>> hello and welcome to the "journal" coming to from berlin. >> thanks for joining us. our headlines -- the u.s. is still bombing islamic state positions in kobani, but the white house says ground troops are still needed to break the siege. >> a united nations worker dies after contracting ebola in liberia. >> and the north korean leader reappears in public after weeks of absence. we start in syria where the u.s. says it has carried out 21 airstrikes in and around kobani in the past two days and slow down the advance of islamic

state militants. >> the u.s. is also warning the situation on the ground remains fluid in the battle for the siege town just kilometers from the border with turkey. for now, it seems the kurdish defenders are holding out against the jihadists. that fight against islamic state in syria is taking place amid a civil war that's been raging on for more than three years now. >> dozens of rebel groups have been fighting to overthrow bashar al-assad's government, and some of them had ended together to fight -- some of them have banded together to fight i.s. as well. >> we take a look at one of syria's main rebel groups. >> somewhere between the syrian city and the turkish border, a training camp run by islamic front, one of the rebel groups trying to topple the government in damascus. only a few recruits are here now. a larger group recently finished her training and left --

recently finished their training and left. many in the group had never before held weapons. now they are preparing to take on the syrian army and islamic state. >> we are fighting is..s. becaue they kill civilians. >> rebels like islamic front could be potential partners as the coalition to stop islamic state looks for moderate syrian groups to support, but is is islamic front really moderate? leaders say they are in that they have thousands of fighters. all they need was more weapons. >> we are fighting against islamic state and fighting against the assad regime. that's our job. we are fighting against the powers of evil in syria, fighting against those who sees free land and destroy everything . if we are doing all those things, why should we turn around and suddenly become evil?

>> it's an old dilemma -- how can western governments be sure that they are not supporting the wrong people? instead, the u.s.-led coalition is relying on airstrikes, like this one aimed at a leader of the al-nusra front, a group affiliated with al qaeda. locals say it only killed two of the targets daughters. >> we've heard they were fired, but we do not have anything to do with either al-nusra or i.s. >> amid the horrors taking place in syria and iraq, it's easy to forget some islamists are more radical than others. islamic front rejects the islamic state, but it is also suspicious of western ideas of freedom, equality, and mock her

see. >> there are a few points where we have reservation about democracy. it has been very successful in some countries and have failed and others. democracy is not feel the concept that can be used with success. >> the goal is to train 5000 moderates. the anti-i.s. cannot afford to be picky as it looks for allies in syria. >> military commanders are holding talks in washington today. the u.s. wants to come up with a common strategy to defeat the islamist group. let's find out more from washington now. i'm joined by our correspondent. what are they hoping to achieve at these talks? >> we are hearing incidentally that barack obama has just 20 talks -- just joined those talks, but officials have been

vague about what the target of the talks is, not going further than simply saying this is an opportunity to further develop the coalition and to discuss issues like who does particularly what, but there certainly is plenty to talk about on that front, especially with regard to turkey, just in the past couple of days, there's been quite a bit of confusion about whether turkey had committed to allow air bases to be used for airstrikes against the islamic state. the turkish government saying they have not promised that yet, and now we also have news that turkey has launched airstrikes against kurdish rebels on its own territory, adding still further to the tangle of complexity we currently face in the middle east. there is certainly plenty to talk about, and talks will continue tomorrow. >> the u.s. has said the impact of u.s. airstrikes around kobani is constrained by the lack of ground troops.

>> interesting comment essentially acknowledging head on what is seen by critics as a big hole in the strategy, that they do not have ground troops in syria to take advantage of any progress they make with airstrikes. they say it is in the works, that their strategy is to train up syrian rebel groups that can take that fight to the islamic state, but that is a process that will take many months. we're also hearing there are not even any rebel groups whatsoever represented at the talks going on in washington this week. despite all of that, the insistence is that the strategy is showing early results, and the white house will certainly hoping -- will certainly be hoping for results soon because of midterm elections here in three weeks time, and barack obama needs to look in command of the situation. >> x for that analysis.

