>> live from berlin, this is the "journal on dw. tens of thousands of refugees flee to turkey as the battle in aleppo rages on. >> china's most explosive trial in decades wraps up after one decade. >> children found living in the bunker of a muslim sect. the red cross has managed to get its first aid convoy in weeks into the syrian city out aleppo.

the country's commercial center faces a humanitarian crisis after becoming a front line in the civil war. >> but most people are running the other way. crowds of refugees have been piling through border gates into turkey. >> they say they could not take it anymore after government troops burned their homes and deprive them of their livelihoods. >> in all, over 250,000 people have fled serious since fighting broke out over a year-and-a-half ago. -- fled syria since fighting broke out over year and a half ago. >> the rebels have confirmed their withdrawal from the strategically important neighborhood of salahuddin, but commanders say they are preparing a new offensive and that the battle is far from lost. syria's closest regional ally, iran, has been in talks over how to end the bloodshed.

the iranian foreign minister had harsh words for the syrian opposition and accused western powers of stoking the conflict. >> explosions, the kidnapping of civilians and foreign pilgrims, the use of human shields and the uptick in extremist activity -- these activities are supported by some regional and international parties. this indicates that agenda is beyond syria are being pursued in the region. >> western and gulf arab nations were not invited. the syrian regime is trying to maintain the appearance of political normalcy. president assad named the former health minister the country's new prime minister. his predecessor reportedly defected several days ago to join the rebellion. as the power struggle continues, more and more serious are fleeing their embattled homeland. more than 100 were crammed onto the boat headed for italy --

more and more serious -- more and more syrians are fleeing their embattled homeland. >> there are now 50,000 refugees from syria in turkey. however the authorities coping with that influx? >> so far, they have been coping all right. the turks have said they will build three more camps, so they will have about 12 to 15 camps soon. at the moment, conditions are still ok. the turks have been coping with the influx, but they have been lucky because most of the people have been coming by and by. there have not been any big waves like tens of thousands. the most they have seen is, like, 2000 within 36 hours, so that gives the turks a little bit of time to prepare for these people. so far, as i said, it has been going ok, but nobody knows what

will happen if the situation in aleppo and turns catastrophic and 20,000 or so people turn up on turkish borders in one day. >> there have been some calls for state buffer zones to be set up in the border regions are round syria. what is turkey's position on that? >> turkey says it is preparing the kind of measures to create the safe haven within syria, but the turkish government insists it has not made the decision yet. military preparations are under way. they say they want to be ready for that kind of any emergency, but they say they have not decided yet whether to do it or not, and many people feel like this could widen the conflict even more and could drag in other neighbors as well. >> thanks very much for joining us on that.

continuing our coverage of syria, it has become a flashpoint in the middle east. major regional powers are already involved. now there are growing signs that al qaeda has dispatched fighters to join the fight to overthrow president bashar al assad, and they are getting increasingly bold, even targeting prominent figures in the syrian regime. >> he was one of the best known faces on syrian state television. he was abducted in mid-july. terrorist organization al qaeda announced on its website that he had been executed and promised that all supporters of the assad regime would suffer the same fate. al qaeda has posted dozens of videos online, claiming to show militants fighting on the front lines in syria, and their ranks are said to be filled by islamists from all over the world.

at this military hospital in damascus, doctors and nurses do not want to show their faces, fearing that they could be branded regime's supporters and killed. the soldier says he was wounded by islamist fighters. >> we were on patrol when they attacked. they were not serious. they were from other arab countries and for the headbands of al qaeda jihadists. >> it is not clear how many foreign buyers are in syria. many were recruited in lebanon and iraq and driven more by religious fanaticism and the promise of democracy. >> these al qaeda-back militants are in syria to overthrow the regime of assad and replace it with a radical sunni regime. they want to establish a solophist state.

>> the ultraconservative movement has been gathering momentum across the world like here in tripoli near the syrian border. the city is a major conduit for supplying weapons and money to the opposition free syrian army and it is here where most jihadists embarked on their holy war. >> they tried to oppress the solophists, but i tell you, we are not weak. we are strong. >> for years, he preached at a mosque in berlin, but german authorities have barred his return because of his suspected ties to terrorist groups. >> the west has abandoned the syrians because they are muslims, so they have the right to buy weapons, whatever it costs. >> the black flags of the g hottest -- jihadists are flying

openly. saudi arabia is army and bankrolling the war in the hope of seeing a pro-saudi government take its place. >> wednesday, egypt heralded its crackdown as a complete success, but the clashes continue. state tv is reporting the police exchanged fire with unidentified gunman in front of it police station. security forces are combing the region for terrorists after 16 soldiers died in an ambush at the israeli border on sunday. it was just a one-day trial, but the most sensational to hit china's courts in many years. the wife of a prominent politician charged with murdering a british businessman. >> details are sketchy, but it was said to be over a money dispute laced with top level government corruption. the woman's husband had a promising political career ahead of him until this case propped up. new be the defendant has never publicly given her side of the story -- >> the defendant has

never given her side of the story. today, she did not challenge the charges against her. >> witnesses for the prosecution said little, and british diplomats were tight-lived. security was strict. the defendant, herself a lawyer, is alleged to have poisoned a man she believed had threatened the safety of her son over a business dispute. the official account of thursday's closed-door hearing says the defense did not object to the charge of intentional homicide. navy -- new be -- >> she should be severely punished. she committed murder. >> this is something we do not really know about. the common people do not know much about the international issues.

