>> we began once again with the crisis unfolding in iraq, where embattled prime minister nouri al-maliki poured cold water on international calls for unity government to counter the fast and furious advances made by islamist extremists. >> meanwhile, another batch of u.s. military visors arrived in baghdad to help the iraqi army deal with that insurgency, and their assistants will be much needed in another day marked by violence. isis militants reportedly launched an attack on the largest air base. >> the soldiers are on their way to northern iraq to help repel the advance of insurgents. the united states is sending 300 military visors to support their operation. washington has also called on prime minister nouri l al-maliki to form an interim -- an interim government. he rejected the call. >> the call for the formation of a so-called national salvation government is simply an attempt by those who opposed the constitution to put an end to the democratic process. >> the united states has urged the shiite prime minister to give sunnis and kurds a voice in government. maliki has been accused of marginalizing minorities and the current violence is being partly attributed to sectarian tension between sunnis and shiites. iraq now finds itself on the brink of collapse. all most half a million people have been driven from their homes by fighting in the western anbar province. it is being called a land of displacement. in certain is also growing in neighboring countries. in jordan and iran, the military is on high alert. isis has enhanced its reputation for brutality by releasing footage of executions and beheadings. the group formerly had links with al qaeda but fell out with the main organization earlier this year. isis is also fighting in syria possible war. the situation in the entire region remains perilous. a middle east expert joins us now on the phone drum kurdish northern iraq. vladimir am a why is prime minister maliki so opposed to forming a unity government? >> he feels that he has the right to form a government [indiscernible] he feels he has the right to form a government. >> he has antagonized the sunnis, the kurds, and even some shiite factions. is prime minister nouri al-maliki going to rally iran to turn the tide against isis? but most likely it will try to get support. to fight against sunni insurgents. >> vladimir, do you think the pressure the u.s. is putting on the iraqi prime minister to form a broader coalition has backfired? >> it looks like that. he is basically saying i'm not offering what you wish. your shows the u.s. influence -- regional countries are playing more of a role like turkey. >> the view from kurdish northern iraq. thank you so much for that. but moving onto other news, there has been renewed fighting in eastern ukraine him and despite a cease-fire agreed on by the government and pro-russian separatists. >> it looks like it might in before the friday deadline. this as russia's parliament voted at the request of president vladimir putin to revoke his power to invade ukraine. >> a nato meeting in brussels, leaders accuse moscow of sending mixed messages, offering that gesture of goodwill at the same time as continuing a policy of meddling in ukraine. >> nato seems to be losing patience with russia and western leaders say moscow must stop arming ukraine's pro-russian rebels. >> we can safely say let the arms and equipment that are clearly in the hands of some groups of separatists were not bought at the local supermarket. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry has called on russian president vladimir putin to do more to promote peace. >> the greatest difference will be made by the president publicly calling for the separatists to lay down their arms. >> nato strategy is to push for de-escalation. there has been no direct call within the alliance for military intervention in ukraine. despite shows of strength like these recent maneuvers in the baltic region, nato's presence in eastern europe is not what it once was. the u.s. has called on the 28 members to increase defense spending in view of the renewed threat from its former cold war enemy. for now, the nato secretary-general has announced measures to help ukraine help itself. >> this includes the establishment of new trust funds to support defense capacity building in critical areas such as logistics. >> but nato appears to be floundering when it comes to finding ways to put more pressure on russia. >> at least 21 people were killed in an explosion at a busy commercial district in the nigerian capital. at least 17 people were injured. >> police say the blast occurred post to a shopping complex. it's not yet clear what caused the explosion and there was no initial claim of responsibility. the islamist group known as boko haram has hit the area several times before. >> our correspondent is there. what more can you tell us about the bomb attack? >> just came back from the small shopping center where the explosion actually happened. i would not have -- it was the time of afternoon when the area was packed with shoppers. please have confirmed that 21 people were killed and many others injured. at the moment you can see a lot of cars outside the shopping complex that were burned. there are police and security forces there. >> has anyone or any group claimed responsibility yet? >> not yet, but many people i talk to believe it is another attack from boko haram. they have been terrorizing the northern part of the country for many years and they have carried out attacks on the capital before. in 2011 you had the bombing of the u.n. headquarters in nigeria and in april and may this year there were more than 100 killed when a car bomb exploded. many believe this will be yet another attack by boko haram. many people say that all we can do now is carry on our normal lives as if we don't do that, then the terrorists will have achieved their goal. >> the latest from the nigerian capital. thank you so much for that update. >> in libya, people have been voting for a new parliament. the latest attempt to bring stability to a country that has been in turmoil ever since the outbreak of the arab spring. >> political infighting has been so bad since the last election two