. now to another area of conflict. negotiators from south sudan's government and rebel forces have begun face-to-face talks in the ethiopian capital. >> the conference, sponsored by east africa's regional bloc is the first attempt by the two sides to resolve the conflict that fired up back in december. more than 1000 people have been killed in the violence. >> back here in germany, chancellor angela merkel has made her first public appearance since injuring herself in a skiing accident last week. >> using crutches, she came out

to meet carol singers at the chancellery. doctors advise her to rest for three weeks after she suffered a hairline fracture in her pelvis. she has had to cancel many appointments, but not this one. >> there's always a large media turnout or the annual visit of carol singers to the chancellery, but this year, there was special interest in the host, as angela merkel faced the cameras for the first time since her accident. throughout, she was closely assisted by the minister who heads the chancellor's office. >> my sincere thanks go to the head of the chancellery, who is helping out with today's if and as i'm having difficulty standing. as you have read and can now also see, i am supposed to lie down more. >> there is a serious purpose behind the singer's visit. each year, children across germany collect millions of euros for catholic charity work.

this time, though, the head of the organizing committee also had a special or were -- special word for the chancellor. >> today, we bring you best wishes for the new year, and we would like to combine that with a special wish for your quick recovery. >> after about 20 minutes, merkel cut short her appearance. for the next few weeks, she will be conducting government business mainly from home. >> a number of cities in france have band performances i a comedian who is accused by the government of insulting the memory of the holocaust. >> critics, including jewish groups, say the comedian is a threat to public order. they are concerned about a gesture he makes that they say is a not the salute in reverse. lawyers or the comedian, who has been on repeatedly for hate's beach, say they will take legal action to defend him. he denies being anti-semitic,

saying his shows are antiestablishment. the daughter of the king of spain has been subpoenaed by a spanish court over allegations of tax fraud and money- laundering. >> her husband has been under investigation for over a year now with allegations that he misused millions of euros of public funds that were awarded to a foundation he headed. the prosecutor leading the probe says there is evidence that she was to some extent involved. >> this is the first time a member of the spanish royal family is being investigated. a huge blow to the prestige of monarchy there. >> the summons is a blow for the spanish royal family. up to now, the monarchy has tried to draw a clear line between the princess and her husband's business dealings, but now, it seems the princess' image could also be kindest. when christina married in 1997, few could have imagined they

would fall so spectacularly from grace. they quickly produced for errors to the throne and seemed like a perfect couple -- they quickly produced four heirs to the throne and seemed like a perfect couple. christina was a member of the board. the spanish government gave the foundation millions of euros to promote sports and tourism. in 2006, spanish prosecutors brought charges against the duke, who was accused of embezzling over 8 million euros of public funds. a spanish court opened anticorruption proceedings against him and more than a dozen others. the charges prompted outrage among ordinary spaniards. they felt the trade, even though he insisted he had committed no crime and denied any wrongdoing. he has since been dubbed by his critics the chorizo, a spanish

sausage, which is slang for crook. they want to see him behind bars. supporters of the princess believe she has been wrongly implicated. she denies any knowledge of her husba's alleged embezzlement. she managed to fend off an earlier summons last year, but now it seems she will have to appear in court in march, a first in the history of the spanish royal family. >> just before we take a break, this from sports -- the defending dakar rally champion has taken the lead again after stage two of the grueling off- road race. >> driving in temperatures of up to 40 degrees celsius, he also navigated through 433 kilometers of sand dunes and creek breads -- creek beds. he is now 28 seconds ahead of the second-place red bull pilot. >> still to come, a peacemaker has his work cut out for him in the democratic republic of congo. >> plus, just a month to go

before the winter olympics in sochi kickoff. stick around. >> welcome back. he's a pacifist who has declared war on rebels in the democratic republic the journeyman x please stand by. battered by conflict. >> late last year, united nations and government forces won a key victory against a powerful rebel group, but many others remain, terrorizing civilians and preventing economic development in a region that is rich in natural resources. >> four months into his new role, he says he is determined to break their role. -- break their hold. our reporter accompanied him.

>> when martin arrived in the northeastern corner of the democratic republic of congo, he found himself shaking plenty of hands and smoothing ruffled feathers. >> we were getting jealous. we thought you had forgotten us here when you took office. >> shortly after, the united nations special envoy ordered an unscheduled stop at a small village school. >> education is very important. that's why i came here. >> he asked how many of the schools -- school's 100 students were girls and how many were boys. improving the rights of girls and women is a key issue for him . as head of the united nations stabilization mission in the democratic republic of congo, he commands 20,000 peacekeepers. he describes himself as a pacifist, yet he has declared war on the rebel militias of eastern congo. >> i'm convinced that if there are no weapons, there can be no

use of weapons, but this is the real world, and i've learned from the experience of my previous jobs that you have to use weapons to establish peace and then keep it. >> the father of three has gained plenty of experience. he served with the german foreign ministry in egypt, india, and bosnia, and then with the united nations in afghanistan and iraq before taking up the united nations post in the drc. >> i never really sought out these jobs. they found me. i am generally an optimistic person, and i'm convinced there's no problem without a solution. >> eastern congo has suffered from decades of instability. he has decided that the way to bring peace to the region is to be absolutely consistent, both militarily and politically. >> you need clear lines.

