>> this is the "journal." >> here is what is coming up on the program. fighting flares in the ukraine as the rebels enter a key town in the southeast. >> the u.n. accuses forces from damascus and islamist state militants of war crimes in syria. >> it takes two to tango. the dance of seduction has a new world champion. it was just yesterday that ukrainian president petro poroshenko sat down for a face-to-face talk with his russian counterpart, vladimir putin. many hoped the meeting was a step towards a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern ukraine.

>> today, those hopes were dashed. a russian military convoy is making its way to donetsk. there is no hard evidence. journal in -- german chancellor on jill has demanded a nation. clashes between -- german chancellor angela merkel has demanded an explanation. clashes between rebels and ukrainian soldiers. >> the clashes showed no signs of stopping. the city lies in a strategically important location on the road that links russia to crimea 300 kilometers away. it is also on the as aussie -- on a sea which has large oil and gas reserves. some residents hoped it would be safer on the other side of the border, in russia. >> i had to come back through the battle zone to get my mother. >> i was dodging the bullets. >> god have mercy on me.

i got through. i'm here. >> in kiev, ukrainian president petro poroshenko told supporters that his meeting tuesday with vladimir putin in minsk had been "very effective." >> at the talks, i clearly stressed that there will be no bargaining over sovereignty, territorial integrity, the independence of our country, or the sovereign choice of the ukrainian people, which is to side with europe. >> back in eastern ukraine, the fighting continues, taking a further toll on civilians. >> was the initial optimism about the minsk talks misplaced? let's go to kiev. how significant is the rebels' latest move on that coastal town in the southeast that we just heard about? >> well, the town is the new hot

spot on the ukrainian war map. it is a small town just off the border with russia, but it has a huge trick egypt -- huge strategic importance. the strategic importance of the town is in the fact that there is a direct route from this town to the separatist stronghold of donetsk and another route leads to the second largest city in the region. that city has been liberated by the ukrainian army several months ago and is now the seat of the regional government. you can imagine the significance of this town. throughout the day, there were conflicting reports on who actually controlled this town. the national security council was claiming that ukrainian troops controlled this town. however, the reports from the locals, local journalists, as

well as the reports of the ukrainian troops in place were to the contrary. >> what is your take on the mood in kiev following yesterday's talks in minsk? >> well, officials here in kiev definitely see yesterday's meeting as the first step towards the de-escalation of the crisis. however, at the same time, they are very cautious in their optimism. the only solid agreement which has been reached between the two presidents is that control over the russia-ukrainian border has to be reestablished. at the same time, many other vital questions remain unanswered, first and foremost of which is russia's commitment to stop the flow of troops and weapons from its territory to ukraine. >> we are both waiting for answers on quite a lot of questions on this conflict. thank you. >an independent u.n. commission has released a report accusing the syrian government of using chlorine gas to attack

civilians. it was not included on the list of chemical weapons that damascus had agreed to destroy. >> this is the first time that the u.n. has assign blame for the use of such weapons. the commission said that government forces loyal to president bashar al-assad likely unleashed chlorine on civilians eight times in april. >> the syrian government forces aren't the only ones with bladder -- with blood on their hands. you and also believes that islamist state militants acting in syria -- the u.n. also believes that islamist state militants acting in syria have committed these crimes. >> people run from crime -- people run a mixed another assault. numerous barrel bombings and poison gas attacks have been carried out. they accused bashar al-assad's regime of widespread torture and sexual abuse. investigators want the international criminal court to look into the violations. >> syria is total impunity. crimes are committed each day, from all parties, and nobody is

dealing with the criminal responsibility for that crime. >> the report also details atrocities carried out by islamic state militants in syria . the group controls much of the north of the country. the u.n. says the militants use public educations -- executions to spread fear and are already indoctrinating a new generation of fighters. >> among the most disturbing findings in this report are accounts of large training camps where children, mostly boys, from the age of 14 him a are recruited and trained to fight -- a 14, are recruited and trained to fight along with adults. >> the u.n. esther dates -- the u.n. estimates more than 190,000 people have been killed in syria's civil war. the investigators hope the evidence they have collected will begin the process of being -- bringing perpetrators to

