brent: this is dw news live from berlin. tonight, a tragic end to a kidnapping turned hostage taking in the philippines. islamists have beheaded jurgen kantner , a german abducted from his boat last november. also coming up, more for the military -- u.s. president trump announces to boost defense spending by $54 billion, an increase at the end gone means a decrease somewhere else. -- increase at the pentagon. and the winner is groups -- the

winner isoops -- a major gaffe at the oscars last night. in the end, "moonlight" was able to shine, winning best picture at the academy awards in los angeles will -- in los angeles. i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. the german chancellor, angela merkel, is calling the beheading of a german hostage are barrick and abominable. that is after islamic militant allowed -- announced the murder of jurgen kantner. he was abducted last november. abu sayyaf released a video of the murder after the deadline for a ransom expired on sunday. reporter: this was the last richer showing jurgen kantner before he was executed by abu sayyaf militants.

visiting the anna, the german minister called it an inhuman act. >> over the past weeks, we've put a massive amount of effort into trying to bring about a peaceful solution that would allow the hostages to be released. of course alive and in good health. if that is not the case, if the video supports that, then it is one of the most gruesome crimes imaginable. reporter: the philippine army is continuing its search for the abu sayyaf militants. the group is believed to have ties to the so-called islamic state. they have earned tens of millions of euros in ransom money since they formed in the 1990's. >> we are continuing our operations. we still have 27 hostages or kidnap victims as of now. and jurgen kantner is only one

of them. reporter: the newest revelations has come for the philippines foreign minister who is currently in geneva for a meeting has been u.n. human rights council. >> abu sayyaf have decided to eliminate and neutralizes hostage because he was too sickly and infirm. he was more a liability to them, whether or not that is true. reporter: the foreign minister asked allies for technological aid to help them pinpoint the rest of the hostages. the philippine armed forces say they exhausted all women -- all assets to save jurgen kantner's life, but sadly to no avail. the abu sayyaf is not to hold 20 other hostages, many from

countries within the region. the terrorists are known to operate in the seas between the southern philippines and eastern malaysia where jurgen kantner was abducted from his law -- from his yacht lester. his partner was found dead on the boat, killed by gunshots. reports indicate the terrorists demanded a ransom of 570,000 euros, something the german government has not confirmed. the group usually free their hostages after a ransom is paid. however, the philippine government strongly discourages other nations from fulfilling the terrorist's demands. it's not the first time abu sayyaf has beheaded western hostages. last year, they killed to canadian citizens after the canadian government refused to pay for their elite -- for their release. brent: u.s. president donald trump says he plans to increase military spending by about 10% or $54 billion. in the gathering of state

governors over the weekend, trump held the proposed increase as historic. he said there would also be extra spending on law enforcement and infrastructure and a pledge that went down with the governors, all states would benefit from the economic agenda. but it was the increased offense spending trump seemed most proud of. it would rebuild the depleted military at a time it is most needed. mr. trump: we ensure our most courageous servicemen and women have what they need and when called upon to fight in our name, they have to win. we have to start winning wars again. brent: let's pull in our washington correspondent who joins us live from washington. good evening. when i hear the u.s. president say that, it makes me wonder, it

has a wound down its involvement in iraq or afghanistan. why the proposal to increase spending now? guest: that's an excellent question. what we know from the campaign and from trump's rhetoric up to now, he has been vowing to make america safe again in addition to vowing to make america great again. this is part of that whole package. the republicans have this view that under president obama, the u.s. got weaker in the eyes of the world and think other countries now view america as militarily weak and vulnerable. this is part of trump's way of saying you can't mess with us, even though let's remember the u.s. budget now allocates more than 50% of its budget to military spending and the rest of that, less than 50%, is

allocated to all other u.s. services. we already spend an incredible amount of money on the military and this is going to up it even more. brent: do we know where the cuts are going to come from? he says he's going to give to the pentagon, he's going to take away from somewhere else. guest: there are no specifics, as is usual with trumped. we hear a lot of big ideas and grand plans, but not a lot of specifics. we do know what was proposed earlier was cuts to the environmental protection agency, cuts to the national endowment for the arts and cuts to foreign aid, which is interesting because it's the smallest part of u.s. budget. cuts are going to come to party much every other aspect of the u.s. government, including the past three i named. brent: our washington correspondent on the story with this announcement on increased defense spending in the u.s. thank you very much.

