♪ >> hello and welcome to the "journal" on dw. i am brian thomas. >> welcome. >> these are our top stories. france launches a terrorism investigation after a shooting at a jewish school in toulouse. >> more violence and casualties in syria as troops and rebels clashed in damascus. >> for the first time in 17 years, apple is paying a dividend on its shares. ♪

french police say they're widening their search for the suspect who shot dead a french- israeli teacher, his two children, and another student eddie george school in toulouse today. been drafted into the investigation. following the shooting, president sarkozy travel to the seven french city with the president the country's jewish association to visit the site of the shooting. >> the president also awarded -- alerted the country's highest terrorist alert level for southwestern france. >> in toulouse hours after the attack, residents gathered near the ozar hatorah school to express their sorrow. >> we are in mourning. i am in shock. so are all my friends here. >> nicolas sarkozy paid a visit to the school, accompanied by education and jewish affairs officials. the french president and directed his election campaign to come to toulouse, calling the

shooting a national tragedy. >> tomorrow, schools across france will observe a minute of silence in memory of the children of this school. these are our children, not simply your children. they are ours. >> sir's's socialist rival francois hollande also canceled his campaign appearances and traveled to toulouse. >> i had to be here to speak with the stricken families, but also to this school because it is a jewish school that has been hit. which adds anti-semitism to the vileness of the crime. >> witnesses said the gunman opened fire on the victims from close range and then fled the crime scene on a motorbike. >> we know that one of the murder weapons have large cavalier -- caliber bullets. a second gun was apparently also

used. >> authorities said one of the weapons was also used to killed three soldiers in shooting incidents last week. a manhunt is underway and prosecutors have opened anti- terrorism investigations. >> could this have been an act of terrorism? that is one of the lions police are following. for more, let's bring in our correspondent from paris. french police are investigating possible terrorism links. what can you tell us? >> this is france's first-ever school shooting, and terrorism has not been ruled out by those involved in the massive police investigation under way. nonetheless, it is not considered the most likely hypothesis at this stage. rather, psychologists and police are pointing to the fact that this shooter has a very sophisticated knowledge of weaponry. he acts in a calm and test away. he has excellent driving skills. he has targeted soldiers of

north african and caribbean origin, killing three and leaving it forth in critical condition, as well as the jewish committee today. this points to a pro, either a former or a serving soldier possibly with racists or is enough of it -- a z no fault the police, maybe even a neo-nazi leader. all three attacks in and around toulouse have been exactly four days apart. a loan, possibly psychopathic killer, rather than a mad mad or terrace. >> there is considerable unity in response to this attack. >> absolutely, condemnation of this attack has come from every political and religious leader in france today with multiple calls for all sides to stand together and work together to find this gunman. the first round of the presidential election here is just over about the way. but tonight, all candidates have suspended their campaigns and canceled media appearances. president nicolas sarkozy and his socialist rival francois

hollande are both now attending the service of remembrance at the synagogue in paris. following that, a silent march will take place in the streets of the french capital tonight. again, we can expect to see a country but united as well as horrified by today's tragedy. >> thank you for that from paris. six weeks until elections in france. we will be taking an in-depth look at the mood in the country ahead of those presidential elections. that is coming up later. >> a special u.n. arab league team has arrived in syria for talks on implementing a ceasefire. this is after three days of violence, including a double car bombing in the capital that damascus blamed on the opposition. syria opposes state news agency said the latest fighting broke out between security forces and rebels in an upscale damascus neighborhood. >> there was heavy fighting in the upscale damascus neighborhood of mazzeh overnight

between government security forces and rebels. the violence reportedly began after midnight when rebels went on the offensive. >> the people who live here have guns. they went on a rampage in the building and tried to enter all the houses. it took a mess security forces and soldiers. >> the uprising against the assad regime is inching closer to the center of power. but this middle east expert believes the opposition does not cause a real threat, at least not yet. >> it would be a mistake to believe that this regime is finished. that is not the case. broad sections of the syrian population still support him. >> but more people are fleeing syria. these children and their families slipped across the border into turkey over the rigging, among the estimated 500 refugees who arrived in 24 hours.

