>> welcome to the journal. coming up, mitt romney comes closer to the republican nomination, but he fails to strike a decisive blow. >> hundreds more are at evacuated as flood waters, affects communities in southeastern australia. >> does he deserve it -- germany questions honors for a former disgraced president. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

cracks in the republican race for the presidential nomination, -- >> in the republican race for the presidential nomination, mitt romney has edged out rick santorum. >> mitt romney claimed victory in six states including ohio. even though it was not a knockout blow he was hoping for, he has extended his lead in the primary race. >> this was billed as a decisive night in the republican primaries. the series of victories would have established mitt romney as the republican front-runner once and for all, but for all their enthusiasm, his supporters could only support a partial when. the former governor and business man took six out of 10 states, one of them, ohio, by a whisker. >> your support means everything to me, and i will not let you down. i will get this nomination. >> to clinch the nomination, are

on the first test to beat rick santorum, who won three states and remains in the running. >> we have one in the west, the midwest and the south, and we are ready to win across this country. [applause] >> santorum persuaded many republican hard liners to vote for him, as many said they were impressed by his views on religion, gay marriage, and abortion. >> his principles on right to life is the reason i voted for him. >> the economy is very important, and rick santorum is from around here. he knows. mitt romney is a good guy, but he is rich. >> romney has support from the republican establishment. despite the super tuesday results, he is taking a big step

toward taking on barack obama. >> joining us now in the studio to talk more about the results is a foreign policy expert with the german marshall fund. thank you very much for being with us. so, what is your take on the voting? would you say romney has sealed the deal? >> no. i think the news is he has not sealed the deal, and that is bad for him. that is what heo. rick santorum is in the running. he the newt gingrich won his home state of georgia. mitt romney is going to have to continue fighting at a time when he is beleaguered and he needs to take on president obama rather than republican contenders appeared >> he did win the key state of ohio. do opponents stand a chance against him? >> they do not, but there seems to be a battle within the republican party about the future orientation of the

republican party between the moderates and the ideologues, the pragmatists, and those that are passionate, the social conservatives. they have to fight this out themselves. >> having said that, would you say they are increasingly fractured? >> very much so. there is no clear leadership, and that is all to the benefit of the president who was also boosted by the improving economy. >> the big question is does romney have what it takes to beat obama in november? >> he will need to overcome significant weaknesses. he has money and very powerful supporters but he has to convince republican voters and develop charisma. >> i want to talk briefly about religion. rick santorum has been playing on moral values and is also a christian, catholic. mitt romney is mormon, and not doing this as much. do you think this is going to

play our role in the end? >> clearly for the voters of the santorum's of this world, it does matter. for the voters of gingrich, it does not matter because yes changed camp a couple of times. for social conservatives religion is a big predictor on where they will decide on issues like abortion and home- schooling. if mitt romney does not address those, he will not win over the social conservatives. >> we will have to keep our eyes on these developments. thank you for joining us in your assessments. >> you are welcome. >> let's take another look at the news stories making headlines at this hour. >> u.n. humanitarian aid chief has held talks in syria with government officials to get humanitarian aid into the city of homs.

anti-government protest continuing in and around the country. >> the british defense ministry says sixth troops have been killed in afghanistan as their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while on patrol. was the deadliest single attack on british forces in afghanistan since 2006. >> libya's interim leader says he will defend national unity with force if necessary after tribal and militia leaders in benghazi launched a bid for autonomy, setting up their own counsel to oversee affairs. many say they have been denied their share of the oil wealth. >> lawyers for a near region 6 -- a norwegian and extremist say their client has been charged in a shooting spree, killing 77 people, and the trial is set to be sentenced next month.

he could be given the maximum if found sane and a likely repeat offender. hundreds have been evacuated from flood-hit areas of australia, but the biggest town has dodged the bullet. this disaster is far from over, and warnings have been issued for australia's biggest city. >> some communities have seen one year's rainfall in just one week. others have been told they will be cut off from the outside world for days to come. flood waters are rolling along the river system, deluging everything in their path. >> communities downstream are doing what they can to protect homes and businesses. they have often told to prepare for the worst. it will not be long if it gets

in. it will be something. >> an aerial inspection of the damage from the prime minister. why go what is the biggest town in the region, and it does been spared the worst. floodwaters have peaked, and the levees are holding. the cleanup and repair work are part of a long, hard journey, but she pledged to help. >> we will be working with the state government and the local council to support the community. we triggered assistance that helps with our chips, repairs to their homes, producers, and small businesses. >> it could be weeks, if not months before the real crisis is known. the severe weather warning has been issued for the densely populated areas including sydney.

