>> hundreds of u.s. troops are to be deployed to anbar province. their mission? to help the army push back the islamic state. the troops will advise iraqi soldiers. obama has been criticized for being too soft. here is the white house spokesman. josh: it's hard to give yo ua rea -- a real clear sense of exactly what other things are on the table. the present has been clear about what is not on the table and that is a large-scale ground combat operation.

the reason the president has rolled out that option is the president does not believe it is in the national security interests of the united states for us to do for the iraqis what they must do for themselves, and that is to provide for their security. >> our washington correspondent i asked him if today's announcement would satisfy obama's critics. >> there has been a lot of criticism for not having a strategy or not adjusting it rapidly enough. this is an adjustment to the strategy. that is the kind of term the white house would use. but certainly what we will see very soon is the pressure will really ramp up to see - whether this increase in troop numbers 450 altogether, will have an immediate effect. after all, the city of mosul fell to islamic state a year ago. the city of ramadi in may. ever since may, we have been told that the security forces

and tribal fighters are organizing their counterattack or maybe even already starting it. now these military advisers will have to come in quickly and help them out in order to retake ramadi and mosul as quickly as possible. it shows the fragility of the u.s. tactics in iraq. meaning, the united states has largely trusting the security forces and the tribal fighters on the ground without a u.s. combat troop presence there. and what the white house will do again, and has been doing all since the fall of ramadi, is saying the troops that fled ramadi were not trained by the united states. but those are supposed to retake large parts of anbar province, those who betrayed by the u.s. army meaning the pressure is on for these iraqi security forces to have a serious effect and

serious successes as well on the battlefield. >> speaking to me early. meanwhile, amnesty international has released a new report on the situation in iraq a year after that sleeping offensive by islamic state -- the sweeping offense. details atrocities but notes re venge attacks against sunni mus lims. for more i'm joined by donatella. your report paints a picture of extreme sectarian violence i iraq. it suggests that islamic state fighters are not responsible for all of the atrocity being committed. donteletella. the i.s., the islamic state fighters are responsible for very serious, very widespread abuses. crimes against humanity. they have targeted every single community in iraq. the shiite community was the

first, the christians. we can't overemphasize how much the ezilis have been targeted by islamic state. but at the same time there are has also been -- there has also been war crimes committed especially by shia militias who are today way more powerful than the forces of the iraqi government. they have been at thing with the blessing of the government. they have been armed by the government. and they are acting with total impunity. and they are engaged in reprisal and revenge attacks. and more recently, we have also seen the forces in the north and more recently the militia also so to speak taking the law in their own hands and committing revenge attacks against sunni

muslims. there will be such an atmosphere of impunity in iraq that what we're seeing is that the various groups are taking revenge on the civilian population. so the only ones who are not being held to account our those who are responsible for the abuses. the questions of taking back territory is fro mthe islamic state is a very important one, but equally important is what happens when that territory is taken back, because we have seen in the context of taking back territory, terrible abuses have been committed and subsequently, there is virtually none of the sunni communities have been allowed back into territory. so we're really going back to the sort of 2006-2007 years when there was extreme sectarian violence. unless the authorities have the

vision and the political will to hold to account all the perpetrators, including those who are today very powerful, like the shia militias the sectarian violence is just going to spiral more and more. >> well, what about the international effort to contain the islamic state, to reclaim territory? is that helping the situation or is it making it worse for civilians? donatella: well, until now the strikes by the coalitions have been mostly directed at places which are outside the densely populated civilian areas. obviously, if and when tha changest, there is going to be a concern for the fate of the civilian population. the one larger town that has been taken back tikrit, that

was taken back about six weeks ago. that population of tikrit managed to get out on the whole before the battle started, but we are seeing that other places like mosul the civilian population cannot be -- islamic state is preventing civilians from leaving. so you know, obviously, we do not know how things will play out on the battlefield, but the civilian population until today has really borne the brunt of the violence by all the actors. >> thanks very much, indeed. the president of egypt has ordered greater security at tourist sites after a suicide bomber blew himself up in luxor. no tourists were hurt. police opened fire and killed two suspected islamists. local officials said it was a failed attempt to get inside the

temple. today's attack was the second target of major egyptian tourist attractions this month. the last week -- there was an attack outside the giza pyramid. putin was welcomed in italy today. visiting the prime minister. tonight he holds talks with the pope. early this week, putin was threatened with further sanctions over his actions in ukraine. erin: hoping for is a pathetic reception on a rare visit vladimir putin meets with pope francis for the first time since the ukrainian crisis. his prayers may just be answered. early this evening the argentinian refers to the ukrainian conflict as "a scandal of fratricidal violence, falling short of pointing the finger of blame at russia." working in putin's favor, the pope has long thought to strengthen ties with the russian

