iraq in turmoil. kurdish peshmerga forces retake three towns from islamic state fighters. hello, you are watching al jazeera live from doha. i'm jane dutton. also coming up, thousand of opposition supporters remain on the streets of pakistan's capital to try to force the prime minister out. gaza under fire - how israel's devastating campaign left parents with a dilemma, with a school your due to start. plus... >> i'm in new york city, where a

south african exile whose liveneded in the 1960s is about to go -- life ended in the 1960s is about to go back to his homeland. >> kurdish peshmerga forces in iraq are reported to have taken three towns east of the mosul dam from islamic state fighters. peshmerga have control of them. they are now fighting to retake the town of telkit. the u.s. has been carrying out air strikes around the dam and the northern city of erbil. several armoured vehicles used by the islamic state fighters have been damaged or destroyed. islamic state fighters are targetting several minority groups in iraq. people in the yazidi community said the u.s. and kurdish forces did not stop them being attacked in the village. 80 were killed. >> translation: they separated women and children from the men,

putting women and children in a hall and the men on another side. they took their ids, cold and property, and took the men, group by group, outside in a village, by cars, and killed them, until no men were left. then they took the women in cars towards sinjar. i don't know where they took them. five have been wounded in fallujah after shelling by the army. residential neighbourhoods reportedly suffered the most damage. iraqi government says it's targetting fighters from the islamic state and other sunni rebels in the city. jane arraf joins me. i want to know about the peshmerga, what they have been doing, how they have been conquering the towns. >> well, it is quite a dramatic assault pushed forward by the peshmerga, the kurdish forces. it happened after the u.s. air strikes, the most concentrated since the u.s. began a week ago.

there were nine launched around the mosul dam, they hit a dozen vehicles and the islamic state group fighters. with that clearing the way they've been able to go forward and take back three towns, fighting continuing for talkaf, which had been lost to the islamic state group. peshmerga sources, senior security forces tell us that they'll continue to push forward on to the mosul dam. with some indicating that they will try at the juncture they are at between the mosul dam and the city itself. and go for a 2-pronged approach, approaching closer to missual. i was going to ask you about the focus and the game plan, and the help they are getting, if any, on the ground. >> well, on the ground they are thought to have u.s. advisors. they've been special forces who have flown in, and who have been assisting and advising.

the main problem is that the peshmerga have not been well equipped and haven't fought this fight. no one has. the main complaint is when they tried to defend 1,000km of territory along the line with the islamic state group in the north, they were basically facing an enemy that had weapons and the arms seized from the iraqi army, and were using essentially light weapons. now they had the benefits of the u.s. air strikes, britain came in with surveillance aircraft to help are targetting and intelligence. they had more support than they did a week ago. what we are seeing is a prolonged and intensive effort to retake the towns that they painfully lost. thank you. islamic state fighters are accused of killing 700 in syria

the syrian observatory for human rights said the victims were from a sunni tribe, when the armed group captured a town. a report that some of the victims were beheaded to other news - pro-russian separatists shot down a ukranian fighter jet over luhansk in the east. a plane was targeted overnight. the pilot managed to eject and has since been found. in berlin foreign minister froms ukraine, russia, france and germany are meeting to discuss the separatist fighting in ukraine. forces have pushed separatists out of large areas in the east, surrounding the strongholds of luhansk and don everybody. kiev says they control the road linking the cities. a rebel leader said they are getting tanks and reinforcements. he said they'll launch an attack against the army. >> pakistani opposition

politician imran khan called on followers to show their strength, as he tries to force the government to resign. imran khan and tahir ul-qadri, cleric, led tens of thousands and demanded the resignation of prime minister nawaz sharif. we were sent this update from islamabad. >> reporter: although cleric tahir ul-qadri and imran khan have not been able to bring in the forces they said they would bring, they have made a tactical move, they are in the capital, occupying two attitudes and the demands are stronger and stronger. tahir ul-qadri issued an ultimatum of 48 hours, expiring monday night. they are saying the government has to resign, there has to be justice for some of his protesters and supporters killed in the city of lahore in june. otherwise he says he will not be responsible for the actions of

