deadly bombings rock iraq. we're live from baghdad this hour. children in gaza longing to simply be children. understand stead, they have deep psychological scars and another night of welcome calm in ferguson, missouri. we will hear from a restaurant owner who refused to close his doors during the unrest. hello. welcome to our viewers from the united states and around the

world. we will begin this weekend's explosive violence across iraq. bombings striking three major cities across the country. in kirkuk, three car bombs and a road side device exploded one after the other. at least 20 people were killed, more than 100 wounded near erbil, another car bombing. no one was killed but several were injured. the first bombing in that city in a year. in baghdad, a suicide bomber targeting the interior ministry killed at least four people and wounded 35 others. meantime, there's a different kind of terror taking place in the shiite town. isis militants have held the tournd siege for two months. the iraqi government are appealing for help to avoid a

possible massacre at the hands of the group. they are saying 20,000 residents are without electricity and running out of food and water. joining us from baghdad is our reporter. the situation there is very dire. 20,000 people under siege by isis. what more can you tell us from ameril. >> if we look at this town, it is a sunni province north of baghdad. there isis militants have made great advances back in june, as we saw them sweep through mosul and also in the province. and they have taken several villages in and around amerli. we are getting reports of a desperate situation inside of this town of 18,000 people. isis militants stopped food and

medical supplies from coming in, cut off water and electricity and really desperate situation by all accounts. this is a shia turkman town. one of the real fears is we could see a similar scenario to northern iraq the past few weeks where isis militants have gone after other groups especially the yazidis which we saw besieged in mount sinjar and only broken by u.s. air strikes and attacks on other minorities we have seen by isis. real concern about what might happen. we are hearing in the past few hours, shia militias have been mobilized and are moving to try to break that siege by isis. this is something that has happened over the past few months as isis has gained ground.

the government here called on shia militias and mobilized them to help in the fight against isis. that also contributing to raising sectarian tensions in this country. >> elsewhere in iraq we have been showing viewers, we have seen several bombings. one after the other. this must be the fear, isis and sectarianism surely. >> absolutely. this is something that has been building, something we have seen happening over the past year or so, if not more. the violence levels here are something we have not seen since 2008 when the violence dropped after those really awful years and brutal years of sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007. over the past year, officials would tell you, this increase in violence, this increase is isis gained more ground here there's been a step up in attacks and there's always this fear that this would leave the country in to a cycle of retaliation. that really is difficult to

contain and could really reignite that sectarian civil war. there's always that concern that this would happen. there's been no claim of responsibility for yesterday's bomb withings that we saw, or even before that on friday that brutal attack on the sunni mosque in the province where gunmen walked in, stormed the mosque and killed 70 worshipers. these sorts of attack increase sectarian tensions and a fear it would drive them closer to the sectarian war we saw in 2006, 2007. >> there is another story we are following closely today. that's taking place in libya. weeks long battle for tripoli international airport appears to be over and lines of militias have taken control of it. they say they seized it from a rival militia which had been in

control since the libyan revolution three years ago. the reason she is back with us is the past three years she's been based in tripoli and knows the country well. help us understand this. who are these militia groups fighting it out amongst themselves? weren't they brothers in arms at one stage? >> this is a really catastrophic situation we have seen unfolding in libya. over the past month or so, this is another battle for power, battle for control between these militias. for the first time, we have seen this sort of violence in tripoli since the revolution. it could even be worse than the revolution, indiscriminate shelling and fighting that has really destroyed triple international airport, impacted civilian areas, as the fighting spread to different parts of the capital. we have heard warnings from

amnesty international, some u.n. commissions saying what is taking place, these rival militias, fighting in a civilian centers, in tripoli, could amount to war crimes. really, the problem is that these militias have grown in power and influence over the past years, since the fall of the regime and there's been no one to control them. they have out powered and out numbered, out gunned whatever government security forces there are. the government has not been able to contain and control them in any part of the country. just to give you an idea the libyan government is no longer based in tripoli. they have no control over the capital. they have no control over libya's second city benghazi, they are in another city in eastern libya. it is very dangerous situation we have seen over the past few weeks. it has displaced thousands of families. there's been a high casualty figure from this indiscriminate shelling and fighting we have

