♪ >> hello and welcome to the "journal" coming to you from dw in berlin. i am meggin leigh. >> i am sarah kelly. >> election monitors cry foul as vladimir putin sweeps to victory in russia's election. >> china cuts its growth rate to an eight-year low as an annual session of parliament opens. >> and nuremberg puts a a dent in a dream of winning the bundesliga. >> in russia, vladimir putin and his supporters have been celebrating his victory in

collette -- presidential elections. preliminary results show putin getting more than 60% of the votes against four challengers. >> opposition leaders and independent observers say there was widespread vote-rigging. that as police and troops in moscow gearing up for mass demonstrations in opposition to the results. >> russia, putin, a victory. that is the slogan on the stage at red square. vladimir putin's confidence in victory was vindicated by his first-round win. there is a large security presence in moscow the day after the vote. putin's election victory as a dividing russia. >> i think the big winner is absurd and unjust. so many cases of the vote manipulation reported in moscow and other regions. >> it was a fair and just election. i voted for putin. i trust him. >> the victory celebrations on sunday night, another perfectly choreographed show on state

television. putin used the opportunity to hit at the opposition and the recent wrote -- wave of protests. >> this election was an important test for all of us, for the political maturity and independence of our country. we proved that no one could force anything on us. >> but independent international election observers complained there were irregularities in every third polling station. >they claimed the vote was not fair. >> the point of election is that there outcome should be uncertain. this was not the case in russia. the biggest problem with this election is that there was no real competition. >> non kremlin supporters plan together in downtown moscow on monday. in an attempt -- an attempt to block the city's most important locations from putin opponents who are expected to turn up in the tens of thousands to protest.

>> on monday evening, the opposition wants to take to the streets of moscow to protest against what they say where rigged elections. and they want to show the protest movement is not giving up yet. putin's main opponents are young educated members of the middle- class. they are exactly the people that putin would need to tackle the urgent problem of modernizing russia. >> election observer marie beck is a member of the german parliament for the greens. she joins me now from moscow. foreign observers are sounding the alarm bells, saying there was widespread vote manipulation and fraud. what were your experiences? >> i was inside moscow. you must know that a delegation of two can only visit eight to 10 polling stations today, and

thus our oppression is rather limited. i saw that on the surface everything seemed to be correct, but i think the main problems with this election are not the election day i time before the election, and you already heard that there was no possibility of unfair competition. no fair access for the candidates to the media, and not even candidates that really were a choice at all. >> do you think we can expect the kremlin to address some of these concerns, especially in light of the mass rallies planned by the opposition later today? >> well, actually kremlin had already in morning, not only from its own people but by the international community -- the kremlin already had a warning after the duma elections.

everything was very clear that there had to be more transparency, that there had to be more justice for the access of different candidates. more freedom of press and equal chances. all this has not been changed up to now to the presidential elections. so the conclusion is between december and march, there was no main changes to the question is whether now, within the next six years, which pitching gained due to these elections, he will really start to reform the country. >> thank you for joining us from moscow. an economic slowdown may be ahead for china. the country's premier wen jiabao has cut the target for this year and says boosting domestic consumption is a top priority. >> his statements came in and

stated the nation address to china's parliament. he acknowledged that china's export-driven economy is slowing to into europe's debt crisis and a sluggish economic recovery. >> it is an annual ritual in march. representatives from all over china travel to beijing. they come for two weeks of meetings in the great hall of the people. the protocol is strict. the main event is a two-chairs. but then head of state. this year's address included a dose of self-criticism. >there were also shortcomings, explained premier wen jiabao. some targets were not met. there are problems that worry many people here, he said. job security, income inequality, problems with food safety, and so on. state agencies must improve the quality of their work. premier wen jiabao also said a

