journal," coming to you live from berlin. i am sumi somaskanda. >> four civilian deaths in gaza as israel ups its military action against hamas. >> e.u. leaders are meeting in brussels to discuss key posts and perhaps slap further sanctions on russia. >> a dutch court blames the netherlands for not preventing hundreds of deaths. >> gaza officials say israel's offensive has claimed the lives of more than 200 palestinians.

>> israeli troops and palestinian militants have been trading rocket and missile fire for over a week now. one israeli has died in the fighting. >> israel has vowed to escalate its campaign and is urging the evacuation of over 100,000 residents in gaza. >> israeli air force planes taking off for gaza. this time instead of bombs, they are dropping fliers calling on gaza residents to evacuate their homes and seek cover before the next air raids. palestinian authorities report that more than 200 people have been killed here during israel's current military offensive. three palestinians, including a 10-year-old boy, lost their lives in this car. it is unclear why they were targets. next i>> in the immediate momen, israel has to take action to

defend its citians -- citizens as any nation would against terrorists committing war crimes. >> air raid alarms sounded again in jerusalem while norway's foreign minister met with his israeli counterpart. >> during the lunch i had with the foreign minister, we heard some rockets and we had to go into safety. >> it is a privilege that people in the palestinian territories don't enjoy. there are no early warning systems or bomb shelters in gaza. four young boys were killed while playing on this beach, reportedly by a shell from an israeli naval gun boat. a short time later, their bodies were carried through the streets of gaza city. hundreds of people more and their deaths, many bowing -- hudnrndreds of people mourned their deaths, many vowing reven ge. >> what diplomatic efforts are

going on behind the scenes? >> we understand the talks are ongoing. palestinian president mahmoud abbas is in cairo. it is not clear where those talks are standing now. we are getting reports there may be a short humanitarian cease-fire to bring in medicine and what is needed. still no official confirmation on that. for the talks, all eyes are on egypt. it has a complex -- common relationship with hamas. hamas has made it clear that they don't just want to go back to a quiet -- they want to see changes in the situation in gaza. it is not clear whether these demands are met and what israel will do. >> israel has been threatening a major ground invasion into gaza. are there any signs the government is preparing for that? >> it is a developing situation

where all options are still on the table. the army says it is prepared for any kind of scenario, and if the political leadership given the green light, it will go ahead. israel is very much divided over whether president nine yahoo! -- prime minister nine yahoo! is going over this because -- israel is very much divided over whether prime minister netanyahu is going through with this because of political pressure or -- >> many casualties have been civilians. r pillar -- how are palestinians in gaza dealing with the violence? >> that's a really good question. over 80% of the victims are civilians. we saw today what happened on the beach there in gaza with the children being killed. there's a good amount of destruction. people are asked to leave their homes. you talk to people on the phone and you can hear how exhausted they are from this offensive. it is the third time in five

years they are going through this kind of violence and there is no end in sight. on top of the already difficult situation, i guess it is very difficult to manage. >> thanks for joining us on the line from jerusalem. local media in nigeria are reporting that a german man has been kidnapped in the northern town of gombi. >> gunmen on motorbikes are believed to have affected the man on wednesday morning. he is thought to be the leader of a local technical training center. if you are in -- here in germany, the main defendant in the trial of a neo-nazi terrorist cell session has lost confidence in her lawyers and might dismiss them. -- terrorist cell says she has lost confidence in her lawyers and might dismiss them. >> the outer shape of is the only surviving -- beate zschape is the only surviving member of the nsu.

