♪ >> iraq's new prime minister manages to form a government. not everyone is 100% on board. iraq's kurds say they'll take part but will re-assess the situation in three months. from al jazeera's headquarters in doha. also - sick but nowhere to go. nigeria's ebola treatment centers are overflowing, and there's thousands of new cases. >> india and pakistan helping

those who lost everything in the floods. >> take your military tactics and get out of here. >> america's military tactics under fire. we report on the use of military-grade weapons in the force. iraq's parliament has approved the new government, but the key roles of the interior and defence ministers are yet to be filled. prime minister has been under pressure to form a cabinet, and many believe it's the first step in defeating the islamic state group fighters, who control about a third of iraq. >> reporter: iraq is in danger of breaking apart. the new government is supposed to help bring it together. the reluctant introduction of a cabinet - it was not a great

start. >> i will go ahead and list the names. i respect all of them and am committed to working with them as partners, but i did not choose all these names. despite the fact that the designated prime minister has the right to choose his cabinet, some of the political blocs did not give me that option. >> reporter: for eight years iraq's fate has been dominated by one man, a former prime minister nouri al-maliki. this cabinet has far more political heavyweights, including three former prime ministers. the new prime minister reached out to ordinary iraqis. >> we stand before the will of the people, aspiring to achieve their goals, where we live under the roof of one homeland, enjoying the riches of the lands in every corner of the country. >> reporter: he pledged to continue the fight against the islamic state group. but a government that was intended to reach out to the kurds and the sunnis, left a

faction unimpressed. it was not clear the kurds would show up. when they did, they enlisted demands still to be negotiated, including oil revenue and resolving disputed territories. >> despite the disagreement, the kurdish coalition decided to participate in the government on a 3-month trial basis, pending decisions regarding demands of the region. >> in a rush to form a government by the deadline, three posts were left unfield. two the usual positions of interior and defence minister. they said they would agree on those in the next week. after agreeing to stepdown as prime minister, maliki is one of three vice presidents. >> there is a lot of pressure to put together the government on time. and there was some doubt that the new prime minister could do it. now that he has put it together, the challenge is to convince iraqis, and his own political

supporters that this is a government that can actually be effective. let's go to sue turton, live in erbil, northern iraq. we have seen a government put together. this is a government for which nouri al-maliki was forced out. do people see that this is the inclusive government that many of the factions who feel slightly dismarginalised have been waiting for. >> i think they are hoping that is the case. they are really giving a time limit on it. certainly the kurds said that they will join in and be part of the government, but for just three months, to see whether the demand they have have been agreed upon behind closed doors, whether they come to fruition, and the kurdish representatives said their demands were to do with oil, as jane said, and looked to see that the former oil minister has been demoted to education, and a new mp brought

in, makhdi and is sympathetic to the kurds to have more of the gas and oil revenue. they want weapons for the peshmerga, more to come up from baghdad, and the salaries of the peshmerga fighters paid. one other area - i suppose the area that involves the sunni arabs, because those key groups want decentralization, money put into a local pot to make their own decisions. they have been quiet on the sunni arab side. you could see that as reacting, that they are not a united group, they are dispirit and don't speak with one voice, or that they are pleased with the way the decisions are made and they are keeping quiet and watching how things progress. >> how are the political developments - how are they playing out when it comes to the fighting on the ground, especially when it comes to

sunni loyalties? >> it's an interesting scenario to the south of tikrit, east of tamala where an i.s. state fighter was attacking an area where tribesman were based, and they joined with the iraqi army to fight against the i.s.i.s. you could see this as an interesting development, that sunni arabs are fighting against the islamic state, i would not read too much into this, we are seeing places like amerli, amerli and tikrit, where they were pushed back from the pro government forces. we are seeing many religions harbouring the islamic state fighters, which are coming to areas and launch attacks in the area. insurgent attacks and mortar and artillery attacks. i was with the az eedy refugee camp to the -- yazidi refugee camp, and they are saying they want to leave iraq because of