conservative it -- conservative growth target for the coming year, 7.5%, which is less than this year. he also announced plans to raise the incomes and the purchasing power of low wage earners. >> for more, let's bring in our beijing correspondent clifford to put this into context. how significant is the lowering of china's growth target? >> well, it is pretty significant in that it is lower than we have had for the last eight years. however, people are expecting growth to come in probably higher than 8% this year. people are looking with the message that it sends, which is that an emphasis on better rather than faster growth. >> the government conference in beijing will last for the next 10 days. what else is expected? >> the backdrop to this gathering in beijing is the fact that the beginning of the change of leadership will start later

this year. so the buses at the meeting is all going to be about enforcing -- reinforcing stability. that means making sure that everything goes smoothly ahead of october when the protests are changing from president hu jintao and premier wen jiabao to vice president xi jingping and others expected to take the jobs. the focus for now is making sure that everything is on an even keel, that the economy is in good shape and that everything goes smoothly. thank you very much. and the news that of china has been dominating stock trading. let's get a check now on how the markets have been doing. here is a look at the latest. >> the fall in chinese growth prospects sent asian markets mostly lower on monday. investors are also being cautious ahead of key data from around the world this week. china's hang seng index closed

1.3% lower. in japan, the benchmark nikkei fell 20% to close at 9698. profit-taking is under way in tokyo after the nikkei gained more than 10% last month. investors were selling off export-oriented shares. they had made firm gains as the japanese yen recently weekend. but asian markets became even more nervous after reports that u.s. president barack obama would not rule out a military strike against iran. >> for more, let's bring in our markets correspondence stefan wolff who is standing by on the floor of the free for stock exchange. not only in asia were stocks lower. in europe, stocks were not reacting well. >> absolutely. chinese forecasts are waiting on shares. also here in germany, germany's economy is very dependent on exports. and china is a very important market. so this is really weighing on

shares here. >> and we have another outlook lower but this time on the earnings front. >> and germany's second-biggest steelmaker reported results earlier today. these results have been far better than predicted. profits and sales. but the forecast has been very bad for the rest of the year. it is very cautious. the company does not think that it will be able to reach last year's result, and this drags down shares, losing by more than 5% up to more than 5% here. it is weighing on the share market in general. although, the market is gaining a little bit from its losses. there is a bet going on the wall street could open with the gains, and this helps the dax. the dax is only 0.5% in negative territory at the moment. the euro stoxx 50 is down by a

little bit more than 0.3%. and of the euro is above $132 again. >> thank you. >> staying in frankfurt, german public servants are striking for more pay. more than 100,000 people are expected to take part. public transit workers walked off the job of bringing it subway and tram traffic to a near standstill. others joined in this strike. negotiations are set to continue next week for the wages of some two million public-sector employees. their previous demand for a 6.5% pay rise was rejected as unrealistic. in syria, the red cross says it is distributing aid in neighborhoods of the city of homs. a spokesman in damascus said it was trying to reach people who have fled from the bab amr district. it fell to a government seizure

last week of the red cross is not entered bab amr itself. meanwhile, rebel fighters and the northern city of idlib are preparing for a feared government attack. members of the free syrian army say they will fight to the death. fighting is also forcing more and more people to flee syria. the u.n. says about 2,000 syrians are currently trying to cross the border into lebanon. >> assailants in iraq have killed at least 27 policemen and coordinated attacks. officials said the gunmen disguised as police attacked security checkpoints around the western city of haditha. they say the operation bears the hallmarks of al qaeda. haditha was under al qaeda control for much of the anti- u.s. insurgency in iraq. over to the u.s. now where republican presidential contenders are gearing up for major contests in 10 states across the country. so-called super tuesday will be the biggest single day of voting in this roller-coaster primary

race. >> for the front runner mitt romney and his main rival rick santorum, ohio is an important battleground state. among some voters there, social values play more important role that economic concerns. >> the republican primary is a hot topic here in this church in ohio. at the pulpit today is pastor moore. for him, rick santorum is the man to lead america. >> i believe that mr. santorum reflects the values that the bible says if you will live your life this way according to the 10 commandments, i will bless that nation. >> churchgoers here have a lot of time for rick santorum. the back is total opposition to abortion and gay marriage. litmus test issues for many social conservatives. cindy is actively supporting santorum's campaign. she says he is more likely to stick with his principles than the front runner mitt romney. >> the direction our country

