>> hello and welcome to the journal coming to live journal offdw in berlin. >> here's what's coming up in the next half hour. moratoria telling all foreigners to get out of the south warning of a nuclear war. >> the german party agreeing to a process for finding a place to store nuclear waste. >> the disgraced ex-president, christian wulff, standing his ground sank, bring on the judge. >> japan and south korea are putting together measures as

they continue to make threats of nuclear war. earlier on tuesday, north korea told all foreign companies and tourists in korea to evacuate saying the two or on the verge of a serious escalation. >> ban ki-moon said it could have a provoked violent retaliation. this has not stopped some governments for preparing for the worst. >> the japanese army has deployed four patriot missile batteries to protect its 30 million citizens of greater tokyo. two were stationed in the defense ministry. so far, the response to threats from north korea has been rather low key. but prime minister abe says it's important to be prepared. >> we must work together with the international community,

implement sanctions, and take all possible measures to protect lives. >> intelligence reports suggest north korea has readied two midrange missiles on the eastern coast. have an estimated range of 4,000 kilometers that would cover any target in japan as well as on the pacific island of guam where the u.s. has a military base, and south korea. in north korea, the government has halted production in this industrial park jointly operated with the south. 50,000 employees are told to boycott. they called the move "very disappointing." >> of north korea breaches' roles like this, no country or company will invest in north korea. >> set up in 2004, it has been a crucial hard-currency source for pond yang -- for p'yongyang.

they will see if they will be making good on their threat. >> to syria where there has now been confirmation of long-held suspicions that the jihaddist are linked to allow qaeda. >> that is if what the head of the of the iraq arm say ifs. he said there had been receiving funds and from 2011. >> the have claimed some 500 attacks across syria saying they want to establish an islamist country. >> the leader of al qaeda in iraq a confirming some things that we had feared. saying they are closely linked to el qaeda. the group, seen here in the propaganda video, claims to have about 7000 supporters. they have been funding the syrian group for two years.

the front's first made headlines when a call for a holy war against syrian president bashar of assaad. then carried out more than 500 attacks including car bombings in damascus last may killing 55 people. yesterday's attacked killing 15 in damascus as also being it should be added to this group. the fighters have been an effective part of the uprising against the assaad regime, but they make no secret of their hostility towards secular institutions. their goal is the creation of an islamist state in syria. >> now the talk about this and the threat that it poses in syria, i am joined by an analyst on international affairs. thank you for being with us. what are the implications of these two groups are linked?

>> first and foremost, this is a major setback for the opposition and the rebels. they have done a lot to win the support of the americans and the jordanians in the last few years. have struggled hard. now, some of these states will think again about whether it makes sense to support an insurgency in where our qaeda is planning a role. >> let's talk about the radical islamist groups. how big of a role do they play? >> the represent about 10% of the rebels in syria, but this front is well organized. the fighters are disciplined. some of them have experience from a iraq and their well- financed. they are lot stronger than most of the other groups and that is, of course, problematic because in the long run, bashar all assaad will fall and the group will try to play a role in the future of syria.

>> we know they have the goal of creating an islamist state in syria. what would you say is the opinion of the general syrian population? with the support something like this? >> the out qaeda at style state, many have some but these are green -- arguing when they needed someone to protect them and from the onslaught of the regime while all of the others were not helping them, they have a point, but most of those who supported the rebels probably would rather supportive muslim brotherhood's style of an islamist state, not a taliban- style state. >> a good stop these groups from gaining more influence in syria? >> for the time being, i do not think there is a chance. the americans have tried very hard to support other groups in

syria, but i think this will only lead to more in fighting within the rebel movement. clucks from the german institute of international security and fares, thank you for being in the studio with us today. reports from iran sale least 30 in a powerful earthquake in the south of the country. the u.s. geological survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.3. >> the tremor hit some 90 kilometers south east of the sport. officials say this nuclear plant was not affected. some 800 people are said to have been injured. the operator of the crippled fukushima nuclear plant has detected a fresh leak out an underground water storage pool. >> the operator said a new leak had developed in the number one storage pool.