seen and an exodus of foreigners, diplomatic workers have left the country because this is not something we have seen since the revolution. another disturbing development with what is going on there and it highlights the chaos and the anarchy in libya right now is there have been air strikes over the past week yesterday and earlier in the week we seen air strikes taking place by unknown fighter jets. no one knows. the government says it has no idea who the fighter jets belong to. they have taken out targets in tripoli and yesterday killed 1 2 militia men in their strikes. >> if the situation is that dire why haven't we seen the west, the arab league and african union pledge to help out? >> that is a question so many libyans are asking. this is the same international community that three years ago rushed, around this time they

had rushed and helped libyans. they came to the rescue. they stopped the gadhafi forces and supported the groups, the rebels who fought the gadhafi regime at the time. they allowed them to pretty much take over the country at that time. we have heard from the libyan government, the foreign minister speaking at the u.n. security council last month. really gave a dire assessment of what is going on in the country. saying libya was on the path to becoming a failed state. it is on the way to becoming an all-out civil war. he asked the international community for help saying more needs to be done. they cannot do it on their own because the government is powerless. they ask for some sort of international stabilization mission that could help them get things under control. but we have not seen anything. there's been no real response to this. yes, there have been some moves on the diplomate ic level.

the u.n. trying to broke area cease fire. we have heard statements from the eu, u.s. and other countries, but really these militias don't listen to anyone. so there's been no real impact to what's going on there from what we have seen over the past few months and really something libyans are surprised about. why is no one trying to stop this? with libya being in such a position that the violence could impact neighbor tg countries like egypt, ton neez dwra and not far from the shores of europe. >> thank you very much. ordinary saturday night. that's how the man in charge of public safety in ferguson, missouri, described the evening 15 days after policeman shot and killed the unarmed teen michael

brown. >> tonight, once again, no molotov cocktails, to fires, no shootings, no guns were seized. tonight we deployed no smoke devices, no tear gas and no mace and again tonight no police officer fired a single bullet. we did respond to a couple of incidents tonight. a call for a shot fired behind a sam's meat market and a smashed drive-thru sign at mcdonald's. in total six people were arrested, one for destruction of property and resist for arrest by fleeing and other five for failing to disperse. >> this was the scene a short time ago on the streets of ferguson. relatively quiet demonstrations compared to last week during the confrontations with protesters and police. it has been two weeks since the

shooting took place. the unrest almost shut down parts of ferguson, missouri but one restaurant refused to close its doors. we have a story of one very determined hamburger stand. >> reporter: charles davis will look back on these last two weeks and ask himself, how did he make it? right now he's too exhausted to think about that. >> welcome to ferguson burger where the food will tap dance on your taste buds. >> he bought the burger barn the day before michael brown was shot and killed around the corner from his restaurant. it has been trial by fire for davis. he's never run a restaurant and he's learning in the midst of chaos. >> this experience, the last week and a half, last two weeks has been crazy for you. >> it's been very, very crazy. i don't feel threatened, intimidated or scared. i don't feel any of those things. >> reporter: davis' burger bar

has been the only business left standing at night . some places reopened during the day but when the sun goes down on this stretch of road and the demonstrations start, davis refuses to lock his doors. >> never stopped and said why am i still open? >> not once did i. but people have come up and said thank you for being open. >> reporter: on some nights looters and vandals have looted through the store s around him but the burger bar stands. open late in the night even when the tension erupts and often a safe haven for frightened protesters to hide from the violence. >> they were firing off tear gas right here on my lot. i'm standing in my window, seeing these big truck tanks, artillery, just drive by. i'm sitting here watching. they are shooting off tear gas on the lot where the smoke is coming up. i just sat there and watched. >> reporter: so many people have counted on his burgers late at night the weight is close to an

hour. the tables are a front-row seat to the violence. >> do you feel like staying open was a strong message? did you think of that? >> opening up is letting them know i'm here. i'm not going anywhere. i don't care what you do. if you break the win doets i'm going to board them up if you steal my food i'm going to buy more. i'm going to keep it cookin' and try to serve the people. >> reporter: charles davis survived another long day. it might be closing time but the lights will come back on tomorrow. cnn, ferguson, missouri. >> very determined young man indeed. still to come right here on cnn, as israel gaza conflict continues we will look at the toll it takes on the most vulnerable people in gaza. stay with us. 9m

israel defense forces report at least five rockets were fired from syria. it hit various locations in the golan heights overnight. no reports of casualties. israel captured the mountainous border in 1967. israel and gaza continue to trade fire despite egypt's call for a return to peace talks.

