boots on the ground. the u.s. says it will spend special forces to fight i.s.i.l. in iraq and syria. welcome to al jazeera. also ahead. don't bomb syria thousands rally in london ahead of a parliamentary vote on whether to approval launching air strikes in syria. plus. >> reporter: i'm in baghdad as violence rises across iraq and the price of ill plum ets

globely and an increasing number of iraqis are falling into extreme poverty myanmar's road to democracy. the power is being discussed by aung san suu kyi with the out going prime minister. obama says the asmt s is stepping up the fight against i.s.i.l. more special forces will be sent to help fight the armed group in iraq and syria. the ground troop mission will be carried out besides continued diplomatic efforts. >> reporter: the united states is intensifying the war in iraq and syria in the hope that it will event eventual ly go towards peace.

we will assist sources to put more pressure on i.s.i.l. these operators will over time be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture i.s.i.l. leaders. that creates a virtuous cycle of better intelligence which generates more targets, more raids, more momentum. >> reporter: the military says when they find an i.s.i.l. leader, the teams will go into syria to get him and then get out, adding even more special forces will be sent into the region as they find local forces capable of fighting and more military hardware is moving into the syrian conflict and they will be painted with a new flag. gentlemen man eau is sending in ships, planes and up to 1200 troops with a proposalise they won't be used for come back. in u.k. are voting on a plan to set their jets into syria for bombing missions. for the first time, obama

described how he sees this conflict ending. it begins with all of the parties, including russia, agreeing on a list of opposition fighters. the next step a cease fire between those groups and forces loyal to syrian president bashar al-assad. it is possible, given the existing accord that the parties have already agreed to, that we start seeing at least pockets of cease fires in and around syria. that may mean, then, that certain opposition groups no longer find themselves subject to either syrian or russian bombing. they are then in a conversation about politics. >> reporter: but there is a problem with that conversation. the u.s. coalition says it has to end with bashar al-assad out of power. russia doesn't want that. president obama says that could change in the coming months and it could be true if the balance

of power shifts on the grown in syria the british parliament is due to vote on wlr to join the bombing campaign against i.s.i.l. targets in syria. the issue has divide public opinion. thousands of anti war protesters rallied in london. don't bomb syria. >> reporter: an emergency demonstration calling for mps to vote no to joining air strikes against i.s.i.l. in syria. though passionate they're unlikely to sway the position. the case bombing is one of security and sol dart says come ran. we will be acting with our allies. we will be responsible as we do so, but in my view it's right to do this to keep our country safe. the action we are taking is part of a broader strategy, a political strategy, diplomatic and humanitarian. >> reporter: the debate is

dividing the nation. the labor party whose leader has made this his life work. that military action is going to kill civilians in raqqa. it going to create some martyrs as a result of it. where does it lead to? >> reporter: since august last year coalition forces have dropped thousands of bombs on syria but i.s.i.l. is still in place. the government argues the u.k. is effectively bombing i.s.i.l. targets in iraq and could make a difference in syria. it's aircraft can deliver highly accurate missiles that other allies don't have. if the aim is to remove i.s.i.l., air strikes alone won't achieve that. only ground troops can. prime minister cameron says there are 70,000 free syrian fighters who can retake territory but knows numbers are disputed. -- those numbers are disputed. britain has been here before in

2003 be military action was approved in iraq. this time protesters are demanding to be heard. don't made the mistake that you've made so many times before and take us into another bombing campaign which will only make the situation worse and which will lead to the death of civilians. it may well make the situation here more dangerous. >> reporter: people fear there is no strategy on the table for defeating i.s.i.l. they bleu that the energy would be better channelled to solve the civil war in syria. >> reporter: two years ago david cameron urged mps to attack syria. that was defeated. this time it is expected to pass and bombing could start within days as the coalition steps up the fight against i.s.i.l. there has been a new development in the conflict between government forces and the opposition in

syria. they've agreed to a cease fire if the city of homs. it applies to the only district controlled by the opposition. the city's governor says the deal with take effect next week and could last two months. rebels say denying-- denying reports they have agreed to leave the neighborhood. executive director of the arab center in washington says this cease fire was out of desperation. this has nothing to do with the conversation that took place in vienna, talking about the need for all the parties to get together and reach a national cease fire. this is a very limited cease fire. we have seen one just like that about a year ago, may actually, may of 2014, and it didn't last very long. these tend to be very limited in scope, very limited in time,

duration, and they do not last. you have to keep in mind the uniqueness of this particular location. the rebels are in a weakened state in that area, particularly since the last cease fire. they only controlled the small portion. they were under siege by the government. that's why the government announced the cease fire and it's so excited about it because it serves the interest of the bashar al-assad government the united nations is warning i.s.i.l. is increasing its presence in libya. a report from u.n. monitoring group says i.s.i.l. sees the country as the best opportunity to expand its territory. it says the group is up to 3500 in libya. nato foreign ministers have invited montenegro to join the alliance. it is likely to take a rear for the country to go through the process. a move moscow refers to as a provocation. montenegro was bombed nato 17

