from berlin. the un security council votes to keep a corridor open despite russian protest that it violates serious sovereignty. the vote means another year of lifesaving supplies for people in the rebel controlled north. also, the artillery on display has the u.s., ukraine and international partners wrapping up 12 days of wargames in the black sea, despite russian objections.

a manhunt underway for the man who assassinated hades presidents. -- the president of haiti. they say these men killed him in his home. they are searching for more suspects and emotive. and the united arab emirates's first female astronaut in training for a trip to outer space. ♪ welcome to the program. a lifeline to millions of syrians has been extended another 12 months. the un security council has voted to continue aid shipments through turkey into rebel held territory in syria despite opposition from russia. russia backs the syrian government and claims the eight operation violates syria's sovereignty.

it took a last-minute compromise with the u.s. to keephe crossingpen. reporter: the cital of the disped province in the northwest of syria. it is the st stronghold of the opposition militia, and the syrian president wants to bring it back under his control. 4 million people are stuck there, and in the hospital fighting another battle. this one against coronavirus. only 46,000 vaccine doses administered since may. the only way to get more vaccines is across the turkish border. but here, people don't believe the assad regime will help them in the fight against the pandemic. >> we don't trust the regime. they have promised in the past to deliver vaccines and now they promised again. but here in the liberated areas, we never received anything. our experience with them goes way back. they want the syrian population to starve and die. reporter: currently, they are

getting supplies through a backdoor, the only open border crossing through turkey. some 1000 trucks make the trip once per month. some of the money comes from europe. the u.n. organizes the shipments. >> it is an ongoing war. it is an active frontline. there has been shelling every day in the last year. there have been multiple airstrikes and other missile attacks. in these conditions, it is difficult to get agreement between the parties to the conflict. reporter: the safe route is through turkey, but assad and russia want to block the entry point. the eu commissioner for crisis management visited the shipment center on the turkish side of the border. europeans and the u.n. needed to find a compromise with russia. the eu commissioner is angry but putting a good face on the

matter. >> i could only say this issue should not be about politics, this should be about helping people who need help. reporter: across the border, around 1.5 million refugees have no permanent home. they live in camps, there are no jobs, they rely on help from outside. they are concerned about the threatened closure of the border crossing. >> bread, flour, fuel, medicine, everything comes through the crossing. if they close the crossing, they might as well bury us alive because we will all starve. there will be nothing here. reporter: whether the border is closed or not, the syrian refugees will remain a bargaining chip in the struggle for power. anchor: u.s. troops are due to leave afghanistan two weeks earlier than planned them up by

the 31st of august. the withdrawal after 20 years in's america's longest war but allows the taliban to make advances, leaving many afghans worried about what the departure means for them. reporter: the taliban say this footage shows them celebrating after gaining control of a crossing into iran. it was one of several advances made in afghanistan in recent weeks. they've been gaining ground since the u.s. announced the departure of its military by the end of august. the same military that ousted them from power in 2001. in washington, president biden defended the speed of the withdrawal, saying the u.s. would no longer sustain the human cost of a conflict that cannot change afghanistan's course. president biden: let me ask those who want us to stay -- how many more, how many thousands more american's daughters and sons are we willing to risk?

i will not send another generation of americans to war in afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome. reporter: but biden also argued the u.s. had achieved its original goal of routing al qaeda. after the 9/11 terror attacks that led to the invasion. he said the decision to leave was overdue. president biden: we did not go to afghanistan to nation build. it is the right and response ability of the afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country. reporter: just days ago, the u.s. pulled out of bagram airbase, the center of its military operations for nearly two decades. the pentagon says the withdrawal of u.s. forces is now more than 90% complete. as foreign troops depart, the afghan military is struggling to

push back the taliban, like here in afghanistan's northwest. peace talks between the government and militants have so far failed and any fear the violence will only get worse once the last u.s. soldiers have returned home. anchor: more stories from around the world now. france is to start withdrawing troops fighting islamist extremists in africa. the french president holding talks with the leaders of five african nations. they have been battling rebels associated with the so-called islamic state and al qaeda. 78 people are known to have died in the collapse of an apartment building in florida and another 62 are still missing. rescue workers have been searching the rubble for victims since the condominium in surfside fell more than two weeks ago. let the whinny is military is building a 550 kilometer long razor wire barrier on its border with belarus.

