>> hello, and welcome to the "journal" on dw-tv. i am brian thomas in berlin. >> and i am steve chaid. >> two and half million people affected by pakistan's worst flooding in generations. u.s. president obama confirms american troops will and combat missions in iraq within 30 days. and russia declares a state of emergency as wildfires shroud

the capital, moscow, in smoke. ♪ >> fears are growing about the outbreak of waterboe diseases among the hdredof thousands of people affected by monsoon rains and flooding in pakistan. unprecedented rainfall has triggered floods and landslides, sweeping away thousands of homes and devastating farmland in one of pakistan's most impoverished regions, already hard hit by years of violence. the first cases of cholera have been reported as survivors get ready for more seasonal rains in the hours to come. >> if their homes and belongings and not been swept away, they're buried under mud. everything disappeared within a matter of minutes, and all that is left is this mess. >> the flood came here and took

away our homes. the government released water from dams and homes were washed away. around 20,000 homes, mosques, and schools -- it has all been destroyed. >> these a the most devastating floods in generations, and it has left towns and villages in ruins, tearing apart infrastructure. communications are also down, making it difficult for rescue teams. even the army is finding it hard to get through to those in need of help. the northwest is totally cut off. officials also have the outbreak of disease to combat. tens of thousands of survivors are trapped by the waters. the more fortunate os have made it to temporary camps. this one is better equipped than some. >> we're getting cooked ce, power, and water.

we have all the facilities. by the grace of god, we're getting everything here. we do not have any problems. >> international aid operation is in full swing, but it could get trickier with more monsoon rains in the forecast. >> u.s. president barack obama has announced the beginning of a new chapter for american forces in iraq. in a speech to disabled veterans in atlanta, georgia, president obama confirmed the u.s. will end its combat missions in ira as scheduled on august 31. but 50,000 troops will remain in the country as a transitional force to support the central government. obama aims to withdraw all u.s. forces by the end of next year. he paid tribute to the american soldiers who served there in his speech. >> they're still those with bombs and bullets who will try to stop iraq's progress. the hard truth is we not seen the end of american sacrifice in

iraq. but make no mistake, our commitntnraq is changing from a military effort led by our troops was a valiant effort met -- led by eric diplomatics. as we mark the end of america's combat mission in iraq, a grateful america must pay tribute to all who served. >> earlier, we spoke with our washington correspondent. we asked him why obama had chosen this particular time to confirm the iraqi withdrawal. >> obama is having a hard time at home at the moment, but of course, there's always afghanistan. the war in afghanistan looks so grim that makes iraq look like a real success story. that is why obama cannot say, look, this was my campaign promise back then when i was elected president. i said we would withdraw the troops from iraq, and that is what we are doing. he will do this more often this month like he did today.

>> how are people in the u.s. responding to the news from the white house? >> well it of course, there's always a doubt, about what will happen when the american presence is over. some fear that iraq will go back to chaos. on the other hand, americans are war-wary. they're fighting two wars, one in afghanistan and one in iraq. they are happy about every u.s. soldier coming back. generally, the feeling i think with americans is we have done enough for iraq. now it is time for iraqis to handle their own problems. >> thank you so very much for the update. in other news, the united nations secretary general, ban ki-moon, announced the launch of an international inquiry into the attack by israeli commanders on a flotilla bound for the gaza

strip in may. nine turkish activists on board were killed in that operation. there's a four-member panel that will include an israeli representative and a delegate from turkey. the panel will begin work immediately and submit its report by mid september. there were two months of negotiations with both israel and turkey. the probe is welcomed as an important step. in the gaza strip today, an explosion in the home of a hamas commander wounded at least 24 people. the government brain -- planned an israeli air strike. israel has denied involvement. a short while later, rockets fired from aegis cyanide desert and landed in a resort, killing a local and wounding four others. >> mohammed is one of those hurt in the rocket attack. the security guard was working in front of a hotel when a rocket struck nearby.

