♪ anchor: and this is dw news live from berlin. the chemical weapon that killed kim jong nam. the authorities say the estranged brother of north korea's leader was poisoned why a nerd agent that the when calls -- by a nerd agent that the u.n. calls a biological weapon. president trump tells his supporters that fake news is the enemy of the people. and journalists deliver a petition to angela merkel calling for freedom of expression to be restored in turkey.

plus, antiforeigner sentiment in south africa turns violent. please fire stun grenades, rubber bullets and a water cannon in the capital, pretoria. we will get more from johannesburg. ♪ anchor: i am sarah kelly. thank you for joining us. it is an assassination straight out of a spy novel and it just got more sinister. malaysian authorities say a deadly nerve agent was used to kill kim jong-nam. the estranged half-brother of the north korean leader. he died last week after being attacked at kuala lumpur airport. the latest revelation about his death has sparked public health concerns and further focused suspicions on the north korean regime that they could've dispatched to a hit squad to kill the individual. reporter: a virtual reenactment

of the attack. two women smeared the deadly substance on the victim of the fifth -- on the face of the victim. they know the toxin that killed him, the nerve agent vx. the chemical is illegal. it is a chemical weapon. we are investigating how it entered the country. reporter: vx is one of the deadliest chemical toxins ever made. it is tasteless, odorless, and hard to detect. it attacks the central nervous system. just a few milligrams can be fatal. it is -- it's only known use is for chemical warfare. the united nations has classified it as a weapon of mass distraction. in tv footage, kim jong-nam can be seen walking immediately after the attack but minutes later, he collapses in the airport clinic and died on the way to the hospital.

malaysian police say the two female suspects washed their hands after the attack. one of them reportedly fell sick and was vomiting. the use of vx in a crowded departure hall has raised public safety concerns. so far, no one else has taken ill. malaysian authorities are checking kuala lumpur airport for further traces. the incident continues to strain the once wonderful relations between north korea and malaysia. young gang announced the investigation is full of holes and contradictions opting this response from the malaysian foreign minister. >> the investor has been informed of the process involved but he continues to be delusional against our government. reporter: north korea has demanded the return of the body while refusing to acknowledge the deceased as the leader's half-brother. anchor: for more on this, let us

bring in chris morris, a member of the toxicology center at newcastle college in britain. thank you for joining us. how exactly does vx affect the body after the initial contact? >> using -- first of all, it affects the eyes by making the pupils he come very swollen so it would affect how someone was able to see. then it would affect the muscles themselves. once it is absorbed into the body, it usually affects all of the bodily systems. first of all, it affects gastrointestinal functions. it starts to affect the heart as well. then it starts to affect the muscles of the body so they go into contraction. then it starts to enter the brain itself where you start to feel knowledges -- knonauseous,

fatigue and then it pushes towards coma and then the heart. . anchor: that sounds horrifying. if it is so deadly, how could these two attackers have it on their hands and not die? >> typically, we already have antidotes for these types of compounds. they are readily available. in the case of vx though you typically would have to take that well before you are exposed to vx. if this was the case, then the attackers could have taken the antidote beforehand and not had too severe fx. perhaps the nausea that was reported -- they may have been taking the and to do beforehand

-- taking the antidote beforehand and then they would been able to use the compound relatively safely. anchor: given the profile of this compound, it is a chemical weapons -- a chemical weapon banned by the chemical weapons treaty. >> because you need so very little of it to actually kill somebody, you do not need to have any way -- any difficulty with applying it. you could put it into drinks. if it is this case, if that is what is being used, just rub it onto the surface of the skin. it gets absorbed very quickly. simply a small drop could kill someone. that is how effective it is. if you were using some other chemical compounds to kill somebody, you might need quite a lot and need a sophisticated way to deliver it. in this instance, it is very

toxic, very simple to apply. anchor: how easy is it to transport it? how could this have gotten into malaysia? once it is there, how dangerous is it in a crowded airport, for example? anchor: because you need so very little of it to have lethal effects, you could have brought it in in many different routes if it was in a sealed container. it is very difficult to the text because it does not give off any gas molecules. they cannot read detected by any normal detectors. you can sneak it in quite easily. how dangerous as it? normally -- how dangerous is it? not that dangerous because it is an oily substance. it is difficult to throw around. you have to have it in very

close contact. in a crowded airport, it would have limited capabilities. anchor: we thank you very much. chris morris, member of the medical toxicology unit for telling us more about this substance, the x which malaysian authorities say could have been used to kill kim jong-nam. in other news, u.s. president donald trump has been addressing thousands of conservative activists at their annual gathering in washington, d.c. when he was there a few years ago, they glued. this time, they cheered. he told them about his core conviction but first, he once again attacked the media. >> our president, donald trump. [applause] reporter: it is his favorite kind of event attended by highly motivated conservatives. donald trump used the opportunity to once again attacked the media. and he knows what people want to hear. >> and i want you all to know

