anchor: live from the dw studios in berlin, this is your world news. anchor: i am brian thomas. coming up on this program german authorities say they have foiled what could have in a deadly islamist attack. explosives have been seized. anchor: new allegations the german officials helped the u.s. spy on france. the eu and airbus put pressure on the chancellor. anchor: as vietnam marks the 40th anniversary of its military victory, it struggles with the legacy of agent orange, the chemical weapons still affects some 3 million. ♪

anchor: welcome to the program. german police are questioning a married couple outside of frankfurt with possible ties to radical lists. the police unit had the two under observation. it is thought they may have been planning a deadly attack on a major bike race. anchor: they have identified the suspects, and say they found a pipe bomb and weapons inside the couple's home. one of the suspects allegedly had contact with al qaeda. we begin our broadcast inside their apartments. reporter: investigators have been turning the apartment upside down. they are looking for dangerous materials and further clues as to what the couple might have been planning. police who raided the home confiscated a bomb that was ready for use, along with arms and ammunition. officials suspect the couple

arrested, a german national and his turkish wife, our islamist extremists. >> we expect there is a background to this. according to the police investigation so far we were able to prevent a terrorist attack. reporter: a hardware store tipped off the police a month ago. the couple allegedly used false identities to buy a large quantity of hydrogen peroxide which can be used to make bombs. media reports say the man is a chemist and has connections to the scene and frankfurt. officials have been watching him for weeks before they moved in. >> the accused began acting suspiciously while under observation. he spent time along the route of

the bicycle race that takes place tomorrow in frankfurt. reporter: but that bike race, a popular annual event in frankfurt, has now been canceled. it was supposed to go right past the suspect's apartment. anchor: for the latest on this story, let's turn to our chief political correspondent, linda crane, who was following that press conference for us. the police were not shy about drawing comparisons with other major terrorist attacks. reporter: that's right. it was clearly the prospect that this might have been a bombing along the lines of the boston marathon race that led them to move in last night and arrest the two suspects. they said in answer to a question that of course yesterday they had discussed the idea that it might he a parallel attack like the boston marathon,

and it was that that made them decide they needed to move in at that time because they had seen the male suspect in a section of forest that was right by the track of the bicycle race. that bicycle race has in fact now been canceled. a second point that was mentioned, in answer to questions about exactly what these kinds of chemicals, what kind of damage they could cause one of the spokesman said think of madrid. those would be the bombings in madrid in 2004. major, major damage, many lives lost there. clearly the authorities were taking this potential attack very seriously. reporter: is this isolated? is it related to just these two individuals, or are they part of a larger terrorist cell? reporter: i would suppose -- fear they could be part of a larger group could be one reason why the bicycle race was

canceled even though the two suspects are now in detention. a number of different leads that they are investigating and they said they cannot yet rule out that these two people may hve had accomplices. anchor: thanks for now. stay with us. we would like to get back with you with more questions in a couple minutes. anchor: i want to stay in germany. there have been more revelations that germany's foreign intelligence agency may have assisted american spies targeting top european firms. the latest reports go far beyond industrial espionage. anchor: they are alleging the german agents also have helped the nsa spy on france and

european institutions, including the french foreign ministry and the eu commission itself. anchor: airspace giant ariirbus was reportedly targeted, and it says it will sue for damages. reporter: this electronic listening post in bavaria is supposed to help track down terrorists. media reports say at the nsa's request, german intelligence used it to spy on european firms and leaders. it is alleged that the office of the german chancellor knew about it. >> the german authorities will have to deal with that and i suppose they will do so. reporter: the opposition believes the interior minister may have misled parliament about the activities of the bnd and nsa. >> we insist on finding out the truth about the bnd but also about theose in charge now and before.

then we will have to see who bears responsibility for what. i believe heads will roll. reporter: the government has so far kept quiet, but it could face tough questions from france and the european commission. anchor: let's bring in melinda crane for more on this. could these revelations pose a threat to chancellor angela merkel's government? there are calls for her interior minister to resign. reporter: that's right. perhaps first a bit of background. there's a lot we don't yet know. some german media are reporting that the nsa the u.s. intelligence service, made a request to the german intelligence service for use of information and its spying capability in regard to the various entities, international companies, the eu commission which you mentioned. we do not know whether the bnd

complied with that request. the government spokesman has said so far it did not, but nobody has seen the actual data yet except for a very few individuals. the problem for the interior ministry is that not necessarily that the bnd complied, but he told parliament he had no information on nsa industrial espionage activities. this would appear to be incorrect if the nsa had been making such requests to the bnd. that is definitely a problem for him. a further problem for the chancellor, certainly this is a great embarrassment to her given the fact she had protested quite vocally about the fact that her own cell phone had been overheard by the u.s. intelligence agencies. that protest is looking somewhat less credible and in general, very embarrassing for her. these are the international

companies like airbus. a lot of explaining to do for the german government. anchor: the parliamentary commission looking into this, so hopefully they will be coming up with answers. melinda crane, thank you so much for now. reporter: next we had to africa, where allegations that french peacekeeping troops in the central african republic may have raped starving children they were meant to protect. if the alleged abuses are proven, the french president has vowed there will be no impunity for troops and that those involved will feel the full force of the law. anchor: a leaked u.n. report quoted by "the guardian" cites evidence of sexual abuse of boys as young as 8. revelations could further complicate the peace mission in the c.a.r. reporter: when francois hollande sent 2000 troops to the central african republic, the aim was to prevent a new genocide. now up to 14 men stand accused of child abuse.

