>> live from the dw studios in berlin, this is the "journal." >> here's the headlines -- under water -- rescuers in europe fights severe flooding in germany, the czech republic, and austria. >> a court in egypt shall cell jail sentences to more than 40 ngo workers. >> and a high-profile media not to trial resumes in munich for the first testimony. it is some of the worst flooding that europe has seen.

evacuation's across germany, austria, poland, and the czech republic. heavy rainfall has battered the region and parts of the czech capital. >> the south and east of germany have also been particularly hard-hit, starting from the very all the way north to saxony. the human suffering and economic losses have been greatest in the cities on big rivers. >> the river is rising by the hour. people in dresden are doing what they can to protect their homes and businesses. the last major flood here has not been forgotten. it was only 11 years ago, and at the time, it was described as a once in a century event. locals fear a repeat. >> it can happen to us at any time. there are people who say that it was the biggest flood ever. no, it was not.

it can happen again. >> we are prepared mentally nowadays. we have been through it once, and we know how to deal with it. >> the waters are rising rapidly. the river has already swollen to three times its usual level. it is due to peak on wednesday and could hit the record level of 11 years ago. but there's still the hope that the estimates are wrong. coupled with the belief that dresden is better prepared this time. hope, too, in southern germany. the worst appears to be over in bavaria. water levels have dropped from their 500-year highs of monday. now the cleanup work can begin. business owners are facing a huge bill. >> we will just have to wait and

see what the damage is. it is a catastrophe -- a huge catastrophe. clean this up is going to take a lot of time and energy. i do not know how we are going to manage it all. >> there is no all clear here yet. it will be days before the cleanup can begin in some parts of the area, and there is still the fear that flood waters could still rise again. >> chancellor angela merkel has been in the region promising emergency aid to the victims and help in the cleanup effort. >> the first stop was a bavarian town where a 500-year watermark has been reached. >> it is important to see leadership from the chancellor, especially with federal elections just a couple of months away. >> the last time there was this much water here, they did not have motorboats. it was in the middle ages. chancellor angela merkel stop here first on her tour of the disaster areas. in all, she pledged 100 million

euros in aid from the german government. >> i understand that it will take many weeks. the loss of income and the damage will have a lasting impact, so our support will not falter. >> merkel does not want her appearance to be seen as a grab for votes. but there is no denying that floods can help politicians hold on to power. that is what the former chancellor found out after viewing damage in saxony 11 years ago. taking charge in rain gear helped him win reelection in 2002. merkel's challenger said the flood is a case for more european integration at a foreign policy speech in berlin. >> this flood has impacted people in a number of european nations. another example of why it is important for europeans to stand together. >> the german chancellor will encounter similar damage as she

continues her tour. she will be able to promise federal relief, a message people surely want to hear, even if it is not meant to get votes. >> what is the mood in the region, which has been, as we heard, rebuilding since the last flooding in 2002? we are joined live by our correspondent in holland. what is the situation where you are? is the worst over? how are people dealing with things? >> i'm afraid the worst is probably not over. the river that flows through here has risen to an all-time record high of 7.7 meters, and, frankly, the dax behind me are saturated like sponges -- the dikes behind me are saturated like sponges. there are thousands of sandbags behind me placed to shore them up, but the mood is changing. i was talking to a policeman a short while ago. whereas we were being told this

afternoon that the dikes were safe, people are being very cautious about given that kind -- giving that kind of insurance -- giving that kind of assurance at the moment. >> so there is still a lot moving right now. nonetheless, what is the outlook for this region in the mths >> well, of course, there does not appear to be a very grave danger to people's lives. that is the first positive thing to say. the germans have learned from the experience of the catastrophic floods that we had a decade ago, and the preparations for evacuate people and so on are all in place, not just here, but across the flood- stricken region. the damage, really, is the most serious thing. i understand that a decade ago, the estimates are that the cost of the flooding -- it is always