that we are fighting the fake news. it is fake, phony. fake. if you days ago, i called the fake news the enemy of the people and they are. a are the enemy of the people. -- and they are, the enemy of the people. reporter: the president is convinced the media should no longer be able to quote sources without naming them. since he took office, members of his staff have regularly fed details of internal white house matters to reporters. >> especially my opponent. reporter: for donald trump, addressing the largest gathering of conservative activists in the u.s. was an opportunity to strike the right, patriotic tone. people here consider themselves to be part of a single political movement. >> i am here to today to tell you -- i am here today to tell

you what this movement means for the future of the republican party and the future of america. the core conviction of our movement is that we are a nation that put at will -- and well put its own citizens first. >> [chanting usa] reporter: he also sees a new role for the republican party. to be a party of the american worker. with his anti-establishment and nationalist rhetoric, the u.s. president leaves no doubt that these will continue to be the cornerstones of his policies. anchor: dw correspondent alexander was at that conservative conference. and she sent us this update. reporter: president trump takes the right tone in the view of the conservative national nest

body -- nationalist audience here stressing that his core conviction is to put the american people first. he also laid out his vision of the republican party saying that he thinks the movement that he built during his presidential campaign represents the future. anchor: our correspondent there earlier. at the conference, some of the crowd was seen waving what appeared to be russian flags with donald trump's name on there. during the speech, a prankster handed them out to unwitting supporters. our correspondent took to twitter with this picture saying -- no joke, someone has been handing out russian flags with donald trump on them and people are waiting there. here is another activists waving a flag before security came around to confiscate them. according to a journalist, david, in the end, a protester was there. delegates said get him out of here.

we are having some technical problems they're showing you those tweets. in south africa, rising antiforeigner sentiment has turned the capital violent. the attacks on nigerian citizens have become so frequent that ministers of both countries have become involved in trying to calm emotions. reporter: teargas. rubber bullets. and stun grenades brought an end to this anti-foreigner march in south africa. riot police used force to keep groups of anti-american protesters and foreign nationals apart. resentment against immigrants from countries like somalia and ethiopia has repeatedly erected in recent years. >> they are everywhere. what about the future of our kids? reporter: many nigerians come to south africa despite the country's high unemployment rate and they often become targets of local frustration and they are

being accused of crimes and taking jobs. this image shows a nigerian churchgoer who was attacked by a mob last week. the pastor of the church that is frequented mostly i nigerians was injured as well. these and other recent attacks are causing concern in nigeria. >> of course, some of the things that are being said, you know, are of real concern to our officials. there are allegations of the south african police or some of them being complicit in attacks on nigeria's. and i should say that this latest one was not just nigerians who were targeted at there were other nationals of other countries as well. reporter: the praetorian protest followed the looting of dozens of small businesses that belong to small -- that long to

migrants and subsequent clashes. many migrants have taken to the streets to express alarm. >> we are ready to protect our property. reporter: without support for those feeling threatened, the situation in south africa is likely to escalate further. anchor: our correspondent is in the country. earlier, we asked her how bad the xenophobia really was in south africa. >> xenophobia is a daily occurrence in south africa. foreigners are blamed for crime and stealing jobs. once in a while, it really flares up like we are seeing now in pretoria. there is about two point 2 million immigrants in south africa according to the latest census. and not just african immigrants are targeted but also people from bangladesh and pakistan. those people are really afraid for their lives at this moment.

even now, police are still patrolling in project area. there are business people -- patrolling in pretoria. business people are saying they will stay in their stores to protect them because they fear the stock will be looted. things are really tense. foreigners say they are standing their ground. anchor: back in a minute. ♪

♪ sarah: welcome back. you are with dw news. a quick reminder of the top story. in germany, it has emerged that when hundred 36 people with turkish passports have applied for asylum. the turkish president has been cracking down. he sees -- the media has been especially targeted in the crackdown. in berlin, a group of journalists went to the chancellery of angela merkel to call for the freedom of expression to be restored in turkey. reporter: he has been in

detention since february 14. the turkey correspondent for german daily is under investigation for allegedly supporting a terrorist organization. earlier, he quoted from a leaked email written by the energy mystery of turkey who is also the son-in-law of the turkish president. he is being held at eight -- in a small cell at police headquarters in istanbul. in berlin, fellow journalists demonstrated friday morning in front of angela merkel's office where they delivered a petition signed by over 100,000 people urging the german government and the eu commission to call for freedom of expression in turkey. >> only my paper has members and reporters -- the other chief is in jail. we want the german government to be aware of it and to do their best. reporter: deutsche welle

has also called for the release of the journalists in detention in turkey. this is about the release of all of the journalists who are in custody. as long as even one colleague is in detention in turkey because of his or her critical reporting, turkey cannot be treated as a normal, democratic partner. the german government has called on the turkish government to resolve the situation swiftly. there is no reason to believe that he abused his role as a journalist in any way at all. on the contrary, he has been doing his job with great commitment. on thursday, german parliamentarian tried to visit him but he was not allowed to see him. under turkey's state of emergency, he has to be released or brought before a judge after 14 days in police detention. that is this coming tuesday. anchor: let us bring in our

