targetting the islamic state group in iraq. u.s. and government forces carry out air strikes against rebel positions. hello, you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead - heavy shelling in eastern ukraine despite a ceasefire between government forces and pro-russian separatists. anger in afghanistan - five men found guilty of a gang rape sentenced to death. plus... >> i'm harris in la paz bolivia, where modern technology is used to do more than improve the

quality of life of the citizens of this country. . >> we begin in iraq, where the u.s. has carried out a new round of air strikes against fighters from the islamic state. u.s. and iraqi forces bombed sites near haditha in western ambar province, where the iraqi forces and sunni tribe are trying to protect the dam. it's the first time the u.s. targets the sunni dominated area of anbar. >> if you want a remedy for this council, there must be help from the global system. if there is help from the american side, we will target it. >> let's get the latest from jane arraf, joining us from baghdad. what is the latest. are the government troops making

advances? >> they say they are. they say, in fact, that they advanced to retake part of a town close to the city of haditha. now, the city of haditha is close to the haditha dam, the main target. the u.s. says that it has launched the air strikes in support of iraqi government, iraqi government forces, and also to protect u.s. interests. it's the first u.s. air strikes in western anbar, mainly sunni province, since the american military pulled out and iraqi officials are saying that they expect u.s. air strikes closer to the capital, in fact, around the outskirts of baghdad. >> this is the sunni arab heartland. what is the role of the sunni tribes in this? >> well, it's essential, and it's very complicated. the rick yoi government -- iraqi government says it has the backing of some tribes and on the ground in haditha security

tells us that some of the tribes are fighting to support the iraqi government forces to take back some of those towns and defend the haditha dam. this has not always been the case. in other places in anbar, fallujah and ramadi, they pushed out the government forces and in haditha they have the backing of some tribes, and the american government and the iraqi government are trying to do that on a larger scale, and bring the tribes on board. >> jane arraf in baghdad. thank you very much for the update. >> now, there has been fighting in the syrian province. rebels say they are in control of a town in the area. omar al saleh has more. >> reporter: fierce battles in the country side. after controlling the only border crossing in the area, opposition fighters want to seize more military posts belonging to the syrian army's

90th brigade. >> translation: our aim to to control a number of posts. we liberated three important posts already. >> the fighters want to cut off the government supply route between there and the western country side. they also want to secure a new life line for rebel forces under siege for months in the area. rebels aim to bolster the control on the western country side. it is not an easy fight. government troops are holding on their positions, and that means the battle could drag on for days or weeks. but the rebel gains made is providing the fighters with the feeling of the momentum. >> the goal of the battle is to open a route to the damascus western country side, and from there to the capital, god willing. >> reporter: in other parts of the syria the government forces gain the upper hand. the rebels battle in the north.

the government routed rebels from homs, making gains in the province of hama and the damascus countryside. syrian jets are still bombing the areas, and in areas in and around the capital, the syrian army struck reconciliation deals, ending months of siege and construction. damascus is more secured than three years ago when the war started. syria's main opposition seems largely weak and divided, and able to convince western powers to provide weapons to turn the tide against government forces. as for bashar al-assad, his plans are clear. he's started a 7-year term in office with a promise to end the war and defeat what he calls the terror campaign against his country. in world news, a ceasefire

between ukranian government forces and pro-russian separatists has been breached. a check point in mariupol came under fire overnight. rockets were fired. it's a violation of a truce. harry fawcett sent this report from mariupol. >> this is what the current ceasefire looks like in eastern ukraine. shelling coming into the area around donetsk's international airport hours after a bombardment of mariupol to the south. fanning out from mariupol's eastern checkpoint on sunday, for the first time that we have seen, tanks were taking up defensive positions on the border. they are preparing for more of this. overnight in the spot is the first major breach of the ceasefire that took effect on friday. a pounding of the city limits. in kiev, the government insists that the ceasefire is still in force. >> the firing and shelling is a violation of ceasefire conditions. the situation is under control