>> the fight against i.s. depends largely on kurdish troops, but that poses problems for turkey. >> that are now reports that turkish were planes, as richard just said, have bombed kurdish rebel positions inside its border. if confirmed, they will be the first major airstrikes against the kurdistan workers party since the 2012 cease-fire. to some other news now, and the dallas nurse who contracted ebola virus after treating an infected patient says she is doing well. >> she was the first person to contract ebola on u.s. soil after taking care of a patient from liberia. officials try to figure out how the nurse was infected despite wearing protective gear. >> a you and medical worker who was being treated for ebola in a leipsic hospital has died -- a human medical worker -- a united

nations medical worker. >> the worker was kept in a secure isolation ward in this hospital. doctors said the 56-year-old died of the disease overnight despite intensive treatment. the head of the clinic said everything was done to ensure that other patients and hospital staff were not exposed to the ebola virus. >> all the hygiene measures we implemented to protect the medical staff and the environment were performed to the highest standards. there was no danger to others. >> the patient was flown to leipsic last week after testing positive for ebola in liberia. staff characterized his condition is critical but stable. he was the third ebola patient brought to germany. one from senegal was released for good health. the other from uganda is still being treated in a frankfort

hospital. >> our political correspondent joins us now. given the year about the spread of ebola, or germany authorities taking any extra precautions? >> authorities are taking precautions. there are travel warnings in place for affected countries, but the risk for outbreak in germany is considered very low, and there are a couple of reasons -- first of all, there are no direct flights to germany from the ebola-affected areas of africa, and the german medical system, the public health system is strong, with very high medical standards. indeed, authorities do not think there is much risk. still, they are on alert. the federal commissioner has been put in place. local authorities are bracing for the possibility of an outbreak. there have been a couple of false alarms. in one case, it turned out to be someone with malaria, and in

another case, a hoax, but authorities reacted quickly, ceiling down buildings, so germany is concerned about the possibility of an outbreak, but the risk is considered low. >> thanks for that update. >> it was six months ago that the islamist group the boko haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls. a few girls have been able to escape, but there are still no trace of the rest. >> boko haram has continued to carry out kidnappings and attacks in northern nigeria and beyond. >> on tuesday, families and friends of the kidnapped schoolgirls took to the streets again. >> the friends and families of the abducted students are still demanding action. the "ring back our girls" campaign is refusing to give up hope, despite six months of anguish. >> we're simply asking -- at this point, we are begging, we

are pleading -- let the girls come back. >> boko haram militants overran this school and kidnapped more than 250 girls, most between the ages of 15 and 18, and released these images as proof of their objection. the group's leader said the girls would be in slaved or forced to marry bo boko haram fighters. the images shocked nigeria and the world. a social media campaign quickly went viral, attracting support from around the globe. celebrities posted messages of support, but boko haram countered with their own propaganda campaign, releasing further images of the girls, while their leader mocked the international outcry over the

kidnappings and demanded the release of his fighters. >> nigerians grew angry at the government's lack of action. they gave shocking accounts ever p did rape and other atrocities. -- they gave shocking accounts of repeated rape and other atrocities. campaign began to lose momentum is hope began to fade. now, on the six-month anniversary of the kidnapping, activists are trying to refocus the world's attention. >> we believe that the girls can still be rescued. >> they say protests like this will continue until the missing girls are home and safe. >> we are on the line now to our correspondent in eastern nigeria. the nigerian army is getting

logistical help from the united states. why is that they have not been able to free these kidnapped girls? >> there are several factors that make it very hard. first of all, nigeria is a huge area. a lot of forests, many people living in remote villages, and also, there are a lot of indicators that the girls were split in several small groups and taken to remote areas. many analysts say because there was no appropriate reaction like after the kidnapping, i became more and more difficult to rescue them later. it took the authorities weeks to confirm the kidnappings, and afterwards, several negotiation attempts failed because both sides mistrusted each other. the nigerian army and military have proved that they are not able to work together. >> some folks are trying to get this protest movement, some pressure on the government, to get them back.

