anchor: this is dw news live from berlin. prison and a fine for the purpose --first person to be convicted over vw's diesel-gate scandal. they sentenced a volkswagen engineer to more than three years in jail and thousands of dollars, $200,000, in fines after he pleaded guilty to covering up the cheating on emissions test. texas battens down the hatches as harvey approaches. the hurricane has been upgraded to a category three storm.

dozens die in india as supporters of the guru of bling riot. a court convicted the spiritual leader of raping two of his followers. anchor: and sarah harman. welcome to the program. the u.s. court has sentenced a volkswagen engineer to 40 months in jail and a $200,000 fine for covering up emissions cheating. the judge said he played a key role in the serious crime. liang worked at vw for 35 years and is the first person to be convicted as part of the u.s. justice department investigation into vw's emissions rigging. iraq he may not have masterminded the cheating, but he kept his mouth shut about it for years. that according to the judge amounted to a serious crime.

it is the firsrst convictionon a criminal profiler justice department into emissions rigging at vw. others are under investigation. the sentence was harsher than expected. he was likely spared the maximum term because he cooperated with authorities. the scandal broke in september of 2015 when it emerged the carmaker installed cheating software in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. since then, the company paid billions in fines but questions remain over who knew what and when. friday's verdict comes weeks after the former executive pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy. he is currently awaiting sentencing. someone else who is likely feeling the heat right now is this man, the former vw bus. he resigned over the scandal in

2015. but now reports have emerged he may have learned of emissions cheating earlier than previously disclosed. anchor: let's go to washington where our correspondent is on the story for us. are the u.s. authorities making an example of james liang? reporter: they clearly wanted to send a strong and clear signal they are determined not to allow anyone responsible for this scam to go scot-free. he was not the mastermind behind the scandal. he cooperated with the authorities. but he was a key figure in the scandal. we have to say there is a growing sense of frustration that others charged in the case are in germany and therefore out of reach. so far, no current or former

board member has been charged. anchor: the judge gave him more time than the prosecutor requested. why do you think he did that? reporter: it is quite interesting to see how the judge justified his decision. he described this scam as a massive fraud on the american consumer that destroyed the foundation of the economic system. those are very strong words. we have to understand the whole case demonstrates a shift in the justice department's handling of white-collar crimes. u.s. authorities have faced a lot of criticism for failing to prosecute executives in financial services industry in the wake of the financial crisis. that may be the reason for them to show this determination them.

anchor: any reaction from volkswagen? reporter: there was only a very brief statement saying that volkswagen is committed to cooperating with the u.s. justice department. i reached out to volkswagen in the united states book could not get anyone to comment -- but could not get anyone to comment on the verdict. we have to understand the scandal is not over yet and there is still a lot at stake for the company. anchor: thank you. southeast texas is gearing up for a potential monster storm due to make landfall later. hurricane harvey is packing winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour. forecasters are warning of life-threatening and devastating flooding. it is expected to be the fiercest storm the u.s. has seen in more than a decade. reporter: the first sign of hurricane harvey along the gulf

coast of texasas. rising t tides and deteriorating conditions havave forced offffis to a ask those in low-lying ares to leave their homes. >> you need to strongly consider evacuating because here is what is going to happen. you may think the initial search -- surge is something you will be able to deal with. what you do not know and nobody else knows right now will be the magnitude of flooding occurring over the coming days in the aftermath of the initial surgeg. reporter: fororecasters sayay hurricane harvey y poses a grave risk with the potential for record flooding. for most, stocking up on provisions has been a priority. >> water, canned goods, food,

