>> a very warm welcome to the "journal." these are our top stories at this hour. the west and russia clash over ukraine at the munich security conference. the ukraine itself meanwhile, the government and opposition trade accusations. the oscar-winning actor and director maximilian schell has died at the age of 83.

the munich security conference has provided the backdrop for heated debate over the future of ukraine. at the annual gathering of the world's top diplomats and defense officials, u.s. secretary of state john kerry condemned what he called a disturbing trend among governments in central and eastern europe, including ukraine, to trample on the aspirations of ordinary people. for his part, the russian foreign minister accused "prominent european politicians" of inciting increasingly violent street protests, which he suggested had little to do with promoting democracy. we have this report on the latest developments in munich. host germany underscored its support for the ukrainian opposition. antigovernment protesters have been in the streets of kiev four months, calling for president viktor yanukovych to quit. >> we say to the president and to his people that they may --

that they must fulfill the promises he has made to the opposition. the united states has also backed the opposition and has steadily ramped up pressure on the government to give in to opposition demands. >> that means their futures do not have to lie with one country alone and certainly not coerced. the united states and eu stand with the people of ukraine in that fight. >> that is the message kerry reiterated in meetings with top ukrainian opposition leaders. ukraine's ally to the east russia accused the west of bias in favor of the opposition. russian foreign minister lavrov accused western governments of double standards. >> why don't we condemn those who seize and hold government buildings, attack the police, using racist and anti-semitic slogans? >> boxing champion turned

opposition leader viktor klitschko says the ukrainian president was the main obstacle. he said there was just one person responsible for the escalation, and that person could easily stop it. he was speaking of ukrainian president viktor yanukovych, saying he had absolute power in his hands and absolute responsibility for what happened in the ukraine. protest he joined a march in munich by hundreds of exiled ukrainians. he expressed his confidence the opposition would eventually get its way. >> in ukraine itself, tensions remain high with many people outraged over the apparent torture of an opposition activist. they say he was abducted and tortured for several days. he is currently receiving medical treatment for his injuries. the government meanwhile has accused opposition groups of committing abuse against police officers, what the ukrainian security forces have themselves gained a reputation for using

heavy-handed tactics, as we see in this report. >> this is the hospital where is underition leader treatment. he will be allowed to leave ukraine if he wants, but supporters say that is of little help at the moment. status is critical. he is unconscious. doctors are working together to provide him help. he was found badly injured in a village outside kiev on thursday.he had been missing fot days. he says he was kidnapped and tortured. the government accuses him of organizing mass unrest, but is arrest may be prevented if he manages to travel to germany. the munich security

conference -- we are going to go back there now. we are going to speak to our chief political correspondent melinda crane who is following developments in munich. what can you tell us about this row we have been hearing about over ukraine? leaderainly, opposition viktor klitschko has made the biggest waves in munich today. he has been speaking at a podium discussion and evo tremendous sympathy on the part of the audience, got the loudest applause of anybody during today's proceedings. it wasn't perhaps what he said, calling for a return to the 2004 constitution, rolling for new elections in ukraine -- it was perhaps how he said it. he came equipped with photographs, showing the kind of torture mentioned in your top report, and he spoke in english and german rather than russian, which actually then provoked the russian member of the panel to start speaking french. a bit of confusion.

the one thing that the panelists, all of whom did come from eastern europe, did agree upon is that ukraine's future needs to be solved by ukrainians themselves. chko felt, klits ukraine needed a lot of help from friends. >> tell us a little bit about what else has been catching your eye in munich today. >> another big subject has been how to restore trans-atlantic trust in the wake of the nsa surveillance scandal. we heard german leaders saying the damage to trans-atlantic relations has been great. heard u.s. secretary of state john kerry saying the transatlantic relationship remains strong and e central. indirectly welcomed the jurgens -- the german government's statement that it wants to take more responsible before international and security affairs, including perhaps stepping up to the plate

in terms of its own intelligence capacity. he said, perhaps in an indirect reference to that, this forum needs to be more about actions than about talk. talk itself does not suffice. tomorrow, we will be hearing more on middle eastern affairs. still a lot in store as the conference proceeds. >> interesting stuff. thank you for keeping us up-to-date. melinda crane. as we just heard, the transatlantic alliance has been a major theme in munich. melinda crane caught up with u.s. senator john mccain on the sidelines of the conference. senator, there has been a lot of tension here in europe around the nsa surveillance scandal. are you worried about how much that has damaged trans atlantic trust? >> i worry a lot about it, obviously. i think it has damaged our relations, especially here in