years ago that candidates are having to run as independents, but that has not been enough to lift turnout. >> police and military officers out in force in benghazi. with the city's residents heading to the polls, there have been deadly clashes here between militants and security forces. but libyan authorities are pressing on with the elections. the have declared a public holiday to encourage people to get to the polls and cast their vote. elections are the only way forward for the country and the route to safety. libyans hoped the polls would bring stability. many feel the interim leadership has not done that. >> the next parliament must take into account libyans feelings and serve libyans not like the general national congress. i forgot about the libyan people and their feelings. the previous assembly became paralyzed by political infighting. lawmakers in the general national congress had sought to extend their mandate until december, but the election has gone ahead among public pressure. you and representatives in tripoli say they are satisfied with how the election process has been organized. initial results are expected later in the week. >> time now for our business headlines. here in germany, new report shows consumer confidence is at its highest level since 2006. >> a research institute said that low interest rates are encouraging people to spend their money rather than save it. it points to general optimism about the economic outlook. not enough to keep the dax index in the black. more on the conflicting forces affecting stock prices right now. >> what a pleasant surprise. that is what the traders saw when they saw the german consumer data coming in, lots more positive than people had expected. the traders are thinking especially because of the influence of the crises in ukraine and iraq, it is having a decided influence on the market, but apparently not in the consumer one. the situation in ukraine and iraq prevented the good mood of the german consumer doing more for shares here in europe. the dax did drop because of the worries in the crisis in ukraine and iraq. whether the german consumer mood continues to stay buoy and is not least dependent on the crisis in iraq not escalating. if the oil price rises as a consequence, the mood of the consumer will likely go down. >> german chancellor angela merkel has again ruled out easing austerity programs. back she told german lawmakers that europe needed more structural reforms to combat unemployment and return to economic growth. ahead of the eu summit. she reaffirmed germany's support for jean-claude juncker as the new head of european commission. the opposition leader strongly criticized merkel's government for not doing enough to combat growing inequality in germany. >> our political correspondent simon young was watching that debate and joins us now. a very strong focus in her speech on europe. tell us more about what she had to say. >> of course the big european story at the moment, the search for a new president of the european commission. as you mentioned, chancellor merkel reiterated her backing for jean-claude juncker. she said he might be nominated by european leaders even against the opposition of some governments. he does face opposition in particular from the british government. david cameron, the british prime minister doesn't think he is the right man to create reform, but chancellor merkel indicating today that she's going to let it come to a confrontation at the upcoming european summit. or generally, the chancellor warned that the euro crisis is not over yet and that european governments have got to stick together to overcome it. she said the stability pact rules do allow for some flexibility for governments to take measures to stimulate growth, and that flexibility should be used, she said, but the government here doesn't want to change the budgetary rules. they want to keep the emphasis on economic reform. >> let's look at what the opposition are saying. the opposition leader is very strident in his criticisms. tell us what he had to say. >> the leader of the left party pointing to what he sees as a growing wealth gap in germany. he brought up a statistic, he says 8 million people in germany cannot afford a proper regular meal every day, while germany at the same time has the world's word largest number of millionaires. he is very angry about growing poverty in germany and that's where he laid the emphasis, trying to attack chancellor merkel today. >> we have to leave it there. thanks very much for joining us. >> we will take a short break >> welcome back. tomorrow, europe will begin official events to mark this in serial -- centennial of the first world war. >> it will be 100 years since the assassination of the third arch duke, widely seen as triggering the war. >> the scene of many long, drawnout battles. a place that has since become synonymous with the senseless slaughter of the first world war. >> the strains of the bugle corps, the last post. every evening at 8:00, this tribute to the dead of world war i is played at the memorial. the buglers are joined by visitors from all over the world . they come to remember the countless people who were killed in the battles that made the town famous. >> there were battles all the time during the war. it was also the battlefield of the british empire, so it is very known in australia, new zealand, canada. >> reminders of the tragedy of war can be found all over flanders. this cemetery is the final resting place for tens of thousands of german soldiers. most of them cut down in their prime. germans soldiers use poison gas for the first time here. the result was devastating. few know this terrain as well as patrick. he was born here and has spent much of his life researching the town's history. for more than 30 years, he scoured the soil for traces of former battles. one of his fines was this bunker. >> the snipers stood here. we found bullet cases down here, showing that four or 500 shots were fired. >> he says ypres' soil remains full of bombs and bones to this day. he had a brush with death himself while handling a mustard gas grenade. >> at 9:00 i had 41 degrees and about 3:00 i was burning, burning. i had mustard gas. the dying