have been, but 70 years on, china needed to remember its fallen heros, and pay tribute to its sacrifice, but there's a clear message of china's military might, a global superpower that never wants to see another world at war again. ♪ having her day in court. kentucky clerk kim davis goes before a federal judge for refusing to issue marriage licenses. hope turns to anguish. a train full of refugees leaves budapest, but they don't make it far. a military showcase, china commemorates 70 years since the engineer of world war ii, as the nation's leaders announce major troop cuts. ♪

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm randall pinkston. a kentucky county clerk has been in federal court this morning over her refusal to issue marriage licenses. kim davis and deputies from her office were ordered to appear to face contempt charges. the rowen county clerk refuses to issue marriage licenses to anyone, to avoid giving them to same-sex couples. john terrett is live for us outside of the federal courthouse. john tell us about this hearing which we understand started about what, 90 minutes ago? >> reporter: spot on, randall. it started 90 minutes ago. this is a contempt of court hearing involving kim davis who is here answering charges through the court from the aclu that she is in contempt of court for refusing to hand out

marriage licenses in rowen county where she is the county clerk. let me allow aaron our photographer to show you what is going on behind me here. this is the federal district courthouse in ashland, kentucky, right along the banks of the ohio river, and the scene you are looking at here, i would say is mostly supporters of kim davis. there are a handful of people here who are against the stand that she has taken, but most of these people -- and i think you might be able to see some of their posters -- are here in support of kim davis, they are posters quoting verse and chapter from the bible. down the road a group of people are singing hymns and praising god. as you said, 90 minutes has gone bye by since the case opened. no word of when we'll hear what decision is handed down. but there will be a news conference from both sides

afterwards. >> what do you know about the possible legal consequences that kim davis and her fellow clerks may face? >> reporter: well, prison time is the worst of them, although that is generally thought to be unlikely. most observers seem to think there may be a hefty fine to pay. or alternatively the colleagues have brought hear as well, and it's possible the judge may try to broker some sort of deal. where marriage licenses can be handed out, but without the direct involvement of kim davis. >> i saw that there are some clerks who share her religious beliefs but are also abiding by the constitutional duties of their office. has anyone made that argument to her or those who support her?

>> reporter: almost everybody here who opposes what she says which is that basically she is abiding by not the rule of the nation, but by the rule of god and that judgment day will come for her and all of us. those who take a different view say look it's well and good for you to hold those religious convictions, but if you hold them, then you should stand aside from your job and allow the law of the land to prevail. her mother held this job for 37 years, and she become a democrat to be voted in. and as i said she is speaking for a lot of people here in kentucky, and many are here today. >> what is going on at the clerk's office today in rowen county? >> reporter: it is completely closed. and we know this, because we sent a camera over, and we have pictured of what appears to be a

type-written note which says this office will be closed today and will reopen tomorrow. and that has been signed by kim davis. and i assume that's because she and members of her staff are here answering to this case. >> john terrett thank you very much. one marine was killed and at least nine others hurt when their helicopter made a hard landing in north carolina. base officials say the group was carrying out a training exer size. 16 marines were on board. we are getting a new sense today of the unpresence dented nature of the refugee crisis in europe. doctors without borders say it has rescued nearly 1700 in the mediterranean sea on wednesday. meanwhile some refugees in hungary allowed to board a train but then they were stopped an hour into their journey and

forced off. hungary's prime minister is facing criticism over how he is handling the situation. he insists the crisis is a german problem and says hungary will have a plan in place by september 15th which includes building a fence. mohammed jamjoom is live at the train station in budapest. there are still thousands of refugees at the station now. given what happened earlier with that train that left and stopped an hour out of budapest, do the people behind you still want to get on the next train if they are allowed to? >> reporter: i can tell you, randall that the people here that i have spoken with, most of them syrian refugees would love to be able to get out of hungary, want to be able to get on a train, but they are so worried now because of what happened earlier in the day,

that they believe the prime minister has taken towards them, that they say even if a train opened up now, they wouldn't get on it. because they are afraid if they were to board a train, that it would only take them to an encampment here. most of the people i have spoken with said they traveled so far, and spent so much money to get to europe, and now to be stopped here is a tragedy. they say, if the prime minister here doesn't want us here, why doesn't he let us get out of here in why doesn't he let us continue our journey on to germany or another country. so there is a lot of concern about that. they just don't know what is going to happen in the days to come. one man i spoke to earlier, said before he used to have to contend with barrel bombs, he never would have believed that when he finally got to europe that he would have to contend

