>> this is" from our dw status in berlin. cease-fire plan, but on the grounds, the fighting continues. >> on a visit to the czech republic, the german chancellor promises to not pressure prague. >> california police say they have a motive for monday's college shooting that left seven people dead.

syria says it has started implementing a united nations- backed peace plan, which requires damascus to withdraw troops from towns and cities within a week and observe a ceasefire. forces are pulling back well ahead of schedule. >> the united nations says officials will be in syria in two days to monitor the truce. damascus has agreed to withdraw its military by april 10. right now, though, the situation remains volatile while. >> the violence continues despite the government's promise to continue pulling the army out of towns. these videos posted online today claim to show homs. they cannot be verified. the syrian government is still strictly controlling journalists' access. president assad says he will stop -- start pulling troops

back from cities, and the process will be complete by april 10. but the opposition are highly skeptical. >> the government of syria is really honest, and this really play to way to implement the plan, why not stop firing now? if they are serious and honest about it, they will stop killing the people. >> despite international condemnation, there is no sign of military competition. >> i want a binding resolution. the use of force or strikes against syria. >> the syrian government says calm has returned to many parts of the country. >> we were able to regain security and stability in many

areas, and there remains only some little hot spots. and activists say the fighting is still going on. this video claims to show shelling. debts of soldiers, rebels, and civilians are reported in other towns across the country. >> earlier, we asked our syria expert if she thought the syrian regime was serious about implementing a ceasefire. >> i do not think we are going to see a ceasefire by april 10 because the assad regime will not stop the violence by itself. this would make it safe for people to demonstrate, and within days, we would see hundreds of thousands of people in the streets, and this would be the political and -- end of the regime. until now, it gives the regime time for its violent crackdown and gives them legitimacy as a negotiating partner, which is not acceptable for the syrian opposition.

for the activists on the ground, the people there who are shelled at, shot at, this timetable, this cease-fire is cynical because it gives the regime one more week to continue its killing. >> thank you so much. talks between new military rulers and regional powerhouse nigeria broke up late tuesday without any breakthroughs on ending the rule. >> and members of the junta were in talks aimed at negotiating the transition back to civilian rule after the coup in late march, which has attracted widespread condemnation among the international community. in newark, united nations security council members handed -- hammered out a joint statement. -- in new york. angela merkel has met with the czech prime minister. the german chancellor says there is no pressure on prague to join the european union's fiscal discipline pact. >> that that is the grim that

was drawn up defense in the eurozone debt crisis, and it obliges countries to balance their budgets and pay sanctions to the czech republic -- but czech republic along with britain never signed up, viewing it as an infringement. >> chancellor merkel was keen to downplay the check refusal to sign up to the european fiscal pact, which places strict limits on government spending. she said it is not a problem, as all the countries that use the euro have signed up to the agreement. >> although the czech republic has not signed, we know that the option remains open to it. what is important to me is that our two countries share the aims of the fiscal pact, which are also needed to improve competitiveness. >> another sensitive issue is the nuclear power station. the czechs want to build two new reactors at the plant, but there have been angry protesters

against it in germany and austria. the czech prime minister, however, says operational safety at the plant has the highest priority and that the expansion would continue in line with eu law. political differences were also on the agenda. than it used to be one of the leading solar cell manufacturers in the world. now, it is filing for bankruptcy. >> the german firm blames unfair competition from china and cuts in subsidies from the german government. >> but they are not the only ones to go under. at his the fourth solar company in germany to go bust in just a few months. >> staff arrive for work as usual in this eastern german town, but the future is highly uncertain. the company has filed for insolvency. for the staff, the news did not come as a complete surprise.

