>> hello, and welcome to "the journal." our headlines this hour -- the german government is shaken by the resignation of its agriculture minister who is suspected of leaking confidential information about a child pornography investigation. germany wins another metal as maria höfl-riesch takes silver. as the film festival draws to a close, we look at some of the favorites.

german chancellor angela merkel's coalition government is facing a crisis after the agricultural minister resigned from the stepping down over allegations that he leaked confidential information about a child pornography investigation. it has only been two months since angela merkel cobbled together a coalition government between her own conservative and a social democrats. now, the coalition is facing a tough test. resignationlike the was a matter of time. he had tipped off leaders about a police probe involving a lawmaker. that might have compromised the investigation. party is taking aim at the social democrats with this statement been released --

there are questions now about inconsistencies. there is a need for clarification, particularly from their parliamentary leader. the leader was one of three leaders who knew. the question some are asking is was therefore warning, and if so, by whom? with him not even met since then. one steers clear of such matters. >> he is under investigation for of childossession pornography. prosecutor suggests he might have been forewarned. officet his home and yielded computers with hard drives erased. >> we were stunned to find out a broad spectrum of law

enforcement authorities had been dealing with the case and issuing evaluations before the justice system gain possession of the files in question. >> it is the first scandal to rock chancellor angela merkel's new government, and it has clearly yet to run its course. >> the italian prime minister resigned afters his government lost the support of his own party. he agreed to step down after the mayor of florence, matteo renzi, called for the centerleft democratic party to withdraw support. he is now poised to become the next prime minister. the 39-year-old will become the youngest head of government in post-war history. authorities in the ukraine say they released the last prisoners detained during mass protest.

more than two hundred people were freed as part of an amnesty passed in january, but many remain under house arrest come and authorities say charges will not be dropped until demonstrators leave public areas and the government buildings they are occupying. further protests are due at the --k kiev'sey of independence square. service isl weather a multi-pronged attack of rain, wind, and snow was sweeping england with south and southwest regions the worst affected. start toen the wettest the year there in two and a half centuries. >> storms continued to batter parts of britain and ireland.

the strong winds have caused major flooding. southern england has been hit particularly hard. thousands of homes are without power. people are working around the clock to try to limit the damage, but there are fears the situation will only get worse. >> we have done everything in our power to keep dry, safe, and warm. what is happening now, in our view, is that any measures we have taken are going to be this willbecause essentially jump back in. >> prince william and his brother harry lent a helping hand. in many knee-deep areas. they joined army personnel struggling to keep the river 10 under control. prime minister david cameron has been under fire for the government's slow response.

he says he will do whatever it takes to help those affected, that is small comfort as the water keeps rising. for now, victims can only hope the weather improves. >> we cast our eyes over to so she were another day of action is underway at the winter olympics. it started well for maria höfl-riesch, winning silver. austria took gold and bronze through anna fenninger and nicole hosp. country skiers are celebrating. friday saw surprising results with several underdogs coming to the fore. from switzerland, she stole show,ow, -- he stole the humming out of nowhere to win gold in the alpine super

combined race. the huge achievement for a man that is not one a world cup event since -- that has not won a world cup event since 2011. there was another unexpected champion in men's figure skating. first ever gold medal in the sport i had of andda -- ahead of canada can't extend. phenomenaln put in a performance in the 15 kilometer race. the 27-year-old finished nearly one minute 40 seconds ahead of her closest rival. sochithe second gold in for the swiss cost -- cross-country star in the men's 15 kilometer classic. >> russia faces off against the u.s. in men's ice hockey.

it is a qualifier and it will not determine medals, but the atmosphere is sure to be charged. the host country takes the sport very seriously. >> russia lives and breathes for ice hockey. player,d fan and avid russian president vladimir putin knows how much the sport means to his people. he and many other russians want their team to win gold. the hosts got off to an easy start against slovenia, coasting to a five-two victory, but saturday against the american archrivals will not be as easy. and theve experience guys to handle the pressure. i am pretty sure everything is going to be fine as soon as we step on the ice. we will think about the game and how to win the game, not about the pressure. >> the pressure has been on ever

since russia lost the world hockey championships to the u.s. last year. fans are looking for redemption. be the american 17-1. i got that information from a reliable source. >> even though it is a preliminary round, a win for russia will be a highlight for the host nation. action.bundesliga and over loses 2-0. beating the offside trap in the 51st minute, they opened the scoring. then, the deal sealed in stoppage time, leaving hanover 11 away games.f after the victory, they moved up to seventh. it looks like the champions

