as the fighting in northern iraq intensifies, the u.s. carries out more air strikes against islamic state positions. ♪ ♪ hello, you are watching al jazerra live from doha. also ahead, heavy shelling in eastern ukraine despite a ceasefire between government forces and pro-russian separatists. anger in afghanistan as six mena excused of gang rape go on trial. barack obama accused of backing away from promised immigration reform. ♪

♪ the iraqi army says it's launch an offensive to take the nearby damn. iraqi and u.s. helicopters are targeting positions around the city. meanwhile, kurdish peshmerga forguforces have retake be a hi. they fill in june when their fighters pushed inside kurdish territory. jayna rav is live for us in baghdad, how far with the u.s. go in this, jane. well, this one section extremely significant, sammy, because it marks a new front essentiallily. it's the first time since this campaign began that the u.s. is push near the syrian border and it's a particular concern to americans and iraqis where a lot

of it is where i.s. fighters and end with his come back across the order. these air strikes around the damn which the u.s. takes pain says point out is a way of keeping americans safe as well given the possibility of the islamic state group opening the flood gates of that damn, into ex-true think are you important indicating a wired fight here br* what sort of position are sunni tribes taking in this conflict. there are memories of the u.s. having put up a fight with sunni elements in their previous engagements in anbar during the height of the iraq war. >> reporter: you are absolutely writhe. huh different a particularly was one of the really hard fought areas for u.s. marines. they encountered resistence and made allies. when they left a lot of those allies were killed.

now it's the same scenario, in that local officials in haditha are saying they have managed to get some of the local tribes on board and believe that they are willing to fight against the islamic state group. but it clearly does need the participation on the ground. not just these air strikes. but a dynamic on the ground in which tribes and communities that have sided with or allowed the islamic state group to flourish are now turning against them, sammy. >> all right. and we'll leave it there fo. thanks so much. jayna. syrian air forces launch striked on several rebel targets on the syrian side. the planes struck near a border crossing and reportedly did not enter the demilitarized zone. rebels from the front took control of the area late last month. prompting israel to raise its military letter levels. government forces in syria have

also launched air strikes. the strikes left at least 25 people dead. this video leased by rebel fighters is said to show the aftermath of the attack. the strikes are part of a renewed offensive against the i.s. group which occupies large parts of syria. a ceasefire between ukrainian government forces and pro-russia separatists has been breached. a government check point in a port city came under fire overnight. it's the first serious violation of the truce which was declared on friday. harry faucet is now live for us there. i know it's been lively there. can we start first of all with the latest lines coming out about the situation in don everythingdonetsk.harry. certainly. we have another al jazerra team up in donetsk, about an hour and a half north of here. and they are saying that there

is a -- the sound of incoming fire around don everything airport. that's been a contested area in that city for sometime now. even in the run up to the ceasefire and during it. in those areas around don everything, there have been reports of various minor breaches of the ceasefire since it came in to effect on friday evening. local time. but it was here where the most significant breach so far happened overnight our time here when a very heavy, sustained barrage of artillery came in just a few hundred meters way over my shoulder. at a check point on the eastern fringes of the city. it's an extremely heavy attack, much more so than whatever else has happened during this ceasefire period. and now we have been seeing soldiers around here fanning out, tank going is going in to p defensive positions in the fields around here, that's the first time that we have seen that kind of activity so close

to the city. >> what's the overall view, harry, is the east fire still overall holding? are these attacks that punctuate rather than end the sears fire completely? >> reporter: i think the one that happened here is qualitative different than the once elsewhere on saturday. it is at the very least a significantly blow to this already fragile ceasefire, what we aren't hearing yet is reaction from some of the key players, we did overnight hear from the self proclaimed prime minister of the donetsk people's republic on his twitter feed saying that the ceasefire had been breached and that the fighting was continuing even talking about on that twitter feed about take i m.a.r.i.u.p.o.l. and we are not hearing either yet from the president of ukraine, president poroshenko in kiev. not hearing from vladimir putin in russia. people are trying to assess exactly what happened here and

