captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> coppell and welcome to "the journal" here on dw. >> here is a look at some of our top stories. wachovia non-has told of alarming casualty's and syria -- kofi annan. >> a deal to crack down on tax evaders. >> and celebrations for easter get under way at the vatican. the united nations and arab

league envoy kofi annan say alarming casualty's have been reported in syria even after the government agreed to withdraw funds from protest city's. >> russia and china have joined in in stepping up the pressure on president bashar al-assad. if this is carried out, he will call for a complete cease to hostilities two days after the deadline. >> members of the u.n. security council still have doubts that president bashar al-assad will keep his promise and withdraw forces from opposition strongholds before the deadline. special envoy kofi annan made a special plea by a video link. >> i plea for clear

instructions, so the message goes down through the country to the fighter and soldier. >> the syrian regime says it has already begun withdrawing forces from flashpoint cities, but eyewitnesses report continued shelling. >> even if the regime announced its acceptance of the kofi annan issued a, we believe it is an attempt to buy time and reorganize militarily. >> some observers fear that syrian forces are trying to gain as much ground as possible before the cease-fire comes into effect. >> the view from washington on this, let's bring in our correspondent max hoffman. is it the case that american

diplomacy is proving effective, especially in view of the support the u.s. is receiving from russia and china on this? >> it is not effective in syria, but it is effective in new york at the security council. the americans barack obama and secretary of state hillary clinton are working within the framework of community. that is how they are wrapping up the pressure on the chinese and the russians. their image is very important, because they have a lot of resources in that region, and even the russians are trying to -- starting to about to that international pressure. >> but does the u.n. statement change anything really? >> there is quite a change -- there's a slight change in quality. this time there is a real time table in there, real deadline, april 10, when the syrian regime has to withdraw its troops.

that implicitly means the russians will have to follow up with something if the syrians do not keep their promise. >> there is some concern about assad keeping his promises. what if this annan plan does not work? >> no word on that from u.n. officials. they just say we will have to wait and see. there are some things we have already heard about. but all of that is not official. what is being discussed is a no- fly zone. but that would have to be backed by a resolution from the security council. maybe something like that would have to be the next step. it is too early to say what is happening. they are planning an observer mission, 250 people on the ground in syria. that would only work at the syrian people keep their promises. >> from washington, thanks very much. >> the international criminal

court has ordered libya to hand over the son of former dictator gaddafi. >> libya is said to comply with the demand, and he was caught in the desert last year and is accused of the killing of civilians during the pollution. >> germans are hoping to hide assets in swiss banks will have to move their funds elsewhere. >> after years of negotiations, the german and swiss governments want to ratify the deal and finally end this. this would pour billions into german state coffers. >> switzerland is a paradise for german tax evaders, but that could be turning -- that could be coming to an end.

finance minister says he is satisfied with the deal. >> if you look at the deal, you will see we worked with germany to make it happened. the goal is to find a fair compromise and a long-term solution. >> germany's finance minister and his swiss counterpart agreed on a plan to tax assets retroactively up to 41%. but german opposition parties say at let's tax dodgers off the -- it lets tax dodgers off the hook. >> it is an understatement to say we will not be able to pursue legal action. we think it would be irresponsible to sign this treaty. >> the treaty would preserve swiss bank's tehama secrecy. swiss authorities will not reveal the names of account holders, but german tax firms

will be able to investigate the limited number of people suspected of tax evasion. >> traders have latched on as european exchanges have a third day of losses in a row. the losses were not as dramatic. >> the you read that countries and worries over europe's economic -- the euro debt countries emerge over europe's economics status have continued. this is the interest to which the countries have to pay on their government that keeping many investors are concerned that they will meet continuous resistance against their forms there, trying to implement changes in italy and spain. at least the german dax did not continue its losses on this very

last day before easter. >> let's get a closer look at the market figures. we start in frankfurt but the -- with the dax. the eurostoxx 50. the dow jones is currently trading at 14,037, better than yesterday. the euro down at $1.39. let's look at the other news from around the world. right leader of italy's's party has resigned over a fraud scandal. he is facing allegations he used taxpayer money to pay for holidays for his children and renovations to his villa. >> a greenpeace ship has sailed

to the north sea to take air and water samples. the french energy giant has also sent experts to that platform to assess the safety situation. >> the german nobel laureate has hit back at what he calls a campaign of critics, of his accusing israel of plotting a war. >> the 84-year-old drew sharp criticism that the prime minister netanyahu has described as "shameful." >> is here that he wrote the poem that has sparked debate. >> the overarching theme is that people and not looking at the content of the poem. they are just launching a campaign against me, seeing my

reputation is damaged forever, etc., etc.. >> in a poem he says that israel is jeopardize in world peace, but there's -- fails to mention that mahmoud ahmadinejad calls for israel's destruction. >> he denounces and demonizes israel in a way that can set deeply held resentments. >> many german politicians are angry about the poem. some have called it anti- semitic. israel's foreign minister says the versus are shameful and bathetic. -- pathetic. for the jerusalem post, a major israeli daily, the poem is not front-page news, but misleading. >> this information and

disinformation, if israel had nuclear arms, and we have not used them, i do not think we would upset anyone. >> he was seeking to provoke with his poem "what must be said." must be no doubt he has succeeded. >> it is a permanent ongoing debate in germany. we had a few newspaper articles. it did not make the headlines. he is seen in israel as very critical because of his past. he would not have the moral or historic rights to comment on politics. on the other hand, it is said it is rather pathetic or anti- semitic what he wrote. there is an ongoing debate about iran and what the

consequences are. it does not add anything new to the debate over here. >> when you travel to berlin, one of the things that stands out immediately are the towers. >> all those visits to what was once a symbol of communist east berlin have taken a toll on the structure. it has just reopened after a deep facelift. >> one of berlin's iconic landmark. it was completed in 1969 to show the world its technological prowess. now for the second time since reunification, the tower has undergone extensive reunification and. reason enough for a fresh coat of paint.