orthodox church. the u.s. is urging the vatican to take a tougher stance. on wednesday puti enjoyed a warm welcomen on the eve of russia day. although italy has shown little side of raking ranks over use sanctions, prime minister renzi spoke of finding common ground with russia. >>prime minister renzi: we agreed that the minsk accord is the point of reference for all efforts and i believe that all the people are working so that the minsk ii protocol may be fully implement it. erin: raising eyebrows the prime minister made mention of russia hosting the 2018 world cup, a sign of the cozy relationship nurtured between the states. sentiments returned by putin. vladimir putin: for 500 years

italy has been a great partner in europe and a great investor on the russian economy. erin; ramping up the chama fashion: putin's visit has been heralded as an attempt to smooth relations after being cast as a billing on the world stage by the west. >> fifa has forced the world football body to shelve plans for the 2026 world cup. secretary-general says now is not the time to look for another venue. secretary-general: there was a decision to locate this world cup in 2017, and to start the bidding process sooner. due to the situation, i think it is nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being. and we will postpone this bidding process for the time being. >> one of the names in ring to

replace sepp blatter was in p aris. the uefa chief was keeping his cards close to his chest. chris: michel platine delivering a symbolic ticket. for the event that gets underway in the years time. going on sale today. get on the internet early if you want to be involved in that lottery. today an opportunity for france to showcase preparations which they say are going swimmingly well. three new stadia unveiled. the fourth one due at the start of next year in the city of lyons. many of the journalist more interested in the chaos that is going on in world football. many people are speculating that michel platini is favorite to replace sepp blatter.

platini batting away all questions, saying today was about preparations for the euro. in terms of france, the french prime minister vowed under pressure that each of the government jet to fly fly from his party conference and watch the champions league final in berlin over the weekend. platini did say he was he that invited him to the event. and it was an appropriate occasion to discuss the crisis in world football. >> now, a white police officer in texas in the usa has resigned after he was filmed roughly shoving a black 14-year-old girl to the ground. he was filmed shouting abuse and pointing his gun at black youth at a pool party.

video of the incident went viral prompt a more processed against racism and brutality in the u.s. police force. >> after public outcry, calibrations -- allegations of institutionalized racism, police officer has resigned. he was filled shouting obscenities at black yopuuth before pointing his gun and pinning a 14-year-old girl to the ground. the chief of the mckinney police barman says he failed to meet standards expected within the force. >> police chief: the accident -- the actions are indefensible. our policies our training, our practice to not support his actions. he came into the call out of control.as the video shows, with out-of-control control -- was out of control during the incident. >> amateur footage shows a

bikini-clad girl being manhandled. the video went viral over the weekend and has been seen by 9 million people. on monday, hundreds of protesters rallied in the streets of mckinney waving placards reading "end police brutality." they were calling for response from the local police. a local pastor says the resignation is an important sign the police are listening to local demands. >> they made reference to our community. they heard us. many times, you get them places and you are not heard. >> after he added that mckinney has become another example of the racial divide in the u.s., civil rights leaders have called for an investigation by the justice department. >> burmese opposition is meeting officials in china this week. she is under pressure to pressure the government and human rights issues. lydia: a very discreet arrival

on chinese saw for aung san suu kyi. she was joinedb by party officials were she is set to make no public appearances. it is a symbolic visit. china supported the regime that kept her under house arrest for two decades. beijing was keen to stress his interest in building stronger ties with its buremese neighbors. >> the chinese, and his party has maintained a long-term friendship with various parties in burma. we hope this visit can deepen the understanding and trust between the two parties and push for the cooperation between china and burma in various fields. reporter: the bilateral meetings are part of the chinese campaign to wield more influence in southeast asian countries. china remains the number one investor in burma.

since the lifting of sanctions in 2011, european and american money has flooded in, too. in the run up to this visit aung san suu kyi has come under pressure to highlight human rights issues. notably the case of the jailed nobel prize winner. the burmese politician could evoke his case during the visit. something that beijing is standing firm on. they say his sentence is not up for debate. >> there is no reason to back them on a verdict that has been made by chinese judicial authorities. lydia: this comes ahead of a general election in brumaurma where the national league is expected to make civic and gains. >>-- significant gains. >> you are never too old to learn. this is true for 102-year-old in germany. for her, it is a victory over

the nazis who barred her from taking her final exams. >> she does not want to get any breaks. when hamburg university medical center offered to give her the phd the nazis banned her from getting, she had one condition -- should be treated like any other student. >> keeping the academic standard was very important for mrs. rapoport she wanted to be tested the right way. >> rapoport was initially meant to take her final oral test 8 decades ago, but at the time hitler's regime passed anti-semitic laws, and the young woman, whose mother was jewish was excluded. her professor wrote that he would have given her the phd if it was legal. her family fled to america. a committed communist, she returned to east germany.