francois hollande sent them a clear message. >> i am proud of our armies and thus will show no remorse to anyone proved to have him badly% if that's the case in the central african republic. reporter: french troops continue to guard a refugee camp at the airport, the only hope of safety for many civilians. a leaked u.n. report includes accounts of children that they were raped or forced to perform sexual acts in exchange for food. news of the allegations spread fear among the people who fled here. >> when i see the soldiers from france and other countries that are here, it sickens me because they have not come to protect us. they have come here to ransack our country and hurt our children. reporter: the u.n. now faces criticism after it took a whistleblower to make an internal report public even after collecting witness accounts, the u.n. mission did not act. >> it would immediately send up

red flags for any person who spoke to that child that this needed to be stopped immediately. reporter: whether anyone has ever convicted or not tens of thousands of civilians in the central african republic will continue to rely on the protection of french troops. anchor: it was 40 years ago today that victoria's north vietnamese troops raised a flag over saigon as the last american embassy personnel fled that captured city. anchor: the u.s. continues to come under strong criticism for the war and its aftermath. agent orange was a silent slayer. it has been linked to cancer, severe illnesses, and birth defects in 3 million people. reporter: every breath, every movement is difficult for him and his brother. their muscles and bones ache trade the boys are 13 and 15

years old. they are among the youngest victims of the war that ended 40 years ago. their birth defects were caused by the dioxin agent orange. >> sometimes i children ask me why they are like this. why do they have this disease? and i don't know what to say. this is the way you were born, i tell them. reporter: the brothers can't address themselves, nor can they feed themselves. they cannot go to school. long before they were born their father came into contact with agent orange. the toxic herbicide caused genetic damage that he passed on to his children. >> sometimes i try to tell my friends how i feel, but they don't really understand. reporter: the u.s. military sprayed 80 million liters of

agent orange during the vietnam war. an 88-year-old war veteran experience the use of agent orange firsthand. >> it was crazy what the americans did here in vietnam spraying us with poison from airplanes. when the planes came we would cover ourselves with rain capes but i'm sure we all breathe it in. reporter: the vietnam war ended 40 years ago but the toxin and its horrific effects remain. some of the youngest victims are being treated in ho chi minh city. one child has no eyes. another has a disproportionately large head. almost all are mentally disabled trade around 3 million people in vietnam are suffering the effects of agent orange. since the war 150,000 children have been born with birth defects. >> you need love to be able to

work here. you need to love these children. without love, you could not survive here. reporter: for decades the u.s. government denied that agent orange was responsible for the birth defects. the u.s. is now funding programs for environmental cleanup and disability relief in vietnam. that for many vietnamese, it is too little too late. each victim receives just $20 a month. the family depends on donations for the children. >> i just have one wish, for my children to be healthy. and we would like to have a third healthy child. reporter: the war caused immense suffering in vietnam. 40 years on, the wounds have yet to feel. -- heal.

anchor: we will be right back. anchor: see you in a minute. ♪

anchor: we pick it up in nepal where the official death toll from the massive quake on saturday is now at more than 5800. the u.n. says 2.8 million people in the country have been displaced. anchor: there have been some moments of hope amid the desperation. emergency crews pulled a young woman from the rubble and kathmandu. the 23-year-old was found trapped along with the bodies of three other people. amazingly, she wasn't the only person found alive on thursday. reporter: amid nepal's devastation, a remote of joy as emergency workers carry a 15-year-old boy to safety, found alive in the wreckage of a guesthouse he was the first of two rescues on thursday. [indiscernible]

for quake survivors struggling to cope, the rescue workers are heroes. not far from the epicenter hopes are fading. >> it is difficult to get to some places, currently because some of them are 25 minutes away by helicopter or five days away on foot. there is no point continuing with search and rescue any longer. reporter: this german rescue team will return home soon, but the german aid mission continues. in hamburg, and airbus packed with eight materials waits for departure to kathmandu. it includes medical supplies, tents, food rations, and water purification equipment. these are things that people in nepal desperately need. scuffles over drinking water have already been reported. >> sometimes we get water sometimes we don't. they gave us a little bit of

rice but for a family of 13, that's not enough. we will manage somehow. reporter: making matters worse the monsoon season has started earlier this year, increasing the risk of disease. many children are already ill. anchor: time to turn to business news, and spring seems to be brightening up the jobs market in europe. germany has the lowest unemployment rate since reunification 24 years ago. anchor: even in spain, one of the economies hit worse by the economic downturn, the government is predicting half a million new jobs over the next two years. reporter: it is spring in europe, and people are enjoying the sun. the return of warm weather also means they are going outside to work, especially in construction and agriculture. but this year even sectors not affected by the seasons are seeing an upturn. services account for around 1/3 of new jobs.