this worker says the last few months were tough. "last year, we went through a restructuring program. we managed to cut costs and made the factory competitive. we now have competitive products." but last year, they made a loss of almost 840 million euros. a few years ago, the german solar industry was booming, but now the government has cut its subsidies for solar plants, and competition from the far east is getting ever tougher. "it is a relatively mature technology now. it can be produced in china or malaysia or elsewhere far more cheaply than in germany, and production is not will be brought in time, that is a problem in terms of competitiveness. the company is the latest in a string of german solar companies to fail. all suffered when the government cut the amount of money paid to operators of solar facilities

for the electricity they generate. and a fifth company is facing problems as well. phoenix solar is in financial difficulties, and sought a collapse in its share price this morning. them and no prices guessing what was laying down at least in frankfurt today. here is our markets reporter. >> the bad news from the solar energy sector put some of the shares of this sector heavily under pressure. for example, shares in phoenix solar temporarily lost after 30% -- up to 30% of their value. the bad news of the solar energy companies reminds the market how risk-averse creditors still are, how reluctant when it comes to risking their investments. which also has to do with the fact that the problems of the eurozone are far from being solved. wednesday, spain plans to borrow fresh money from the capital markets. ahead of this, many people here

speculated whether this will go smoothly or not. >> let's take a closer look at the market numbers. we start in frankfurt with the dax down over 1% there. losing the gains from yesterday. your stocks 50 moving lower as well. hefty losses there. over in new york, the dow jones is currently trading down as well, not as heavily at 13,179. the euro taking a hit at $ 1.3230. pakistan's government announced a drastic austerity plan to travel the country out of recession, portugal has earned praise from brussels for its attempts to cut debt and get its economy going again. a new report by the european union, the european central bank, and the international monetary fund makes that -- things that unlike raese, the country will not need a second rescue package. the report also stressed the

need for further economic reforms, including privatization of state assets. >> the united states has put a 10 million-dollar bounty on a pakistani islamist leaders suspected of planning imam by terrorist attack in 2010. >> the reward for the capture was posted on the state department's website today. the founder of the militant group lives openly in pakistan where he runs a charity, but the united nations says that charity is a front. to the u.s. now where police in oakland, california, say the former student who killed seven and wounded four was a 43-year- old south korean national bent on righting perceived slights by students and administrators. >> the suspect gave himself up to police in a nearby supermarket. uthorities say the killer opened fire in the middle of a

nursing class. >> when the police arrived, five people were already dead. swat teams were deployed because officers believed the shooter was still hiding on the university grounds. oakland's police chief said the gunman appeared to have been looking for a school employee. >> we know that he came here with the intent of locating an administrator. not in a position right now to give that person's name. she was not here. he then went through the entire building, systematically, randomly shooting victims. >> witnesses said the gunman had stormed into a classroom and ordered students to line up along the wall before opening fire. officials say the 43-year-old korean-american who later gave himself up to the police, was a student at the university who had stopped attending class is -- classes. >> he did not go to school there no more.

he has been dropped out for three or four months. he just showed up today and started such magic started shooting. >> the suspect surrendered to police after his father had alerted them to his son's involvement. a local cameramen filmed the suspect being transported from a local police station. >> let's look at one of the other stories making news around the world. and some of the association of southeast asian nations has opened in the cambodian capital, from penn. the historic reforms in burma been one of the focuses of the talks. delegates will also addressable korea's plans to launch a rocket, that despite an agreed hauled to missile testing. the colombian president has welcomed the release of 10 soldiers held as rebels for more than a decade. he says it is a step in the right direction. >> recent weeks and months have seen an upsurge in violence with

the army suffering heavy losses. >> it is the moment they have waited for for up to 14 years. arriving at the airport, the men knew for certain that their ordeal was over and that they were free at last. the group was shielded from the press. journalists were not permitted to film the reunion between the former hostages and their families, but a relative shot the scene with his mobile phone. the release comes after a long process of negotiation. on monday, the red cross finally got the go-ahead to pick up the man. after a tense wait, this was a