they are accused of murdering 10 people in a decade-long killing spree. >> the trial started over a year ago. there are fears that zschape's latest move could set the courts back once again. >> she quickly turns her back to the cameras, as usual. day 128 of her trial appeared to be like any other, until the suspect indicated she could no longer work with her lawyers. >> she now has until midday tomorrow to explain her reasons. after that, the defense will get the chance to have their say on the matter. then the court will consider whether the alleged breakdown in confidence is serious enough to prevent further cooperation. >> the root of the problem is believed to be differences in opinion on strategy. one cause of friction has been the court-appointed lawyer's refusal to allow zschape to

speak at her trial. this threatens to derail proceedings. under german law, trials may not be adjourned for more than 30 days. that may not give new lawyers enough time to brief themselves, which could later provide grounds for an appeal, but refusing the request could also give her grounds for contesting the final verdict. >> e.u. officials will discuss further sanctions against russia over the crisis in ukraine at a summit in brussels today. it comes as a spokesman for german chancellor angela merkel said moscow is not doing enough to end fighting in ukraine. >> the summit will also decide who will fill two top jobs in the e.u., including the role of foreign-policy chief, the position currently held by catherine ashton, set to step down after a five-year terms as the e.u.'s top position.

>> let's go to our brussels correspondent. are there any signs as to who would fill these posts? >> there are a lot of names on the list, sumi. we've got the lithuanian premier. she wants a top job in the e.u., but many people are saying she would be too strict on russia. when she arrived in brussels, she said she would not support anybody who is too soft on russia. we have the italian foreign minister, who has been mentioned as a potential new foreign-policy chief. some were saying she would beats too program and -- she would be too pro-kremlin. others say she is too inexperienced. it is a balance of interests that e.u. parties have to fill here. you have left and right wing parties, the south and the north in the east and the

west. there are never enough women who fill top jobs in the e.u. some are getting ready for no decision here tonight. >> is there any definite sign the e.u. is ready to slap more sanctions on moscow? >> it definitely looks as though they -- the e.u. is getting ready to expand their sanctions regime by adding companies to the list, no longer just individuals. those would be companies that have either helped trigger the situation any string ukraine and/or that are somehow benefiting from it. then also, e.u. leaders could potentially discuss the option of curbing or halting even the funding that is going into new projects in russia provided by the european investment bank or the european bank for reconstruction and development. that would send a very clear message to moscow's leadership that e.u. leaders believe moscow

has not done enough to de-escalate this situation in eastern ukraine. having said that, it would not yet reach level three of the sanctions regime, so full-fledged economic sanctions are not on the table. >> thanks so much for joining us from brussels. as we heard there, the e.u. is looking at targeting russia with another round of bans and travel freezes. the e.u. accuses moscow of -- >> kiev is pushing ahead with its offensive against the pro-russian rebels. government troops have retaken key eastern towns and they have surrounded the city of donetsk. residents are being forced to flee. their only hope right now is russia. >> she may have a ukrainian passport, but like many others here she is leaving for russia. there is an exit is some civilians fleeing the conflict in the east of the country -- on

exodus -- an exodus of civilians fleeing the conflict in the east of the country. >> what we see here today is people from donetsk and other hotspots. >> desperation and fear are driving them from their homes, and they are heading for an uncertain future. >> i'm scared for my children. if not for them, i would've stayed. what will i do in russia? i don't know. >> but some are leaving -- aren't leaving. this progression miller chemin says he is determined to defend his birthplace -- this progression -- this pro-russian militia man says he is determined to defend his birthplace. >> you think about war and family, if they are ok or not. when you know they are safe, it is easier to make war. >> war has already come. -- come to this rebel held town

in eastern ukraine. at least 11 civilians were killed on tuesday when their apartment block was hit by an airstrike. "i was in bed up on the floor for -- on the fourth floor when i heard the explosion. i was thrown out of the house with a pillow in my hand and i came around and couldn't understand what had happened." >this local, pro-russian, insurgent commander says he is in no doubt who is responsible. >> many local residents saw the plane that dropped the bomb. it had ukrainian markings on it. why ukraine would bomb its own territory, it is hard for me to say. >> kiev insists the incident is what it calls a provocation by the separatists.

