from berlin. donald trump in custody. the former president turns himself into authorities in washington, d.c. trump arrives in court to face his most serious criminal charges yet. he is accused of using his power in office to overturn joe biden's win in the 2020 election. also, in niger, independence day celebrations mixed with pro-junta rallies. the national colors fly along russian flags as niger's

self-appointed leader vows to pave the way for fresh elections. and at the women's world cup, a shock defeat for germany. the two-time winners knocked down in the group stage as colombia and morocco advance. ♪ i'm nicole frolich. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all of you joining us from around the world, welcome. former president donald trump has surrendered to authorities in washington in connection with the latest criminal case against him. he is now in court. trump, who flew in by private plane, is expected to plead not guilty to the charges that he plotted to subvert the will of u.s. voters in the 2020 election. this is trump's third set of criminal charges, as it's seen

as the most serious. he is currently campaigning to return to the white house in the 2024 election. our correspondent stephan seamounts -- stefan simons is in front of the court where trump is right now. what is going on? stefan: we're on a side street here from the court along constitution avenue. you see that drone? that is a good sign that the law enforcement here has beefed up security. police is all around here and secret service and other law enforcement. why? because former president donald trump is in the house. what is happening in the courtroom? it is expecting he is going to be presented with the charges and they will be presented to him and his lawyers and then the judge will ask how do you plead. it will assuming lead be donald

trump who says not guilty. after this is all over in about half an hour or one hour, we will know exactly how this all went down but this is what is expected. after that, he will probably just motorcade behind me or there is another exit from the courthouse, and leave the courtroom back to the airport and then wherever he goes next, probably back to new jersey. nicole: security was beefed up in the capital in the run-up to this arraignment. what is the mood like on the streets today? stefan: well actually, let's turn around. you can see this very nicely. you can see the american flags over there. this is the pro-trump crowd. yes, the president is unjustly arraigned and indicted. then you have right behind his truck, this is for security purposes, the crowd which is, well, pleading for donald trump, to lock him up.

go to prison, it's perfectly fine. and he is justly arraigned on the charges of conspiracy and more or less treason. a few blocks away right in front of me from the capitol, which was stormed on january 6. that is critical. this is the first federal, no charge against a former president, but against a president who was in power doing something criminal and illegal, against the law while he was a sitting president. that is why this today is historic and unprecedented. nicole: you have explained the positions of the people who are there showing their support or their endorsement of him being sent to prison for all these alleged crimes he is being arraigned for. with the wider american public, how is this going down? how do they view what is happening today? stefan: that is a great

question. because here is the trickery in all of this. new polls suggest -- hold your horses -- 625% of republicans a -- 65% of republicans are still thinking joe biden is illegitimately in the white house. still 65% of republicans in this new poll say donald trump was cheated of his win. this of course is something former president donald trump has been saying over and over again. this is what he is accused of. continually peddling this law he unfairly lost the election, that this is counterproductive to democracy. so, you have a very, very split in the middle voter poll here. that means almost half of the american public is completely against donald trump and cannot

stand the thought of him being reelected as president. then you have the other half who is saying, yup, this is the right man for the right time, and we are going to vote him again back into the white house. so, a deeply split and divided united states of america. nicole: as ever. stefan, thank you so much for that update. hundreds of people have rallied in niger's capital city apparently in support of the military junta, which recently ousted the president. the rally comes as niger celebrates its independence day from former colonial power france. anti-french sentiment has been running high since the coup. reporter: independence for niger . that is what supporters of the military junta say they are defending. hundreds gathered in the capital's main square to protest western and regional sanctions

in response to the recent coup. they also denounced threats of military intervention from west africa's regional alliance, the economic community of west african states, or ecowas. >> more people are joining, and we will protest against all these ecowas countries, and anyone that wants to impose inhumane and unpopular measures on niger. reporter: on sunday, ecowas gave the junta rulers one week to transfer a power back to the democratically elected president, ousted in last week's coup. but the coup's leader has hinted at a possible compromise. >> once the tense emotions are gone, we can ensure the conditions for a steady transition within a relatively short deadline. and a general election, and especially a better approach in our fight against terrorism, in