the sunni arabs. they thought they had a rm relationship with the sunni arab neighbours, but believe they have sold them out. a mixed picture with regards to the sunni arabs rights in this part of the world. >> the united states and britain are sending medical equipment to military personality to help contain the deadly ebola virus spreading across west africa. the world health organisation is warning of thousands of new infections. five countries have been affected, more than 2,000 have been killed as a result of the deadly virus, out of 4,000 cases, meaning the virus has a fatality rate of 50%. now, in liberia, the government extended a night-time curfew to contain the spread of the virus. it's hospital beds are really

needed. >> these people in the liberian capital might have the bowl e -- ebola virus, by the time they find out, it may be too late. because most treatment centers are full. >> they said they have no space, and everything is full, ambulance, no patients. there's no space. >> reporter: at another hospital pregnant women and critical cases are being cared for. new centers have been open in liberia, but counting those, the world health organisation says the capital and surrounding county have half the beds they need. the who is warning that a number of new ebola cases are increasing. most hospitals are overrun, and stopped treating the general public. the virus is infecting the liberian psyche.

artists paint a picture of fear on a mural in mon rovia. former footballer george wayer says the outbreak is changing the nature of the his country. >> there's an epidemic in the fabric of our society. we embrace each other. now, it's taking away the harmonious part of our life. >> reporter: liberia is the worst hit by the ebola outbreak. with nowhere to go, patients have no choice but to go home, carrying the deadly virus with them. and the african union hell its first emergency session about the outbreaks, so in months after the virus spread in western africa, they've been meeting in ethiopia's capital addis ababa. the indian army and air

force have rescued hundred stranded by flooding in kashmir. more than 1,000 victims made it to the camps, and more are stuck in high water with an estimated 2,500 villages damaged. it's been declared a national disaster by prime minister narendra modi. in pakistan, more than 200 killed and thousands trapped by floodwaters there. kamal hyder joins us live with the latest from the punjab province. have the stranded now been rescued? >> [ inaudible ] all right, we apologise. obviously we are having a bit of technical difficulties hearing our correspondent kamal hyder

there from that area. we'll try to bring you back to the story and get the latest on what is happening with the stranded there as soon as we can re-establish contact. to libya, where the u.n. special envoy has visited libya's officially elected parliament in tobruk. he is showing support against the rival assembly set up by armed groups that seized the capital. the parliament is led and seen as religiously conservative. they are now calling themselves libya's dawn. the officially elected parliament in tobruk is led by a former prime minister, who has been asked to form a government. it's seen as more moderate and supports halifa -- khalifa haftar, who launched attacks

against extremists. al jazeera has received a report outlining concerns and a furious situation in libya. we have more from the u.n. headquarters in new york. >> let me read from the second paragraph of this 29-page report. the reporting period witnessed the serious outbreak of armed conflict in tripoli, benghazi, and elsewhere in the country since 2011, in the almost three years since muammar gaddafi was killed. grim reading when you read the report, how it's affecting the people there. rapid deterioration of living conditions, increased crime, water and electricity. it's a country with two parliament, two governments, and more complicated, because there are factions and political players. i think it's worth telling you the other grim statistic in the report is about the people trying to get out of libya, and it's been a route for migrants from other parts of africa.

the numbers of people that arrived from libya, into italy, was 77,000 people, double the amount last year, and another statistic, so far 1,000 refugees from libya lost their life at sea. >> more to come. including... >> i'm in panama city, where the government is trying to combat gang violence. i'll tell you why communities like these say it's not working.

