>> welcome to "the journal," coming to you from dw in berlin. >> great to have you along. here is what is coming up in the next 30 minutes. the ukrainian president makes a patriotic visit to a disputed city as europe prepares more sanctions against russia. we have live reports from brussels, moscow, and kiev. >> homegrown terror. in germany a trial opened against f4 germans accused of planning attack. >> and news that the duke and duchess of cambridge are expecting their second child.

we want to begin with that tenuous cease-fire in eastern ukraine that appears to be holding, but not all is well. >> european -- ukrainian president etra poroshenko visited the city of morrow paul that was shelled reportedly over the weekend by rebels. >> in the meantime, the european union is expected to slap more sanctions on russia for aiding separatist's. >> we will have more on that from brussels in just a moment. but first, this report on the fledgling truce on the ground. >> ukrainian president petro poroshenko made a surprise visit to mariupol, a flashpoint in the conflict. he sang the national anthem with steelworkers.

then he gave a stirring speech. >> we will protect our city, our region, and our nation. we will not give up one bit of ukrainian land. we are fighting for our independence. >> the residents of this village outside mariupol put up sandbags as protection against possible skirmishes. a cease-fire is still in effect, but locals are worried that separatists may overrun towns on their way to mariupol. eu officials met in brussels to discuss sanctions against russia. the bloc once room to maneuver. >> if there is a lasting cease-fire and peaceful

negotiations start, we are prepared to renegotiate the sanctions. >> moscow has already threatened what it calls "asymmetrical countermeasures," including a possible ban of eu and u.s. flights over its airspace. >> first, let's have the european view on the crisis. we just have the news that sanctions have been agreed. what can you tell us? >> right, the sanctions have been agreed upon by the eu envoys who started their meeting today, monday, 6:00 in the evening. the thing is, although they agree on sanctions, they will not publish those sanctions in the official eu journal for now. meaning no sentience will take effect. in order for sanctions to take effect, you need to publish them there. originally they were going to do that and the night from monday to tuesday. not going to happen.

>> that is the curious case. why is that? >> apparently some eu members, not only one country, but some, they felt it was the wrong time to do so, because they felt that there was at least a little bit of hope ukraine and russia might reach some kind of peace deal. they thought that might endanger it. on top of that, we are hearing about the effects on their own economies, and together this was something that made them say rather than put in place the sanctions and take them back, let's not install them right away, but let's get to the point where we just have to pull the trigger -- in this case that would be published them in the official journal, but fall short of that. they will meet again in two days. that is the scheduled moment the ee you envoys will meet again. it may happen then. they will observe what is happening on the ground. >> all right, max hoffman with a view from brussels. thanks so much.

>> there is sure to be a response from moscow. leonid, we could see retaliation from rush on this, right? >> absolutely. prime minister dmitry medvedev has threatened russia will ban european airlines from using what they call these siberian flight corridor, which provides the shortest route from europe to destinations in east asia. airlines such as lufthansa will be particularly hurts, because they operate dozens of such flights. however, the russian airlines are afoot. it is just as well because it receives $400 million a year in royalties, with international airlines hate for using the russian-siberian airspace. it comes at a very unfortunate

moments for our of floats, which is facing a slump in sales doing -- due to the deteriorating economic situation. and of course the european union could retaliate by preventing russia from using european airspace, which could be a death sentence. >> so perhaps a continuation of the trade war we have seen going there. thank you so much for the inside. >> with the back and forth over sanctions and possible counter sanctions between the west and russia continuing, ukrainian president petro poroshenko visited the flashpoint town of mariupol, which we saw earlier. simon, before we came on air, there was a report from the kremlin saying that russian and ukrainian leaders spoke on the phone. any confirmation that this

actually took place? >> we have heard confirmation, but not much details about what the two leaders may have said. there are scant details from the kremlin side as well. their announcement just said that the two leaders will continue to stay in touch, to work out the details, the steps that could eventually bring peace. this is not the first of the contacts between russia and ukraine in recent weeks. the two presidents have had contacts either directly or through their representatives. but it can't have been a particularly easy call for the two leaders, particularly after that defiant speech in mariupol, in the east of ukraine, in which he said is strategically important city will remain ukrainian forever. he has come out strongly today, trying to win the rhetorical battle. it is fair to say, i think a lot

of people here in ukraine are skeptical that peace deal agreed at the end of last week will ultimately bear fruit. people are waiting to see, but they are hopeful that these willows merge -- that peace will emerge from this unclear situation. >> simon young, thank you for that update. really appreciate it. we stay on the continent, because across europe there is growing concerns that homegrown jihadist spiting for the islamic state of iraq and syria could one day bring that terror back home with them. these rumors are at the heart of a trial that has gotten underway in germany today. >> for german islamist are -- 4 german islamists are accused of winning terror attacks in germany. one of them trying to set up a bomb tw's ago. >> some called out "god is great."