saving our country from economic and social pain. reporter: many in niger blame france for that pain. their niger achieved independence 63 years ago. pro-junta demonstrators say the former colonial power has continued to exploit niger, a resource-rich nation with one of the world's poorest populations. the failure of france's military presence in niger to end an islamist insurgency has also left some disillusioned. now, many supporters of the coup are hoping the country will turn towards russia in the hopes of finding a new ally. nicole: our correspondent amaka okoye is covering for us from neighboring nigeria. i asked her if there is any reason to believe the general's promise of elections. amaka: for those pro-junta,

those in support of them, they have several reasons to believe what he is saying, what he is promising them. this is what they want to hear. he seemed to be telling them previously, we are going to have dialogue, we are promising a smooth transition, including an election. for those who are supporting, we are seeing growing numbers those that came out today saying that we want the junta, no more for an interference, no more france. they have several reasons to believe him. he seems to be saying exactly what they want to hear. a leadership that is firm, a leadership that the people can resonate, a leadership that is not foreign. not being led by proxy, if you like, by a former colonial power. nicole: so if we were to take his statement seriously and an

election would be held soon, would this satisfy the regional bloc ecowas too? amaka: it is very unlikely that that would make any sense to ecowas. because as you do know, ecowas is standing on the points that the deposed president is the democratically elected president of niger republic. so for them, any other voice that is not him is not democratic. and the overthrow of the deposed president for them is a threat to democracy. even though he is promising a smooth transition, and even an election, on what basis could be the question of an election. remember that the deposed president is just in his second year. so clearly, this is not going to impress ecowas, really, because what they want is the retaining of the status quo, which is reinstate back we deposed president as the democratically

elected president of the republic of niger. nicole: the coup leaders have the backing of neighbors tina faso -- burkina faso and mali. how could this affect a diplomatic solution to all of this? amaka: we are in a situation where we are seemingly seeing split even within ecowas. we have burkina faso, mali, and guinea saying we do not stand by these sanctions. we are against the sanctions imposed on niger by ecowas. so it's a situation within ecowas itself that is supposed to be for regional cohesion, and it's not being together in terms of its members. remember also that burkina faso and mali and niger are former french colonies and french-speaking. so it is concerning for the region because there seems to be some sort of alliance within

some groups within ecowas, and that will deed stabilize -- destabilize ecowas even further. even more when there is an internal problem like what we are seeing. that will bring more chaos and instability even within the ecowas itself. nicole: today on the 63rd anniversary of niger's independence from france, pro-junta protesters have been marking the day, many chanting anti-france slogans and waving russian flags, as we just saw on the report. how important are these two foreign powers to the coup supporters? amaka: the question of importance, especially of france now to niger, is quite debatable. we have seen very strong anti-france sentiments. i spoke to someone earlier today and he said that today is indeed independence because we are

celebrating being able quote- unquote, to kick out the french. as far as those supporting the junta are concerned, they don't see any relevance or importance of the french for them. with russia, we know that some people see this may be an opportunity for russia to increase its influence and stretch and further to niger. remember, mali is already gaining relevance, if you like, where the wagner group is quite operational. even though we had the average nigerian -- we don't have a statement from the junta saying we want to seek an alliance with russia. but what is happening now would give russia more entrance into that region. nicole: foreign actors aside,

how much domestic support is there really for the coup among the people of niger? amaka: that is a very important question. the first day of the coup, we saw some voices that were anti-coup saying no, we're for democracy. but very interestingly and very quickly, those voices seem not to have been silenced, and we hear more who are for the coup. which means there are more people in support of it. throughout today, most of the people who came out are saying we are in support of the junta, we are in support of taking out any foreign interference. we are in support of the military should take over. we are in support that want to see a niger that will work for all of us. it doesn't matter if it is now the military, we do not want a leader who is not speaking for us, who is still speaking, if you like, for colonies. so yes, there is massive

support. and interestingly, it is growing, especially among the average nigerian. how that is going to translate we should see in the coming days. every coup is different. it is never a cut-and-paste situation where what works perhaps in mali or burkina faso is going to work for niger. nicole: dw's amaka okoye, thank you very much. that was very clear. amaka: thank you. nicole: let's bring you up to speed now on some other stories making news around the world today. colombia's government and the country's last remaining rebel group, the eln, have begun a six-month cease-fire. their president reached out to the group last year and relaunched peace talks. under his so-called total peace policy, he hopes to finally end the 60 year conflict that has killed at least 450,000 people and displaced millions. the so-called islamic state says

its leader has died in clashes with another jihadis group in idlib province in syria. turkiye announced in april that its intelligence forces killed him in a raid in aleppo. his successor is the fifth i.s. leader since 2019. brazil's environment has announced deforestation in the amazon fell by 66% in july compared to the same month last year. the figures show the new government's crackdown on environmental crime is paying off. brazil is hosting a regional summit on the rain forest next week. german politics now. in a new opinion poll that shows the far right afd party further building on its recent surge in support. when people were asked how they would vote for national election were held this week, the center-right cdu csu comes out as the most popular party with 27% of support.

