♪ anchor: this is dw news, live from berlin. a series of peace stocks put on hold, postponing talks in geneva until later this month. the u.n./syrian envoy saying there is just an up progress being made. the syrian government claims the opposition is being blamed for walking away. also coming up, sex and the zika virus. in the u.s., doctors there say a patient contracted the virus not they're a mosquito bite but through sexual contact, and australia's high court says it is legal for asylum seekers to

be shipped to camps in the remote pacific islands. they say conditions there are inhumane. i am brent goff. it is good to have you with us. tonight, another roadblock to peace in syria. the latest talks in geneva happened put on hold. the u.s. special envoy on syria has temporarily paused the negotiations. officials say the talks just have not failed by that humanitarian conditions must improve before the process moves forward. now, that envoy, who you just saw there, called for support for the process of the international/syria support group, made up of regional powers as well as russia and the united states. >> i am not prepared for the

talks, and the secretary-general is saying the same. and therefore, we will be asking to convene as soon as possible, hopefully already in munich. for the security council to meet , and we will meet on geneva again on february 25. brent: joining us is simon, an international researcher at lancaster university. simon, good to see you. so where these talks basically dead on arrival? simon: i feel this is a conclusion that many will reach. it is a conflict that has been five years ongoing. we have got hundreds of thousands of people. we have got millions of people misplaced, and you haven't got actors on different sides still going on, and they were talking about b.p. steel.

there will be mutual suspicion. there is concern about what is going on, and i think there is a strong degree of suspicion that many people had about this themselves. brent: the suspicion is not going away. what if anything is going to change between now and then? simon: well, without the intervention of a number of factors, we have got to find a way in the international community to call for a cease-fire before the talks can really find -- before there is any real hope for the talks to bring about long lasting peace in syria. there has to be an end to this violence. having people sitting around, talking, building trust, talking about the future of syria, while they are still conducting bombing raids and still carrying out bombing attacks against each

other. it is incomprehensible. i do not understand why people thought this was a good idea that talks would happen while this was still taking place. brent: we had heard the first together, and that is really the only thing you can do right now. people are saying the united states and russia need to do more. how do you read that? what does "more" mean? simon: there has been a lot coming out of syria recently about strikes that have been undertaken by russia and also by the u.s. on a number of different targets across the states, including the u.s. and a number of allies with targets in syria, the russians have been targeting a range of different opposition groups. that is still taking place, it is difficult to see how opposition groups can have any real confidence in talks and the

key is building trust. they actually want the same kind of outcome as you, even if the means of getting to that point is different. brent: unfortunately, what we're talking about tonight is a category of wishful thinking. well, many nations are doing what they can to help the people in syria, and a conference takes place. the german government plans to up its contribution them a one point 5 billion euros. the german chancellor angela merkel will be at the conference along with the german development minister. the minister criticized unkept promises by other donors. >> germany is already doing a great deal, but i am ashamed and disappointed the ability of

brussels to put 10 million -- billion euros together. still, i am pleased to report that chancellor merkel are -- and others are joining for a resolved in the syrian crisis. it sends a signal that the world is united in this am. -- this aim, but as he sought after the conference, half of the conference went unfilled -- but as we saw after the conference, half of it went unfilled. brent: another element to bring the conflict to an end involves this in saudi arabia tonight to encourage efforts towards a regional solution. earlier, he visited iran with the same message, arch rivals should cooperate in their efforts to bring peace to syria.

>> camels race at saudi arabia' is biggest cultural festival, and they have their own pavilion. they have slandered the trip, seeing this as a dictatorship with no regard for human rights. but he wants the saudi help in the syrian conflict, and that is the main motive for this trip. >> i am convinced that dialogue between societies not only helps to build ridges across geographical distance and cultural differences, it also helps to develop common interest in terms of culture, arts, science, and certainly in politics. earlier, he met with the iranian president in tehran. in contrast to saudi arabia, iran supports bashar al-assad. there was an appeal for them to

bridge their differences. "every country has its own national interests. we understand that, but strong countries also bear responsibility for their neighbors. they bear responsibility for the situation on both sides of their national borders. they bear responsibility for the region as a whole. since the nuclear deal with iran and the lifting of sanctions against the country, relationships trade regional powers have changed in iran's. in this power play, they are keyed to keep all lines of communication open. brent: well, the european union has agreed to pay 3 billion euros to turkey or their help in stemming the flow of migrants. the 28 member states of the european union will pay two thirds of the psalm. the remaining billion will calm from the eu central budget. the decision came after italy had initially stalled on the

plan, complaining of the high cost it incurs on taking care of refugees that arrived at its shores. now, to a disturbing development in the zika virus outbreak. doctors in the u.s. have recorded a rare case of the virus transmitted through sexual contact. now, the person infected did not travel to latin america, but the patient's partner had recently been in venezuela. the case has prompted fresh discussions on how the virus is transmitted and what has been declared a global emergency. reporter: until now, the health authority fears have centered on mosquitoes, the main source of the zika virus transmission, but the latest case from texas has opened a new front in the u.s. >> now is a game changer. we are talking about sexually transmitted virus, the zika virus, and that is a concern as we go forward, since 80% of the individuals do not have any symptoms.

