♪ >> hello, and welcome to the the "journal" here on dw. >> our top stories. >> syria says it will halt all fighting early on thursday but reserves the right to respond to opposition attacks. >> his series of powerful earthquake off indonesia triggered tsunami warnings across the indian ocean. >> north korea goes ahead with a rocket launched to launch the birthday of kim il-sung as his grandson's secures his grip on power.

>> no more fighting, and that is a promise. syria says it will halt all military operations firstlings tomorrow. but damascus says its forces will still remain on alert to combat what it called armed criminal groups. >> opposition activists said the move only partly goes with the six-point peace plan. kofi annan says he expects to see improved conditions on the ground first thing thursday, but there was little sign of that one day ahead of the self- imposed deadline in damascus. >> more protests against president assad. there is no way of confirming the authenticity of this internet video. the government says the army will stop fighting at sunrise on thursday. but attacks on the opposition were still ongoing on wednesday. u.n. special envoy kofi annan was in iran trying to drum up

support for his cease-fire plan from syria's close ally. he said the iranian foreign minister agreed to back the peace plan, including the cease- fire. >> we are agreed that we need to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. >> the iranians said they welcomed the fact that kofi annan's 6-point plan does not call on assad to step down, and they made it clear that iran wants him to remain as syrian president. many syrians are skeptical that assad will uphold the ceasefire, like these refugees who fled across the border to turkey. they point to the fact that the mask is already ignore the first deadline to pull the army out by tuesday -- the mask is ignored the first deadline. >> for more on that, we're joined by our correspondent in washington. you have been joined by the german foreign minister," westerwelle. how does he view the syrian announcement of a cease-fire?

>> he is very cautious, like the rest of the political elite and the west, i think. he would like to see a ceasefire tomorrow, but we have seen it so many announcements over the last week, so nobody is really sure what is really going to happen tomorrow. i think everybody would like to be optimistic, but whether we will see a ceasefire, we will see that tomorrow. >> what you think westerwelle is aiming to achieve at the meetings on wednesday and thursday? >> i think the main goal for the g-8 foreign ministers meeting is really to find out whether the russians are willing and able to put more pressure on syria. as you know, there were presidential elections in russia, and the russians were very reluctant to put more pressure on syria. i have to be careful what i am is saying right now, but

minister westerwelle has the feeling, he had signs from the russian side that they might change their attitude. and will it put more pressure on syria. this of course would be very helpful. >> ok, thank you for that from washington. >> a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of indonesia's sumatra island wednesday, triggering panic in countries bordering the end -- indian ocean. deaths or serious damage reported. the 8.6 magnitude triggered small tsunami waves of up to 0.6 meters. a tsunami of leticia dying countries including india, indonesia, thailand, and the warnings were lifted hours later. >> the first quake struck in the afternoon, followed by an magnitude 8.2 aftershock two hours later. experts had little -- said the tsunami had little impact because the earthquake shook the ground horizontal lee.

far smaller volumes of water are set in motion. the initial earthquake caused the villagers to run from their homes to higher ground. >> the first powerful tremor sent people running out of buildings in the city of banda aceh. residents fled to open areas. stay alert, but do not panic, says this man with the megaphone. but many people have been fleeing to the interior of the country, away from the coastline. this woman says her child was asleep. she grabbed her and iran. i do not have any time to take any belongings, she says. i saw my husband in the streets. he went back to take these things with us. in banda aceh, memories of the 2004 tsunami are still very much alive. the city on the island of sumatra was devastated.