with the two sides blaming each other in a war of words that is becoming increasingly belligerent, it is hard to imagine how the real conflict could end any time soon. >> it was 20 years ago that the bosnian serb forces murdered thousands of azmi and muslim -- of bosnian muslim men and boys in the srebrenica massacre. >> now a court has ruled that they should have known that the people would be murdered when handing them over to bosnian serb forces. >> the mothers of srebrenica have been worrying -- waiting for almost two decades to get justice. some came in person to hear the ruling. a court spokesman announced only a partial victory for the mothers. the dutch state is liable for the deportation of 300 men from the compound. >> that was considered unlawful because, at the moment that the

men were sent away, the dutch knew or should have known that the genocide was taking place. therefore, there was a serious risk those men would be killed. >> july, 1995 -- dutch peacekeepers were supposed to protect bosnian serbs. ratko mladic and his comrade surrendered without a fight. what ensued was europe's worst massacre since world war ii. 8000 men and boys were murdered. the court ruled that they are not liable for most of those victims. >> syria's president, bashar al-assad, is sworn in for another term. we will talk to a leading member of the syrian opposition. >> a refugee crisis unfolding in the u.s. as central american children fled across the border. all that and more after the break.

>> welcome back. syrian president bashar al-assad has been sworn in for his third seven-year term in office. >> the ceremony follows a landslide election that syria's opposition and western governments have dismissed as a sham. assad pledged to honor the country's constitution. the election was held last month in areas of the country that are still under state control. earlier, we spoke to a leading member of the syrian opposition abroad. the executive director of the washington-based-based syrian center for political and strategic studies. we asked about bashar al-assad's third term as president and how much of a setback that is to the opposition's attempts to oust him. >> is a continuance of the

ignorance of bashar al-assad to the demands of the syrian -- syrians and the international community. the speech of bashar al-assad showed how much he is out of touch and disconnected with the reality on the ground, the reality of what's going on in syria. we are talking about the nation of 4 million refugees in the neighboring countries and more than 9 million displaced inside the country and 200,000 have lost their lives in the last four years. bashar assad has no word about the humanitarian catastrophe syria is living in right now. >> the syrian military has made some big gains in recent weeks. what options does the opposition movement have right now? >> the situation on the ground is back and forth. we cannot say bashar al-assad isn't winning. of course, he still has the upper hand because of the

extensive use of the air force against the civilians, which make up -- [indiscernible]still, the opposition have important areas -- have strongholds in important areas in the country. as is why we cannot say that the shark -- this is why we cannot say that bashar al-assad is the winner at this time. it is the responsibility of the international community to take more action to stop the slaughter of the syrian people. >> thanks very much for joining us from washington. >> the white house says the deportation of a planeload of women and children to honduras this week is a sign that those trying to cross the u.s. border illegally are "not welcome to this country." >> the 17 honduran women and 12 girls and nine boys between the

ages of 18 months and 15 years that were put on board the flight to the city with the highest murder rate in the world -- of the u.s. is no stranger to people crossing its southern border illegally. what is most alarming about the recent wave is that so many are teenagers or young children. it is now being called a refugee crisis. >> from a u.s. detention center, young migrants call home to let their families know they are still alive. those who make it here have survived a dangerous border crossing, guided by people smugglers. under u.s. law, children cannot be automatically deported. young migrants normally do not flee border guards. instead, they wait to be brought here. next, the children receive new close. -- clothes. most arrive with nothing except the birth certificate, because officials want to know who they are and if they have a family here. trinidad once made that journey. she's been living illegally in

washington for eight years. now her son brandon has made it, too. border guards informed her. >> when i heard that he had crossed over, that he was in the country, it made me so happy. because i haven't seen him for seven years. >> he spent years living with his grandparents in water mullah -- in water mullah -- in guate mala. the teenager says he left because drug cartels tried to force him to join them. he is another refugee from central america' war, forced to leave his home at the age of 15 -- from central america' war -- central america's drug war. forced to leave his home at the age of 15 -- >> this is the burning issue in the united states. on the southern u.s. border to my anti-immigrant malicious have sprung up -- on the southern