an israeli air strike levelled this building in gaza city. israel says it housed a command center for hamas militants. gaza residents said it housed families. 17 people wounded. 20 minutes earlier they had a been warned by the israeli military that an attack you coming. the fighting between gaza militants and israeli forces continues to take a toll on children. on friday, a 4-year-old israeli boy was killed by a mortar fired from inside of gaza. schools of palestinian children have been killed. we look at the daily trauma faced by gaza's children and how adults are trying to ease it. >> reporter: the immensity of the destruction in gaza. entire neighborhoods flattened, over 2,000 people killed. but it's the damage with the greatest reach that is the hardest to see.

the psychological effect of the war on children. here at the child and family counseling and training center, they aren't just reciting the colors, they are rewiring their brains in a hope of achieving some sort of normality. something as simple as popping a balloon unsettles the nerves. loud noise is associated with death and destruction are reprogrammed to sound, well with, like something different. this man is a professor of psychiatry and he said this war created an unparalleled number of children needs therapy. >> we expected more reaction, mostly anxiety. we are seeing kids now with sleep disturbance, hyper

activity, children with aggressive behavior. >> the u.n. estimates 400 thousand children in gaza are in need of psychological care. experts say it is crucial for children dealing with trauma to get back to a normal routine. they say going back to school is extremely important. but as you can see at this school in central gaza city the classrooms are full, but not with students. that's because for now they are makeshift shelters. school's been cancelled. here we find a grandmother. she tells me her years of experience taught her what children need most is hope, kindness and loving embrace to melt their problems away. simple acts, desperately needed in a hopeless place. ian lee, cnn, gaza city.

>> you are watching cnn. coming up next, calm on the surface, but trouble underneath. the volcano in iceland. we have more on the volcano next.

a volcano is brewing under this ice. iceland's government raised the

aviation alert to red meaning an eruption is imminent or in process. more than 8 million travelers were affected at the last eruption with losses at $8 million. i ivan is joining us. explain it for us. it is a small eruption that has taken place but this is just under the ice cap, is that correct? >> under the ice cap. which is where we want it to remain. we are going to monitor this closely. they have radar and cameras trained in on this volcano that has seen activity over the last several hours. we have had, unfortunately, some pretty significant earthquakes. the strongest one 5.3 out of this entire event occurred in the last few hours. yesterday, escalating and now at

imminent. they have closed the air space. that does not mean we are about to erupt here. we will monitor closely as are the volcanologists. that is what we have going here with the bardarbunga. when you have the alert at that level it means an eruption is likely. especially if you have the main chamber eruption. the ash will go to the atmosphere, 20 to 30,000 feet. not only because of the explosion but the con vek that occurs. the air is heated, rises and we get in to trouble with this getting in to parts of the european air space here. this already happened. we have this fissure here but sub glacially. nothing has come up and broken the glacier here. that's when you get the eruption. a plausible scenario is we

continue with mini eruptions under the glacier and not the main one here. that's what with we are looking for. if we do that's when we get in to trouble. the upper level wind, this is iceland here, it can carry -- win windss understood late and vary. as it cools it sticks to everything. turbine blades can damage aif onices. you do not want a plane flying in to that. that's why they closed the air space around iceland. remains tbe seen whether the store expands. >> very interesting. very, very interesting. i like the explanation of why the air space would be locked down basically. thank you very much. now you are watching cnn. after the break it's independence day in ukraine.

you are looking at live pictures, but not every part of the country is celebrating. tell you why after a short break. all your make-up before. but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. can your makeup remover do that? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover.

