>> welcome to the "france 24" newsroom. the headlines -- the battle will rage on baghdad. the militant group of vowing to take the capital. stope government fails to the quick offensive, reports are coming in that the parliament has been unable to reach a quorum for an emergency session. dozens of turkish activists go on trial for their role in last squares taksim demonstrations. it's the day football fans have been waiting for. strikes in são paulo have been

lifted, but the threat of further demonstrations still looms. also coming up in the program, as the fans gather to watch put all's biggest tournament, we take a look at the economic pros and cons of hosting the month-long championship. plus, we go through the front pages of this week's magazines. as is to be expected, the ups and downs of rizzuto's world cup -- of brazil's world cup are -- as fighter group known islamic states of them that -- isis, have syria,

captured a town 90 miles from the capital. the government has failed to stop the offensive. there are reports parliament has failed to reach a quorum to hold an emergency session. the sunni group reportedly vows to bring the fight to baghdad and karbala, the latter considered one of the holiest sites for shiite muslims. united nations estimates as many as half a million people are on the road fleeing both the advance of the militants and the expected reprisals. we crossed now for an update. what is the situation where you are? him we are about 60 kilometers we are about -- >> 60 kilometers east of mosul. 500,000 inhabitants of that

city are fleeing. most of them trying to move into the kurdish areas north any state. they haven't actually been allowed access into the kurdish controlled region. fighters loyal to the government who normally have checked once along the boundaries between the two areas have reinforced -- have checkpoints along the boundaries between the two areas have reinforced those. we have been told there are some tens of thousands of people, as recently as yesterday -- they haven't necessarily fled violence, but the fears of repercussions of an attempt to retake the town and a lack of law and order now that all the security forces have fled in front of the isis assault. isis, to try and assuage those

fears, are trying to give the impression of some sort of normalcy in the city of mosul, encouraging people to go back to work. there does seem to be some sort of split the twin the factions. isis is politically and religiously motivated. the sunni tribesmen may be thinking more along the lines of regime change in baghdad. said its goal is to create a pan islamic state in the region. what is the reaction? -- what sort of reaction are we seeing from local governments? taken two other cities. little more than an hour away from the capital city. the main preoccupation is how to

stop this continued movement of isis forces and then how to take back some of the territory that wouldurrently hold, which include regular army forces, the .ir force they had success repelling assaults on the city by using gunships. it could include the formation of local militias, which has been suggested, or even shia militias from the south. the arena means have said they .ould fight terrorism in iraq the turks -- the iranians have said they would fight terrorism in iraq. array ofa dizzying possible responses, military responses.

there is also an attempt at a political response by maliki in baghdad to set up a state of emergency. it is unclear whether he will get that, simply because he may have alienated so many people under -- in recent years that they are unwilling to give him the support that he wants to issue extra authority to the security forces. >> thank you for that. isis and with which its allies have advanced has caught many by surprise, but the militants have been active in the region for some years now. more about what is known about the group and its leader. 2004,s was created in originally pledging allegiance to al qaeda. in february of this year, the groups split over a difference and interests. leadergazine named its

-- many iraqi sunnis feel they have been persecuted and have taken up arms. for its ruthless tactics and suicide bombers. the group's foothold in iraq is growing. it dealt a blow to baghdad shiite-led government by taking mosul and tikrit. >> isis is very close to creating its own state here today if crew controls a wide geographical -- its own state. it controls a wide geographical area. isis fighters come from outside of the country. rights groups say that the group

is strongest in the north and it has been in forcing sharia law with reports of beheadings and torture. group has battled other rebels. it has raised fear outside of the country. thousands have left europe to fight in syria. western governments fear they could become radicalized and return to their western borders to carry out attacks, such as the 29-year-old frenchman who is allegedly behind a deadly shooting at a belgian museum -- at the jewish museum in belgium last month. >> a growing sign of international alarm. this security council -- the un security council will meet. theetary ban ki-moon urged international community to unite behind iraq as the country confronts the serious security challenge. pause, mere six-month

the united states' controversial drone program is back online in pakistan. officials say a suspected u.s. missile strike targeted a militant compound early thursday in a northwestern tribal district near pakistan's border with afghanistan. at least 10 people were reportedly killed. it was the second such strikes since wednesday night. such strikes since wednesday strike since wednesday night. the leaders of the taksim square demonstrations are in court. they have been charged with organizing illegal rallies and founding a crime syndicate. last summer's protests began as a small environmental cause and spiraled into a nationwide, antigovernment movement. it was old milley put down with a brutal police crackdown -- it