germany, for understandable reasons, and i think the president took the first up with a major speech he gave on the issue. now we have to have congressional hearings and pass legislation. that real satisfied change is in store in the u.s.? >> i think some change has taken place, but we actually don't know how much has been done. that is why we need to have legislation and hearings. >> the foreign minister of germany called today for an international forum to discuss these issues and really try to draw up international norms. is that the way to go rather than a no-spy agreement? >> i think that is probably a good way to go, but my past experience with international not been they have real successful. first, it seems to me that the united states should act legislatively and make sure everyone knows the rules we are abiding by.

peoplesthe object of attention, what the united states does, because we have the capabilities. senator john.s. mccain speaking to our correspondent, melinda crane, in munich. tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of madrid to protest a proposal to impose stricter abortion laws. demonstrators marched through the spanish camp -- capital, demanding the parliament reject the prime minister's legislation. it would restrict the procedure rape or if cap -- the life of the milk -- of the mother is at risk. and i opposition socialists have vowed to keep present laws on the books. is preparing for sunday's general election after further clashes on the streets of the capital. gunfire erupted in the streets as political opponents fought in

downtown bangkok. at least seven people were wounded, including an american journalist. demonstrators have been going on for weeks -- demonstrations have been going on for weeks. we will move on now to sports. a bitter saturday in the buddhist leak of hamburg. the crisis-hit club -- club lost 3-0 to record their fifth defeat in a row. the result leaves hamburg stuck in the bottom three, having never before been there before. the rest of the weekend results later look like this -- a 2-1 lead. hanover is still in action.

anna voters leading 1-0 in the match. hanover is leading 1-0 in the match. take a look. he was given a starting place on the wing, and it has turned out to be an inspired selection. at a decisivenal influence on the game grid he [or half an hour and then score the winner -- on the game. he then scored the winner. dortmund that was showed through. the 2-1 score gave the team their first win in the league since november. >> sunday's two games --

for now at least, those results leave the bundesliga table looking like this. schalke looks set to take the race to the final champions league down to the wire. freiberg continues to keep their had a bug -- above water. for more sports, lori mcelroy surrendered his lead at the dubai desert classic on saturday after a blistering third round from reigning champion stephen gallagher. whichliant back nine, included seven birdies and an eagle. that is a joint record for the european tour.

withcotsman recorded -9, his putting in particular catching the eye. the 39-year-old is two strokes clear of second place. on a very different note, the swiss actor maximilian schell has died at the age of 83. he was very popular here in germany after becoming the first german-speaking actor to win an oscar after the second world war. the multitalented actor also pursued careers as a documentary filmmaker and in opera director -- an opera director. >> maximilian schell fulfilled his reputation as a charmer to marrying the 35-year-old soprano in the final year of his life. of 83 years were a whirl success and fame. a born into an artist's family, he became a screenwriter and a film, theater, and opera director. most of all, he was an actor. after following his sister maria to hollywood, he made a name for himself, a rare achievement for

a german-speaking actor. in 1962, he won an oscar for her role ine -- for his "the judgment at nuremberg." after years of international fordom, schell became known his uncompromising confident attitude towards directors and others. >> i don't mean to say that i am better. i believe it is a question of directional taste. i often have trouble dealing with directors. constantly on the lookout for new challenges, he directed acclaimed documentary films about marlena dietrich and his sister maria/ when she fell ill with dementia, he cared for her at his home until she passed away/ the mountains, he once said, were one of his main comforts of life. >> what a lovely retreat.

his documentary films are really very good. that is it this time from "the journal." more sports and news of the top of the hour. don't go away. >> she is making a flurry of last-minute preparations. >> i brought 100 young people along, cadets. > the candles of a remembrance ceremony will last for three hours. we do it in memory of all of those who parish during the siege of leningrad and world war ii. >> i asked about the cold. >> it doesn't bother us. we are used to it. we will stay for the fireworks. these women are looking forward to the fireworks.

for a few days, st. petersburg is taking on its soviet name, leningrad. the city remembers one of the greatest and deadliest episodes of world war ii. germanyes of nazi surrounded the city from september 1941 until january 1944. an estimated one million people died, nearly half of leningrad's population. i visit one of the survivors. she lives on the outskirts of st. petersburg. hello. i brought this bouquet for you. she has been expecting me.