now. over the last 24 hours we didn't have information about civilian casualties. at the moment we are not talking about a cancellation of a ceasefire agreement. >> for residents, faith in the ceasefire is understandably diminished. >> it's terrifying not just for the people, but the whole city. >> a few minutes later the sound of a distant artillery round had soldiers pushing people back further from the checkpoint. >> in the last few minutes there was a loud thud and the atmosphere at the checkpoint changed. soldiers ran around. we are not clear what happened, but obviously everyone here is very much on edge. officials from the organization for security and cooperation in europe are charged with monitoring the ceasefire. it's a reminder of the magnitude of that task. a reminder for everyone in the contested country that this conflict is not over yet.

palestinian president mahmoud abbas threatened to end a unity agreement with hamas over the way it governed gaza. speaking in cairo, he accused hamas of running a shadow government, and said he wants to single authority and single system. the comments are unjustified. mike hanna has more from jerusalem. >> reporter: strong criticism from mahmoud abbas, on hamas, insisting that they are forming a shadow government within gaza, accusing them of acting against members in gaza in recent weeks and months. they have been - there has been the arrest of a number of hamas members in the west bank, representatives saying that more than 30 people have been arrested by the palestinian authority in recent days. the response from hamas has been muted. this is what the spokesperson for hamas had to say?

. >> translation: the statements made by abbas against hamas are not justifiable. reports relied on are false, untrue and groundless. these reports entail a great amount of justice to the people. these tension-filled statements are no reward for the people of palestine, who stood up to israeli bellagerens. we formed high level talks on all points in order to ensure the implementation of terms of reconciliation. >> reporter: a speaks -- spokesperson said it would be better for mahmoud abbas to deal directly with them, rather than waging the war through the media. calls made in the meeting of arab league followers, that mahmoud abbas is intending, and opening statements of members making clear that palestinian unity was a precondition if

attempts to realise a palestinian state are ever to bear fruition. the government of sierra leone is defending a plan to impose a nationwide lockdown to try to contain the ebola virus. 4,000 people in west africa have been infected since the outbreak began this year. more than half have died. testing for ebola, health workers conducting check-ups in sierra leone. the rising number of cases prompt extraordinary measures. from september 19th to the 21st, no one in the country is allowed to leave home. >> initially a security lockdown, after three days, the government will conversation if the results show that the spread is minimised. we may be tempted to increase the days. >> the announcement caused a backlash. doctors without borders warned a

lockdown could spread fur, because new infections would go untreated. the government says it's going ahead with a tradition. >> we have 5,999,000 people not affected. these are the emergency. the worst outbreak sweeps across west africa. hundreds died in sierra leone. mousse irons are spreading the message of contrition. this catchy tune is hitting the air waves from liberia to the ivory coast as governments tried to contain the disease. the world health organisation said the first vaccine could be available as early as november. >> we agreed that whole blood therapies, and convalescent serum may be used to treat ebola, and that all efforts must

be invested into helping affected countries use them safely. >> it's an effort that can't come soon enough. until then ebola is forcing some countries to go to extreme length to stop its spread. still ahead - new hope in the fight to stop a disease that is robbing nigerians of their site. plus... [ chanting ] ..the seeds of discontent in guatemala. farmers view to defend their crops from multi national giants. stay with us.

welcome back. you are watching al jazeera, live from doha, a reminder of the top stories. u.s. and iraqi army helicopters are striking islamic state fighters around the city of haditha, they along with the kurdish peshmerga are beating back the fighters taking over large parts of iraq. >> there has been an increase in fighting between the syrian government near syria's border near israel. the al qaedalinged al nusra front -- al qaeda linked al nusra front took control of the areas. >> a ceasefire between ukraine and pro-russian separatists has been breached. a checkpoint came under fire, and rockets fired in donetsk. it's the first serious violation of the truce declared on friday.