the german turkish journalist has been formally arrested after being held for almost two weeks at a police station in his stumble, turkey. -- istanbul, turkey. rallies have been held, calling for him to be freed. he's the first german journalist to be detained as part of turkey's crackdown on the media, accused of disseminating terrorist propaganda and incitement to hatred -- incitement to hatred his reporting. the russian opposition leader has told dw that he is set to challenge vladimir putin for the presidency next year. that, in spite of a recent criminal conviction that set to see him disqualified from running for office. our own reporter joined him for the launch of his campaign. reporter: thieves belong in

prison -- it's a frosty welcome from these pro-kremlin demonstrators. they say he is a foreign agent. inside, he's largely preaching to the converted. russian state media do not report on him and when they do, he's usually in the dock. so it's the online media he talked to. we asked how he plans to run in spite of his recent conviction. >> i have the right to run for election. i demand my name is on the ballot. i will make sure that happens with outlook support. i'm relying on people support to force the kremlin to register me . back in 2013, public support for some to let me out of prison the day after they sentenced me to five days in prison. reporter: but why would the kremlin go to such lengths to

exclude him? >> they are scared of politicians with the potential to come between them and their billions incorrupt income. what is the kremlin now days? it's a small group of people, a mafia group's members live like sheiks or kings. reporter: on february 8, he was handed a five-year suspended system to for embezzlement. it the same case they human rights court throughout calling the proceedings arbitrary and unfair. as russian law stands, his real record prevents them from running for prep -- for public office. it's a provision he says is unconstitutional. a town hall meeting for the public -- some 600 people signed up to volunteer for his campaign. for many, it's their first experience back. it is standing room only as hundreds of people gather either to catch a glimpse.

not for the first time, he's proven he's able to engage people in politics who have stayed home, convinced their voice does not count. russian authorities now face a dilemma -- putting him on the ballot means making him a nationwide figure. exclude him and they risk voter apathy as putin faces off against a field of pro-kremlin candidates who have been in the public eye even longer than he has. brent: there was drama aplenty at last night's oscars in los angeles -- you might want to call it a farce for a few minutes after a chaotic except saw the wrong film initially awarded the night biggest award. when the dust had settled, but not the nerves, it was the coming-of-age drama, "moonlight" that was declared the best picture. reporter: it was meant to be the moment of truth.

"la la land" was awarded best picture, but as the entourage's celebrated their big win, one of the films producers broke in with an even more surprising announcement. >> this is not a joke. "moonlight" has won best picture. "moonlight" test picture. reporter: the blunder appears to have been the fault of a mixup -- pricewaterhousecoopers apologized, saying the presenters were mistakenly given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, it was immediately corrected. they are investigating how it could have happened and deeply regret that it occurred. while the confusion quickly gave way as the overjoyed creators of moonlight took to the stage, the incident sparked numerous reactions across social media. u.s. comedian ellen the generous tweeted nothing like live tv and praised "la la land" for the

gracious reaction. brent: it was quite a spectacle to watch. it kept the triumphant night for black artists -- previous award ceremonies were labeled so white, but this evening belong to a more diverse cast of stars. reporter: it may have been lost in the confusion, but "moonlight" made history -- it's the first film with an all-black cast to win an oscar for best picture. the film takes a brave look at a black youth struggling with his sexuality. the star of the film also became the first muslim actor ever to win an oscar. but "la la land" did not go home mt. emma stone won best actress. >> i still have a lot of growing and work to do. and this guy is a really beautiful symbol to continue on that journey and i'm so grateful for that. thank you so much.