the afd is up to 21%, one percentage point more than a month ago. the three government parties, the spd, social democrats, the greens, and the free democrats, they are all polling under 20%. the afd has also been clocking up successes at the ballot box on the local level, recently securing his first ever mayor in a small town in eastern germany. that has left the other parties debating how they should deal with the afd. reporter: the far right afd is looking to gain more power. so far, germany's established parties have refused any cooperation with them. the party is deemed extreme and antidemocratic. but as the afd takes up more space in german politics, some are calling for a shift, especially at the local level. the leader of the conservative cdu party caused a stir when he said we have to look for ways to ensure we can continue to work together.

he later backtracked, but across germany's towns and districts, many are echoing his words. in a small town in southwest germany, the local afd claims it is already working with other parties. >> we're working together at all levels for the benefit of the population, and of course we can intensify this even more. we are not at all opposed to this. we would be pleased if this also happened on state and national level instead of just doing party politics. reporter: other parties like the centerleft social democrats reject the notion that they are cooperating with the afd, but they called for a pragmatic approach. >> we have to think and act pragmatically on the ground here in the local communities. not just here, but everywhere. we have not cooperated with the afd so far. we exclude the afd from our decisions, but we do not torpedo our own motions and positions.

reporter: the town is located across the country in former east germany. despite the districts, both geographical and political, the message is similar. there is no direct cooperation, but the afd cannot be ignored either. >> active cooperation means, for example, supporting their motions in the city council. we do not do that. there will always be resolutions that we put forward which the afd representative also supports, but that does not mean we will automatically withdraw that motion. it is about budget decisions, audit reports, and other decisions that are important for the town. reporter: for others like the socialist left party, any kind of understanding the afd is on except the bow and risks -- is unacceptable. >> i see these completely differently. i believe cooperation with an

extreme right-wing party which is racist at its core an d whose entire party wants things that are not good for its citizens. cooperation with such a party should never take place. it is entirely unacceptable. reporter: for now the afd rarely has enough power to if the scales in local politics, but if it continues tis rise and gains mo,re support, germany's established parties will have to think long and hard on whether they want to work or not to work with the afd. nicole: let's talk about that question with simon young. good to see you. when it comes to cooperating with the afd we have seen mixed messages from the christian democrats. is the firewall separating them from the far right crumbling? simon: well, there's a perception that it might. the cdu, christian democrats, passed a resolution in 2018 that they would not enter into any

coalitions or other arrangements of that kind with the far right afd party. and that still stands. what we have seen recently is the cdu leader we saw on the piece there, appearing to look for some wiggle room to try and fish for some of that support, perhaps. for instance, he suggested some time ago that his party is the alternative for germany with substance, and other kinds of comments like that. on the question of active cooperation he has been forced to say no, there will be none of that. but this debate has certainly muddied the waters a little bit and created some uncertainty that that firewall that the cdu promised between itself and the afd will stand. nicole: what about the other parties? how united are they in their approach to the far right? simon: i think you see different

approaches, as we saw on the piece. any real problem for some local politicians. -- and a real problem for some local politicians. if they bring reposes into local government and the eight them, why should they then drop them? and if the afd is in a position to make proposals that are sensible, is it right to necessarily block them? others say no, this party at its core is racist, extremist, the enemies of democracy, and if you give them any kind of oxygen, that will only boost them going towards elections. there are big elections in the regions coming up in the east, where the afd is particularly strong. of course european elections also in 2024, and the afd are looking to compete strongly in all those places. nicole: in spain recently,

cooperation with the far right turned into an issue which in the end proved to we decisive. are we going to see similar decisions in germany regarding the afd, the you think? simon: i think it is a problem for all parties to know exactly what to do. the problem is most acute for the christian democrats, the center-right party. they don't want to leave policy decisions and policy positions to the afd. for instance, on immigration. they want to be the party of pragmatism and say, yes, we support migrants, they can bring something to the german economy, but not mass unskilled migration. that is something the afd have opposed. they have to propose how they win back support and positions without appearing to support extremists and give oxygen to that party way out on the far right. nicole: looks like we are in for

