egypt hands over legislative powers to parliament. >> europe must act to prevent a major recession. >> and the academy of motion pictures announces this year's oscar nominations.

>> egypt's military rulers say that they are honoring of emergency laws that have been in place for decades. this one year after a popular uprising began. but that is unlikely to appease protesters in cairo. they accused the military of ongoing abuses, including torture and the indefinite detention of dissidents. >> he used to help support his family when he was not studying economics. he was just 19 when he was shot dead by police during a protest march in tahrir square. today he and others are honored as martyrs. he says, every day will be hard

until we see real change. his father comes every day to protest, but he says little has changed. even with mubarak gone, the military is still in control. not a single police officer has faced justice. meanwhile, bloggers and activists are routinely put before military tribunals. he says, when mubarak stepped down, we hoped there would be change. marketers' -- martyrs' families. the muslim brotherhood may be celebrating, but for him it is

far from over. he says, if justice is not served, we will take matters into our own hands. some family members of protesters have attacked the police. but he wants to keep protesting peacefully. his father says he will keep the revolution alive so his son will not have died in vain. >> staying in the middle east, six gulf states will withdraw from their mission in syria. the arab league will discuss their decision to recall all troops. are requesting members of the un security council to convene. russia and china have a voiced their skepticism. there are ongoing conflict not only in syria, but afghanistan, libya. the german government says it a

number of foreigners applying for asylum in the country has reached a higher level. here's a look house -- at help thousands have fled their homes in syria. >> for months, the syrian military have been brutally suppressing opposition. many fled the killing and torture in search of asylum in europe. but that is also a dangerous option. asylum seekers in hungary are likely to be sent back:. it is a major worry for civilians seeking refuge a. -- seeking refuge. they must make an application, which is bad news if it was hungary. >> of hungary stated officially considers syria a safe place for

refugees. it says it has no problem sending people back. >> the german government denies sending any syrians back to hungary. it also rejects claims that budapest is pending asylum seekers back to damascus. >> no one has been deported to syria since last april. even if we were to send these men and women back to hungary, they would be safe there. >> the dispute is another sign of how hard it is for europe to adapt to the turbulence caused by the arab spring. >> let's go to sarah. a very stark warning for the eurozone out with the imf. >> the threat of a major recession. if the situation gets worse, the bloc could see a 4% contraction in gdp over the last

two years. -- over the next two years. >> in its revised global outlook, the imf says gdp will grow even slower than initially forecast. incites the eurozone and sovereign debt crisis as a major factor in says the recession is on the brink of a mild recession. >> the world recovery, which was weak in the first place, it is in danger of stalling. the center of the danger is europe. the rest of the world is increasingly affected. >> the imf was less competitive states like greece, italy, and spain to press on with reforms, and to make sure struggling economies are adequately protected, it is calling for europe to boost the size of the pending rescue fund. >> the larger rescue fund will generate confidence. when people have confidence,

interest rates fall and reforms can have a positive midterm effect on growth. >> the imf also wants europe to continue tackling national debt burdens. it does not want to put more stress on the weakened economy. >> negotiations on voluntary restructuring of greece's debt the one with most sides -- with both sides wanting more concessions. finance ministers in brussels had been debating the point of a bigger firewall. >> eurozone colleagues keen to present a united front in brussels. the plan will be in place much sooner, on july 1st. germany objected expansion of the rescue fund. germany's the main contributor to the emergency fund, providing

more than a quarter. france is the second biggest contributor, followed by italy and spain. part of the fund will be a cash reserve. burress consists of guarantees by member nations. -- the rest consists of guarantees by member nations. only countries that stick to the rules will receive money from the new fund. the finance ministers also agreed to review the size of the fund in march to decide whether it is big enough to cover potential bailouts. >> the battle between greece and investors is heating up. private investors say they have put their maximum offer on the table. >> charles dallara, the lead private investor negotiator, warned that europe is taking a