years ago and it was involved in the conflict over cosovo. an update. >> reporter: montenegro's foreign minister has already welcomed this as a historic moment for his country of 620,000 people. it has gone through some reforms to its armed forces and its defense ministry already to improve its chances of joining, but it still could take some time yet. now, let's not forget that montenegro is part of yugoslavia was bombed by nato in 1990s. it broke away from serbia in 206. it is certainly-- 2006. it has certainly come a long way. the secretary says this is a sign of the commitment to the western balkans which already croatia, ail bane i can't and slovenia-- albania and slovenia

are members of nato and montenegro and mass don't i can't have expressed their wish to join. somebody who is not happy about this at all will be the russian foreign mistery sten lavrov who called the expansion of nato a mistake even a provocation. that's not surprising. although there are not such strong political ties between montenegro and russia these days there are strong trade links. many people inside montenegro still feel a connection with russia and there have been a call for a referendum to be hold before the government goes ahead and does what it needs to do to make accession to nato a possibility talkss have begun in myanmar to transfer power to full civilian rule. aung san suu kyi has met the president for the first time since the election win for her national league for democracy party last month. following decades of military

rule, the government is due to be sworn in early next year. the director of the institute of security and international studies in bangkok. the constitution does divide power between military and civilian authority. how much power is there left to be carved up in these sorts of meetings? what's actually on the table?

previous incumbent administration that aung san suu kyi retains. if she imposes a wholesale change, we might see a rocky transition. this is a long transition of three months and at the same time she also has to think about what kind of role the military will play and she herself, whether she can lead from behind. this is the key issue for her, whether she is willing to lead from behind will determine the shape and things to come you said that everything is on the table. what about amending that article in the constitution which, effectively, bars her from becoming president. could that be garbable in the-- negotiable in the days ahead even though the army does have enough seats in parliament to block that constitutional change. i think we're seeing the early indications of how the bargaining will take place. aung san suu kyi retained some of the incumbent administration, especially key ministers, it

shows goodwill, reconciliation. if she goes for a big change across the board, we might have a problem down the road. at the same time she wants to be president, but she is barred from being president in the constitution, so we have to see if she is willing to concede and to sit behind, but yet at the same time lead the country from behind and call the shots from behind. if she is willing to do that, that is a sacrifice, but it can move myanmar forward clearly she needs the military's help in governing, as you explained there. what about when it comes to the other issue of dealing with some of the minorities, especially the rohingas. how much ability or even appetite will she have to deal with problems like that?

rohinga is in the spotlight. things will have to be dealt with, ongoing civil war, natural all have signed the cease fire agreement and also myanmar's relationship with the major powers, with china and others. this is something momentous, but there are many questions because we've never been here before. it's building up to this, but now we're finally here but we don't know how it will be because it has been more than 50 years since myanmar has had civilian rule thank you for your thoughts on that. coming up on al jazeera accountability and corruption nigeria has detained a former minister over stealing money. a journalism has released his report on the dangers of hidden

sugar.

welcome back. recap the headlines here. the u.s. is sending more special forces to iraq to help fight i.s.i.l. they will also conduct missions into syria. three 3500 advisers are already in iraq. thousands of anti war protesters rallied in london ahead of a vote by a parliament on whether to join the bombing campaign in

i.s.i.l. against syria. syrian government and opposition groups have agreed to a truce in the city of homs. the see fire applies to a neighborhood which is the only district left controlled by the opposition. going back to iraq and the years of violence, political instability and a struggling economy have left almost a third of the population without basic services. reporting on how people are trying to cope in the capital baghdad. >> reporter: this man says he feels hopeless. his motorised rickshaw broke down a few months ago and he still can't afford to repair it. it was his only spoors of income. he borrows from family and friends to get by. he moved here a few years ago. he says he came here in the hopes of giving his wife, daughters and grandchildren a better life. but it hasn't worked out that

way. what can i tell you. our lives here are miserable. sometimes we wish we were die than have to live like this. i was in the army for eight years and in the end the government gave us nothing for our service. >> reporter: the world bank says nearly 30% of families live below the poverty line. that's more than 10 million people who sdoent have access to adequate food, ware or shelter, leaving to mass migrations from rural to urban areas in search of work. decades of successive wars, increasing violence, the rise of i.s.i.l. and a fragile political situation have all led to what they describe as a crisis. there are other important issues which are driving an increasing number of iraqis into extreme poverty. the economy is almost solely dependent on revenue from oil

production. international lenders have warned successive governments to diversify its industries but none did, which is why record low oil prices over the past year have led to a major budget deficit. government corruption is a concern. the prime minister announced a series of reforms to make the government more accountable and to shore up the economy. promises are of little comfort to this man. >> translation: our politicians just fill their pockets with money and neglect the important au people. they are profiting from their comfortable government positions and stripping us citizens of our wealth pakistan hanged four map for involvement in last year's taliban attack. it was the worst attack by the group on pakistani soil.