a bit of soul-searching. dw political correspondence simon young, thank you so much. sports now, and a massive upset at the women's world cup. two-time winners germany are out of the tournament in their final group stage match. they needed a win against bottom placed south korea, but their opponents did not go out quietly. our correspondent alima hotakie was out the match. alima: they had high expectations, they wanted to win the women's world cup, but in the end they leave md handed. we-- leave empty-handed. we spoke with several players and all i can tell you is they were in shock some were crying, others were holding back tears. they were extremely emotional, and they were very candid about their own performances. they said we were just not good enough. you deserve to go out.

this is something that keeps reoccurring when it comes to germany. they said that they have all these problems and they just could not find a solution to it. the coach herself said that football is a game where you have to find solutions and germany continued to struggle against the blind-sides as we saw against korea once again today. if you cannot find an answer, then hey, you are basically flying home early. this is germany's earliest-ever exit at a woman's world cup. nicole: a lot of disappointment for sure. german players spoke with dw after the match. let's have a listen. >> i don't have an explanation for what just happened. if i did, we would have played a different game. we will analyze the match and take it up a notch next time. >> my feeling was whenever we

lost the ball we were not able to get our counter game going, which was one of our trademark qualities at the 2022 euros. but given what i just went through, that experience, i cannot properly analyze it yet. >> the disappointment is huge. we came here with the goal to become world champions and now it is all over after the group stage, and rightfully so. from day one we did not show what we're capable of and we never reached our potential. we are deservedly going home. nicole: before we go, here's a quick reminder of our top story. former president donald trump has surrendered to authorities at a washington court in connection with the latest criminal case against him. trump is expected to plead not guilty to the charges that he plotted to subvert the will of u.s. voters in the 2020 election. that's all from the news, but

stay with us now because after a short break i will be back to take you through "the day" where we will be looking at the situation in niger and lebanon. so, stay with us if you can. bye-bye. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> former u.s. president trump arrives at court in washington to surrender to the authorities on charges that he plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat. on niger's independence day, crowds take to the streets across the country denouncing france and expressing support for the leaders of the coup d'etat. and with russian strikes on ukrainian agricultural infrastructure intensifying in recent weeks, ukraine's prosecutor general is going to investigate the attacks as being

possible war crimes. thank you very much for joining us. former u.s. president donald trump is surrendering himself to authorities. amongst the charges he faces, conspiracy to defraud the united states. the courthouse is a stone's throw from the u.s. came under attack from trump's supporters on six january, 2021. this is the third criminal case filed against trump so far this year. despite the mounting legal woes, trump immense the front runner of the 2024 -- trump remains the front runner of the 2020 for republican presidential race. the moment everyone has been waiting for, donald trump has arrived in court. what's going on?

kethevane: right now, the process is the arraignment. donald trump is in the courtroom where that process will take place. what will play out is pretty simple and pretty much similar to what we saw in the hearings in new york and miami. there will be a magistrate who will read the charges leveled against him in this indictment, and that is one donald trump, once he has heard the official charges against him, will make a plea, a plea we are all expecting, of course, to be a not guilty plea. after that plea, donald trump will likely be released on his own recognizance, which means he will be coming out of the courthouse a free man, will not have mail most likely and will not have any restrictions, so donald trump will be leaving the

courthouse free. he is expected, according to several u.s. media reports, to leave after this arraignment. we do not know if it will be in washington or back in new jersey where he was earlier today. that is likely to be the case, though, because this is something he did in the past two arraignments. after the new york arraignment, went back to his home in mar-a-lago and gave a speech in front of supporters. after the arraignment in miami, he went to new jersey where he spoke again to his supporters, so we expect him to do possibly the same thing today. tom: i'm assuming there is a huge security presence. let's not forget where this courthouse is. it is not at all are from the u.s. capitol. let's just say tempers could. what is the mood like? is there a strong security presence? kethevane: the mood for now is

very calm and stayed. there are some supporters, some protesters, but nothing like the crowds i saw in miami for that second indictment. there are really more journalists than actual supporters or protesters, but everything is taking place pretty smoothly, pretty calmly. no incidents to speak of, at least so far. that is exactly what law enforcement is hoping the day will unfold like. they did, of course, plan for the worst, and a lot of security. they are not so much visible as they were, for example, in new york or miami where there is a heavy police presence. there is, of course, secret service donald trump is a former u.s. president, but there's also capitol police protecting the united states capitol, which is

