brent: dw news this is -- this is dw news. the container vessel safely leaves ukrainian martyrs using a new corridor for merchant ships despite russian warnings. confronting widespread poverty, the people of niger cope with crippling sanctions, weeks after the president is ousted.

germany is closer to legalizing cannabis. ♪ >> to our viewers watching on pbs, in the united states, and all around the world, welcome to the program. ukraine says it has started sending ships across the black sea, along with what it describes as humanitarian corridors. the first shipped left odessa, carrying unspecified cargo and has left ukrainian waters. according to volodymyr zelenskyy. the hong kong flag carrier is one of many that has been stuck in ukrainian ports since the war began. moscow withdrew from a agreement

that allowed the safe passage of grain shipments. the resumption of maritime traffic races in the possibility of intervention by russian warships. reporter: summer, sun, sand, and c. the beaches of odesa open this month for the first time since russia's invasion. this ukrainian waxy city is at the heart of a battle of a military and geopolitical interests. russia has long been the prominent naval power in the black seed, with its fleet stationed in crimea. the western shores are controlled by nato allies romania and gary and part of the eastern shore belongs to georgia. in the south, turkey is the gatekeeper of the black sea, controlling the only access port. in the early days of the war,

russia started a mining ukrainian waters and blockading exports. including odesa. the blockade disrupted ukraine's grain export, leaving millions of people affected, particularly african nations. after months of uncertainty, turkey's president and the united nations brokered a deal for pressure to allow ukraine to export its grain. but in july, ahead of a russia africa summit, vladimir putin pulled out of the deal with moscow announcing ships serving ukrainian ports would no longer be safe. tensions continue to rise as russia began a bombing campaign targeting ukraine's port infrastructure in odessa. that forced ukraine to find alternative routes, sending its exports to smaller ports on its western border. there russia took answer -- took

action, seen here found in romania. a nato country. ukraine ramped up its attacks, targeting needy vessels in russian ports and several russian ships in the black sea. last week came another clash with russia's navy, firing warning shots at a vessel at -- after it failed to stop for inspection. it was boarded but they are allotted to continue. -- allowed to continue. russia's president says he is open to returning to the grain deal but only in a change for better conditions for russia's exports. but all ukrainian grain exports remain stuck in storage facilities and trucks awaiting to be picked up as the black sea standoff is fast reaching boiling point. pablo: a chair of maritime strategy and professor of

strategy at the u.s. naval war college, i asked him why ukraine is sending ships into the black sea despite the risks. >> >> pleasure to be with you. 80 feels like -- it almost feels like kyiv is making good on russia's fact to attack commercial vessels in the black sea. but russia would not like the optic's. they are vital to the entire world and the global south. where lower income countries are -- the appearances, the soft power aspect could be very bad for russia. and it would offset the pressure on ukraine. pablo: what could happen if russia does intercept or attack

one of these green ships? guest: there are a few things, the obvious naval aspect of it, especially if one of the ships were able -- were of a foreign flag. at that point you are a lodging an attack on a foreign country rather than on your combatant. one of the things that looks bad. there is another -- and underestimated aspect of this. attacks on civilians tend to drive up insurance rates. lloyd's of london has a say in what happens in see. -- at sea. the ships they are insuring may, under attack, they may raise insurance rates. it is possible to detour around the turkish trade, that leaves

ukraine in a pickle. pablo: are there any viable arts wounded of's -- viable alternatives? guest: it feels like ukraine and russia are experimenting to determine the answer to that question. ukraine is trying to to shift exports, which would bring river traffic into the heart of western europe. it appears russia is targeting grain silos and shipping infrastructure and all the things ukraine needs. russia is trying to make its blockade airtight, bringing leverage on ukraine, and ukraine is trying to outflank that. the one case it cannot have, i do not think ukraine could shift grain exports onto rail traffic. it is more economical to carry bulk cargo by water.

it feels like we are in an experimental phase. pablo: let's talk about nato. the black sea is bordered by nato countries. is there a danger of escalation, whether deliberate or accidental? guest: i think there is a danger of escalation. there is a historical case that is worth looking back at. in the 1990's when we were enforcing sanctions on iraq, they struck up a deal with iran, where they would detour through iranian waters, and go into dubai. and oil -- and sell oil illicitly.