his supporters, who met in march on the red zone in islamabad, the sensitive area with diplomatic enclave and parliament. the government is saying it would be a red line. imran khan upped the ante by saying his protesters may go into the red zone, he'll go after the prime minister's house and parliament. the parliament, on the other hand is holding a high-level meeting in lahore. the prime minister is chairing the meeting and there's a policy or a decision likely from the government as to how to deal with this crisis. over 10,000 israelis have taken to the streets of tel aviv demanding the government. the demonstrators called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. protesters demanded that israel end its occupation of the gaza strip. israel and palestinian groups are observing a ceasefire

thought to expire on monday. hamas's military wing threatened to fire rockets. al jazeera has been given access to rocket making factory. they were making rockets in case israel continues the offensive in gaza. hundreds of thousands are sheltering in u.n. run schools. many are forced to find refuge. the school year was scheduled to begin in a week. as ferguson reports, that's been delayed. >> reporter: the gaza girls' prep school is home to 3,000 desperate people. they ran from the homes during the israeli bombardment hoping that the u.n. run school would offer protection. over 200,000 palestinians were packed into the schools. a new school year was due to start.

that has been delayed say officials. many, have no homes to return to. i have 11 children, six of them go to school. the new school year is coming. we don't know where to go. her children attended the same school they are sheltering in. entire families are crammed together in classroom. they queue for schools and playgrounds. teachers like this volunteered to help them until they can return to studies. >> classrooms are turning into makeshift homes. four have been replaced. a large family lived in the room. they created a divider to turn this into something of an apartment so people have somewhere to sleep in here. it's not a permanent solution, and this room should be hosting classes for children. >> around a quarter of a million

children go to the same u.n. schools they are living in. the u.n. says 65,000 have had their homes destroyed. it says it's trying to find a solution to the crisis. >> we will not force displaced people to leave the school. we expect we will have some thousands of families, okay, in our school. we'll consolidate them. >> that may mean families will have to share less space and fewer schools as some classrooms are freed up for teaching. >> around half of gaza's children go to u.n. schools. the other half study in government ones. many are damaged from the fighting, some beyond repair. gaza faces a dilemma. getting children back to school, or providing shelter for their families. let's bring in jane ferguson from gaza. i know you have more to tell us about the schooling crisis.

what is it? >> at the minute we are hearing from the discussions in cairo, those indirect talks are supposed to be starting today. they haven't started yet. both sides - both allegations will arrive this afternoon. they only have today and tomorrow, essentially, to come to a decision to have a breakthrough on the discussion. this ceasefire runs out of the end of the day on midnight on monday night. currently a cabinet meeting is underway. there were some comments made before the cabinet meeting. binyamin netanyahu saying until israel's security needs are met, there'll be no agreement. there were other cabinet ministers that came out and said the issue of the seaport tore gaza, something that the palestinian delegation would like to see. they said that that would not happen, they would not support it, because rockets would come

back into gaza, and hamas could be rearmed from that. hamas came out and said the egyptian initiative discussed in care scro is not something they are happy with, they don't feel their needs are being met. the palestinian delegation wants a full lifting of the blockate on gaza. less than two days together, and no major breakthrough. both sides using strong language to say if they don't get what they want rockets will resume. >> are the politicians confident? >> there's 200,000 palestinians sheltering in schools like this. this is a u.n. school. they were used throughout the hostilities over the last months and weeks, saying that they'd feel safe. they were mainly told to come to the schools some were, of course, attacked but in a large

part many came here for shelters. 200,000 here, sheltering, waiting for news as to whether or not there would be a peace agreement. of the 200,000, 65,000 have no homes at all to go back to. the others are waiting to see if they can go back, if there's peace. for the 65,000, they have no choice, whether there's a peace agreement or not, there's no homes to go to. school term, as you heard in the story we did, is due to start and should have started in a week's time. it is being delayed. it could be imminently delayed, as authorities in gaza try to figure out what to do by those living here, whether they can start the process or find somewhere. this is an enormous crisis. i was speaking to a u.n. official who said after the 2012 and 2009 offensive in gaza, they got the schools up and running in a week. in this case it will take a lot