>> turkey is well-organized and well the position. the syrian refugees were brought to cams. discussions are underway whether to create a protection zone in northern syria to shelter refugees. >> aid organizations can help refugees here. but in syria, the situation is deteriorating. bashar al-assad finds himself with little room to maneuver. >> he will not resign. the minority alawite sect rules syria. and if assata fails, the regime will fall alawite with themfalls make up 15% of the population but have ruled the country for 50 years. they fear that the sunni majority population will seek revenge, so that will hold on to power at any cost. >> the latest u.n. and arab league mediation team is in damascus to explore the possibility of a cease-fire. >> the end of the cold war was

supposed to bring the planet a peace dividend, but more than a decade after 9/11 and the west's war and terrorism, weapons dealers have rarely had it so good. >> a new study by the stockholm international peace research institute shows that between 2007 and 2011, arms sales skyrocketed 24% compared to the previous four years. >> the u.s. continues to sell most of the world's weapons, but russia has also been busy arming its traditional allies like syria. >> the syrian armed forces demonstrating their firepower on a maneuver last december. a full complement of military hardware ranging from a fighter jets to surface-to-air missiles. these weapons have not been used in the assault on rebels and anti-democrat protesters across syria, but they -- [no audio] syria gets three-quarters of its weapons supplied from russia.

that allows it to circumvent the u.s. and european arms embargo. but syria is far from the only country army itself. asian countries by the most weapons, and china has attracted a lot of attention from the group since it has now become a weapons exporter. is still pales in comparison to the u.s. in first place, followed by russia and germany. but china is now the world's six largest arms exporter. one of china's biggest markets is pakistan. >> obviously, in developing those zero arms production and abilities, they have been able to be more competitive on international markets. a caveat to that, one should stress that pakistan accounts for almost two-thirds of the deliveries in the time we're looking at. cruxes, but is especially interested in modern chinese fighter jets. swedish researchers say china is following a worldwide trend, as many countries develop their own weapons industries. >> of to a million iraqi shiites

have joined the protest in basra expressing outrage at the country's oil wealth and how it has not been used to alleviate the country's dire poverty. demonstrators carried black casket's labeled electricity, education, and democracy. the demonstrations or organized by followers of the anti-u.s. cleric muqtada al-sadr and took place on the ninth anniversary of the u.s.-led invasion against saddam hussein. >> apple shareholders have something to look forward to. the company announced it will pay regular dividends and will share buyback. it will pay two years starting in july and will buy back about 7.5 billion euros of its stock in the next fiscal year. >> shareholders had to wait a very long time for this news, namely 17 years. apple's quarterly dividend and share buyback plan will pay out about 34 billion euros over three years, total reserves about 75 billion euros. >> apple's coffers are full, thanks to the success of its

iphones and ipad telecommuters. fans of the brand regularly storm the retail stores to pick up the latest gadgets. but things have not always been so rosy for apple. in 1997, the company came close to bankruptcy before the return of legendary co-founder steve jobs turned brown apple's fortunes once again. -- turned around apple's fortunes once again. shares of climbed over the past five years, now surging to 450 euros with a market value of around 415 billion euros, the world's most valuable company today. apart from paying its first evidence in 17 years, apple says it will buyback 8 billion euros worth of shares. that could make the business worth even more and possibly break archrival microsoft's record is the most valuable company ever. >> to the markets now. oil prices weighed heavily today. here is our summary of the day's trading from the frankfurt stock

exchange. >> let's say it was a lukewarm reaction to that news from apple, a dividend and a share buyback. in its secret, people had been asking for more after so many successful years and after so many years of not getting any such rewards, any such evidence. all in all, it was a positive piece of news. a moderate reaction here, too. in the market, the dax did manage to catch up on the early losses. in the end, almost at least. still, it was a very wait and see attitude here. all in all, long term, there is optimism. but the dax has further room for expansion. >> stock markets were subdued on monday because of those higher oil prices playing on hopes for the global economic recovery and of said cheered generated by the news that apple paid those dividends. in frankfurt, the dax closed down just slightly, 71 the dow