>> when the explosion happened, i fell down and was injured. i was looking around and saw many people injured around me. people came and moved us to the hospital. >> the wounded were taken to a military hospital for treatment. for one taxi driver, help came too late. security forces quickly blocked off the area around the side of the explion. anothe rocket landed in israel at a vacation resort. it struck outside the city center, so there were no casualties, even though it is the middle of the tourist season. israeli officials suspect the rockets were fired from the cyanide pellets yet -- and the sinai peninsula. >> it takes time to stabilize by iran, has block, and hamas. >> the latest attacks will likely be a further obstacle to any talks between israel and the palestinians. >> rsian president dmitry medvedev has declared a state of

emergency in seven regions hit by wildfires. the death toll has risen to 40 in the area as the blaze has destroyed hundreds of homes and black and vast areas of forest. fires outside of moscow have shrouded the capital in smoke. health officials said air pollution in the city is 10 times above state -- safe levels. heavy smog hung over moscow on monday morning, caused by smoke from the fires in surrounding regions. by midday, the wind and the change, bringing the capita's residents a few hours of fresh air. >> it is really sticky, but the founds help a lot. -- the fountains of the law. you cannot just stay at home. you have to deal with it somehow. >> we have had enough. this heat has been going on for months and a half. it is really exhausting. >> the fires have been burning out of control for days in

forests and dried out peat bog. thousands of people haveost everything they own. the prime minister, vladimir putin, called the governors of the affected regions to moscow to express his dissatisfaction. he wants more assistance for those hit by the fires. >> i want to see concrete rebuilding plans outlining every step. i want detailed descriptions of the construction that will occur at every region, for every settlement, and every house. >> but firefighters are still struggling to bring the blaze is under control. and the weather is offering a little assistance. it is due to stay h until the weekend. >> the central government and regional politicians are blaming each other for preventing new outbreak. with temperatures of up to 40 degrees celsius, the fires shown no signs of abating. >> germany is again seeing a shortage of highly skilled workers.

but there's actually good news in this story. good news to me to bed disagreements at the policy level as germany's economic recovery creates new jobs, europe's biggest ecomy is facing a srtag of skilled professionals. there's a disagreement over how the positions should be filled. the german economics ministry has proposed a plan to recruit workers from abroad by offering a so-called welcome bonus. another voice in the gorning coalition has criticized the idea, saying individuals among germany's 3 million unemployed should be trained to do the job speed up the shortage of qualified professionals is most notable in the engineering sector. >> the federal labor agency says with 3 million unemployed at home, it is unnecessary to look abroad for workers. it argues there is sufficient potential at home and insists that recruiting from abroad should be the last resort. figures show that in germany,

there are around 30,000 skilled jobs in sectors such as engineering waiting to be filled. that trend is growing as the economy recovers. the economics ministry has suggested making it more attractive for highly skilled workers to pick up a job here. france has implement such a program already. in 2009, 23,000 skilled workers went to france. many more than a few years earlier. in denmark, around 2200 foreign engineers found work. in britain, the government wants to limit the number of skilled workers coming in to just over 24,000. in france, laws resemble a fight to make it easier for companies to employ foreign executives. denmark regulates immigration with a point system. those wita good education, language ability, and professional experience get in easier. their first steps to easing immigration in the heart of europe.

>> on to the markets. european shares started off the new trading up with strong gains is better than expected earnings and outlooks from european banks sparked a rally that send equities to new three- month highs. conrad paul sentenced this summer from frankfurt. >> a bunch of good news pushed the stock market up not only here i frankfurt b all over europe. hsbc, europe's largest bank, beat expectations with its second quarter earnings report. also, mnp paribas k-stronger earnings than expected. both said they have much less bad loans to cope with, which means that the banks, of course, have one problem left. but also, the credit customers of these banks are doing much better. also, an industrial group from germany is selling industrial ga andeat analysts'