difficult to estimate -- across the region -- that is germany and its neighboring countries -- was somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 billion euros. most people in germany as in other parts of the world do not have insurance against flood damage. you have to take out special insurance for it. only about 1/3 of germans have that kind of insurance, so it is a worrying situation. >> thanks very much. >> as john just mentioned, the situation is having an impact on germany's neighbors. people in austria are bracing for the danube river to swell even further. many towns have been flooded, and hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes. >> in the czech capital, prague, the deluge is threatening the city center, but forecasters say the rain is receding and the river has likely peaked. in germany, it is a trial that has gripped the country and left many asking why a neo-nazi gang

was aiming to -- was able to carry out a killing spree for years and detected. on tuesday in munich, the search continued. a key witness took the stand. >> he is a former member of the nsu terror cell, which is suspected of killing 10 people over a decade. he is alleged to have provided the gun used in the crimes. >> the accused man hit his face from the tv cameras before the hearing began. behind closed doors, he told the court how he became a neo-nazi as a young man but left the scene many years ago. >> my client wants to do all he can to help ascertain what exactly happened, and a large part of his motivation is to try to come to terms with what happened. >> the man is accused of supplying the terrorist group with this weapon -- a pistol fitted with a silencer, one of

two guns the group used to kill their victims. all but the final victim were immigrants in germany. lawyers for those people's families say they doubt the man's motives for testifying at the trial. >> we will know by the end of the day, and after questioning other witnesses, how credible his testimony is. i believe that there are some signs that he has tried to play down his role in these crimes. >> the main suspect in the case -- beate zschape -- says she intends to utilize her right to remain silent. the defendant asked for the charges to be thrown out. they say comments by politicians and say prosecutors showed the defendant cannot expect a fair trial. >> our correspondent followed the trial for us in munich and sent us this report. >> tuesday saw the first and potentially the most important wednesday -- witness in

evidence. carsten s. has already confessed to his role in providing the weapon. he says one of the coat- defendants -- co-defendants ordered him to find a mobile phone and later to destroy the sim card, so anything he says could weigh heavily on the other defendants. his testimony opened up the opportunity for lawyers of victims to ask direct questions. their opportunity for the first time to get some concrete answers for their specific questions in this trial. >> now to a decision that has stunned western observers. a court in cairo has handed down jail sentences to dozens of ngo workers accused of fuelling unrest. many of them were foreigners and have already left egypt. >> five defenders who were present received two years

behind bars. from washington to berlin, activist groups and governments were condemning the decision. >> they are asking how the dialogue between the west and political islam can move forward in egypt following this ruling. we go live to cairo in a minute. first is this report. >> sentenced to five years in jail with a fine of 1000 egyptian pounds each. >> all of the 43 non-profit workers were found guilty. 27 foreigners received the highest sentence of five years, most of them in absentia, including two germans working for a foundation in cairo. it all began in december 2011 when the egyptian police raided the offices of 70 foreign ngo's, including the foundation, confiscating files and computers. they were charged with using illegal foreign funds to foment unrest in the country. the sentence has -- the sentence

has caused an outcry. >> it is a stain on the country's good relations with the rest of the world, which are necessary for the whole of egypt. >> the damage could be irreparable. the court has also ordered all the egyptian branches of the ngo's to leave the country for good. >> for more on this decision, we are joined live on the line by our correspondent in cairo. first off, how serious is this decision? >> i think it is a very serious decision, a very surprising decision because this was a case that basically started more than a year ago under the military rule in egypt. 43 defendants were sentenced one to five years. most of the foreigners got five years in absentia. there is only one corner left in

the country, one american ngo worker -- there's only one foreigner left in the country. lawyers already said they are going to appeal the case. >> what does this decision mean for other ngo's now working in egypt? will we see an exodus? >> i think what we will see is that this is a message to the local ngo's. the message is, "if we can do this to the american and german ngo's, we can do this to anyone in egypt." all the organizations in egypt are walking on very uncertain terrain, and this is the message of the decision today. >> thanks very much. >> anti-government protests are continuing in turkey. it is the fifth day of anti- government demonstrations that started in istanbul. they have now spread to the country's largest cities. protesters marched in the main