heavy rains and flash floods are expected in the next 24 hours. >> the european debt crisis is far from behind us, but political leaders are trying to make reforms to ensure it never happens again. lastly, 25 nations signed a fiscal pact to guarantee they would keep budgets under control, and german chancellor angela merkel and now must get approval for the deal and she is building support. >> chancellor angela merkel is under pressure to implement european union rules to improve fiscal discipline they were quick to approve the draft bill aimed at strengthening financial defenses, but the treaty requires a 2/3 majority in both houses of parliament, leaving the chancellor dependent on opposition parties for support. social democrats have set the conditions for approval. >> we need measures to promote growth in europe, measures that

help to fight u.s. unemployment in crisis countries -- youth unemployment in crisis countries, and we expect the government to end the necessity of introducing a tax on financial markets. >> the german opposition has called for a financial transaction tax and a tighter monitoring the financial markets in return for approving the fiscal pact. the demands face resistance. >> down to the wire -- greece's private creditors have until tomorrow to except a deal that would involve losing as much as 75% of their investments. if they do not, they could go bankrupt. a report from the institute of international finance lays out how a disorder of the default would cost the eurozone more

than $1 trillion, potentially leaving italy and spain unable to service sovereign debt scared let's turn to our markets report -- debts. let's turn to our markets reporter. our stocks reacting? >> these risks are weighing nine shares, which weigh in on shares, but since the dax lost 3.5% yesterday, they are rebounding. everybody hopes there will be a happy end. >> what else is driving the markets. give us the latest in corporate news. >> numbers have been better than expected, but investors have not been content with the outlook because they think this will not be successful since there is the european championship in football this year and the

olympic games, which could boost profits, but the outlook was not as optimistic as people hoped for. this dragged down shares. they are losing by 3%. the market in general is losing momentum at the moment. the dax is only point to 5% higher at the moment. -- 0.25% higher at the moment. >> thank you. the international aviation industry is calling on the european union to delay a tax on the airline's carbon tax emissions. the iata warned of a trade war. since the start of the year, the eu has levied a carbon tax on airlines flying into or out of european airports, and critics have said they are in tinging on sovereignty by taxing foreign carriers.

the world's biggest computer trade fair is under way, and the themes are managing trust and storing your data remotely, or cloud computing. it turns out the two topics go hand-in-hand. many users field storing the data could leave it liable to hacker attacks or spy software. >> cloud computing is the future. that is the mantra. 10% of business customers use cloud services. security fears arise whenever data goes on the web. who can access it? is it vulnerable to hacking? a security expert says there are dangers, and knows what draws criminals to the crowd >> what attracts criminals is that each processing center usually runs a number of virtual computers, so

you only need to get into one computer to have access to a host of them, belonging to a variety of companies. >> those companies offering cloud services are trying to ease customers' fears. microsoft is looking to build up trust with new features. >> in the last 12 months, we have added various new components. we adopted our service to the requirements of germany's data protection agency, and established users being able to a minister their own accounts. >> the cloud lets users access data and programs from nt -- and internet connection, saving electricity and computer capacity. that is why many are certain the cloud will prevail, despite the worries of control and security issues.

>> the journal continues after a short break. stay with us. >> a masterpiece, and the most popular tourist attraction in germany, cologne cathedral -- thin as these, thin spots, and inside information. professional photographers show your's capital through their eyes. they live for art, freedom of expression, and their convictions.

dedication that means threats, persecution, and death. what life is like for persecuted artists appeared april. all broadcast times are online. >> welcome back. former german president is due to be honored in a special military parade, but the event is generating controversy. >> several opposition officials say they do not deserve -- he does not deserve the honor. germany's other former presidents have declined to take part in the ceremony. >> the military tattoo is how germany pays tribute to its presidents when they leave office, such as two years ago, but many people are questioning whether he deserves the same since he is under investigation.

