>> live from the dw studios here in berlin, this is world news on the "journal." let's get straight to the headlines -- u.s. president barack obama gets ready to lay out his plan to defeat islamic state. >> and don't turn your back on the u.k.. british prime minister david cameron makes an appeal for scottish voters to reject independence. >> a remarkable example of reconciliation -- germany and poland remember the outbreak of the second world war 75 years ago. >> president barack obama is

gearing up to give a highly anticipated primetime speech tonight on national television in the u.s. to outline his plan to combat islamic militants in syria and iraq. >> the president is expected to make proposal setting the stage for military and political efforts to defeat islamic state in the region and urge congress to authorize arming moderates. >> the speech will above all try to reassure americans that he does have a strategy for tackling the threat from islamic state. this as secretary of state john kerry is in the middle east to rally support for a u.s.-led coalition against islamic state. >> tonight's nationally televised speech is rare because the white house only asks television networks to clear prime time to address the most critical issues. obama has been preparing all week, in listing support from congressional leaders and consulting with national security advisers. he telephoned saudi arabia's

king on wednesday. kicking off the tour of the mideast, u.s. secretary of state john kerry flew to baghdad to meet with iraq's new prime minister. his more inclusive government was sworn in on monday. he pleaded for international support against islamic state extremists. >> we are iraqis will have both an inclusive government now, and we can do this job provided everyone is on board. we're going to include all people in the iraqi society in the mobilization process, but we need that support. >> at a news conference, he called the islamic state a manifestation of evil. >> there is literally no place for their barbarity in the modern world. this is a fight that the iraqi

people must win, but it's also a fight that the rest of the world needs to win with them. it's a fight that the united states and the rest of the world need to support every single step of the way. >> obama's address will be closely watched, not just in the u.s. and a rat, but across the globe. >> we go live now to washington. whatever plan obama announces tonight, one thing is for certain -- his ministration does not want to go to loan against islamic state. how have efforts been progressing to build up support, not only on the domestic front, but also abroad? >> it turns out slightly easier to get international allies than to mystic ones. an early sign today already that obama might struggle to get the kind of support that he would like to see from congress with the administration saying that republicans have, for now, at least rejected administration

request to get funding and additional sport -- support for the moderate rebels, so signs there that he might run into trouble on congress on that point. he was asking for another $2 billion to do that. yet, the administration does stress that they can do a lot already with presidential authority, and there are signs the public are falling into line as well. opinion polls suggesting 70% of public support airstrikes in iraq, 65% support airstrikes in syria. that's up from the mid-50's just three weeks ago. >> there has been a lot of speculation about what is in this plan already. what do you think that we will see? should we be expecting a major shift in policy, especially when it comes to the u.s. policy in syria? >> that's definitely the big question. as i just mentioned, it's pretty

clear that the administration does want to step up support to the moderate rebels, but the question is how much that would be part of a broader strategy that also involves u.s. airstrikes, that they would see the syrian rebels on the ground as the equivalent of the iraqi army in iraq, doing essentially the groundwork, while u.s. takes on those airstrikes. we do not know the answer quite yet whether obama wants to train them up first, get them ready first, and then move ahead with airstrikes and whether airstrikes might be on the menu very soon, so we will have to wait and see. >> it is, of course, a delicate situation to fight i.s. without empowering assad. ukrainian president petro poroshenko says the bulk of russian forces in his country have withdrawn. >> his country's intelligence services estimate 70% of russian soldiers have left ukrainian territory. poroshenko said the withdrawal

bolstered the chances of a lasting cease-fire with government troops and kremlin-backed separatist saying the truce is holding. the president's promise of more of china me for eastern ukraine has helped ease the conflict. standing by in the ukrainian capital is our correspondent, simon young, with the latest details. great to see you. what would a cease-fire look like -- not a cease-fire, excuse me, and autonomy in the east look like in practice? >> president poroshenko has offered what he is calling a special status for the rebel held areas in the east of the country, and he says he will bring in a draft bill to that effect in the ukrainian parliament as soon as next week, but at the same time, he has in the sized that ukraine will remain an integral state. what he is not offering is a