reporter: there is no vaccine for the zika virus, but some say they have developed a test, something that is much needed. >> a rapid test. you may not be able to detect the zika virus correctly. it is highly specific. reporter: meanwhile, in countries like columbia, they are distributed tens of thousands of condoms to prevent pregnancies. the virus has been linked to thousands of cases of birth defect and brain damage in south america. brent: the top court in australia has given the ok to a controversial policy of asylum-seekers offshore. they are shipping them to a camp of a small pacific island that is legal, a verdict clearing the way for the deportation of hundreds of refugees, including many children, to the island.

human rights activists say conditions there are inhumane and dangerous. >> we are not criminal. reporter: australia has been shipping people for more than a decade. originally called the pacific solution, in 2001, australian authorities began intercepting both of refugees and sending them back in the direction they came or detaining people in camps, such as on islands. by keeping people off the shores of australia, they can handle these cases outside of australia law. the policy has been widely criticized by international leaders and human rights groups. rape, child abuse, and dire living conditions have frequently been reported by those living in the camps. australia has always been involved, rounding up refugees while at sea and sending them to such detentions enters.

yet, despite this involvement, australian authorities have refused to take any direct responsibility for the camps. there are officially run by either the local island government or by private companies. several nongovernment organizations are now working to improve conditions and gain more rights for the refugees. brent: investigators say a bomb was probably responsible for blowing a hole in a passenger plane belonging to a somali airline. the explosion forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in mogadishu. the plane had taken off from there. no group has yet taken response ability. report: a gaping hole on the side of this airbus 321. shortly after it took off from the airport in modi shoe, the blast forced the aircraft to turn around and make an emergency landing. >> remain seated. thank you.

the aftermath was captured on a cell phone by this man, the deputy ambassador to the united nations. he was one of 74 passengers on board. the plane was able to make a safe landing, also filmed by the ambassador. he described what happened on board, a loud bang and smoke filling the cabin. >> i saw kind of a space of a small area of the plane missing, and it was floating in and out, and the oxygen masks started to drop in above us, and everything looked a bit more critical. reporter: the pilot who landed the plane said he thought the blast was caused by a bomb. brent: ok, let's bring you up to speed on other stories that are developing. opening fire with military

police, one of two die. officers returned fire, killing one of the palestinians. 26 have been killed in palestinian attacks while at least 154 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces. a cargo ship which began listing near the coast of france has been towed into the spanish fort . the ship nearly escaped a crash into the french coast after the crew had to be airlifted to safety. in the vatican, a young girl and a boy got the right of a lifetime with the pope stopped to give them a surprise left on his mobile. francis has a two hop on the back of his vehicle. it is what you call holy hitchhiking. you are watching dw news. still to come, could this machinery revolutionize the way we get our energy after years of

scientists firing up a reactor to produce the sun? we would tell you more when we come back. plus, we will be here with business news. stay with us.

brent: welcome back. you are with dw news life from berlin. our top story, the syrian peace talks placed on hold, saying the situation must improve before the talks go on. they are working through rebel lines around two towns near aleppo. and it is something that scientists have long dreamed about, a form of energy that is clean, safe, and limitless. nuclear fusion may still be a long way off, such as "star trek," but there is a new

facility that mimics the way the sun produces energy, and there was a special guest on hand to fire up the experiment. >> the excitement was palpable as angela merkel and physicist launched what could prove to be a breaking experiment in a decade in the making, it can soon provide answers to questions for the future. the process of fusion is itself quite simple. it has been working since the beginning of time. the idea is to get fusion to take place with much greater frequency, because with each fusion reaction, very little energy is actually produced. the trick issue can produce energy because you can do it, and that is the great art. this heated gas in which the fusion reaction can take place. during the process, hydrogen is

heated to 100 million degrees celsius. only then will the nuclei fuse. coyle suspends the ultra heated plasma in the air and away from the walls. there is a research facility named after a mountain in the elves and the problem, nuclear fusion will require even more energy than the facility will ultimately be able to provide. researchers say decades before fusion can provide clean energy. until then, scientists will have much more work to do. >> it isn't possible. brent: we will talk about a chinese company getting bigger. reporter: that is right, and we need to get used to chinese companies getting bigger. this could be the biggest takeover of a company to date china, involving a swiss fertilizer for $45 billion by chem china, the latest in a

series of high-profile corporate takeovers. the company could be a giant in a highly competitive market. let's take a look. reporter: they are a major player in the global market for fertilizer. now, a chinese company wants to have access to these research and developing facilities and above all intellectual property and patents, and it is offering cash, a cool $45 billion. for the chinese, it is a chance to grow the business in developing countries and modernize their own agricultural sector with the latest state-of-the-art technology. >> it is also for better food quality, as well. we all know and are very familiar with all of the scandals in terms of food quality, and the government has over the years tried to ease the skepticism, that there are issues. 1/5 remains polluted, and even a smaller portion is still very overcrowded.