square in the capital on corrupt. police have been accused of using excessive force, but today, some protesters were making a case with armed officers. >> turkey's deputy prime minister has offered an apology for the violent crackdown, but it remains unclear if he is speaking for the prime minister, who is out of the country right now. >> france says it is certain that the nerve gas sarin has been used several times during the civil war in syria. the foreign ministers said tests show that traces of it were present in various samples, and said there was no doubt that at least one of the attacks was carried out by the assad regime and its accomplices. >> the united nations also says that limited amounts of chemical weapons have been used in the civil war. a report prepared for the united nations human rights council described the situation in syria as a worsening catastrophe. we will be back in a little bit

right after a short break, including news here about a trade war brewing between china and the eu. >> that and much more.

>> welcome back. the effort to decriminalize marijuana has been making strong efforts in the u.s. -- has been making progress in the u.s. >> latin-american nations are calling on washington and the rest of the world to rethink the so-called war on drugs, saying it is a 40-year-old failure that has led to more crime, more political corruption at the highest levels, and less freedom. >> the u.s. continues to reject guidelines for government production and distribution of drugs, but the pressure is mounting for what many say is a war washington has lost on all fronts. >> it is called the war on drugs, the conflict that pits his military might against heavily armed drug gangs, and a

campaign that has lasted decades. it costs the united states billions every year -- the aim, to eradicate coca fields, that locate and confiscate drug shipments -- and to locate and confiscate jug shipments. its effectiveness is highly disputed. the cocaine processed in colombia, peru, and bolivia is a multi-billion-euro business. this is how it works. a farmer turns the leaves into a paste and gets around 800 euros per kilo -- kilo. a colombian intermediary gets paid after turning the paste into cocaine. dealers in europe pay 60,000 euros for 1 kilo, and it sells on the streets for 170,000 europa -- euros. they bribed politicians, policemen, and judges to keep it flowing. the bride, kidnap, and murder. they will go to any lengths to

get their product to market, even building their own submarines. or constructing sophisticated tunnel networks. most drugs are smuggled into the united states through mexico. another route takes them via the caribbean. europe is the world's number two market for narcotics. it is applied directly and through western africa. from time to time, authorities per recaptured drug lords in front of world media. each time, the drugs trade shows it is bigger than a few individuals. from the war on drugs to a new strategy, this is one of a number of projects in south america. these bolivian farmers are allowed to grow the crop, but only on a small piece of land under the control of the trade union. projects like these have helped lead to a modest production in coca cultivation. bolivia's president has championed vocalise decriminalized said that they

can be used as medicine -- championed the cause to get coca leaves decriminalized. >> i come to you with a request from the bolivian people with a request to respect their sovereignty and to recognize the legal consumption of coca. >> at the summit of the americas, a number of south american nations made clear that an alternative military strategy was preferred, and they included columbia. columbia -- colombia's president said addicts should be treated as patients and not as criminals. >> we have in our heads new ideas to consider, new policy ideas that are not the sole solution or a silver bullet sure, but they need to be raised. >> another proposal, to

decriminalize what are called soft drugs like marijuana in the hope that the price of drugs would fall and dealing with losing its attraction. >> today marks the 24th anniversary of the chinese government's crackdown on the country's pro-democracy movent in beijing. authorities have been bolstering the presence on the square in uniform and undercover police to prevent commemoration of the event. >> the chinese military into the square and forcibly dispersed hundreds of militants demonstrating for democracy and human rights. televised images of the violence went around the world. the number of casualties has never been officially determined, but estimates range from 200 to more than 3000. in trade wars -- well, a trade war is brewing between the european union and china, and germany is caught in the middle. >> it is about solar technology.