justice. >> to france, where officials have opened an official investigation into the head of the imf, christine lagarde, for possible corruption. >> they stem from 2007 to 2011. she helped a french businessman receive compensation in a legal dispute with the state run bank, credit lyonnais. lagardere says she has no intention -- lagarde jesse has no intention of stepping down -- lagarde says she has no intention of stepping down. let's go to paris for more. how serious is this? is it going to affect her job as imf boss? >> being placed under formal investigation does not necessarily lead to a trial in france. it is near equivalent to being charge, so it is quite serious. it raises questions about the rest of her term at the imf, which is due to end in 2016.

lagarde said she was on her way to washington to brief the imf board on the case, and they have been supportive of her this far through the various rounds of questioning she has faced. although the charges are relatively minor in this case, how the situation develops will certainly intelligence -- influence her future as the head of the imf. >> what are french people saying about this? this is the second imf chief from france to come under a legal and ethical cloud? -- cloud. >> the french are quite used to their leaders having several scandals. so, as you remember, she took over from dominique strauss-kahn in 2011 and he had been brought over an alleged sex scandal. these allegations are very different. i don't think we can compare the two imf bosses. rather, it brings into further dispute the president of nicolas sarkozy. this case happened when he was

-- she was part of his government as finance minister and was connected to his 2007 election. so, if anything, this places more question over his possible return to french politics. >> covering that from paris, thanks very much. in business, the chinese market for german cars is booming, but that doesn't mean it is smooth driving for auto manufacturers from abroad. >> they been coming under increasing scrutiny by regulators. the anticorruption agency is investigating management between two -- between the company and the chinese state-owned company. >> the venture produced profits of 3.7 billion euros in 2012, up an incredible 40%. it also attracted the attention of the chinese corruption watchdog agencies. the automaker joins other firms suspected of violating the law, including mercedes, where raids

recently took place. japanese carmakers have had to play out -- pay out a combined 151 million euros in fines on charges of price fixing. the anticorruption agency promoted the trend toward an uncompromising market economy. >> price-fixing affects auto part prices. then, of course, car prices. finally, it dampens consumer interests when it comes to purchasing an automobile. >> critics say the government may be singling out foreign companies in hopes of reviving its own citing domestic market share. -- its own sagging domestic market share. others say the investigations are part of a nationwide anticorruption crusade. whatever the case, german carmakers could soon find it harder to drive home the big profit of past years. >> in more international news,

afghanistan's presidential candidates are meeting to try to break the out -- the deadlock of the outcome of the presidential election in june. >> one of the candidates withdrew from a u.n. audit aimed at clearing allegations of vote rigging. >> both candidates are cla iming victory. observers fear that this could lead to further unrest. >> the u.n. has been checking every vote cast in june's presidential runoff, part of a deal brokered by the u.s., aimed at defusing tensions over the outcome of the election. abdulla abdulla accused his rival of stuffing ballot boxes to get ahead. now he says a u.n. audit itself is biased and has withdrawn his service. ashraf ghani has pulled his team out of the process in the interest of, he says, fairness.

the u.n. is determined to finish the accounting of all the votes, even without the presence of the candidates. >> the withdrawal is regrettable but will not disrupt the continuation of a robust and credible audit that will, to the best of our abilities, deliver a result that afghan voters can have confidence in. >> the deadlock over the poll has raised concerns of instability in the country. some fear abdullah abdullah supporters could take to the street if their candidate loses as widely predicted. and with u.s.-led combat troops preparing to withdraw completely by the end of the year, the international community wants to ensure a smooth transition of power in a country where they have spent billions of euros and lost thousands of lives. >> the french government is asking air france to suspend all flights to the largest city in sierra leone in response to the ebola epidemic in the region.