reporter: chemchina will have a number of regulatory hurdles to get it approved, especially in the united states. the global market is dominated by only a handful of companies who fight tooth and nail for market share. reporter: one tech giant lenovo has posted a gain, and demand has slowed. the smart phone market has become highly competitive, and their share price took a dive, but the company still managed to make a profit, a surprise to analysts, mainly thanks to a cost-cutting scheme. and when you choose a car, it is not just about the brand but the name. some companies spend millions coming up with a name to distinguish their cars from the competition, but sometimes, what everyone thought was a great idea turns out to have very

unexpected connotations, as india's tata motors found out. reporter: it seemed like a name that would sell cars, a zippy car for young motorist. cika. >> zippy car. a car that is quick. it is a very zippy car. reporter: but no one there could have known that it would turn out to be the name of a virus which the world health organization declared as a global health emergency, so this car just unveiled at the car show, is going to have to get a new moniker. >> we will look at a new name. reporter: they did not disclose how much it has already spent on the ill-fated brand name. reporter: and the pakistan national carrier has suspended most flights as employees strike

against a privatization proposal, the latest with plans to sell off the struggling airline. the struggling airline will cost the company $4 million a day, a big financial impact for an airline that is set to have a bloated workforce among any other problems. reporter: the battle cry, no to privatization. employees at the pakistan national airline, pia, are protesting against the sale of their airline. they fear for their jobs. the strike has spread to many branches of the carrier in the country, paralyzing air traffic in pakistan. a state of emergency at airports as most all pilots remain on the ground. "we are protesting peacefully. airline operations have suspended. we have not forced anyone. we have not stopped anyone from going to the office. our protest will continue with what we put before the

government a month ago and until it is matt." -- until it is met." in yesterday's demonstrations, they lost to w of their colleagues when clashes broke out with pakistani security forces. two people were shot dead, others injured. months of protests. reporter: the new argentinian president has vowed to reverse the policies of his predecessor and has begun by cutting export taxes on meat and other exports, claiming they could double production in the country, but not everyone is pleased to the plans to ease up exports. -- two beef up exports. reporter: no matter what, they will end up on the dining table, but the question is where. the argentinian beef industry is being shaken up.

they are looking at undoing the situation. argentina was the third-largest meat exporter in the world with annual shipments of more than 700,000 tons. i 2015, they dropped to just 200,000. authorities expect the number to rise next year as a result of cutting export taxes. this will enable large-scale farmers to make more money, but some experts are saying it could deprive locals. this butcher says his customers are already switching to cheaper meat. i am selling more chicken legs and thighs. hardly anyone asks for ribs. one thing is clear. argentina will produce more beef in the coming years. the question now is whether

locals will get a bigger share of the state. reporter: that is so much for the business news, and i do not know if our hungry, but we are all hungry for the business news. brent: marathon running is tough, but how about doing it in the snow and ice with cabbages below 30 centigrade? welcome to the genghis khan ice marathon in mongolia. report: only nine hearty souls turned up for the race, perhaps not surprising given the task across the mongolia wilderness. most of the spectators were not of a human variety, and there was always that hungry wolves would be working along the route. another pitfall was being distracted by the wonderful

scenery. the british doctor, andrew mary, managed to keep it together with an impressive three hours and seven minutes despite the bitter cold. >> it is not easy. we started off at -35, and now, -26. it is actually quite mild for a month only in winter, apparently. reporter: there was the winner of the women's title, and then it was time for a big, warm hug. brent: bear hugs. a reminder of the top story we are following for you. putting the peace talks on hold

in syria, saying the situation must improve before the talks go on. the announcement came as government forces broke through rebel lines near two towns near aleppo, and the world health organization says the zika virus could have a devastation if it takes hold in africa. the virus has been linked to a rise in birth defects, and a u.s. case suggest it might also be transmitted through sexual contact with humans. stick around. i will be back to walk you through the day in about three minutes from now.

the philippines is home to one of southeast asia's fastest-growing economies. it's also plague the by a fast-growing social problem. >> a national bureau investigation anti-human trafficking division.