now to afghanistan - a court in kabul sentenced seven men to death in connection with a gang rape of three women. arm men dresses as police raped three women as they came back from a wedding. the trial was broadcast on television. jennifer glasse has more. >> afghans called for swift justice, and that is what an afghan court gave them. the seven men were convicted to death after a few hours. the judge said there was a string of crimes, murder, robbery and rape that went over a number of incidents, but the incidents that caught afghanistan's attention was a gang rape. it happened on the outskirts of kabul last month. when the details of that came to light. the fact that it was a number of families travelling back from a wedding. the men pulled the cars i side. robbed the men and raped the

women. that outraged afghans. we have seen demonstrations, and the police moved usually swiftly in this case. they brought the men out in public, at a press conference a few days ago. they showed pictures on social media of the women, accusing the men of the crimes, and in court today we saw a number of the victims speaking out against those men. this has been a landmark case for afghanistan. not without its flaws, defense attorneys were not allowed a right to remain slept. some lawyers say it is a step ford for a system that -- forward for a system that many admit are flawed. a police chief in kabul admitted that a lot of criminals can buy their way out of gaol. they said that would not happen, justice quick, as the afghan people have been asking for several men sentenced to death.

police promised three others at large will be brought to justice. the men can appeal, but that will be quick as well. al jazeera's three journalists peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed received long sentences after a trial seep as politically motivated. they are appealing their convictions. you can join the campaign to get al jazeera journalists freed by using the hashtag free aj staff. find out more by going to our special page on the website. an update on a top story. the shaky ceasefire in eastern ukraine. there has been violations in donetsk and mariupol. what has been happening, paul brennan? >> we got back from the airport,

the international airport, held for several months by a small force of ukranian soldiers. what we have seen there is certainly evidence to the fact that the ceasefire in practical terms is not holding here. what we have heard is a volley of explosions, probably a rocket system fired off. we heard that more than one time. there was persistent small-arms fire and the burst of a machine-gun to the east of the airport. all of that would indicate that in practical terms, the cae fire is not hold -- ceasefire is not holding. that said, the security council who gave a briefing insisted although there had been violations, the ceasefire deal had not been cancelled just yet. make no mistake, it's under serious strain all the of what is happening in donetsk, and

with the sustained bombardment that took place in mariupol on the south coast. >> a shaky ceasefire. what are the terms of the cease fire. what would constitute a red line, if you will? >> well, what would constitute a red line is difficult to goin. the terms of the -- define. the terms of the deal is clear. the terms were publiced this -- published this morning, and the terms are as follows, the immediate bilateral ceasefire, and the o.s.c.e. to monitor that ceasefire. both sides disengaged from each other. that is not happening yet. what i can tell you from experience of reporting in this region is not all the forces are professional. there's a lot of amateurs - both on the ukranian and on the

pro-russian side. so there's the participation for a great deal of ipp discipline. the -- indiscipline. the big question mark is whether sustained fire seen in the past 24 hours, 36 hours since the ceasefire came into play is that sustained fire a result of animosity or accidental fire or ill discipline, or is it directed from further up the command chain. it's a big question. i can't answer it, but it is a question that needs to be asked. the ceasefire abided by by the top levels of both sides. >> thank you very much. paul brennan reporting live from donetsk and eastern ukraine. >> now to pakistan, which is dealing with some of its worst flooding in decades. 120 people have been killed and 4,000 homes have been partially or completely destroyed. rescue workers have used boats to reach villages. in kashmir, the death toll climbed to 170, some 2,500

villages have been submurgeed. prime minister narendra modi has been touring the area. 40 million people in nigeria - that's a quarter of the population, are at risk of going blind. they are threatened with a disease that can be contracted by fetching water from a river. this story from northern nigeria. >> reporter: this is the village deep in the jungles of northern nigeria. it's in lush corn fields, and conceals a community that has river blindness, is disease that blind victims. children leading the blind is a common site. this 50-year-old man is a victim of river blindness. >> translation: what hurts me most is i cannot work or help myself. i'm always at the mercy of others. i want to do so much for others, but i can't.