huge risk with debt reduction talks, which stalled over the weekend. >> ries's future -- greece's future is at stake, but i think european stability is at stake as well. it is not difficult to see the connective tissue between resolve increasing in a cooperative fashion in addressing the sovereign debt problem in europe and the overall economy. >> they want to swap the greek government bonds for new ones with half the face value. muni bonds would also push the dead two to three years into the future. but the eu finance ministers what interest rates at a low they consider sustainable. >> an investor's winning for greece to strike at macdill. we have more -- waiting for

greece to strike a debt deal. we have more from frankfurt. >> there were some shares that managed to gain a little bit. most were down for the day. there is uncertainty about whether the agreement will go through. most people say there is no option, really. nonetheless, there was uncertainty over how long this was taking. that was our reason -- a reason for profits after considerable rises this year. soybean managed to garner fresh capital -- spain managed to garner fresh capital at lower interest rates. >> let's get a closer look at those market numbers for you. to determine the benchmark -- the dax closed lower at 6419. in new york, trading still under

way. the dow jones industrial is also in negative territory. the euro declining slightly against the dollar, trading for $1.30. a german energy giant will/jobs worldwide, 6000 of them in germany -- will slash jobs worldwide, 6000 of them in germany. eon signed a pact with its unions to save 5.5 billion euros by 2014. a large amount is needed to build wind turbines. >> so, germany is introducing new steps. the measures, in response to a number of racially-motivated murders allegedly committed by

anyone not to group. the government has set up an agency to reach out to young people, especially susceptible to the far right ideology. it will consult with newspapers on effective ways to sort near not seize. is the german government taking steps against far-right extremism, or is this all tough talk? >> the government is doing several things to combat extremism. dave agreed to set up a national to set an unnatural -- a national center focus on this issue. they have agreed to set up a

agencies in germany are decentralized. they do not share information very well together. it is it intended to send a message to local groups and civilian organizations at a grassroots level who are around the country, doing their best, to send a message to them to encourage them, to make sure that politicians in berlin are not leaving them on the rahm. >> simon young. thank you very much. the academy of motion pictures has announced nominees for the oscars. martin scorsese's "hugo" leads the pack. right behind it, "the artist." actor george clooney -- the favorite in the best actor

category for his role in "the descendants." to win her third oscar. >> our entertainment correspondent has been following the nomination ceremony for us. scott, can you walk us through please denominations? >> i think probably the interesting one people are focusing on will be the actors this time. often you will get some lesser- known actors in best actor and best actress. you had a few this year, but the favorites are royalty. brad pitt and george clooney. meryl streep. she has won twice. this time she is nominated playing former british prime minister maggie thatcher in "the iron lady." it is a perfect performance. you will have to love her in this role.

that would not bet on the future of the euro, but i am definitely betting meryl streep will win her third oscar for this role. >> there have been interesting films from france. tell us about that. >> yes, "the artist." it is silent. it is set in the silent era, just before the end. and i find it interesting not only because it is a beautiful movie. it certainly will win the best picture oscar. but it looks back. a lot of movies this year are looking back. all across america, people want to look back to the golden age of movies. where we have a good guy, a bad guy, and we were guaranteed a happy ending. >> and hard times. and flying the flag for germany -- >> yes, he was nominated once

before for "buena vista social club." this is about a dance choreographer. this is an emotional documentary. what is amazing -- the way he uses 3d technology is grounded in. i think it points to the future of cinema. for that alone, i think he deserves an oscar. >> thank you so much. the first solar storm in six years will hit the earth and in -- will hit the earth in hours. its started on sunday. the storm is the largest of its kind since 2005, but still ranks 43 on the scale. this could lead to disturbances with satellites and communications systems. scientists say they do not

expect interference to be severe. let's hope they are right. we will be right back. stay with this. we will be looking at the french presidential campaign as it gets under way. will nicolas sarkozy remain in office?