was ultimately put down with a brutal police crackdown. >> she is fighting for her freedom after being charged with inciting criminal activity. this architects, in her 60's, could spend up to 30 years in jail for her role in the demonstrations that snowballed international, antigovernment protests last year. >> we formed committees for talks with prime minister are to ,ant -- prime minister erdogan but he responded with violence. it pushed people to revolt. >> thousands were injured and eight died, among them a 14-year-old boy. it is said the trial is about more than just her own freedom. she is still on the frontline, recently leading the call for a protest in gezi park on the anniversary of the crackdown.

>> we have the strength to protest thanks to our determination and productivity -- and creativity. wherever there is an open space, we will be there, gathering in a square, even in the smallest villages. >> the embattled prime minister remains in power. the beginningere of a movement that will continue to push for greater freedoms and government transparency whether she can be a part of it or not. >> fans with tickets for the opening world cup game in são paulo can breathe a sigh of relief. they will be able to reach the stadium. subway under -- subway workers announced they would not go on strike. >> a vote for no strike action, good news for people with tickets for the opening world cup game. tensew -- the mood is

with protesters vowing to take their protests to the streets once again. police on monday dispersed them with tear gas. they vowed not to give up. ofwe listen to all sectors our union. they've said they are for action. we want to wait a while to prepare a new phase of our protest. >> the tension has eased for the world cup's opening day. the problems are not over for the dilma rousseff government as the world watches brazil. the president has defended the cost of hosting the tournament and has urged brazilians to give visiting fans a warm welcome. >> there are those who claim that resources for the cup should have been divergent to health care and education. beenr and respect -- divergent to health care and education. i hear and respect those opinions but don't agree with

them. >> they staged a 24-hour partial arike -- they are staging 24-hour partial strike this thursday. after years of construction delays and budget overruns, the world cup gets started under a cloud of discontent. that hasn't stopped many people from celebrating. >> the official kickoff of brazil's world cup is just a few hours away. the party has finally started here in são paulo, and that is banks to the croatian fans, who have -- that is thanks to the croatian fans, who have improvised their own headquarters. >> ♪ are veryople here friendly to us. we are making parties two days here. there was nothing dangerous for

us. everyone loves us and we love them. >> their joy is even greater than ours. we were affected by that a bit. brazil, with good luck to croatia anyway. >> the brazilians are talking about the finals. i think the hardest game will be the first game against croatia. we could go both to the second round. >> of course, not everybody is happy about the fact that brazil is hosting the world cup. there have been many protests in the last few months against the money spent by the brazilian government to host the tournament. but for these fans, it is time to talk about football. many of them told us they will be heading to the arena to watch the first of 64 games that will be played during the world cup. >> as we just heard, the

countdown has begun before the opening match being held in são paulo at 5:00 p.m. local time. croatia are playing in their fourth world cup and are hoping to cause an upset. " met with excited fans in zagreb as they prepared to support their team. fans are setting up giant screens to watch the event, croatia playing brazil in the opening football match of the world cup. the draw has put this tiny country in the spotlight. >> we are organizing the biggest fan zone in this part of country -- this part of europe. andill operate for 40 days a daily program. we believe more than 2 million people will come to the central part of zagreb during these days. football is the number one

game in croatia, way ahead of other sports. croatian footballers and yugoslavs before them have sometimes surprised the world's great teams. in zagreb, the fans are keeping their feet on the ground. playing brazil on their home turf is a huge challenge. which is a very small country that loves football, just qualifying is an important achievement. the match against brazil is the icing on the cake. the entire world will be watching. it will showcase croatia as a football country. becroats are proud to playing the first world cup match against brazil, the country they see as playing the finest football. it will be difficult for croatia to claim the victory tonight, but they hope to reach the last

