advisory, fast talking content. so try to keep up. we will see you next time "on the listening post." the u.s. launches a new phase in the offensive against islamic state fighters in iraq. ♪ hello. welcome. i am jane dutton live from doha. trouble in the ranks in the palestinian unit government as president mac mood abbas takes over hamas. a breach of the new lee agreed on cease-fire in ukraine as fighting resumes. >> i am harris witbeck in b bolivia where technology is being used to improve the quality of life in the citizens of this country.

♪ the u.s. has started a fresh offenseni iraq expanding it's bombing campaign against fighters from the islamic state group. u.s. and iraqi forces have bombed sites near haditha in western anbar professor where iraqi forces and sunni tribes are trying to protect the haditha dam, the first time the u.s. has hit target did in the sunni-dominated area of anbar. iraqi t.v. says government troops are in control of the northern entrance of the town about 15 kilometers south of haditha. new reports say at least 15 i.s fighters were killed in the operati operation. barack obama is expected to launch plans to go on the offensive. chuck hagle has defended the air operations. >> the iraqi government asked us

for their support in those strikes. second, it was the iraqi security forces on the ground who con received of the operation. they, too, the iraqi security force air force is conducting strikes. haditha vam is a critically important facility for iraq. >> the governor of anbar province has been hurt by happennell after an explosive hit his convoy: he has tweeted saying that he has been slightly injured but is okay. john hendren joins me from erbil. what's happening at the moment, john? >> reporter: well, taditha is the latest spot where gains are being made by iraqi forces but not the only one. the fighting seems to be pretty intention. as you pointed out, people -- intention. the islamic state group is in control after significant portion but iraqi army forces

have taken over control of the haditha dam. the fighting is going in toward the city right now but there are improvised explosives between those two locations and that is one of the reasons why the governor was injured. we are told that the he was hit and it was schrapnel that hurt the governor in that case. so the fighting is intense there, but in tikrit, there is also an attack by shiia forces and the iraqi army on four three sides of that city. then again, there is the city of mozul, the stronghold in the islamic state in iraq. >> that's likely to be upcoming and pesh perfect forces tell united states they made major strategic gains today. we are told they are attacking from both the east and the west. they captured the strategic high ground, mount zertek in the

gasar area that allows them to look down into the valley between there and the city of mosul itself. territory held by a christian down called bartolo. we can expect to hear about significant battles there in the coming days but the hottest spot right now seems to be had i thinka. >> why is thatitha. >> why is that in. >> tats strategic spot 2 two reasons: oil and water. where the oil comes out of the groupt in kirkuk and where it's process in bagee. it has been going after the oil infrastructure in iraq. >> would give them a major financial add vamentage if they could smuggle the oil out. they have been thwarted. when the iraqi army seized control of the dam there, that was also significant because that's the second largest hydro electric contributor to the power grid in iraq and the u.s., the white house said today that it's not just important for

iraqis. it's also important for the u.s. because if that dam were to be dynamited, it could flood as far away as baghdad international airport and that would threaten not just iraqis but many american citizens who live there. >> thank you for that, john hendren. >> current trees of the arab league say the islamic state group is guilty of war crimes. the statement is being made in a draft resolution put forward by iraq. they are meeting in cairo and now, also likely to support the u.s. action against the fighters. the league's secretary has said this group has to be dealt with on several fronts. >> translator: a clear decision for a complete military, political, ideological cult, cultural and economic confrontation. >> palestinian mac mood abbas is also attend that meeting in cairo, trying to win support for a palestinian state within three years. he says efforts are being undermined by hamas and he has

threatened to break off a unity deal as mike hanna reports. >> comments were made burg a visit to chiro where he has held talks with his egyptian counterpart. it follows statements by hamas a number of its members have been arrested in the west bank in a clamp down by the palestinian authority. the response from hamas, though, was muted. a spokesman for the organization saying that abbas will bring up these allegations in direct negotiations rather than in the media. >> these tension-filled statements are no reward for the defiant people of palestine who stood up toitsisi beligrants. we agreed toe continue dialogue on all contentious points in order to ensure the implementation of all of the terms of reconciliation. >> the issue of palestinian unity was brought up in the meeting of ashab league foreign ministers in cairo. speakers insisting a unity government was essential if any