>> welcome back. the french presidential election campaign is heating up. the main opposition candidates has held his first rally, balance to unseat nicolas sarkozy, election day may 6. the lawmaker and socialist enjoys a substantial lead. but nicolas sarkozy is determined to stay in office and is prepared for a tough fight. each candidate claims to have the better plan, making sure jobs and exports continue to

grow. the incumbent is defending his policy of fiscal conservatism with a no-nonsense approach to crime. his challenger once more spending programs, especially for the unemployed. who is the right man for today's france? >> nicolas sarkozy signing autographs in northern france on the sidelines of his new year's address. sarkozy is defending the cuts he has made during his time in office. >> and in view of the last three years, everyone recognizes the cuts were unavoidable. the goal is always the same. fewer positions with more efficiency. >> his socialist party

challenger has seized upon traditional symbols of the political left. once it was the largest industrial hub in france. he promises more jobs, and for that, he is willing to take on more debt is necessary. >> we need more growth. we need steel production, environmental projects, the energy projects. otherwise, there will be unrest. >> francois hollande championed the 35-hour workweek as one of his party's crucial achievements. president sarkozy has blamed it for the country's sluggish economy. voters show that francois hollande is in the lead while sarkozy continues to lose ground. his flagging popularity is the result of cost-cutting and

raising the retirement age. standard and poor's decision to cut france's credit rating did not help. >> in times of crisis, it is better to have a president who was a fighter, to take action instead of sitting back and waiting to see what happens next. >> much like the french public, experts are also split on which candidate is the best choice. >> hollande has advantages, too. he seeks consensus. sarkozy rubs people the wrong way. they are not the only candidates in the race. the head of the right-wing national front party is pulling third.

if she steals second place, she could enter a runoff vote. message resonates with many young french voters, a block every candidate is looking to attract. all three of these people attending university feel let down. they're looking for radical change, whether it comes from the left or the right. >> when i was 10 years old, the euro was introduced and we were promised everything would be good. we would have lots of jobs. not all of those promises were fulfilled. >> he says his skin color plays no role in his political preferences. he says the claim that the national front is a racist is a cliche. nevertheless, party fliers still prompt angry reactions, so they only hand them out.

certification casinos he bases -- such as heat knows he faces opposition. at the next big euro crisis in january. >> the euro debt crisis is dominating the presidential campaign. french voters are uneasy after their country was downgraded by the u.s. rating agency standard and poor's. could more downgrades be on the way? and might start to see be tempted to -- and might sarkozy be tempted to follow the example of italy? the french president will be looking at all the options, and as he does so, he can count on the support of the german chancellor. and that support carries weight. on the liver tell -- on the lapel -- angela merkel's economic policies carry weight

in france. >> a cartoonist depiction of relations between germany and france. >> all is not lost. he might feel cold a bit, but that is not so bad. >> merkel is the agenda. the german chancellor often plays the starring role in pictures by the famous cartoonist. there is plenty of talk about merkel and her budgetary discipline. >> there is less unemployment in germany. people are asking themselves some questions. >> surveys show that since the euro crisis in france, people have more confidence in merkel than in the run president. he and his challenger is often point to germany as an example.

>> it is the only country in the european union that continues to grow and can be an inspiration for,". >> -- can be an inspiration for us. >> in france, we have a welfare system. you cannot change that. >> more budgetary discipline. if it works in germany, we should do it here, to. >> onion past, candidates have tried to distance themselves from germany -- in the past, candidates have tried to distance themselves from germany. >> they want to be the leader of europe, and not the southern european countries like greece and portugal. >> adopting german reforms for france. is an idea of the conservative -- it is an idea of the

conservative sarkozy and the socialist hollande are eager to explore. but many doubt that parliament could push those changes through. >> in france, people do not like the changes. whenever something changes, people take to the streets. >> they will never get reforms to the welfare system through. we are attached to it. the retirement age for instance. >> you cannot compare the two. there are two different. -- they are too different. >> much as the cartoonist enjoys comparing the two, he understands the difference. >> people in france have realized the only possible future is the one we built together, with germany and france. >> that will not change. whoever wins this year's presidential elections.

>> and that has been our in- depth look at the french presidential campaign. we are keeping a very close eye on the run. stay with us here on dw-tv. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--