just trying to be prepared. reporter: in some places, bottled water is already becoming scarce. >> water has been a hot commodity. we went through almost a trailer and a half of water yesterday. two more trailers today. repoporter: fueling stations are also doing a roaring trade. >> we joke about it because every time they say it will be big, he goes in the other direction. i'm going to take extra precautions just in case because i do not want to get stuck. reporter: some towns have ordered residents to leave. in others like new orleans were 1800 people died following hurricane katrina 12 years ago, authorities are waiting to see how the situation develops. the national hurricane centeter expects the storm to hit parts of texas and louisiana, bringing life-threatening storm surges, heavavy rain,n, and strong wind. u.s. presisident donalald trumps expected to o visit texaxas next week in the wake of the

hurricane. anchor: the journalist joins us from the texas state capital of austin. the governor is warning people they need to leave the coastal region as long a as possible. what is the main concern? reporter: there is a twofold concern.n. of couourse, the wininds whihicl be extreremely heavy. there has s en a tornado watch issued f for certain parts of texas and louisiana. not only a hurriricane coming their r way but also a tornado watch issued, meaning t the wins will be very significant. but the lingering worry is the flflooding. it i is expected this could contininue all throughout t the weekend.d. some areas are expected toto get 17 inches of rain. significant flooding can happen. whenen that happens,s, not onlyo have the wind knocking out power and d doing damage, butut the fh floods will continue making it

hard for peoeople in theheir h s to get arounund and f for emergy serviceses to get to peoplple as well.. there e is a twofold concernrn. in austin, therere has been a lt of flooding warnings and tornado and tropopical storm warnings.s. shelters have been set up in austin w which is two and a hahf hours awayay from the coast because they are expececting significicant rainfalall and may people will need to get out of their homes and get to a shelter higher music playing. anchor: how are people reacting to warnings to evacuate? reporter: it depends. some people are evavacuating as asked, especialllly in places where people have secocond homes and were visiting for summer vacations. a lot of people are going inland. they know how significant the damage could be. there are a lot of people wanting to stay behind with their homes and pets. they are basically boarding up. they are staying inside.

they have been getting water, gas, food.d. they think they will wait out the storm. emergency services and police officers and sheriffs departments have been going door-to-door asking people t to leave but they cannnnot put themselves at risk staying longer than they need to. ultimately, it is a decision up to the people. anchor: i think a lot of people remember hurricane katrina 12 years ago, the shocking images of devastation. have federal and state authorities learned lessons since hurricane katrina they will be implementing as huhurricane harvrvey approaches? reporter: i think thehey are definitely taking this very seriously. governor greg abbott has written a letter to president trump asking for him to make a presidential disaster declaration whihich would allow the state to request more services during rescue efforts and afterwardrds to get help and funding to take care of some of the damage. he is expecting the presidentnto prove that since they did h hava coerersation on n the phone on wednesday about getting reresources theyey needed to the

state for this hurricane. hopefully, there has been a lot of press cononferences givenen,a lot ofof warnings given. i know he has 700 people, part of the national guard and other units, on standby. they are definitely tataking this seriously. we have to see how quickly federal authorities reaeact and how state authororities react if this becomes a severe as some are thinking it could be. anchor: stay safe. some of the other stories making news around the world right now. a man has been shot t in brusses after attacking two sololdiers with a knife. belgian prosecutors s say the suspect is ave b but in crititil condition n and has no known lis to terrorism. the islamic state has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a shiite mosque in the afghan capital.

at least 20 people were killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up at the interest. witnesses said multiple attackers also threw grenades. thai authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the former prime minister. she was due to hear the verdict in the criminal case that could send her to prison. there are reports she has fled the country. writing in the northern -- riot ing in the northern indian city was sparked by an unpopular court ruling. the judges convicted a guru for raping two followers. that did not go down well with his devotees. reporter: supporters numbering in the thousands went on rampages in several states in northern india and clashed with security forces who tried to quell the unrest with tear gas

and water cannon. rioters set fire to government buildings and petrol stations and attacked the media, tipping over and burning their vehicles. farther south, there were similar scenes of destruction with protesters setting fire to train carriages. the protesters were outsiders. they have committed a criminal act. >> they have used petroleum and other flammable material to set this carriage on fire. they have not been identified so far but there will be a case against them and they will be apprehended soon. ron rahim runs a spiritual empire. his organization promotes vegetarianism and campaigns against drug addiction. he is also an actor with rockstar appeal. during the trial, thousands of followers traveled to the northern indian town to show their support.