aague one of the is coming as -- coming together as a team. they would love to continue a streak in their saturday match. building continues. the team has won the last three games, but they cannot sit back and admire their work yet. they have to deal with an injury crisis. >> because of our injury problems, it has not been a relaxing week. if you look at who is available, the situation is not so simple. >> a japanese international is the latest to be sidelined, but some in the squad are returning. benedict is back in training while nursing a muscle tear. the midfielder is fit again after more than two months out. >> he has to get back into the

fight. i would like to have him as an option. with our situation, we do not have too many of them, and it certainly would not be the worst-case to have him available. but the injury problems have given other players a chance to sign -- shine. an 18-year-old has become a first team regular while a debut was made in defense. philly had a good run after a difficult start. the team now wants to keep up its winning streak. >> we want to show we can reach the same level of performance as the last three games and stay compact. that is how we can get another win in leverkusen. >> the hard work and training is paying off. now, they have to keep building on recent successes. >> u.s. president barack obama has promised to help california

cope with a record-breaking drought that is causing a crisis in the state's you notice farming sector. during a visit to the central valley, obama committed over $100 million to compensate farmers. there is no end in sight. experts say 2013 was the driest year in california's history, and 2014 could be even more parched. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says china has agreed to exert more pressure on north korea to abandon its nuclear program. john kerry told reporters in beijing that "china forcefully reiterated its commitment to the goal of the nuclear rising north korea." china is north korea's only major ally, but it is not clear how far beijing's influence reaches. air in berlin, the film festival

is due to award the prestigious golden bear. 20 films are competing. we will introduce you to a few of them in this next report that begins where else but on the red carpet. , no shortage of a-list stars. for thelooney took time premiere of his latest film, men," and the new darling, the star of "beauty and "beautyt turcotte -- and the beast." ray fiennesy with as a concierge who comes under suspicion of having killed an old lady, a hotel guest. if a jury anding to trophy to wes anderson's delicious romp.

showcases four entries by german directors. in the drama "stations of the cross" a chronicle of a 14-year-old girl's struggle with a strict religious upbringing. year offered few great one came in, but where sheisters" shares everything with her sibling. this project was unique -- a 12-year to file of a boy growing up. he accompanied from his parents divorce to his 18th birthday. "boy. boyhood" is not a documentary film. with performances from patricia arquette and now the grown-up, it is the film to beat.

>> that is all for "the journal" stay with dw for more news and updates. city,this mexican unimaginable crimes have been committed. everyone who lives there knows about them but nobody is doing anything to stop them except for desperate families who hang flyers on the streetlights. they are searching for their daughters that have been kidnapped by human traffickers.

this victim was 14 years old. her body was found buried in the desert underneath a pile of rocks and rubbish. it is a day of hope and despair. it could be one of their children who has been discovered, or her body might be nearby, but this time it is somebody else's child that has been found dead. their search continues. bono on working pro these cases is santiago gonzález. he knows the situation well. we are talking about more than 100 kidnapped girls in the last year alone, he tells me. most of them are forced into prostitution. the police have not solve one single case. not one of them has been freed. many stay lost forever. with others, their bones might be found later.

it has big -- the desert has become a graveyard for the bodies of countless girls and young women. texaco's -- mexico's organized crime wing has expanded beyond the drug trade. they trade in people, too, and it is lucrative. in this region across from the u.s. border, there are plenty of customers. mothers of missing girls go to where bodies have been found, searching for clues that could leave them to their own children . maria was 18 when she was kidnapped. paula was 16. maria's mother tells me they cannot give up the search for their children, even in terrible places like this. perhaps they will find their daughter, she says, or one of the many others that have gone missing. mother tells me she

hopes this. one day. she says the perpetrators do not really fear the justice system, but maybe a higher justice will stop them. that, at least, is our hope. >> as they are about to leave the hillside, searchers discover something, blood-stained underwear near the rock. it could mean there are more corpses nearby. santiago gonzalez informs the police, but initially they do nothing. kidnapping,e with forced prostitution, and murder, but the reach of violent crime extends all the way to the tourist areas on the pacific, caribbean coast, and the capital, mexico city. rates are often televised, but neighboring few results. police ande lawmakers are involved in the criminal underworld. outse of a mother who found