moment of joy, also for the people who negotiated. >> they are alive. they are happy. we are all very happy. the men have yet to talk about their captivity. but others once held say it is torture. the most famous of them is a woman who was kidnapped while campaigning for the presidency in 2002 and held until 2008. she told of long marches through the jungle and the constant fear for her life, but such torments could be a thing of the past. >> this liberation and of of all, the promise by the farq not to return to kidnapping as a gesture that we value, and we value it in all its dimensions. >> there is still a long way to

go. they have read all the soldiers and police it held, but the group still holds 100 civilians it kidnapped for ransom. >> we will be right back for more on the american primaries. >> keep watching. >> you decide what you want to watch. all the images, all the programs, the whole package. dw on the internet. the media center on www.dw.de. >> what is so powerful that it can make you overcome your greatest fear? turn your brother into an enemy.

>> what is so potent it passes effortlessly from mother to child, from generation to generation? what clouds billion minds? makes bad ideas seem like good ones. >> it kills 25,000 people a day. >> help us fight hunger. >> welcome back. to the u.s. first, now. republican presidential hopeful mitt romney aims for primary victories in wisconsin, maryland, and washington today. polls give him a healthy lead over rival rick santorum. rabin is also gaining more and more support from leading figures in the republican party, allowing the front runner to refocus his campaign and take the fight directly to barack obama. >> mitt romney goes out to meet ordinary voters. this time in wisconsin. it seems his strategy and well- oiled campaign machinery are paying off.

romney is the clear front runner among republicans who want to be president. he is no longer focusing his attention on his rivals within the party. he has his eyes on the price and is attacking president obama directly. >> this bresnik cannot run on his record, so he will try in every way he can to never to some kind of attack and try to have people disqualified our nominee, which will probably be me, and instead of talking about where we have been and where we are going as a nation. >> romney owes his success to a surge of support within the republican party. he has received endorsements from such well-known figures as conservative congressman paul ryan and former president george bush senior. ronnie's closest competitor is lagging far behind. romney is leading in opinion polls also in the key state of wisconsin. the ones on popular candidate seems to have finally secured a

solid base in his own party. that you cannot really say it out loud in washington yet, but the race for the republican nomination is basically over. the question is not whether mitt romney will be the candidate, but when. >> the internationally renowned artist i will weigh has set up live cameras in his beijing home, as a provocative response to surveillance by the chinese police. >> it also marks the first anniversary of his detention in a government crackdown on dissidents last year. he has been slapped with a multi-million dollar tax fine as well, which activists say is punishment for his criticism of the state. >> the security cameras do not miss a thing. the studios under 24-hour observation. a year ago, the police came for him. 81 days in solitary confinement. 81 days of psychological torture. he was eventually released, a rare example of beijing vowing

to international pressure, but the state continues to monitor and to try to silence the artist. this lawyer and friend says he is under immense psychological pressure. there were people who wanted to visit him, he says, but the police prevented him and took them away, as if he were a danger to others, as if he were a dangerous person. despite the monitoring and intimidation, he has spoken publicly. he has put out the the as and photos online, in addition to his twitter account and blog. his interests are quickly deleted, but he perseveres with his criticism, testing how far he can go. they want to silence him, says a fellow artist and friend, but they will never succeed. he is one of thousands following his destiny online. what criticism is allowed and what will cost him his freedom? in china, criticizing the government is risky business,

and not just for artists. these images show stop human rights activists, missing lawyers. in china, is the others are not allowed to exhibit these works, but they paid them anyway. they refuse to be intimidated. he says those considered to be critics are persecuted and that the regime is trying to scare people. in the short term, it has an effect, but in the long term, he says, it does not solve any problems because there are many people striving for the same thing. weiwei a shares as he is doing well. the chinese government has not managed to silence him. >> and an exhibit here in the german couple has opened the draws attention to the crackdown on freedom and liberty is that currently exist in china. at a beijing-born artist has created a series of sculptures