what it means for the ceasefire and the peace process going forward. >> all right, we'll left it there for now, thanks so much harry faucet. palestinian president mahmoud abbas harassed accused hamas of running a shadow government. speaking in cairo, huh bass said he wants a single authority and a single system of rule. he was critical of the way hamas manages gaza and singled out its use of execution without trial. mike has more from the west bank. >> reporter: certainly tension is riding between hamas. the comments made made by mahmoud abbas clearly designed to operate as a warning shot. he's intend to getting hamas to give up a did he agree of control in gaza. a control that he says is being abused at present by hamas accusing it to running a shadow government in gaza. the west bank as well, hamas says a large number of its members have been arrested over the past week amid talk from

various sources of a possibly coup by hamas whip the west bank, so certainly tension rising between the two parties that are supposed to be part of a unity government. critical for mahmoud abbas and his visit to cairo, wide arab support for the plan and the negotiation plan that he intends to make public in coming days. this plan dependent on arab support, but most importantly, dependent on the support of egypt whose relationship with the palestinians has become ambivalent in recent times since the regime change within egypt. so mahmoud abbas attempting to he had did the wider support for his new plan about negotiations given that the u.s. it appears has already rejected his ideas. palestinians in gaza are still in desperate need of humane tar vinnie relief of weeks in to the ceasefire israel destroyed much of the strip's infra structure during a

month-long bombardment. what little remains can't be repaired due to limited supplies. andrew simmons reports from rafah. >> reporter: delivery runs like this are as crucial now as they were in the war. aid agencies still providing a lifeline for 10s of thousands of people. this is free drinking water that is filtered and safe. for those returning to damagedded homes, even when the water supply is working there is often no electrician are tries at this to pump top from ankles -- electricity to pump top from wells. gaza's only power station had been hit reportedly by israeli shells. the treatment man was destroyed a long within generator and purchase bine damage. turbine damage it will take a year to fix and will only provide a portion of the power that was needed. it only had the capacity to give gaza 60% of its power. some of the shortfall made up by

supplies from israel and egypt. >> it was a cal catastrophic situation before war. right now it's more much severe. >> reporter: without a constant power supply, gaza's sewage still going untreated. the coastline is being polluted with outlets like this, pumping out raw sewage 24 hours a day. aside from that, there is a health risk from bomb damage to main sewers. this entire area was filled with raw sewage, sinking down deep through the sand. nothing could be done to repair the pipe, or to treat the sewage for a whole month. there are fears that underground water supplies for a highly-populated area may have been contaminated. >> talking about raw sewage which a whole month was infiltrating that. need somebody to come today, not

yesterday, to start taking samples and give us a solution for any contamination of our boughter sources. >> reporter: that's one urgent need of many. the fighting may have stopped, but little else has changed here. the people have no option. but to try to cope with the hardship. andrew civil ups, al jazerra, gaza. well being coming up on al jazerra, backing down. why the u.s. president has delayed his immigration reform. plus. >> sat on the branch by robbie anderson. 1248 and few critics actually understand what it's about. but that doesn't stop a surreal move friday sweden winning the goad inline at the venice film festival.

♪ ♪ welcome back. let's recap the headlines here on al jazerra now. the u.s. and iraqi army helicopters are striking islamic state group fighters a around the city of haditha, they are trying to protect the security of its damn. it provides waters to millions and the second largest hydroelectric damn in the country. the ceasefire between the ukrainian government and pro-russia at the poin separatin preached the city of mariupol came under fire last night and fire at donetsk. the president of hamas is accusing hamas the running a shadow government. execution without trying. abbas wants a single authority and a single system of rule.

hundreds of protesters in the afghan capital have demanded the maximum penalty for six men accused of gang rape. it relates to an incidents on august 23nd in which armed men dressed as police raped three women as they came back from a wedding. the men are in front of a court right now. jennifer glass is in kabul for us. why is this case in particular, excuse me, attracted so much public attention? >> reporter: well, it was such a brutal case. the case of a gang rape of several welcoming back from a wedding. they were traveling with their husbands. the men were held as the women were raped and when the details became public people were outraged. we have seen demonstrations over the last couple of days. just in the last few minutes the