welcome back. four bombs exploded and 20 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. in the kurdish regional capital erbil a car bomb wounded several people and in baghdad a suicide bomber attacked a government building killing four people. in iraq, they seized control of

libya international airport after month long official. the misrata fighters controlled the airport since the libyan revolution three years ago each side hammers away at the other. this israeli air strike destroyed a 14-story apartment building in gaza. 17 people near the building were hurt. ferguson, missouri continues to stay calm after days of unrest. 15 days ago a policeman shot and killed unarmed michael brown sparking clashes with police and looting brown's funeral is set for monday. ukraine is celebrating independence day. you are looking at live pictures. this is a military parade in the capital kiev. the country split from the soviet union in 1991. president poroshenko is

addressing the crowds as you can see from these live pictures. pro russian rebels are planning a counterevent. many people miss the by g gstsoviet times. give us what we should expect from the independence day parade. >> the parade itself has been controversial. a lot of people felt it's not proper to have a parade with the military equipment and the troops in the center in the heart of kiev when there is military action at the same time in the east. they say it supports the theory of fighting. the opinions are split but what the president is saying he's trying to unite the country with this parade, as well. the first in five years in the

center of kiev. >> president poroshenko said to the heros, those fighting in ukraine. i know you said many were split on the show of strength saying it is inappropriate. do you think many people there will say the support, the show of strength is needed for the country right now? >> well, not only the support is needed for the country, the military, the equipment will go for use of the ukrainian army right after the parade as many as the troops as well. >> in terms of negotiations, we know that poroshenko and putin and eu officials are due to meet on tuesday. what can we expect from the pak talks? after all tensions have been raised and simmering after the decision to go in to eastern ukraine. >> the overall opinion within

the country, the support of the is over 50%. the government's point is we want peace. we don't want more war. the government has certain conditions for the cease fire and they have -- they want russia so stop firing over the border. and they want the release of the hostages which actually the rebels in eastern ukraine have announced they will march today as a part of their own parade. we don't know if this will happen or not. these are those hostages and there are 500 of them both military and civilians. something the government wants as part of the cease fire with the militants. >> we saw german chams chancellor angela merkel i having yesterday. how was her visit received

there? >> it was received as a message of support. symbolic on the independence day. ukraine is very much relying on the support of the european union. because itself is not frankly strong enough to negotiate with russia. ukraine controls 400 kilometers of its border. ukraine admits it cannot firing with russia over the border without the international support. they are a strong representation of the european union of the talks on tuesday and ukraine is heavily hoping for the support of the international community. >> if you are just joining us, you are looking at live pictures right now. ukraine is celebrating independence day. this is a military parade in the capital as the country's split from the soviet gloon 1991. we saw president poroshenko addressing the crowds and we are

speaking to our cnn producer. victoria, you are in kiev. give us a sense of the mood there today. >> well, there's been a huge wave of patriotism over the last eight months. it continued on with crimea and now what is happening in the east. people -- people wearing traditional clothing, of people having tattoos of the emblem of the country. people doing a lot of crowd chanting for the army. because the army has not been finance ed properly. part of the military parade they will march volunteers who have been doing crowd funding for the army and supporting the army. it is not only a show off of military force. it's something to give

recognition to those people who have participated in the building the country the way ukraine tries to change now. >> thank you very much, victoria. the rest of the country celebrates independence day. the fighting in the east continues. we have a report on the truck convoys sent over the ukrainian border by russia. >> reporter: what russia called a humanitarian convoy, many others called a trojan horse, delivering its load, contents largely unverified to the besieged town of luhansk. >> translator: trucks that entered ukrainian territory under preticket of being a humanitarian con void are loaded

with -- equipment from the factory in luhansk where ammunition is produced. >> cnn cannot verify the claim. the factories are in rebel hands as is the border crossing. russia's defense industry has relied heavily on ukrainian components made in factories in the east. old trade ties for putin severed by this war. in kiev, angela merkel visited ukraine's president to talk peace and reconstruction. >> translator: we all remember the marshall plan for the post-war europe. today i can say it's the ginning of the merkel plan for the restoration. >> reporter: it will take time and money. the areas where aid is needed the most are the hardest