the figures show that germany still has the lowest unemployment rate in the european union, at 4.7%. the average across the whole eu is 11.3%. things are less bright in spain with 23% unemployment, and greece with more than 25%. while the gap between countries remains large, there is hope. perhaps spring, even when it rains, will bring better times to the whole of the european union. anchor: it is a public holiday tomorrow in germany. the markets will be closed but the dax did manage to make small gains though it fell short of recovering from a very bad week. reporter: there is still that worry about the strong euro which has gained a lot in a very short time. that means that possible advantages that a lot of german exporters have outside the euro area could become less as time

goes by. bad news. interesting news from volkswagen. now there is a replacement that has been found for both of them, two women and that is also good for the female quota in the supervisory board. anchor: let's take a look at the numbers now for you. along the last of the month, the nasdaq managed a slight gain. the euro stoxx 50 was unchanged. in the states, trading is still underway. the u.s. economy is dragging down the dow, currently trading in the red. the euro one dollar, 1230. anchor: in a week's time britain will be heading to the polls to choose a new parliament. it is one of the closest run elections there in decades, with

conservatives and labor swapping places in the polls. neither of the parties is expected to win a majority. anchor: other smaller parties are expected to do better than ever. that includes the u.k. independence party or ukip. one of the areas it is targeting grimsby. ukip blames the town's problems squarely on immigration and the european union. our reporter found that message is going down well with some of the locals. ♪ reporter: grimsby once boasted the biggest fishing port in england, but those days are long gone. today this town on the northeast coast suffers from above average unemployment. >> ♪ was an ancient mariner ♪ ♪ reporter: they meet at the dock for rehearsals.

>> i describe it as isolated from the rest of the country. you don't have to pass through it to get anywhere else. it is where you end up if you follow sleep on the train. reporter: the ukip has set its sights on grimsby. it is the only party with an information stand on the town's marketplace. the candidate blames grimsby's unemployment on immigrants from elsewhere in the european union. >> the holiday and opened recently advertising 30 vacancies. there was a queue of hundreds around the corner looking for work. mixed up eu migrants and locals. this should not happen. the jobs in grimsby should go to the locals. reporter: the number of immigrants in grimsby is barely worth mention but ukip does not believe this. >> i want us to stand on our own

two feet. we need to put the great back into britain. reporter: will this be the breakthrough for the skeptic u.k. independence party? they hope to score points in places like grimsby. many people here feel alienated and not taken seriously by the political establishment in london. neglected by london tarnished by brussels is a commonly held sentiment. many blame the eu for the decline -- demise of the fishing industry. >> we have been the recipients of a substantial amount of european funding to the european fishers fund. we have had good support for development and modernization. in 2012 we spent 2.2 million pounds and 600-5000 of that came from europe. reporter: grimsby is changing. a growing number of supply ships

are using the port. ukip is against wind energy. to expensive, they say. ukip is making its mark on the political landscape. the conservative edited for grimsby, mark jones says their stance on the eu and immigration is driving the debate. >> when we had labor and government it was almost impossible to have an open discussion about immigration. now we have very much come out of that because of ukip. i do not think they are the answer. it is down to the parties to actually come up with a solution. reporter: whether it wins the day in grimsby are not, it looks like ukip is here to stay as a political force in prison. anchor: munich has opened a museum on the former site of the nazi headquarters. anchor: the long-delayed inauguration coincided with the

70th anniversary of the day u.s. troops entered munich at the end of world war ii. it also happened to be the anniversary of hitler's suicide the same day in it -- in a berlin bunker. reporter: the heart of munich, once occupied by the nazi party headquarters. today it is home to the documentation center for the history of national socialism. here where the not staged their monumental rallies is today a place of remembrance for the suffering inflicted on millions. at the inauguration, the state premier said the exhibit was about more than coming to terms with the past. >> the nazi documentation center is a place of both remembrance and learning. young people can come to see how every generation has to stand up for a robust democracy. reporter: the exhibit documents the rise and fall of the not seas the horrors of the holocaust, and world war ii. -- nazis the horrors of the

holocaust, and world war ii. the inauguration follows years of controversy. it seems munich had a problem facing up to its past as the birthplace of the nazi movement. >> the city was more involved than any other in germany. this is where national socialism grew up with the support of many civic circles. dealing with that is especially difficult and painful. reporter: 70 years after the end of the not see -- nazi dictatorship munich is finally facing its past head on. this striking building confronts the darker side of its history. anchor: before we let you go, in chile, a volcano has a rubbed it again. officials have ordered more evacuations -- erupted again. officials have ordered more evacuations. anchor: before then, the volcano

had not arrested for decades. there is a 20 kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano. the smoke and ash is now heading over the andes mountains and is headed towards neighboring argentina. that is all we have time for. there is more on these and other stories at our website www.dw.de. anchor: thank you for watching. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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