about 10 minutes' walk from where i'm standing in front of the courthouse. all of these law enforcement agencies really coordinated today to make sure that this area was safe, that everyone here was safe. we had actually some law enforcement officers walking by and handing out numbers to journalists for us to call in case something happened, but so far so good. everything is going pretty well here, and everything -- everyone is hoping, of course that things will stay the same as long as donald trump is here. given the small number of protesters and supporters, it looks like this should be a calm day. tom: thank you very much indeed. let's cross to charlottesville and speak to the founder and director of the university of virginia center for politics. thank you so much for joining us. by no means former u.s.

president trump's first legal proceeding of the year, but do you think this is the most serious? >> it ought to be the most serious, and i think most people take it that way, but not the republican base. indications we have had so far are that this is having no impact or very little impact on the republican base, on trump's base, and you can tell because most of his so-called opponents on the republican side in the presidential race are backing him and supporting him over the federal government's indictments. he's got another indictment, coming, by the way, by the end of august. almost certainly he will be indicted from the state of georgia are also related to trump's attempts to steal the election there, but it is just not having a big impact. i think most people around the world will be surprised that it is having no impact.

tom: it is not just up to republicans who ultimately wins the 2020 for presidential election. independent voters or undecided voters will ultimately have the final say and if they are shocked by what is happening, doesn't that make donald trump a dangerous candidate to the party ? let's face it, he has been accused of mishandling documents, paying off a porn star, trying to steal an election. is there a point where the republican party says they just cannot risk it? >> if the leadership of the republican party had its way, that's exactly what would happen. the problem is they are afraid of donald trump. they will not speak out on the record. privately, they will tell you precisely that, that they would prefer another candidate, but until they screw up their courage -- i mean, the other candidates screw up their courage -- donald trump will remain the candidate for the republican nomination.

you made an important point, though. in the general election, the outrage will be significant among both democrats and independents, and that could help president biden, assuming he is the democratic nominee, to get a stronger turnout. he does not seem to be generating it himself. he's going to need donald trump again to get him over the finish line. tom: there is a bit of a race against time, isn't there, with regards to this later legal process in the united states, which is obviously beginning? right now there in washington. if opponents of donald trump want anything to come of this case, it needs to start happening pretty soon. do you see that happening? >> that is certainly what special counsel would like to see. i think it is what opponents of trump would like to see. however, if there's one thing you can see from looking at the long history of trump's involvement with the court, even

before he became president, he and his lawyers are very good at stringing the courts along and stretching these things out. i've had lawyers tell me -- lawyers who don't like trump tell me don't be surprised if we have a single trial before the republican nominee is chosen or at least it will not be finished, and it is unlikely that you will have a decision in this case in particular, which is pretty complicated, as is the documents case, before the general election of 2024. tom: that means if donald trump does take back the white house, he could simply have -- he would obviously have power over the judiciary again. he would have presidential immunity. could he have other cases thrown out? >> no. he will have the ability -- we believe, this has never been tested in courts, but he will have the ability to self pardon,

and i don't think anybody has a hard time imagining donald trump using the federal party pardon, but that does not apply to the georgia case or the new york case. in those cases, you could have a trial reaching the verdict of guilty with a serious penalty attached, including jail time. what would happen then is anybody's guess. tom: that suddenly sounds like very much -- that certainly sounds like very much uncharted territory for the united states. thank you very much for speaking to us. there were large rallies across niger today as thousands took to the streets in a show of support for the coup d'etat which toppled the president. in the capital niamey some protesters waved russian flags and chanted anti-french slogans at the event. meanwhile, regional leaders who gave who leaders an ultimatum have just a few days left to

find a peaceful solution. >> waving nigerian and russian flags, supporters of the coup gathered in niamey for a demonstration organized by the junta on the anniversary of the nation's 1960 independence from france. they chanted support for nature and countries -- neighboring countries that have also seen recent cruise -- recent crew -- recent coups. >> they should leave. we don't want france's help. let them leave. >> a week after toppling elected president, the clock is ticking down on the demand from west african regional bloc ecowas for coup leaders to restore the president by sunday or face possible military intervention.