although she retired 40 years ago, the doctor wanted to get her phd in honor of those he did not survive the war. rappaport: in this whole thing i see a sign of hope for a new and other two-minute six. -- other humanistic spirit. reporter: she will go back to her city room where she will no longer have to study or google. >> never too old to get your homework done. a reminder of our top stories. amnesty international is warning of a deadly spiral of sectarian violence in iraq a year after the islamic state seized vast swaths of territory. he's got few friends in europe but russian president vladimir putin received a warm welcome in italy today. he has been holding talks with the prime minister and the pope.

and fifa has postponed efforts to find a host for the 2026 world cup. the organization is under investigation for corruption. officials say to start the bidding now would be " nonsense." let's get some business news. marcus carson joins his. -- us. kicking off with what could be a huge trade deal for africa. marcus: trade is a leitmotif in this business. we will start with leaders from 26 african countries. they have agreed to a free trade deal. and they signed the dotted line in egypt. the aim is to create a common market that includes it 625 million people. clare murphy has more details. claire: it has been suggested for five years and now the greatest boost to trade within africa has emerged. the free trade area seized three

previous economic blocs to join up to form one terrorist free zone. stretching across 26 countries from egypt to south africa, the total area represents 62% of africa's gdp and is home to 600 million people. analysts say the deal could double existing trade and stimulate one dollars trillion worth of economic activity. >> this is a landmark milestone in the history of africa. and the reason why is because you now are going to have a free trade area, a single economic -- covering half of africa. so that is unprecedented. claire: wednesday ceremony is a first step. national parliaments must give approval. although there are hopes it could be in place by 2017. the pact is due to be unveiled

at an african union gathering this weekend. so leaders celebrated behind closed doors. outside, security was tight. a reminder of the islamist terror threat that looms large over pockets of the continent. but that is just one challenge facing greater economic integration. the poor state of africa's transport, telecommunications, and energy sectors could behamper increased rate. markus: a transatlantic trade deal has hit a snag in the european parliament. european lawmakers fail to agree on a common stance on a proposed agreement with the united states. it meant a vote on t-tip had to be postponed on this wednesday. it highlights a growing sense of skepticism to what would be the world's biggest trade deal. >> a proposal as divisive inside the european parliaments as it is on the streets outside. >> we don't want no -- >> pressure from ngo's has

led to a vote on the transatlantic trade pact to be postponed. parliamentary leaders cannot agree on a resolution to back the european commission talks. inundated by hundreds of amendments from many, those plans have been scuppered. a sign of how controversial ttip has become. >> i'm scared when i see the two extremes in a semi circle. the far right and the far left standing together. the greens are going with them. that really does worry me. >> the pact would encompass a 30 ball world trade. among the -- would encompass 1/3 of all world trade. farmers are concerned euro pe's super -- superior food standards could hurt them. >> take animal welfare.

there are quarterly controls and slaughterhouses. if we do not meet those standards, we are penalized. we have to reduce the amount of chickens on the farm. >> ttip has the backing of some business leaders who say not signing such a deal could hurt your. barack obama and german chancellor angela merkel called for a rapid conclusion to trade talks ast the g-7 summit earlier this week. markus: where there is a well, there is the way. that is a message from the german chancellor in connection with greece. the chaser were speaking at the sidelines of a european union-latin america summit in brussels. -- the chancellor was speaking. bloomberg is reporting that angela merkel may be willing to take a share of the money in exchange for limited reforms. greece is still squabbling over

the strings attached to the financial aid. >> the goal is we want to keep greece in the eurozone. i go with the saying, where there is a will, there is a way. but the work with three institutions must take place. and every day counts. markus: those signs for progress for greece helped european stock markets held higher this session. we saw a real bounce for all major indices in europe with the dax up 2.4%> the u.k. markets have been helped by a rebound in britain's industrial production during the month of april. stateside, we are seeing green arrows across the board. the dow jones up a percen t this hour. as u.s. investors are eyeing that potential progress in the greek standoff. let's bring you through other

stories we are watching for you. the chairman of a nuclear company wants the utility edf to sweeten its bid for the reactor making unit. it's calling for negotiations with edf which is majority owned by the french state. the french government gave its blessing to a deal and gave the two firm two months to talk part of an effort to save areva which had been bleeding money. the head of the bank of england is pushing for a crackdown on rogue traders. mark carney is calling for tougher prison sentences. in a speech on wednesday evening which was released ahead of time he declared that the age of the responses really -- your responsibility is over. regulated banks have failed collectively to prevent market leader. apple may have unveiled its streaming service over the weekend, but spotify has lost no time in upping its game.

telia sonera has invested $115 million in spotify. a 1.4% stake in the streaming service. that value spotify at

from pacifica this is democracy now! >> i am confident although it will take time and there will be setbacks and lessons learned that we are going to be successful. isil will be driven out of iraq and ultimately, it is going to be defeated. amy: a year after the islamic state seized mosul, president obama is poised to send another 500 u.s. military personnel to