reporter: and the romantic musical's director became the youngest person to win the best director oscar at the age of 32. the best actor award went to casey affleck for his depiction of a grief stricken brother and father in "manchester by the sea" beating favorite denzel washington. as was widely expected, politics was never far from people's mind, the iranian director one oscar for best foreign language film, but boycotted the ceremony over donald trump's travel ban and the u.s. president was also the target of some biting sarcasm from host jimmy kimmel. >> it's not a popular thing to say, but i want to say thank you to president trump. remember last year when it seemed like the oscars were racist? that's gone. thanks to him.

reporter: in the current political climate and having been accused of being too white last year, the academy awards sent a clear signal with its diverse group of winners this time around. brent: the power of a bad envelope. we will take a short break and be right back. >> what do you get for $.50? >> for $.50? >> not a lot. >> did you know it cost $.50 to feed one hungry child for one full day? >> $.50 can feed one child per day.

>> with the share and meal at, you can share a meal with children in need with just $.50 and a tap on your smart phone. smart phone users outnumber hungry children 20 to one. imagine the impact you and your friends could have. together, we can end of global hunger. please download the app. brent: welcome back. our top stories as resident donald trump has announced plans for a big hike in military spending in his first budget proposal. he says he wants to increase defense spending by $54 billion. officials say cuts to other government programs would fund the increase. a berlin court has convicted to man of murder in a high profile street racing case. that is after they killed another motorist after they sped down a central bull -- central berlin the street in february.

it's the first time reckless joy riders have been hit with a full-blown murder conviction and is a verdict that could have knock on effects for germany's justice system. reporter: for the first time, a german court has convicted street racers of murder. the sentence, life in prison for both men who in gauge and illegal street racing, killing a nonparticipant. the victims son attended the hearing. his attorney said he was satisfied with the verdict. >> anyone who drives 170 kilometers an hour downtown has to expect such a dangerous activity would be interpreted as murder. that's what happened when what was a bomb on wheels hit the car. reporter: february 2016 in central berlin -- the two street racers, 125 and the other 28 ran several red lights. one of the drivers ran into the jeep of a 69-year-old man not

involved in the race. the speed at impact was about 160 kilometers an hour. the court ruled cars were uncontrollable weapons. the crucial question is is it possible to control this means of killing? in this case, the court decided it was pure chance who would be injured and to what extent. the defense attorneys argued there was no intention to kill and entered a plea of negligence. >> if this sets an example, we can forget about free constitutional state. i'm not saying this because i am emotionally charged, but it is my opinion. the defense attorneys say they are going to announce that appeal. brent: a delegation to germany wrapped up a weeklong fact-finding mission focused on finding racism faced by people of african descent. bactrim and space discrimination

in numerous facets of their daily lives. reporter: he's a trade union executive and black comedian activist. he's lost count of how many times he has been checked by inspectors on public transport. finding an apartment is also difficult. >> people can't tell from my accent that i'm black, but when i meet them in person to see if i can rent the apartment, i've heard statements ranging from reserved to relatively direct, such as there would be too many foreigners living in the building. reporter: he's a german citizen and so is karen taylor, who is active in germany's black community. 's faced similar experiences. i agerman, but that's not what people think. i believe that is the main problem for black people or people of color living in germany.