u.s. border, anti-immigrant militias have sprung up here >> deliver those kids to obama -- sprung up. >> deliver those kids to obama because he invited them. >> treat them humanely. fly them back to central america. >> and this is a pro-immigration demonstration outside the white house. human rights groups and clergy are outraged over suggestions children could soon be automatically deported. president obama has asked congress for emergency funding. >> while we intend to do the right thing by these children, their parents need to know that this is an incredibly dangerous situation and it is unlikely that their children will be able to stay. >> trinidad knows that, too. she and her son are hoping they won't have to go to -- into hiding to stay together. >> british police say they've

arrested 660 suspected pedophiles over the last six months. >> many of the suspects were doctors, teachers, and care workers who had access to hundreds of children. ever since it emerged that national celebrities such as jimmy savile had been involved in -- an inquiry into a pedophile ring operating from the houses of parliament in the 1980's. >> a swedish court has upheld an arrest warrant for wikileaks founder julian assange, rejecting his appeal to have the war and -- the war and -- the warrant dropped. >> he denies the claims and has been in ecuador's london embassy since 2012 to avoid arrest as well as possible extradition to the u.s. on spying charges.

his lawyers say they will appeal the court's decision. business news. time warner has rejected a takeover bid from media tycoon rupert murdoch. >> murdoch offered $80 billion to buy time warner, which also owns warner bros. music -- movie studio. over nearly five decades, murdoch has blocked -- bought a colossal media empire. in 2007, his tabloid folded after revelations it had been engaged in widescale eavesdropping on hundreds of people's voicemail, including politicians and celebrities. china's economy is bouncing back from its slowdown. new figures show it grew by 7.5% in the second quarter of 2014. >> that's in line with official growth targets, but analysts say that it is being driven by government spending. >> chinese construction workers putting the finishing touches on

a new power transmission line. the government has been ivesting billions in infrastructure like this. in june alone, beijing increased its government spending to almost 200 billion euros, roughly 25% more than in the same period last year. but analysts are warning that excitement over economic growth figures released today could be premature. for the second half of the year, the situation remained -- looks set to remain complicated. we see signs of steady economic growth, but we also see pressures that could constrain rapid economic development. these include the impact of the stagnant global economy, which is holding back china's export industry. on top of that, china has to deal with bad credit, a real estate bubble, and uncompetitive, subsidized industries. many chinese companies cannot survive without government

support. that's why experts are warning that surging economic growth figures may not last for long. >> let's find out how that news from china went down on the equities markets in germany with our correspondent in frank work -- in frankfurt. >> chinese growth -- better than expected. china, a very important company for germany, especially for the big ones listed in the dax. that sparked a recovery for the dax, something that people didn't really expect 24 hours ago. but now here it is because of the importance of china. people here on the trading floor also know that the state played a big role in that, with setting special conditions for the economy to grow, not necessarily being sustainable, not necessarily having the same result in the next month. but people at the moment are more than willing to forget the crises and overlook these problems in china and just enjoy the rising of the shares. >> let's look at those market

numbers now. starting in frankfurt with the dax, up by 1.4% to finish at 9859. the euro stoxx 50 had an even stronger day, 3202, the close there. in new york city, where they are still trading, the dow is up by 0.4%. the euro is slightly down against the dollar, 1.3523. >> japan's nuclear regulator has declared one of the power plants safe enough to be switched back on. >> the plant is the first to meet new safety requirements since japan shut down its atomic reactors following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. outside the hearing, protesters demonstrated against the move. many japanese want the country to abandon nuclear power after that disaster caused the meltdown at the fukushima powerplant.

while a strong typhoon has battered the central philippines, killing at least 20 people and leaving a trail of distraction in its wake. >> the typhoon hit the main islands with winds reaching 185 kilometers per hour and shut down the capital of manila. almost half a million people were forced to evacuate their homes. it is the seventh severe storm to hit the country this year. that's all for this edition of "the journal." thanks so much for watching. >> it was great having you with us. bye-bye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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