>> the government says the epidemic' in liberia and sierra leone trumpet its request -- the aepidemic's growth in liberia and sierra leone prompted its request. >> a world health organization staff member is being treated in germany. >> many people were waiting to receive the ebola patient as he emerged from a special ambulance at the clinic. >> he is being examined, which is why he was brought here. he left the airplane unaided. that is a positive sign. >> the patient arrived in the northern german city early wednesday from west africa before being taken to the clinic under tight security. he is a senegalese scientist to works -- who works for the world health organization. doctors are withholding the man's name, age, and precise

condition, but the lead doctor provided details of the treatment the man would receive. >> the basics are to regulate his fluids, give him some pain therapy, and use electrolytes to bring down his fever. we believe that simple measures like these can significantly reduce the fatality rate of ebola. >> the university clinic specializes in the treatment of infectious diseases and receives patients from around the world. some 1500 people, including about 158 workers, have died from a bullet this year, most -- from ebola this year, most of them in west africa. >> we will take a short break. when we come back, we will be looking at the lack of water in many parts of the world. >> a problem for both emerging and industrial nations. stay tuned.

>> welcome back. for some of us, access to clean water is as simple as turning on the tap, but it is not as easy for 750 million people around the world. >> the worldwide fund for nature says water is a big problem in emerging economies and it is compounded by other challenges like i'm a change, population growth, -- like climate change, population growth, and impact from industry. >> a drought has struck with dire consequences. >> these people on the periphery of karachi, pakistan, are waiting for water, but the trucks that were supposed to bring it show up increasingly infrequently and the water they do deliver is sometimes 30. -- sometimes dirty. >> for six months, we have not received a single drop of water. what are we supposed to do?

choose between water or food for our families? we have small children and young girls. why are we being punished? >> the water available from nearby rivers and dammed lakes is only enough for half of karachi's population and individuals have to compete with factories for water in pakistan's largest city. if something isn't done, experts say factories will have to close. water shortage is a major issue in many developing and emerging countries and the world's industrialized nations are part of the problem. >> around the world, water is getting scarcer in many places. in most of these regions, the private goods production sector is the main water user. as the world's third-largest importer, germany bears great responsibility for what happens in areas that are sources of water. >> many german companies are unaware of the problem. the worldwide fund for nature presented a study of water shortage in berlin on wednesday.

long-term solutions are of little use for these people in pakistan, who need water right now. >> earlier, i talked to the spokesman in that report and i asked him what people in industrialized countries can do to promote and protect water rights in other parts of the world. >> first of all, we want to start a development within the companies so that they are aware of what their responsibility for the situation in the river basins around the world is, so they can use their components for the products. the second thing is that we try to inform the customers and the customers can as well as the companies where they buy their fruists or vegetables. if this company is working to manage responsible supply chains

or is the company only organizing product in [indiscernible] >> it's been four year since the u.n. recognize clean water as a basic human right. what has happened since then? >> we had a very positive development within the last 10 years, but still 750 million people don't have access to fresh water or good access to fresh water. what we see is a good, positive development, but we have to put more power in this process. we have to develop the group -- we have developing populations in problematic countries. we need more financial resources for a solution. >> how optimistic are you for the future? do you think the world will get on top of this problem? will we continue to see a cute shortages of water -- see acute shortages of water? >> i hope that the problem with fresh water on the -- the position like now, comparable to

now, will stay, but we have growing populations, increase [indiscernible]if we don't do anything now, we will have a much bigger problem in the future. so, we have to put more power, more resources in the management of freshwater resources. then it is feasible to manage it. if we don't do enough now, we will have a bigger problem in 10 or 15 years. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> a day after a cease-fire was agreed between israel and the islamic militant group, hamas, both sides have declared themselves the winner of the war that lasted over seven weeks. by palestinian estimates, it killed well over 2000. >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu declared victory and said the cease-fire deal had given nothing to hamas. he insisted israel had not accepted any of the group's demands. but as thousands of palestinians

gathered in gaza for a victory rally, hamas said they had the final word. >> turkey's recep tayyip erdogan made one last visited his party faithful as prime minister on wednesday. the tears were flowing. >> erdogan is not going anywhere. he is due to be inaugurated as president on thursday, a transition that could make him more present in the public eye and more powerful. >> it was erdogan's last appearance as prime minister and leader of the ruling justice and development party. some 40,000 supporters were on hand to see his successor confirmed as party leader. but the outgoing prime minister insisted it was simply a formality. >> my brothers, today, don't forget, the essence isn't changing. our aims and ideals are not changing. only names are changing today. >> by law, the turkish president cannot be affiliated with a political party.