i think you could see significant escalation. i do not know that is happening, that is one thing that has left off the screen as i read the daily news. that is a dangerous situation. pablo: we will be keeping a close eye on developments. thank you for being on dw. russia has begun testing its new digital ruble with consumers, 13 banks are participating, along with the limited numbers of clients. the move by russia central bank is expected to enhance the country's ability to evade sanctions, as blockchain technology is considered difficult to track. consumer advocates are concerned about privacy and government surveillance. authorities argue the digital ruble will make daily life easier and more convenient for its users. the security surface oversees the safety of the digital

currency. let's take a look at some of the other stories make headlines. ukraine says its forces have retaken the village -- in the donetsk region from russian occupiers. the military released video of its troops advancing. kyiv has made slow progress in pushing back russian units from the fiercely contested area. violence has broken out in pakistan's province over allegations of blasphemy by two christian residents. an angry mob attacked to churches and damaged several homes in the -- it happened after torn pages of the koran were found near a christian settlement. fighting between two armed factions in libya's capital has reportedly killed at least 55 people and injured nearly 100.

residents were trapped in their homes, the city was rocked by gunfire and asked. tensions flared when a militia commander was captured. it is the worst violence of tripoli has seen this year. the threat of military action against niger's new military leaders remains ahead of crisis talks on thursday by the west african ecowas block. -- shrugged off international efforts to restore mohamed bazoum as the countries president. reporter: hundreds of trucks are lined up on the closed borders. many filled with desperately needed aid and food. sanctions placed on niger have only been in place for two weeks, but the country, one of the poorest in the world, is

being hit hard. the majority of its electricity has been cut off by neighboring nigeria. and food prices are skyrocketing. making life and work even more challenging. feeling anger against ecowas, while growing support far -- four military leaders. >> we don't care about ecowas, they have been made for the presidents in power and we do not need it. where -- whether they intervene or not, we are ready for all options. >> my children and i love these soldiers. i invite long -- invite young people to join the army. i make blessings for these soldiers. >> ecowas leaders have avoided

taking military action to remove niger's rulers. they know and armed conflict could destabilize the region, something they want to avoid. pablo: the u.n. chief says a multinational force, including police and military units should be a ploy to haiti to combat arms to gangs who have overpowered the police force. they are estimated to have seized control of 80% of the capital. reporter: with just a few belongings they can carry, these families are trying to reach safety. gang violence in hades capital -- in haiti's capital is forcing them out and making them seek shelter. >> it wasn't the gang leaders

who chased me out of my home. it was the haitian state to that chased me out of my home. and the haitian state that killed all of the people you see. because it is the state that has the legitimacy of violence, the state can witness the grand gang taking over the streets and never do anything about it. reporter: haiti has faced years of economic security and political crisis. crime and poverty has escalated since the former president was assassinated in 2021. and the current prime minister has struggled to stem the unrest. rapes, killings and kidnappings by criminal groups have risen dramatically since the start of the year. it has triggered anger on the streets, with thousands of protesters calling on authorities to provide more protection and aid. >> we lost our police men who

are helping us fight the gangs. they bled all night. reporter: rights groups are appealing for more action to address the crisis in haiti. the u.n. chief is calling on the international community to to deploy a multinational force to combat gang violence. kenya is the latest country to consider taking the lead to bring law and order. pablo: the director of the crisis in conflict division at human rights watch full me what life is like for people living in haiti right now. guest: we found in haiti that the country is facing an unprecedented human rights, humanitarian, political and security crisis. an alarming increase in killings, kidnappings and sexual violence. violent criminal groups are controlling nearly all of the metropolitan area of port-au-prince. many of the haitians said the

situation in haiti is worse than in any time they remember. i was struck by the feelings of terror, fear, abandonment and hunger from the people we spoke with. since the start of the year, groups have killed 2000 people, kidnapped a thousand others, looted and burned homes and committed sexual violence in efforts to control residents who they accuse of supporting rebel groups. people we interviewed told us about how they are struggling to feed their families, their children have stomach problems because they do not have access to water, they do not have access to health care or school. many have been forced to flee their neighborhoods after their homes have been burned down. we have looked at the context in which this violence and you manage herein catastrophe is

occurring, clear state complicity and interaction, collusion between criminal groups and political economic and security act there's and a crisis of democracy. pablo: it is a really dire situation in haiti, from this report. let's touch on the criminal groups. you found there are one hundred 50 criminal groups operating in port-au-prince. how did it get to this point? guest: we have seen the security situation has been bad in haiti for a while, but it has deteriorated over the past two years, since the assassination of the former president and since the current prime minister came to power. these criminal groups that now operate all of the capital, they have ties to political

officials, and full uncial economic actors, members of the police, some police officers are members of criminal groups. incapable or unwilling to get a hold of the problem. two of the main criminal alliances that are operating in the capital, they are composed of a number of different groups. the most violence was in a neighborhood that is controlled by one group, surrounded by an area controlled by the other group. they killed and gang raped people trying to leave the area controlled by one of the coalitions. people are stuck between needing to feed their families, knowing they could face being killed or

