don't do that, good riddance. >> celebrations in gaza after a ceasefire is declared. hamas calls it a victory. israel says it achieved its goals. hello, i'm martine dennis, this is al jazeera. we are live in doha. an american citizens is killed in syria. his family says he wasn't fighting for the islamic state. >> i don't think he was part of

the i.s.i.s. terrorist group. >> afghanistan elections, abdullah abdullah demands an independent investigation. >> handshakes and smiles, little sign to end the conflict as the ukranian and russian president meet. so, after seven weeks of death and destruction, thousands of palestinians in gaza have been celebrating a long-term ceasefire with israel. hamas declared victory over the israeli occupation. israel, for its part, says hamas has now accepted the same deal offered to them a month ago, and much bloodshed could have been avoided. the deal brokered by egypt involves brokering crossings between gaza and israel. that allows for humanitarian aid and materials for rebuilding to come in. >> gaza's fishing zone would be

doubled from almost 5km to nearly 10. israeli and palestinian delegations will continue in direct negotiations in cairo, on more complex issues, such as the demand from hamas for an end to the blockade completely, a calm to build app airport and a seaport, and israel's demand for the group to disarm. andrew simmonds has more now from gaza. 50 long and deadly days of war, and now this. celebrations to usher in another ceasefire. this one, unlike the others, that failed, is meant to stick, bonded by political agreement. while the talking was going on, the fighting was intense as well. at least six palestinians were killed in israeli air strikes. >> and among the palestinian

water fire landing in israel, police said a civilian was killed and six others wounded. first to announce the ceasefire breakthrough was hamas. >> translation: we are here today after long, long days in this battle, considered by the occupation to be the longest and the most violent battle in its history. we are here today to declare that we achieved victory over the israeli occupation. and we have been able to achieve what all other arab armies failed to do. later came ward from the palestinian president who mounted a diplomatic offensive. >> i would like to announce that the palestinian authority accepted the egyptian initiative in gaza, starting from 7:00pm local some time. we hope it's the beginning of

the ending of the suffering of our people, and allowing the much-needed aid to enter. >> after 7 weeks the fighting the easing of the blockade should lessen what was the tlatling of any -- tlotling of an economy. while people are happy about extended fishing rights, issues such as palestinian demand or a seaport and air terminal are being put to one side, possibly for a month. >> this was the most deadly and softly of three gaza wars. could it be over? no one can be sure, and is hamas really able to claim victory? >> not surprisingly. israel can accept an association. >> now that the dust is clearing many are asking why is it that today hamas accepted the same egyptian framework that it rejected a month ago.

ultimately so much bloodshed could have been avoided. hamas in turn says reg ef is wrong. some are celebrating, what do most palestinians in gaza think now. rebuilding their lives, and the gaza strip are both colossal challenges. even if the ceasefire proves to be a permanent one this time. so hamas is claiming victory. what about the israelis. here is al jazeera's jackie roland in west jerusalem. the israeli government is saying that the ceasefire meets israel's strategic objective of bringing peace and quiet back to israel. as far as the terms of the ceasefire go, hamas has, in fact, caved in and accepted the conditions on the table back in july, conditions which at the time they said were not good enough, now which they have accepted. however, this agreement doesn't

address the longer term core issues, notably hamas's demands for a sea and airport and israel's demands to see hamas, palestinian authorities forces take control of security there. these issues are due to be discussed later. as we have seen during previous indirect negotiations in cairo, they have proved extremely difficult, trying to bridge those caps has been very difficult indeed. as a sign of the lack of confidence, the lack of optimism of people who live close to the gaza strip, regional council leaders warned families not to come back to their homes, and said they are not planning on opening schools on september the first. >> now, president obama has again said that he approved u.s. air strikes on the islamic state fighters in iraq in order to protect american citizens there. the u.s. president again stressed that u.s. combat troops

will not return to iraq. >> extremists threaten our citizens, as we have seen recently in iraq and syria. as commander-in-chief, the security of the american security is my priority, and with i.s.i.l. advancing in iraq. i have organised targeted strikes to protect diplomatic and military targets there. it's the size of britain the area that islamic state controls. it held erabbinga for months, and daja, assure and parts of aleppo. iraq's second-largest city, mosul, fell in june. further i.s.i.s. advances have been slowed by the u.s. air strikes. now be hear of an american suspected of fighting alongside the islamic state, has been killed in syria, 33-year-old

douglas mccain was killed over the weekend by rebel fighters with the free syrian army. he was placed on the u.s. terrorist watch list when authorities learnt that he had gone to syria. his family says there's no proof that he joined the islamic state group. >> i don't believe he's part of the i.s.i.s. terrorist group. how can they say that. do they know that? i don't think they know that. i think they are assuming that. like, what if he could have been there like a protestor or something. how can they say he was here supporting i.s.i.s., because my president would support a terrorist group like that. any group like that. you know, he's a humble caring man, like i don't - this is crazy. and a u.s. journalist held for two years by fighters in syria has been reunited with his

