♪ "journal >> welcome to the." live from berlin. >> good to have you with us. over the next half-hour, prime minister and rearm à la key loses his job. analysis on the political crisis. >> and a new report from the human rights group amnesty international saying countries ignored incidents of unlawful killing of residents. >> and in soccer, a striker retires from international football. ♪ iraq is in the grips of a change

in leadership and a standoff between the president and the country's prime minister. >> the president has named a politician to replace prime minister nouri al-maliki, but the prime minister says he is staying on and has deployed forces to back up his claim. washington is backing the new leadership. we will have analysis. >> this could be the shape of iraq's new leadership. the president has appointed a shiite pitician to form a new government. it is the ultimate snub for two-time president nouri al-maliki. some are assisting he should keep the top job. on monday, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of the capital to show their support for the incumbent premier. >> we demand that the president supports al-maliki. he is head of the largest block,

and the head of the shiite coalition must also support him. this is a mass demand and also a constitutional one. >> opponents say al-maliki has failed to pull together the country, and autonomous kurds say they have little voice, and minority sunnis say they have been largely excluded by the ruling shiites. it is sunni disaffection which is said to be feeding support for the islamic jihadist state. some believe that only a government of national unity will be capable of halting the militant advance. and because al malik has largely ignored pleas for national unity, he has been asked to step aside, but he remains defiant, and he has also threatened to sue the president, seen here on the left. >> he has violated the constitution to favor the

interests of his own groups over those of the iraqi people. >> al-maliki deployed special forces loyal to him at intersections in baghdad to further underscore the degree of political instability. >> for more on this, we are joined in the studio by our iraq expert at a magazine which focuses on middle eastern affairs. welcome to the program. first off, what about al-maliki? is he going to stay? is he going to go? >> he is not known for brinkmanship. he is not known for risking his own life. what we see at the moment is for the first time in his political career, he is confronted with an existential crisis which does not only concern the political future of his country but himself, because if he steps down, there are many people that have accounts to settle with him, and i think at this moment, he is really fighting for his

life, because i think people might take revenge on him, and i think it is a real threat. >> what about the man who is set to be the new prime minister? is he the man to unite this country? >> he is sort of a typical, classical solution. he is a career politician. he arrived to iraq right after the coalition came in 2003. he is a professional politician and an economist, so i think he is someone people can agree on for a very short time. i do not think he has the strength or the charisma, nor is cs death as al-maliki, but he can do the job. >> we are hearing from the sunni minority. >> some politicians say -- it is

very difficult to find out at the moment who has the support of the sunni population. i think it is that everything else is better than al-maliki. >> we have the islamic state pushing in the north, making a lot of advances. is the iraqi army up to the task of stopping them? >> it is very dangerous and difficult, not only because the iraqi army is not up to the job but because shiite militias have taken over, and they are also in charge on the streets of baghdad. we're back into a sectarian strife now. >> ok. we will be coming back in the days and weeks ahead. x-ray much. >> converted to their version of islam or die. they have displaced hundreds of thousands, among them a group facing a genocide. >> many of this minority remain trapped on a mountain, but some

have been returning to iraq areas under kurdish control. >> they had earlier fled to syria from their homes in iraq. now, they are crossing back into iraq at the border crossing on the river tigris. their destination is the autonomous kurdish region in the north of the country, where peace still reigns. some had first fled to a mount in iraq to escape the onslaught of the jihadist militants. >> i escaped by my foot and go to syria, walking. >> thousands of others on the mount managed to escape into iraq he kurdistan over the

weekend, but even in safe areas, there is a shortage of food and medical supplies. the i.s. jihadist want those muslims and christians to convert or be killed. they are glad to be alive. so how much time do the survivors on the mount have? let's bring in our guest who is live and who has been on the syria-iraqi border and has been in contact with those refugees. first of all, on the besieged refugees right now, are the kurds managing to get them to safety? >> yes, they are. they have opened a safe corridor over the last few days, and they are bringing people down fairly continuously. it is a cooperation involving being pkk from syria and others,

so the kurds are helping them. having said that, there are still tens of thousands of people on that mountain. so it is difficult to get exact numbers. i hear over 100,000, but, anyway, many, many people are still on that mountain. there are humanitarian sources. the u.s., britain, france, turkey, iraq, all dropping humanitarian aid for the people stranded, as well as food. dropping tens. -- tents, which is tremendous. that is the good news. i spoke to people earlier today who survived, and they said they did receive aid, but not very much. >> hermione, what about the bombing? has it been effective? is more needed to rake up the islamic state is seeking these

cities? >> yes, it has definitely been effective. they managed to destroy the weapons at the militants were using, very, very good weapons that they had. they do have many weapons around the country that they can bring in, but the kurdish forces are getting some breathing room while they are waiting to replenish, and they have managed to use that fairly successful just on the edge, but, yes, more is needed. more is needed, but, again, it is not clear that that is a long-term solution. it might just be a question of giving them some breathing room. >> from northern iraq, thanks very much. the human rights realization amnesty international says thousands of civilians have been denied justice by nato-led forces in afghanistan.