some coastal areas were wiped off the map. 60,000 people were illed. in this city alone. luckily, this time no deadly waves resulted from the quake. along the coast of sri lanka, not everyone wanted to evacuate. some fishermen refused to leave their boats. authorities have since lifted the tsunami warning, but experts at the german research center warned of further tremors. >> in the coming days, we expect to see aftershocks in the range of a magnitude 6 or 7. but not more than magnitude 8. >> scientists say it is likely to be several centuries before this notoriously seismic region is hit by an earthquake comparable to the disastrous 2004 quake. >> in greece,rcd throughemem measures ordered by

the eu and imf in return for financial aid. >> pensioners in athens call for the wealthy elite to pay for the crisis. they have taken to the streets to protest against pension cuts that are part of the greek government's austerity measures. the reductios will same -- save some 4.8 billion euros, but they are reducing many pensioners to the poverty level. >> they have stripped us to the bone. on the other hand, they have increased the cost of living and electricity bills are higher. everything costs more. we have to form a front against these measures. >> the greek parliament passed the final elements of the austerity program, massive cuts to the country's social security system before dissolution. may's elections will give voters the opportunity to decide on the future of the reforms. >> meanwhile, the prime minister of spain shrugged off

suggestions his country can be the next greece. since a span will not need an international bailout to pay off debt. he told government that measures were cut the deficit and generate economic growth. but that optimism is not shared by many analysts. new figures show another big fall in spain's industrial output. it also has the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone at 23%. >> rising yields on italian and spanish government bonds showed that the euro crisis is far from over. that is also the opinion of the famous u.s. billionaire and investor george soros. on wednesday, he was in berlin to introduce his new book in which he warns that the euro prices could still potentially be fatal for the eurozone. >> he believes chancellor angela merkel is taking your in the wrong direction and warned against addressing the crisis with spending cuts. he urges for the injection of funds instead. here is our report.

>> george soros, one of the 10 wealthiest americans, says the german bundesbank's excessively restrictive policies have made it harder to deal with the euro debt crisis. in his new book, it details how he would tackle the crisis. he insists the problem lies in disequilibrium among european countries, rather than in high liquidity. >> the bundesbank is forcing the wrong policy on germany and the rest of europe. austerity worked for germany, and the german public cannot understand why a should not work for europe. but germany applied austerity when the rest of europe was booming. but when you're up as a whole tries to retain, the economy will shrink, so that burden will

actually increase. >> many politicians in spain agree with george soros, even though the country has introduced sweeping austerity measures to rein in its deficit, its deep recession continues. the former hedge fund manager does not confine his criticism to germany. he also says efforts should be stepped up to regulate the world's leading banks and their complicated financial instruments. >> because that is a tremendous source of earnings for five large banks. and they have a lot of clout, and they have really been quite successful in resisting regulation. >> george soros quickly left the press conference without saying when he would be meeting with the bundesbank president for private talks. >> luxury car maker bmw says sales have accelerated to a new

record. it sold almost 186,000 vehicles in march, the highest number ever for a single month. >> sales for the first quarter were up by 11%. growth is driven by foreign markets. bmw says china has overtaken the u.s. as its biggest overseas market. let's turn to the markets now. our correspondent sent us this report from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> no question, the people here on the frankfurt for our use to good news from the german automobile industry. in the last little while, there have been increased worries that maybe even boom markets like in north america and china could cool down, so it was very welcome news which bmw presented here on its recent sales successes. that also propelled volkswagen up on the list of leading share gainers this day. further good corporate news, and there was the impression that the european central bank would

also not let up in its support of crisis countries like spain here in the eurozone. it all helped the situation here. >> let's have a look as some market numbers now. the dax closed of words at about 1% to 6674. the euro stoxx 50 closed up almost 1%, 2341. the dow jones is currently going up almost 1%, 12,817. the euro is trading for $1.31. >> of vladimir putin has made his final speech to parliament as russian prime minister. he is due to be inaugurated as president next month. >> your appeal for unity among political parties. he referred to the recent elections in the wave of protests, saying russia had emerged from a time of heightened emotions and political battles. >> ahead of his speech, police arrested several demonstrators outside parliament. >> they barely started their