political correspondent michaela who is with us in the studio this evening. what more could the german government and the eu do? are they in a tricky situation diplomatically? reporter: they have done pretty much already. he is a german citizen so this opened up a different level loving gauge meant. -- a different level of engagement. we know on the sidelines of the munich security conference which took place last week, angela merkel raised this case with the turkish prime minister and actually said there was an expectation here in germany that he would have continued access to consular services and that the rule of law would apply to his specific case. this is quite a clear word. put that together with the comments we just heard from the german foreign office spokesman who actually commented on the

case to a certain degree saying we know him as a journalist who is doing his work. so this is going pretty far in diplomatic terms. actually commenting on the subject matter it self bearing in mind that he has been arrested on suspicion of actually engaging in potential terrorist activity in turkey. anchor: and amid all of these accusations and the efforts to make them free, he has become a figurehead of free speech. what more do we know about him specifically? reporter: he is a german citizen that has worked in both germany and turkey. he published a book in 2014 after the riots. he has been very outspoken also about the arrests. 100 journalists are currently in turkish prisons. turkey has dropped on the list of press freedom. it is in place 151 of 180 places

in terms of press freedom. and he also briefly left the country for a couple of weeks last year when his publication -- there seems to have been some sort of concerned that there might be an issue regarding his permit to work or him actually facing some sort of trouble. he seems to have had information on the energy minister in turkey who is also the son-in-law of the turkish president. and this seems to be a very sensitive case. and now, he is potentially facing prison. but he seems not to have been brought yet before a judge and his case has not been heard. we will know more on tuesday because we will get some sort of reaction. anchor: do we know what is expected on tuesday before the court? reporter: it is a lit -- it is a litmus test as to whether the rule of law will be applied in turkey as of now. we understand oh concrete

charges have been pushed yet by a judge. we will see if there is a concrete charge that he will have to answer to. anchor: tell us really briefly. we heard about turkish diplomats seeking asylum here in us -- here in germany. is it likely that will be granted? reporter: i cannot answer like that because every case is treated individually. we also have learned that those cases coming from diplomats are not treated with any type of specific priority in germany. every single case will be judged on. anchor: thank you for your reporting. french prosecutors say they will investigate presidential candidate fred saw you on -- francois fillon over allegations of embezzlement. reporter: thank you. first, we are going to be talking about a sudden surge in german exports because that has tilted the country's balance

towards china instead as a top trading partner. a sudden surge in german exports to the country tilted the scales toward asia. german-chinese trade ringing in at 170 billion euros last year according to the statistics office. the u.s. fell back into third place behind france. in 2016, china knocked the united states off its top spot as germany's largest trading partner as measured by the volume of goods and services exchanged between two countries. german imports rose to -- exports rose to 170 billion euros last year while neighboring france remained in second place. the u.s. came in third with one ages 55 billion. the u.s. had become germany's top trading partner in 2015. overtaking france for the first time in more than half a century. inks to an upturn in the u.s. economy and a weaker euro.

but trade relations between germany and the u.s. are now in disarray. with the u.s. president donald trump threatening to impose import terrorists and his top traded visor accusing germany of exploiting a week euro to boost exports. those exports seem hard to resist for american consumers. despite last year's dropped to the third largest trading partner, the u.s. remained the number one buyer of products made in germany. anchor: volkswagen has returned to the black as car sales surged to a record high in 2016. the carmaker reports in a profit of 5.1 million it is recoverings emissions scandal. the car giant says it is capping executive pay as it looks to quell widespread anger over bonuses paid even when it occurred losses. chief executives will be limited to a pay package and the top managers will face a cap of 5.5 million euros.

nothing captures the glitz and glamour of old hollywood more than the oscars. all the stars of tinseltown weight to see who will take home one of the coveted statues, workers at the foundry in new york have been working hard to give oscar more of that old hollywood charm. they used a 3-d scan of one of the original 1829 oscars as a basis for this year's award. a special request from the academy. if you ask me, it looks like we are at a know who is going to be the night's best-dressed man. i was told never book a hotel at a train station because they usually end up being dodgy. however, what is the train you are on is a hotel. you have really are ready checked in. it is just the destination and the scenery is changing. great idea but do not expect a cheap ride. reporter: it is probably one of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world. the price for night is around

2300 euros. it looks like a normal, upscale hotel room and the dining room and lobby are also reminiscent of luxurious accommodations. but you would be hard-pressed to find the hotel's permanent address because it is inside a new train. the sleeper train of the west japan railway. our concept is a hotel like train traveling through japan's scenic beauty. starting in june, the twilight express will travel seven routes through central western japan. tickets through september are already sold out. despite the high prices. anchor: back over now to sarah. sarah: a quick reminder of the top stories before we go. malaysian authorities say the half-brother of the north korean leader was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent. kim jong-nam died after he was

attacked by two women at the kuala lumpur airport last week. u.s. president donald trump has attacked the media again in an address to an annual gathering of conservative activists. he told them fake news was the enemy of the people. you are up-to-date on dw news. i am sarah kelly in berlin. thank you very much for watching. we will see you next time. ♪

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