>> two groups are claiming the government carried out poisonous gas attacks. calling for u.n. investigators to investigate. egypt's aid, eu foreign ministers meet today to consider suspending the 5 billion euro package it promised the country last year. and serious incident. japanese nuclear watchdog says they are taking seriously the leakage of radioactive water and have raised the level. live from paris.

good to have you with us. we start in syria where two pro opposition groups are claiming that government forces carried out a poisonous gas attack near damascus. they claimed huns have died. the two groups are saying that regime forces fired rockets with poisonous gas heads in the attack on wednesday. the britain-based syrian observatory for human rights says the shelling was intense and hit eastern suburbs of the capital. the government denies using chemical weapons. earlier, i spoke to the syrian observatory for human rights. >> bombings continue. they haven't stopped. this is the most intense attack by the syrian regime on the suburbs of damascus and the towns and cities in the east and west countryside. we've now documented the tenth air strike by the syrian air force on the town that

activists have reported the use of poisonous gas heads and the death and injury of hundreds of people as a result. and there's also an intense use of multiple rocket launcher bombardments on the towns. again, activists have reported to the observatory that many people have suffered from poisonous gases. we haven't been able to confirm these claims but we demand that the u.n. investigation team on the use of chemical weapons head direct to the area to be able to verify this. we also call on the red cross and other organizations to head directly there because of the seige on the area and the intense need for medical equipment. there are hundreds of people injured and there's ab intense lack of equipment.

>> so you're yet to verify whether chemical weapons have been used. can you give us an idea of how many people have been affected? >> we haven't been able to verify to the intense of the bombing. we haven't been able to get all the names. but we've seen the documentation showing tens of bodies and reports from the ield hospital across the towns there's reports of the use of a surface to surface ballistic missile. basically, hundreds of people have been affected. the areas are witnesses the most intense bombardment by the regime since the beginning of the uprising. >> finally, the timing seems very, very odd since u.n. observers are there right now. >> we wouldn't understand the logic of the syrian regime, really. it's completely barbaric.

we can't predict why it would do such a thing at such a time. all we know is that we demand that it stops as soon as possible. and that a cease-fire be brought into syria by the international community. >> to egypt and the subject of aid to the country. while the u.s. appears reluctant to suspend aid, following the overthrow of president morsi, eu foreign ministers are meeting today to consider suspending the package it promised egypt last year. earlier i spoke to our correspondent in brussles. i asked him about the options being considered. >> well, the main one is the $5 billion aid package. we were looking at a suspension but the possibility of either reducing the amount of attaching new terms making it more difficult for egypt to get it unless there are reforms have also been raised. the e.u. also gives about between 600 and 800 million

euros to egypt. of course some of the individual member states have started to cut that back. that seems very much in what the member states are doing and the eu is doing. and the declaration that they will make up for a shortfall and supplant europe as an aid donor, i don't think that's something that will impact what decision is made here today. the other main issue here is the arms embargo pushed by germany and norway and the u.k. have also suspended sales of arms to egypt seems most likely. and as the envoy said all options are on the table though we still have heard no talk of sanctions or anything harder than that. >> the foreign policy chief has said that she is ready to return to egypt to help facilitate a political solution to the crisis. do you think that egypt is receptive? >> well, it would be round

three for her. it would be a third proposal that the e.u. was made after the first were rejected before the raid against the protester camps in cairo. i think a lot will hinnage on the decisions made today. there is is spigs on all sides what the e.u. intends to do and whether they want to use aid as a pressure. the e.u. is trying to be a talker and facilitator more than a dictator of terms. so i think you will see today a proposal and decision that is more diplomatic than any hard strike on aid and trade. >> prosecutors in the military trial of bradley manning have called for the former soldier to be sentenced to 60 years in prison. manning was convicted on 20 charges over giving hundreds of thousands of military documents to the ant secrecy organization wikileaks. he faces a maximum sentence of 90 years.

but his defense team has argued he shouldn't face any longer than 25 years as the leaked documents would have been declassified by then. >> he handed over more than 700,000 secret documents including military and diplomatic cables on the conflict in iraq and afghanistan. bradley manning was 21 when he joined the u.s. army three years later he was posted to iraq as an intelligence analyst where he was able to access the sensitive information. among the material he gave to the anti-secrecy organization wikileaks, this video of a u.s. apatche helicopter firing on civilians in baghdad. during his trial the prosecutors argued that he had put people in danger. his defense layier said he was a naive young soldier who thought he was doing the right thing. manning says he only leaked information theabled wouldn't be harmful.