federal restructuring of the country, and of course, certainly not the full independence that rep role -- that rebel independence leaders continue to demand. it's also interesting that according to some reports, rebels are still suggesting that they should be able to get control of a larger area of territory even then that that they hold militarily on the ground in eastern ukraine. there's no way that any kiev politician is going to agree to anything like that. >> president poroshenko said russian troops are pulling out. is this an encouraging sign? what do you make of that development? >> that's right. the president dropped this piece of what he called military intelligence today, and it sits with the story that he wants to tell. president poroshenko says that the cease-fire deal is working, is bearing fruit, and it is the basis of a lasting peace.

it is his deal, his political reputation to a large extent tied up in that agrgreement. it is fair to say that many ukrainians are much more skeptical. they do not believe that peace will necessarily come out of this. indeed, for instance, the ukrainian military did not contradict the president today, but they were not willing to back up that 70% figure. they are much more ready to talk about infractions of the cease-fire, provocations by the enemy than they are about any eminent piece. >> thank you very much for that update. >> and could the relationship with russia will be the region in the cold this winter? >> all points with modeling of natural gas supplies from russia in some cases by about a quarter of a percent. >> the russian energy giant denies any blocks to the eu. the block depends on natural gas

to a third of its needs. >> if russia cuts off natural gas supplies, europe is in for a cold winter. gas prom steers the flow of the vital fuel, and this is where the gas headed for europe arrives first -- and ukraine. therein lies the problem. russia stopped the laboring gas to ukraine in june, citing unpaid bills. in response, the eu is supplying kiev with some of its own russian gas, a process known as reverse flow. leaders of ukraine and slovakia launch the reverse pipeline earlier this month to help ukraine cover its energy needs, but nations further west are now worrying about their own needs. nearly a third of europe's gas supply comes from russia. some balkan countries depend completely on russian supplies. until recently, deliveries continued according to schedule, but that's over for now. moscow warned brussels in june that the eu could expect a

livery shortfalls. analysts say european gas reserves would last a maximum of five months. after that, europeans could really feel left out in the cold . >> to brussels now, where the eu commission president has unveiled his nominees for the block puzzle executive team. >> in a statement, jean-claude juncker said his first deputy and "right-hand" in the commission would be the current dutch foreign minister. the economic and monetary policy portfolio will go to france's muska vinci. the key financial services commission will be british conservative jonathan hill. >> it has been two weeks since a cease-fire took hold between israel and palestinians in gaza, but the humanitarian crisis in gaza is far from over. >> children are especially

vulnerable. many lost parents and siblings, their homes of been destroyed, and they have been injured or traumatized. the road to recovery is still a long way ahead. >> these children have survived horrific experiences. each of them has faced death and pain, and the war is fresh in their minds. yet, some sibilance of everyday life is resuming in the gaza strip -- some semblance of everyday life is resuming. it is not easy for this eight euros to say what she has been through. the home of her family was hit in the strikes. >> i really was so scared i could not sleep teary than we fled to my grandmother. >> and so, the girl explains, she wants to become a doctor to heal people because of the war. a rocket hit this nine-year-old

when he was playing in the garden. his right leg had to be amputated. he's in a lot of pain, and he is severely traumatized. his father has been sitting by august 1 four -- 24. he is worried his son could i if he stays in gaza. today, the boy is being moved to another bed. a charity will fly him to germany for treatment. >> why did this happen? my son asks me a he can play football again or ride his bike. the worst thing is he still does not even know that his siblings and mother were killed in the attack. i just cannot tell him. >> thousands of families have applied to the authorities for overseas medical help for their relatives, including many medical -- including many

