>> welcome to the journal. >> glad you could join us. germany's mrs. greece's demands for world war reparations -- germany dismisses greece's demands. then secretary-general outlines plans for new command centers in eastern europe as felines prepares for its biggest -- as it prepares for its biggest maneuvers in years. >> welcome to the show.

german officials have told athens that the issue of compensation for the occupation of greece was settled decades ago and the government is not prepared to discuss the issue any further. >> the greek prime minister says the country has never been fully compensated. the deal has soured relations as the country's continued their acrimonious face-off over greece's financial bailout. >> is no coincidence that greece, led by new prime minister tsipras, he says greece will meet its obligations but other countries might also honor theirs. germany's occupation of greece during world war ii was brutal. one atrocity took place in this village. in 1944, german forces murdered over 200 people in the village. 15 years ago, a court in greece

ruled that relatives had a right to compensation. the court also ruled that german assets could be seized. the then greek government prevented the seizure of property, but germany did not pay up. after germany's reunification the question of reparations was supposed to be settled once and for all. but an agreement with athens was never reach. berlin says there is no issue. >> germany is very serious about its historical responsibility. the suffering that the nazis inflicted on many countries, but this changes nothing about our position and our strong conviction that the question of reparations and compensation has, in our opinion, been resolved finally and conclusively. >> that is a view that greece has never shared. the new government in athens promises to push ahead with the

claims and says it will seize german assets if berlin does not pay up. >> could athens go ahead and make good on that threat? for more, let's bring in our political correspondent, terry martin. what is it looking like? is there concern in berlin that athens might push this forward? reporter: the german government is sticking to its position that all reparations claims relating to the second world war have been dealt with in past agreements. this applies to greece as well. as forced the german government is concerned, the legal and political case regarding greece and war reparations is closed in distorted. but that of course has not ended speculation here in berlin about whether greece will push ahead with its claims. a lot of legal experts have been weighing in on this in the media , and they have been suggesting

it is unlikely that greece would have a legal basis for trying to confiscate german assets in greece. still, greece could pursue some legal means through the courts possibly relating to a forced bank loan that the nazis that the greek central bank gave them. >> what about the negotiations over greek debt? are the differences as deep as ever? reporter: there are clearly differences there. germany is not acting alone. there are 19 member countries in the european union using the common currency, so they are all represented there. it doesn't seem to be about greece's demands for extending a payment schedule or making other request. it's more the point that they want to make -- want to see the reforms being implemented before it gives greece access to the money in the extended loan

program. >> we will see how this goes in the days and weeks ahead. terry martin for us, thanks so much. >> now to the markets, the euro is coming under ever-increasing pressure against the u.s. dollar. it reached $1.5 in trade today. >> analysts say it may not be long before the euro draws level with the dollar. >> let's see how that currency news among the other issues affected equities on tuesday starting with frankfurt with the dax. it had a strong trading day, up by more than 2.5%. the dow jones industrial average in new york is still trading slightly up at the moment. the euro just keeps going down.

>> to iraq now and iraqi forces have retaken part of the city of tikrit in their biggest counteroffensive so far against islamic state. officials say iraqi soldiers and shia militiamen captured one district in tikrit and advanced to the center of the city. heavy fighting is still going on. tikrit is an islamic state stronghold and seen as a key test. one officer said fighters are seizing civilian cars and trying to escape. iraqi forces began their advance on monday. >> to find out what is behind us with iraqi advance against ias we are joined by our reporter from baghdad. the u.s. military says and iraqi victory is imminent. what is behind iraqi battlefield success? reporter: what we are hearing in

baghdad is that they were surrounding tikrit for two days with tanks and artillery and everything to today they have barely attacked from all sides. i just talked with somebody inside the city saying there is heavy fighting going on. there are a lot of explosive devices exploding, but we hear as well that some of the eye as fighters have already left tikrit and who is left -- some of the i.s. fighters have left tikrit. and people who took tikrit months ago. >> surprisingly, we are hearing that iran and the u.s. have been working together to achieve this victory. what type of coordination have we been seeing between these two? reporter: this is an open secret in iraq for some weeks arma. they were training together in the province of anbar for this

military operation that is going on now. it was iranian commanders iranian guided militias, the iraq he army and the americans working closely together in this operation. so this is nothing new for the iraqis. what is new is that apparently there are iranian tanks surrounding tikrit and even entering the city. this is a symbolic act which is very much criticized here in baghdad. >> thanks very much. >> german chancellor angela merkel will not be attending a military parade in moscow to mark the defeat of nazi germany in world war ii. >> it seemed inappropriate to attend the parade in the russian capital. instead, she will be commemorating the liberation from the nazis by laying a

wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier one day later. >> amid growing tensions with russia over ukraine nato's secretary-general has laid out what the alliance is doing to reassure member countries that border russian territory. he outlined plans to set a new command centers in eastern europe and discuss the capabilities of nato's rapid reaction force. general philip breedlove is the supreme allied commander. they are conducting exercises in the baltic states and the black sea. we asked our brussels correspondent to tell us what was new from nato. reporter: there is a number of crucial points. let me pick out two. one is what troops on the ground, they will have to be faster. the very fast rapid response force is one of these points.

