>>. >> the message is that this is one - one hateful person. one hateful person a search is underway for a gunman who opened fire at a church in the u.s. city of charleston hello, you're watching al jazeera. live from our hours in doha. also coming up in the program - hong kong lawmakers reject a beijing backed plan for electoral reform. yemen's capital hit by a series

of bombings as peace talks in geneva make little progress. thousands rally for the greek government as it refuses to bow for calls for more austerity we begin in the u.s. where nine people have been killed in a shooting in a historically black search in the state of south carolina. they are searching for the white shooter. >> reporter: people were holding a night time prayer meeting at the emanuel church when a gunman opened the building and opened fire. >> we are looking for a white male. approximately 21 years old. sandy blond hair he obviously is extremely dangerous. >> reporter: it's an historic black church in downtown charleston, and police the mayor and church elders were in no doubt about the attack.

>> i do believe it was a hate crime. >> the only reason someone can walk into a church and shoot peopling praying is out of hate. the only reason. >> gun violence has to stop. >> on the street people voiced their anger on what appears to be another attack on the united states community. there has been a string of cases of violence against them in recent months including a video showing police brutality at a pool party. community leaders in charleston stressed this must be a time to unite. >> we stand in solidarity and listen to your prayers for family members that lost loved ones. >> reporter: jed bush who started his republican campaign was due to appear but cancelled because of the shooting. on twitter he said: democratic presidential hopeful

hillary clinton also tweeted: >> reporter: while people gather on the streets in solidarity for the victims and to voice anger at the crime, the police are warning locals of the danger of the attacker as they continue their manhunt politicians in hong kong rejected a beijing-backed election reform bill. it would have given voters in hong kong the opportunity to elect the leader in 2017. it would have only been able to choose by candidates approved by beijing. that is the move that activists call un-democratic. china's correspondent adrian brown has more. >> the clean-up is beginning outside the legislative assembly. the numbers of protesters are thinning out. it's been a good day for the pro-democracy groups. they ensured a deposit proposal

to broad ep democratic reform in hong kong would not and has not passed. in a sense, it's an irony having democrats calling for democracy, voting down a proposal to do that. they had to because what was offered was, in a sense, a fake democracy. it ended quickly and chaotically. i think the pro-government parties realized that the vote would be a formalitiality. they knew they didn't have the numbers, they knew they'd lose and walked out of the chamber before the vote. ensuring that the democrats got their way groups affiliated with i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility for a series of car bombings in yemen's capital. dozens have been killed. the violence comes as the factions meet, where they are struggling to make progress on

peace deal. car bombs hit a stronghold in the capital. it is an area on the outskirts of sanaa. one of the houthis headquarters is located there. >> this is not the only attack targetting the houthis since they took over sanaa last year. in march, the islamic state claimed responsibility for a string of attacks, targetting houthi mosques. more than 100 people were killed. the giraffe attacks come at a time when talks to solve yemen's crisis are under way in geneva. the united nations urge the warring factions to agree on a humanitarian truce. each party has preconditions, and there has been little progress. the houthis and forces loyal to

former president ali abdullah saleh say the saudi-led air strikes must stop first. the government blames the houthis for the ongoing violence insisting they must stop shelling the cities. the saudi-led coalition says it will stop bombing the houthis and their allies once they pull out from the cities they control. in the meantime the united nations envoys is on the offensive. he has a few days left to salvage a deal. if yemen's rivals fail to make progress, fighting will continue and the humanitarian crisis may bet worse with every passing day. the bombings may put pressure on the parties gathering in geneva to solve yemen's crisis or face instability that plays into the hands of groups like al qaeda or

islamic state, who may take advantage of the political vacuum. >> reporter: new evidence emerged of chlorine gas attacks in syria, from doctors that worked there. they say bashar al-assad's government is carrying out the attacks with devastating consequences. we have this report from washington d.c. >> they came at the invitation of the republican led house foreign relations committee to share eyewitness acts of gas attacks against syrian civilians. >> since march we documented 31 attacks. we are more than 380 syrian civilians were injured by it. 10 of them died of suffocation. providing additional video evidence, the doctors told lawmakers the attacks

