>> we are going to begin in washington where president trump has been holding talks with german chancellor angela merkel in the white house. their meeting will set the tone of the working relationship between the two of the worlds most powerful renal -- powerful leaders. before taking office trump was sharply critical of merkel and her open-door policy toward refugees, saying she is "ruining

they put their differences to one side of the face the press, although he renewed his calls for nato allies to spend more on defense. trump: many nations over vast sums of money for past years, and it is very unfair to the united states, these nations must pay what they oh. i thanked meeting chancellor merkel to increase defense spending and work toward contributing at least 2% of gdp. presidente u.s. donald trump speaking alongside angela merkel. david smith is in washington with the latest on that visit. by both: heroic efforts leaders to paver over the evident crack's and angela

merkel said what gracious hospitality there was and how it is better to talk to one another rather than about one another. some very obvious differences in style and policy were evident. made sure to get in her views on globalization, on refugees area the he did express his support for nato. he did say some members aren't paying their share, they owe vast amounts of money. it was a show of unity, but i think no one here has any doubt deep divisions remain. >> let's talk about those. a lot of focus on these areas of common ground. where theye areas

aren't aligned. what are some main areas do you think? >> there is a lot of discussion about trade. of course there was a facade of ---win corporation cooperation. you didn't have to read much between the lines to hear trump talking about bringing back jobs and opening factories. national trade deal had been edited disaster to the u.s.. he said i was not an isolationist. nevertheless you felt he and merkel were talking past each other. she expressed her great belief in the european union and the benefits of freedom of movement

within the eu. an approach that stood in stark contrast from what we have been hearing from truck -- from trump. u.s. secretaryle of state made the first visit to asia since taking office. he says patience toward north korea is coming to an end and if pyongyang raises the threat level military action will be on the table. reporter: rex tillerson wasted footme as soon as he set in south korea the u.s. secretary of state headed north on a black hawk helicopter towards the t desk toward the demilitarized zone. that strip of land for kilometers wide running along

the 38th parallel north. barrier thatr separates the two koreas, and it is the world. -- it is the most heavily militarized place in the world. exploring diplomatic, security, and economic measures. all options are on the table. sayster: tillerson pyongyang's nuclear program would not be enough and want of preemptive actions. saying it needs to be able to defend itself read in conducting its first test in 2006, it carried out four more. despite crippling economic sanctions it has stepped up its missile launches in recent months. last week it fired a four ballistic missile simultaneously.

itsgyang has defended actions, saying it was in response to the deployment of a u.s. made missile shield in south korea. system has also angered china, north korea's most important ally. the next stop is beijing. >> the israeli military says its aircraft has struck several thousand during the course of -- both sides have confirmed this report of what is a rare military exchange between the two neighbors and the israeli mission aimed at destroying weapons convoy. france 24 takes a closer look. here is tangible proof of the latest military confrontation between israel and syria. a rocket that fell in neutral jordanian territory between the

two countries. >> we heard a loud explosion in the sky and heard something fall on the ground. we went outside the house and saw what had happened. >> investigators believe the is -- its goal was to strike down and is really jet, which just bombed a syrian military post. it targeted the military post theeen -- in a rare move israeli army has confirmed the raid in syria. it says its goal was to destroy an advanced weapons convoy. israel says it has struck down the missile with the system that intercepts long-range missiles. it is the first time in 17 years the missile system was used. israel denies one of its jets was hit.

raidedmy has reportedly used toan terriritory destroy weapon shipments. israel i is concerned with bashr al-assad staying in power, his ally hezbollah would get more defense weapons. it is also concerned its main rival would get her minute basis in syria, strengthening its positions close to the israeli borders. >> according to monitors in syria, 46 people were killed, 100 injuries were -- most of those were killed with that killed -- most of those killed were civilians. they targeted al qaeda militants, but they denied eating behind this particular mosque strike. rescscue workers say that many

people are unaccounted for and taking through the rubble. last year iran barred its citizens from taking part in a harsh pilgrimage because relations had seriously deteriorated. iranian pilgrims will be taking part in that annual event, which is said to be held in the autumn. france 24 has this report. >> it was the worst disaster in history. 2000 four people were crushed to death on the 24th of september 2015. although saudi arabia officials tally the death toll of less than 1000. iran lost a large number of citizens, 464 in total. the crash added to already mounting tensions and to the severing of diplomatic ties between the two regional rivals.

