this is the "kernel" on dw- tv. -- this is the "kernel" on dw- tv. >> consumer confidence it's a major boost from germany's recovery. >> and a german pop singer confesses to having hiv. the united states has warned of possible extremist attacks against foreigners and pakistan participating in the flood relief efforts. the state department spokesman said they had information of a real threat of extremist groups like the taliban it could carry

out attacks against foreign aid workers. there have been at fresh evacuations ordered in the southern sindh province. >> the flood waters show little sign of receding in southern sindh. many are fighting to survive. they carry their belongings as they move to higher ground. entire regions in the south are still submerged. the best -- the devastation is flooding. this river broke through an embankment late on wednesday, threatening several towns. most of the 400,000 residents have left. further north, the flood waters are slowly pulling back, but supply shortages and over populated refugee camps mean that illness poses a serious threat. >> there is no water to drink,

but the main problem is poor hygiene. that is when people get sick, when large numbers of people live in a small space. it disease can be passed on quickly. when one child gets diarrhea, others get it, too. >> the united nations says 3.5 million flood swept fibers -- a flood survivors only have contaminated water to drink, which means disease could spread. >> we will take an in-depth look at the situation in pakistan later in this half hour. in afghanistan, eight police officers have been killed at a checkpoint in the north of the country. insurgents may have stormed the police post to obtain weapons. several civilians were wounded in the clash. this is the latest in a series

of attacks in what had been a relatively peaceful part of the country. we spoke earlier with a general and asked in the context of the deteriorating security situation how much support the taliban was receiving from outside of afghanistan. >> thank you very much for asking this very important question. it is absolutely necessary to see all that is going on in this country, to see the entire peace and reconciliation process in a regional context. we have to take into consideration the interests of all the neighboring countries, such as iran, kyrgystan, but most of all pakistan. what i can tell you is we have mechanisms in place in the military and the government. we are protecting the borders. >> general, thank you.

angela merkel has held a meeting with heads of energy giants to discuss the future of the country's nuclear power industry. the government is considering extending the lifetime of germany's nuclear power plants, but with certain stipulations which energy companies oppose. nuclear power plants were due to be phased out in just over a decade. >> protesters gathered at this nuclear plant to oppose plans by angela merkel's government to extend the life time of germany's commercial nuclear reactors. they accuse it power companies of being interested and only money and not safety. angela merkel met with the energy giants' inside of the plant. in a frosty meeting, the chancellor told executives they should not only expect to pay a tax for operate rights but continued to develop alternative energy as well. >> i am deliberately not using

the word terrace. we have to see how the power industry contributes to nuclear energy. -- i am purposely not using the word " tarriff." >> it is expected to cause further resentment among energy companies. environment groups say the 6 billion euros of annual profits that the energy companies can afford it. the coalition government is due to present its new energy concept in late september. guido westerwelle has called on serbia to come to terms with the independence of kosovo, its former southern province, as part of its efforts to join the european union. westerwelle made the comments during visits to belgrade where he met the president and other serbian leaders. serbia is strongly opposed xhosas of's -- serbia strongly opposed coast of those declaration of independence, but negotiations have not yet begun.

westerwelle, who is in the balkans, plans to travel to kosovo on friday. shockingly high consumer confidence? >> good news, indeed, and economists are always pointing out domestic demand is weak in europe despite germany being one of the world's top exporters. now the latest survey shows consumer confidence growing as the economy recovers. more jobs and higher wages are translating into higher spending. >> germans are hitting the high street again, and that is boosting economic growth. consumer spending accounts for 6% of the country's gross domestic product, and analysts are confident it will remain important in the future, too. >> from our perspective, it looks like the worst is behind us. consumers also expect the situation to keep on improving. we think conditions are stable for now. but there are some

uncertainties. they include the economic stimulus measures and a possible addition burden on consumers due to government cost-cutting. >> but that is not dampening the mood among shoppers. the number of people who have worked is increasing and many are expecting wages to rise. experts say that could further stimulate consumer spending. the fall brings wage talks in many industries, a lot of economists are supportive of higher wages but with restraint. earlier, we asked the research institute whether they think it wage hikes are per. . -- if they are appropriate. >> we should not see the high figure is continuing, and we expect all over europe things are still flat. we should not expect german