>> if i had been in his shoes, i would not have done it. taking responsibility means when you are in doubt, you should fork over your honor. >> politicians keen on keeping costs down also see the pension as problematic, drawing to 1000 a year. -- 200 euro is a year. he can also claim other perks, but should he? >> they will not find an office that could cost up to 400,000 a year for the rest of his life could we could not explain that to the rest of the people. >> it has touched off a widely -- lively debate, with some abolishing the presidency altogether. >> i think the office was important after the war.

that is a thing of the past. >> if all goes to plan, the task of restoring confidence and trust in the office of the german president will soon fall to the designated successor. >> what was once a haven for exotic animals could now become a resort for gamblers. cambodia's national park is under threat. >> the cambodian government has been selling off chunks of land to deep-pocketed chinese investors were looking to build a las vegas in the jungle. >> this forest is home to elephants, givens, and tigers and is considered a bio diverse city hot spot, but it is under threat. a chinese real-estate company has bought 340 square kilometers of land and its clearing it to make way for a huge gambling resort.

residents are being forced to relocate, most of them receiving compensation and a new plot of land, but they face new problems. >> the house which the farm behind my -- the jungle behind my house belongs to a chinese company. we could be jailed if we touch a single tree. some residents say chinese developers are using strong arm tactics to leave it to them, and many are not certain how they can learn -- earn a living while the building work continues. >> i want the company to develop the area assessed as they can so we could find work. if they leave it like this, i will not be able to stay on much longer. >> this beach is also chinese- owned. cambodia has been selling more and more land to foreign

investors, last year selling off 8000 square kilometers, mostly in national parks. >> egypt is a partner in the international tourism fair this year, but since the revolution that brought down hosni mubarak, political uncertainty is keeping international travelers said they. >> only the adventures are making their way to the nile or the ancient ruins. the dwindling numbers are having a profound impact on regions that rely on tourism for revenue. >> the ruins from one of the world's oldest civilizations have fascinated travelers since ancient times, but these days numbers are down in what is usually egypt's peak season. the temple is a stop on many a itinerary's including these germans. it is a different experience than their first visit 20 years

ago. >> you would think there ought to be thousands of people here. >> the temple is one of the best preserved in egypt. this visitors group is exploring the site as a part of their seven-day nile for. tourism is the main source of income, providing jobs for the locals. since then wrestled -- revolution, and tourist industry has suffered. political uncertainty has kept many potential visitors away. numbers are only slowly starting to rise again. >> i think it is nice to support the local population and not stay home, and also see what the situation is like. at least along the nile, things are calm. many of these tourists were

surprised to see how relaxing a cruise along the nile could be. before leaving germany, they closely followed developments. >> we were checking the internet for news about egypt. finally, we said ok. nothing bad has happened. there have not been any problems. so, we decided to travel. after two days, we enjoyed every hour. >> the nile's banks are fertile, but freed only employs about 20% of the local population -- farming only employs about 20% of the local population. almost everyone else depends on tourism. more than 200 cruise votes are out of service due to lack of business. the losses are huge and make it harder for egyptians here to get by.

this man has a small hotel at a popular tourist destination and says occupancy is down by half, even though the only unrest eocene has been on television. -- he has seen has been on television aired >> only this problem in cairo -- i do not know about it. >> people in the tourism industry hope members will return to normal soon. the country may be in transition, but laura of its cultural heritage is timeless. >> in champions league soccer, arsenal narrowly missed in their bid to turn over a 4-0 deficit. the english side could not find the net after that. it is the italians that go through.

and a spot was booked defeating saint petersburg two-zero. >> and germany faces off against barcelona. they will need a miracle to reach the quarterfinals after losing the first leg, three-one at home. the coach has promised what he called the qe performance against the defending champion -- cheeky performance against the defending champion. >> now, there is a chinese proverb that goes something like this -- a bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. >> that was the case at a contest in singapore. >> william losses birds, even though his beloved bird is an ugly duckling.

song birds are the favorite pets of singapore. william has eight birds. >> everybody is happy. nothing matters. >> the bird owners meet here. they have something of a pre- madonna about them, and will only saying if they have company. it is like choir practice here at this part in singapore. the little stars like the sunlight. the males are found refund of the limelight, too. -- fond of the limelight, too. >> the female birds in a light to show their voice? >> once in a while. they're not so fierce. >> the owners have the birds

sing up to four hours. only real professionals can recognize the melodies. [bird whistles] >> fendered tenors in a golden cage. it takes one year to hear what the ordinary person cannot. >> [unintelligible] you can understand the volume. >> the fed third chorus calls it a day. william's birds took third and fifth place, not a bad showing, but is it enough for a great local career? >> in new zealand, a lucky fishermen who caught a tuna the

size of a small towel is hoping for a world record. >> he hauled in the monster fish last month. the footage which was just now released, showed the catch weighed a hefty 3 35 kilos. the man's fishing club hopes it will prove to be the biggest pacific blue fan ever caught with a line and real. >> tuna fish for a whole year. >> that makes for a lot of sushi. >> you are up-to-date. >> stay with us.