longer. >> jane ferguson, thank you. >> there has been anti-government protests across egypt. in the capital cairo demonstrators blocked the road in the ramsays distribute, following an anniversary of a crackdown at two protest sites that killed hundred much supporters of muslim brotherhood said the government failed to carry out an investigation into the death. al jazeera is demanding the release of three journalists who have been imprisoned in egypt for 232 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed were falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. in june mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste from given 7-year sentences. baher mohamed got an extra 3 because he had a spent bullet in his possession which he picked up at a protest. still ahead on al jazeera - can shale oil be the answer to jordan's energy problems. we'll tell you about the exploration efforts under way.

and 100 years after the opening of the panama canal, we'll assess the plan to open a rival waterway in nicaragua.

the top stories on al jazeera. kurdish forces in iraq are reported to have taken three towns east of the mosul dam in the islamic state fighters. now they are fighting to retake another town. pro-russian separatists say

they have shot down a jet. the pilot managed to eject and has been found. >> dozens of protesters in pakistan have been camping, demanding nawaz sharif step down, accusing him of fraud a curfew is in place in the u.s. town of ferguson, missouri. police fired smoke cannisters. it follows days of angry protests that have taken place after what policeman killed an unarmed black teenager. jordan is relying on vast shale reserves to meet part of its energy needs. the high cost of extraction makes it difficult to take advantage of the resource. several international companies are trying to make the process easier. we have more. >> reporter: it's a resource that is globally abundant, but

not appropriateliued lied yet. oil shale and corriganic rock, heated and cooled, distilled - it yields oil. in petroleum poor jordan, the reserves are available in 28 locations. among the richest is the government in the southern province. these reserves were discovered around a century ago. no extraction took place. >> the main reason for not exploiting oil shale reserves in jordan was the price of oil. over the years the price dropped two levels, and it was not feasible. nowadays, $100 per barrel, their conditions are available for investing in oil shale. >> several international companies signed multibillion

contracts to capitalize on the oil shale. production could start as early as 2017. >> 270 billion tonnes of reserves are the fourth largest in the world. the country has been importing 96% of energy needs at a cost of one-fifth of its g.d.p. for a decade. >> jordan used to rely on gas for a decade. since, the pipeline has been sabotaged by armed groups. this put the government in a desperate situation to expedite oil shale agreement. each tonne was estimated to contain 120 litres of oil. this is why interest is growing. >> the jordan oil shales are famous amongst the i will shale exclorers, and there's a lot of

published information documenting the properties. >> only the u.s., china and russia have larger oil shale reserves than jordan. if extracted, energy analysts believe it could make jordan's i will reserves larger than those of the u.s., meaning this country could produce 250,000 barrels of oil a day. 20 years after apartheid ended in south africa, the bodies of an exile is heading home for reburial. journalist and activist nat nakasa was forced from his homeland 50 years ago, and died in 1965 in new york. >> reporter: commemorating one of apart ice's many victims, a church. the country shunned him. stripping him of citizenship. now it's bringing the body back to be buried in his home town in

durban. >> do not bury me in egypt, but when i die, bury me with my people. >> a simple stone marked nat nakasa's grave outside new york city for 49 years. he defied the laws, restricting black south africans from mixing socially and professionally with whites. he was forced to love. >> he broke the boundaries and hardships. he managed to be able to be a journalist, able to execute a rite about tristies and the apartheid government. >> reporter: his sister, his only siingling, made the long journey. >> one believed in letting him down. it's crazy.