expectations. the news pushed the share price up nearly 4%. >> in frankfurt where we can stay for a closer look at monday's closing figures, and the dax finishing the session at 6292, up by two of the herd -- the euro stoxx 50 up by almost 3%. in new york, investors were encouraged by solid corporate results including hsbc in europe. the dow jones closed a short time ago, up by about 2%. in currency markets, the euro trading at a volume of -- a value of $1.3171. one of the german government's leading economic advisers is calling for a large increase in domestic pay wages. the proposal for companies to boost wages by as much as 3% has been dismissed as unrealistic by many managers. but they believe businesses can

afford it and the economy will benefit if workers have more buying power. >> workers like these deserve a big pay hike. that is the opinion of a growing number of economists in germany. in recent years, the country's planned and electrical engineering sectors offered only a small pay increases. it is similar in other industries including the services sector. in early 2008, wages in germany were rising at a annual pace of around 3%. the rate of increase then slowed sharply and has only begun to recover in recent months. proponents of big races contend that higher incomes would stimulate consumption, because workers would have more money in their pockets. they say germany's modest pay increases have resulted in a widening wage gap for the eurozone. the economists believe the answer is larger wage increases in germany, coupled with smaller ones in weaker economies in southern europe, where

productivity lags behind the north. >> that is a business update. back to brian. >> we pick it up in germany where a week of the love parade tragedy in duisburg, public pressure is mounti for those responsible to held accountable. 21 people were crushed to death at the music festival with another 500 injured. the duisburg mayor the, adolf sauerland, has come in for the most severe criticism. he says he's willing to undergo a vote of confidence. >> citizens of duisburg are collecting signatures calling for the mayor to resign. adolf sauerland many adolf ignored safety warnings and head of the disaster. the mayor's senior depress conference after the tragedy refuses to step down before the investigation is over. but he will submit to a vote of confidence in october. many in duisburg assume he will lose his job. a number of residents have also filed charges against him because of the poor security at the event.

meanwhile, the staid has said it will set up an aid fund made up of donations and public money to the families of those who were killed and injured. >> the world's richest and poorest countries could be in for another rnd oconttious climate talks under way through friday in the western german city of bonn. it is to lay the groundwork to the next panel you in climate summit that will take place in cancun late this year. but u.s. and a decision last year to postpone consideration of greenhouse gas caps to effectively ended any hopes for an agreement. key to the deal is a commitment by rich countries to cut emissions and work on the actions to adapt to climate change. >> some sports now. with just overwo wks bore the german soccer season restarts, the reigning champions have finally got their foals lot back together for a first

training session. a good dozen players have just returned from vacation after playing for their national teams at the world cup finals in south ever to last month. . louis does not have time to put the team back in shape. there's a german super cup final coming up saturday. coming up saturday. i will be right back with look

ed all broadcastf the lord the times online. >> welcome back to our in-depth look at german cuise and the changes that have taken place in the country's kitchens and restaurants. once viewed by many as hearty and healthy, not so much, germany culinary arts of gone a revolution in recent decades, embracing the exotic while rediscovering organic, home grown produce. the five start kitchen once exclusively a male domain is nothing more women making a name for themselves as celebrity

chefs. back at home, a german man is often just as a versale in the kitcheas he in ont of the barbecue. we visit a school for amateur chefs, and then we go on a journey through time from ultramodern molecular cuisine to the open fire barbecue. and imagine this, without even mentioning the word sauerkraut. >> a cooking school in berlin and then all-male class. they are busy preparing a four- course dinner, each student making tir own contribution to the final feast. while the men get hands-on with potatoes and parsnips, germany, the kitchen is still largely a woman's domain. but these newcomers are relishing the experience. >> this looks good. it is a great feeling.

it is the first time we have done this, and it is sure to be especially goo >> this is practically the first time i have ever stood at the stove. to wait until my age to do something like this is interesting. >> so far, it is looking really positive. >> everyone's fingers still there? the others, i mean? >> well, i have not heard anything. >> after all the pealing and slicing, the students get tips about seasoning from the master chef. >> a century ago, a variety of new tastes and flavors became widely available, adding some pep to othwise bland dishes. the hit product, monday, made its way into almost every german household. -- muggy. but when money was tight, calories would always win out with hungry bellies to fill.