>> many see the trial as political. the defendant was a husband had been tipped for a high position at the national level. his anti-corruption stands -- stance and his son made him enemies at home and abroad. if she is found guilty, she could face the death penalty. >> food prices are soaring again. pressure groups are warning of a new global crisis that could leave millions hungry across the developing world. >> the price of corn rose by nearly 20% last month and because of an extreme drought in the u.s. wheat prices also rocketing higher. the increase in biofuels is also to blame, but critics say speculation also plays a role.

commerzbank has taken action. >> the german dax was on a roller coaster ride. traders very undecided, but at the end of trading, better than expected signals from the u.s. job market lifted the mood. the dax closed barely unchanged. earnings reports failed to please investors. commerzbank disappointed with a profit drop and skeptical outlook. deutsche telekom offered good news, raising profit considerably in the second quarter, and wants to pay out a huge dividend, but this was not enough. traders did expect that deutsche telekom would raise its profit forecast. >> let's look at ways roller coaster has left us, starting in frankfurt where the blue-chip

dax did just a tiny bit, still below the 7000 mark, the. euro stoxx 50 on the rise. across the atlantic to wall street where the dow jones is sliding ever so slightly. the euro back down to $1.2292. police in russia discovered a radical sect living underground. first, a quick look at these stories. a prosecutor in ukraine says there is enough evidence to charge yulia tymoshenko with helping to murder a rival politician in 1996, which could mean a new legal battle for the former prime minister, who is currently hospitalized and serving charges. >> a ceremony being held in nagasaki to commemorate the 74,000 people killed by an atomic bomb. the united states dropped it on this day in 1945.

japan's prime minister used the gathering to call for the world wide abolition of nuclear weapons. and a typhoon has killed three people in eastern china and caused more than one -- cost more than 1.2 billion euros in property damage. it caused widespread flooding in shanghai. authorities had to evacuate 2 million people. >> to russia now, where police had discovered an underground compound styled as an islamic kingdom. the leader, and 83-year-old, self-proclaimed profit is in jail on charges of negligence. and he is accused of ordering his followers -- dozens of adults, children, even babies -- to cut contact with the outside world over the past decade. >> for years, the radical sect live here in a labyrinth without sunlight, electricity, or heating. about 70 people, more than 20 of them children.

some were even born here. most had never been outside until police took them to the hospital. >> the children's state is satisfactory. all of them have been dead, but they were dirty. upon their arrival, they were washed and had a full medical checkup. they were examined by russian specialists, and all medical tests have been done. >> according to russian state tv, the group's later claimed to be a prophet and declared his community an independent islamic state. with few exceptions, his followers were not allowed to leave the basement dwelling, but even after their discovery, many say they will not leave. "we will defend our community to the death," this man tells reporters. investigators are investigating the sect on suspicion of child abuse. authorities say the group's underground home was built illegally and has to be

demolished. >> stay with us. we will be back in a minute's time with the latest from the olympics. keep it here.

>> it is a huge blow to a system that saves lives but is totally built on trust. prosecutors in germany are investigating whether a surgeon cheated the organ donation system, exaggerating the conditions of his patients so they will bump up the transplant list. >> investigators even suspect that rich patients from abroad may have jumped the queue. the emerging scandal has thrown the whole basis of the organ donation system into question. >> medical groups have been meeting in berlin to try to find out ways of reforming the system. for thousands of people waiting for a transplant, the loss of trust only makes life harder. >> he is one of about 8000 people in germany waiting for a

new kidney. in the meantime, he has to go for dialysis every three days. each session takes almost five hours. >> it is a massive interruption in your life. you cannot move freely any more. if you want to take a vacation or go away for the weekend and you are on dialysis, you can forget about it. >> the wait is between four and eight years for a kidney. things only go faster if a patient's condition rapidly deteriorated. at the university hospital, a surgeon allegedly faked medical reports on some patients to help them jump to the front of the line for donated organs. investigators believe the ambitious doctor wanted the chance to perform as many transplants as possible. at thursday's meeting in berlin, senior physicians discussed ways to enhance monitoring of organ distribution to create more transparency and oversight.

