>> you are watching the journal. >> welcome. >> here are the headlines this hour. drought and famine in east africa. the un begins air lifting food into somalia. more democracy. the response to last friday's attacks in norway. the clock is ticking as london gets ready to host the 2012 summer olympics. the food is finally coming in. the united nations has begun airlifting food to eastern africa, trying to ease what is being called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. 12 million people from somalia

to kenya to ethiopia are threatened by famine. hundreds of thousands are in camps, waiting for something to eat. >> emergency food supplies are on their way from kenya to somalia. the u.n. says it is faster to deliver aid by air than by road. the packets contain food rich in protein and energy. they are meant for severely malnourished children. >> there are 110 within the next few days, and 80 after that. we're sending it to supplementary feeding centers. >> every minute counts. this young boy desperately needs food. his mother brought him from somalia to the refugee camp in kenya. he is almost one year old, but

ways just 3 kilograms, like a newborn. >> he should be 8 kilos to 9 kilos. it shows he is severely, severely malnourished. >> it is even worse back in somalia, where more than 3.5 million people are going hungry. >> a terrible story. for more, we talked to someone from the aid organization care germany. he just returned from a refugee camp in kenya. i began by asking him what is most urgently needed. >> this is an emergency situation. we have a massive influx of new arrivals in the camps. first, they need water. they need food. they need sanitation. we need to prevent outbreaks of

diarrhea, for example. the second step is what we are currently planning is emergency education, so that children can go to school and do not waste their time, so they can learn something. of course, the biggest problem is that there is basically no perspective for the people living there. the cannot go to kenya. they cannot go to niobe. due to the security situation and their government in somalia, they cannot go back to somalia. they are stuck in the camps for almost more than 20 years. >> this situation sounds much worse in somalia. with the aid flight be enough to help pple there? "aid flights will help. that is for sure. the problem is how to target beneficiaries. it is very difficult for a organizations to work in south somalia due to the security

considerations. it is very difficult to identify who is in need, who needs help it was mentioned earlier that doing this by air drops, which is quite difficult to handle for people who are probably disabled or pregnant women or elderly to go to the places where they drop the food, and also to make sure they get their portion, which is quite difficult in such a situation. >> that was a representative from care germany. we're going to have more on the famine in the horn of africa a little later on in the show. for norway's prime minister, he says his country's response to last friday's double terror attack will be "more democracy." an independent commission is investigating the bombing and shooting. the prime minister says the massacre was an attack on norway

as an open society. >> speaking at a press conference, the prime minister said all political parties backed a second of an independent commission to investigate the attacks. he also announced a national memorial, and said the government would contribute to the cost of funerals. five days after the attacks, officials are returning to work in the government district. the first minister to go back to her office is rigmor aasrud, but things are still far from normal. outside her ministry, the devastation caused by friday's bomb blast is still very visible. >> it is important that we are active, that we have offices we can use, and that we resume our normal work. >> but it is not easy. earlier this morning, a bomb

scare showed how on edge the country still is. police discovered a suspicious bag at oslo's main train station, prompting an investigation. later, authorities gave the all clear. please continue investigations into confessed killer anders behring breivik. they detonated explosives found at his farm north of oslo. it is not just breivik's motives the remaining mystery. the police face questions. many are asking why it took them almost 90 minutes to reach the island of utoeya when the shooting began. the commission is almost certain to look into the issue. the attack in norway has increased scrutiny of the far right scene. police have raided 21properties linked to suspected right-wing extremists. they have seized ammunition, weapons, and propaganda. there is a neo-nazi group that

wants to drive foreigners out of germany. the group has been under surveillance since march, but there is no evidence it was planning any type of attack. serbian president boris tadic is appealing for calm after ethnic serbs in kosovo stormed the border crossing and set it on fire. boris tadic call the attackers hooligans and said the violence is not helping people in kosovo. violence flared on monday, when costs above sent police to take control of the border post. -- kuntsevo sent police to take control of the border post. that sparked clashes, leaving one officer dead. >> the border crossings have been closed and roads blocked. media reports of gunfire at one checkpoint. because of a police group tried to retake two border crossings after clashes with ethnic serbs.

most of the residents here are ethnic serbs who do not recognize the costs of the government. behind the renewed tension is a conflictbetween serbia and kosovo, focused on trade and customs. serbia has blocked imports from cause of both since 2008, when it declared independence. costs about is now banning serbian goods from its territory -- kosovo is now banning serbian goods from its territory. prime minister thaci said this should not affect ethnic serbs living in the area. with the ban in place, they have no access to serbian goods. the international community has spoken out, appealing for calm. the commander of nato peacekeeping in kosovo has said his force would not tolerate an escalation of the violence.