the nazi regime rewrote recipe books as they marched towards war. they described foreign foods as unpatriotic and encourage a healthy diet of homegrown vegetables. >> healthy, robust people, the recommended vetarianism because they thought people living on vegetables and bread were more healthy than those to burden their systems with lots of me. the most famous nazi vegetarian was, in fact, adolf hitler. in the aftermath of world war ii, millions of germans faced starvation. despite emergency food aid from the allied powers, most adults eight little more than 1,000 calories a day. fresh meat and vegetables were a luxury. after those lean years, the currency reforms of 1948 heralded better times around germany's dinner tables. the plates were full, but the

cuisine was conservative, with old favorites like roast pork and deviled eggs. shopping baskets became more in the 1950's, and then there was the prepackaged ready to serve meals and a host of kitchen appliances. [foreign-language] >> modern appliances and american-style frozen foods or to free german house was from the drudgery of home cooking. excepting, of course, at the sunday roast. ♪ >> summer vacationers to italy would forever change the germans eating culture. while steering clear some of the

more exotic italian affairs, pizza and pasta soon became staples north of the alps. since its german debut in the 1960's, ravioli remains the country's best selling canned food. no can openers of this cooking school low. most of the men here were some other wives and girlfriends, and they will judge their success. the first course is a global vision of african sweet potatoes, italian prosciutto, and mexican tortillas. the ships also he serving duties -- the chefs have serving duties. the soup gets the nod -the critics table. >> it takes a great. i will send him to cooking school more often. >> did you think you could do it? >> in no way. he normally spends so little time in the kihen. >> after that first vote of

confidence, it is back to the workstations for the main course drumsticks. hear, the men can draw on years of experiences at the weekend barbecue. politicians have long discover the persuasive powers of the growth and used it to groom a down-to-earth image. although it is not to everyone's liking. >> we love to barbeque because it said a fund -- satisfies our ancient instinct. and because the way we grow our food has not changed over tens of thousands of years. people in the stone age used to sit aund a fire as men would hold meet in the flames. today, it is still the men who like to turn the meat on a girl and show off their trophies. but in the 1980's, the consumption of meat became politically charged as scandal after scandal that the industry. animal welfare concerns and

health scare is helped spawn a strong organic movement in germany. and once in each market became increasingly mainstream. the onward march of globalization also did not stop at the kitchen door germans can now dine on asian spider crabs or canadian lobster. but despite the wealth of exotic ingredients, a traditional german cooking is making a comeback. like here in a restaurant on the outskirts of munich. over the past five years, the owners have seen a renaissance in regional cuisine. age-old classics like roast pork and dumplings washed down his home brewed bavarian beer. these low food trend has an emphasis on local organic produce. >> it is unpretentious come back to the roots as we say in bulgaria. there is meat, fish, and vegetables, but all in their original form. it is absolutely top quality but

all natural without all the fancy frills. >> but those with a taste for innovation can enjoy the wonders of molecular cuisine. with the help of modern technology and techniques, today's chefs can create dishes only dreamed of in the past. >> it is not as if we're back to the point where people only nourish themselves with pills out like in science fiction films. people never abandon the essential nature of food in that way. back of the cooking school, our students have been honing their plating skills for the special guests. for dessert, and all mend vanilla caramel with mango ice cream. >> i viethis as a mission to get people away from convenience foods were you do not really know what is in it like at a tense and artificial flavors.

then you can tell people, you can make something to eat at the same time. it is tastier, healthier, and you know what is in it. >> but the mission still has a long way to go. only one in three german households put on a regular basis. but for these students, the kitchen revolution looks well on its way. >> and that is all for now. thank you for joining us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ♪ 7

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