raped. pablo: it is a complex situation. we have seen the u.n. chief says a multinational force should be deployed. how could lee -- how quickly could we see that? guest: the kenyans have offered to consider leading the force, they are due to send a technical mission to new york and port-au-prince. later this week to do an assessment of the needs and how the force would operate. the u.n. is looking for other countries to contribute. it is not going to happen right away. there seems to be more movement towards deployment of multinational forces. pablo: the director of the crisis in conflict division of human rights watch. thank you for joining us. a state in northern india has

responded to deadly clashes between hindu and muslim communities by penalizing the latter. the government sent all dozers to demolish properties owned by muslims. reportedly because they were illegal. it prompted the high court to call this ethnic cleansing. our reporter traveled to the city, 85 kilometers from delhi, to see the impact that the government cracked and has had. reporter: this family is waiting for police to bring him to court. they say he is being charged with throwing stones at a hindu march. he is a laborer. he and his family have lived in the slums here for more than a decade. they are muslim rohingya, refugees.

he was just one of many muslim children and young people arrested, accused of violence and rioting. >> they picked up my son a week ago we got permission to see him, but they did not let us in. we do not understand why they discriminate against us. we have nothing to do with these clashes. reporter: police bringing -- bring in him. it is too much for his mother. she begs them to release him. while police made arrests, local authorities did this. they demolished 1200 properties that belong to muslims. they said the buildings were illegal and belonged to antisocial elements involved in

the world ends. a local businessman takes a look at his hotel. authorities say people used it to throw stones at the hindu possession. decades of work and investment lie here among the rubble. >> pain is a small thing, what i feel now is worse. for the last few days my family has not en anything and my children cry. it is so sad, you can only imagine what we are going through. it is a huge loss. reporter: hindu right-wingers say muslims deserve losses and the arrests are fine. they say they are the ones under attack. the spokesperson in new delhi, he says muslims sparked the deadly violence by throwing stones at the religious procession. >> this is a larger muslim

conspiracy. islamic thinking believes in keeping people of other religions in fear, they want to scare us and obstruct hindu festivals. they want to break the unity of hindus, which we demonstrate through religious processions. reporter: why muslims face the prospect of rebuilding what they can, they know hindu processions will continue through their neighborhoods. many fear they will become anti-muslim rallies and violence will spiral. pablo: let's take a look at some other headlines. officials in hawaii are working to identify the 106 people known to have died in wildfires on the island of maui. the governor has confirmed that children are among the dead. the federal government has promised large amounts of aid.

the u.s. president is expected to visit the island next week. thailand's constitutional court has blocked a bid by the progressive forward party to nominate a new prime minister. despite winning the election in may, the parties candidate has rejected desk was rejected by the parliament. the courts decision paves the way for the appointment of a military loyalist to the post. germany is a step closer to legalizing marijuana. the government has signed off on a draft will allowing adults to buy and possess small amount of cannabis. the legislation needs to pass parliament, but if it does, germany would become the first major european country to legalize it for recreational use. >> presenting his draft law to

draws, the health minister says it represents a turnaround in germany. under the plans, germans over the age of 18 can legally possess up to 25 grams of cannabis in the future. growing up to three hemp plants will also be legal. adults can buy cannabis if they join nonprofit social clubs that produce it. pilot projects including the sale of cannabis products and licensed stores are planned. the health minister says he wants to tackle the black market. >> we are decriminalizing, but we are doing so in a way that only allows private cultivation. where personal cultivation -- consumption is permitted, where people can own up to 25 grams of cannabis. >> not everybody is as keen as

the health minister. police and judges say more regulations mean more work. doctors warn -- easier access to the drug could impact brain development in adolescence. >> we are taking away the taboo. everyone will understand, cannabis use has no place among children and young people, it remains prohibited there. >> meanwhile the german public is divided over the issue. according to a new survey, 45% of german citizens are opposed to legalization, while 40% are in favor. >> people need to be careful, but may be legalization can prevent illegal behavior. >> we have enough drugs, smoking, drinking. >> this is a large-scale trial, it can be reviewed later. >> the law will go to parliament

where it is expected to be passed by the end of this year. pablo: you are watching dw news. ukraine's president says a merchant ship has crossed safely out of ukrainian waters from the port of odessa, despite threats from russia. the vessel is one of many that have in stock in ukrainian ports since russia's full-scale war began. you are up to date, after a short break, i will be back with an in-depth review of the world top stories in the day. for me and the team here in berlin, thank you for watching. take care. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

♪ ukraine makes again in the southeast. progress remains slow without airpower and with russia opening up on the northeastern front. president zelenskyy salutes the first should -- cargo ship to leave edessa with grain.