this is the news live from berlin a chord in me and mar rejects an appeal by two reuters journalists sentenced to seven years in jail in march uses the reporters of trying to undermine national security they say they are innocent and were framed by police but the judge says their punishment this is. also coming up. the german chancellor makes her first trip to greece since alexis tsipras became prime minister in the past many greeks blamed on low machall for the hardship caused by austerity measures so how do they

feel about her today. plus snowed under people an alpine region in germany and austria struggling to clear record amounts of snow some villages completely cut off emergency workers are warning of the danger of more avalanche. i'm brian thomas great to have you with us a court in myanmar has rejected an appeal by two journalists serving seven year prison terms while alone and cost to arrest in december of two thousand and seventeen after investigating the massacre of ten boys and men during the army's brutal crackdown on the muslim community the two reuters journalists were later sentenced for breaking the official secrets act by possessing classified documents their lawyers argue that they were entrapped in a police state. earlier i spoke with one of their colleagues kevin colicky

reuters asia editor i asked him for his reactions to the verdict. it's another in justice for well known and shows so for our colleagues further for their families. there was no evidence at trial that they were guilty of espionage they were recording the reporting that they did was fair it was accurate the people of myanmar deserve to have a media that informs them of the truth and so this is a another injustice and in a very dark day very disappointing for us and very just for the families i'm sure it is for both colleagues and family members but this was an appeal so what's next for. so this is a there's a. potential that's available to the supreme court of the appeals court ruling has just come in. there is

a social appeal that's available but the government importantly even if the government of myanmar has the power to stop this injustice right on it continue to work for their release because until they're free men marise commitment to a free press and to the rule of law remains in question. who were arrested of course while reporting on the ethnic cleansing. how difficult is it today to get an accurate assessment of the situation for. the facts of the case are important here they were reporting in the village called intent on the massacre of ten men and boys the government has acknowledged that their reporting was in fact accurate and the government has taken action against those involved in the killing. so. journalism is not

a crime. myanmar deserves a media to tell the people of myanmar what's happening there. and this ruling this case and the appeals ruling today asked serious doubt over myanmar. and to the rule of law certainly wish you and your colleagues to all the best moving forward for now you from reuters and singapore thanks very much. the german chancellor all americans holding talks with political leaders in greece today earlier she met the greek president for corpus callosum laid a wreath at the tomb of the young soldier next parliament this is the first time all america has visited athens since two thousand and fourteen a key topic on the agenda is neighboring macedonia is upcoming name change. the greek prime minister alexis tsipras may face a vote of no confidence over the issue if things do not go his way. or just

how serious is that one of the questions out there today following the visit as did abuse chief political editor michelle joins us now from athens good morning michelle can on the macro help and first off this name dispute over the two macedonia's. well she certainly is trying. mapped out here in athens already that she felt that this agreement that would basically ended decades long dispute is good for both sides and it would help greece is not says it would help the european union in the sense of also stabilizing the region which is in the headlines that terribly much but which remains a constant potential source of instability blight on the european union's doorstep but she also said that she did understand that her influence particularly on the opposition leader its attackers who is from her own political count the

conservative camp which will also play a big role in this upcoming european elections gender stance that her influence there is limited and she also understands between the lines that her making any policy recommendation to dish she doesn't go down that terribly well in greece ok there's a very big meeting coming up today all america will be meeting with the greek president on what continues to be a very emotional issue on a very divisive issues well. yes the issue here in greece is how much in terms of reparations the greek state could potentially still demand from germany for germany that is an issue that is concluded that was part of an agreement that is the basis of german reunification at the same time there's a commission hearing greece that has actually come up with a bill of some two hundred ninety six billion euros that it feels germany's still

owes greece now in the light of recent history in the light of this greek rescue package that is something that certainly brings emotions to the boil here in greece at times but there's no press conference expected so if we won't see any public statements that to michelle thanks very much for that for now michelle cover for us in athens. now for a look at other stories making the news at this hour yok of poly a former nazi concentration camp guard deported deported by the united states has died at a care home in germany he spent decades living in the u.s. highlands past it was expelled last august after a long legal battle but did not face prosecution it was ninety five. china has released the first panoramic images ever taken of the far side of the moon. those images captured by its probe which landed there january third ramma was created by stitching together e.t.