if you didn't bury your loved one, you had it open. so it's not closed. >> a hero's welcome awaits nat nakasa, as his homeland celebrates 20 years since a first fully democratic election ended apartheid. >> the people at home are waiting for him. >> they are waiting for a patch, for a fighter. for somebody so died to take a stand against oppression. >> it's a bittersweet mix of joy and sorrow here today, as a journey that began for a south african exile decades ago, finally is nearing its end. italy's interior minister is calling on the e.u. to help deal with a record number of migrants arriving on its shores. the country's effort to patrol

the sea and rescue migrants can't go on for a second year. more than 100,000 tried to reach italy in the past. most are fleeing conflict in the middle east and africa. the roman catholic pope wants to improve ties in countries that do not have good ta ties. china and a few other nations do not recognise the holy seer. pope francis said the catholic church was not coming in as a conquerer but as a partner in dialogue. >> a group of victims from the 50 year conflict has given their testimonies, part of peace talks between the columbian government and f.a.r.c. rebels. this report from havana. >> reporter: sat at the same table - victims from all sides in the five decade-long conflict in columbia. indigenous leader lost five

members of her family in an attack by paramilitary forces in 2004. >> our pain, our feelings, our tears and hopes as vuk tips are one -- victims are one. >> reporter: this man's mother and two brothers were killed by f.a.r.c. rebels in 2000. >> we will do everything to honour the loved ones we have lost, to rebuild peace and reconciliation in columbia. >> 12 people from all sides of the political spectrum that lost loved ones to colombian forces, f.a.r.c. rebels and paramilitary groups. they are giving their testimonies to 50 years of violence, leaving tens of thousands dead, hundreds displaced. all sides moving towards peace. >> translation: the best tribute we can give the victims is an end to the violence, and that

the cycle of violence does not recur. at the amount we are willing to reach agreement in compensation, and we agree on guaranteeing justice to the victims' families, who are also victims. >> the newly elected president of columbia juan manuel santos made the peace talks a central plank to his election campaign. >> my campaign motto has been with peace we do more. more jobs, more housing for the poor. that's the way to build peace, not only by silencing the guns. >> two years of trucks reached agreement. they looked at ending involvement. like all the elements in these discussions, the issue of the victims is fraud with difficulties, riddled with suspicion and resentment. all sides are sat at the table. there's hope here and in

columbia of a netted settlement for a long-running and bitter dispute. brazil's former environment minister marina silva has been chosen to replace eduardo campos, who was killed when his plane crashed into a res den sal area in santos. his body has been flown home for a funeral on sunday. nicaragua is planning to build a canal set to rival the panama. it's said the chinese-backed project will boost economy, but critics warn of disaster to the environment. >> reporter: with eyes on the future, these young nicaragua are learning mandarin chinese. classes are free. a government initiative ahead of construction of a chinese-backed

canal. >> for the university students, and recent graduates there are high expectations. >> when we heard the news of the canal, the first thing the young people thought was "i'm going to find a job. >> at around 280km, the nicaraguan canal is three times longer. the plan including deep water ports, free trade sewns and the international airport and a cost of 50,000, the enigmatic businessman called it the biggest building project in the history of humanity. the government says the canal will create hundreds of thousands, transforming the country. >> translation: nicaragua is the poorest nation in the americas with the lowest per capita income. in recent years there's effort to change this. for that to happen we need

projects creating economic growth. >> reporter: some worry about the impact of dredging a channel 27 metres deep through a large leg, and an important source of fresh water. >> every day dozens of ferries carry tourists across nicaragua. many depend on the tourist dollars and are afraid the vital source of income could disappear. environmentalists warn that the construction could have a devastating impact on the lake, riff, rainforest and coastal areas. >> translation: this project puts the country's environment and natural resources at risk for hundreds of years. it's been approved in 15 address. there hasn't been sufficient consultation, and a lack of transparency. while construction is due to star in december, some question whether the canal will be built. with half the cop oulation

living under the poverty line, many are happy to dream. remember, you can keep up to date with all the news by logging on to the website. the address, if you don't know it, aljazeera.com. >> a number of u.s. corporations are claiming foreign countries as their home to save money on tacks. perfectly legal and politically explosive, these tax inversions are want "inside story." >> hello, i'm libby casey.