the lithuanians accuse them of allowing immigrants to cross illegally. this after minsk grounded a flight to arrest a blogger. others were picked up by a territory -- a charity. tensions on board were high. wargames involving the u.s., ukraine and 30 other countries are wrapping up in the black sea. exercise sea breeze was held despite strong objections by russia. the largest maneuvers and decades have been taking place around the waters of crimea, which russia and asked from ukraine in 2014. kiev wants to join the nato alliance and will hold more exercises later this month.

dw correspondent nick connolly has spent the last three days on board a u.s. navy destroyer taking part in sea breeze. he joins us from odessa on the black sea in ukraine. what have you witnessed aboard the uss ross? reporter: those were three days in which basically the russians were never more than a few miles away, either with ships or planes. at times it felt there were as many russians in the water in the part of the plexi where we were in as -- part of the lack see where we were in as others. our american host were vy keen to talk about t operational side of things, how they practiced whatever skill with their ukrainian counterparts, but they were nervous about talking about the russians, the same russians only a few miles from the boat i was on. seemingly very careful not to be

accused of warmongering, trying to tone things down and seem to be focusing on the task at hand. it was a bizarre situation to find out why these exercises are needed, who are aimed at and the potential opponent. we were told time and again these are just exercises in international waters and anyone can go into international waters without any particular targets. it was a strange time but interesting. anchor: business as normal. how close to you come to crimea? reporter: that was obviously the big question in recent weeks. we saw a british warship passing closer to crimea, it provoked a diplomatic spat between moscow and london. i think on the back of that, the organizers of this decided to keep further away, but you did not need to be close to crimea for russian ships to be in close proximity. flights going over every day.

they were paying a lot of attention to what was going on in this exercise. it is not unexpected given the tensions in the last few months. ruia and the west at loggerheads over ukraine, russia building up huge forces on ukraine's border. i expect the russians were showing there were not happy about having american equipment in the plexi -- black sea or crimea. anchor: sea breeze was held regularly but this is the biggest one yet. what is the purpose of these drills? reporter: on paper, it is about learning skills, interoperability between u.s. forces, ukraine and allied nations, but obviously this is a political gesture after political tensions, the u.s. has not forgotten about ukraine after it was annexed, the pressure high on ukraine. it is difficult to see what ukraine can expect in terms of support. these ships will go home and the

next few weeks and there is no nato membership for ukraine expected anytime soon. there are lots of reasons for the ukrainians to stay worried about their security, even if we have seen the biggest exercises in recent years, it is still only 5000 personnel, significantly less than the wargames russia carries out in the region, involving tens of thousands of people. a small symbol of support that nothing that really changes the balance of power in this part of the world. anchor: thank you so much, nick connolly in odessa. this is dw news live from berlin. still to come, spain famous for meaty cuisine, now a plea for spaniards to eat less of it. it is hard to swallow for some. the olympic flame arrives in tokyo, but there will be no spectators in the stadiums due to a new coronavirus state of emergency or a look at the mood in japan two weeks away from the opening of the games.