during talks with cosimo's prime minister -- kuntsevo's tom prime minister -- kosovo's from minister thaci, he asked for peace. a raid by government troops near damascus. troops backed by tanks entered a town in syria and opened fire. the soldiers apparently believed the locals had supplied provisions to anti-government protesters. activists say the syrian army has also increased its presence in homs. video online also claims to show military reinforcements entering the city on tuesday. deutsche welle has learned that anian actors and film maker pegah ahangarani has been erased -- released on bail by authorities in tehran. she was about to come to germany

to write about the women's soccer world cup for our farsi service when she was arrested in july. her uncle says her bail was equivalent to 58,000 euros. iran picked judiciary accuses her of making her an illegal propaganda film. speaking of money, time to talk about not having enough. that could be the case in the united states in a few days. >> the risk of default in the u.s. is rising as political deadlock continues in washington. investors are seeking safe havens like gold, which hit another all-time high on wednesday. failure to reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling by next tuesday will result in a u.s. default. >> the national debt clock in new york takes on as the august 2 deadline approaches. americans are getting angry with washington. >> serious. frustrated. >> i just wanted done.

>> i think there is a lot of frustration right now. people want this problem fixed. >> polls suggest a majority of americans want a mix of tax hikes and budget cuts, more or less what president obama proposed. but republicans and democrats continue posturing, each side blaming the other for the current deadlock. republican house speaker john boehner is working on a new plan, reported to contain massive cuts in programs like medicaid and medicare. the democrats see it as currying favor with the republican right. >> speaker boehner's plan is not a compromise. it was written for the tea party, not the american people. democrats will not vote for it. democrats will not vote for it. democrats will not vote for it. it is dead on arrival in the senate. >> increasing numbers of worried americans have been phoning representatives in washington to

put pressure on congress men and women to get a resolution this week. for more on this, we are joined by our washington correspondent. this political showdown we see here seems pretty amazing, considering the default could be the consequence. how serious is the situation really? >> let us not forget that the deadline we have is sort of artificial, set by the administration. it is hard to say if we really run out of money on that deadline. they will be able to pay something. they do n the fault completely. the can choose to pay for social security, or their debt. it is really hard to say what they will choose. the real danger for the american people is a downgrade from the credit rating agencies from aaa, the best rating, to aa. that would make borrowing money

in the united states on a general basis more expensive. as we know, american economists -- the american economy thrives on borrowing and credit. it is really crucial. >> analysts think there will be a deal eventually, but will it be enough to restore confidence in the u.s. economy? what are you hearing? >> i have been hearing both sides of the story. some say it is too late and a downgrade is available. others say this is political theater. we are close to the deadline but not belong in the deadline. if they reach a deal beyond -- before tuesday, it would mean the system is working. but the problem with the u.s. economy is not the debt ceiling at the moment. the problem is the debt that will not go away even if the problem is resolved in a couple of days. >> thank you very much. here in europe, another downgrade for greece. standard and poor's has lowered

its long-term sovereign credit rating for greece by another two nudges. the agency proposed restructuring greek government debt, a ratings default. meanwhile, germany is looking for ways to help greece. economic mistephilipp rosler met with representatives from across germany. he wants to make it easier for foreign investors to set up operations in the country. still might in the u.s. has caught up with investors in europe. in frankfurt, the market closed lower. in york, the dow jones industrial ended the day in negative territory. the euro is trading for one u.s. $4358. -- $1.4358. the disaster in japan is taking a hold of a german jet carrier.

high fuel prices also cut into profits. last year, it posted a profit of over 878 million euros. now some sports. >> get ready to get the torch out. in just 355 days, the summer olympics open in london. the 2012 games will be the third time the british capital has hosted the world's top athletes. more than 10,000 are expected to compete. we take a look at london's preparations. >> this synchronized team put on a spirited show for the delegation. the hosts of next year's olympics are confident they are doing a good job. >> that water looks good enough to drink. it is clean and clear. there is nothing floating at the

bottom. >> almost all of london's facilities are complete, including a slalom center set to open soon for preliminary competitions. the city both tried and tested venues from wimbledon to wembley stadium. the organizers in london are more prepared than many of their predecessors, but the work is not over. >> you could not stage an olympic championship in there tomorrow. a mountain of work. technology, testing. the athletes have to come here knowing it absolutely works. >> londoners celebrated the one- year countdown in trafalgar square. the event featured the first live broadcast from the aquatics center. >> get ready for that. i will be right back with our in-depth report in one minute. stay tuned.>> welcome back.