exports to rise in the same manner, and that means more domestic demand. we have to be cautious on that. again, it is a prerequisite that german wages rise stronger in the past to get a stronger domestic demand. german shares moved higher on thursday. >> traders were very enthusiastic about could consumer news from germany that puts the upswing in this country on firmer footing, so they said. it was better than expected news from the labor markets in the united states. it still remains difficult there, the unemployment rate hike, but the view is not as bad as expected. still, the dax had a difficult time, making little progress. truckmaker man one of the best on the backs, confirming sales rose about 10% this year, and

have big plans for china in their joint venture starting next year. a new model will bring many new orders. looking at the market numbers, starting in frankfurt, the dax finished at 5930. the euro stoxx 50 was also higher. the dow jones industrials were lower. the euro is at $1.2723. toyota has recalled 10 million cars since last autumn. now another 1.1 million are being recalled in connection with an engine fault. the company says the recall is for corolla sedans and matrix hatchbacks. the company has had reports of three accidents and one minor injury in connection with the engine fault. berlin expects to make a profit this year after a loss

of 130 million euros and the first six months of 2010. germany's second-largest airline says it booking has started to pick up as more people gain confidence. it still hoped to exceed last year's profits. this year, the airline was hard hit by the cold winter, the shutdown of european airports for several weeks in the spring from the volcano. the turkish owner of a company who fled. nearly two decades ago -- who fled britain nearly two decades ago has returned to the country to face charges after being accused of stealing millions of pounds from his firm. >> he returned to london 17 years after being charged with 66 counts of fraud involving tens of millions of euros. the turkish businessman who also holds u.k. citizenship is set to

pay bail of 300,000 euros. >> i am hoping that the people who ruled this country -- who rule this country practice justice. >> he is accused of stealing millions of pounds from his firm, polytech. it was one of britain's biggest companies in its heyday before it collapsed in 1990. more than 17,000 people lost their jobs and creditors were left empty-handed. he has always protested his innocence. it is expected to appear in court in september -- he is expected to appear in court in september. a german court has given pop singer nadja benaissa a suspended sentence on charges she charged grievous bodily harm

for having unprotected sex without informing her partners she was hiv-positive. >> nadja benaissa was present in the courtroom in western germany as closing arguments were delivered. lawyers for the defense and prosecution asked the court for leniency, saying the 28-year-old singer showed remorse. she admitted to hiding her hiv status from her sexual partners and apologized during closing arguments. benaissa is a member of the popular german girl group no angels, the first group to rise to fame in germany after winning a television show. she said she kept her illness a secret because she was afraid of the consequences, a decision she now calls a cowardly act. fans gathered outside of the courtroom with mixed feelings about the case. >> it is really bad. there is no cure for aids.

but then she did that? it is not ok. >> meanwhile, aids groups said the court that collected the question of whether her partners also carry a share of the responsibility by engaging in unprotected sex. germany has agreed to change its lot in deterring sex offenders who are still believed to be a threat to society after the european court of human rights rebuked germany for laws that allow serious offenders to be kept and detention. the interior minister said the regulations will involve some type of non panel -- non panel detention of the offenders that would involve psychiatric care. >> a convicted child sex abuser lives in this western german town. although he is still considered a threat to society, a judgment

from the european court of human rights has forced german authorities to release him from custody. he is under constant police surveillance. after months of squabbling, germany's coalition partners have agreed on new legislation and how to deal with such criminals once that have served their prison sentences. >> we will have a new form of accommodation, secure accommodation for psychologically disturbed criminals. >> in future high risk of criminals, when they have served their prison sentences, they'll be treated like patients and housed in psychiatric facilities. this should apply to the 15 high-risk individuals that the government has already had to release. >> the aim is to provide at therapy and treatment so they can be released over the medium and long term. >> the new law is being pushed through quickly to protect german citizens. it is hoped to be passed by parliament next week.

engineers have begun to drain a large lake that has built up in france. the procedure involves pumping out 65,000 cubic meters of water through a hole drilled in the eyes from above. in 1892, a similar pocket of water burst and flood the valley below, killing 2000 people. the draw has been made for the champions league. they will face the defending champions, inter milan. and the german champions will fancy their chances and grouped e, facing ac roma and others. the first group of matches kickoff on september 14. it was a good evening for

european football, three teams are 3 after finishing their second playoffs. stuttgart played a closely fought game with slovakia, out the match it ending in a tie, but start with through on aggregate. -- but stoop guard went through on aggregate. -- but stuttgart through on the aggregate. we will have it in depth coming afup, taking a closer lok at the situation in pakistan with the flooding. >> stay tuned for that.