first, columbia says it will send an intelligence mission to haiti to help investigate the assassination of the president there. haitian police say they have captured 17 suspects and killed several others. among those arrested, two u.s.-haitian citizens whose motives are unclear. authorities are searching for more members of the alleged hit squad. reporter: the -- for haiti's sessions is on. many are wondering how the president could be killed in the middle of the night. it is true he was no good for the haitian people, it is true he never listens, but nobody is happy at the way he died. several of the suspects are now

in police custody. passports and guns have been confiscated. at least six of them appear to be ex soldiers of the colombian army, according to colombian officials. angry haitians are gathering outside the police station and smashing suspect's cars. police are cautioning against vigilantism. >> these people that we have found, we have an obligation to protect them. we cannot take justice into our own hands. reporter: the interim prime minister has declared a state of emergency and stepped up to lead the country until new elections can be held. but his legitimacy is being challenged by a rival candidate. just the day before the

president was killed, he was named the new prime minister but he has not been sworn in. fears are growing that a fight over the president's seat might create a power vacuum, unleashing further instability. anchor: a professor is from the german institute for international and security affairs. we asked him what the opposition is doing to reestablish democratic institutions paired -- institutions. >> it is fractured, it is incapable to form a national consensus. this opposition is, although characterized by criminal interests, family groupings, personal power aspirations, so the national forming of a way out is difficult to imagine, and in some way, international actors such as the united

nations, u.s. or france are hesitant to take up this challenge because they know about the difficulties to come to terms with the country and the situation, it is losing the rest of the government it had in recent years. anchor: a professor from the german institute for international and security affairs. it has been a tough couple of weeks for germany's greens, they are losing support. critics have targeted the candidate for chancellor in september's elections. she is accused of unforgivable missteps. but supporters and some opponents have come to her defense, claiming the criticism in the press and on social media is partly motivated by sexism. >> for a brief period this year, the near unthinkable seemed possible, could germany's next chancellor be green and a woman again? this woman shook things up.

on human rights, she vowed to confront china, a key market for german exports, and promised a green lead government would end a controversial project bringing russian gas to germany. >> we have spent 40 years preparing for this. now is the time to renew our country and anything is possible. reporter: top of most polls, the green's honeymoon did not last. some say she was loose with the truth, apologizing for mistakes in her cv, and not declaring party bonuses received. she was then hit with a career killer, plagiarism, in the book outlining her vision for germany. she denied wrongdoing but admits she could have been more cut -- more careful. she suffered the indignity of pity from her rivals. >> for me, itwas always clear, as a party and also me personally, i will not say

anything about these things be at these are journalists who have asked critical questions also asked of me. i have not received much praise myself from the media. you have to press on and give answers. reporter: she says all this talk has been a distraction. >> we have all seen as a society what happened in the u.s. when at the election campaign no longer focuses on the big issues but on mixing truth and lies. reporter: sexism has swirled around her, as well. she has repeatedly faced the age-old question mail rivals have not, can she juggle leading germany with being a mother? the questions have had an effect and the greens have fallen in the polls, but they are still in second place. bad headlines or not, what seems likely is germany's next coalition government will need to have the greens in its. anchor: now to spain, spaniards some of europe's biggest

consumers of meat, and now a minister is calling on people to eat less of it for the good of their own health and the planets. but his message has drawn rebukes from some of the country's most ardent mediators, including the prime minister. reporter: spain, a paradise for meat lovers. the country's cuisine famous for hams and sausages. but the consumer affairs minister has sparked controversy by suggesting spaniards should change their eating habits. >> what would you think if i told you that excessive meat consumption harms both our health and the planet? we can change our diet and improve the state of the planet. reporter: the minister noted that the production in particular requires huge amounts of water and produces greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. some surveys have shown spaniards as europe's top carnivores, consuming an average

98 kilograms of meat per year, while above the eu average of 76. the suggestion to cut meat intake prompted the prime minister to weigh in. >> this controversy is personal to me. as far as i have concerned, -- am concerned, there is nothing better than a perfectly done steak. reporter: convincing spaniards to change their meat loving ways may prove to be a hard sell. anchor: let's take a look at some of the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. biotech pfizer seeking approval for a third vaccine dose that could be given as a booster shop. malta has become the first eu country to close borders to tourist who have not been fully vaccinated following a spike in cases there. the u.k. has reported 35,700 new cases of covid-19, the highest number since january. germany has declared spain a