the polite hostess makes us a pot of tea. she is 80. she lives in a modest apartment. hers after so many years, is an epic story. she was seven years old when germany launched its two point five-year siege. leningrad was cut off from the outside world, and one by one, the young girl lost her family. within months, the grandparents then hertarvation, father, and finally, her mother. all that remains are photographs and memories. she shows me a picture of her mother in happier times. she was 27 when the snapshot was taken. the war began one year later, and her mother died at age 28. her father ignored the orders of

soviet authorities to evacuate the city. his fateful decision would soon turn the seven-year-old into an orphan. she tells me they would boil furniture paste to eat. one day, plates were on the table, but her mother didn't return from the bathroom. the girl called out, but there was no answer. she found her mother dead on the floor. after that, she was alone, and soon there was no more furniture paste. she sought out chairs. then there was no more wood and nothing to eat. me she wrote letters to relatives asking them to savor -- save her. the letters never arrived. after the war, she learned to be

a cook. she vows never to go hungry again. we travel to the city center, to the area where she lived during the war. these days, she cannot afford to live in the historic district. rents are too high. her retirement pay is just enough to cover a one-room apartment outside the city. she is angered by the injustice of it all. >> look at all the war memorials. there is money to build them but not to take care of survivors. i have no reason to celebrate. someday, i will die, and no one will remember me. >> as we drive into the old part of town, memories come alive of childhood and the war. -- tells me she loved to see she would love to see the family's apartment, but she is convinced they would never let her in.

the new residents would surely look at her as an alien. the address? unit 5. survivedment building intact despite a continuous barrage of german artillery. she tells me the façade has changed little since the war. livingls me she loved here. the children played hide and seek in the courtyard. her whether she ever returned after the wars and -- war's end. yes, she replies. it is -- was a warm and emotional homecoming. >> everything is new and different here, even the doorbell. >> she is clearly nervous.

her heart is pounding. after a few minutes, the door opens and immediately shuts again. the new tenant is in no mood for uninvited guests. everything has changed, she tells me. outside, she guides me down to the river. she tells me water was the one thing they had plenty of during the nearly 900-day siege. >> this is where people got water. there were long lines here in the winter. the number of water runs per day were determined simply by how deep the buckets were. she remembers that she only had a small jar and had to run up and down the stairs several times per day. she recalls that in the winter of 1942, the steps were slick with ice. no one boiled the river water.

grams of bread per day. to survive, she gathered and eight -- ate anything. tree bark, paste. overpowered by memories of that time, she asks that i take her back home. we agree to meet again in the evening. i will attend the comer -- the commemoration ceremonies alone. in the old city center, i encounter sandbags and barbed wire. it is an attempt to recruit the ambience of the blockade -- re-create the ambience of the blockade. officials call it "historic reconstruction." military vehicles are on display, along with images of the war years as some burmese music the tone -- somber

sets the tone. ♪ ♪ >> a city guide brings me back to the here and now. a snapshot with a soldier impersonator taken in front of an actual bus from the time period is proving to be a popular tourist attraction. this woman is a tourist visiting to make sure that this historic day will not be forgotten. i ask her what she finds so important about it. she replied that the pain suffered here should never be repeated.

the atmosphere here is almost carnival-like. reconstruction has attracted mostly young people. the city of st. petersburg spent nearly 6 million euros for the at -- for the anniversary observation. opposition leaders criticize it as wasted revenue. meet with one city councilman. he is a busy man, but he makes one thing clear. >> it is disgusting to finance a recreation of this kind. the siege led to suffering, starvation, bombs, and the painful deaths of so many people. the city has turned this into some kind of happy spectacle made of plastic and paper. >> he rejects it as tasteless and unworthy. my next question touches a nerve.

i asked him if commemorations like these serve as a source of pride for modern russians and whether it is a way to displace strength and influence the world over. he then becomes angry. he replies that true strength can only be proven through culture, scientific achievement, and education, not by historic recreations. most citizens of st. petersburg think differently. they say celebrations like this are important, especially to give younger generations a feel for the true horrors of war. i need some young people on st. lavish shopping boulevard. observation will get underway soon, beginning with a minute's silence. now, rare quiet.

fireworks over the river cap a big day. attended.rson hasn't the survivor of the siege of leningrad -- she just cannot summon the strength. still, she has dressed up for the occasion. perhaps her grandchildren will drop by after the fireworks are over. until then, she says, she will have her own celebration, watching television. this is my life, she tells me.

♪

f v vúúú