>> on the agenda -- the growing calls for the european union to introduce a financial transactions tax. >> talks with prime minister mario monti also focus on italy's efforts to reduce debt and implement further austerity measures. meeting came as outgoing euro group head said he would like to see mario monti take over as his successor. >> in a minute, we will be crossing to rome to your vote -- more about the meeting, but let's hear more about what merkel had to say at the news conference a short time ago. >> we are both firmly convinced that we are not finished yet in terms of making europe competitive and giving the world and answer to the question -- how does europe see its future? are we 27 different countries, or are we a larger entity that can come together in our

dealings with the world? and foreman this future european union means coordinating more closely. when in doubt, we need more europe and not less. >> for more now, we cross over to our correspondent in rome. david, a lot on the agenda at that meeting today. can you give us a look at the points they covered? >> they talked about the tax and put off a decision until the end of the month. mrs. merkel was very complementary to mario monti, the new italian prime minister. she praised him for his courage, but they both agreed that although the immediate eurozone debt crisis has been surmounted, as mrs. merkel said, there is a long way to go yet. i did not think either the prime minister or the chancellor had any illusions that anything will

be sold at individual meetings like this. but mrs. merkel is fond of italy. she comes here to spend her holidays, and i'm sure she will have a nice party tonight after her talks with mr. monti. >> looking at mario monti, his name has been thrown into the ring as a possible replacement for jean-claude juncker. what has been the reaction? >> no reaction at all. i think it is extremely unlikely that he would accept this job. he was talking in a lawn a couple of weeks ago -- in milan a couple of weeks ago at his university saying how much he was looking forward to coming back to take up his professorial duties once again. i think he is very conscious that he has a limited time frame.

he would like to about out. of course, he may change his mind, but it seems extremely unlikely to me that he will take up this offer. >> thank you very much for that update. we have more on mario monti and his efforts to sort out italy a little later in the program. first, the european union finance ministers have held another difficult meeting today as they tried to tackle the european debt crisis. hungary was in the spotlight, and brussels issued a stern man to budapest to get its finances in order. >> if hungary fails, the european union says it will freeze almost 500 million euros in funds that are supposed to be given to the country next year. >> the most controversial issue on the agenda was the introduction of the financial transactions tax. nine countries led by france and germany are for the proposal, but britain and some other

countries remain opposed to the tax. >> hungary's finance minister was taken to task by his european colleagues for his country's failure to control its budget deficit. >> the commission's proposal for suspending commitments. >> another sticking point -- franco-german calls -- the german tax products bear products like any other and therefore should be taxed. >> i have once again said that a financial transaction tax for and in europe remains our clear priority. i am convinced that it is the best solution, he says. >> the tax is also expected to put some 75 billion additional euros and a member state's coffers. britain and luxembourg oppose the tax, fearing it would put european financial markets at a

disadvantage. >> we are dealing with transactions that are almost always cross border by nature. only a small group of countries have this tax, it is likely these transactions will be carried out in other countries. >> sweden also opposes the tax, which it says would harm growth. >> the financial transaction tax would be difficult to accept. i would increase a household's lending costs and increase capital for companies and increase the cost of oil per gallon. >> it would need the approval of all member states. >> on to the markets now. investors concentrated on the positive tuesday, sending blue- chip days as above psychologically important levels for the first time in several months in reaction to stronger than expected rises in german analyst and investor sentiment. the dax index rocketed higher

tuesday, briefly climbed over the 7000-point level for the first time since august of last year. but it is with healthy gains, by nearly 1.4%, and finished just try of the 7000-point level. euro stocks 50 also doing well, finishing at 2556. the dow currently trading about 13,000 points, by nearly 1.2%, and you're giving up a bit of ground trading at a dollar -- a value of $1.3078. the europe and arab league envoy to syria, kofi annan is in turkey for talks with the syrian national council, an umbrella group representing serious opposition. the syrian president has said parliamentary elections for may 7 under the country's new constitution. >> opponents of the regime say a new constitution is not legitimate and insists the president must give up power as violence continues in the country. there's no sign of breaking

diplomatic impasse at the united nations. >> in france, and then tries to pull a wounded person -- a man tries to pull a wooded person out of the line of fire and is himself. security forces continue to shell the area. elsewhere in syria, people are fighting back. in ankara, kofi annan is trying to increase pressure on the syrian regime. at a meeting with representatives of the syrian opposition, he demanded a quick answer to proposals he had put forward for ending the violence. >> they should put the interests of the people at the center of everything that we do. i know there is a strong international community support. the whole world is coming together and working with us to resolve this situation in syria. >> but russia and china continue to oppose any united nations