>> [indiscernible] last resort. >> the bloc has also imposed a series of trade, travel, and economic sanctions. the leader of the coup is digging his heels in, despite the pressure. >> the council for the safeguard of the homeland rejects these demands in their entirety and refuses to give in to any pressure from any quarter or this hostile and radical attitude brings no added value either to the resolution of the new situation or to our joint fight against terrorism thus far. >> some of the sanctions are already being felt. shoppers say food prices are going up, and residents of three major cities in niger have been experiencing unusual prolonged blackouts after nigeria cut off the electricity supplies that account for some 70% of niger's grid.

tom: the coup d'etat for niger represents a serious dilemma for the regional body, ecowas, which was originally set up to promote economic integration, but the role has gradually evolved into mediating conflict and resolving crises. >> since its first ever democratic transition in 2021, niger has been considered a relatively stable nation in the set help -- the set help -- the sahel, but it could prove to be a defining test for ecowas. the country has experienced five coup d'etat's since 1990, which the regional body says will not be tolerated any longer. the economic community of west african states was founded in 1975 with the goal of promoting

economic integration among its 15 number states, but 4 countries are suspended due to coups on their territory. the group initially adopted a policy of nonintervention, but the 1989 civil war in liberia marked a turning point and prompted the regional body to set up the armed monitoring group. since then, ecowas mediators have become instrumental in maintaining regional peace and stability, regularly sending in observer missions on elections. today, the bloc is recognized as a powerful regional peacekeeper, taking a major role alongside the united nations and african union. on sunday, he gave niger's coup leaders one week to reinstate the president or face military intervention.

>> we are prepared for all outcomes. to restore constitutional order. >> a morning which could lead to escalation. the military governments of mali and burkina faso said any action against niger's coup leaders would be a declaration of war against their nations. tom: we are keeping a close eye on offense across the country. multiple sources on the ground in niger say broadcasting has been interrupted in niger. our parent company and the french foreign ministry say they condemn this move. on your screen now is a way in which you can still tune in and watch us from anywhere on the african continent. there is a link that shows you what you need to put into your browser to watch us on youtube.

the prosecutor general in ukraine is investigating russia 's attacks on its agriculture infrastructure as being potential war crimes. ever since mid july when moscow withdrew from the black sea greenville, shutting off agriculture installations has intensified. this adds to more than 90,000 reports of other suspected war crimes. >> stop weaponizing hunger -- that was taught u.s. diplomat antony blinken's message to pressure at the united nations security council after moscow attacked a port in southern ukraine -- that was top u.s. diplomat antony blinken's message to russia. >> enough treating the world's most vulnerable people as leverage. enough of this unjustified, unconscionable war. >> the port is on the danube river, just across from nato

member romania. it has become ukraine's port of exit for grain after russia effectively reimpose a blockade. the drone strikes attacked -- the drone strikes destroyed buildings and ships and sent global food prices higher. ukrainian officials said it damaged 40,000 tons of grain. >> two enemy targets were detected based on clear audio and visual signs. we opened fire, resulting in the destruction of one drone. >> on thursday, romania said dozens of ships are now clearing customs, a sign that the attack has not stopped. the romanian president has said russia's strikes on civilian infrastructure on the danube amounted to war crimes while ukraine's state prosecutors said it was investigating attacks like this since july as potential war crimes.

blinken said more than 90 countries have signed a joint statement condemning food as a weapon of war, but the communique does not mention russia specifically. tom: the president of belarus, alexander took a shingle, is perhaps president vladimir putin's closest ally. belarus is being used as a staging post for russian assault on ukraine. further measures are understood to be under discussion. pope francis is currently on a five-day trip to portugal where he has been calling for greater efforts to protect the environment and tackle poverty, but there has been a dark shadow cast across this papal visit. according to a report earlier this year, priests and other church personnel may have abused him 5000 boys and girls across portugal since 1950. with that in mind, the pontiff has been meeting with victims of

sexual abuse. pope francis had stern words for the church leaders who tried to sweep the issue under the carpet. >> reconciling the church and those abused by it -- that was the goal of pope francis' first day at the catholic church's world youth day. he met with 13 survivors of sexual abuse and condemned portugal's leaders for the scandals. he said their actions have helped drive the faithful away and ordered members of the hierarchy to change their ways and treat members better. >> the scandals call us to a humble and ongoing purification. starting with the anguished cry of the victims, who must always be accepted and listened to. >> the punter's trip -- the pontiff's trip to portugal is really from a report in which it was revealed more than 4000 boys

