laura: welcome back. i'm laura ciliated out of stories this hour. --our top stories this hour. in for talks with bashar al-assad. as he arrives, violence erupts in the capital. the islamic state group claims to have killed a westerner in egypt for the first time, with photographs purporting to show the decapitated body and appeared online. official quitss. amid allegations of rape and

in the of peacekeepers actual african republic. -- ki-moon says use a shame says he is ashamed by the reports. well, we begin this hour in syria, where iran's foreign minister has been meeting with bashar al-assad. rif arrived in damascus ahead of the surge of violence apparently timed to coincide with his visit. he is expected to present assad with a plan for ending syria's four-year war. reporter: a visit aimed at breaking the deadlock of syria's four-year civil war. mohammed javon's the reef arrived for cap -- mohammad

javad zarif arrived for talks with bashar al-assad. if: i would like to tell our neighbors and other actors that it is time to listen to deceiving people's demands and just the syrian people --the syrian people's demands and reject stream is an and terrorism. reporter: it comes hours after a cease-fire was declared between warring parties, the result of unprecedented mediation from iran and turkey. iran proposed a four-point peace plan for syria, which is sent to the united nations. tehran calls for an immediate cease-fire, the formation of a national unity government, constitutional protection for minorities, and supervised elections. before syria, zarif spent two days in beirut for meetings with leaders including have sinus rolla. he echoed his call for

cooperation against sectarian terrorism and extremism, aimed at their common enemy, israel. i spoke to our beirut correspondent adam platz and here's what he had to say about today's visit. adam: a key difference between is --anian plan for peace and others that have tried to follow is that iran is actually involved in the conflict in syria. there have been well documented of the iranian revolutionary guard involved in the fight. a guard general was killed in an historic earlier in the year. there are -- they are supportive backers and allies of hezbollah and, indeed, of the damascus administration, the assad government itself. the same could be said in iraq, where they carry a lot of weight with shiite militias there. to the extent that they are

participants, they would have to be part of the solution. whether they can actually broker peace themselves is another question. look at the four-point plan they put forward. there are several clears tumbling blocks right from the start. in the first place, they don't clearly say what the role of president assad will be in the future. secondly, they also talk about the cessation of violence, but clearly isis will not play a part of this agreement. one thing that would help the iranians in their efforts to sell this peace plan in the region is if they were seen to distance themselves somewhat from president assad. many of the rebels and is backing them, mainly saudi arabia, qatar, have said right from the start of the volition that dish of the revolution that --start of the revolution that

assad must go, and as long as they are protecting assad, that won't vote well. laura: the prime minister of croatia says he fears the worst ever photographs emerged apparently showing the body of a croatian national who was seized last month by an affiliate of the islamic state group. alopek was abducted outside cairo. it is confirmed it would be the first time the islamic state's egypt branch has killed a foreign national. for more on that story we go to "he "times correspondent there for us. there seems to be little doubt that the official is tomislav salopek. say, all as you evidence is pointing to it being tomislav salopek in his horrible

and gruesome image that was shared online. the prime minister from croatia's that they cannot be 100% sure. they need to go through the process. by the islamic state-affiliated twitter accounts have been making a lot of noise in the last few days, saying the 48-hour window, which they gave the egyptian government to release people from prison as a condition to keeping salopek alive, has passed. they tweeted a gruesome poll asking their followers to guess how they killed them, whether they shot him in the head or beheaded in or something else. from all the evidence from the social media accounts linked to the isis affiliate here, it ,ppears it is tomislav salopek unfortunately. laura: what does this tell us about how strong a hold the islamic state group has on egypt? al-sissi has made fighting the islamic state group a priority. bel: it has been his battle cry

through the presidency that he would fight extremist and terrorism, and the war on terror has been almost his catchphrase here. the fact that the islamic state here haveliates captured a foreign national outside of cairo, in the sinai peninsula, where extremist groups are based -- it is a huge who to president al-sisi, has talked about being on the kind of vanguard of the region in terms of fighting extremism. it really does show that they .re setting up their activities before they had been largely confined to the sinai peninsula and attacking egyptian security forces. this is the first time they really targeted a foreign national. we did hear some rumblings in december where the isis twitter accounts claimed to have kidnapped william henderson, an american oil worker whose body was found in the desert in egypt but they only treated his photos -- tweeted photos of his

passport and id so it was not actual confirmation that they were behind his death. this is quite a clear picture, gruesome image of the killing of the croatian national, kidnapped. trew, thank you very much and a good we seem to have lysed -- thank you very much. we seem to have lost contact at the end of the interview. houses have been locked in a foot -- thousands have been locked in a football stadium in a greek island. this is the situation of migrants in the middle east to our waiting for greek officials to process their claims for asylum. the greek government is sending a cruise liner that will act as a temporary holding center for the migrant it is sending extra police after violent scuffles broke out yesterday. the migrants say that the conditions are becoming intolerable. in on all penned sides, migrants on this greek island stuck in an abandoned stadium on wednesday as riot

police freshly arrived from the mainland and struggle to maintain order. we cannot stay here. required -- the situation is very bad. reporter: few want to remain in greece, but there have been just three police cars to handle registrations for travel papers. food. we just need to move -- i want to go to europe, like germany, like holland, like any country there. reporter: local authorities have been overwhelmed, leaving many to find refuge wherever they could, and charities bringing in whatever help they can. they have decided to register the migrants by putting 2000 people in. no access for water.