progress was to be made in securing a viable palestinian state. >> it would appear that it's in the interest of all to maintain unity moves. the political reality in this post-gaza war period is that fattah and hamas need to prop each other up rather than move further apart. >> mike anhanna, arizona. >> pro-russia separatists have been breached. there have been explosions near the airport in donetsk, shells have landed on homes near the main rebel-held city and heavy shelling hit a government checkpoint in theport city of mariupol overnight. paul brennan has more. >> the ink was barely dry on the agreement signed in minsk. the guns have not fallencile less than as promised in that ceasefire agreement. the airport, a conflict between the soldiers or the ukrainian forces who were inside the

airport behind me and the pro-russian militia who are effectively surrounding the whole complex. what we have heard is rocket fire going in to the airport complex and mortar rounds coming out. we have set up a little bit further down that road to do our report and one of the mortar rounds rather too close for c e comfort. we had to withdraw. it was being aimed in our direction, too. the bigger picture, though, is where this leaves the ceasefire itself. kiev doesn't want to completely aband on the agreement that was put into place in minsk. the national security council spokesperson on said said although there have been violations, he believes that the situation was getting calmer and that the ceasefire agreement still stood. we haven't had any formal response yet from russia and nor have we had any real response from the pro-russian separatist leadership either. the reality is if this doesn't calm down and if the situation actually escalates in the coming

hours, then frankly, the ceasefire agreement is not worth the paper it was written on. >> amnesty international has given a damming assessment of the conflict in ukraine saying both sides have shown a disregard for human lives. the human rights organization says its documented incidents of indisriminate shelling, torture and murder. >> heavy build up despite the kremlin's insistentions it's not supporting the separatists. amnesty is calling on all sides in the conflict including russia to stop violating the rules of war. >> an afghan court has sent seven -- sentenced seven men to death in connection to a case that has angered the country. prosecutors moved quickly and now they want them hanged in public. gener jennifer glasse reports from kabul. >> the death sentence came after only a few hours in court.

seven men convicted of crimes. it was the abductor, robbery and gang rape of three women on the outskirts of kabul that brought the case to national attention. the trial was broadcast live with a packed courtroom. outside, demonstrators demanded harsh punishment. >> we want the supreme court and the justits system and the afghan government to punish those people as soon as possible so that this kind of thing does not repeat again. >> demonstrators say an attack against women is an attack against the nation. they want justice in the most public rape case this country has seen in recent history. >> afghan president hamid karzi was calling for the death penalty even before the men went to trial. one of the defense lawyers says the police violated basic rules of law and physically abused his clients who he says are illiterate and pour. . >> the security forces and the invest investigative teams

didn't respect my client's basic right to remain silent, dent explain their right to have a lawyer which is against the constitution. >> he criticized the police decision to use t.v. and social media to update the public on the case making the identities of the men public before they went to trial. kabul's police chief posted photographs of the women as they pointed out the men they say attacked them. the men have the right to appeal their sentences. jennifer glass, al jazeera, kabul. qatar's government has connell firmed the security services have detained two british human rights researchers who went missing seven days ago while researching living conditions of workers. qatar's foreign ministry said they were accused of breaking the law but gave fewer other details. major construction projects are underway ahead of the 2022 football world cup but it's been criticized for its treatment of

workers. qatar's ministry of foreign affairs has released a statement saying the security services followed all of the right procedures with the two men. they were treated human tin and detention in accordance with international human rights law. al jazeera is demanding the release of its three journalists who have been detained in e jit for 253 days. mohamm the three received long sentences after trials seen by many observers as politically motivated. appealing their convictions, the u.n. secterian ban kee moon has raised the case with the egyptian presidents. you can join campaign to get them freed by using the hash tag freeajstaing staff. go to the special page on our website, aljazeera.com. still ahead, it's sea leaner anr government in charge in australia. tony abbott's first year in

power. scan musicians use the power of song to warn about ebola in some west african nations take extreme toksz stop it's spreaac spread.