16 or even the quarterfinal. them a as fans around the world to name to the world cup, a few fans out of this world will be watching, too. astronauts onboard the international space station will be among the viewers. the crew sent down a special message to wish you good luck to the players and teams as they compete for football's top prize. the u.s. astronauts and their german crewmates are feeling a bit of friendly competition between them. their home countries will play against each other for a chance to advance out of group g. that matches on june 26 -- that match is on june 26. let's get a recap of the headlines. the militants advancing in iraq about to take the capital -- in iraq vow to take the capital. criminalith founding a

gang, dozens of turkish activists go on trial for their role in last summer's taksim square demonstrations. it's time to take a look at what is grabbing headlines in the weekly magazines. we will start with world cup action. of focus ona lot brazil as the world cup kicks off, but it is a bittersweet world cup according to a lot of magazines this week. at theke a closer look situation in brazil. it says the country is torn between celebrations and anger. will the football fever managed to overshadow the countries social tensions -- the cou ntry's social tensions? it takes a closer look at the brazilian press and what they are saying about this and how they are analyzing this strange cocktail of excitement and gloominess. they take us back in history over the past 10 years the country -- back in history. over the past 10 years, the

country has experienced an economic boom. brazilians are worried because the economy has started slowing down. they have drawn a lot of criticism for how they have prepared for the world cup, especially the cost, the huge cost of the event. it is the most expensive world cup in history and it could go over budget by 8 billion euros. all of this would be at taxpayer's -- at taxpayers' expenssee. some analysts see this as a sign that brazil's democracy is alive and kicking. has beenent government criticized. so to have the organizers of the thed cup -- so, too, have organizers of the world cup. there was something revealed in the sunday times this month that alleges that qatar actually

bought its ticket to host the 2022 world cup. at the origin of the scandal is formeramed -- is qatar's fifa vice president. he allegedly made dozens of secret payments to soccer officials from around the world to help ensure that qatar would win the ticket to host the world cup. according to this report in the over 3.5 million euros, more than $5 million, were dished out to ensure that qatar would win this ticket, even though the country is very small and summer temperatures can exceed 50 degrees celsius. he is the president of european football associations. according to a report last week

in the daily telegraph, he was accused of meeting with this man not long before that fee for vote -- that fifa vote. it talks about his hidden face. he is a much loved soccer star in france, former captain. it sparked a lot of surprise here in france. he didn't really help things. he did admit that he voted for qatar in that very controversial vote. a lot of people say maybe fifa's current president, blatter, could be orchestrating this whole scandal. a lot of papers are wondering if blatter could be just trying to get rid of his rival. >> let's switch from the politics of football to politics here in france. some magazines focusing on the ongoing problems in the opposition party. >> it sounds a lot like an old-fashioned gangster movie.

it is a famous gangster movie here in france. that's what they are comparing the ump to. you see some familiar faces, alain joubert is one of the trio. you have nicolas sarkozy, the former president. the big story is whether or not he is going to make his political comeback. a lot of people are saying on the surface everyone is getting along thomas but how long until a gangster shootout, metaphorically, of course -- getting along, but how long until a gangster shootout, metaphorically, of course? >> the french love the royal family -- love to make fun of the royal family, but they love the queen. she was the superstar of the d-day commemoration's last week.

you can see all sorts of photos. all the secrets of rome promised this week. >> thank you for that. it is time now for a sports update. goworld cup hosts brazil into their opening game against croatia carrying the weight of the nation's expectations on their shoulder. they have won the title a record five times. it was previously held on home soil in 1950. the players feel they should be used to the extra treasure of playing for brazil by now. -- extra pressure of playing for brazil by now. >> they have to win every game. all the players have experience, even the younger ones. they've always been under an awful lot of pressure throughout their career.

i think everyone is relaxed on this matter. the most important thing when we go onto the pitch is to do our best and to win. we have to win to qualify for the next round. -- opening's relic game should be relatively easy, on paper, at least. they do have a couple of aces up their sleeve. croatia are very skilled team. i have two club teammates who played for them. last season's champions league. at the world cup, there are no easy opponents. all of the games will be very tough. we must be ready to face any opponent. >> croatia do have a striker and a former bayern forward in their

midst. the underdogs feel they could spring a nasty surprise on the brazilians. of course, it is going to be very difficult for us. we are playing against one of the best teams in the world. on top of that, they are on home soil. i think we've had some very good preparation. nevertheless, we respect that brazil surely have a better chance than us to go through to the second round. >> we have nothing to lose in this match. we can win. we've enjoyed some really good preparation. we will do what we can to spring a surprise on the brazilians. >> fears over an ankle problem for brazil's star were quickly abated.

with just one day to go before hosting the world cup's opening game, part of the sao paulo stadium is still not finished. minor construction work was still being carried out tuesday ahead of the curtain raise. fororary seats will be used the first time in thursday's opening game. the stands behind the goals were not ready gg99ññwçça7guc

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