iran -- blaming the disaster on saudi mismanagement and criminal negligence. accepti leaders must their responsibility. this terrible accident, the serious accident, and fulfill their obligations. attendr: iranians didn't last years for the first time in nearly three decades. several spats continued with saudi arabia -- claims, threee other supporting groups like the islamic state organization and al qaeda. despite the tensions the two reachrecently did

arrangements. the saudi ministry says the kingdom welcomed all programs from all different nationalities and backgrounds. anchor: it has been a tough week for the british prime minister. is calling for a fresh referendum on independence from the u.k.. the prime minister says as the country prepares to stop the desk has to start the process of leaving brp and union, the damage risks all parties. >> it is now clear using the brexit as a pretext has been their sole objective ever since last june. scotland,e bad for bad for the united kingdom, and that for us all. >> investigators in the southern

frenchtown are investigating school friends of the student who shot and killed three other students of a secondary school. today despite a strong sense of shock, pupils return to their class. >> the headmaster of the high school was injured along with three of the students. -- fourfour feet teenager sustained injuries. the 16-year-old arrested in connection with the shooting wasn't known to police and appears to have acted alone. prosecutor has confirmed that the attack had no link to terrorism. bade was motivated by the relationship he had with his friends.

he had difficulty integrating. --s is what the admin it what the education minister was told by parents. >> armed with handguns, grenades, and a rifle, police believe he may have been suffering from until health problems. school shootings are rare and france, a country which remains in theate of emergency wake of a series of terrorist attacks. anchor: the presidential elections are just about five weeks away from now. today has been the deadline for those hoping to receive their endorsements from elected officials. you are anfficult if established name. for lesser known hopefuls, it can be a major struggle. in case you're wondering what the pollsters are predicting, a poll out today has the far 6%ht's marine le pen over 20

-- 26% of the vote. center-right's francois fillon forecast to come in third place. in the all-important second round, -- is expected to conclusively be to le pen 61% to 39%. as well as having a high-profile leader of the far right in the form of marine le pen. france has a far left party. presidential12 elections, the head came with and forth praise -- fourth place . his supporters are going to be holding a massive march throughout central paris. >> he is currently trailing in the polls. they hope a rally in paris can boost his campaign. >> he's a man with values.

he believes in handing it -- and having a plan. anybody who says he's lying hasn't heard one of his speeches. he's not a liar. he speaks from the heart. reporter: he came forth within the first round of the voting for the 2012 presidential elections, with more than 11% of the vote. since then he has reshaped his political program. he opposed the passage of the free trade agreement between canada and the eu. >> it is worsening the ecological and social crisis because it doesn't include the slightest mention of the paris claimant treating. -- paris climate treaty. is running into one of the most unpredictable presidential elections. the socialist candidate has struggled to make an impact with

the hard left program that has divided his party and may split the left-wing vote. but he has refused to quit the race in favor of his socialist rival. bring next elections will power through ballots and democracy. long live the republic, long live the working class, long live france. of iter: the final list it's will be published by the french constitutional council on saturday. anchor: teams are working hard to get their message across all sectors of society. one place they may want to focus is a small city in the north of the country, famous for its higher voter abstention rate. france 24 takes a look there to find out why this is. in thisarket day neighborhood. it is one of the poorest in the country.

are just a beautiful the far left presidential candidate. nearly 100,000 has a nickname. some call it the extension capital of france. 30% of voters didn't go to the polls for the last election. for the regional elections in 2015, abstention hit 64%. relation -- people here suffer on a daily basis. voting is the least of their were race. reporter: at the start of the 20th century it was booming with its textile factory. no one in three residents is unemployed. one it comes to politics voters are often undecided and disheartened. >> --

reporter: a group has been working to get out the vote. especially among young people. half of the population is under 30. >> they say they don't want to go vote. it's abstention was a bit of activism. we are not going to vote because the political class doesn't care about us or it won't ever change. reporter: in the 2012 presidential election, francois hollande won in the city. 2015 it voted to the right. a shift which gains traffic -- gains traction. heldlebrations are being across the globe for st. patrick's day. in the heart of dublin it was a scene -- it was a sea of green. you can see there the centerpiece of what is a four-day festival. the celebrations visible around the world.