♪ watching al jazeera, a reminder the top stories, islamic state fighters are under fresh attacks from u.s. and government forces in iraq for the first time, the u.s. has bombed sites near haditha where iraqi forces and sunni tribes are trying to protect the haditha dam. a ceasefiretrine ukrainian

government forces and pro-russia separatists have been breached. shells have landed near the airport in donetsk and in the port city of mariupol but the ukrainian defense ministry says the fragile truce is still holding an arab league meeting, pushing for palestinian state within three years but says hamas is under mining those efforts accusing them of running a shadow government. tens of thousands have been demonstrating. they want the government to the step down and cut fuel prices. in the north of the country rosumes. more than 70 people killed in the last three days. live from the capital. sanaa, what is happening in the capital right now? hasham? >> reporter: jane, security forces moved in to camp using

tear gas and water. basically, that i am their aim was to open the main roads that leads to the international airport. that was blocked by the protesters they tell al jazeera some were killed and five others injured when the security forces intervened in that area. the houthis were quick to retaliate saying they would use whatever measures it takes to try to prevent the police from further moving in to the protest camp. >> where does the talks that both sides keep on trying to kick start and rin resolving ths issue? >> reporter: it will definitely put more strains on the talks that are underway now. there has been some back channel

talks between the president and the leadership of the houthis to try to find a way out of the political impasse. the president was trying to offer them some new concessions. they still maintain they want to continue their fight and most of their -- until most of their demands are met, basically they want the government to go, the president to cut fuel prices and they want, above all, they want to have a bigger say in running the country. they want to have full political representation in the government. now, we have to wait and see what happens in the coming hours. we have been getting reports that the president has ordered security forces to appease tension and we have to wait to see what will be in the coming hours and, also, that support s supporters. >> thank you. at least 12 people have been killed in fighting at the libyan capitol, rival armed groups are

battling for control of institutions and assets in tripo tripoli. the former militia fought together to toppel muammar gadaffi. ception his fall, they have disbandnd disbandnd. >> the nigerian army says it killed dozens of boko haram fighters. they carried out al campaign from the capital. the government said it seized heavy weaponry. three soldiers were injured. somalia's government told al jazeera it is committed to fighting al shabaab rebels after renewed threats of revenge attacks. the former leader was killed in ma u.s. air strike. it's announced the appointment of a new leader. this report: >> reporter: al shabaab fighters warned of revenge attacks and mogadishu is on high alert. their leader was killed in the u.s. air striking on tuesday. he has been replaced by another

shadowy commander. the group announced the change of command in a statement on the internet. the government put the military on high alert in preparation for possible attacks on hospital did, schools, and other target did. it says more threats won't deter the fate to go after the rebels. >> current operations led by the government of national forces and african union forces are committed and the aim is to work together to defeat these enemies who are attacking any other neighboring countries. >> gudan became leader after the previous liter was killed in an airstrike in 2008. he raised the group's profiling with bombings and suicide attacks inside somalia and kenya and uganda.

his death is being seen as a major setback for the group. >> i believe it will cause a rift among its ranks. some leaders who were not pleased with his actions may come to surface. this will stir the interests -- serve the interests of the somali government. >> in 2011, somalia's government pushed al shabaab out of the major cities with the hep of the african union soldiers but others say it was a tactical retreat and they have continued bombings and suicide attacks. somali forces have been trying to further reduce the group's influnence on high profile hits. despite government advances, many people in somalia are devastated by decades of civil unrest, not confident these wins will bring lasting peace. al jazeera. pakistan is dealing with some of the worst flooding in decades. prime minister sharif flew over

flooded areas on sunday. 120 people have been killed and many, 4,000 homes have been partially or completely destroyed. until cashmere, 175 people have been killed. prime primary has been touring the area. hundreds of villages have been partially or completely submerged. there has been one year since tony abbott became australia's prime minister, tough on boatloads of asylum seekers and upset environmentalist. >> tony abbot calls this the best speech in the world. since 1994, he has been the parliamentary representative for this part of sidney. a year ago he was elected prime minister. the assessment. >> these current issues, i think

he has handled very well. >> a score out of tep, i would probably give maybe a 4. his commitment was to keep promises though it's taken a controversial deportation of asylum seekers, his government has stopped the boats thanks to mining australia's economy, argues the country's bucket was in crisis. his attempts to cut spending and raise taxes are working their way slowly through parlor. >> he was successful in getting a swing towards his party, he did not manage to get control of the australia upper house, the senate and they have been significantly frustrated with the agenda. >> abbott has managed to scrap an earnvironmental carbon tax. >> that's sproing a coal port near the great barrier reef in an attempt to remove protection from pristine forests has had many saying abbott is an