and girls may have been abused by priests and other church personnel since 1950. findings reveal the clergy's difficulty in accepting accountability. prior to the report, portuguese church officials had insisted there were only a handful of child sexual abuse cases. the bishops initially refused to remove named abusers from the ministry and said they would only compensate victims if the courts ordered them to. among the visiting faithful and clergy, some are not ready to discuss the issue. >> i don't think that this is the opportunity to talk about these things at this moment. i am not prepared at all. >> we definitely hope that whatever is clear that is wrong will be stopped. >> in a statement, portugal's bishops said they are committed to putting victims first and

working together with them. tom: the islamic state group announced today that its leader has been killed. he is reported to have been killed in clashes in northwestern syria's italy province. those happened with another jihadist organization. it is not exactly clear when he died. the war in yemen has raged over eight years and has plunged the poorest nation on the arabian peninsula into economic crisis. making matters worse is the fact that yemen now operates with two competing currencies. when you go to the towns on the front line, the crisis is everywhere to be seen. our team on the ground file this report for us. >> the market is bustling in the city that houses over 2 million displaced people. street vendors hawk their wares, selling juices, pears, and lemon.

>> nobody can afford 10 kilograms of sugar. the price of 15 kilograms of flour has gone up to order euros per kilo. who can afford that? even yogurts have increased to $.50, and nobody can afford one. now we only buy small pieces of bread at a time. >> mired in a civil war for eight years, yemen, divided between houthi rebels and the legitimate government th has ben bled dry. bubbles in the north refuse to recognize the official currency. for this merchant, every transfer to the capital costs him twice the amount sent. >> this situation for people here is really bad because they are being robbed. there is no solution.

>> local authorities working with the legitimate government are doing what they can, in part by pumping foreign money into the economy. this week, saudi arabia, supporter of the government, donated $1.2 billion to yemen. >> the central bank is trying to find solutions. they are trying to balance the books, and our friends in the gulf are providing cash injections. the houthi's have dug us into a big hole. we are trying to fill it and find external funds. >> negotiations have been ongoing in saudi arabia for several months in an attempt to find a path to peace. in yemen, they are still waiting. tom: now to the women's world cup, which is taking place in australia and new zealand, and the battle is on now for a place in the last 16.

gregory pless is following the tournament and gave us this update a little earlier. gregory: incredible not full of surprises. the biggest team in this last group is out of the tournament. they made a draw against south korea, very combative south korean players tonight. they were actually first to score in this game after 70 or so minutes, but they were never to get on top of the south koreans. on the others, it is and even bigger surprise. in the stadium in perth, as here in sydney, colombians were by far outnumber the americans, but they were the strongest. it is not all bad news for columbia because they are still qualified anyway thanks to germany's performance tonight, so they are going through. morocco, too, a huge surprise for them.

it will be meeting france next tuesday. columbia will be playing against jamaica, so a really big night full of surprises, exactly the kind of football we love to watch. tom: finally, the world of football is asking itself tough questions as an number of big-name europe-based players are heading to saudi arabia for eye watering sums of money to join cristiano ronaldo. although those players are nearing the end of their careers, this saudi recruitment drive is worrying european clubs . >> he's the latest name in football to make a blockbuster transfer to the saudi league. the move marks a new chapter for the senegalese forward. yet, it hardly comes as a surprise. the saudi probably has been employing an aggressive

cash-strap strategy to lure the most impressive names in football. they have lowered already a number of star players. last month, one club made a staggering rumored bid of 300 million euros for the transfer of france's mbappe, and offer rejected by the forward. when club says the saudi influence cannot be a nord. -- cannot be ignored. >> and must find solutions for that. >> clubs in the gulf state are

banking on the players' star status to find success. critics say it is and attempt to wash the country's image through sports. tom: that brings you up-to-date with world news. i will be back in a minute with more of today's stories. >> en france24.com, click live, find the stories you want to watch or read about. live news 24 hours a day in four languages. explore the topics that captivate you. are you looking for the latest news or to watch a show on demand? follow us. live, international news is just a click away. liberte, egalite, actualite. ♪

♪ amy: from new york this is democracy now! >> when people who espouse white supremacist antisemitic and bigoted views pick up weapons and use them to kill or try to kill people because of their faith, our office and our partners in law enforcement will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the