with an atmosphere like this. randa randall? >> how long are they willing to stay there? and are you seeing new arrivals today? >> reporter: we haven't seen any new arrivals at this station, but we know that more people are headed here. we have heard that more people are headed here. as you see behind me, there are still thousands of people here surrounding this station. at one point it got quite tense. we have more police force members called out. there were several folks chanting let us get on to a train. that got tense it looked at one point that perhaps there would be a confrontation, but it subsided within a few minutes. yet still these people don't know what is going to happen next. you have people that have their laundry out, they are trying to get food and water for their kids. i saw a family build a makeship

toy for their children, so they could try to distract their kids from the misery surrounding them here. it is very dire, it is a crisis, but they just don't know where they are going to be able to go next, when they will be able to go. many believe they will be stuck outside here for several days to come. >> while you were talking we were showing another scene on a train track. mohammed jamjoom thank you. we now know more about the syrian boy that is shown in this picture. that has made headlines across the world. he and his five-year-old brother and mother drowned trying to make the crossing to kos. it made an application to go to canada, the application was

sponsored by a family member in canada, but it was denied. iran's parliament at the supernational security council must sign off on the nuclear agreement before the ayatollah allows it to move forward. the ayatollah has the final say on most matters of state in iran. the pentagon can tracking five chinese naval ships off of the coast of alaska. it is the first time chinese ships have entered the bering sea. they are there as beijing flexes its military might on the 70th anniversary of the defeat of japan. >> reporter: an historic opportunity for the chinese to remember the many millions who died during world war ii

fighting japanese aggression. they haven't seen this sort of parade since 2009. it is only the fourth since 1960. 12,000 military personal past and present, representing all of the chinese armed services marched to precision timing. more than 80% of the military hardware on show was unveiled for the first time. a huge security operation surrounds the event happening just a few kilometers down the road. but not everybody wants to watch from home, so many people have come to vantage points like this to watch. s no necessarily passing them on the road, but up in the sky. >> i have watched past several parades on tv. i feel like this is the most spectacular one. it is the biggest in terms of the size. this is an historic moment for china. >> reporter: many waited for a much anticipated speech from the

chinese president. including specially invited heads of states from more than 100 countries. >> translator: people's liberation army of china is the people's army. it's duty is to protect the nation's security and people's well-being, and carry out the noble mission of upholding world peace. here i announce that china will cut the number of its troops by 300,000. >> reporter: despite the significant statement, many leaders from western nations and the prime minister of japan did not at tend. they see china flexing its muscle, sending a message that it can and will defend itself and any disputed territory it aims to claim. china was on the winning side during world war ii. military personnel from ten nations including several central asian republics, russia,

and pakistan joined their wartime ally in the parade. a nationalistic display it might have been, but 70 years on, like many other global nations china needed to remember its fallen heros. but there is a clear message of china's military might, a global superpower that never wants to see another world at war again. french officials today confirmed the wing part found in the indian ocean is from malaysian airlines flight 370. they were able to link a serial number on the part to the missing plane. the jet dispeered in 2014. the dangers of electronic cigarettes, a new study says the growing trend is much more dangerous than previously thought. i'm on lake erie where water quality experts say it could be

a bad year for pollution in the great lakes.

>> in the wake of the baltimore riots. everyday citizens are fighting to take their neighborhoods back. >> it's a movement to make a difference. >> educating. >> i feel safer in here. >> the library means something to the people here. >> healing. >> we really have to talk about how can we save lives. >> restoring. >> we given' a family a chance because some of the houses are bein' rebuilt. >> can they rescue their city? ♪ the obama administration is proposing new rules to prevent gender identity discrimination in medical care. the rules would apply to hospitals and doctors under the affordable care act. it would not require a specific procedure to be covered, but it would require a look at how

claims are handles. a scathing report on the va. nearly 900,000 vets have pending applications, and one third of them are believed to have died while waiting for their applications to be accepted. the va says it has no way to purge the list of deceased applicants. a health watchdog group says many e-cigarettes contain high levels of chemicals that can cause cancer. john henry smith reports. >> reporter: it's being billed as the first every large scale testing of e-cigarettes. the center for environmental health looked at products from 24 manufacturers and found that 21 of them had at least one product containing hazardous amounts of one or more of the cancer causing chemicals. the ceh said it tested 97 in

all. 50 contained the hazardous chemicals. >> some were ten times as high. one was 470 times the legal limit for selling these products without warning people. >> reporter: according to the study even the products that delivered nicotine without the other high levels were problematic. an industry-funded study out last month argued e-cigs are far safer than smoking tobacco. >> is it safer to be hit by a car than a bus, yes, but i don't want to get hit by a car, and if you are choosing to live a healthy life and be exposed to chemicals that cause cancer or birth defects, the choice to me is obvious. >> reporter: they are now suing makers in california for failing

to warn users about the risk of the products. >> we're saying that adults who are well-informed have the right to smoke cigarettes or vape or anything they want in this category of products. what we're saying is that the companies cannot withhold the information about the health impacts. a new study shows how needle exchanges can make a big impact towards preventing hiv. researchers in washington, d.c. said the program saved 120 drug users from contracting the virus. they also found the program cut the average monthly rate of new hiv infections by about 70%. the program offers clean syringes and addiction treatment to drug users, as well as hiv tests and free condoms. topped out in michigan why soaring water bills in one city led to a class action lawsuit.