protests when police moved in. these demonstrators say putin was elected in a fraudulent election. in his speech, putin called for an end to political squabbling and urged russians to work together. he also cited his achievements as prime minister. >> we can say with confidence that we have made great progress over the last few years. we are now stronger than before. >> putin also promised to fight corruption and bureaucracy and said he would strive to make russia a more attractive to foreign investors. he said the country must now begin a new phase of economic development. >> we have only one russia. and the development of our country is a goal that all political forces in our country should strive to achieve. >> a plea for unity to the

opposition, but they were not impressed. members of the just russia party got up and left. they were protesting at the alleged fraud by a pro-kremlin party in a regional election. >> coming up after the break, there will be more on kim jong un. >> but first, a look at some other international stories. >> the nine men trapped in a mine in peru are finally free. the rest of more than two hundred meters underground after their copper mine collapsed a week ago. the miners were welcomed back to the surface by the peruvian president. >> sudan has ordered a general army mobilization after fresh fighting on its disputed border with south sudan. violence in the oil-producing region of heglig started tuesday, and by wednesday, south sudan claimed to be in control of the area.

observers fear the countries may be edging towards war. >> we will be back after a short break with more on that north korea's missile launch. >> that is right. international concern on the issue. we will be back in one minute, so stick around. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> welcome back. north korea's leader kim yong yun has been given what appears to be the top job of the ruling workers' party. observers say the move is designed to bolster his position as head of the communist state. >> the announcement came as the country is poised to launch a satellite rocket despite international concerns that it is actually testing a long-range ballistic missile. >> the final preparations are underway at north korea's satellite control center. the head of the center says workers and started to inject deal into the rocket, making it ready for launch.

>> the fuel injection will be completed at an appropriate date. the exact timing of the launch will be decided by my superiors. >> north korea says it will launch the rocket between thursday and monday to mark the 100th birthday of the country's founder kim il-sung. north korea insists that it is launching a weather satellite into space, but western powers believe that in reality it is tested a ballistic missile. japan is worried that if something goes wrong, the rocket could fall onto its territory. >> in 1998 missile test, rocket parts fell 60 kilometers off japan's east coast, so that was a close call. so that kind of situation can happen again. >> japan has already mobilized missile launchers and says it will shoot down at the rocket if

it has to. >> so there is widespread concern about north korea's models. pyongyang says the rocket launches to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder kim il-sung. >> the communist nation thrives on the personality cult of the kim dynasty which is now into its third-generation bit of his grandson was given a new title today, head of the ruling workers' party. >> elusive before you came to power, kim jong un now seems to be relishing life in the spotlight. in recent months, he has made countless public appearances, many with army commanders. the military and the party are the main pillars of the north korean regime, and kim needs to show he is in charge. at the funeral of his father, kim jong il, the country's elite stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the on kim. there are doubts about whether there truly united in their

support. there is thought to be lingering concern about his age. he is not yet 30. unlike his father, he has little experience of the military and the party. there are reports of internal opposition and the deadly purges. dozens of military officers and party functionaries are believed to have been executed. at the same time, the old power base and the new supreme leader have a shared interest in preserving the status quo and their privileges. the result, continuity in the regime's rhetoric, which contrasts starkly with reality. north korea continues to flex its military muscle, to divert attention from the fact that it cannot even feed its own people. at the center of the show of military might is its nuclear program. north korea has repeatedly used the program to win concessions from the west. in february, the u.s. agreed to

a massive food aid program after a pledge from pyongyang to allow in inspectors and to stop uranium enrichment. but washington has warned that the planned rocket launch would jeopardize the deal. the u.s. believes that what the north says is a satellite launch is really a cover for testing long-range missiles. even north korea's strongest ally china has expressed concern. yet, the renewed tension could benefit the new leadership. pressure from abroad could unite the regime at home. as long as kim jong un continues to provoke the west, so the theory goes, there is little danger of a challenge to his authority. >> we turn to germany now. germany's left party has suffered a shock resignation in the run-up to two important regional elections. the leader said she is stepping down to care for her husband who is seriously ill.