it includes the great wall of china in green and on a. a very happy st. patrick's day to you. it's time now for a check of business new stories. -. angelatalking about merkel being in washington and germany's trading balance. guest: it is undoubtedly top of the agenda as the german chancellor continues meeting with the u.s. counterpart. of contentionbone for donald trump it in the past he has threatened to impose a border attacks on german cars but in an interview germany's economy minister says not so fast and even suggested dry can the u.s. to court if mr. trump sticks to his word. is one of germany's most important trading partners. 's talk ofald trump

protectionism in danger one of the biggest bilateral trade relationships in the world? germany's finance minister doesn't think so. >> the u.s. treasury secretary is for open markets and open , i'm therefore i don't think we have to worry that much. the discussions we have had, we still have some work ahead of us. in 2016 the u.s. important 100 7 billion euros worth of german goods and services. while it exported 58 billion euros of g goods to gegermany. the resulting 49 billion euros trade surplus has b been a soure of simmering tensions. trump has spread into slash tariffs on german carmakers. >> it's clearly in the world

trade organizations that you cannot take more than 2.5%. i'm placing my trust in the courts. it wouldn't be the first time mr. trump has failed in the courts. reporter: it t could be disisass for both sides. among them, the heads of bmw. german cubbies employs 700,000 people in the u.s.. >> let's check the markets in the united states. it is a muted session. the dow jones have the s&p 500. all completely flat at this hour. here in europe stocks ended the week up in the green. closing 3/10 of 1%.

six weeks before the elections in france and which way the pendulum will swing is anybody's guess. far right candidate is poised to come out on top. and they suggest she will be defeated. a foreign diplomats aren't leaving anything to chance. they are rushing to meet le .en's team financial programs are just some of the institutions to have met party officials. let's take a look at some of the other stories tracking for you. with aitrust regulator fine of 776 million euros. airways, singapore airlines, and seven others are accused of taking part in a cargo cartel over a decade ago. we imposing the penalties after europe's second-highest court and other initial fine in 2015.

germany escaped any penalty as they -- racing --nt amazon is users will need to download the offering from the amazon app. a lock so will be able to carry out tasks like playing this on amazon's prime service. an two new r&d centers are being set up in china. this following the decision to set up in beijing and shenzhen. next, france is one of europe's top producers of down feathers, used to make a number of things from winter coats two comforters and even pillows. but a rise in bird flu is threatening supply with some producer saying they have lost one third of feathers.

>> this is where your good night sleep starts. stuffing soft feathers down to pillows. producers cans process up to 120 tons of feathers per day, but only a small percentage are the coveted soft precious flakes called down. and the material used to stuff pillows, codes, and blankets is becoming increasingly work -- increasingly rare. production has been hit by the presence of bird flu in france which is responsible for hundreds of millions of euros. >> the volumes of feathers is steadily decreasing because it is avian flu in europe. >> 60% of the company's revenue comes from a block that comes from abroad. revenue comes from abroad.

it has for the past 150 years. >> feathers are alive. i'm proud of myself when i work on a beautiful product like this. pair with ae a comforter on my bed. i buy french products. bird flu notwithstanding, they will do all they can to keep making their products. >> changes on the card for spotify. the company has agreed with major record labels to restrict some of the newest releases to paying customers. at the premium service cost around nine euros per month and allows users to listen to their music while off-line. until now all music on spotify has been free to both paying and nonpaying subscribers. finally prins former finance

minister has taken on yet another side job. the appointed editor of the evening standard newspaper was fired by premised or theresa may following the brexit referendum last year. headdition to his day job, serves as an advisor to the investmement firm blacackrock. he has pledged to fight for the interest of londoners and editor of the daily. in case you were wondering, these multiple sources of income has calls for him to step down, increasing more and more. >> a lot of side jobs. that --h in need for think you very much indeed for the pre-i will be back half past nine paris time. don't go away.

democracynow.org 03/17/17 03/17/17 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] now! amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> regarding the question as to climate change, the president was straightforward that we not spending money on that anymore. amy: in what the trump white house is calling an america first budget, it calls for an unprecedented $54 billion increase in military spending while slashing environmental, housing, education, diplomatic programs as well as spending for ,