injured children, but only very few can be accepted. >> our problem is the blockade of as a and the closed border crossings. that is why it is hard to escape . for the first time, i have seen psychologist looking for help for traumatized patients. it's mostly children. >> he treats traumatized children in collaboration with unicef. years of crisis and war make children prone to that wedding. they can also experience psychosis and become prone to violence. at the moment, she says these extreme symptoms are being seen like never before. even bursting balloons can scare the children. >> this time, the children have experienced direct combat. the anxiety prevents them from speaking about it. maybe if the children are full of aggression and react with violence, individual therapy sessions are extremely

important. we are expecting a disaster here. we need urgent help. >>'s father is desperate. >> may god bring him back to us from the foreign land. >> upon his return, the boy will learn about what happened to his siblings and mother. it is a cruel truth makes -- facing many other families and children. >> still ahead, after a short rate, scotland gears up to decide its future. >> but who will be celebrating on september 18? will scotland stay in with the u.k. or go it alone? >> polls show the race is neck and the, and that has political leaders leaving london and heading north. >> we'll have all that and more, so stay with us. back in a minute.

>> hello again. british prime minister david cameron made an emotional plea to the people of scotland not to break up the united kingdom. in a last-ditch effort ahead of next weeks scottish independence referendum, cameron through his political weight behind the no campaign. >> the yes campaign has gained momentum over the last few months. the latest opinion polls show that the vote is now too close to call. >> the british prime minister finally ventured north of the scottish border this week to campaign against independence. he is unpopular there so has made a few appearances. now, he is promising more economy to the scots if they stay in the union. >> if you vote no, if you vote to stay in the united kingdom, and our family of nations, that will trigger another very rapid and very comprehensive move to

trigger -- to make sure that scotland has even more powers to determine its own future within the united kingdom. >> cameron has promised more decision-making for scotland on touchstone issue such as health care and tax, areas were scottish politicians disagree most with opponents in london. his opponent, leader of the independence movement, slammed these offers as last-minute bribery. he said they were signs of panic. >> the reaction in the streets and communities of scotland sees this as a last-ditch effort from the western establishment. >> latest opinion polls suggest strong gains for the independence campaign. just days before the vote, the camps appear to been a connect. >> why have so many scots had enough of being british? >> our correspondent went to find out.

>> there are strong historical ties between scotland and the rest of the u.k.. i'm here in edinburgh with one of scotland's leading intellectuals, a historian here to give a lecture very soon. 300 years of history. why fix something that is not a penny? >> this is actually a legislative union which goes right back to 1707, and the possibility that might end in several days time is extraordinary. there are two reasons why we gotten to this place -- first, many scots think the union no longer serves a purpose, and the second is that they feel there has been an bit national movement but acidic national movement that things could be better. these are essentially the motives of the potential end of

probably the most influential political union in the world. >> there are also still a lot of uncertainties. for example, it's not even clear what currency this new country would have. >> the extraordinary thing is that these uncertainties do not seem to have affected, if you like, the voters, and i think the reason for this is so much of this detail can be worked out in discussions with england after so-called independence. the second thing is that this is a movement of vision. this is about the sense of what kind of nation we wish to build. >> the scottish parliament, though, already has a lot of powers, for example, in matters of education and health. why does it need more? >> it needs more because the financing of scotland and its administration is still decided,

and there's a big role between scottish political values and culture and the values of that area of england around london and the southeast. that is an area of commitment to neoliberalism. whereas scotland has a deep commitment to a more social democratic set of policies. >> what is your personal vision? what is scotland going to look like in, say, 10 years time? >> if there is a no vote, it would be a very substantial minority voting yes, i think we will see a rearrangement of the structures of authority within the u.k. if there is a yes vote, we are going to be embarking on a challenging, a formidable, but a very exciting journey. >> thank you very much. >> we also have the no campaign