it has been almost four weeks since pakistan was hit by devastating floods. the scale is unprecedented, with almost one-fifth of the country affected. millions of acres of crops have also been destroyed. the humanitarian situation remains dire for millions of people. u.n. officials estimate 800,000 flood survivors are currently stuck in areas accessible only by air. but although aid is pouring into pakistan, getting it to the people who need it the most remains a challenge. >> one-fifth of the country is under water, and 20 million people are locked in a fight for survival. infrastructure and cops -- and

crops have been swept away. now pakistan is facing a massive political and organizational challenge. one month after the rains began, the government remains under fire for not doing enough. people say they needed to deliver fast effective aid and they are doing little to allay public anger. >> we have lost our children and cattle. we only manage to save our own lives. where is the government? they're supposed to help us. >> much of the anger is directed at the president said dari -- at the president, who embarked on a tour of european capitals just as the flood began. the pakistani army has been able to present itself as a vital lifeline and the only functioning state institution in times of national crisis. the army chief has emerged as

the strongman of the hour. his troops have wide ranging resources at their disposal, a legacy of pakistan's military rule that just came to an end to years ago. the response from the international community has been slow. there was a long delay from 18 arrived despite the appeals. >> pakistan it is -- there was a long delay from when that aid arrive despite the appeals. about pakistan is facing a national security problem. >> not many ask whether the situation is playing into the hands of extremists. groups are providing fast and effective aid in remote areas. that has cost concerns -- that has cost concerns in islamabad. >> it is feared they could exploit them. >> while the tussle for the

hearts and minds continues, so does the suffering. flood victims need help, regardless of where it comes from. earlier, we spoke with a person fro and asked how real concern is that extremist groups could be exploiting the situation. >> extremist groups are trying to help the flood affected, in certain regions. they are trying to make good use of the situation, but i don't think they have access to everybody, they don't have financial resources, and they're not trying to help every person affected by the flood, so they cannot take a huge advantage of this. i don't see that there will be any huge sympathy for the islamic forces, as is being said by most of the western media.

>> well that anger at the government have political repercussions? >> there is a huge feeling of disappointment. about how the government has handled the situation. the president should not have gone out to france and britain on this more than one-week to fourur -- tour. in that part of the country, you have a country that is fighting terrorism. you have bloodshed and economic difficulties, and all of these things joined together and it is kind of left alone by the government, but not everybody thinks so. you cannot say the government did nothing at all to help the victims.

things could have been better. >> what is the greatest challenges for the people of pakistan as they try to recover from this catastrophe? >> i think the biggest thing is people in the government have to make sure they have reached every person affected by the flood, and on a long-term basis, which will be many years. the nation's infrastructure has been damaged and has to be rebuilt. >> thank you. forecasts of more rain around the area of the river delta make it almost certain there will be more flooding in sovereign provinces -- in southern provinces, but in the north the waters have receded, allowing people to return. eight groups are to win what they can get supplies to those in need. we take a look -- aid groups are

doing what they can to get supplies to those in need. we take a look at the people trying to recover from the ravages of the flood. >> with a plastic pipe over his shoulder and a generator and tow, this person is on a mission. the relief worker from a humanitarian organization in germany is burning hope to this village. water levels here rose to 4 meters, flooding fields and destroying homes and valuable crops. villagers tried to pump out the water, but in vain. they asked for help. >> today, we're testing the generator for the first time. we will put separate generators in place and pump out all the water until the village is dry. then it is on to the next village with the generators. >> every day, this person and his helper start up the generators.

the organization will deliver the mission to the village. the goal is to get rid of all the water in two weeks, but first for lectures have to learn how they operate. -- but first of villagers have to learn how they operate. >> if we are able to move the water out of our homes and fields, we will finally be able to start putting our lives back together. i>> but they have hit a technicl glitch. the pump is sucking in air, not water. workers investigate what collectors parade. while the workers are trying to restart operations, their colleagues are paving the way for the next that in the process. if they are dry in a few weeks, the infrastructure has to be rebuilt and the streets repaired. he and his colleague are already looking for construction workers who could do the job.

>> we will be supporting the locals who have been affected and will have economic activity. we're going through local people and local contractors, and it is another way of supporting the local area. >> the pump is finally working, to the delight of everyone. >> today was a real success story. it is a great help for our work when we see how happy the local people are. >> now the tractor is working also. for which the elders say there is light at the end of the tunnel after so much -- village elders say there is light at the end of the tunnel after so much suffering. >> now life is returning. >> the water is finally leaving

the village, the first that in the long recovery process. thank you for watching. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--