this is where contaminated water was being transferred via to an already leaking bid. it has broken down twice in the last month. in light of the fukushima disaster, the safe disposal of nuclear waste in germany has always been a controversial issue. for years, highly radioactive material has been stored in for more -- formoer salt mine. >> they have said it is not sustainable. the federal states and political parties have been at odds over an alternative solution, until now. >> berlin, state governments, and the opposition are pulling together after a 30-year-long political tug-of-war. they say they are now keen to find a way on finding a storage

facility for radioactive waste. >> this is our chance to solve the final question completing the use of power with a cross- party consensus. this must be a science-based process with the final and of storing this in the safest possible place. that must be our only criteria, not the geographical location. >> the only location that has been searched or considered in the past is a disused salt mine in lower saxony. the commission to find a new side is made up of politicians and scientists but also church representatives and trade unions. >> this is the first time we can expect a discussion about the final storage of nuclear waste that is reasonable, transparent, and includes all

stakeholders. >> central and regional governments need to decide what should happen to nuclear waste until a decision is made. the commission is not expected to make a final choice on until 2031. >> joining us now from our parliamentary studios, political correspondent simon young. some sort of deal has been reached, an agreement to talk. while reducing have agreed on? -- what would you say they have agreed on? >> there will be inquiries to decide the criteria by which the selection of the site will be made, the site for permanent storage of the highly radioactive nuclear waste. as you mentioned, they have committed to the date of 2031. the environment minister also said today this was an important decision bringing reason into such an emotional debate. so far, there has only been one

site seriously considered, gorlebenm, in lower saxony. they say it is not geologically suited. now the search for a site will go on nation-wide including gorleben. >> could this spell the end of the long-running controversy on the storage of nuclear west -- waste? >> nuclear waste will be a popular wherever it ends up. this process is quite complicated because federal government and regional governments have to support it. certainly, today's agreement represents a step forward in this debate over the ultimate destiny for germany's nuclear waste. >> simon young in our parliamentary studio, thank you. >> time now for business use. trade took an unexpected hit in

germany in february. >> total exports were down by almost 3% compared to the same time last year. drop offs were greatest in the eurozone. >> they say the downturn is only a blip and that better times are just around a corner. >> the german export motor ran smoothly in january, especially with customers in asia and north america. but february was a different story. demand in the eurozone drop doffs sharply. german companies shipped almost 4% fewer goods than february of last year. countries not using the euro currency also bought fewer goods. demand from customers outside of europe fell by 2% in january -- since january. they say the numbers are not a trend and there's little cause for concern.

>> there will be an upturn in the u.s.. there will also be strong growth in china. >> managers at german export companies say they are already experiencing increased demand from neighboring countries. >> european shares were lower. earnings season had just gotten under way stefan has an update from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> they sold less cars in march than one year before. there has been a slow down with a big impact on the frankfurt floor. volkswagen shares down by 3.5% and have been the leading loser on the dax.

the market, in general, has been weak down the first reaction from investors tried to ignore the weak export data. after wall street opened, the loss has widened. >> let's get a closer look at the numbers. closing slightly in the red, but the euro stocks 50 in the green. the dow jones hit an intra-day record on tuesday. the euro-dollar is currently trending higher. clutch german employees of the online shopping giant amazon have gotten a warning strike in the seven german jobs strikes. >> they picketed the company in the area. they're demanding extra pay for a nighttime march. after monday's negotiations, after they did not go as hoped, they will be working to vote on

a longer strike. >> we will be back after a short break. don't go away.

>> welcome back. hungary has seen widespread protests over the prime minister's move towards authoritarianism role. >> the opposition has contested the far reaching implications. opposition lawmakers say they will allow government interference sharply curtailing its independence. >> we caught up with some students are worried about the erosion of democratic freedoms in the country. >> she is 19 years old. she is a sociology students in budapest and she is a phase of the opposition and. right now, she spends a lot of

time protesting against the government that has recently changed the constitution. >> i cannot understand why it is important to change the constitution every second week. >> the conservative party has a two-thirds majority in parliament. they have used that to change the hungarian constitution four times comparing them to russia's vladimir putin and. the prime minister was once a rights activists himself. now that he is in in government and, they have adopted that saying they have forgotten their roots. >> they have started to destroy democracy in hungary. if we have to be afraid in our apartments and the police can get us in the early morning without any papers.