last month the 25-year-old was convicted on 20 charges including six violations of the espionage act and five counts of stealing protected information. he was acquitted of the more serious charge of aiding the enemy. after the verdict, bradley manning apologized for hurting his country and pleaded for a chance to become a productive citizen. the prosecution says he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. >> the japanese nuclear watchdog says they're taking seriously the report of highly serious radio active raising the rating from level one to three descrike it as a serious incident. the op rarity said about 300 tons of contaminated water has leaked from one of hundreds of tanks. tokyo electric power company hasn't aser tained where or how the water leaked. >> the leak was spotted on

monday and yesterday japan's nuclear watchdog issued a level one warning, an anomaly, about 300 tons of water that has leaked from a storage tank on the site of the power plant. overnight it's reconsidered that warning and has dramatically raised it to a level three on a scale of 0-7 that was devised by the international atomic energy agency. so it is no longer an anomaly but is now being treated as a serious incident. it has been almost 2-1/2 years since it went into a triple meltdown on march 11, 2011, and there is growing frustration with the operator's inability to deal with this growing water crisis. it's simply failing to treat the water that it is using to keep those melted fuel rods cool and of course to store it safely. the prime minister suggested

that the japanese government will intervene to help it treat that water but this is also causing increasing concern among japan's neighbors. it needs a has said an explanation and the largest airline said it is going to now cancel flights. it is turning into a diplomatic incident. >> the first german chancellor to visit the former concentration camp where the nazis imprisoned and killed thousands. she spent an hour touring and later weeped in memory of those who were killed but her visit was not without controversy. critics and opponents have called it a tasteless stunt as she campaigns for reelektlecks this year. -- reelection this year. >> a moment of silence and a

floral tribute from the german chancellor on the parade grounds where over 40,000 so-called enemies of the third reich were killed. surrounded by remnants of barbed wire and barracks she gave a somber speech to survivors and their families. >> it's a very spore special moment for me to meet with you and other survivors and their relatives at this place. the memory of what happened here fills me with deep sadness and with shame. >> the nazis opened it shortly after coming to power in 1933. now synonymous with the regime's tware, previous chancellors avoided coming here. it was a last-minute decision. politically motivated or not, the visit is seen by many as

historic and welcomed by germany's jewish community. >> no chancellor's been there before and i think it's a good thing. it certainly has something to do with the election campaign but the fact she has found time to go there, it's great. >> others disagree. weekly magazine accuses her of being simply in the right place but at the wrong time. 15 minutes after leaving the camp, she was in more festive mood at a campaign rally for supporters held in a local beer tent. her political opponents say this is in bad taste. it remains to be seen whether voters agree when germans go to the polls in september. >> the french prime minister says he will step up policing in marissa following an announcement of killings by drug zangsters. the latest victim died in hospital on monday. 13 people have been shot and killed in the mediterranean

port city this year alone. >> the cry of distress in the streets of marissa on monday evening a 25-year-old man was shot and fatally wounded by two men on scooters. a day earlier an 18-year-old was stabbed to death. the killers then assaulted a nurse at hospital. accompanied by five other cabinet members, the prime minister met with medical staff here on tuesday. many complain of mounting violence. >> they say they've posted police officers everywhere but what's the point? it's getting worse. we have jewelry torn off. they say that medical personnel feel less safe than we used to. >> past presidents and government ministers have long sought to clamp down on the crime. sarkzi sent 700 police officers. since taking office a year ago,

he has added a further 200. promised 24 more officers plus a 130 strong company of riot police. >> we have already made progress. above all we mustn't give up. >> the government will carry on fighting because if we need france, france also needs marissa. >> the right wing opposition branded the government power lines to hold the city's violence. last year local politicians called for army intervention to put an end to drug crime. >> mexico's government has been left red-faced after issuing the country's school children with errors in text books. children went back to school and discovered the errors, 235 million books have already been printed. >> mexican school children went back to school this week to find textbooks littered with

errors. teachers and parents noticed misspellings, gramentcal and punk twugs mistakes and one city was located in the wrong state. >> i heard the spanish and math books have the most mistakes. and it's true. i noticed that. >> it's an embarrassment for the mexican federal government which said the errors were only noticed after 235 million books were printed and an oversight the parents find unforgiveable. >> i think they should have set up a commission. so the books would be written correctly. >> government officials promised to give teachers a list of 117 errors found so far so they can manually correct them. the teachers unions say they have not yet received any such list. 's week of p, egypt

blood shed. we look at the history of the plight of the country's christians. plus leaving syria for iraq, a new refugee crisis. and the device that could change lives. scientists develop a pocket computer to help the world's virblingly impaired. we begin with egypt's deadliest week in decades. the age-old divide, political islam and arab nationalism reared its head with almost 1,000 people killed. egypt has long been split between secularists and those that believe that islam is always the answer. >> the violent clashes in kireoo. on august 14, security forces shut down protest camps. for over a month, supporters occupied several squares in the

capital and called for the return of ousted president morsi. as the police and army made their push, hundreds of people died in make shift hospitals were overwhelmed. >> we made a barricade. we didn't do anything. we had our hands up in the air like this. why are they killing us? what have we done? once again the brotherhood faced resistance. once again its leaders were in jail. the organization founded in movement who dreamed of creating. assassinating the prime minister and plotting to kill the president. sometime in the late 40's, the brotherhood was officially banned for the first time. nass irremoved the ban and executed one of the leading members. years later when is a dat was