4. the euro stoxx 50 closed even. across the atlantic, the dow jones is currently going up, 13,248. the euro is trading for $1.3236. >> here in germany, the country's new president jaochim gauck has started his first day on the job. use a former lutheran pastor and human rights activist from a longtime communist east germany. in the largely ceremonial office, many are hoping his moral authority and independence of mind, and lack of party affiliation will help the nation overcome europe's debt crisis and economic slowdown. >> the new german president arrived in berlin's bellevue palace with his partner for his first day on the job. his predecessor christian wulff was among those there to greet him. jaochim gauck's supporters say they're looking forward to a new

chapter in german history. >> this is the new germany. jaochim gauck symbolizes everyone here who wants to get things done. >> this represents a victory for political reason and wisdom. >> the new president does germany an enormous service. he began with an exciting speech on freedom. >> jaochim gauck also put freedom and responsibility at the center of his first speech after his election on sunday, but he also warned against euphoria. >> to be sure, i will not be able to fulfill all the expectations of people have of me or my presidency. but i can promise one thing, that i will say yes with all my strength and all my heart to the responsibility you have interested me with today. >> his first trip as president will take jaochim gauck to eastern germany were the

peaceful protests against the east german communist regime began in 1989. he will be formally sworn into office on friday. >> stay with us. we will be back with more international news in one minute. >> we will look at sports and many other stories, so stick around. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> welcome back. the shooting we have been reporting on that the french school today as lead to the cancellation of campaigning until at least wednesday in the presidential elections. the election is less than six weeks away. >> campaigning was set to start officially today with the publication of the list of 10 candidates. socialist francois hollande is leading in the polls and poses the biggest challenge to incumbent nicolas sarkozy, along side with the right we candidate. >> here is a look at the mood in the country prior to the presidential elections. >> content to have his owner era

for a day. the offense manager has taken the day off and is spending part of it relaxing at her favorite parisian cafe in the upscale seventh district. a majority here that president nicolas sarkozy, and so does this person. >> he is charismatic and statesmanlike. he is impressive. >> she is a single, has no children, and makes a good income. she is not untypical of many residents in the district. they dismiss the chancellor francois hollande as a dreamer. >> musri afraid i didn't believe in the ideas of mr. orlande. >> the first lady still makes many of the magazine covers. bruni is a worthy representative of france around the world, says this woman, who says she cannot stand alone. >> he is a softie.

i do not like what he stands for. >> we live in that economic times. we have to make sacrifices. nicolas sarkozy is the only one with a plan. >> it is just a 40-minute subway ride from the well-to-do parisian neighborhood to the southern area. more than 80% of the population here are of immigrant dissent. fabrice has been a street sweeper for over 20 years, taking home 1000 euros after taxes. he is not excited about going to the polls but says he will do his duty in the hope that nicolas sarkozy is voted out of office. >> he has frozen our wages for two years while everyone else is making more money. he has made a lot of promises and has not kept a single one. >> the shift begins at 4:00 a.m. and ends shortly before noon. before heading home, he discusses politics. everyone he knows is that up

with the conservative head of state. they say nicolas sarkozy disparaged the suburbs and that insult to them. >> a president should be humble in not lose control. but this guy is too direct. he is always going off. >> he and his colleagues are convinced nicolas sarkozy will not win a lot of votes here. >> if nicolas sarkozy comes to our neighborhood, he better watch out. he will hear from me. >> they do not really want to alarm either -- francois hollande they really do not francois either, but he says he is the only alternative to the working class. >> the lesser of two evils. >> the colleagues are all convinced that with five weeks to go before the first round, opinion polls give francois hollande a substantial lead. the man who seemed to have fallen for political grace a few years ago has a good shot at winning the french presidency.