>> also known as river blindness, it's a leading cause of preventible blindness. the fly that causes the river blindness, known as black fly breeds along the river banks and bites people when they grow water or do the washing. up to 130,000 people are believed to have been blinded by the disease in nigeria. >> river blindness caused major destructions for the community. many children are forced to drop out of school to care for blinded relatives. the disease has been a curse. you see young men and women wasting away. they become so week, they cannot work or earn a living. as a result agricultural production dropped significantly. >> efforts are under way to stop the spread of river blindness, including drug administration programs and surgery for those with a chance to regain their sight. >> i think we have gone very

far. considering where we come from, a lot of people at risk of the disease are not only getting the drugs to treat them. they are getting the drugs free. they are getting treatment and we are seeing good signs. >> government, aid agencies and numerous individuals are dedicated to the same objective. elimination of the centuries old courage. >> firefighters are battling huge wildfires in the state of california. several hundred home openers moved to safety near yosemite national park. a quarter of the blaze has been contained. now to guatemala, where some farmers fear multinational companies are going to steal their crops. david mercer reports on the controversy from guatemala city. [ chanting ] >> reporter: chanting seeds are

for life, not for business, protesters take to the streets in guatemala city. the groups are demanding the government retract a law that they believe will open the door to the privatisation of seeds. they say the monsanto law threatens the food supply and good make the poor even poorer. >> translation: we farmer choose the best corp to replant every year, this is how we worked for years. this law allows monsanto and others to patent the seeds. >> reporter: in june guatemala's congress passed the law for the protection of new plant varieties. the decree is meant to protect the intellectual property of those that discovered new plant varieties. using patented seeds could be punishable by fines,

imprisonment or both. analysts say some local seed producers are not in favour of the law. >> it's a positive thing. all the research will be protected afterwards from mann santa companies that come in and take the innovations and patent them themselves. >> they look at it as a good thing. >> innovation has been going on before the law was passed. scientists at the institute of technology created more than 140 improved seeds. many are given to farmers free of charm, to be reusable much none are patented. the head of the institute says legislators should respect a ruling past earlier this year, declaring corn a natural patry moany. >> translation: this puts the known etic diverse -- genetic diversity at risk. many countries are not having to

invest anything or recognise the right of communities working to dommest kate the clients. >> the monsanto law is due to take effect in december. with 70% of the guatemalans growing crops it would be hard to convince people what is good for plant builders is best for the country. the mountainous city in bolivia is unchanged over the centuri centuries, the opening of a cable car system is set to change that. not only it the economy cabin a boost, it's integrating communities. >> at first glance, la paz looks far from the cutting edge of public transport. most parts of the city are unchanged. narrow cobblestone streets are jammed with people and traffic. the dramatic mountains

criss-crossed by well-worn footpaths. the installation of a cable car system changed that. >> translation: time is pressure and hard to come by. we expect to help the customers save 12 million hours of their time a year. but the cable car is about more than just beating traffic. it is about integrating two distinct sectors of la paz society - the poor living here, and the wealthier downtown. the part of the city that sits atop the mountains is home to more than a million people. most are ethnic indians. many live below the poverty line. the arrival of the cable car brought about an economic bonanza. this woman set up a stand to sell fresh orange juice outside the cable car station. that changed her life. >> translation: i was thinking

of immigrating to brazil to look for work. now i don't have to. i can support my sick husband and children, pay my utilities and pay off my debt. that is the purpose of the cable car. to integrate the city's neighbourhoods, making it no freely. >> jamie said she saves two hours a day on her commute to a small book stand downtown. she no longer has to pay for day care, as she can take the baby's throughy in the cable car. even though they cost more than 200 million to build, the three lines are delivering benefits. and a remind are that you can keep up to date with all the news all the time on our website.

aljazeera.com. iraqi army helicopters are striking islamic state fighters. they are trying to beat back the fighters ... president obama delays taking action on immigration. the move unleashing a storm of criticism from his opponents. ceasefire breached - heavy shelling breaks out again between ukranian forces and pro-russian separatists. violently storms sweep the country, leaving a path of construction in its wake. remembering joon rivers. the "new york post" is carried to a waiting hearse. i'm john terrett live in new york city. as a who's who of friends