>> laboratory positions played no role in the transplant and have no stake in it, so we are debating whether they should be tasked with independently verifying the data submitted by doctors responsible for the transplant before it is passed on to your road transplant. >> such safeguards would have likely prevented the incident. the new guidelines will be finalized by autumn, but for many who are sick and desperately awaiting an organ transplant, the loss of trust is irreversible. >> yet more bad news on the greek economy -- unemployment has hit another record high -- more than 23%. >> it is even worse for young people. the number is 55%. it is the situation for people just starting out in their careers. >> professionals with decades of experience are not immune to a crisis that just keeps getting

worse. >> this engineer used to quality inspections on trains built at the shipyards near athens, but the company halted production three years ago. the single father has been unemployed ever since. >> things just not working out for me here in greece. of course there is the economic crisis, but my industry is also in decline. if i was not looking after a family, i would have already left for northern europe. >> the statistics are grim. job losses continue four ayears after the recession began. local job centers have few vacancies for professionals seeking work. the only employment on offer is in low-skilled or seasonal work. >> qualified engineers who used to have good jobs and up working

as pizza delivery boys or farm laborers. that is what it is like. >> the 49-year-old single father stays above water by working odd jobs. his parents send in part of their pensions as well. >> gemini is known for its focus on renewable energy, but fossil fuels still make up the lion's share of power consumption. >> most of that is imported. only 3% of oil is produced domestically. recently, a new source came online, and it was found completely by accident. >> no one expected it on the upper rhine. geologist's were looking for subterranean hot springs to use for a geothermal power plant, but what they found just by chance was an oil field. tank trucks carry away the black gold 36 tons at a time. geologists estimate that the field contains recoverable reserves of 8 million tons or

about 50 million barrels. that is not huge by international standards, but it is a substantial contribution to germany's energy needs at a time of soaring oil prices. >> all the geologists' were surprised because no one expected to find oil in these layers. that is especially the case because we thought the sandstone was not porous, but the present results show that is not true. oil comes directly from the reservoir, and it is under high pressure, which means right now, you do not actually have to pump the oil. >> the pressure of the oil is so high that if you remove the valve, a 10-meter-high gusher of oil would shoot up. a french utility is operating the oil field. rivals had refused to take the find seriously. >> this field has certainly

given the german oil business a shot in the arm. production is now 140,000 tons. of course, the prospects are interesting for our company. >> some geologists now think the oil reserves may be a lot bigger than previously estimated. they're planning 10 more wells in the area. it is a win-win situation for the state. the state government is using the oil royalties to balance its budget. >> it is never going to be an emirate, but at least, it is positive for the economy because we will be able to provide some of the state's energy needs and some of the raw materials from right here in the state. >> soon the trucks will be history. a pipeline will carry the oil directly to the refineries, and the upper rhine oil fields may

have even more surprises in store. >> germany prides itself on taking a tough line on crime internationally, but the government is under fire for not living up to the standard. >> angela merkel conservatives are refusing to ratify a united nations convention against corruption in the public sector. they say it blurs the line between politicians and civil servants. >> germany signed the pact in 2003, but it was never passed in parliament. a group of 30 corporate bosses has written to the government urging it to ratify the deal. >> the letter is signed by the captains of german industry and addressed to the parliamentary head of the ruling christian democrats. it claims the failure to ratify the convention damages germany cozy business reputation and leaves it open to criticism. they call the government's decision embarrassing. >> it puts germany in a bad

light internationally, and it is very annoying for business. when we do business with global partners, they often bring up germany's failure to ratify the united nations convention. that is annoying. >> the letter will be a further political blow to chancellor merkel's coalition. they have been blocking a tense to strengthen laws on corruption involving par the tip -- parliamentarians. germany must enact those laws before it can sign the convention. some in the governing party's favor modifying existing anti- bribery laws. >> we should seriously consider the complaints of german business leaders and ratify the anti-corruption convention during this legislative period. \ theman government did sign the convention back in 2003. >> the council of europe supports calls to strengthen germany's anti-government laws. i changes are not made soon, germany could face monetary changes. >> going to the olympics, we are waiting for the big event of the

night -- the men's 200-meter final. can usain bolt become the first man ever to retain the double? them that is still to come, but there has already been plenty of action. here's the roundup. >> the german paddle is put in a powerful performance to take bold in men's canadian doubles. belarus took the silver while bronze went to russia. a day after their so it metal, germany had another shot at doubles, and they did not let it go to waste. taking gold ahead of hungary and poland. germany's men's field hockey team also have an olympic title in their sights. they came from behind twice in the semifinal to defeat the defending champions, australia. they will face either the netherlands or britain in the final. women's boxing is making its olympic debut in london, and

britain's nicholas adams engines the record books as the first gold medalist. . nicola adams. she easily defeated the world with champion on a point. and there was more gold for the hosts at the greenwich park equestrian stadium. and after almost two hours under water, hungary and merged with a gold medal for the 10-kilometer marathon swim. >> there has been some movement in the medals table. germany of 26 place. valentinus the leading the pack followed by the u.s. and britain. moving on to the next jury -- the mars rover curiosity sent back these photographs that look pretty much like any desert landscape you and i would know from planet earth -- moving on

to the next story. scientists are going to use the voters to decide where to send the rover next. curiosity arrived on the planet mars on monday after a trip that lasted no less than eight months. its mission is to find live -- life on the planet. if you have seen the movie "mars attacks" i'm not sure i would like to find life on the plan et. we will find out so and if they find any margins. stay tuned. we will have more news at the top of the hour. >> keep watching.