intensified 10 days after a u.n. security council resolution condemned weaponization of chlorine and threatened military action if the resolution was breached. >> i'm a doctor and very familiar with death. i have never seen a more obscene way to kill children. i have never watched so many suffer in an obscene manner. >> the doctors say only the syrian government has access to the helicopters responsible for dropping the chlorine-filled barrels on to civilian areas it believes are supportive of the syrian opposition. bashar al-assad has always maintained his government is not behind the chlorine gas attack. last month in a u.s. tv network interview, he argued that chlorine is widely available, and has been weaponized in the past by other groups. including islamic state of iraq and levant or i.s.i.l. u.s. secretary of state john

kerry says that the united states believes that bashar al-assad is behind the attacks. and is working to hold him accountable. that is why doctors and activists are pressuring u.s. lawmakers to push president barack obama into targeted military action. to pressure political dialogue leading to the creation of a no-fly zone to stop the bombs from dropping. >> these dnd-filled weapons and full of nails and other random cheap shrapnel and harmful short nails, take dozens of innocent lives every day. >> reporter: they say without a u.s.-led international effort, there's little hope for civilian safety thousands of syrians who fled to turkey over the past two weeks are returning home. about 23,000 were forced out of tal abyad when seized by i.s.i.l. fighters. tuesday that town was retaken. the number of people displaced

by war last year hit a record high. the war in syria is seen as a major factor behind the record numbers. u.n.h.c.r. reports that 60 million fled war, conflict or persecution. 8.3 million more than 2013. >> one clearly gets the impression that the world is at war. and, indeed many areas of the world are, today, in a completely chaotic situation, and the results is a staggering escalation of displacement. the staggering escalation of human suffering, because each displaced person is a tragic story, and not only are people suffering when they are forced to flee but many are suffering trapped by conflict in their own villages, or in their own communities. french's finance minister says it would be a catastrophe for greece if it leaves the euro the stalemate continues as

offense ministers gather for another round of meetings. >> reporter: syriza wants to send europe a message. >> i say no to those blackmailing us, and for my county sold piecemeal. i want it as it is, cleaning whole, with its history, even if it means leaving the euro. >> i want to tell the prime minister that what we fear is a retreat, we are prepared for a break up. >> reporter: the two sides are entrenched. creditors demand $4 billion in additional spending cuts and taxes this year. greece is offering about half that, and says that is final. these people represent the majority view here. after six years of austerity greeks want their sovereignty back. to plan their own way out of this. the credibility of the european union is at stake. just as it is politically difficult for the government to

deliver deep cuts, it's impossible for european partners to let it go its own way. >> greece says in the post crisis e.u., some are more equal than others. >> greece is a sovereign estate. it has a government that received a mandate recently. it is this government that is responsible for deciding how it will distribute taxes, where it will get money. the insistence that the money will come from new cuts in pensions for us is incomprehensible system. and now we must not with the technocrats, but the political leadership in europe come to a political decision. >> the charge that europe is pillaging greece has made officials in brussels furious. they say they offered the greeks a big discount on what proportion to spend on repaying debt. >> it is truly false to prevent the commission trying to impose austerity, it is false. the proposals are reasonable. >> reporter: earlier on

wednesday, the greek central bank warned a default would lead to an uncontrollable crisis. leaving the euro and possibly the european union. most greeks do not want that kind of divorce. austerity is a foul word to them. and they will not accept more of it. still ahead - a fire damages a church in north jerusalem and a rare admission from north korea's government as they face the worst drought in a century.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the sound bites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story".