>> the left party will hold an election in june to find another woman to replace her. party rules say the joint leadership must include a man and a woman. >> she has been in charge of the left party since 2010. now she says she is resigning as co-leader, because she has to care for her 80-year-old husband. >> because of my husband's age- related ailments, i have decided to step down from my office as party co-leader. >> her time at the helm saw a few gaps. she sent birthday greetings to fidel castro and suggested communism should be given another chance. comments that did not help her party in recent polls. but a marxist is already being touted to succeed her. possibly together with the more moderate. others still hope for the return

of a former party leader. now the left party heads into two crucial state polls without a leader. >> german authorities have started reenforcing hundreds of concrete blocks at berlin's holocaust memorial would steal callers after a study reveals that they are at risk of crumbling. >> the memorial to the murdered jews of europe consists of 2711 concrete blocks. the monument (berlin in 2005 and has become one of the city's most popular tourist attractions. but now, cracks have begun to appear. >> over 2000 concrete blocks in the center of berlin. they stand as an eternal reminder of the murder by the nazis of millions of jews. but the memorial is falling apart. the first cracks appeared soon after it opened in 2005. and they are getting worse. now the idea is to use metal

bands to hold the colors together. they have already been tried out on two of the columns, but visitors to the holocaust memorial are not impressed. >> it really ruins its appearance. >> it is a solution, but not a good one. >> it is ugly. >> it is a stopgap solution. something had to be done. the concrete now crumbles to the touch. legal proceedings are dragging on about who is to blame and who should pay for the repairs. there are now worries that visitors could be injured by falling debris. it is just one more problem for security guards to deal with. the foundation responsible for the memorial says that even though they are unsightly, the metal bands are essential to stop someone from getting hurt. but not all the members are happy about the planned repairs. >> it does not look good.

of course the risk is that the whole impact of the memorial will be significantly reduced if this is a long-term solution. >> the foundation says 380 of the pillars will be fitted with the metal bands over the next few weeks. >> we turned to sports now. the european soccer championships 2012 are only a few months away, a closely followed by the olympic games later this summer at major sports apparel manufacturers are gearing up for big business. >> conventional means of advertising is using the social networking to reach potential customers. advocates are concerned. >> these three young ladies are visiting berlin for a few days. here at the adidas shop, they can show their friends at home the latest styles in the big city. all they have to do is try

things on, smile into the camera, and the snapshot is posted on facebook. direct from the shop. >> it is new. i never heard of it before. i think it is cool. after all, who was not on facebook? >> all our friends can see it. that is cool. >> when we go shopping and they are sitting at home. >> the adidas shop in berlin is one of 10 the company is opening in major german cities. the new brand is aimed at teenagers between 12 and 17 and for selling to them, multimedia is absolutely essential. >> that is really the only way to reach this target group. >> they all have smart phones. they are all in social networks, and that is how they're now

willing to. so that is exactly the way to address them so they feel involved. that is why we do it. >> adidas is not the only business using this strategy, but data protection watchdogs are concerned. customers this young are aware that they're providing images to the -- to be used for advertising on the internet. it is also the center to monitor how customer data are stored, evaluated, and possibly exploited further. >> there is a danger thatpcompae of their customers. the customers habits, their preferences, and the habits of specific customer groups. data are being published that possibly cannot be retracted again. >> adidas is also planning to use embedded radio chips to find

out which articles of clothing customers try to combine in the fitting room speed up that way the company can keep on top of developing trends. >> a german court has sentenced the designer of an illegal movie down loading platform to nearly four years in prison. the 29-year-old was found guilty of breaching copyright laws on a web site. >> late last year, four other employees of the site were handed lighter jail sentences. after wednesday's ruling, hackers temporarily disabled federal justice ministry sites. >> before we go, for football fans, it remains 0-0 in that dortmund-munich match. >> thank you for watching. we will see you again soon. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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