family. theo curtis was released. he was taken to u.n. pass keepers at the golan heights. his family said a ransom was not paid. al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists galed in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have been imprisoned for 242 days. they are accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. in june mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste were given 7-year sentences, mohammed badr with an extra three because he had a spent bullet picked up at a protest. >> afghanistan - a deadline set by abdullah abdullah over disputed election results has expired. he threatened to quit after describing the process as a joke. he accused auditors of refusing

to throw out fraudulent ballot papers. his rival claims to have won of run-off vote. >> let's go live to jennifer glasse, following event in the afghan capital. >> abdullah abdullah is saying that the u.n. supervised audit is not up to much, and he doesn't believe in the process. >> that's right. what he - what the abdullah abdullah campaign objected to is the validation process. they say it's one-sided and observers failed to show up at election headquarters on the outskirts of kabul. everything is at a standstill right now. 74% of the votes have been audited. we have a standoff. the abdullah abdullah campaign saying the invalidation process is a joke. they have made demands not met by the united nations.

the united nations says it's taken both parties requests into act when it put together the process. it's supervising the process. the united nations says it conditions to believe that it will be carried out to completion. ashraf ghani's campaign said a few minutes ago that it would not accept any changes to the process, not this far into the process, so we have an impasse for the critical vote to determine afghanistan's next president. all of the assessments point to the fact that christian abbiati has come out the -- abdullah abdullah has come out the lose are. with 70% of quotes recounted, it shows his opponent to have gotten more votes. are these the complaints of the loser in this battle. >> the ghani campaign says that's the case, the reason abdullah abdullah things they are going to lose and will make

excus excuses. we have seen a small portion of the validation count come back. it doesn't take into account the critical boxes that both think are the controversial, those 6,000 or so are being evaluated. and that has been halted. after the second round of elections, preliminary results showed ashraf ghani ahead by more than a million, and that is what triggered a lengthy recount and review of all 8 million votes cast. and this lengthy process to choose afghanistan's new president has damaged the country, the economy is at a standstill. security is a concern. president hamid karzai met with both candidates to express his concern, that they get together and move the process forward. it's a stand still. abdullah abdullah servers failed to show up. the audit is halted. it was a tight deadline. they were homing to have an

inauguration on september 2nd. so the new president could go to the n.a.t.o. summit where n.a.t.o. is expected to decide what a follow-on mission may look like. >> jennifer glasse in kabul. >> the president of the ukraine and russia held their first face to face talks in june. petro porashenko says a plan will be prepared to end the fighting with separatists in the east of the country. >> vladimir putin says stopping the fighting was up to ukraine. that russia would help. rory challands reports from the bell rooushan capital. >> the basic civilities were observed. any dialogue is process. even if expectations are lows. petro porashenko brought a 15-point peace pan. the ukrainian army has been

pushing the separatists in eastern ukraine hard, he's not convinced russia to accept it. >> translation: a roadmap will be made on the basis of a peace plan. we'll try to have consultations through the contact group to reach a sees fair as soon as possible. secured by the representatives for the organization of security and cooperation in europe, who will be able to monitor and verify the ceasefire, which has to be two fided. >> on top of the war, vladimir putin is angry that kiev spurned his union in favour of the e.u. >> in this situation, russia cannot remain inactive. we'll have to, i want to stress this, we'll have to retaliate to protect our markets. in accordance with the cis agreement on trade zone and wta

rules. that means russia is likely to scrap the preferences that remain. the european union, keep to prevent the crisis from creating more economic pain has articulated its proposal for deescalation. >> we called for a ceasefirelinged to the proper management of borders, the importance of len suring human tary efforts reach people -- of ensuring that humanitarian ests reach the right people. >> the army made gains against the pro-russian rebels. the more the fighting goes on, the more the balance of power is likely to swing back in russia's favour. >> that's because ukraine's gas

supply has been switch off. in if this is to be achieved. russia needs to find a middle ground. it will take more than one round of talks to get there. at least of the protest has started. lots more to come here at al jazeera, including... >> what is needed is education that sugar isn't good for you and a toddler that is fat is not healthy, as many think. a sweet tooth helps obesity sore in indonesia, and malnutrition is widespread. >> is russia's appetite for fish good news for iceland. stuart! stuart!

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hello again. let's have a look at the top stories at al jazeera. palestinians in gaza have been celebrating a long-term ceasefire after 7 weeks of death and destruction. israel says hamas accepted the same deal offered a month ago, and much bloodshed could have been avoided. a u.s. national expected of being an islamic state fight are has been killed in syria. he was on a u.s. terrorist watch list. in afghanistan the deadline set by abdullah abdullah over the disputed election result ex-pirate. he threatened to quit the audit into the election after

describing the process as a joke. three russian citizens were killed in a u.n. helicopter that crashed in south sudan. the government says rebels are to blame. the mi 8 helicopter crashed south of bentiu. the european union says a crew member is being treated for injuries. the government is battling for control of oil fields. >> with two days left in the latest round of talks, there's no sign of a deal on a transitional government. on monday east african leaders gave them six weeks to reach an agreement and endorse a roadmap for the formation of a unity government. the rebel leader refused to sign. we have this report from the ethiopia capital. >> reporter: regional heads of