it will include 5000 soldiers. another crucial point is military exercises will be conducted more often and in larger scale. currently one is conducted with 3000 soldiers. the baltics for nato are very crucial, not only because they are on the outermost eastern border of nato, but also because there are a lot of historical and geographical parallels to ukraine. also bear in mind the sense of vulnerability on the part of the baltic people of lithuania estonia is very strong, seeing that they have been occupied by the soviet union for a long time. today, lithuania celebrates 25 years of independence. i visited the country and the people there are very grateful for nato to protect its independence. for instance, with air policing. there are two airbases, one in

estonia, one in lithuania. it is the latter that i have visited. >> the siren sounds of the airbase in lithuania means the clock is ticking. pilot scramble to get airborne. the aim is to do so within 15 minutes of nato airspace being threatened. teams here have been practicing this drill for my. -- four minus -- for months here it the country joined the alliance in 2004. his baltic air policing mission is headquartered at this airfield. for polish and italian -- for fighter jets are stationed here. >> is very exciting during our

mission to see how they are behaving during their flights. i think it's a very big advantage for us to be here are >> the number of incidents involving russian planes in baltic airspace has increased significantly since the start of the crisis in ukraine. last year, it nato jets were scrambled a record 150 times to intercept russian aircraft. in a twist of history, the polish jets are converted soviet planes. at times more than 20,000 soviet troops were stationed here during the cold war. that then, lithuania lay on the for any showdown with nato and the west. many people remember those times. the baltic states were occupied by the soviet union for a half century. fear of russian aggression has grown since moscow annexed

crimea. >> i think of lot -- i think a lot of lithuanian people are afraid of russia, for a war. >> i was born with that, and i hope i will die with that. >> people have learned their lesson from history. this captain says she grew up here. lithuania's largest -- fourth largest city. >> i could take you that i was the first generation that decided to go to the school, and i could never even imagine that it took almost 11 years to secure airspace. for us it is very important. >> the lithuanian government recently decided to reintroduce military conscription.

it is the clearest response yet to concerns over russia. >> heading back to our correspondent, the question is, what is nato's major focus now? reporter: the main focus of nato with this threat is on deterrence. in some ways that takes nato back to its roots, after difficult missions for instance in afghanistan or libya. nato boosts its collective security system that is military life was founded four. it has given nato a renewed sense of purpose. >> our reporter in russells. we are going to a short break. when we come back, fukushima four years after this to nami that devastated after the tsunami that devastated that area.

>> just listen. this is the sound of time passing as for as the size of football fields are lost every day, adding to greenhouse gases. it is the sound of biodiversity tourism, community development reliable food and water. united nations development programs, working with communities to protect forests

for the future we want. if you're hearing what we are hearing, find out more. >> welcome back. four years ago on this day northern japan was hit by an earthquake, which marked a tsunami. the region is still struggling to recover. ceremonies have been held to remember the dead. at exactly 2:46 p.m., all of japan paul's to remember -- paused to remember. this city was particularly badly hit by the synonymy. and here in tokyo at the official memorial ceremony. the emperor and prime minister paid their respects to the victims. for their surviving relatives grief is just one part of the daily struggle. thousands of people here still live in container villages, a result of the devastation the synonymy brought t -- thesunami

brought. >> we understand the difficult conditions you're living in but we want to make progress. we have to stand together as a nation. >> at 2:46 p.m. four years ago a wall of water raced toward the coast of japan. it wiped out entire villages within seconds. 15,891 people lost the lives. the bodies o aost 3000 people were never found. for the families of those missing, it is an especially difficult day. they would like to be able to mourn, but they don't know what happened to their loved ones. many continued to vit the coast regularly to search r clues. >> i prayed here to say we will never forget you. we are somehow coming to terms with this. >> four years on, the nuclear power plant in fukushima remains

a problem. it will take decades to dismantle the plant. the entire fukushima region is a contaminated ghost town. four years after one the worst disasters in japan's history it is only slowly beginning to recover. today's ficial memorial ceremony was a worthy and dignified step, but the country's problems remain. >> four years on, the prime minister's government is planning to reactivate nuclear power plants to meet the country's energy needs. many japanese are horrified by the prospect, especially those suffering from the direct consequences of the fukushima accident. hundreds of thousands of people cannot return home because of the danger from radiation. you might remember seeing some of them four years ago in emergency shelters. many of those people you saw back then are still living in temporary shelters. the television has to be on otherwise the silence is deafening. for four years now she and her son have lived in this tiny space. in a displaced persons camp.