the new report makes serious allegations against several major contingents, primarily on airstrikes and night raids carried out by american forces. it says that the american military courts have evidence of alleged war crimes carried out by their soldiers in afghanistan, and some perpetrators have never faced justice. on a new report based on accounts of eyewitnesses and relatives of victims, they chart how a sample of 140 civilians were killed in airstrikes and night raids by ground troops. nato responded to reports by saying it strives to investigate all credible reports of deaths, when conditions permit. we spoke earlier to go loss -- to olaf in kabul, and we first asked if they are considering war crimes. >> the alleged killings by

nature forces. night raids and airstrikes. using u.s. forces. 140 civilians were killed, about 50 children. and we found very compelling evidence to what appears to be war crimes. we are talking about civilians and torture or just being killed in u.s. custody. the problem with using the war crimes is it is impossible to know if they are war crimes. difficult to prosecute them. that is what we are doing with the report at the moment. hardly anything is being investigated, so it is really a shocking lack of accountability and impunity. afghans have been left without justice.

>> to put the issue into perspective, we should detail the taliban and record on violence against afghanistans and others, shouldn't it? >> we are actually only focusing on international forces. the taliban and is responsible for the vast majority of civilian casualties. this is documented elsewhere in detail, with the helpless killing of civilians. i think the reason we are only focusing on international forces -- having security positions in afghanistan. international troops are leaving , and other forces are set to take over. it is really a question of

accountability. it has to be addressed before they leave afghanistan. otherwise, the u.s. has a very dangerous legacy of the impunity. >> that was amnesty international's olaf blumquist. >> ukraine and russia have agreed to a convoy of unitarian aid for eastern ukraine. >> the news follows a weekend of heavy fighting that saw ukrainian government forces closing in on the city of done tsk, where a prison in the city came under attack. >> rocket fire hit the jail sunday night. over 100 prisoners escaped in the ensuing chaos. officials say some are extremely dangerous, and it is difficult to gauge the threat they may pose.

the remains of the missile were found on the prison grounds. it is a weapon they say are used by both sides of the conflict. rebel fighters have dug in in the city, and the government assault is likely to result in civilian casualties. kiev is telling people to get out now. >> we are, once again, calling on civilians to urgently leave donetsk and nuance -- luhantz, and they will kill the terrorists. >> many residents remaining in donetsk have taken refuge in basements, and some say leaving is not an option. >> >> you have to have money to go somewhere, but the rich people have already left. >> people are also facing a

shortage of food, water, and fuel. >> we will be right back. >> in just one minute.

♪ >> welcome back. a new president for turkey, but a very familiar face, saying he is ready for the challenge of leading the country to a new era, following his win in presidential elections. >> he has served as prime minister since 2003, and in that time, he has been seeking to modernize turkey and take a more assertive position on the global stage. >> some say he has become an increasingly authoritarian leader, and some say he wants to turkisize the country. >> his harshest critics call him a dictator. many secular turks fear the new turkey he is looking at could be more authoritarian and overly religious. those who support him look for a

strong nation. >> hopefully, he will make further progress. good days are ahead for turkey. >> our people are responsible for what is ahead, both good and bad. one quarter of the people did not vote. i, personally, did not support him. i hope good days are ahead for turkey, but it doesn't seem to be the case. >> the european union message of congratulations seems steeped in the skepticism. turkish negotiations are stalled amid concerns for human rights. it permanently reminded him to compromise on his new position and said he must embrace all communities, believes, and lifestyles. the new turkish president soaked up the applause of his supporters. he said the election was historic. >> brothers, i say this from the heart. let's start a new social reconciliation period today, and

let's leave the old discussions in the old turkey. let's leave behind tensions, a culture of clashes, and problems in the old turkey. >> he is promising nothing less than a new era. >> so what lies ahead for turkey? for that, let's bring in dorian. lots of talk about reconciliation by mr. aaron one -- edrduan. he is that for some years now. >> >> his campaign is widely seen as embracing thanks. critics have said he has made similar speeches and has gone on for very controversial policies.

and he will want to be seen as a more conciliatory leader, particularly because he has received so much criticism over what they say are these policies. that what is on everyone's lips, what kind of question -- president will he be? >> and whether he will strengthen the constitution to strengthen his hand. will he do that? >> he says he has a mandate of the people unlike any previous president because he has been directly elected. he says he will press the limits. this includes using powers that have never been used before, like chairing cabinet meetings. he has made it clear he will have a hands-on approach, but that is just a stopgap. what he wants is to make turkey akin to france or the united states, and to do that, his party needs to win a majority in the election next year. he has never done that.