state signed documents to push forward a process with little pros. the heads of states endorsed a protocol on the formation of a traditional government in 45 days. the roadmap reeds that the head of state and government is the same, until a general election. the prime minister will be appointed by the rebel side and must be accepted to the president. his powers and duties will be netted in the talks. the prime minister will not be lible to contest -- lible to cop test. the rebel leader refuse to sign that document. >> we have never refused it or said we don't want to talk. it should be something that you impose. we need something that the parties commit themselves too. >> the chief mediator told me the roadmap is a walk in process, and just forms the

context for the next round of negotiations. >> we have to understand what are the main issues, the principle of the opposition for not signing it. we'll focus op interest positions, which is moving the process forward, enter into a staible transition arrangement. and beyond by establishing an elected government for south sudan. >> the governmental authority on development which is mediating the courts threatened sanctions if the 45-day deadline is not met. it's in its final week. the warring sides have yet to meet directly. this latest round of talks ends on saturday. the session has been shrouded by mistrust and koougss, a blame game that has stalled the process. >> these talks are the only

chance for those caught up in a pludy conflict that many are hopeful will sustain pressure and so they can go home and rebuild their lives. now, the united nations is voices concern about coordination efforts in fighting the ebola outbreak. three canadian lap waters have been evacuated from sierra leone after cases from delivered in a hotel. health workers are paying a price. unprecedented numbers have been affected by the disease. at least 240 health workers contracted the virus. 120 have died. >> heavy death toll among health workers depletes a vital asset in the control of any asset. in the three hardest-hit countries, only one to two doctors are available to treat 100,000 people.

mostly in urban areas. >> police in peru have confizz kate three tonnes of co-cape. the drug worth $70 million is en route to spain and belgium. the peruvian president saw the conclusion of the undercover investigation. eight mexican and peruvian nationals were arrested. >> an infamous assassin has been freed from prison in columbia. a former chief hit map for cocaine copying confessed to 300 killages, including a presidential candidate. he was released after helping prosecutors convict a form justice minister. fishermen in iceland are split over whether they'll see benefits of being left off a russians sanctions list. moscow banned the import of fish from australia, canada and the european union, and the u.s. and

norway. now, iceland is seeing an increase in demand from russia, but as kim vinnell reports, some are uncertain if the boom will last for long. >> reporter: this fish processing plant is on the up. the family-run company based in the small fishing town employs local staff and processes more than 100 tonnes of mack ril a day. news russia could be about to place a large oil is welcome here. >> it was fantastic. we are capable of delivering well. as much as we can, and ready to do it. >> iceland has indicated it is ready to meet russian demand after moscow banned the e.u., u.s. and others from importing a variety of food products, including fish. down at the dock, not everywhere is convinced there'll be

long-term benefits. >> this ban that russia is imposing on other nations in relation to the mackerel will make it difficult for us to export the fish in other markets, other than russia. >> fishermen fear other market will be flooded. echoed by the is landic union representing fishing boat openers. >> it has a doup site. if the companies - the country is not allowing export to russia, they might be basically forced to increase the supply, in areas like europe. >> the key, critics say is to maintain strong alternative export lengths. >> fishing is a key industry in iceland. contributing 11% to the cross domestic products. russia is one of iceland's biggest export markets. >> economists are keen to develop that relationship. but for now the idea that moscow

could become a bigger goldmine is being put on ice. >> now to indonesia where many people are malnourished and bizarrely others suffer from obesity and diabetes because of their love of sugar. indonesia's addiction do the sweet stuff shows no sign of ending soon. >> reporter: it's not a question if you want sugar with your tea, but do you want tea with your sugar. yon easterns are famous for having a suite truth. 20km are consumed per person, per year. more than most asian companies. the result is an increase in obesity in indonesia, where at the same time malnutrition is

prevalent. 12% of children are over weight. organizations like the big community are asking the government to create awareness. what is needed is education that sugar is not good for you and a toddler who is fat is not healthy. local sugar mills can't keep up with demand. some call this white poison. too much does more harm to your body. many inton easterns are not aware of the implications. health experts fear the worse. >> some are talking about a time bomb. changing live stifs and -- oo lifestyles and fast food lifestyles. >> dib eat yits, for example --

diabetes, the prevalence is doubled. this will consume a huge amount of the budget. health system and draw it away from other needed areas. for example, in preventing and treating childhood diseases. extremely concerned. >> while the government said it has started an awareness campaign, there's no legislation for food labellingment sugar produces denied responsibility. we need energy, we work hard. our bodies will not get sick. we only get sick if we consume too much sugar without doing physical exercise. >> reporter: to prevent the health crisis habits have to be changed, which means swapping sugar for a healthy alternative and getting more exercise.

you can find out more about indonesia and, indeed, the rest of the world that's figuring in today's news coverage on the website aljazeera.com, and you can keep up to date with developments in gaza as people turp out on to the streets in celebration. ♪ california and the rest of the southwest are so short of rain, it isn't just making lawns brown and leaving boat docks high and dry, it is changing the earth's crust. it never rains in california. it's the inside story. ♪ hello, i'm ray suarez.