is there still hope of finding these girls among the public? >> last week, i talked to some of the parents, and for most of them, the only thing they can do is to cling to hope. i suspect they have not seen their children for six months now. many nigerians, however, have the feeling that the upcoming elections in early 2015 has made many politicians more interested in the struggle for power than finding the girls. every day here, there are refugees arriving because they've had so many attacks on villages in the northeast of the country. i talked to a woman today who was kidnapped by boko haram a few weeks ago. she managed to run away. these are things that keep on happening again, not only about the 290 schoolgirls, but much more people suffering the effects. >> thanks for joining us. thanks for keeping us up to date from nigeria. >> we have to take a short break

. we'll be right back with more news. >> you can stay with us. it's only one minute.

>> welcome back. where is kim jong-un? do you know? the question has sparked some pretty wild areas including a twitter storm of speculation. >> the north korean leader vanished without a trace more than a month ago until early this morning. state media released photos of him which should have brought the guessing game to an end, but there are still just as many questions as answers. >> the supreme leader's back, and he's all smiles -- at least that's what a series of photographs released by north korea's secretive government suggests. they are the first images of kim jong-un to made -- to be made public since a timber, but the agency did not say when the photos were taken, nor did they address kim's health. he had been seen walking with a

limp during the summer. after september 3, he dropped out of sight. his absence fueled speculation. some said he was having health problems. others suggested he might have been toppled in a coup.punofficy that he injured a foot during military drills. recent events had confused analysts. early this month, pyongyang sent a high-level delegation to south korea, a surprise move considered unthinkable without kim possibly think, but hopes of diplomacy was shut down friday when northern korean military -- with north korean military fired across the border. the incident triggered a rare exchange of fire between the neighbors. the north threatened stronger physical strikes against leaflet launchers. another sign pyongyang will not tolerate critical voices. analysts say the latest pictures

are meant to show that kim still sits firmly in the driver seat, but others are asking whether pyongyang may just be trying to keep up appearances. >> let's go now where hundreds of students and teachers are and burned government offices in the capital of guerrero state. >> protesters are outraged over the suspected kidnapping and murder of 43 students by corrupt police. >> many mexicans say the government is not doing enough to find out what happened to the students. they accuse local authorities of being complicit with criminal gangs. >> at first there were clashes. then teachers and students stormed state government headquarters, setting it ablaze. it was the culmination of more than two weeks of anger, fear, and frustration. protesters say authorities are not doing enough to find out what has happened to their missing colleagues. >> we would like to see the police and the hills looking for our brothers.

what are they going to achieve for us here? we will keep on insisting. the request is to send the police to the place where everything happened and find our brothers. up there is where we want to see them. >> some have even darker suspicions -- they accuse local officers of objecting the students and handing them to a local drug gang. several mass graves have been discovered in the region, but these bodies have not yet been identified. the spokesman for the governor says everything possible is being done. >> even with these disgraceful events, the search for the young students remains a top priority of the government. >> but government calls for calm are falling on deaf ears. future rust the authorities.

>> the united nations chief has visited the war-ravaged dazur strip to push reconstruction efforts. >> his trip coincides with the first truckloads of building materials to arrive in the palestinian territory since the end of hostilities in august. he visited a united nations school and neighborhood destroyed by israeli bombardments. the 50-day war left more than 2200 palestinians dead and tens of thousands homeless. russian troops are apparently withdrawing from eastern ukraine. that's from john kerry after he met with his russian counterpart in paris. >> he said there are still several steps remaining before the west lifts sanctions against russia, like the release of all prisoners and the securing of the border. washington and moscow are still deeply at october the separatist rebellion in eastern ukraine.