many walking long distances to get there. >> i have come to get a glimpse of my guru. police tried to stop us in several places. we crossed streams and walked through jungles. i walked almost 60 kilometers to get here. >> we have come here to support our guru. he is doing so many things for the benefit of humanity. he is adopting prosecute -- prostitutes and abandoned children. reporter: the guru is no stranger to controversy. he is accused of encouraging thousands to undergo castration and faces trial in the murder of journalist. next week, you will be sentenced for the rape conviction's. anchor: you are watching dw news. jail time for the samsung boss after he was convicted on bribery charges. we will at what it could mean for the korean electronics

giant. chris trains be for that and more after the break. -- chris joins me for that and more after the break. >> ♪ >> can we preserve biodiversity? >> two centimeters in the last five months. we are quite happy. >> global ideas. traditional knonowledge. >> it will help ease pain. >> i live on the coast. i feel it is my duty to protect the area. that is why i bring my students

here so they learn to love nature at an early age. >> visions. >> our strategy is based on the traditional lifestyle of the peopople preseseing the enenvironmenent for future generations. >> globabal ideas on facebook, twitter, and dw. anchor: welcome back. you are watching dw news. a u.s. court has jailed a senior volkswagen engineer for almost four years after he pled guilty to covering up the cheating on diesel emissions tests. the boss of south korea's biggest company has been sentenced to five years in prison. he has been found guilty of bribing south korea's former president and a close associate.

she was impeached on bribery charges in march of this year. reporter: one of the richest and mostst influluential men in souh korea on his way to court. a judge sentenced a billionaire heir to the samsung empire to five years in prison for bribery, embezzlement, and perjury. dozens of supporters staged a protest rally outside the south korean court on friday ahead of the verdict against the joe young -- lee yung. they were shocked about the verdict, just like samsung's lawyers. >> as a lawyer, i cannot agree with the decision. we will appeal the decision. i'm sure all the charges will be dismissed. reporter: other protesters want to see the samsung chief do

time for his crimes. >> i hope this ruling will be a good example to other leaders as well. reporter: the verdict does not rereect the nanational sentiment or even standards set by law. i worried such a ruling might worsen the crime of having no money in our society. reporter:: analystss predict his sentence will have little impact on samsung business, at least in the short term. >> if you look at previous rulings against leaders of conglomerates, we see the jail term did not affect their business markets. in the long-term, i believe passive management t cannot help but negativelyly affect isis th- business due to absence of leadership. reporter: prosecutors asked for a 12-year jail sentence makingg

the five-year sentence seem like a compromise. the heir anand effective ader of the company on hihis way to prin retained his innocence. anchor: for more on that ruling, let's go to the business desk. >> this bribery case has brought samsung under scrutiny. founded in 1938 by his grandfather, it has become one of the most successful tech companies in the world best known for its smartphones. it comprises a wide array of affiliated enterprises. here is a closer look at a true business empire. samsung is best known for its consumer electronics. but actually, it is a gargantuan conglomerate with its fingers in many pies from shipbubuilding to life insurance. its revenue makes up almost 1/5 of south korea's gross the

mystic product -- domestic product. many south korean univeversity graduates set their sights on working for samsung. its name means tri-star. those stars have lost their sprinkle. god are the days when it was the emembodiment of south koreanan society. one corruption scandal after another has rocked the conglomerate. calls have grown louder for samsung to be better controlled. critics say it lacks transparency and is a huge corporation run like a family business prone to corruption and scandals and the problems affect the entire south korean economy. >> let's get back to the main story. the u.s. court has convicted the first person in the volkswagen scandal. james liang was sentenced to 40 months in prison and a $200,000 fine.