that refer to the crack down on the internet and artistic expression. >> this installation alludes to the criticism of the government. it is on show in berlin. is known him for years and visited him when he was under house arrest. is relieved that he has been speaking to the president. >> immediately after his detention and also after his release from house arrest, many people were writing that he had been silenced, that he was not talking, but he has not been silenced. >> and yet, he is not a free man. he plans to come to germany, but it is not clear if he will be allowed to leave china. rumor has it that he wants to set up another studio here in berlin, and he has been offered

a visiting professorship at the university of the arts. his arrest one year ago prompted an uproar. protesters gathered in front of the chinese embassy in berlin. even the german foreign minister called for a release. but after china emerged as a potential rescuer from the euro crisis, the tone softened. no one wants to risk angering the potential financial backer. the academy of arts wants to maintain the pressure on china. it has named the artist as a member. >> publicity is the only protection against capricious treatment. whenever we believe the danger is rearing its head, we speak up, as loud as we can. and many here hope that the government will remain dedicated to the cause.

>> in other news now, a report shows germany's carbon dioxide emissions actually fell in 2011. >> the environment ministry years as companies is less than their annual allotment of pollution credits under the eu's emission trading scheme. >> the anti-nuclear movement here has supported the findings. back after japan's 2011 nuclear disaster, germany resolve to close its nuclear power plants. nuclear lobbyists attacked the move, saying it would require a return to coal-burning and lead to an increase in co2 emissions, but this fear turns out to have been unfounded. co2 emissions actually fell by 1% last year. increase sun and wind energy are thought to a played a role. the anti-nuclear movement is celebrating. these facts show that the move away from nuclear power is working and also show that the environment has not suffered during the process, but we are far from reaching our environmental protection goals. we basically need co2-free

energy production in germany, and we are far from that goal. >> german industry groups reacted cautiously. they admit that 2011 was a good year for reducing co2 output. >> this news is still counterproductive because in political circles, the idea could spread that the energy reform process is going well, though this really is not true. the process needs to take place over the coming years with an companies. experts say transmission networks compatible with a noble and a generators still need to be built, but this process could take time, and ultimately slow germany was a stated goal of shutting off atomic reactors by 2020. >> two people were killed and at least 150 injured by falling trees when a severe storm brought chaos to tokyo. japan's weather agency says it was caused by an extreme low pressure system moving across

the country. >> commuters struggled against strong winds and train services were suspended. >> parents in parts of europe could be having a hard time explaining to their children this easter why the easter bunny failed to make sure there's enough brightly colored eggs to look for. >> a new eu regulation that requires bigger cages for hands. otherwise, vendors are banned from selling. and the chickens are a sign of prosperity and a hot commodity in many cultures. the czech republic is experiencing and a shortage of sorts. this chicken farmer cannot keep up with the increasing demand. neither can his hands, and leas users are not at all. >> some people have to wait two weeks for an egg. my wife takes extra work, and sometimes, her colleagues by 60

each. >> people here claim the eu is to blame with its new hantavirus welfare regulations -- hen wel fare regulations. there were 190,000 eggs here last year, this year, there are only 60,000. farmers said they had no idea the sweeping changes would take effect so suddenly. >> of course, we considered what would be the best time to make the changes, but we did not expect such an abrupt transition. we also thought the new rules have not yet been finalized. it not mean in the czech republic, but in the eu as a whole. >> egg prices in the country have tripled in the last few months, and newspapers have been reporting on where to find the cheapest eggs. the answer is in germany. check and hunters are a common sight in supermarkets across the border.

"what are we supposed to do," she says. "we also have to eat." some shops will only sell eggs two at a time. i just bought some and went back for more pirie the severe shortage means the hunt is on for easter eggs. it is a popular hobby in the czech republic. despite the shortage, there were still a few eggs to be found for politicians on the campaign trail as the leader of the social democrats found out. but until the supply improves, freshest stocks have to be well- taken care of. >> let's hope the egg hunt before the egg hunt is successful. we will be back at the top of the hour. >> see you then.