reached. for the residents, the dark days over the summer when there was constant shelling, no water or electricity and little food behind them. those who supported the pro russian separatists seem to have melted away now the city is back in ukrainian hands. the city transformed from the time i was here last at the height of the siege. this was the main rebel stronghold which forces were trying to recapture. i remember how nervous i was felt walking up to the city hall and hearing the voices of faceless rebels behind huge piles of sandbags warning us against snipers. now the war has moved on to luhansk and donetsk. the ukrainian flag flies but it is bitterly contested there. >> you are watching cnn. still to come the hunt for the isis militant who murdered james

foley. we have the latest here on cnn. hello! three grams daily of beta-glucan... a soluable fiber from whole grain oat foods like cheerios can help lower cholesterol. thank you!

turning to one of our top stories. terror bombings on saturday struck three major cities, kirkuk, erbil and baghdad. at least 20 people were killed. more than 100 wounded.

meantime, u.n. and iraqi government officials are appealing for immediate help to prevent possible isis massacre in the northern shiite town of ameril. journalist steven sotloff. the u.s. is now the focal point in the search for the killer of american journalist james foley. it is thought the man who appeared in the past week's video of foley's beheading maybe british. we have more on the investigation from london. >> reporter: the hunt by british security services looking for the killer of james foley. the man clad in black stood behind him, talking in unmistakable british, perhaps london accent and wielding the knife. the hunt will be narrowing at this stage. they believe there are over 500 britained who have traveled to syria to pursue jihad.

there only some of those have come back in their words. that will provide a list for security officials to comb through. they will compare voices of people perhaps they have been monitoring in the group with the voice of the killer on the video. they will look to see if they get recognition from the eyes of the man in the video through biometric data they have been collecting and retinal scans here in the united kingdom. the british media speculating, trying to suggest that perhaps some of the people they know who crossed in to syria maybe that man in the video. but a complex task awaits british security officials. if they manage to establish to a reasonable degree of certainty his identity. to try to capture or kill him with a raid in syria or airaq, approach his family or relatives here and what impact could that have on other hostages held in syria or iraq. a complex task. one vital for the foley family

who want justice for the brutal, savage murder of their son. >> you are watching cnn. coming up, it's a night set to fill this room with television royalty and remembrance. we get a sneak peek at the emmy awards. and as people around the world go through a trial to raise awareness and money, we look at a few people who haven't got the hang of it. that's next.

heavy rains led to flash flood in puerto rico. for the latest on the new tropical depression, meteorologist ivan is live from the weather center. how bad is it? >> it is terrible for the folks in puerto rico. the images you were watching in an area of puerto rico where they have had a drought. now you go from yes, please bring us water to stop because we can't take anymore. that's exactly what is happening across southwestern puerto rico with heavy rainfall. the system is disorganized. it does not look like a typical tropical storm or hurricane because it's not yet. it is a tropical depression. it has a ways to go before it is organized. the rain has been relentless and

will continue despite at the center it is not that well organized. flash flood warnings for puerto rico, san juan, torrential downpours underway. this is the area where we understand some rescues and evacuations are underway. tropical storm warnings continue for the bahamas. that will continue the next couple of days. look at the slow movement here. two forecast points, between 24 and 48 hours not moving that much. that tropical rain will pour over the same area and provide a flash flood threat. then the big question, this is the yellow area, we're we're not sure but notice south carolina and north carolina included in the cone of uncertainty. we will have to watch as to what emerges the next few days. right now the steering currents, tropical systems don't steer themselves. they depend on the upper atmosphere. the steering currents are break. we think it will get pulled to the north. how far west it gets is what

with we are not sure of yet. it may get involved a little bit with the carolinas by the time we get to day five. a lot can happen between now and then and it will and we will let you know. over a foot of rainfall in some of the islands in the bahamas. that's not good at all. this hurricane looks like a 130 knot storm. it is impacting with mexico can. it's far away. the outer bands and the tropical moisture associated with it that is getting pulled up is bringing downpours to puerto vallarta and the mountains. possibility of some mudslides there as well. a lot going on in the tropics and volcanos trying to blow their load. a lot going on in the world and we will keep you posted in the next hour. >> hopefully next time you will have more positive news, ivan. >> we always try, but it's