a payment dispute with ukraine appears to be taking its toll on russian gas giant gas prom -- gazprom. >> the state-owned energy giant says ukraine owes it around 4 billion euros, and it has made a provision for the debts and its financial results. it said western sanctions on the company have so far had no significant effect. the german government has reduced its economic growth forecast for this year and next. this comes along with the news that german investor confidence has also fallen to its weakest level in tw's. fears are growing that europe's biggest economy could enter into recession. >> germany's export engine is spluttering, the latest in a string of unpleasant data for the economics minister, who said sluggish global growth in

geopolitical tensions are taking their toll, like the eu sanctions against russia. >> we all knew that the sanctions and possible retaliation by russia would impact on economic growth. our exports to russia fell considerably in the first half of the year. >> the government has reduced its growth forecast for 2014 from 1.8% to 1.2%. next year's outlook has also taken a dive. despite the slowdown, the german finance minister is adamant he wants to deliver a balanced budget in 2015. the opposition greens think the governing coalition should drop austerity and start spending. >> wise investments bring about sustainable growth. that's the best way to overcome debt.

there are plunging europe further into recession. >> to german labor market remains robust, and domestic demand is stable, but the effects of external factors are a worrying trend for an economy dependent on exports. >> what do traders in frankfurt make of germany's big growth downgrade? we've got the expert -- the answer from our expert. >> and overdue signal from the german government to reduce growth forecasts. welcome back to reality, traders said. the move at the stock market has been down for a long time. the dax has been losing ground since july. the year's profit is gone. bad news also from the center for european economic studies. the zew index fell for the 10th time, and there's no ending in sight, pushing down the euro and dax, but the dax managed to recover at the end asked to positive earnings reports.

>> let's start the market will -- let's start with market numbers from frankfurt. the dax rose by .15 percent. the euro stoxx 50 pan-european index ended at 3000 even for the day. across the atlantic, the dow jones industrial average -- they are still trading. it's down by .2% at the moment. the euro for the moment is slightly off against the dollar, $1.2651. >> five years ago, 20 international power and engineering firms signed up to build solar power stations in the desert in africa. the aim was to provide up to 15% of europe's electricity needs. >> five years later, the initiative is left with just three of those partners. the others have abandoned the project due to rising costs and political instability in the region. >> it was hailed as one of clean energy's brightest hopes.

giant solar and wind energy complexes delivering electricity from northern africa's vast desert. energy far beyond africa's borders. the super grid would transport the electricity to europe, but the 400 billion euro price tag scared off investors as the arab spring revolution swept the region. young's went from bad to worse. many investors began to turn their backs on the project. today, only three of the former 20 shareholders are left, including german energy company tw -- rwe, but that does not mean they have stopped mode in clean energy. instead, they're helping with projects like this one, the world's biggest solar power plant in morocco. funding for the project comes from saudi arabia and the generated power is to stay in africa.

>> it's one of apple's biggest success stories, the ipad. >> it first hit the market a little less than five years ago, and since then, it has brought in more than $100 billion of revenue for apple. >> but has the tablet boom already fizzled out? we take a look. >> tablets -- for years, they have been some of the years -- some of the world's most hyped tech products. it's estimated more than 40% of american adults own a tablet, most of them ipads. over time, they have become thinner, more powerful, and in all sizes, but the tablet appears to be a victim of its own success. the better the product, the less consumers are likely to upgrade. global sales climbed steadily through the last year when the industry sold almost 200 million tablets, but experts expect that number to plateau by the end of 2014.

u.s. analytics firm gartner projects sales of about 230 million units, a meager increase compared to past years. is the age of tablets coming to an end? experts say the trend is moving toward bigger smartphones and superthin laptops, what has now been dubbed the ultra book. >> that is all for this edition of the "journal." it was great to have you with us. >> thanks for watching. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> hello and welcome to euromaxx highlights where we put together all of the best for you. magic of the moment. for this photographer, timing is everything. back on the case, author agatha christie's detective hercule perot has a new adventure. and we visit this airlines region. for the last 60 years, he has documented major historic events with his images. now the german photographer has compiled his work in a photo book. he has also been honored with a retrospective in cologne and one