>> thanks for joining us. this is live from paris. our headlines this hour, at least 2,000 people drowned trying to cross the mediterranean to europe this year. it's time europe came up with a cohesive long-term policy on the issue. israel's crackdown on jewish extremists continues. lawmakers have been holding a heated debate in the wake of an attack on a palestinian family and a stabbing at a gay pride march in jerusalem. and pro-government rebels seize the largest military base.

this is the u.n. helps with the worsening humanitarian crisis. >> first, though, yet another grim statistic on europe's migrant crisis. 2,000 people died this year trying to cross the mediterranean to europe. that's according to the international organization for migration which also says nearly 190,000 people were rescue. osh has the details. josh: almost every day a tragedy. those trying to cross the mediterranean to find refuge has been climbing, abandoned by the smugglers that paid to deliver them to safety, packed into boats without food and

water, many never reach their destination and yet thousands of men, women and children are still trying. the international organization for migrants has now sounded the alarm, marking the grim milestone of the past weekend. the 2,000 people have died trying to cross the sea since the start of this year. according to the u.n. agency, around 188,000 people have attempted the voyage since january, and 80% increaseed since 2014. greece and italy are the main destinations while most of the deaths occur nearby sicily. this weekend, 14 bodies were brought ashore in the cissillian port. they died of thirst after their drinking water was used to cool the engine of their boats. laura: there has been a debate in the british parliament as they continue the crackdown on the jewish extremists. suspects are being detained without trial following a stabbing at a gay pride march.

benjamin netanyahu said there is zero tolerance for such crime. reporter: a heated debate. officials in the cross fire over a dispute. prime minister benjamin netanyahu's cabinet come under growing pressure to crack down n jewish extremist cells after they killed a palestinian toddler this year. >> terror is terror. terror is murder. murder is murder and this must be stopped. reporter: critics say israel hasn't done enough to quell are the attacks. israel says it's adopted harsher interrogation of militants, a practice previously used only on palestinian suspects. netanyahu has pledged zero tolerance for jewish acts of terror. the latest avault comes on the

heel of the state of aggressions in israel and the palestinian territories, which threatens to set off another violent escalation in the region. laura: the united nations is appealing for aid to help deal with the ongoing crisis in yemen. 2,000 people have been killed and 100,000 displaced by fighting between pro-government forces backed by saudi arabia and iranian backed rebels. the rebels have suffered two major defeats. first, they lost a port and now they lost control of the biggest military base. peace talks between the two sides collapsed in geneva in june. earlier, i spoke to an expert from the foreign relations and asked him if it's a matter of time before the rebels were defeated. >> i think the hueties gain took control of areas where -- it was almost impossible it would hold onto.

so now we're seeing finally sort of government forces backed by local militias and backed by -- backed by the military aids. this is where they're unpopular. they're from northern yemen. they do have more of a support base there. decent e seeing now a degree of pushback. at some point even as the momentum is against the huthies now, i think at some point in the battle it will get far more difficult. laura: iran denies it but it seems like tehran is supporting the rebels. seeing the losses they made of late, do you think they've now cut off support? reporter: the amount of support they've gotten has been exaggerated. even though they've given them support and the fact you haven't seen any action by iran

in yemen, the fact that you have saudi troops on the ground sort of back from response from iran is i think rather telling in this instance. the houthi is not a proxy force to iran. they are not necessary to their national security to the extent that militias in iraq are. they are not as important to iran as assad or hezbollah. so i think you sort of sealing a willingness from iran. at least from their actions so far to effectively write off yemen. laura: the united states is taking a more direct role in the war in syria. from now on american warplanes will provide air cover for u.s.-trained rebel groups such as the free syrian army. it will help such groups take on the islamic state but will also provide protection if they come under attack from forces loyal to president bash ar assad. as the syrian conflict becomes complicated, civilians are

having to adapt to life accordingly. one example is the northern city of, here kurdish and syrian forces have made an unofficial alliance to keep out jihadists. reporter: this is a kurdish majority city. like most of the area, it's divided along ethnic lines between kurdish militias and those near assad. he works here as a taxi driver. move around freely, living nder two separate authorities. >> i have two driving licenses. one from the syrian government that i show to syrian traffic police and one given to me by kurdish police that i use when they stop me. reporter: the start of the syrian conflict in 2011 has forced kurdish fighters and regime troops into an unofficial alliance to defend parts of the province. the common enemy, jihadist fathers the islamic state

group, prompting tens of thousands to flee. after government forces withdrew from kurdish majority areas, local forces stepped in to fill the void. the separate government and kurdish institutions create administrative procedures that includes two separate military services. >> every resident living under kurdish control, whether arab, kurd, syrian, between the ages of 18 and 30, must come to us to get the required papers for the military service. we issue our own military cards and the regime issue theirs. they are two different cards. reporter: shop owners have also been hit hard. some storefront in kurdish controlled areas are exempt from government taxes, but those operating in areas with overlapping authorities, like this pharmacy, have to pay twice. >> i pay annual subscription fees to the pharmacists union which is responsible for monitoring the prices and working hours. but now there's one more party