security council resolutions aimed solely at the syrian government. the russian foreign minister says pressure must also be applied to rebel groups. a unilateral withdrawal of government forces is absolutely unrealistic, he says. the syrian authorities will not do this, whether we want it or not, and everybody understands this perfectly well. meanwhile the violence in syria continues with more violence reported around the country and more casualties. constant bombardments have become a way of life for many. >> and afghan soldier has been killed, and a policeman injured after militant islamists attacked and afghan government delegation today. >> the attackers opened fire at a ceremony for the victims of sunday's's shooting spree. meanwhile, anti-american protests are spreading in afghanistan, and some 2000 students demanded the immediate withdrawal of u.s. troops from

the country. fresh unrest was sparked by the murder of 16 people by a road u.s. soldier believed to be suffering from mental problems. germany and pakistan have agreed to intensify cooperation between their armed forces. >> the german defense minister and his pakistani counterpart signed an agreement primarily aimed at improving the exchange of information. he also said pakistan would soon reopen supply routes to afghanistan. those roads were closed to western forces after a u.s. attack accidentally killed 24 pakistani soldiers. police in germany have arrested 24 suspected neo-nazis in a series of raids across four different federal states. police believe they were planning acts of violence there.

the neo-nazis carried out a series of racially motivated murders and had gone undetected for a decade. >> this house -- this was one of several buildings police raided on tuesday. >> i did not think it is good they are here. if they get caught, i think it is even better. >> police raided suspected properties in four german states. investigators say the neo-nazis had been spying on political opponents in order to prepare new attacks. they made targets of their opponents by publishing pictures and home addresses. many of the people that were being spied on and were routed

-- outed were very scared. the new nazi group routinely organizes protests and has been known to use violence against opponents. many of the group members have criminal records that include charges of assault and battery. >> we have always said we would come down hard on them if the opportunity presents itself, and now it has. we have cooperated closely with prosecutors. there were about 300 police officers involved. that 24 people were arrested in the rate, including members of the extreme right wing npd party. >> let's cross over to our political correspondent. can you tell us more about the background of the raids? >> german authority has been under pressure for some time to crack down more forcefully on

right wing extremism, and this would seem to be very much in that context. authorities where some of the arrests were made describe some of those who were arrested as the masterminds of the right wing seen. they said they had been monitoring this organization since about mid-2010, that they suspected already at that time that some of these people belonged to a criminal organization, so they have been working on this for some time. what is interesting about these arrests is that they cover quite a widespread. they were made in four of germany's 16 states, and those arrested were between the ages of 17 and 54. and there were several women among those arrested.

>> numbers of germany's npd party are suspected of having links to right-wing extremists, and these arrests may feed into that. we have been seeing some connections being made between current members -- and this party is represented in state parliament, it must be noted. we have seen connections being made between those individuals and the right-wing terror cell that is believed to have carried out a series of murders over the past decade. we're seeing those links being made stronger. we can expect to see investigations strengthen in+ that direction. >> thank you very much for that update. next, we will be taking a look at edgar degas, considered one of the greatest ever portrait painters. >> the first-ever exhibition devoted to his nudes has opened in paris -- in paris.

the nude figure was considered central to his work until the end of his life. he was one of the founding fathers of the impressionist movement. the exhibition runs until july. >> next, we take a look at the challenges facing italy as the country is in recession. and keep your clothes on. stay with us. >> you decide what you want to watch. all the images, all the programs, the whole package. dw on the internet. the media center on dw.de. >> where do you prefer to use

dw? let us know where you are taking us. perhaps your snapshot will win. please send pictures to mydw@dw.de. we are giving away 3 ipads. for more information, go to dw.de/mydw. >> welcome back. the german chancellor has been in rome where she's been holding talks with mario monti. >> mario monti is charged with getting the economy back up and running while still trying to reform the country's budget, and it is no small task, but so far, he has been rising to the challenge. >> from economics professor to prime minister, appointing mario monti was something of a political experiment. when he took office in november, italy was spiraling further into

a debt crisis. urgent reforms had been put off for years. he formed a cabinet of technocrats like himself here in this first month of office, he pushed through a program of spending cuts were 30 million euros, including raising the retirement age to 66, imposing a new property tax, scrapping privileges enjoyed by groups such as taxi drivers, introducing a levy on expensive cars and votes. trade unions hit the streets in protest. monti demanded sacrifices, but he led by example, giving up his own salary. that has won him strong approval. 64% of italians now that can. 92% say they do not trust the established political parties. without% say they would vote for a technocrat party if one existed. italians also like him because he is the very opposite of silvio berlusconi, calm

composed. he has won back trust at home and abroad. >> working for italy and working for europe are not really two different things, particularly at a time when italy has presented some weaknesses. >> he has gained the approval of eu partners and even earned the praise of the german finance minister. >> europe is on the right path, not least of all because of the exceptional progress in italy. that is why italy and the italian government under mario monti represent hope for both italy and europe. >> mario monti has managed to turn italy's image around, but the tests lie ahead, and he will need plenty of staying power and stamina for the reforms that are still to come.