more than 150 people died, most of them children. >> reporter: pakistan has carried out four more executions in this province after the military achieved signed the warrant and the clemency appeals were claimed. the four were accused of helping logistically and direct support an attack on a public school in 2014. the aattack saw 150 people killed, mostly children. the military has been given the cover by the country supreme court and by parliament which say that the military force can function because pakistan is in a state of war

nigh year i can't's-- nigeria's recently appointed president has advised the arrest of adviser. he is excused of stealing million i don't suppose of dollars. >> reporter: this is the former national security adviser. a presidential committee report says he em-besanko doctor embezzeled two million dollars. a total of 5.4 billion dollars is missing. the money should have been spent on weapons to fight boko haram. money intended for the procurement of weapons to support the military in wart against terror-- war against terror was being diverted. >> reporter: this soldier says corruption is still a problem, even afternoon the new government came to power six

months ago on an anti corruption platform. he asked us not to show his face because he fears he could be jailed for speaking out. corruption in the military today honestly is 97% because some of the generals, they have a billion lira for one item. they will make sure they use a hundred or two hundred thousand for others. the other money goes into their pockets. >> reporter: these pictures from last month show soldiers training without weapons, equipment or union uniform-- uniforms to fight boko haram. it is being fought systematic systematically. it will take time for it to be

eliminated. between the military and the buyer country >> reporter: soldiers say corruption is still having a negative impact. in the conditions of this corruption, right, to defeat the boko haram, to be frank with you, it will be 50/50. >> reporter: he says the case against him was politically motivated. he removed the ruler in the 1980s. the government says that has nothing to do with the case against asuki today and it will publish the evidence against him and deal with corruption swiftly the police chief of the u.s. city of chicago has been fired after protests over the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white officer. chicago mayor said the superintendent had lost the

public's trust. the 17-year-old was shot 16 times in october last year. the officer has been charged with first degree murder. footage of the shooting was only released last week after a judge made it public. 20 million people should be breathing easy in the chinese capital. winds have blown away four days of hazardous smog and the air pollution has been down graded. on monday people were encouraged to stay indoors. >> reporter: this is the park in the center of beijing, the appropriate place to be informed because it means sun temple and here in beijing today people can see and feel the sun's race. the sky de-- rays. people here don't take clean air for granted and so they are out in this park making the most of it. this time yesterday the air

quality index stood at 560 which is hazardous. today it's 25 which is good. the government has now lifted the orange alert that it imposed on the weekend and it also means that factorys which had been closed have now been able to reopen. these people know that the clean air is just a temporary respite because the government has warned that it could be another 15 years before its greenhouse gas emissions finally peak. environmentalists say it could be another 30 years before days like this are the norm as opposed to the exception new research says too much sugar is killing us and can lead to diabetes, heart attacks and cancer. a public report says sugar hidden in packaged foods is contributing to a global health crisis. >> reporter: soft drinks, sweets and deserts all obvious sources of sugar, but how about

tinned vegetables and sauces. 30 grams of sugar can be in some sauces. 74% of pack at the end food and drinks in the u.s. have added sweeteners the sugar in our food supply is merely one kind of a negative, adverse way that the global food companies are hurting our health. the sugar in our food supply is very subtle. they use hundreds of different names for it and we're not aware of it >> reporter: glucose syrup, nectar or whatever it is called, the who says we should be eating less of it. it updated its guidelines this year to recommend that people cap their sugar intake to 5% of their diet. people have more than that in

beverages such as sports drinks and juice drinks. governments don't take this issue on board which is happening in localities of regions of the world. we're going-- lots of regions of the world. we will see this rapid increase in diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular death and subsequently in a number of cancers. 13 of the top 16 cancers are related to obesity. this is one of their top ten prevention, no.2 after tobacco, cutting sugar out of our diet. >> reporter: a sugar tax of 20% or more can have a noticeable effect on the decreasing number of sugary drinks. that is having an affect in

finland, france, hungry and mexico. >> reporter: thailand is the world's second largest exporter of sugar but it's also a big consumer. sugar has been a main stay of their food for centuries. like these sweets. it is also served during saverry meal time. with the introduction of drinks and processed food, the intake of sugar has increased even more. the average person consume $104 graments of sure each day. that's four times recommended by the who. thailand has the second highest obesity rate in the world. the government is going to go afternoon saying that they're starting to limit advertisements and promotions of sugary things the head of facebook is celebrating fatherhood by pledging to give away thousands of dollars to charity. they made the announcement following the birth of their first baby, a girled named max.

the couple say they will give 99% of the social media shares to charity. it is currently worth 45 million dollars. more stories at aljazeera.com welcome to panama. i'd heard the stories of a rich and diverse forest. >> hi, buddy! >> i'd be lying if i didn't admit that i was psyched to be here. i'd find plenty of butterflies and a heck of a lot more. >> did you see that guy? >> that's what i could count on. but then, panama surprised me.