affiliated with the kurdish police who also monitor the prices and even come into pharmacies to collect fees. reporter: damascus continues to pay the salaries of government employees and to provide provincewide electricity and water, a way of live they've had to come to terms with as the war rages on with no resolution in sight. laura: turkey, many, has blamed the p.k.k. for attacks on its troops. two soldiers were killed in southeastern turkey on tuesday when a mine exploded. the army say kurdish militants did it as a military convoy passed on the bored we are iraq and syria. there's international outrage after pakistan executed a man who was arrested as a child and allegedly tortured into confessing to murder. pakistan has executed dozens of people since december when a terrorist attack at a school prompted authorities to lift a

an on the death penalty. reporter: a family in mourning after pakistan killed a convicted child killer. the news sent shock waves through the country on tuesday after allegations that the saved confession had been extracted by tortured it claimed by officials. his relatives say he was a minor at the time of the crime. >> my brother was arrested at the age of 14, 15. and these cruel people executed him today. may god's wrath be on this government. >> there was a question surrounding his age. according to pakistani and international law, someone under the age of 18 cannot be handed the death penalty, but his age could not be assessed accurately. reporter: pakistan ue --

pakistan doesn't allow the death of those that are a juvenile. hussein was hanged at a jail in karachi and it's not just -- and human rights groups protested it. groups said that the trial fell short of international standards. laura: burma is calling for international assistance after heavy flooding caused by this year's monsoon season. at least 46 people have been confirmed dead. emergency services are struggling to reach many remote areas. tens of thousands of people are cut off and officials are warning that swollen rivers are now threatening to inundate low-lying areas south of the country. more than 200,000 people are being affected in what the united nations is calling a major natural disaster. meanwhile, firefighters in california are still battling to contain the wildfires that have destroyed more than

120,000 acres. some 20 fires have been burning across the state for seven days now. brought about by a record drought. 13,000 people are set to spend another night in emergency shelters after they were ordered to ooh evacuate their homes. -- ordered to evacuate their homes. spain's prime minister has attacked the prime minister of catalonia. an early regional election, he says if a majority of bro-independence candidates win, he'll then start the ball rolling for succession from madrid. a referendum for independence shows that 80% of them were in favor. that vote, though, was ruled unconstitutional. signing a decree that has a proxy vote for independence. on monday the president of the spanish region catalonia officially called for elections to be held next month. now scheduled a year earlier than necessary, the september

27 parliamentary vote is a way to see how many the 7.5 million citizens are for or against independence from spain. >> democracy will start this process. the polls, the ballots and the citizens' resolution will be the tools. a future of democracy, justice and freedom is on the horizon. reporter: a strong proponent for independence after a mass held in mock remp dumb on the issue -- referendum on the issue last november. a low turnout led to mixed results despite a strong turnout at peripheralies. but of late the area's independence parties have bounced back by joining forces. staunchly against the independence of a region that accounts for a fifth of spain's economic output, the prime minister said friday that a split is out of the question. >> there's not going to be independence for catalonia.

that won't happen in any way. it's not possible. it makes no since. we are in europe which is becoming more and more united. reporter: with the national political party's focused on the general election slated for e end of the year, the early catalonian vote has brought the question of independence front and center in spanish politics. laura: we're joined by ignacio, a senior analyst for the royal institute in madrid. thank you for being with us here on "france 24." is this vote for independence by another name? ignacio: well, the intention of the president of catalonia was to call for a legal referendum such as -- it was not possible because it was ruled by the spanish parliament under the spanish courts. it was some kind of referendum held last november. decided to turn

election, parliamentary election to turn it into some kind of referendum. he says there's a majority of seats in the parliament of those parties in favor of independence, he will declare independent. laura: well, you mentioned scotland. why doesn't spain do what the united kingdom do last year and allow catalonia to hold a legal referendum? ignacio: well, this is -- they question it. democracy doesn't allow, because of the -- [indiscernible] particularly in autonomy f spain, the f reasons it's not possible to hold the referendum for the region. there are in some cases, we know in canada, the united kingdom, there is a different approach. there is the possibility of an

agreed legal referendum but this is not the case because of the constitution and because of the definition of being an older nation. but this is more or less also the rule in most european countries and certainly not in the case of the united kingdom but perhaps also because prime minister cameron was sure he was going to win the referendum. laura: well, that's debatable. ignacio: exactly. that's the point. that's crucial. and there are many people in spain, not only in catalonia, but the rest of spain that say according to the polls there was -- there was a referendum and the output will be quite milar to scotland with the majority of catalonians which

will vote no. laura: in the last referendum, which as you pointed out, was deemed nonconstitutional, there was quite a low turnout but 80% of those who did vote say they were in favor of independence for catalonia. is the government frightened of the result? ignacio: of course, yes. once the referendum was declared illegal by the constitutional courts, only those who are in favor of independence -- the majority of them went to vote and those in catalonia who are against decided not to go to the polls. that explains the low turnouts. obviously, the 35%, 40% of those who went to vote, a huge majority were in favor of independence. and it's clear we have a problem. it's a problem of catalonia that has trouble making the emotional and even sentimental