suffered, they burned. >> the gravestones recalled the huge losses of life suffered by many different nations. it was here in 1915 that canadian soldier john mccrea wrote his famous point, in flanders fields poppies bloom. the blood red flower soon became an enduring symbol of the tragedy. >> the soldiers could not imagine. politicians could not imagine. military people couldn't really imagine what would happen. everybody hoped a rapid victory. as it happened in 1870, in six weeks the german stock we will beat the french and then we will beat the russians, and then it's over. it didn't happen. >> and so the rituals here continued. a somber reminder to the living of the horrors of war. >> back to the present day now and to a life-and-death issue that is splitting a country and raising some tough questions in the medical community. should seriously ill people have the right to choose a doctor assisted death? >> this week several european courts have been grappling with the issue, starting with a case in france. euthanasia is illegal there but the issue is being debated again after a court acquitted one doctor of poisoning seven terminally ill patients. that ruling came a day after another french court said that a quadriplegic man should be allowed to die. but within hours of that decision, the european court of human rights stepped in with a rare emergency ruling blocking the french judge's decision at the request of the man's parents. that ruling by the european court of human rights has been echoed in separate cases in the u.k., where assisted suicide carries a jail sentence of up to 40 years. >> the london supreme court has ruled against appeals from a paralyzed car crash victim, the widow of a man with an so-called locked in syndrome. the uk's highest court turned down the appeals, though not unanimously. >> by majority of 7-2, we dismiss the appeal. >> a bitter disappointment for plaintiff hall lamb. he has been in constant pain since a car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down 23 years ago. >> they're telling me i have 10 years of suffering. i haven't committed a crime. i'm now at the stage where there's anger with me now. this is the right thing to do. >> the other plaintiff is battling on behalf of her late husband, tony. he wanted doctors to help him in his life because his condition invented him from ending it himself. the cases have fueled a nationwide debate. some strongly supported the ruling. welcome this judgment from the highest court in the land. the current law is to protect the vulnerable and those without a voice who might otherwise feel pressured into ending their life . it does not need changing. after year-long battle to change the law, these families are not about to give up. paul lamb's lawyer said the judgment sends a clear message to politicians that they must now review the law. >> time now to catch up with the world cup in brazil, and the final matches in group f. >> argentina became the third team to make a clean sweep of their group stage matches. they beat nigeria 3-2. >> both teams are now through to the knockout phase. >> both sides came racing out of the blocks. argentina's magic man blasted into the roof of the net. just a minute later, nigeria equalized. he curled one past romero in the argentina goal, 1-0. but argentina had something up their sleeve. they won a free kick and conjured up something from nothing to put them back in the lead. nigeria needed a draw to make sure they would advance to the next round. shortly after halftime, they were level again. then he headed in from a corner and finished 3-2, with argentina after bleak topping the group. nigeria still go through but they will likely face one of the tournament highfliers, france. >> with us in this doer is art. they are off to a flying start right at the beginning of the game. >> not to take anything away from argentina -- from nigeria, but you can tell that argentina smelled blood. they want to show they are the team to go for, and they were fantastic in this. also you can see how lionel is the man of the match. you can see how his teammate is doing really well, a real madrid player. there is a lot going on here. then there's the other match, that was the game between bosnia and iran. a lot was at stake here. i ran to win in order to get through, but bosnia scored quickly. his teammate got the second goal. iran made it interesting in pulled one back in the first minute. it was three-one final four bosnia. their first ever world cup victory and their rants first ever goal at the world cup. >> we will talk to you little bit later on. >> the world cup has produced controversy with suarez 8 -- facing a storm of controversy for allegedly biting his italian defender. >> fifa is investigating and may suspend suarez. greg suarez has done it again, this time leaving his mark on the shoulder of the italian late in the match. the real damage might be to his image. social networks have gone into overdrive. many have been quite imaginative. and british newspapers have been having a field day, not pulling any punches with their headlines. professionals have also offered their advice. >> it may well be that soccer produces strong emotions, but you still have to be in control of yourself. otherwise we are all going to be killing each other. if it generates a heck of a lot of energy in an individual. that kind of anxiety, energy, and so on can sometimes lead to inappropriate, aggressive behavior. >> fans know that suarez has his quirks. >> it's been unfortunate, but he is actually a brilliant player. >> it's a game of football, not biting. >> very, very foolish. >> war is did not show up for uruguay's next practice. -- suarez did not show up. >> one facebook fan wrote, it is called football, not tooth ball. >> thanks so much for being with us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> it is 9 p.m. here in the french capital. you are watching live from paris. no political solution in sight. nouri al-maliki rejects calls for an interim national government. unexploded and in the lebanese blowsl, a suicide bomber himself up at a beirut hotel. -- eyes france prepares to take on ecuador. we look at what is at stake. nigeria and argentina have