>> what will the impact on the eurozone have over the next decade? there are a variety predictions, but we will have to wait and see. meantime, we could look toward argentina for invitations. >> argentinian rioted in the street as they watched their nation's economy fallen to a virtual free fall. now, argentina is on more solid economic ground, but the effects of the crisis can still be seen. >> this tour guide is picking up the business magazine from his hotel for a sightseeing tour. he used to be a banker, and customers would come to him. he made a good living until argentina went bust and his bank along with it. >> from one day to the next, i lost everything.

all my money was deposited at the bank, so i had to think about what i could do at my age and without any money. >> first -- he was over 50 when he started over. he speaks several languages and knows the city well, so he went into tourism. businesses ok, but even 10 years after the country went bankrupt, the country -- the future still does not look rosy. >> people can learn a lot from our crisis. one thing i will never do again is take my money to a bank. >> many argentines think the same way. hardly anyone here trust's financial institutions. the international monetary fund, in particular, has a bad reputation here. their efforts a decade ago did more to damage argentina than help it according to experts at the renowned private university.

they say it will not do much to help greece, either. >> no measures that the international monetary fund ever took in latin america led to a positive result. instead, the crisis -- crises got worse than they originally were. >> after argentina went bankrupt, it took a radical step -- it refused to pay back debts. the imf and argentina's creditors were outraged, but many say that greece should take a similar approach. and i do not deal with the imf. they completely ruined us. >> cut down on spending and do not spend more than you take in. >> monitor the banks. >> radical austerity alone will not help greece. >> they should not push employment and paid down too far. they should do the opposite -- collect more money, for

instance, with an extra tax on the rich. and he weathered argentina's financial crisis, but even 10 years on, the shock has remained with him. >> i would not wish this on anyone. >> it is so ugly and horrible. we were and middle-class family. we live well. then, all at once, we had nothing anymore. >> he has managed to build a new life, but he knows it will never again be the way it was before. >> voting is under way in two more republican presidential primaries in the u.s. >> ballots are being cast in mississippi and alabama, and opinion polls show that the top candidates had almost equal support in both states. newt gingrich enjoyed strong support as a southerner from nearby georgia. overall front runner mitt romney can also expect to do well, while ultraconservative rick

santorum is popular among evangelical christians. >> for more on today's primaries, we are joined by our washington correspondent. any chance of a break out win for mitt romney today? and then maybe not a break away when, but may be a surprise win. remember, we are talking about the deep south. that is a conservative stronghold, something where rick santorum, newt gingrich, the two conservative contenders, would naturally do well, but not a guy from the northeast like mitt romney. if he wins one of those states, that would solidify his position as the front runner. rick santorum wants nuking which out of the race. he wants to be the only real conservative in the race, as he says. in order for that maybe to happen, he needs to be better in both states -- mississippi and alabama -- then did gingrich. >> most representatives say this is good news for obama, but his ratings are dropping. >> yes, but that is different

reasons. people say it is because of the gas prices. they have risen about 12 cents in the last two weeks. europeans would ask what they are complaining about since gas is still so much cheaper in the u.s. than in most countries in europe, but it is a big deal in the states and has always been a big topic in election campaigning. president obama used it himself four years ago to his advantage, and it shows that behind all the talk about conservative values that one important topic remains the economy. >> thank you very much for that update. we have to take a quick look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. >> dozens of people have been killed in a ferry vote accident in southern bangladesh. the ferry sank after it collided with a barge southeast of the capital. survivors say the vessel was overcrowded and sank quickly after the collision.

that a cease-fire between israel and palestinian militant groups in the gaza strip has gone into effect and appears to be holding. police in israel said only a small number of rockets had been fired, causing no damage or casualties. the cease-fire comes after four days of violence that left 25 palestinians dead. >> an imam has that following an attack at the belgian capital. police take him into custody after he entered the mosque during prayers. the suspect is believed to be a number of an ultra-conservative movement. >> survey shows most japanese are against restarting the country's nuclear power plants. 57% said they were opposed and 80% said they did not trust government safety measures. almost all of japan's nuclear plants were shut down after last year's earthquake and tsunami that caused a knelt down at the plant in northern japan.

>> as we mentioned earlier, germany's blue-chip dax index rocketed higher in a strong rally tuesday, climbing briefly above the 7000-point level. >> good news for the ceos of all those listed companies, many of whom have seen their earnings rise substantially over the past 12 months, reaching an average of 5.5 million euros a year. >> top of the heap -- vw chief has seen his salary doubled over the past year. >> is the highest-paid chief executive among germany's dax- listed companies. he earned nearly 17.5 million euros last year, and 87% increase over the previous year, putting him well ahead of the pack. he took home as much as the next two top earners combined. daimler's chief came in second. and the outgoing rwe chief was

third. that was little more than the previous year, but the company saw profits plummet in 2011. the bank boss had to make do with the modest 500,000 euros, but his pay is capped under rules laid down by the bank's biggest shareholder, the german government. >> you are watching the "journal" on dw. thanks for joining us. >> for more information, check out our web site, dw.de.