difficult indeed. >> thank you very much. . come monday night, the 66 primetime emmy awards will honor the biggest names in american television including a tribute to comedian actor robin williams. we look at the shows and the actors in the running. ♪ >> reporter: the primetime emmy awards. >> i demand a trial -- >> reporter: it may not be "the game of throwns" but the stakes are high for them turning it in to emmy gold. >> in terms of what they are worth to the industry it seems they are a bigger deal. >> ratings aren't a concern for hbo's show about death and dragons. it earned the most nominations with 19 but is facing tough competition in best drama category. many are saying "breaking bad

final season makes it the favorite. bryan cranston is nominated for best actor in a drama but could lose out to the man who just won a best actor oscar. >> i think this is the year of matthew mcconaughey. if he is an emmy contender we will say he will win that like he won the oscar. >> reporter: as the star of hbo's "true detective," mcconaughey would have to beat out kran ston and a star-studded list including woody harrelson and jon hamm who has been nominated seven times and never won. >> i worry about a lot of things. but i don't worry about you. >> reporter: "modern family" goes in to emmy night with. >> orange is the new black could upset modern family. >> reporter: if there was a theme this year it might be how

the television academy has recognized so few shows from the networks that used to be in control. >> remember the good old days of cbs, abc, nbc, even fox. ? where are they? the emmys? they have been overwhelmed. >> reporter: best chances for a network win in the drama and category carries might be drama category where "the good wife kweets" julianna margulies is seen as one of the favorites. >> get out of here, you are fired. >> no. >> reporter: all of the drama will play out on monday on television's biggest night. michelle turner, cnn, hollywood. now the basic idea is simple enough. although it is a bit bizarre, people are raiding money for medical charity with a challenge we showed you to make a contribution or enjoy the alternative, having a bucket of ice water dumped on them.

we have seen a lot of celebrities take on the challenge but as jeanne moos tells us, sometimes the dumping party doesn't go as planned. >> reporter: maybe you are feeling just a little bit inundated. [ bleep ] by celebs like britney spears and ben affleck. and lady gaga who with ice taking the als ice bucket challenge. but if toronto mayor rob ford thinks his challenge was rough -- >> almost knocked me out. >> reporter: that's not being almost knocked out. this is. being clocked by a metal pale, creamed by a cooler. there's a whole new category called ice bucket challenge fails. sometimes it's the dumper who fails. sometimes it's the dumpee. sometimes it's man's best

friend. >> here we go, buddy. >> reporter: who despite being tied to a saw horse, runs for its life to avoid a bath. >> hey, come here. >> heavy containers of water are hard to hold on to and even harder when they hit your head. we checked. she wasn't hurt. maybe the smart thing to do would be to wear protective gear. see, i'm fine. but there's no protecting dumpers from themselves. >> don't fall. don't hurt yourself. >> reporter: sometimes you can blame the container, and sometimes. >> hit it, joe. >> reporter: you need a bigger bucket. some ice bucket challenge fails can be attributed to structural

defects say when a gutter gives way or a swimsuit top topples. >> did you get it? >> this woman decided to take the challenge in her own hands when she figured the intended target wouldn't do it himself. she laid in wait on the roof until he left the house. [ bleep ]. >> are you kidding me? >> reporter: there's no use crying. >> go. >> reporter: over spilled ice water. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> shouldn't be that difficult, should it? people should keep it simple. that does it for this hour. thank you very much for watching. our special coverage continues with natalie allen. do stay with cnn.

deepening divides, raging violence. we'll have the latest on iraq's worsening crisis. welcome back to cnn. i'm natalie allen. also ahead this hour, israelis and palestinians trade airstrikes and rockets. we'll take you live to gaza city. and iceland closes its air space near an active volcano. experts say an eruption is imminent. and we start in iraq where bombings have rocked three major cities. in kirkuk, three car bombs and