brussels has slapped beijing with an import levy, saying it is guilty of a monopoly. >> the eu trade commissioner did not mince words, even though they could trigger a trade war. >> the european commission has decided unanimously to imposed provisional tariffs on solar panels imported from china in order to counter the dominance of these products on the european market. >> the european commission concluded that chinese solar panels were being sold way below cost in europe. the inputs should be 88% more expensive. a punitive tariff of 11%, rising to 40% in august, is now in force. several member states oppose the move, including germany, but the commissioner was unrepentant. >> it is true that the number of member states, of which germany,

had a negative opinion, but we have the responsibility to enforce these regulations. >> the tariffs are provisional until december when member states will vote again on the measure. the commissioner says he wants a fair solution with china, and he wants beijing to begin talks. >> a court in stood guard has found the former portion executive guilty of fraud and ordered him to pay a fine of 30,000 euros -- a court in stuttgart. >> he provided false information during portia's failed bid -- porsche's failed bid to take over volkswagen and he was also found guilty of trying to manipulate volkswagen shares. our markets correspondence sent us this roundup from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> car shares were in focus this

tuesday in frankfurt, not only because of the verdict against the former porsche manager, but also because new numbers of car registrations and car sales were reported. the bottom line is these numbers did not look good from the point of view of the german car makers. in may in germany, 10% fewer new cars were registered than in may of last year. in the united states, only the luxury-car makers managed to increase sales. volkswagen, for example, has to cope with the competition on the u.s. market so that the number of volkswagens sold in the u.s. declined in may compared to last year. >> let's look at what is happening at the stock markets. stocks in the european markets all gain on tuesday. the dax was up 5.12% and closed at 8295. the euro stoxx was also up some

0.29%. -- the dax was up by 0.12%. the bureau is trading at $1.30. -- the euro is trading at $1.30. >> roger federer is out of the french open. he lost his quarterfinal matche. there was no such upside in the women's competition, where serena williams is through the semis. the world number one will meet italy's finalist on thursday. >> turning to german soccer now, and outgoing bayern munich head coach says he will be taking a hiatus from the game fresh off winning a historic trouble. he made the announcement at a press conference in munich. >> it puts a temporary end to

rumors that he might be heading to spain to coach real madrid, but it did leave open the possibility for a future comeback. he will be succeeded by the former barcelona coach, pep guardiola, who has a very tough act to follow. it is not often an author is issued an award for satirizing academics in the university system, but that is happening this year. >> the prize is one of germany's most prestigious awards for literature. when it joins an illustrious group -- the winner joins an illustrious group. >> his works often revolve around characters with perky views of the world and odd obsessions. they are full of strong emotions and vividly imagined scenes. the daughter of a bulgarian

father and german mother, she has now published a total of seven novels. >> of course he had no fear of him. he hardly looked like a circus lions escaped from its cage, a large, heavy table covering him. the lion was lying there quite peaceably, definitely not acting like a devour of christians -- devourer of christians. >> her last novel was a satirical look back at the writers who were popular during her university days and they're mostly female admirers. >> i wanted to describe how people went to university those days and help people treated academic stars. the big stars often surrounded themselves with students who were half crazy. >> the cultural academy presenting the award praised the author for inexhaustible observing energy.

the prize carries a stipend of 50,000 euros. >> it has been a big day for the british royal family and royal watchers as queen elizabeth ii celebrated the 60th anniversary of her coronation. >> some 2000 international dignitaries attended the ceremony at westminster abbey commemorating the event. now 87 years old, elizabeth was found on june 2, 1953, although she became queen the year before. she is the second longest reigning british monarch after queen victoria. that is all for now. thanks so much for joining us. >> see you later. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's wednesday, june 5th, i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. french leaders say they have proof that leaders in syria used a deadly nerve agent. french scientists tested samples from syria. he said results point to serin gas. >> there is no doubt of the use of the regime and its accomplices. >> he said a line has been crossed and french leadersl