the 1960's look remains unchanged and many other elements at the tower's form. it is still europe's tallest structure, accessible to the public. at a speed of 6 meters a second, it will take only 40 seconds to go up 40 meters. a little higher than 700 meters is the restaurant. the views were popular in communist east germany and still today. but it is not the menu. it is the 360-panorama of the berlin skyline that draws visitors. the tv tower used to be a symbol of a divided city, but it is

the symbol of a city that has come to get their. now everyone from the east or west is happy to visit and experience the tower. gean boust as, not just over comet be ch of

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-- 20 yrs. s a mystical place for pilgrims to seek to follown ri'thsteps, and the crowds grow larger as >>t is very special. it is the most special evef my life. tbe cistian today is vey ecl,ndt aig >> roman catholic tradion mmores4 stations of the cross, beginning with jesus's pontus pilot.

-- condemnation pontius pilate. each week, a procession of the cross. years. >> it allows us to follow i jes'eps. the idea is that we travel with m. weee tdo as he did in times of pain and suffering, t especially in the help of the resurrection. that is the true meaning of christianity. t yngerman women have taken up residence in a hostel for pilgrims. they have just graduated from

high school. bair in jerusalem toxpiee the unique atmosphere of the holy city. -- they are in jerusalem to experience the unique atmosphere of the holy city. >> they truly want toake the thhajes lk, kw that he suffered four us. that is what impresses me the most. >> he runs a souvenir shoplo thvia dolorosa. he is muslim, but he celebrates both religions. >> there is no strike your. it is governments that use religion to cause problems. >> the blisters market is no place for peace and reflection. -- the oysters market is no --

the boisterous market is known place for peace and reflection. >> all kinds of people visit the via dolorosa. they speak all different ngge wellnoth jus walked here. >> the stations of the cross and at the church of the holy sepulchre. it will be celebrated re in the holy city as it has been for centuries. >> investors inur have welcomed a u.s. decision to ease sanctions on that country after a landmark election last weekend. >> the an ambassador to the southeast asian nation. the burma'--he burmese opposition won almost all seats in the parliamentary election. >> that has not stopped general economic refms the burmese government has ard ki cng on the

currency front. >> the unofficial currency rate is now legal. thmoe eecd make trade easier and attract foreign investment. >> i think it will be a very positive step, one of the first steps along the road. becoming an open economy and connecti wh e stfhe world peeping that is very exciting. >> the burmese economy is blighted. there is little enoc activity or functioning infrastructure. poverty is widespread. most people live off the land. >> you do not often hear the words trout and inland in the same sentence, -- drought and england in the same sentence. tre is now a ban on watering gardens and filling swimming pools.

>> she is one of the top 10 favorites for wedding receptions. but the lengthy drought has changed its reception. no one wants that background r their wedding photo. the general manager michael rt ss e tuation is critical. >> we have had 30 wedding inquiries, of which, only one is locked. normally, we convert at least 20 of those. my information out of the next two years, it is probably going to be in the region of 300,000 pounds of revenue. >> the water tables across southern england are at historic lows. it is feared that farmers will

have to use water to irrigate their crop but tony brown scarce to gain from the drought. he can hardly keep up with demand at the moment. he is also keenly aware of how little water their red -- how little water there is. >> we're having to turn up to work the way -- we're having to turn work away. this time of year in england, it is usually it like mud. it just has not happened for two years. >> it is expensive to refill the pont. authorities to not have cash to support the project.

they say no one can legislate away the effects of extreme weather. >> the question you're always asked is, is this climate change? what we do know is it is the work of the scientists. so, this is probably what could be a more common situation. >> other companies in the region are likely to start feeling the effects on their cash flow very soon. >> france's electric power company has confirmed that when its nuclear power plants shut down automatically after a fire today. the fire was on the northwestern coast of france and has been reportedly extinguished. the company said there were no injuries and the incident did

not pose a risk to the environment. >> the creator of the legendary sports car the porsche 911 has died. as the oldest son of the company founder, he was responsible for the company fell design studios until the 70's. it is described as an instant classic. >> what would eastern be without that chocolate easter bunny? whether it is core main or mass-produced, the scent of chocolate is wafting through many homes. >> chocolate is big business at this time of year, especially in those producing nations like belgium, switzerland, and germany. >> this year, the easter population includes 1 million chocolate rabbit. contrary to persistent rumors, the easter bunnies will not

become santa clauses. manufacturers said it would be too expensive to unwrap and melt the chocolate. they say the challenge is to take on the right production size so as few bunny's as possible to go to waste. retailers will be able to sell them at half price or release them into the wild. according to a new warning, the rabbit population is a need of a boost. >> there you tell. that is your in-depth look at all the stories. >> stay with us.