goes well affect what kind of country my children live in. and i think that rick santorum will take our country into a direction where it it is a better society, a better culture for my kids to grow up in and of the adults in. >> so the fold -- the whole family is spreading the word for santorum. with polls tihdi in ohio, they want every vote they can get. >> u.s. president barack obama has criticized what he calls it loose talk of a looming war with iran. he reassured a pro-israel lobby group that the u.s. will not hesitate to use force if the situation calls for it. but he added that diplomatic pressure is still the best way to discourage to iran from pursuing nuclear weapons. the president's remarks come on the eve of a white house visit by israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. and we will have more news and sports coming up after the break. >> including this, 100 years of

design go on display, , illicit classics to art and vogue, this museum has got it all. >> that is after a short break. did not go away. stay with us. ♪ >> dw in march. 2012. in hanover, the i.t. sector showcases technological innovations of tomorrow. we have got it covered. ♪ >> electric cars are the future. economical and eco-friendly engines are booming. presenting the german car industry with huge challenges. the quiet revolution. >> his adventures were so vivid,

it was as though he had been in there himself. researchers are still trying to decode the secret of his success. the final mystery. march on dw. all broadcast * online. >> welcome back. to russia now and vladimir putin's victory. as we heard earlier, the osce says the election was skewed in favor of the former and future president. >> last december's parliamentary poll offered a taste of what was to come. allegations sparked waves of demonstrations and inspired some russians to become election observers themselves. >> under the watchful eye of vladimir morizov, the last voters cast their ballots. at his polling station in northern moscow, everything was above board. the monitors only have to check the internet to reach the end -- to read the news they feared all along, reports of ballot- stuffing across russia.

>> those in power in the kremlin wanted to make sure that putin did not have to face a runoff round. so they manipulated the result. >> he first felt angry when he saw the truck caught on video by observers during december's parliamentary election. that was the first time he served as a monitor. since then, thousands of russians have undergone training as observers. seven hours in role playing sessions. their aim has been to prevent fraud, or at the very least to document it. though putin order polling stations to be equipped with security cameras, he is relieved that he saw firsthand what happened in his neighborhood. >> i am going home tonight with the feeling that i did my duty. that brings satisfaction of sorts. but now there's the question of how the country and moscow will

react to putin's reelection. i hope this situation will not escalate into violence. >> even before the votes were counted, he heard the first projections handing putin a clear victory. on monday, he will no longer be an observer. he will be held on industry protesting. he is now shore of one thing, free and fair elections are not part of vladimir putin's russia. >> in china, the national people's congress is taking place at a time when the premier wen jiabao says the nation is facing many difficulties and challenges. >> the regime says it has to throttle back on growth to focus on what it calls structural problems caused by and sustainable development. >> those so-called structural problems are visible in almost every village and town across the country. our next report takes a look at a city in the southeast coast. >> a shows that there's more it to china's difficulties and challenges than just rampant --

rapid economic development. >> this is like most of the chinese villages, poor and run down. but recent and then -- recent economic developments dramatically increase property values and the country said. for years local officials have been selling land to public coffers. he says party officials did exactly that in 2006. farmers have been growing sweet potatoes and corn here for generations. they were unaware their fields had been sold. >> they sold the land but they did not tell us. there was no meeting or anything. construction started work. >> the plan is to build a business park here. which would not necessarily be a bad thing. companies will bring in business and create jobs. but the farmers feel betrayed. the news of our visit spread like wildfire. locals hope the media will listen after their complaints to