nfl commissioner roger goodell says the league are appeal a ruling today that throws out tom brady's four-game suspension. a federal judge says the commissioner exceeded his authority when he issued the punishment to the quarterback. brady says he was not involved in deflating footballs so they were easier to throw. in flint, michigan there is

growing anger over water prices. the judge's order for the city to slash prices may still not be enough to help those most in need. bisi onile-ere explains. >> how are you supposed to live without water? it's sad. it's really sad. you got people around here living like third world or whatever, you know? >> reporter: carey nelson considers herself fortunate how long were you without water? >> not long because i went down there and begged. >> reporter: others have gone months without water. the city raised rates by 35% in 2011, just months before the state took over the struggling city's finances. >> it's sad, but that's what is happening. and i understand people when they leave. they have got to do what is best for them. >> reporter: before the increase, nelson who is 64 years old and lives on a fixed income,

says she paid about $30 a month. now she pays close to $200. >> i blame the city councilmen, and i blame the mayor. because they are the ones that are supposed to be running the city. >> reporter: flint is a predominantly black community. and residents have been complaining about water rates for years. now nelson is among 30,000 people who joined a class action lawsuit against the city. this attorney is leading the case. he says it is estimated that nearly a third of the people here are delinquent on their bills. some have lost their homes because of it. >> people had to make decisions about whether or not to eat, whether or not to pay their utility bills, gas and electric, pay their mortgage payment or pay their water bill. >> reporter: on tuesday the city responded. >> we are complying with the judge's order, water and sewer

rates will be lowered for the coming bills. >> reporter: flint is now cutting water bills by about $20 a month, a 22% reduction that falls short of a judge's order for the city to stop collecting the full 35% rate hike. flint cently emerged from its financial emergency, but some officials now estimate cutting water rates could force cuts in other services. >> really, i would like for them to sit down and get real and just tell us the truth. like they say the truth will set you free. we need to know what is going on. >> reporter: as residents like nelson push for financial relief from high water bills, city lawyers caution that any more reductions could eventually lead to flint's financial collapse. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, flint, michigan. transportation officials in southern california are

proposing a new highway just for wildlife. it would run atop the 101 freeway, linking two mountain lion habitats in the area. the project would cost $38 million. and a yale university team determined that earth has eight times more trees than previously estimated. unfortunately the study also shows tree cover has been cut almost in half since human civilization began. lake seerie is experiencing another green summer, we're talking about toxic algee in the water. the problem is being blamed on agricultural runoff. >> reporter: each summer a growing underwater forest of toxic alee suffocates lake erie.

this farmer is trying to stop that. he plants tall grass along the river using no till corn, and after he arvests he replants his fields with rye grass. >> reporter: so that is specifically designed to keep everything from washing off of the soil. >> exactly. >> reporter: but the city of toledo declared its water unsafe for drinks, conservationists put the blame on farmers like him. >> i guess it upset me personally, because i'm trying to do all i can to seep the soil particles out of the river. urbanization, industry, there's other people that dump things into the river. >> i'm going to grab a soofrp l. >> reporter: he might have a

point. this man tested the water from the river which feeds lake erie. before the phosphorous was 5 parts per million. after it tripled. >> this one is 15. >> reporter: the problem is none of the states along lake erie require any disclosure of the sources of the pollution. that is required in the fox river on the east coast. >> we ought to be looking at all of the sources and seeing how much we can get reductions at the lowest cost to bring the lake back to health again. >> reporter: heavy rains have not helped. this might be a particularly bad summer for algee blooms. across the way the water has encroached into the tree line.

that has taken soil into the river. as the shallowest of the great lakes, eerie is the first to develop algee blooms, warning for a great lake system that supplies 20% of the fresh water. and finally this hour, tennis star djokovic is showing he can do more than just swing a racket. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> the top seed entertained the crowd after the u.s. open after winning his second-round match. he was dominating beating his opponent in straight sets. that's it for us. thanks for joining us. i'm randall pinkston. the news continues next life from london, and for the latest headlines go to our website,

aljazeera.com. ♪ >> desperate refugees fighting for the right to continue across europe and into germany. ♪ it is good to have you with us. this is some what we have coming up in the next 30 minutes. >> a former leader into ban da testifies at his war crimes trial. saying he never attacks civilians.