while europe tripled its maritime resources and is boring nearly half a billion euros -- is pouring nearly half a billion euros into help grease cup, authorities are still scrabbling to catch up. >> money alone is not going to be what solves this crisis. we have prepared a relocation system to relocate 16,000 people in clear need of international protection from greece to other eu member states. it is a small part of the 130,000 people who have arrived in greece since january. a 750% increase on last year. laura: the head of the un's peacekeeping mission in the central african republic has resigned after more allegations of rape and killing by human troops. senegalese general babacar gaye stepped down after amnesty international said it had evidence that the 12-year-old girl had been raped and a boy

and his father killed during operations in the capital last month. the u.n. mission in the central african republic is already under pressure over the recent handling of allegations of child sexual abuse by french soldiers there. here is the u.n. chief ban ki-moon speaking earlier. secretary ban: i cannot put into words how anguished and angered reportsmed i am by the over the use of sexual exploitation and abuse by u.s. forces. enough is enough. today i have accepted the resignation of my special representative, mr. babacar gaye . head of the united nations multidimensional integrated stabilization mission in the central african republic. laura: for more on that story, i'm joined by babacar gaye,

former head of the international mission in the central african republic, who has now resigned. thank you for being with us on "france 24." ban ki-moon, we just heard him say that he is angered and ashamed. how do you feel about these very serious allegations? babacar: my resignation is a devastation of strong support-- demonstration of strong support, the concert and mindset of the secretary-general. by hisry concerned situation -- this situation. the tasks of the peacekeepers do to protect, not to whatever they are to the population. so this is the way to insufficienthe responsibility of the organization. today i am the one exercising the responsibility and giving a

face and name to this responsibility, and i feel it is the way to support the commitment in this issue. laura: how credible are these allegations, and what is happening to the soldier or soldiers who are involved? beacar: allegation should investigated, always. they should be investigated. it is only after the investigation, the proper investigation, that we can make the final decision on this. justrning the soldiers, want to remind that this mission soldiersdy repatriated who unfortunately use access force against people who were arrested. we have an investigation ongoing ,long with the member states the national investigation offices. investigation.'s

process has already been criticized relating specifically to the claims of child abuse by as many as 40 french soldiers. why aren't these allegations being more properly investigated by the u.n.? rules,: according to the they investigate the allegations should be brought to the attention of the member states. the number states should nominate national investigative officials. while waiting for this investigation to be deployed, the duty of the peacekeeping mission is to save evidences. after a while, nobody is showing up -- at that time, the mission has the duty to investigate. may i remind that the main decision we are taking is the repatriation, because discipline with -- still responsibility of the member states, who, even if

there troops are deployed within the peacekeeping mission. laura: if these allegations are proven to be true, you do carry having beenibility, the head of the mission in the central african republic. is there a systematic problem among u.n. peacekeepers? is this an ongoing problem, peacekeeping acting with impunity? i day of using the populations they are supposed to be protecting? these are dumb after all, some of the world's most vulnerable people. -- these are, after all, some of the world's most vulnerable evil. -vulnerable people. babacar: unfortunately, the case is treating this feeling. -- creating this feeling. large majority of the peacekeepers are properly behaving, facilitating the return of the idp, preventing

violence between the communities. unfortunately, what is jeopardizing their image is this issue of sexual violence. i think it is a matter of will from the member states. it is a matter of leadership. it is a matter of determination. those who are not committing this type of abuses, because they are taking all preventive measures. it is a matter of determination. i think this resignation is giving a signal to the family that we have to exercise, the entire united nations, how responsibility vis-à-vis this destroyinghich is

peacekeeping. laura: has the united nations failed the people of the central african republic? babacar: i'm sorry, has the united nations? laura: has the united nations failed the people of the central african republic? babacar: if we failed, united nations --i don't think -- laura: has the united nations mission in the central african republic failed the people it was supposed to be protecting? no, i don't think so. i think we are properly protecting the population. it is because of our presence that the entire political process is moving forward, even though there are still violence in the country. i don't think that we have failed in our mission to protect the population. thisly agree with you that huge, abuses are really

putting huge jeopardy, and something we should fight against with determination. laura: babacar gaye, thank you very much for talking to us. well, just time to bring you a quick reminder of our headlines this hour. iran has taken a peace plan to damascus. mohammadgn minister javon zarif jetted into the capital for talks with bashar al-assad. violence erupted to mark is arrival. the islamic state group claims to have killed a westerner in egypt for the first time. the photograph purporting to show the decapitated body of croatian national tomislav salopek has appeared online. senior u.n.ust are, official has quit his post and it allegations of rape and killing by peacekeepers in the central african republic. chiefban ki-moon -- u.n.