i'm often asked where i come from and people are surprised at how good my german is. when i tell them i'm from germany, it's still not enough for them. they asked where my parents and grandparents are from. reporter: how much racism do people with an african background face in germany? that is the question a u.n. delegation has been asking on its one-week visit to the country. they presented the work of their investigation at a press conference. the u.n. delegates are worried. people of african descent in germany faced frequent this, nation. >> their daily lives are marked by racism, negative stereotypes and structural racism. they are targeted as victims of violent hate crimes. reporter: that's why the experts are making an appeal to the german government. brent: soanya is here now with

the latest on a long-running merger saga. soanya: it looks like it is going to fall through. the atlanta stock exchange says it's not able to comply with the merger, making approval by the deal unlikely. reporter: after a year of plutko and regulatory wrangling, a small part of the stock exchange business could be the biggest sticking point injuring the merger. the european commission asked lsd to sell off its stake in mts, a trading platform for a government bond mainly based in italy to offset antitrust concerns. while mts only represents a small portion of lse's profits, they say selling it would damage

its relationship with a italian authorities. at the merger was already fraught with political challenge , like the u.k. plans to leave the eu. earlier this month, the chairman said the merger could strengthen ties to britain beyond the brexit. >> the merger would be a symbol, a symbol for a united europe. assign of building bridges in set of walls. reporter: easier said than done -- speculation is rife over whether political pressure is a real reason the merger might fail. both german and british politicians are locked in a tug-of-war over whether the new stock exchange should be based in frankfurt or london. a debate that might be irrelevant in the end. soanya: making a profit with art is a difficult art form in itself. investors and art houses like celebes and christies are only too aware of that.

last year, global auction houses all revenues shrink to 11.8 billion euros, 22% down year on year. artworks worth more than 10 million euros are an especially hard sell despite strong marks like china, which is now the world's biggest. reporter: amaga giuliani changed hands for almost $56 million. -- a picasso sold for 63 million dollars. everyone who is anyone and who has the necessary money invests in artworks like these. in 2013, auction houses sold works of art valued at 16.2 billion dollars. sales in the following year were even higher. but then, things slow down. in 2016, auction houses only had a turnover of $12.5 billion. the reason this potential buyers would rather hold onto the money and late, so works which cost more than $10 million are having

an especially bad time. the exception is chinese investors. they keep buying asian and western works. for paintings, calligraphy and sculptures, chinese investors spent almost $5 billion. china has claimed the title from the u.s. as the world's largest art market. soanya: walmart is feeling the pressure from german discount supermarkets. dear spiegel says the u.s. giant is sending secret shoppers to check prices so that it can match them. the no-frills german supermarket has been in the u.s. for 40 years but has been growing rapidly. its main german rival says it's planning to enter the u.s. market. in contrast, walmart lost billions in germany before but -- before pulling out a decade ago. that is your business update for now. now a sports update. brent: it won't be long before

the formula one season gets underway next month. the cars will be faster, wider and heavier, but before it gets serious, the drivers have a chance to put their new wheels to the test in barcelona. reporter: this is formula one's new aggressive look. the cars are expected to cut lap times by six seconds thanks to changes in width and aerodynamics. cornering speeds have increased by nearly 40 kilometers an hour. that means the cars will be more difficult to drive than ever before. >> i've been training as hard as i could to prepare myself for this coming year. we are going to have the fastest cars in the history of formula one. >> the cars will be harder to drive probably on two sides -- on the physical side, if we are lapping at a quicker pace, then things are coming at you faster. reporter: the teams have

constructed completely new race cars for the 2017 season. everyone had to start from scratch. that's not necessarily bad. the shakeup could make things more unpredictable. >> we have been very successful over the last three years but no team has ever achieved the benchmark overregulation change. >> new regulations and new hopes, after two seasons, we want to pass the page of the painful moment and go back to the competitive response. reporter: for some drivers, the new changes are a welcome move. another driver feels the same after criticizing the last season as too easy and not challenging enough. >> we are for sure going to see a difference in the pecking order of the drivers. these cars are going to stretch their abilities. it's a sport that needs to entertain but we need to think a

little less about technology and make the drivers the stars and heroes they should be. reporter: no doubt, the need for speed will push drivers to their limits. a change that should guarantee a more exciting formula one season. brent: the need for speed -- after a quick break, i will be back to take you through the day. we're going to talk about hate crimes against migrants and i guess we'll talk about the illusion of america first. that and more when we come back.

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