who murdered her daughter cause an outrage. the man was jailed, but a judge released her -- released him. she protested outside of the government building, and in full view of the security cameras, he shot and killed her and escaped. they know how dangerous criminals can be, but that does not stop them from trying to find their daughter. fakeprinted her face on bank notes to get people's attention. one day, five years ago, she simply did not come home from school. she was 14 years old. her father tells passersby that she was very young and pretty. he said somebody must have seen something. he is determined not to give up his search. he tells us they got little help from the authorities, so they decided to search themselves as

most other parents do. he says they put up pictures of their daughter in public places like this square. progresss hard to make . there are hundreds of victims and fear stops many people from talking about anything they had seen. there are no surveillance cameras here, says this man, not one. the police protect the gangs and rake in money themselves. everybody knows it, and nobody says anything. you have noticed yourself in your research that the police just put up obstacles in your way to stop you from finding out the truth. once, the daughter of a politician went missing. police brought her home the very night she disappeared, what for girls from poor areas, things are different, and hosea and martha casteel lived in a poor area.

that are less educated are easier prey. many are sold into slavery in mexico city or the united states. josé tells me a man once rang cityaying he was in mexico sitting opposite the girl in the bank note and she needed help. he heard screams through the phone and the sound of someone being beaten. he drove there, and searched everywhere, but did not find her. in the heart of the capital, countless girls and women are held as slaves and kept as long as they bring in money through forced prostitution. if you have the nerve to try to flee says this 24-year-old. her kidnappers threatened to kill her family if she left, but she escaped from captivity with the help of a stranger. she was then sheltered by an aid organization.

when i drive along here, i see girls i used to stand next to. by and leer drive at the products, as they like to call them. they do not care that lots of the girls are underaged. i find that so sad. on -- fournly shelters for the escaped victims and this one is for children. six.oungest here is it is not uncommon for boys and girls to be kidnapped and stolen at that age. they are used as sex slaves until they become too unhealthy or fall into addiction and cannot bring in money anymore. the unlucky ones end up in the desert, but even those that escape a serious columns, in need of psychological help and education. andchildren are traumatized

parents are overwhelmed, not knowing how to deal with the sexual trauma the children have been through. rosie is the president of the mexican commission against the trafficking of women. she says it is important not to make the mistake of calling the women prostitutes, because they do not sell their bodies willingly. criminals forced them into prostitution, she says. they are treated violently and raped 30-to-40 times per day. she survived her ordeal and now lives through a friend who has been through the same experience. she is studying law and wants user skills to fight traffickers. forkidnappers were jailed 20 years, but she had to sit for two days at the public prosecutor's office before anybody would listen to her story. it has to be made clear to men that women are not products, she

says. there is not a for sale or for lease sign on us. i do not know when we lost our values. when it became ok for them to treat us as if we belong to them. back in ciudad juárez, a group of parents are protesting. there are not many statistics about how many are missing. organizations estimate that there are three new cases every day. sylvia and maria refused to give up. they pay regular visits to the state prosecutor. they have never brought a child back, says maria . all of them that they find are dead. all of them. wem not given up hope that will get our daughters back alive, but in three years i have not had even the smallest hint

about what happened to my child. usually, the mothers leave angry at them when they arrived. the officials say their track good, in finding women is but they quote issues of domestic abuse, were women who run away from home are taken back by police. the chief prosecutor of the state seems helpless in the face of the reality. in cities with millions of inhabitants, crimes like these always take place in the shadows, in the dark. if one looks, it is hard to get hold of those responsible, but if we ever do happen to find them, they will, of course, face justice.

as we filmed, the mothers asked him what had been done about the bloodied underwear that was found in the desert. nothing so far. the next day, we are invited to film a police action. they want us to film them taking decisive action. even the chief prosecutor is there. ♪ it is no wonder that parents take matters into their own hands and look for children themselves, even though they are risking their own lives. josé castillo hates places like this red light district, but he comes there often. he believes it is his best chance of finding her. i will keep looking, he says, because i have the feeling my daughter is here, in the city.

he tells me that at the very beginning of his search a policeman told him that the more he looked, the quicker his daughter would turn up dead, but now he asks, could he live and not look forñ

[soft exotic flute music] ♪ captioning and audio description provided by the u.s. department of education. >> bokara: today i'm celebrating india, because i'm actually--have two friends coming, both of whom have spent a lot of time in india. and so i'm making a curry. and i love making curries because it's exactly like painting. it's--you know when i mix my paints, it's a littl t