for us, that means having a cleared military line. if you do not surrender voluntarily, we will fight you. that's the one side. the other is the civilian component, the stabilization of this region. >> the following day, his tour took him 60 kilometers from the capital. among the crowd, rebels who had just surrendered, and their families. many here treat the united nations special envoy as a kind of replacement head of state, but he rejects such a role. >> we are serving the congolese people and do so alongside the congolese government. that is very important. we are in a supporting role. we do not want to govern the country. on the contrary, we want others to govern the country and for us to support them in that task. >> he says he will not rest

until all the rebel militias have given up. many congolese say he has come to successfully end the united nations mission and finally bring peace to the country. >> in thailand, a state anticorruption panel says it will press charges against hundreds of politicians over a failed attempt to amend the constitution. most of the targets belong to the hardy of the embattled prime minister. >> the main opposition party is boycotting next month's elections, which locked him in his unsuccessful attempt to end weeks of massive protests against her government. >> protesters say they plan to bring the capital to a standstill next week, and they've been holding smaller rallies to try to drum up support. >> their rallying point is the national flag. tuesday's protest was the second in a series of warm-up marches ahead of january 13, when the

antigovernment activists say they will bring bangkok to a standstill. puppets symbolize their belief that the prime minister is controlled by her brother, exiled billionaire and former prime minister. he has dissolved parliament and called early elections. on december 25, she also proposed a 500-strong reform council to work alongside the elected government. what the protesters -- but the protesters are demanding electoral reforms before the vote. >> if there is no election before reforms, the taxing system will be back. we want the reforms before elections. we want the government to be truly for its people. now it is like a dictatorship. >> everything this government has said and done is all wrong, and they are pretending it is right. i disagree with this. >> a former deputy premier is leading the demonstrations. he is due in court on wednesday

on murder charges related to a military crackdown, but it is unclear if he will attend. the main opposition democratic party is what cutting the february polls, claiming that to contest them would disappoint their supporters who want political reform, but the government says the opposition knows it cannot win. in the 2011 election, she won a landslide victory. via police are conducting crowd control training measures. thai authorities say 20,000 police backed up by troops will be deployed on the streets of the capital in january 13, the first day of the planned shutdown. security officials say the premier is ready to declare a state of emergency if needed. the latest protests have been mostly peaceful, but the stage now seems set for a major confrontation next week. >> there's just a month ago

until the winter olympics get started in russia, and the country has launched what is being called the largest security operation in olympic history. >> that's right -- the army and navy are on hand, and the presidential decree is enforcing a so-called for guidance on the block highways into the city. >> said she has been under blanket surveillance for months. but for weeks before the start of the games, authorities are tightening security even more. for example, vehicles from outside the city now need a special permit. the hope is that the measures will prevent terrorist attacks. >> alongside conventional methods, they are using state- of-the-art globally tested technology, which makes it possible to follow absolutely everyone's movements within the city. >> russian authorities say they can stop terrorists entering true the desk through the

troubled north caucasus region. >> from the terrorists' point of view, there does not have to be an attack in sochi. an attack anywhere in the country would seriously damage russia's image and spoil the olympics. >> some 37,000 police officers and 23,000 staff from the emergencies ministry are being deployed during the games. the kremlin says security is its top priority. >> president vladimir putin wants to enhance russia's image in the world, but reports of environmental damage, of corruption and human rights violations have already cast a shadow over putin's gaze, making it all the more important for russia that they remain peaceful . >> to business news now,

germany's labor market and did 2013 on a positive note. quick the figures presented for the first time by the new labour minister show the jobless rate increasing by a fraction to 6.7%, meaning that 2.80 7 million people are out of work -- 2.87 million people are out of work. markets only like the look of those unemployment figures. we have this on the reaction in frankfurt. >> the better-than-expected job numbers went down pretty well on the frankfurt floor because the data shows that the german economy still is in excellent shape. looking at the prospects for the german economy, there might be stable growth ahead this year, and also, the job market may and if it -- may benefit from that.

the dax bottomed out today after a very low and weak start into the new year. the dax climbed strongly, also driven by wall street. >> let's have a look at the numbers in a bit more detail, starting off in frankfurt, where the dax ended the day altogether 0.8% higher. euro stoxx 50 did even better on the day. across the atlantic on new york, trading still underway on the dow. there we see it off about .5%. >> one person who will not be competing in sochi is u.s. downhill skiing champion lindsay vaughn, who has just confirmed her withdrawal due to a

recurring knee injury. >> the four-time world cup winner says she simply needs more time to recover after tearing ligaments in her right knee last year. the 29-year-old said that she is devastated to miss out on a chance of winning a medal in what would have been her fourth which are games, but she says that she hopes to return to competitive sport in 2015. >> that's all for us for now. >> that's all we have time for, but of course, more news for you coming up at about half an hour, and you can check on our website any time. what's the address again? >> dw.de. stay tuned for any update. goodbye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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>> the first and initial batch of chemical weapons has been removed from syria. the most dangerous material was shipped out on a danger -- danish special -- a danish vessel. torequires the government hand off chemical weapons to world powers. meanwhile, the fighting continues inside syria, not only between government and op