correction and not there such things in hungary for fear of retribution. they have plans protests on mine. for the students, the internet as a place for them to speak out. they say the dissent is muzzled. last month's changes to the constitution could change their lives, mandating the pay for their degrees they leave the country up a graduation. an outrage, they say. >> they cannot tell me what to do in five years' time. >> the students are in the minority here. they resent criticism from abroad. people overseas are always attacking hungary.

the government's nationalism strength party as to the right of the prime minister. these are supporters of the far right anti-semitic party. here, they're protesting against israel. he is pulling better and better. recently, they hit the headlines when they compiled a list of students at the budapest university. this person was described as "ugly jew face." they fight against this sort of anti-semitism day after day. >> this time, they manage to mobilize 2000 people to protest in front of the headquarters of the party. many are from the middle class.

on the placard, a charge that many in the opposition make reading -- for these people, the spirit of the anti-communist revolution as long gone. at least not in budapest. >> former german president christian wulff is back in the headlines. has turned down an offer by state prosecutors to drop the corruption investigation. >> wulff wants his day in court. 14 months ago, he stepped down as the german president amid allegations he had used his previous position as a state premier of lower saxony to gain financial advantages. >> ? wulff plans to clear his name. be seen99 as an15 mission -- could be seen as an admission of

guilt. >> the accusations against mr. wulff are without merit. he has done nothing wrong. >> prosecutors in hanover say the process is near completion and and formal charges will be on the way. he's expected of a college ---- he is facing obstruction. later, wulff is alleged to have asked a contact at siemens to help a film project. >> what would you do if you're stuck in a foreign country accused of tax evasion and could not leave. >> first, here's a look at some

other stores around the world. more fallout from the offshore tax havens scandal. the german finance minister says he will work closely with the u.s. treasury secretary, jack lew. lew was in berlin for talks ahead of the imf meeting in washington. >> 5 the u.n. peacekeepers were killed. >> the rebels backed by sudan are believed to be responsible. south saddam broke away after decades of civil war. -- south sudan broke away. >> uhuura cannot has been sworn in. he praised kenyan of voters for rejecting what he called "the tents -- "attempts to influence

the election." is accused of crimes erupting after the 2007 election. >> meeting with benjamin netanyahu to revive middle east peace talks, secretary of state john kerry says he will be working with israeli and palestinian leaders to improve relations. he warned against seeking a rushed resolution saying it's important to first seek trust. >> the german justice minister in china for annual talks on the rule of law, part of the meeting. >> has been barred for leaving the city because it allegations of tax evasion that he has never faced formal charges. >> we have more on a man stuck in a legal limbo.

it has been one year since they raided his beijing office and arrested the german shipping agent. they interrogated him in this building for 12 hours. without access to a lawyer and an interpreter who barely understood german. he was pressured into signing a statement in chinese. in the middle of the night, he was taken to this prison and put in a 20-square meter so with 12 other inmates. >> i thought the whole thing was a mistake. it was extremely emotional to be laying there, trying to sleep, not knowing how the other 12 people are around me and why they are there, why i was there. >> he spends 127 days in prison,

unable to communicate and still without access to a lawyer. it took four months before he was released on bail, but he is not allowed to leave beijing. he has been accused of tax evasion to the tune of 2.4 million euro. it is a he deliberately undervalued important artworks to avoid high tax levies. >> it's not actually possible for me to do that. it is the customers who declare their value. we provide a service and do not stand to gain anything. >> the only people who would profit from such fraud would be his customers like this art collector who commission most of the art works now under question, but he is not under investigation.

>> he is one of the most influential collectors in the world, not in china. i imagine he is very well connected. he is opening a private museum in shanghai and probably has enough spare change. i have no idea. >> the company worked for had to give up their beijing workhouse. they had only just built a 3.5 million euro security and air- conditioning a refit. has this been to wedge out competition or scare them into paying higher taxes? with no sign of a trial in the near future, he can alito for more pressure from germany. cuts before we go, we want to recap the top story. japan and south korea are putting measures in place as north korea continues to make

threats of nuclear war. the have told all foreign companies and tourists in south korea to evacuate saying the two countries are on the verge of nuclear war. >> u.n. secretary less thanban ki moon mourns even a small incident can force an uncontrollable situation on the divided korean peninsula. this has been going on for weeks now. we will continue to keep it posted as it develops. if >> are now your up-to-date on "the journal." . for joining us and we will see you next time.

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