angle's side. >> you can find more on our website, www.dw.de. >> the countdown is on before those new gadgets apple announced are on store shelves. >> consumers can look forward to a new apple watch, iphones, and payment system. >> before they rush out and buy them, what's the buzz? let's have a look. >> apple's new iphone will hit stores late next week, but diehard fans around the world are lining up already. in tokyo, dozens are camped out, eagerly waiting for their new toy. >> am counting down the days until the launch of the iphone 6 on my t-shirt. >> the long anticipated product launch saw the unveiling of the apple watch, the device that tech analysts refer to as groundbreaking. at the star of the show was the larger yet slimmed-down iphone 6, featuring bigger displays similar to the competition. apple also launched its new

apple pay system, allowing smartphone users to use their phones as credit cards. >> most importantly, it is changing the revenue model for apple. apple has a chance now to actually make money transaction by transaction, and that is a huge potential for apple. >> major u.s. change such as mcdonald's, macy's, and a host of other retailers will begin apple pay by the end of the year. >> what do the markets make of all the apple buzz? we have reaction from frankfurt. >> apple has become a longtime favorite for wall street, but this time again, the expectations were too high. we only saw short-term gains after the introduction of a new product line, but the payment system at least seems to be very interesting to investors. even though it will take time to establish it, and the results will only come in the long term. it was a very volatile day here at the frankfurt stock exchange. the 9800 mark just cannot be

beaten. investors prefer to take away the gains of the last few weeks, and that is pushing the markets are down as well as the uncertainty about a possible independence of scotland from the united kingdom. >> let's get a closer look at those market numbers for you now. the dax had a pretty lackluster day there, settling unchanged at 9700. the euro stoxx 50 was also just slightly in negative territory. over in new york, a better story for the dow jones industrial average. it is higher now by about .4%. the euro-dollar is currently trending lower. one euro will get your $1.29. in the indian region of kashmir, rescue teams have begun evacuating tens of thousands of villagers stranded by the worst floods in over a century.

>> floodwater started receding, allowing more than a million people cut off from flood supplies. the indian army says it has evacuated thousands of people from their homes, mosques, and government buildings. the state chief minister said paramilitary and defense forces are trying to reach out to the maximum number of people and provide relief. >> it cannot be denied that the situation is grim. we are trying our best to reach out to people. >> the indian air force has flown in more than 500 50 tons of relief material. soldiers rescued families using boats or airlifted them from rooftops by helicopter. one man's home was destroyed in the floods, but he and his family managed to take shelter in a neighbor's three-story house.

>> half of my family is still stuck inside. my mother, my sisters, my brother. >> the annual monsoon rains from june to september our final from agriculture, but this year the rains caused widespread devastation in both pakistan and india. >> back here in europe, german and polish leaders gathered in the german parliament today to mark 75 years since the outbreak of world war ii. in a special session, he spoke about the suffering the polls endured under german pop -- occupation. >> he praised the reconciliation that has taken place between the countries since the war. the ceremonies to remember the out rake since world war ii, the time when fighting in eastern ukraine has raised concerns about security in europe. >> this fragment of a wall from the shipyard is now under display. the memorial was a symbolic stopping point for the polish

president before he addressed the german parliament. >> nearly every polish family including my own experience not only the heroic struggle back then but also the horrors of rates, caps, and the brutality of relocation and mass executions. >> among those in attendance was a survivor of auschwitz who went on to become poland's foreign minister. the polish president said that thanks to him, young germans and poles are working together to shape the future of europe, but he acknowledged it is a future with its own set of challenges, namely the conflict in ukraine. the president called on nato to take tougher action against russia -- russian aggression. >> those who complain about supposedly polish

oversensitivity in the current situation obviously have no idea of the trauma of a nation that was missing from the map of a state for decades and centuries. >> a turbulent history now unites germany and poland in a common goal of protecting freedom in eastern europe. >> with that report, we have come to the end of this edition of the "journal." >> thank you very much for watching. we will see you next time. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." >> in parts of the philippines, undergoing a lot of change recently. a vast number of