the alternative is a referendum, but, again, opinion polls say there is very little support to turn turkey into a presidential system. >> is eu membership still a priority for erdogan? >> it could be a new way forward, but nobody is really hoping that, because they are very preoccupied with the conflict in iraq and syria. >> ok, reconciliation and changes ahead for turkey. we will be looking at that in the days ahead. dorian, thanks a lot. >> and his vision of a new turkey includes more growth. since he was elected, the economy has grown at blockbuster rates. >> let's take a closer look, because there are cracks in the foundations. in the past few years, growth has slowed. fitch says with the electoral

victory and the proposed constitutional changes could spook investors and threaten the economy. >> istanbul is the biggest turkish city and main economic hub. many firms are located here. under the rule of erdogan, it has been transformed to regional power. after he became prime minister in 2003, he privatized large state owned companies, including the oil companies and airports, and liberalize the labor markets. hundreds of new companies were created. from the global financial crisis. it has grown at an average of five percent annually, but not everyone is thrilled with his victory. critics fear the new president could exert greater influence than before on the economy and on the central bank. erdogan's drive to weaken the

currency has undermined the authority of the monetary authorities and has also deterred people. and the currency is falling. for years, it has imported more goods than it exports and has been piling up debt. >> to business news now, monopolies and predatory pricing has long played some industries, like telecommunications, but it is also making it difficult for authors, a charge being levied against amazon by hundreds of leading authors about the price of e-books. now, it is also affecting the company dvd sector, as well. >> it is bad news for anyone who wanted to pre-order "the muppet movie" or any other disney movie. there seems to be another pricing spat with a major company. amazon is already in the midst

of an ongoing dispute with a book group over the price of e-books. critics accuse amazon of increasing its market share at the expense of authors and book stores. the company has a 27% share of the book market in the u.s.. barnes & noble, which had occupied the top spot, now has just a 16% share. in an article published by the new york times, nearly 900 authors, including stephen king, signed a letter, urging amazon to and it's dispute, but the amazon boss jeff bezos says he is keeping prices down on behalf of the consumer. >> let's take a quick look at the equities markets now, starting with the dax in frankfurt, and the euro stoxx 50 is also in positive territory. over in new york, where they are still trading, the dow is up

slightly, and at the moment, the euro is trading a little bit down against the dollar. >> and now this. he wanted to teach other drivers about their bad behavior nine the wheel by shooting at them. a truck driver is in court to face numerous charges that stem from a string of shootings. >> the 58-year-old former truck driver has been charged with attempted murder. prosecutors described him as a frustrated person who wanted to teach other truck drivers a lesson and did not care who got hurt. in december 2 thousand nine, a bullet smashed through a car window, sickly injuring a businesswoman. the suspect is accused of firing hundreds of rounds, mostly at truck drivers. but his lawyer same murder was not his goal.

>> he confessed only to firing his gun's. that is indisputable. the court must decide how many times. he has repeatedly said he did not mean to hurt anyone. >> the suspect said he was upset about driver behavior on german freeways. it came to a head after a truck forced him off of the road. the bullet holes were often discovered after the fact, making the search difficult. only when investigators compared huge numbers of license plates with mobile phone records were they able to close in on the suspect. nine days of hearings are scheduled for this unprecedented case. >> in sports, the end of an era for the german national soccer team. the all-time leading scorer for germany, the striker, has called time on his international career. >> let's take a look back at his career on the one that owned -- earned him lots of praise from

abroad. >> thank you. a simple but moving gesture. known for his unstoppable demeanor as much as his progress. a living legend of german football. bringing the world cup home from brazil, the fulfillment of a childhood dream. in a statement, he said, i am proud and so very happy to have played a part in this amazing achievement or german football. i cannot imagine a more appropriate time to close this chapter. at age 36, he can look back on a truly illustrious career. he was born in a rural verge -- village of poland, moving to germany at age nine. he debuted his trademark forward flip after every goal. and he single-handedly rewrote the record books for the national squad. 71 goals for it germany, many in

world cup play. respected and admired by his teammates. ♪ his official farewell is set for september 3. >> he certainly was one of international soccer's most talented and humble players. >> absolutely, but those somersaults. >> that is it for now. captioned by the national captoning institute --www.ncicap.org--

>> hello and a very warm welcome to "european journal" coming to you from dw studios in brussels. it's good to have you with us. russia -- what russian women are and are not allowed to wear and say. czech republic -- when east germans stormed the west german embassy in prague. and spain -- why europe's biggest population is in danger. it is summer in europe. time to go on holiday. tourists traditionally flock to italy with its beaches and picturesque towns. the island of sici i