primary court here in kaboul has ruled that the five men are guilty and should get the death penalty and two men will be set free in an extraordinary fast carrying out of justice here in afghanistan. and also in an open courtroom. we saw extraordinary scenes in the courtroom this morning, one of the women who was raped pointing out her accusers in court. she was in the blue berk as, the all-enveloping blue, but a that you sear women wear in afghanistan, but rather extraordinary to see a woman accusing her rapists in the courtroom and the court very swiftly condemning them. the primary court saying five men will get the death penalty. two men set free saying they weren't there at the time, they weren't involved in the rapes and other crimes. the prosecutor accused them of. they have the right to appeal this very, have fast conviction, but afghanistan has been watching this case very closely, including president hamid karzai who said he wanted to see

justice carried out very quickly. and while he normally doesn't approve of the death penalty, in this case he a proves of it. >> are there any concerns about how much of a free trial and fair process those men received given that there were already calls for even some officials to receive the detective bell are penalty before the court has delivered its verdict? >> reporter: i think there are some concerns here. i have spoken to lawyers here in afghanistan, who were concerned of the fact this these accused were brought out in public. their faces shown in public in a press conference, their faces zone publicly in court as well. but many lawyers that i have spoke to still hail this as a large step forward for afghan justice despite the short comings. the police chief himself said the justice system is flawed here and many times the accused buy their way out of a conviction they wanted this to be very public and see it go to court and that's why it's been

out in the open and so wild not a perfect system, certainly not perfect in terms of the fact that the accused were publicly paraded, many people hailing at least as an illustration that the justice system operating. >> thanks so much, jennifer glasse there. now an egyptian prosecutors has charged deposed president hamid morsi with endanger national security, he's accused of leaking documents for qatar. qatar offered finances during his president a presidency. he was toppled in a coup. morrisemorsi faces several other charges. al jazerra is demanding the release of its three journalists detained in egypt for 350 days. they received long sentences after a trial seen by many observers as politically motivated. they are appealing their

convictions. the u.n. secretary general has raised the case with the egyptian president. qatar's government has confirmed its security services are detaining two british human rights researchers. they went missing seven days ago while researching living conditions for workers. the foreign minute city says they are accused of breaking the law but gave through other details. qatar has been criticized for the condition of the workers getting ready for the world cup. the ministry released the statement saying: the united nation says it supports the commander accuse said of putting filipino troops in danger by ordering them to surrender to rebels of the philippines government says it's time to put an end to its

peacekeeping operations in syria after 45 of its men were kidnapped last week. a report from manila. >> reporter: they are considered one of the most battle-hardened armies in the world. for decades, filipino soldiers have been fighting in wars waged against communist, insurgents and muslim rebels within the country. and they are hoping to be able to use that experience in their next missions. working as peacekeepers for the united nations. several conflict zones all over the world. >> in the goal an heights we deployed our piece keepers and in liberia from the air force and haiti from the navy. >> my motivation in this is to gain experience and multiple -- that is our commitment to the united nations being

peacekeepers. >> reporter: and being assigned as a u.n. peacekeeper brings more than just prestige. for many of them, it's also the compensation that goes with it. they earn an additional $900 a month. that's more than double of what they'll ever make as soldiers back home. the philippine government called it the greatest escape pulled by its troops. refuse to go vendor, filipino troops alluded the rebels by crawling in darkness in what war-torn syria last week. that happened after a 7-hour fire fight against the syrian rebels that included members of the al qaeda affiliate in syria, the el news rah front. it was a standoff that took several days. the actions of the filipino troops they said remember untproebl are term saying it engine dangered the lives of

fijian peacekeepers. >> several conditions are required and one of these is the party to his the conflict to must insure the safety and security of the peacekeepers on the ground. at this points in time, a at ths points in time i don't think that's the case. >> reporter: he has seen how this situation has deteriorated and said his government has sacrificed enough. more than 300 of them are still on assignment there. they are scheduled to come home in october. and according to the president, they will no longer be replaced. they will have a battalion that will not see action on the front line, any time soon. the armed group el shabob

has named a new leader off the former leader was killed in the u.s. air strike in somalia on monday. aid workers say a plans three-day lock down in sierra leone to try to contain ebola out break will only make the situation worse, people won't be allowed to leave their home between september 19th and september 21st. doctors without borders is warning the lock down could help spread the disease, they say new cases might go unattended the government says the shutdown will make it easier to trace suspected cases. >> they may be right in what they are saying but they are only talking about it from a security point of view. what we are more than concerned is the social mobilization.