photographs taken by a camera on the probe scientists are now analyzing the terrain in those images. present transformer lawyer michael cohen will put a testify publicly the fourth congressional committee next month told is expected to face questions about his ties to russia and hush money payments your range on trunks perhaps to keep extramarital affair allegations out of the news during the election campaign. now austria and germany are struggling to cope with the heaviest snowfall in two decades at least seven people have died in alpine regions in the past week authorities are warning the risk of avalanches in the mountains remains extremely high some communities in bavaria have declared a state of emergency and forecasters are warning yet more snow is on its way. it's become a military operation gem and so which is cooled into hell back garden where a state of emergency has been declared the bavarian town hasn't seen snow like this

for years and the danger is all too real. we have many requests to help clear the roofs of buildings in the tunnels but if i can help thirteen years ago fifteen people died many of them children when a roof collapsed it's important to keep a close eye on the roofs and secure any that pose a danger. heavy snow fall has completely comps off the southern german town of yacking now it may look like a perfect picture postcard but there are increasing concerns that food supplies are running low in switzerland guess we're lucky to survive an avalanche that came crashing through their hotel photos on social media show the devastation as the three hundred meter avalanche swept into the building at this fuck up mountain pass injuring three people. in the mountains around in spoke in austria

they too are on avalanche standby there are concerns that if the weather improves people may take unnecessary risks yourself people who just don't feel a fear is that people will say well there is a lot of snow the weather is better. and our experience from the last thirty years has shown that the first day of improved weather is really dangerous it's when most avalanche accidents happen the most convenient for. more than four metres of snow has already fallen in this region for those living here the hard work looks set to last some time yet spring i'm in now in s.f. is covering the story for us in austria which is struggling of course with that extreme snow fall on me and very cold where you are snowing again like when we tossed talk the last time as far as the situation there are today. yeah good morning brian well it's not again last night and i wouldn't be

exaggerating if i said that this city this town is completely buried when you go through the streets or give the impression of walking through a tunnel i mean the walls of snow are literally twice as tall as i am the headline this morning in the local newspaper was hope and truck edition hope would probably describe this side of the village i mean i'll say which has had some of the heaviest snowfall but the villagers are really dealing with it the bakeries open the hotels open people are walking through the streets there's not snow plows they don't have snow plows here actually they have they have shovels steam shovels going through the streets literally carrying the snow because there's nowhere to put it they have to put it in giant piles down the street now trepidation would describe the other side of this village about a kilometer down the street there they have been evacuated it's completely closed off no one's allowed to go there and that's because of the danger of avalanches

austrian authorities have history as usual the highest avalanche warning for that area even the mayor had to evacuate his house i don't know if you can hear but there's a helicopter flying overhead and what those helicopters are doing are checking situation to see if an avalanche is about to go down and so people had to get out of that area and i think it's good to know that the choppers are in the air and checking things out in the businesses are open where you are what are you hearing from from the other snowed in towns. well that's that's the thing there are about fifteen hundred the last time i checked fifteen hundred people in this austrian state just this area of the austrian state actually which has had such heavy snowfall that are completely inaccessible and that means that nobody can go in nobody can come out they're just living off the resources that they have but the hope side of things is that the military has begun to get in you through the air with helicopters and airplanes or on the ground with trucks that. go through forests and this morning they were able to deliver groceries to several

of these towns and there are some pictures in the newspaper of the military finally greeting these people who have been cut off from civilization basically for the past almost two weeks now ok it's good to hear that supplies are getting through out there stay warm and we'll have more from amin in that region as the snowstorm goes on thanks very much police in spain have arrested twenty eight professional tennis players following a match fixing investigation linked to an armenian criminal gang the unnamed players are thought to be from the lower tiers of pro tennis but one of them did take part in last year's u.s. open footage from the e.u. zero poll police agency showing the raids including searches of eleven houses in spain where one hundred sixty seven thousand euros of cash were seized long as credit cards a shotgun eighty three people in total are being held right now. and the us authorities have requested a d.n.a.

sample from football star christiane although that is part of an ongoing rape investigation involving him and although it is being sued for allegedly raping catherine the york in los vegas in two thousand and nine she's filed a lawsuit seeking to avoid a non-disclosure agreement that she says she was pressured into signing and all those always maintained the encounter was consensual. tennis superstar andy murray has announced he will be retiring this year saying a persistent hip injury is simply causing him too much pain to carry on playing at an emotional press conference in melbourne australia repeatedly broke down in tears he said he will play at the australian open when it begins next week but also that it may be the final tournaments of his long and stellar career the british athlete has won three grand slams along with two a limpid gold medals. i'm brian thomas for all of us here at the news team thanks so much for being with us kelly

will be joining you again at the top of the hour for may have a great weekend. nico is in germany to learn german. english beneath. them.