that is why erdogan nominated a loyal ally as his successor last week. he has been a top adviser to erdogan since 2003. he was appointed foreign minister in 2009. he told supporters his government would continue to pursue turkey's goal of eu membership, in close partnership with president erdogan. >> the elected president and elected prime minister will build a new turkey, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. >> the vote of approval was unanimous. the mild-mannered 55-year-old has until next year's parliamentary elections to prove his mettle, a significant victory for the ruling party in that vote might enable president erdogan to further consolidate his power. >> that's the plan, at least. but how did erdogan get himself onto this trajectory? >> erdogan is a divisive politician, a hardliner who has

had a government plagued by corruption scandals. >> here is how his government started. >> recep tayyip erdogan was born in this working-class neighborhood of istanbul. the teenager sold lemony -- lemonade and sesame buns on the streets to earn extra cash. his most loyal supporters still live here today. some are childhood friends, like this clockmaker. he says he always knew his friend would make it to the top. >> erdogan was always the crafty is of all of us -- the craftiest of all of us, and he was the best on the football field as a striker. at the same time, he was also very devout. he always insisted on playing after prayer times. >> erdogan played professional football for a while before opting for politics full-time. he became mayor of istanbul at the age of 40 in 1994.

he was banned from office four years later after being convicted of inciting religious hatred. sentenced to 10 months in jail, he was freed after four. in 2004, two years after winning a landslide election with his new party and becoming prime minister, he grabbed -- granted deutsche welle an interview. he promised more reforms to pave the way into the european union. the accession talks have been put on the back burner and erdogan has stopped talking about reforms. once everyone's deputy prime minister, he later -- once erdogan's deputy prime minister, he later fell from grace. today, he says erdogan always wanted to rule alone. >> he was like that from the start, but he changed his behavior to not frighten off the citizens and not be vulnerable to attack.

now he thinks he is so strong he doesn't have to take the constitution or the party into consideration. >> erdogan's supporters say turkey has him to thank for prosperity and economic growth. they also praise efforts to negotiate a cease-fire with the kurdistan workers party. his critics accuse him of polarizing the country and they fear he wants to transform turkey into a religious society. >> now we are witnessing the second establishment, the second set of authoritarian republic along conservative lines, as long -- a long islamic lines. >> but here, people still believe in him and hope he will build a new turkey as president. >> from the power of politics to the power of dance. time to serve you up some of the sauce used -- sauciest tango contestants in the world. >> the best of the best have squared off in buenos aires.

here's a look. >> this year's finals were hotly contested. taking part, 40 of the world's best tango dancers. there were a number of firsts. one dancer from beijing became the first chinese and destined to reach the last round. -- first chinese contestant to reach the last round. also breaking new ground, two male dancers, twin brothers. but it was local dancers, manuela rossi and juan malizia gatti, who wowed the judges to clinch the first prize. rossi revealed the secret of their success. >> it was about highlighting the role of the man and the woman, the femininity and sensuality, the man and a solid posture,

very traditional tango choreography. >> the popularity of tango is growing in other countries. the sensuality of a dance invented by the working classes hundreds of years ago seems to know no boundaries. >> we've got 20 seconds to try to compete against them. >> you go first. >> hang on a second. i've got to get my dancing shoes. [laughter] >> thanks for watching. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

this picture shows a girl who's resorted to self-mutilation. young chinese paragraphers are gaining worldwide attention for their distinctive portrayals of modern