only on al jazeera america. welcome back let's look at the top stories on al jazeera. police in the u.s. state of south carolina are searching for a gunman suspected of killing nine people in a church. detectives are treating the shootings as a hate crime. several people were injured politicians in hong kong rejected a beijing-backed election reform bill. the proposal was to see hong kong voters elect their leader in 2017, but the candidates would have to be approved by beijing dozens killed in a series of car bombings in yemen's capital sanaa. the attacks targeted mosques. a group affiliated with i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility a catholic church has been damaged in a suspected arson attack in israel.

the church is at the site where christians believed jesus performed a miracle where 5,000 people were treated loaves of fish. what are we learning what do we know about this. >> we do know that the israeli police suspected arson as a cause for the fire in this ancient church the church of the multiplication lies on the seas of the gallia and it's trd an important site in the holy land. the reason the police suspect the fire may have been set deliberately is because of anti-christian graffiti in hebrew, which was painted on the walls of church. it announces the worship of idols, and we understand from the church advisor, that this happened between 3am to 4:00am thursday local time in israel

and two people were hospitalized due to spoke inhalation. the guest rooms have been destroyed. the rest of the church remains intact. and according to eyewitnesss in the area the crosses on the street signs, leading up to the church a long time before the fire happened. >> how common are attacks like these in israel? >> well the church advisor says that they don't know who the perpetrators are but are pointing the finger at jewish extremists. as you may know there have been a lot of attacks on christian and muslim holy places in israel. and this is just the last in a long line of such attacks. these attacks intensified over the last two years.

they have not just been on churches but christian institutions and cemeteries and properties owned by the church. and have been against greek orthodox institutions. what is common is the anti-christian graffiti in hebrew sprayed on to the exteriors or interiors of the buildings and institutions. now, the most recent attack happened in april when the grave stones in a christian cemetery close to the boarder with lebanon was smashed. this prompted the israeli group to meet with church leaders in israel, and crack down on religiously moted vated hate crimes. >> security forces in somali foil a suicide attack on a political conference. troops killed three as they

attempted to enter a hall. a driver of a car packed with explosives was killed in the attack. al-shabab claimed responsibility in the dominican republic - thousands face deportation. many rushed to submit applications for legal residency. >> reporter: they have been lining up for day, desperate to get the papers they need to stay in their adopted country. immigrant workers from haiti, some of whom lived here for decades. >> they don't want haitians here. they began the process so we can stay legally, but it's all for nothing, they want us to get out of the country. >> reporter: those that haven't registered as foreign workers, and there could be as many as 300,000. some leading dominican

businessmen saying taking so many workers out of the country will damage of the economy. they are not the only ones of threat. those born here to undocumented parents have had their dominican citizenship taken away. >> wilma, a 22-year-old, was born into a community dedicated to cutting sugar cane. the fact that his father who arrived 50 years ago is undocumented means that he has lost his right to stay. when he tried to renew his birth certificate, it was taken from him. he, his siblings and children are facing an uncertain future. >> i feel dominican, i am a nate you've of this place. i was born here my child was born here. this is the only country i know. >> reporter: this activist visits those vulnerable to being deported to haiti, a country

many have never visited. she said the threatened deportation is the latest example, a prejudice grown as hatians moved out of the countryside and into the cities. >> some dominicans are afraid because they feel hatians are invading. their xenophobia because we are black and poor. conservatives say a poor country shouldn't have to take in those poorer. >> local human right groups are concerned how people are rounded up and taken to detention centers, and if they have the right to appeal. making this case on television to a population in favour of the plan the dominican interior minister rejects criticism. >> translation: if someone arrives and says they are dominican, how do i know they are dominican, how do i know their identity when i don't know their name.