ban ki-moon says he is angered and ashamed. whocar gaye, the official has resigned, told me on this channel that in his view, the u.n. has not failed the people of the central african republic. let's bring you some business news now. oh, we're starting in china. the central bank is trying to intervene in the markets once again. reporter: that's right. the people's bank of china devalues the yuan yet again this wednesday. the bayou was lowered 1.6% against the dollar, even though the bank signaled that its evaluation on tuesday was a one-off mood. it is missed concerns that it is on a campaign to weaken the currency in the face of slowing growth. tuesday's evaluation was supposed to be a one-off, but now the central bank has to dispel fears of a prolonged fall in the currency. >> they are looking at hopefully strengthening exports through

the rest of the year. weaker r&d is going to make chinese goods more competitive around the world. the problem they had previously is that the currency is peggedally painted to -- to the u.s. dollar so it puts a lot of pressure on chinese manufacturers. reporter: the devaluation follows a more than 8% slump in exports in july compared to a year earlier. it will make it harder for countries to sell their goods to china, which has been a key market for many, including german cars and french luxury goods. aocks in both countries took hit. many are worried that the latest moves by the central bank are an attempt to cushion the impact on a slowdown at home. rates haveese growth declined in the first two quarters of this year. we have seen that the chinese government has reached its target's very hourly only. and the question to what extent one can trust those figures out all, the weak economy gives cause for concern in a way. however, we do not see the crash

of the grocery to approximately 2%. only if this point is reached from other countries in the world would be gravely concerned. this means also that the europeans and the americans. reporter: emerging-market currencies from indonesia to brazil have also suffered as central banks could rush to weaken their own currencies in response. the latest devaluations from china possible central-bank -- china's central bank led many to question whether its u.s. counterpart will put off raising key interest rates next month as planned. delano: the second evaluation by china is hitting global markets. in the united states, stocks are recovering from losses seen earlier in the session. europe, it has ended the session in the record luxury goods, carmakers, and mining stocks, any company with exposure to china, tumbled in the session.

euros are finance ministers -- euro zone finance ministers are set together in brussels on friday to finalize the third greek bailout. germany come one of the most vocal critics during the debt negotiation, says it will raise questions on the deal. a finance ministry spokesperson says it needs until the end of the week to come through the 400-page document could greece's prime minister is convinced the bailout will end economic uncertainty. ras: regardless of the obstacles some are trying to put in our way, even now, i am ,ositive, and i remain positive that we will manage to come to an agreement and get a loan from the european stability mechanism that will put an end to the financial uncertainty. last week the kremlin announced it had struck a deal with france over the aborted sale of two warships.

paris decided not to proceed with the contract over russia's alleged involvement in the ukraine crisis. now there is growing controversy in france over the cost of the failed deal. reporter: one billion euros -- that is roughly how much french defense minister suggested france would have to pay back to russia for the two undelivered missile warships. >> initial cost for the two ships was around 1.2 billion euros. the cost of the deal, the best possible deal, would be lower than that. reporter: but after a careful look at the deal, the french satirical paper says that the price tag could reach twice that amount. while france will not be paying any penalties, the paper argues that paris will face other indirect costs, including the 100 million euros russia paid for trance to train sailors and sailors ando train upgrade the port of vladivostok.

it would cover expected profits about 350 million euros. it also estimates that the loss for earnings and nearly half a billion. meanwhile, keeping the ship in itself costs several million euros a month. paris is still looking for a new buyer for the vessel, depending on who acquires the missiles, france might also have to convert the ships to nato standards, process that will cost france more time and more money. delano: let's get a check of some of the other business stories we are following for you. job cuts are coming months after the two companies join forces. kraft heinz has a total of 46,000 employees around the world. 100comedy plans to save billion -- company plans to save $100 billion in annual costs by

2017. a deal with the european space agency is intended to make rocket development more competitive in the face of international competition. to cut costs, did you company's will take a bigger role in managing the program. and drug maker glaxosmithkline hasn't shut down a manufacturing plant in the united states in the state of alifornia -- has shut down manufacturing plant in the united states in the state of telephone you could it comes after legionnaires disease was discovered. legionnaires disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia contracted from inhaling vapor or missed containing the bacteria. police in hong kong have reacted after the arrest of five uber drivers in a raid on the company on tuesday. authorities say the drivers lack the necessary permits and insurance. may take a stance by strivers, law enforcement in the city has not ruled out for the rest. >> we will continue our

investigations on the companies and centers that provide vehicles for illegal higher. -- hire. we will seek legal guidance when necessary and we do not rule out further arrests. delano:8úxú

08/12/15 08/12/15 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from venice, italy, this is democracy now! >> i am an artist, activist, and archivist and interested in using our to recover forgotten victories and a space to imaginal -- imagine possible new features. amy: as we are at the venice biennale, will speak with afghan american artist mariam ghani about her life and work. she is also the daughter of the president of