coronavirus risk area, meaning vacationers will have to show a negative test or prove vaccination when returning to germany. two weeks until the tokyo olympics are due to start, but it will be games without fans paired organizers have announced a -- without fans. organizers have announced this after a coronavirus state of emergency was declared across japan. they are the first in olympic history to be held behind closed doors and some say they should not happen at all. reporter: better late than other, some said. the olympic flame has finally arrived in tokyo, one year behind schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic. rising covid-19 cases in the capital also meant members of the public were not there to greet the flame. authorities announced a state of emergency in tokyo for the duration of the games to try to

curb the spread of the virus amid fears of the delta variant. the measure mostly limits alcohol sales and restaurant opening hours to try to stop contagion. it also means these will be the first olympic games without fans in attendance. stadiums like this one will be mostly. -- mostly empty. >> the government's restrictions for tokyo and other prefectures would have capped attendance at 50% of venue capacity, up to 5000 people. but we have decided to allow no fans during the games as a stricter measure to prevent further spread of the virus. reporter: the decision has put a damper on the mood just two weeks ahead of the opening ceremony. polls show large swaths of the public do not want the games to take place. some people are even taking to

the streets. >> i don't think we should hold the olympics in such a situation. together with these people who share my same opinion, we want to protest against the olympics until the very end, and we want them to be canceled. that is why i came here today. reporter: but organizers are not giving up and are determined to move forward. the olymc flame may be small right now, but they hope it will spark enthusiasm ahead of these unprecedented games. anchor: in boxing, a highly anticipated fight has been postponed after one fighter tested positive for coronavirus. it had been due to take place on the 24th of july in las vegas and is now likely to be rescheduled to october.

he was considered the best heavyweight boxer in the world, they last faced off in february last year, beating his opponent in knockout in the seventh round. in tunis, novak djokovic has beaten dennis shippable off to set up a wimbledon final. novak djokovic was pushed all the way, but he came through in straight sets. reporter: the confident young pretender followed by the man who has been here many times before, novak djokovic soaking up the centre court applause, but at the start, it was his big hitting opponent lapping up the plaudits. [crowd cheers] confidence can quickly drain against novak djokovic, though. a double fault even away the first set, and the opponent

discovering that playing novak djokovic is like playing against a brick wall. everything comes back at you. the serb needed to show all his best defensive qualities to keep his opponent at bay. shot after shot raining down on him. and yet, novak djokovic always has an answer. his deafness of -- deftness of touch. he won the points when it matters, and that's why he is chasing a record equaling 20th grand slam title. anchor: now the race for space is heating up as more countries seek to send astronauts into orbit. the united arab emirates is a newcomer to space exploration, and one of its first astronauts to leave the atmosphere is also

the nation's first female astronaut. reporter: nora on the right wants to reach for the stars and is one step closer to the goal. she will be the arab world's first female astronaut, a big step for her and women's rights in the united arab emirates. >> the fact that i was selected to be part of the program i think is enough of an encouragement to all girls who want to enter the space field to go ahead and enter, be it through becoming scientists or by training or working hard toward becoming an astronaut. reporter: survival training in a pilot license are just a few of the skills of the 28-year-old mechanical engineer is working on in dubai. she will head for a nasa facility in january. >> my motivation for applying wasn't my dream as a child, and wanting to be in astronauts. reporter: she says she wants to

defy the stereotypes people associate with her hijab. >> i don't feel like i faced any challenges when applying to this program because everyone was very supportive here in the uae. reporter: currently,mission is scheduled, but she is hopeful she will visit it -- visit space. anchor: i will have more world news at the top of the hour. in just a moment, i will be back to take you through the day, the big stories of the day, so stick around if you don't stick around, have a good day anyway. ♪

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bang. we will be bringing you film reviews and news every day. >> it is 10:00 p.m. here in the french capital. you are watching france 24. the mystery around the assassination of haiti's president intensifies. the u.s. and colombia say they will send investigators after american and colombian nationals were arrested by police. it is day four of the cannes film festival.