the two men are accused of trying to found a terrorist group. marco g. is accused of trying to plant a bomb at a train station in 2012. it did not explode. it was destroyed by bomb disposal experts. but prosecutors say marco wanted to kill as many people as possible. he is accused of attempted murder. >> the investigation concluded that based on th design, the device was not a fke. it could have no other purpose than a serious attack on bonn's train station. >> police never found a detonator. the defense says there wasn't a detonator and the bomb was not supposed to explode. the prosecution says that was an oversight on the part of the accused. >> i am relying exclusively on information from the police investigation. they found the contents of the blue bag never could have

exploded. >> the court is also hearing charges related to a foiled plot to kill the leader of an anti-islam right wing group in western germany. all 4 defendants are charged with planning the crime. a authorities say the number of radical islamists in germany is on the rise. many say they want to live as close as possible to islam's teachings. but officials claim there is a hard-core of violent extremists in this country. >> it has been a terrible two weeks in india and pakistan following the worst flooding in 50 years. >> kashmir has been particularly hard-hit. at least 120 people have died. mudslides have flattened many homes. >> the full extent of the damage is not yet known. >> locals call these floods unprecedented. india and pakistan's armies have

been deployed to save lives. this scene has played out thousands of times. soldiers rescuing people from rising waters. but after many days of rain, thousands are trapped and waiting for help. people in scores of pakistani villages have little to eat and drink. rescue workers are doing what they can to ease the emergency, that the situation keeps getting worse. >> the water has been standing for six days. initially it was not so deep. we have given some rations. we have some reserves. we are trying to survive on them. >> in india, the waters are justified. for many, the rescue comes after days and days of isolation. >> i was stopped due to the flood for four days. army people came and rescued me. the water levels are very high.

i am very thankful to the army for saving me. >> but the relief effort has not reached every area submerged beneath the waters yet. there are fears that and places, the situation could get even worse than in this part of pakistan's job province. once they reach those areas, it it is likely they will find more bodies. only then will the real scale of the disaster become clear. >> time now for the business headlines. germany exported more than 100 billion euros in goods and is attending month of july, a highest ever figure for a single month. >> due to strong demand and overseas customers, it comes on the heels of disappointing gdp numbers, which a say could maybe get in german growth might not last long. >> they are living overseas. the industry was the main source

in july. demand is particularly strong outside the euro zone, a rise of 16% compared to the same time last year. eurozone companies -- countries increase their orders, despite overall sluggish growth. exports to the rest of the world grew by 7.2%. but imports to germany are not faring as well. this has driven the country's trade surplus to a new high. the international monetary fund has repeatedly criticized germany for exporting more than it imports. in a recent interview, she warned the german should invest more in their own infrastructure. >> how did those numbers go down on the markets? we have the numbers from frankfurt. >> the news of the highest ever

monthly export numbers for germany would have been widely celebrated, had it not been for the context. there is no celebration when it is easy to see why. and another round of sanctions against russia is always bad news, especially for large companies listed here at the dax better highly reliant on russian oil. in scotland a new poll revealed that those in favor of separation from the united kingdom are ahead, with unforeseeable consequences for the upn and british economy. >> ok, a brief look at those figures for you. the dax, a lackluster day, closing fractionally higher. euro stoxx 50 down. over new york, trading is lackluster in the u.s. the euro-dollar is also trending in the negative territory. >> we are going to take a one minute break.

>> stay with us.

>> welcome back to the show. there is no room for a optimize. those are the words of abdullah abdullah, the loser in afghanistan's electoral runoff. >> afghanistan's electorate commission says that abdullah abdullah's rival ashraf ghani, one, which was a surprise since abdullah won the popular vote. the process is hopelessly deadlocked. president barack obama spoke with post candidates over the weekend, urging them to implead a power-sharing deal. abdulla says that is no longer an option. >> today our political talks have reached a deadlock. i hereby announce we will not

accept the fraudulent announcement of election results. to those who believe we accepted wrongdoing and misunderstood is, i want to make it clear we will not accept a fraudulent government for even one day. >> and that is outgoing presidential candidate abdullah abdullah. nato allies are preparing to with draw their troops from the country by the end of the year. >> 1700 soldiers from the german bundeswehr are still in afghanistan. most in the north of the country. we have this report. >> up to 400,000 people live here in the far north of afghanistan, on the edge of the hindu kush mile range -- mountain range. it is a pilgrimage destination for many.