let's go to new york. what has been the reaction on wall street to the verdict? >> >> this is a german company not listed on wall street. there are a lot of things going on with american companies. traders are occupied with that. it does have a strong taste to it as it proves to other automakers how unforgiving the american justice is when it comes to dececeiving the americn customer. >> talking about the american justice system, what does this verdict mean for other vw executives entangled in the scandal? >> this is what it looks like to me. the engineers, it is a strong and effective way to make an example. the judge decided the sentence should be stiffer and more

costly than prosecutors. they argued 36 months would deter engineers from committing similar crimes. others in his situation will think twice before following in his footsteps. that is what the assistant u.s. attorney said. all of this shows how determined they are in prosecuting this case. >> thank you for your analysis. the european central bank president says the global economy is improving but warns countries have to work together to resist a growing backlash against free trade. he also echoed janet yellen who cautioned against relaxing financial rules. he made the rererks at an n annl meeting of global central bankers at jackson holee in the u.s. state of wyoming. yellen's comments are seen as a message to u.s. president donald trump who wants to scrap rules

he says are hampering growth. the u.s. president has signed off on new sanctions against venezuela. the measures are designed to push the venezuelan president as the economy the sins into chaos -- the sense into chaos. maduro is clinging to power despite food shortages and massive protests. the foreign minister has reacted with fury to the sanctions. >> maybe the united states is trying to create -- to promote a humanitarian crisis in our country. what do they want? they want to starve the venezuelan people? what is it they are looking for? we really do not understand. we understand nothing. president maduro has been really constant with the intention of

having relations of mutual respect with the government of president donald trump. this action, these financial sanctions announced today, are the worst aggressions to venezuela in the last 200 years maybe. >> that was the foreign minister speaking. that is all your business for now. back to sarah for the latest in crazy football transfers. anchor: is mega move from barcelona has been confirmed by the clubs. they will pay 105 million euros for the french winter plus potentially another 20 million euros in performance bonuses. the deal is subject to him passing medical and agreeing on personal terms. he agreed on a five-year contract. the basic fee of 105 million matches the second-most

expensive transfer in history last year. although we have only had one full match day in the new season, fans are looking at the table with relish. they are above their rivals for the first time in almost two years. in saturday's match, it was a chance to maintain a perfect start. >> dortmund club in a relaxed mood. he has probably reported record revenues exceeding 400 million euros for the first time. >> we are on a growth course. i would make a conservative estimate t the club's value is w greater than one billion euros. >> the club's economic success chimes with the team's impressive win on the opening

day of the season. christian shone setting them up to score and netting a goal of his own. the return of mario after a long absence was another positive. >> they are a tough o opponent. look at their season last year. but we are also getting better. it will be an interesting match. >> berlin has also kicked off the season in style. they beat stuttgart on day one. the australian is in good form. they have won only two of their last games. >> maybe we can surprise them. >> if that transpires, the relaxed mood at dortmund would quickly disappear. anchor: a reminder of the top

stories we are following right now. a u.s. court has jailed a volkswagen engineer for almost four years after he pleaded guilty to covering up the company's cheating on diesel emissions tests. meteorologists have warned residents in the southeast of texas to prepare for life-threatening lighting as hurricane harvey -- flooding as hurricane harvey bears down on the region bringing winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour. you are up-to-date. thanks for watching. have a great weekend. i will see you soon. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

. welcome back from assiniboia watching live from paris. it's an option check. headlines. islamic state group claims a deadly attack on a shiite mosque in afghanistan and the justice. that. highlights the country's. erasing security. right on the issues an arrest warrant for its former prime minister this. election a lot. was a no show at a hearing. to another subject criminal trials. also coming up the phone susie menu in math class. it's out of poland saying the country's opposition to his plans to change the rules. principal