environmental wrecker. when late last year bush fires struck near sydney the united nations head suggested they were connected with global warning. abbott said she was talking through her hat. >> first of all, i happen to love hats. so i don't take any offense. however, from the international perspective what is astock issuing is it is with against what everything else is doing. >> an h 370 thrust abbott to central stage. he threw his country's full resources at the search of australia's west coast. later, when mh-17 was shot down over ukraine killing 38 people living in australia, abbott led calls for sanctions on russia. >> abbott's government marks a distinction shift to the right in australia an politics, a lienor, some say meaner government. the next two years of his term will determine whether it mellows or hardeps with age.

and drew thomas, al jazeera, sidney. >> the golf of sierra leon is proposing a fwhooiingsd lockdown to try to contain the ebola vitters. 4,000 people in west africa have been infected since the outbreak began early this year. more than half of them have died. gerald tan reports. >> reporter: testing for ebola, health workers conduct mass check-ups in sierra leone. the rising number of cases is prompting extraordinary measures from september 19th to the 21st, no one in the country is allowed to leave home. >> at lockdown but after a period, the government will consider whether -- if the result shows that the spread is minimized, maybe we will increase. >> the announcement has caused a backlash. doctors without borders warns a lockdown could have the spread further because new infections

will go further. the government says it's going ahead with its decision. over 5 million people have not been affected. these are the emergencies, the ones we must keep safe. >> the worst outbreak of ebola is sweeping across west africa. hundreds of people have died in sierra leone. even musicians are trying to spread the message of precaution. ♪ ebola. ♪ ebola. ♪. >> this catchy new tune is hitting the air waves from liberia to the ivory coast as governments try to contain the disease, the world health organization says the first vaccine could be as early as november. >> we agreed that whole blood in convalescent serum may be used to treaty bowl a virus disease and that all efforts must be invested in to helping affected

countries use them safely can't come soon enough. until then, ebola is forcing some countries to go to extreme lengths to stop its spread. jerold tan, al jazeera. >> fire fighters are battling huge wildfires in the u.s. state of california. 700 homeowners have moved to the safety near yosemite national park emergency cruise around one quarter of the blaze has been contained. a move to honor the late venzuelan president, hugo chavez is causing controversy. the lordts rare was rewritten into an odde to the late president and was red at a socialist party convention. the archbishop has den now is ed the rewriting as profanity. >> the city of lapaz has remained unchanged over the isn't trees but the opening of new cable car lines is said to change that. not om has the new transport line given the local economy a

boost, but it's also integrating communities. a report from lapaz. >> reporter: at first glance, lapaz looks far from the curting edge. most parts of this mountain city have remained the same for isn't trees. cobblestone streets are jammed with people. the mountains crisscrossed by well-worn foot paths. the installation of a modern cable car system changes that. time is a pressure and hard to come by commodity. the call car is about more than beating traffic, integrating two sectors, the poor and the wealthier who live downtown. the part of the city that sits

atop the mountains is home to a million people. many live below the poverty line. but the arrival of the cable cart has brought about an economic bonanza. julio set up a stand to sell fresh orange juice outside the cable car station. >>, she said, changed her life. >> i was thinking of immigrating to brazil to look for work. but now, i don't have to. i can support my sick husband and my children, pay my utilities and pay off my debts. >> the purpose of the cable car to inat the time graying making the economy flow more freely. jamie bol says she saves two hours a day in her commute to the small book stand she maintains downtown. and she no longer has to pay for day care as she can take her baby's trolley in the cable car.

even though they cost more than $200 million to build, the three lines are already delivering benefits. harassed whitbeck, al jazeera, la paz, bolivia. >> i want to remind you to keep up-to-date by logging on to our website, aljazeera.com. hi, i'm lisa fletcher, and you are in the "stream." if you buy avocados, chances are you are supporting a mexican drug cartel. we'll break down how one of america's favorite fruits is green gold for organized crime. ♪ our digital producer wajahat ali is here, and bringing in all of your live feedback through