connection with spain. it is a fact. it has to be managed. it's true that prime minister rajoy has referred to a legal strategy which -- the point is that the constitution said it's impossible to hold a referendum . the approach of prime minister rajoy has been illegal, not political at all. at some point, perhaps after the election or after the spanish election will be held at the end of november that policies has to -- we have to deal with this problem politically. and probably at the end of the at the end of this process, more autonomy will result. laura: we have to leave it there. thank you very much indeed. now, over a year of fighting in eastern ukraine has taken a heavy toll on civilians. it's also caused substantial harm to the region's tourist industry. results are standing --

stemming into this summer. the front lines of the conflict are after all a few thousand ilometers away from the beach. reporter: on the beaches sandbags are set up as barricades. a warning is painted on the road, beware of mines, these measures are enough to discourage tourists, turning this resort into a growth town. >> if you avoid walking on the mine fields and if you're not afraid of hearing gunshots at night then, yeah, you can rest here. well, if you can call it a rest. can't you hear the explosions? i don't think anyone in his right mind would come here. reporter: when the sound of the waves drowns out the sounds of war, a few harty souls venture out along the water's edge. the waterfront is now considered a military zone. the only institutions that are busy this summer are those that host the ukrainian troops. the director of the resort

wanders the corridors of his empty hotel. >> at the same time last year, the hotel was already full and booked 80% for the whole season, june until the end of august. this year there wasn't a single reservation. reporter: guennadiy say all the checkpoints along the coast is a hassell for them to come visit. those who rely on the tourist trade for work have had to come up with other ways to earn a living. >> we had to change jobs. before we took tourists on boat tours. now we fish, carry the fish. we still make a living. not the same way. reporter: the residents, the tourist season just another casualty of the ongoing conflict. laura: in top business news,

hi. i'll start over in the united states. yesterday barack obama said he fossil fuel er the industry, cole, now shale gas. >> that's right. the shale industry has been reeling after the president's announcement. last year obama labeled natural gas from fracking a bridge field but on monday the white house shelved its plan for natural gas as an alternative to cole and shifted its focus to renewables. claire reports. claire: a u.s. energy boom, jobs and economic both materialized as the united states extracted more oil than it imported. the shale gas revolution played a key role to it and the white house's failure to check its rise. but with president obama clearly keen to leave a green legacy, all fossil fuels will be hit by his executive action. pollution controls on power

plants formed a core of his ambitious plan to drastically reduce u.s. emissions. president obama: this clean power plan by 2020, carbon pollution by our power plants will be 22% lower than it was a decade ago. >> this is an historic announcement because it's the first time that the united states has put any limits on the carbon pollution from our power plants. this is a dangerous pollution that drives global warming. it's also -- there's pollution from these plants that hurts people's health. asthma. many thousands of illnesses. claire: but experts also claim that the biggest claim from shale gas comes not from power plants but from sites of hydraulic fracturing where it can escape into the atmosphere. it's regards as a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. the white house talked about regulations of the process in

march but they demand a total banff fracking on federal land. >> let's get a check of the markets now. we start out in the united states where stocks are trading to the downside this session. loss across the board of this hour. apple shares are deep in the red once again this tuesday. currently down 2 1/2%. and it was a mixed picture at the day in europe. shares in a french bank closed down 10% lower. i'll tell you why in just the minute. the a.s.e. in athens was down 1.2%. some analysts are confident the picture will stabilize once the bailout deal is reached. take a listen. >> already today many are rising and this brings us hope. i think that in the next couple days it will stabilize. depending on the country's

economy, the stock market will improve. >> moving on now. prices are on the rise after umbling over 5% on monday. $50 this tuesday. china's weakening demand and iran's evantual demand will keep crude down in the next few months. let's take a look at some of the other stories we're following for you this hour. france's second largest bank has reported a net income of 129 million euros. advanced talks with the justice department, payments made on behalf of countries and individuals facing u.s. sanctions. last year, they paid 8.9 billion euros and fined for similar charges. onto another investigation now, this one involving deutsche bank. billions of dollars in trade have been placed under the scan of the u.s. justice department. they are trying to figure out

if was on behalf of russian clients in an effort to funnel out of the country. they investigated trades with significant volumes made in miscould you and london. the inquiry is the latest in a string of incidents for germany's largest lender. and another big ticket pharma acquisition could be on the horizon. shire says it wants to create a global supplier of medicines treating rare diseases. the company went public for the offer this tuesday after baxalta rejected the approach. the number of jobless people in spain felt by an -- fell by an unexpected number in july. it pushes the unemployment rate to the lowest in years. it means unemployment is at pre-crisis levels. >> austerity politics.

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[captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica this is democracy now! president obama: today we are cleano announce america's power plant, two years in the making, and the most important step the net estates has ever taken. amy: president obama unveils a plan to slash carbon emissions from u.s. power plants but does