should i register them for telling me this. how. >> for those without the required papers and no options left. all they can do is wait and hoch their family will be spared. in chile, education reform plans requiring teachers to take new tests provoked protests. riot police responded to a crowd in santiago. the president wants to regulate teacher pay and bring schools under natural jurisdiction. reform plans won support, students and teachers are demanding a greater say it is the first ethic's scandal for italy's one-year-old narendra modi government. the foreign minister is accused of abusing her position to grant favors to a disgraced former cricket pos. narendra modi founded the indian

premier league, and was instrumental in making it the richest compete his. he lives in london. tell us about the controversy. >> yes, essentially you are looking at this going all the way back to 2010 when narendra modi left india. as an investigation into his role widespread in the cricket premier league. in 2014 if you wind the clock forward, he required travel papers to travel between london and portugal. and the foreign minister of india signed off on the clearance, and that's where you see the controversy snowballing, including the foreign minister the chief minister in the northern indian state and a british member of parliament, as well as various travel agencies. it's a widespread controversy that started quite some years ago with the unravelling of one of india's lucrative cricket

leagues. >> this widespread controversy, how is it affecting the narendra modi government. >> as you have mentioned, it's the first ethics scandal. the timing is bad. you have a government that is in office and it came to office promising a cleaner governance a corruption free governance, it criticised the rot and seclusion between the political elite and society, and now that party and that opposition turning around. it doesn't seem better under the b.j.p. government. and is exposing the government and narendra modi to what they would describe as unwarranted and unnecessary attention, and potential potentially working with the

government as well. thank you at least five people have been killed after torrential rain. rescuers are searching for four people missing in the flooding in the province. thousands of homes have been evacuated. weather forecasters warn of rain likely to hit southern china over the next three days. north korea says it's suffering its worst drought in a century, a third of the rise paddies are thought to have dried up to record-low rain fall. on north korean state-run television, a rare announcement that all is not well. the government official said we are establishing and carry out drought damage and diversification, despite the pictures of lakes, crops, and hillsides covered with trees, north korea is facing the worst drought in a century. people working on cooperative farms like this one, where the rice fields are almost bare, it's a worrying situation.

>> this is the first drought damage in my 20 years of farming experience. as you see, the seedling is too small to do rice planting. >> reporter: in all, a third of the countrty's rice has dried up. maize and barley has been affected by the hot weather. >> translation: at the start of spring the temperature rose quickly. in may, with a strong hot and dry air flow temperatures reached more than 30 degrees in the east and west coasts. this is 5-7 degrees higher than the average year. >> reporter: in the capital pyongyang, the level of the river is low. such images bring back memories of the 1990s drought which is thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people. wednesday the south korean government held a conference pointing out that rain falls have been low on both sides of the border. saying north korea's food

production could fall sharply unless it rains soon. the united nations spoke about a third of children under five, and international aid is falling sharply. partly because of a reluctance. for food distribution to be monitored. a draught could claim lives. a leaked document written by pope francis calls for action on the issue of climate change. in it the pope backs scientists who say global warming is caused by humans he says developed countries have a responsibility to reverse a trend that will hurt the poor the most three more people died from middle east respiratory syndrome in south korea, bringing the total deaths to 23. 7,000 people have been quarantined at home and at medical centers across the country. doctors are doing all they can to halt the outbreak which began last month. the discovery of new cases raised questions about the government's ability to control

the spread of the virus. >> voting is beginning in denmark's tightly contested election. the center left coalition is neck and neck in the polls with the center right. immigration is a key election issue, the main parties want to crackdown on giving unemployed immigrants actions to denmark's welfare system a politician apologised for giving out false information after a tiger mauled a man to death. it was shot dead. the government said all animals that escaped had been captured, and there was no threat to the public claiming the zoo gave the wrong information. >> translation: it is that one man was killed by the wild animal, special forces are inside the building, and we can say a man was killed by a tiger. he was taken to hospital unconscious, and has died. we wanted to tranquilize the

animal. it was aggressive and attacking. we had to kill it. the information we had, there should not be more animals on the loose. for the latest on the stories we've been watching bringing to you today, including the shooting that happened in south carolina, visit the website, aljazeera.com. reopened the debate about the right o carry guns on challenge campuses if someone nearby had been armed, the thing goes, lives might have been saved. texas has become the latest in a roster of states opening public college campuses to students and others legally packing heat.