many here lost all hope after the tragedy of march 11, 2011. people lost their friends family homes and above all, a sense of security. >> i could never have imagined that such a disaster was possible, never. i was completely convinced nuclear energy was safe. >> to utility company tech co. now wants to prove that nuclear power is safe. with press tours through seven of their nuclear reactors. it is a move that could also be labeled a pr tour. tepco says safety standards have been improved with mobile electricity generators and better training procedures. >> we could have prevented the situation at fukushima with these measures. >> many are asking if that is correct, why did tepco not have these security measures in place before the meltdown? among the japanese public, the loss of faith in nuclear energy

has been enormous. according to polls 50 -- 56% of the population or against restarting the closed nuclear reactors. just 28% are in favor. >> you just have to look at fukushima. the government doesn't want to solve the problem. they have repeatedly withheld important information from the public. >> there has been no progress in the reconstruction of fukushima daiichi, and the sea continues to be contaminated. there are massive problems with the water used to cool the reactors. 600,000 tons of contaminated water has been collected so far. fuel rods are another problem. it has not been established where exactly the rods are located. despite all this, japan's government hopes to move away from fossil fuels and return to nuclear energy production. the government is concerned about economic growth. but even if the 21 nuclear power plants that are currently being tested would be restarted, they could only deliver 14% of japan's energy needs.

she is afraid of a nuclear restart. >> there are nuclear reactors all over japan. in other words, it is not safe anywhere. >> there are still 120,000 displaced people in japan. many of them without a job without psychological care, and without hope. >> in other news, a member of russia's human rights commission says at least one suspect in the murder of opposition member boris nemtsov may have been tortured. he says the prime suspect body was covered in bruises. the former chechen policeman has admitted involvement in the murder. >> two men have been charged over the murder, but not everyone believes this version. here is more. >> boris nemtsov's associates are conducting their own investigation. this was one of his closest friends. he doesn't believe claims by russian authorities that the clues point to islamist from the caucasus. he says the murders may have come from there, but not the

people who hired them. >> there is an atmosphere of hatred and intimidation against those who criticize the country. the nemtsov murder was it terror attack, a political murder. >> at the murder scene right next to the kremlin, he says he still cannot believe his friend was executed in cold blood. but he maintains he and his colleagues won't be intimidated. >> the russian opposition says it will not give up its struggle against vladimir putin's regime. its leader say the system is damage to russia. but the opposition was already weak and divided even before boris nemtsov's murder. >> the search for clues is also ongoing. this town lives 280 kilometers north of moscow. this was the constituency boris nemtsov last represented in the regional parliament. an opposition politician remembers how nemtsov fought

against the misuse of power in the region. >> many were afraid of him. the government workers, business people he used to be a politician in the federal government, and at the time, he conducted extensive investigations. but i don't believe people here are capable of doing such a thing. >> many people agree with him including a representative from the united russia party. he believes whoever is behind the murder probably had links with western intelligence authorities. >> today, politics is full of double standards. we see what is happening in ukraine. they burned people alive to heat rings up and start a revolution. >> but for nemtsov supporters, only the kremlin stands to profit run his death. he fears that prudence critics have some tough times ahead. >> one of the biggest hit songs of 2013, blurred lines, by robin

thicke, will make a lot of the heirs of marvin gaye rich. ♪ " blurred lines c" was a worldwide chock tarver in 2013. but the jury at a los angeles district court decided elements of the tune were lifted from marvin gaye's 1977 to "got to give it up." ♪ for thegaye family, the verdict rock damages and a share of the profits totaling $7.4 million. gaye's daughter nona broke down in tears and >> i'm so filled with emotion right now that it's hard to get the words out, but his was a miracle. >>'s ex-wife said she felt the singer's spirit had interviewed the trial throughout his music.

>> all these years of not being on this plane, he speaks, and he spoke out today. >> robin thicke first admitted on drawing on the song. later he said he had been too high on our hall and painkillers to contribute to the composition. williams said he had only tried to mimic the feel of marvin gaye's late 1970's music, but denied stealing his work. >> we know in our hearts that this was an independent creation from the heart and soul of pharrell williams and nobody else. in a statement williams said they were reviewing the decision. legal experts said the verdict could face years in legal appeals. >> that is all for us. thanks for joining us. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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