the head of the united nations world food program says it is the worst disaster ever seen. the un has airlift of food aid to the horn of of a cup. more than 12 million people are on t brink of starvation. a combination of regional conflict and the worst drought in 60 years before some people from their homes in search of food and water. people from somalia, ethiopia, and kenya are all affected. it is somalia, without a functional government, that is almost completely broken by drought and famine. more than 300,000 people have fled to kenya. people are fleeing both hunger and violence. even there, food is in short

supply. >> as if it was not bad enough, he developed pneumonia while walking hundreds of kilometers with his wife and five children. they had nothing to eat in their village in somalia, so they set off with their donkey cart for kenya. >> we were traveling for 35 days. we went through our food supplies fast, and we kept walking. i had to leave behind might a- year-old father. he was too weak for the journey. -- might 80 year-old father -- my a-year-old father. he was too weak for the journey. >> the children have witnessed terrible things. water comes when dry in their villages. the animals died. there was a month-long journey on foot across parched countryside.

the campus and overcrowded for years. now in addition to refugees from somalia's civil war, the camp also has to cope with tens of thousands fleeing starvation. new arrivals wait hours to be registered. food rations are distributed for two weeks at a time. recipients have to show a ration card. it is a frustrating wait for someone who has been registered, but has not received a card. he can only watch on as food is dispensed to others. it is not much. every two weeks, they get a couple of kilos of flour, mays, and beans. >> people told me you could get food here, but not for my family. we cannot come back until next week, when we have a food ration card. >> aid organizations are overwhelmed by dealing with so

many new arrivals every day. on their way back to their hut, the man and his oldest son walk down the street. people with money can buy supplies here, but the family never had money. back home, they traded their goats for maes and other staples. here, they depend on handouts. they could not even bring a cattle to cook water with. -- cattle to cook water with. -- kettle to cook water with. >> we had to leave behind betting, clothes, and cooking equipment. >> the family face an uncertain future. for now, they cannot go back home to somalia. >> the radical islamists al- shabab rebel militia controls large parts of somalia and are refusing to let aid workers in.

they claim aid organizations are staffed with spies trying to undermine their authority. many simoleons are fleeing rebel-held areas and heading for the capital. >> children are the first victims affected by famine. in mogadishu, aid workers tried their best to save lives every day. one refugee from southern somalia said she is looking for help from the outside world. she says the drought has taken everything they have and the children are close to dying. the suffering is appalling. refugees seeking shelter in the devastated capital, mogadishu. for many, it is their best hope. at least here, there is some degree of assistance. most of the city is under the control of the pro-western

federal government, supported by african user peacekeepers. it is dangerous for everyone, including international aid organizations. few foreigners risk of entering into the city. those who do rely on the armed escorts. when representatives pay a visit to refugee camps, -- when you and representatives pay a visit to representative q g camps -- when u.n . representatives visit refugee camps, they come into the armored transports. >> we are trying to reach those in the epicenter of the famine conditions in southern, -- southern somalia. it is risky, but we have to reach people that are not making it all the way here to mogadishu. >> outside the capital, al- shabab are in control and they

have dismissed: the news of the famine as propaganda. aid organizations are becoming a front line between celebration and survival. this man used to fight for the militant islamists. now he is opposed. he says his former calling -- colleagues have been corrupted by power and see destruction. the militia fighters liberated this neighborhood as part of a recent government offensive. he shows us the trenches and tunnels abandoned by the enemy. perhaps this system is proof that foreign fighters from al qaeda are involved in the conflict. >> the operating freely here in somalia.

wesed to fight man-to-man. this goes all through the houses. we do not have anything left, only the ak. >> hundreds of thousands of simoleons are trapped between submission and violence. even for those who have maned to flee to mogadishu, there is not enough aid to go around. somalian organizations are doing what they can. their art soup kitchens that provide their survival rations to the camp. he explains the strain on limited resources. >> we have to divide our resources. it is hard buying ammunition and weapons to fight al-shabab. these people need to be protected from the enemy. on the oth hand, we have to buy food for them to eat.

it is a hard situation to focus on. >> another appeal for helpoes spout from a district of nairob, home to many somalis who flew years ago. they are donating whatever food and clothing they can to help set -- to help people suffering but -- people suffering. >> i do not have much, but they do not have anything. every day i donate 10 cents. >> somalia needs at least $300 million. at least in mogadishu, every bit helps. >> that has been our in-depth report on the famine in the horn of africa. thanks for watching and thanks for the company. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- u forget it. yourself, so don't fall.

u forget it. now he tells us. how far am i off the floor? about twelve inches. twelve whole inches?