we are in doha with a reminder of the top stories op al jazeera. iraq's parliament approved a new deposit. prime minister has come under reshure to form an in -- pressure to form on inclusive cabinet. the interior and defence minister's roles have not been filled. the united states and britain are sending military personnel to help contain the ebola virus spreading across west africa. there has been warnings of new infections in the coming weeks. >> emergency services are scrambling to rescue people in pakistan and indian-administered kashmir. more than 200 have been killed. and thousands stranded. we can get more from pakistan. kamal hyder reports from waziristan, one of the

worst-affected areas. >> this is what the area looks like after the floods. people retrieve whatever they can find after the homes were destroyed by fast waters that came out warning. many clung to trees to save their lives, others took shelter on the rooftops. infested with snake and dead carcasses of livestock, the river is receding, only to reveal a trail of destruction. one local resident describes what he saw. >> i have never seen anything like this in my life, even though i'm 40 years old, i have never seen so much water. >> reporter: he says he pulled out his family in time. half the people in israeli decided to stay back and look after their animals and valuable belongings, people have lost everything and waiting for help. >> villages have been cut off by large bodies of water.

agricultural crops have been destroyed. infrastructure has been damaged, and many people have been killed in the province of the punjab. >> up to 70% of waziristan is under water. but the emergency is not over. people here face the risk of disease. the flood could not have come at a worse time, just as farmers were getting ready to harvest their crops. now they'll have to wait for another year. the u.s. is investigating allegations that the former ambassador to iraq, and other areas laundered money. the u.s. asked for help in investigating his finances, probing a $1.5 million transfer to his wife's account in austria. many afghans saw him as a de facto ruler after the 2001-led

invasion and the fall of the taliban. the pentagon denies its personnel were among two killed in car bombings in somalia. the rebel group says it's behind the attacks. tom ackerman reports. >> reporter: this was the scene moments after the attack on the african union convoy south-west of the somalia capital mogadishu. a car packed with explosives rammed into a truck, according to the local governor. he said civilians in a mini bus were among those killed. a spokesman for al-shabab's military manned said the target was a military commander training special forces. the soldier and three others were kill. al-shabab said the bombing was in retaliation for the u.s. missile strike on tuesday, which killed the group's leader ahmed abdi godane. in announcing his successor,

al-shabab reaffirmed formal ties to al qaeda, and promised enemies great distress. somalia's government warned citizens to expect revenge attacks on targets. >> the enemy is not far, as we speak. they are around the town. the somali government will eliminate al-shabab from the whole country, bringing the lives of the people back to normal. >> for the past year the pentagon deployed a number of trainers and advisors, and a military coordination cell in somalia, to support african union peacekeepers and somalia forces. >> the arrival marked a return of the u.s. military to somalia. where 18 troops were killed in the 1993 shoot down of two black hawk helicopters, there has been no indication that president obama will risk more casualties in ground operations there. al jazeera is demanding the release of its three journalists

who have been detained in egypt for 255 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed received long sentences after a trial seen by observers as politically motivated, and they are appealing their convictions. ban ki-moon raised the case with the egyptian president. >> the african union passed a new round of sanctions on russia's financial and energy sectors over the crisis in ukraine. enforcement has been delayed while the e.u. assesses whether a ceasefire is holding in the east. ukraine's president used the lull in fighting to visit the region, and is promising to defend it. from donetsk in the east, paul brennan reports. >> the fate of the city of mariupol depended to a large degree on the loyalty of the tens of thousands of steel workers who sided with kiev early in the conflict. it was the steel works that president petro porashenko chose as a venue to express his thanks

and deliver a message of defines to those that would see east ukraine break -- breakaway. >> let everyone know we'll protect our city, region, state. we will not give it away to anyone, anybody. any bit of ukranian land, sovereignty or independence. we are fighting for our independence. >> the fight moves to the negotiating table. and the president knows that dealing with people he has condemned as terrorists will be painful and difficult. the huge monument towering over the memorial plaza in donetsk is dedicated to donbass line raters. the rally was intended to mark the defeat of fascists. it's seen in contemporary terms with kiev painted as the fascist. >> we showed the world we are

not terrorists, we are ready to talk. if they are not ready to listen to us, no one can bury the acts of war. >> there was little mood for compromise from the pro-russian crowd. >> what compromise are you talking about. they came here with war. nobody invited them. people are against them. let them take the troops and peace will return. that's all. >> this man fought for the soviet army in the 1950s. and like many that experienced war and lost, he's saddened by the conflict in the east. >> we old people are sad. russia and ukraine is one nation, slav ebbing. all this disagreed is not war, it's something scary no no one means. >> with terms like donbass terrorism and fascist, it is rooted in the language of extremism, and event such as this serve to perpetuate the gap