party officials fell on deaf ears. >> the village leaders are corrupt. some are petty tyrants. they help cover its further up the chain who want to get rich as quickly as possible, so they cheat the farmers out of their money. >> wherever we go, we're surrounded by people. this town has a population of about 5000. although compensation is mandated by law, nobody here has received any. >> the original government promised that we would receive 16,000yuan per field, but they only paid 6000 to the village committee. but wheat farmers to not see any of that. >> the people here took to the streets for the first time in early february. they advertised their protest on the internet. that was a step too far. the crackdown was immediate. >> we put footage of our protest on the internet. we did not break any laws. but the police took my son away

after that. >> since then, the villagers have been living in fear. plain clothes police officers observe the residents and intimidate them. government officials suddenly appeared and tried to stop us filming. the villagers chased them away. fortunately for us as we discovered later. thugs hired by the government be that journalists the next day. we met the leading party official. he cannot explain whether the 16,000 yuan in compensation were either. >> the village committee received 6000 yuan. we used to build roads and redecorate the committee's office. the compensation was not paid to the individual farmers, but it was an investment for benefit in the village community. >> but the roads here are in bad shape of the locals believe corrupt party officials have pocketed the cash. farmers have taken to the streets again, but they're

paying a high price for their protests. the organizers have been jailed. no one knows when there will be set free. >> iceland's former prime minister has gone on trial. he faces criminal charges stemming from the 2008 financial crisis that destroyed the country's biggest bank and threaten the global financial system. seen here, in the middle,the man accused of negligence in planning to it -- in preventing the map -- and build on. the rejects the charges, calling them political persecution. bundesliga soccer now. a miss of a chance to leapfrog bayern munich. 1-0 to the hosts. >> he came down to earth here.

>> it was a huge disappointment. one point at least should have been easy. i have never seen a match like ths. >> as so often this season, glabach played attractive football and dominated long sections of the match, but they just could not score. nuremberg seldom penetrated the visiting side's box but were very dangerous when they did. the substitute struck far nuremberg and the 87th minute for the game's only goal, his first in two years. >> of course it would have been nice if we won, but we're still in a good position. still in third place. we just have to keep working. >> it is nuremberg's third win in a row, climbing well above the drop zone. >> and i and the other match on

sunday, a lucky escape for cologne. they were trailing for much of the game. then the home team was put ahead in the 33rd minute. it should have been a comfortable win, but two excellent chances were missed to put the game beyond reach. snapping the equalizer with minutes to go. 1-all was the final score. confirmation of those and the other results from the weekend's bundesliga action. it was dortmund's weekend. important wins for berlin. still no home win for hamburg. >> let's take a look of the bundesliga standings after match today 24. dortmund extend its lead to seven points. these have 10 games still to go. another team climbing to a safe place again.

and another team returns to the drop zone. >> the eastern german city of lights, it has become one attraction richer. the museum has opened a new wing, completing the historical sweep of its applied arts collection. >> covering the art and vote to present day, it features a century of design displayed in a beautifully restored and museum complex itself nearly 100 years old. >> the building blocks of an east german living room. this modular furniture came out of the 1960's and remained a big seller for 25 years. the man behind it was designer rudolph. >> home living is a cultural thing, something very elemental. and the objects that surround us in our lives cannot be taken seriously enough by those who designed them.

>> from art nouveau to the present day, the exhibition at the museum looks at the history of design over the last 100 years. the barcelona chair and glassware are some of the classics on display. they're joining the museum's permanent collection are rounding off a 3000-year journey through the history of art. now, for the first time, these collections are on display. behind them are some personalities who are well known around the world. the final stop on the exhibition is here. visitors change the world around them with every movement they make. we can design with our bodies. we have sensory materials at our disposal. just like 100 years ago. we have color, like, movement, and sounds. that is what art nouveau made

use of, and we do, too. the messages design is not just something you look at, it is something you do. >> finally, we have spectacular images from argentina. parts of the giant glacier have collapsed into lake argentina. this event has nothing to do with global warming. the glacier has been edging over the lake bit by bit for centuries. every few years it collapses. at this point, the glacier is unusually large, covering an area of 200 square kilometers, argentina's most popular tourist attraction. you're up to date at this hour. thank you for joining us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