it is also the only city and afghanistan with a railroad. a connection to neighboring is pakistan -- was pakistan -- uzbekistan offers a connection to russia. the presence of foreign troops is had a big impact on local improvement. the thousands of local jobs could be gone by the end of the year when international combat troops leave the country. locals are worried, not only for their jobs. they say they are also being targeted because of who they work for. he has worked as a translator for the german and u.s. armies. >> even some of my relatives are not ready to shake hands with me, because i shake hands with

non-must -- non-muslim people. therefore they think i am somehow a 30 person. they're working very hard. you use -- they use the internet. whenever they are working amid traditional people, they are working to somehow support their sanity. >> he says he enjoys living here , but he fears for his family's safety after receiving threatening letters. german authorities ever injected his application to immigrate to germany. the german army says it is aware of the problem and is dealing with the issue of keeping its workers safe. >> here in afghanistan we have developed ways to help our former and current local staff and to help them if they are exposed to any danger.

this decision has been made in germany, and we prepare and carry that out here. the absolute main focus is the locals who have worked for us. >> germany is currently granting visas to about one third of applicants from afghanistan. that is not an encouraging figure for people like him, who say they could be targeted after foreign troops leave the country. >> and the german foreign minister is in india for talks on boosting bilateral relations and commerce. india's new prime minister narendra modi welcome tim. he is the most senior german official to visit india since modi took office four months ago. german companies hope that they will benefit by reforms promised by the new indian government.

in germany, if you want to drive on the fast autobahns, you better bring your wallet along. >> someone to put the brakes on the whole thing, because they say it unfairly targets foreigners. >> many european countries make drivers pay to use their highways, usually by charging tolls based on the distance driven. this is the case in italy and france, among others. but there is something else in mind. he wants to charge motorists 100 euros per year, but only for an motorists would pay the fee. >> i don't want to discriminate against anyone, but i also want to stop discrimination against german drivers. that is what i am interested in. >> in neighboring austria, all motorists have to pay a yearly fee, and many there are not happy with the german proposal.

in germany, the issue has created tension among conservatives. some are playing it down. >> we will have a solution everyone can live with by the end of the year. >> proponents want to use the fees to fix up worn-out highways. what finance minister -- has raised doubts about the viability of the plan. >> the finance ministers opposed to be told. he has made this clear in public and in private, and we are not going to take it anymore. >> chancellor angela merkel has stayed above the fray so far, but she may have to step in soon to keep her coalition partners online. >> time now for soccer news. world champions germany have met -- won their first competitive match since the triumph in brazil. >> it was a game packed with incident. germany beat scotland's 2-1.

>> germany dominated the early stages with slick passing. it took 17 minutes for, smaller to convert -- for thomas muller to convert. 1-0, germany. striker stephen naismith had several opportunities after the break. that is when germany upped its game. muller replied to the hosts, this time from a corner, earning his second goal. the score, 2-1 to the world champs. >> there will be tight games, and we will be tested. getting three points is what matters. it is important to have them. >> the only blocks came in

stoppage time. only just back from a knee problem, this player got an ankle injury. there is some question about his ability to play against poland and just over one month. >> and as we just saw, germany beat scotland's 2-1. ireland scored in the final minutes of play to win against georgia. >> and poland wins. robert lewandoswki scored in that game. and serena williams has won in straight sets the u.s. open. >> it took her just 17 minutes. her victory also means that

williams has now won 18 grand slam titles. >> good for her. and baby is on the way. for all the british royal family lovers out there, prepare for the new edition coming soon. >> the tip and duchess of cambridge, william and kate, made the announcement on monday. >> prince william was touched by the flowers, although they were most likely meant for his wife. the duke of cambridge had to make this apparent in oxford alone. the duchess is a kensington palace, being treated for acute morning sickness, as during her first pregnancy. >> it has been a tricky today's, week or so. it is early days. we hope that things calm down and she feels better. it is important to focus on the big news. that is where my thoughts are.

thank you. >> the new arrival is expected to boost the royal family's already high popularity, just like baby george did. >> huddy do you feel about having a new member of the royal come -- royal family joining us? >> soon prince george will have a little brother or sister. when the baby is due and whether it will be a prince of princess remains hush-hush. what is clear is there are big celebrations ahead when number four in line to the throne joins britain's royal family. >> let the name betting begin. now from the prince of wales to another kind of wales. watch these humpbacked whales making their migration to the waters off the pacific coast of costa rica. >> way and they are having babies, too.

it is a prime breeding area for the magnificent mammals. taurus so long bewailed coast -- tourists along the coast are marking the occasion. we want to recap our top story before we go. the european union has adopted a new package of sanctions against russia, but they will not take effect immediately. >> the delay will give time to assess whether the cease-fire in ukraine is helping. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

>> we've got some stories for you this week in our quest to this fascinating continent. welcome to the "european journal ." romania -- the politics of corruption. france -- paris tries to polish its image for service. and austria -- royal march through the outs. corruption in romania is like a black hole. it seems to suck in everyone in the country. the police, business people, politicians. even the language is proof of that. there are up to 30 synonyms for there are up to 30 synonyms for the word