between the two sides. some kind of accommodation will have to be found in the weeks and months ahead. peruvian environmentalists and three other community leaders have been murdered in a remote region on the border with brazil. they had been fighting against illegal logging and received frequent death threats from loggers who stripped the region of hardwoods. in mexico city, farmers and landowners are demonstrating against the construction of a new airport. the protesters came from the town, where the president wants to build a new $9 billionaire port. in panama, the president extended an amnesty to more than 200 criminal gangs, and urged members to turn in their weapons, and join job training programs.

we have this report from panama city. >> reporter: hector refuses to let his guard down, even during his early morning workouts. many members of his family has been killed by gang violence. he has a police guard 24 hours a day, after his eldest son who became involved with the gangs was murdered. hector denounced the killers and became a tart. he survived attempts on his own life. other members of his family were not so lucky. he said the gangs made life a living hell for everyone in the neighbourhood. >> translation: they traffic drugs, extort us, steal from us, try to evict us, forcing us to hide weapons or drugs. if we don't do it, they threaten to rape our daughters. they are animals. >> gang activity exploded in panama. since 2006 the number of gang members quadrupled.

90% of the murders were connected to gangs. the president announced an amnesty programme for members who turned in their weapons in july. more than 1,000 participated. >> this playground is in the middle of a battle ground where gangs are fighting for territory. they live in the buildings surrounding the football fields. they have names like baghdad and vietnam 23. despite government efforts to help people get out of gangs, people here say they do not go far enough. tired of the violence, these gang leaders turn in their weapons after committing crimes for years. everything from selling drugs to murder. they are skeptical that the government understands the problem. >> translation: people grow up watching family be killed. that pain stays with you.

>> translation: if the government doesn't give us jobs, this will never end. they need to keep young people busy and give them opportunities, otherwise it will be chaos. >> as for hector, he has no sympathy for those that join of ranks of the gangs. and says only a heavy hand of the government will eradicate them for good. only when that happens will he run without looking over his shoulder. the u.s. congress is due to hold hearings on the militarization of america's police forces. the issue gained traction since the shooting of michael brown in ferguson, missouri. his death triggered protests and the police response was criticized. we take a look at the issue. >> it's an expo that attracts law enforcement agencies from across the country. urban child attracts the military, army, navy and marine corp are here.

you can try out the hardware. >> oh. it's like an expensive paint ball toy you have. >> it's a replica of an m4 where an officer can make it look and feel like a weapon. >> reporter: here it's clear the line blurred between the police and the military. officers tell us for good reason. >> the crux of the matter is in the world and the united states we have nutcases with a soul intent of killing people. >> the expo is one part of urban shield. the other half is training. in this scenario we'll see an assassination attempt on a dignatory. over 48 hours scores of s.w.a.t. teams go through this training event. it's this kind of tactical training that has been crucial, for example, in helping police prepare and respond to an event such as last year's bombings at

the boston marathon. the acquisition of military-grade weapons, they tell us, has done more good than harm. >> on the streets the people don't buy that narrative. oakland, especially, seemed an odd host for urban shield, the police department placed under federal oversight. among the protesters, the mothers of young men shot and killed by police. >> take your military tactics and get out of here. >> my son was cut up. a military weapon - when it cuts through a body, it tears and rips your skin up. my son was ripped up. >> reporter: on this day the activist wins much over the weekend the mayor announced that urban shield will not be held in the city next year. north koreans are marking 66 years since the founding of

their nation. flowers were laid at the statues of communist leaders, kim jong-il and his father. north koreans are expected to pay respects during every national anniversary. if you want to keep up with those stories, head over to aljazeera.com. >> so stop me if you've already heard this one. congress won't play ball with the president on a big issue. president says he'll move ahead without congress then says never mind. well, at least until november. the president, the midterm elections and immigration reform, it's the inside story.