>> according to a study out last week, every german the throws away an average of 82 kilograms of food each year, most of which is still perfectly edible. the government has launched a campaign to try to cut down on the waste. >> people often think food is no good after the date on the package. that is one of the reasons why germans throw away millions of pounds of food a year, half of which could still be eaten. the government wants to reduce the waste. >> usually the product is still edible after the date shown. that means people should go by their own senses, smell it, tasted, and look at it. >> leaflets are now being distributed in german supermarkets explaining the difference between the date that shows when food is unsafe and the date for the minimum shelf life. but politicians from the

opposition greens party say the campaign misses the point by focusing only on consumers. the. >> 40% of food is thrown away before it gets to the shops because fruit and vegetables do not meet specifications. >> the minister says she wants the eu to get rid of the regulations. so funny shaped potatoes can get even instead of being thrown away. >> in about one minute, we will have the latest german bundesliga action. >> first, other stories making news around the world. mitt romney has taken another primary contests in the u.s. presidential race. he won the overseas territory of puerto rico, taking with an 80% of the vote. briggs informed just got 7%. the and hispanic vote is seen as crucial in the november elections. >> the king of tonga has died. the cause of death has not yet been announced.

he ruled tonga since 2006 and carried out sweeping political reforms, including seating most of his democratic powers to an elected parliament. >> the president of east timur has admitted defeat in his reelection bid after coming in third in the first round of voting. the two main rivals, including a former guerrilla fighter, we'll go forward to a runoff on april 16. >> some german soccer. shalke made a good round on sunday. the same time with a pile on the misery for the bottom of the table team. hammering the home side. >> they have now gone 16 games without winning. there is speculation that the coach will be sacked soon. but the team's managers will not comment. >> if you take even a halfway serious approach to this job,

you cannot make those kinds of decisions in public when the atmosphere is so emotional and negative. >> the hosts started fast and furious. the defender did a head ball to make it 1-0. but it was legalized in the 39th minute. and. shalke was put ahead with his 20th goal of the season. and the defense made wasn't a mistake after another for kaiserslautern. 3-1 for shalke. 10 minutes from time, jefferson did this one in to put the game on ice. it looks as though kaiserslautern will be playing next season in the second division. >> in hanover once again show that they're one of germany's better teams, defeating it alone by a score of 4-1. hanover came out strong and went

ahead by 19. a shot, a reflex save, and then into the net. alone or without the suspended player, but another player was good enough to equalize. and a penalty and then the strikers sealed the win with a pair of goals in the second half. >> ok, let's look at all the results from around 26 of the bundesliga. bayern hammered berlin. dortmond winning over bremond. a shock to hamburger. leaving nuremberg with the same score. a valuable win here. a loss at home to stood guard. >> a look at the standings of the weekend's action, the champions stay on top, five points ahead of baern. shalke are breathing down their

necks. [no audio] has enjoyed good fortune in the competition. they knocked out two top tier teams so far. that does not surprise the coach. >> sometimes you need just a little extra luck, he says, but i think we have made progress. over the past two years or so, we have continued to improve. >> the club was founded back in 1903 and won its first national

title in 1914. their success continued into 1920's, and there were the top team in 1926 and 1929. now they're close to the first division. >> look at the progress this team has made. look at the way they're playing and improving all the time. the coach has made a big difference. this is the greatest time in the history of this football club. >> rent now, they're focused on winning the german cup, a competition where the team has every chance to copper first division goliath like dortmund. >> of britain's duchess of cambridge, the former kate middleton, has given her first public speech as a member of the royal family. she appeared at a chant -- children's auspice on the eastern part of the country. one of the many charities she has chosen to support.

she praised their work in helping children and their families. british television broadcast the event live. >> and we have this news now. thousands of people turned out for a ballooning event in mexico that mixes agent history with high altitude. the annual festival in mexico city is held at the site of the aztec pyramids. 35 balloons from five countries took part. some visitors were invited and were able to enjoy a very spectacular view of the aztec mythological complex from very high above. a beautiful pair of it. you're watching dw. we will be back with more news at the top of the hour. >> stick around. we will see you soon. >> do not go away. ♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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