0.02% of the population, just about a thousand people have been affected by this. we still have 5,999,000 people who have for the been affected. these are the emergency. these are the ones that we must keep safe. activists are accusing the u.s. president barack obama of reversing a promise to reform the immigration system. it's estimated about 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the u.s. in july last year, the republicans blocked a bill to east the log jam of citizenship applications. well, in june, obama said that he would legislate anyway and before the end of summer. but it's now likely to be delayed until after the november elections. kimberly explains. >> reporter: for months immigration activists have marched in protest of what they say is a lack of political wikkoughby the white house to make a decision on what to do about the more than 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the united states.

it's a problem that's been getting worse as thousands of children from central america have been showing up in recent months at the u.s. southern border most arriving without parents saying they were fleeing drug-related violence in their home countries. the white house asked the u.s. congress for $3.7 billion to deal with the problem. but got only a fraction of that, so president obama vowed to force reform on his own and directed his top officials to begin framing an immigration overhaul. >> i expect the recommendations before the end of the summer. and will adopt them without delay. >> reporter: the president last week again said a decision was coming. >> i will be making an announcement soon. >> reporter: but on the flight back to washington president obama changed his minds and now says he won't act until after the u.s. congressional elections

in november to insure that republicans don't further politicize immigration reform. >> i am acting because it's the ride thing for the country, but it's going to be more sustainable and more effective if the public understands what the facts are on immaterial grange, what we have done on unaccompanied children and why it's necessary. >> reporter: fear of losing votes is a more likely reason for the delay, according to analysts. members of the president's own party are at risk and could lose control of the senate. >> you've got democratic candidates particularly for the senate who are very worried about keeping their seats they have been getting through to the white house and saying don't do anything. just hold on. just wait a few months because if you act on immigration reform we could be doomed. >> reporter: activist says are disappointed with the decision saying this isn't about politics but people. >> more than 60% of latino voters know someone who is

undocumented. we are experiencing the effects of inaction and make this is a political football which has been done so by both parties at different times. >> reporter: regardless that inaction will continue. white house officials now say immigration reform isn't likely to happen before the end of the year. kimberly, al jazerra, washington. now firefighters are battling huge wild fires in the u.s. state of california. 700 homeowners have moved to safety neat yosimite national park. emergency crews worked through the night they say around a quarter of the blaze has been now contained. a quirky move friday sweden has won the top prize at the venice film festival. but as phil lavell reports, describing the winner is far from easy. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: they love a surprise at venice. they love something a little

random too. >> a pigeon sat on a branch. by robbie anderson. >> reporter: this was red action in the ceremony as the goldin lion winner was announce are and this was the press area. just look at all those journalists and critics clapping even though very few really understand what this film is about. a pigeon sat on i a branch reflect on the ground existence has touched people here, few actually get it. the not is completely surreal. but it's beautifully shot and many were rooting for this dark swedish comedy, they are happy it won. >> it's great. absolutely great. it's so funny, and so clever. the pigeon is the point of view from which the pigeon saw our little existence and nonsense existence. >> reporter: also a good night for this film. the post man's white knight took the silver lie inning. best director is the other name for that prize. the half drama, half documentary

is set in a secluded part of northern russia, a place that hasn't moved on from its soviet past. some lives never change. the look of silence took the grand jury's prize, this the only document any competition. a very raw look at the impact of the indonesian mass murders of the 1960s the film has been almost universally well reached here. so the oldest film festival wraps up. this wasn't a shock result like last year. it was a feel good. the film that the critics loved took the top price even though they admitted they couldn't follow it. this was a more subdued festival here than last year, fewer people came. less money spent. and those that did come. many now leave with smiles on their faces and a few bewildered puzzled looks as they try to figure out what on earth that winning film was all about. phil lavell. al jazerra, at the venues film

festival. that brings us to the end of this show, you can keep up to date of course with all the news if you head over to aljazerra.com. you can see our front page there with our lead story that ukrainian truce deal shaken by the fighting that's going on. >> we're just going to have to do it, right? i could've chosen better underwear. are you prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice? >> you can do anything except for politics. >> when you kind of imagine what a nuclear disaster would look like, it's something like this. so how long have you been coming and getting pedicures for? >> you gotta take care of these bad boys. >> don't worry mum, everything's cool.