News Wrap: Overwhelmed Croatia moves migrants to Hungary

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• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  Wall Street worried away all of the week's gains today, amid fears of slowing growth worldwide. The Federal Reserve had cited the state of the world economy yesterday when it opted not to raise interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 290 points today, to close back near 16380. The Nasdaq fell 66 points and the S&P 500 slide 32. For the week, all three indexes lost a fraction of a percent.

  Confusion reigned across Southeastern Europe today, as countries competed to move desperate migrants to each other's territory. Croatia's government announced it could not cope, after 17,000 surged across its border with Serbia in 48 hours. So, the Croatians began moving migrants into Hungary, which was working to expand its razor wire fence.

  Jonathan Miller of Independent Television News reports again from the scene.

• JONATHAN MILLER:

  The dispossessed were dumped in no man's land between Croatia and Hungary at 2:00 p.m. local time, brought here in great convoys by buses by the Croatians, unwanted, unwelcome.

  But this is a highly provocative act. Neighboring Hungary has made it abundantly clear that it doesn't want these wayfarers either. As Hungarian Humvees and troop reinforcements arrived, Hungary's foreign minister accused Croatia of encouraging masses of people to commit the criminal offense of illegally crossing its border.

  Noor and her friends are from Aleppo in Syria. After all they have been through, being caught in the middle of a game of chicken between two E.U. countries doesn't faze her.

  The government of Hungary has said that, if you cross, it is illegal.

• WOMAN:

  It's illegal. What we do? Just stay and wait.

• JONATHAN MILLER:

  A group of asylum seekers, including a family, broke away from the Croatian police and made off through a field towards the frontier. Police gave chase and rounded them up, but suddenly the atmosphere softened.

  For all the bad blood between these two fractious neighbors, a fleet of Hungarian buses drove into no man's land. It took ages to load up, and it wasn't exactly done in good grace, but the burly Hungarian police oversaw the whole operation. The buses drove off.

  The unwanted have been taken to two registration centers close to the Austrian border. Austrian Interior Ministry said there had been no coordination between Budapest and Vienna. In Tovarnik, scene of yesterday's mayhem, they continued to pour in from Serbia right through night, despite seven of eight border crossings being closed by Croatia. A train took 1,000 to Zagreb.

  But we found 3,000 people standing for hours in searing heat waiting for buses. They'd all spent the night in the open. The U.N. Refugee Agency says it can't do anything until they're asked to with specific requests for assistance, which they haven't had. This whole situation is actually quite manageable, its spokesman told me. It's just they have no clue how to do it.

• WOMAN:

  We know how to do the job, but the responsibility, the moral and legal responsibility here, is on the countries in the European Union. What's missing is a collective European Union action. Countries have been trying to do it on their own and then, at some stage, they say they can't. So they need to do it together.

• JONATHAN MILLER:

  E.U. leaders won't meet until next Wednesday. Croatia has thrown down the gauntlet to Brussels today. Hungary's furious and so are the Serbs. Now everyone says they're swamped.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  We will have first-hand reports on either end of this desperate journey, Greece and Germany, after the news summary.

  In Pakistan, Taliban gunmen killed 29 people when they stormed an air force base in the northwest. It was the militants' deadliest strike yet at the Pakistani military. Officials said 16 of those killed were worshipping at a mosque inside the compound. The assault triggered an hours-long gunfight before the attackers were killed.

  The death toll hit 182 in South Sudan a day after a fuel truck erupted into a fire ball. Hundreds more were being treated for burns. The accident happened west of the capital, Juba, as people were siphoning gas from the truck.

  The United States and Russia moved closer today to military-to-military discussions on Syria. It came amid fresh reports of Russian tanks and fighter jets arriving to support the Assad regime.

  In London, Secretary of State John Kerry said President Obama believes military talks are an important next step. Kerry met with the foreign minister from the United Arab Emirates.

  JOHN KERRY, Secretary of State: We're looking for ways in which to try to find a common ground. Clearly, if you're going to have a political settlement, which we have always argued is the best and only way to resolve Syria, you need to have conversations with people and you need to find the common ground.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Ash Carter spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart, a first step toward direct military talks.

  There's word the U.S. Marines will ask to exclude women from some front-line combat jobs. The Associated Press reports the Marines have made that formal recommendation to the Navy secretary. It is in sharp contrast to the Army, Navy and Air Force. They are expected to open all battlefield positions to women.

  Republicans in the U.S. House voted today to block Planned Parenthood's federal funding for a year. Party leaders hoped the votes would appease conservatives, and persuade them not to force a government shutdown over the issue. The debate was sparked by secretly recorded videos of Planned Parenthood officials discussing how they harvest fetal tissue for research.

  REP. DIANE BLACK (R), Tennessee: Congressional investigations are under way. But there are more than enough lingering questions to stop the flow of money, taxpayer dollars, to this abortion giant until our work is complete.

  REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D), Florida: As a woman, mother, and breast cancer survivor, I refuse to take that threat lying down. Republicans' own investigations turned up nothing. Yet some of their members are willing to risk women's lives just to score political points. Enough is enough.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  Senate Democrats have vowed to block the bill in that chamber.

  A South Carolina man is now accused of failing to sound the alarm before the church shootings in Charleston and lying about it afterward. Joey Meek pleaded not guilty today to charges in a federal indictment. Meek has said Dylann Roof told him he was about to — quote — "do something crazy," but knew no specifics. The FBI now says that was a lie. Nine people died in the church attack.

  The United States has handed over one of China's most wanted fugitives from corruption charges. He had been in this country since 2001. State television showed businessman Yang Jinjun arriving back in China today and being taken away in handcuffs to face bribery and embezzlement charges. Chinese officials hailed the development.

• MAN (through interpreter):

  The successful repatriation of Yang Jinjun is the result of the close communication and cooperation between Chinese and U.S. law enforcement authorities. This marks major progress in China-U.S. law enforcement cooperation in pursuit of corruption suspects. We appreciate the efforts and help that the U.S. government provided.

• HARI SREENIVASAN:

  In the past, the U.S. has been reluctant to send fugitives back to China, given its history of human rights abuses. This new move comes just days before President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Washington.

  President Obama spoke with Cuban President Raul Castro today, ahead of the pope's visit to both countries. The White House says they discussed efforts to restore ties during the phone call. It came on the same day that the U.S. eased its longtime embargo of Cuba. New rules are designed to make it easier for tourism, telephone and Internet firms to establish a presence in the island nation.

  The Environmental Protection Agency is accusing Volkswagen of deliberately violating clean air laws and ordering a halt. It means fixing nearly half a million V.W. and Audi diesel cars made since 2008. They contain so-called defeat devices that activate emissions controls only during official testing. The systems are turned off during normal driving. V.W. could be fined more than $18 billion.

  And campaigning wrapped up today in Greece ahead of Sunday's general election with no clear winner in sight. Leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned last month after members of his Syriza Party rebelled against new austerity measures. Today, preparations were under way to set up polling stations. Municipal workers were busy delivering voting booths, ballot boxes and other supplies.