trying to -- sad dat was trying to reinstate, he was killed. thus the movement went once gn underground. officially banned the brotherhood was tolerated and built its network turning abandoned buildings into schools and hospitals. recently, the brotherhood made its return to politics after failing to gain ground in elections in 2005 they seized the opportunity two years ago when long-time leader mubarak was ousted. their patience paid off. a year later, the unthinkable. in 2012, morsi became the country's first democratically elected president. >> i will protect and work for the good of the people. >> but governing the country after months of instability was a tricky task. the economy plunged.

anger grew and spring ant brotherhood protests grew every day attracting tens of thousands of people and millions more signed a petition against the government. >> the country is split in two now between the brotherhood and everyone else. we're fed up. >> to the delight of ant government protesters, the army intervened. ousting morsi and the muslim brotherhood. divisions have widend and some fear the country is on the brink of civil war. >> latest violence in egypt did not spare the country's christians who saw their churches and properties burned by angry mobs. cops publicly blamed radical islamists but they also cite both who fought to protect them. many communities are fearful about a few that looks increasingly uncertain. >> the faithful of the arch

angel michael opened the gates of their church or what remains of it. >> there used to be icons in this church. >> last weancheds, after attacking a police station, a young crowd stormed the church doors. three people seriously injured but its care taker managed to escape. he wants to show us what remains of the church's treasures. >> as soon as they entered they looted everything and they ran sacked the place before setting it alight. they had moltove cock tails and gasoline. no religion calls for such things. islam cannot tolerate such acts. >> this neighbor tried to intervene. but in vain. >> islam teaches to each his own religion. you don't seek to impose christianity on me, i don't seek to impose muslim obyou.

>> concerning amongst the congregation are high. there's even a sense of fear. four judges were attacked last wednesday. over 40 churches have been attacked across the country since. >> it can happen any time to any choice. and this was the threat of the brotherhood. if you participate even peacefully at the slightest demonstration, all churches will be targeted. >> significantly contributed to the fall of morsi. some of the brotherhood cried coptic conspiracy. today, the community which represents 10%, is more threatened than ever by radical islamists. >> fleeing syria for iraq now

thousands of refugees have been crossing to escape fighting between jihaddist and curtish militia. called a river of people, the numbers were unprecedented. already there are more than 150,000 syrian refugees rengstrd in iraq. >> a stream of syrian refugees crossing the border into northern iraq. most are believed to be syrian kurds over the past few days more than 30,000 refugees have arrived and thousands more are waiting to get in. an influx so massive that they arrive by the truck loads. violence has crippled syria and its economy. >> we have no choice but to leave. there was no work. i thank iraq's opening the border. >> we came, it took us three days to get here. we left behind an impoverished

life. we were living under fire. the danger has affected thousands of innocent people. since august 16, clashes have resumed between kurdish and islamist rebels. fighting focused around the predominantly kurdish town. the extremist group lost control of the area last month. kurds and islamists share a common enemy in the president and had managed to coexist until recently. no kurdish fighters -- though kurdish fighters tried to strike back. >> there are two reasons why jihaddists are fighting the kurds. the main reason is the desire to impose islamic law on the kurdish population that is rather secular. the second reason is these groups refuse to recognize any form of independence or autonomy whatsoever. >> the attacks can be part of a

larger strategy to coordinate efforts with iraqi-al qaeda in ed property in an area iraq. meanwhile, they hoped to set up an autonomous region similar to the one in iraq. this tide to the council who has rejected any proposals for autonomy. >> we end this week in israel where scientists have come up with something that could be simply life changing for the world's visually impaired. a pocket ear peeze points to something, the device will explain what it is. developers say it will help people cross bidsy streets, read newspapers, and buy groceries unassisted. >> like having a permanent helper. it could prove to be revolutionary. a group of scientists in israel

have developed a device which can recognize images, people, colors and texts. to read newspapers and cross the road and getting on the right bus unaided. >> the camera understands the visual field. and if a bus is approaching the camera understands that there is a bus approaching. in that case what the camera provides is not information that the bus is approaching but provides information what is the bus number. >> the founder has no doubts about the quality of the product and how advanced the technology is. >> it will not fix your vision. it will compensate for it. it will provide you information that you yourself cannot gain. this is a very big jump in terms of quality of life. >> the device is a small camera linked by thin cable to a

portable computer. the sound is conducted in air without needing head phones. it offers clear speech as it reads allowed the words. it all looks great on paper but does it really work in real life? >> one of the things that i can do that i couldn't do before is go to the super market and find what i want and read the labels or recognize. devices ically reading have been cumbersome. this has accelerated development. >> that's it for this edition