[ gunfire ] viewing the war through isil's eyes. al jazeera's exclusive report filmed with the group as it battles against the iraqi army. ♪ hello, i'm martine dennis. welcome to al jazeera. we're live in doha. also to come in the program. [ explosion ] in syria isil fighters are being pounded from the air, and their advance into the town of kobani is now said to be

slowing. police in hong kong are investigating claims its officers used excessive force against protesters. just a few hundred people, as you can see there, remain on the streets. and a football match between serbia and albania comes to an early and violent end. ♪ now first al jazeera has gained rare access to isil fighters as they battle iraqi forces. the group has killed a number of journalists over the past few months, and it does occasionally allow in a number of select journalists to film their activities. the video you are about to see was fill -- filmed in the

northern part of iraq. imran khan now reports. >> reporter: this is a previously unseen look inside an isil assault. on sunday the group hoisted their bullet ridden flag above a village just outside of the province in northern iraq. the iraqi army sent in helicopter, isil fight back using anti-aircraft guns. isil fighters are confident. they chant god is great. and isil remains, isil expands, the unofficial slogan of the group. but as the iraqi army push closer they change tactics from offensive to defensive, using captured iraqi army humvees as cover they stand their ground. they are in effect using u.s.-made weaponry and armor

against iraqi forces. this isn't an amateur army. isil is well equipped and use tack -- tactics that are familiar to armies the world over. as it gets darker the iraqi army seems to have beaten back the group, and it retreats to positions in villages it still controls. this is typical take control of the town or vailage or retreat to safe havens, surrender isn't an option. in this case the iraqi army were able to push them back, but that hasn't been the case in anbar province where the group have taken more territory. the coalition air strikes don't seem to be making a dent in the group's ambition. leading many here to wonder whether an international air

assault didn't needed. in neighboring syria, u.s.-lead air strikes have intensified, allowing kurdish fighters to make small advances. they have been battling isil in this town for weeks now. just days ago the u.s. secretary of state john kerry indicated that preventing the fall of kobani was not an essential part of the coalition's strategy. >> translator: the fall of kobani would make us very sad, and we would do whatever we can to prevent it. but where they were [ inaudible ] was falling, mosul was falling? >> let's get more from bernard smith who is on the turkish side of the border with syria. >> reporter: the last couple of weeks all we have been hearing coming from kobani is the sound of artillery and gunfire. that has been replaced today by

the sound of air strikes, a series of u.s. coalition air strikes hitting isil positions. the u.s. saying they have hit at least 16 buildings they believe occupied by isil fighters. the fighter trying to defend kobani say the air strikes are making a real difference. when we have been speaking with them on the phone in the past weeks they have sounded desperate. recently they have been more upbeat, saying the air strikes have enabled them to retake three positions around kobani and in the town. so a real feeling here that at the moment the tide might be turning in favor of the syrian kurdish fighters. the u.s. coalition air strikes really having an impact on isil's ability to take kobani. now to hong kong where

police appearing to have beaten a protester on video, will be sacked. this is the scene currently in hong kong. we have this report about after more than two weeks of these kinds of demonstrations and how some of these protesters are starting to question just what they have achieved. >> reporter: the barriers are closing in. in recent days the temporary bamboo gates at this intersection has been subtly moving towards the center. police are calling this area a high risk zone because residents and business owners are angry over the closure of the main thorough fair. the protesters have been

obstructing mayor arteries of the business district. many are now questions how effective the movement really is. >> i think this protest movement has taken a turn for the worse because some chinese officials are now labeling this as a revolution, not a protest. now a revolution needs to be put down, and i think on this point of fact we should all take attention. >> reporter: beijing is watching the scenes very closely, but has repeatly said it's ultimately the hong kong government's responsibility. it is becoming more difficult to predict how the protesters will react. hong kong's government under china has never faced a situation like this before. police are now facing accusations of using excessive force after breaking up a spontaneous protest. reports say there were at least

2,000 protestors at the height of the confrontation. many were blocking a heavily used underpass. this foot sage from a local tv station. it has prompted authorities to investigation accusations of police brutality. the officers involved are accused of handcuffing and beating up the man. the victim happened to be a member of the opposition party. >> the police are supposed to protect the people, but they are doing something else. >> reporter: while the protesters try to hold their ground, it's becoming clearer that as their numbers get smaller, the rift with the go is getting bigger. now a second healthcare worker in the united states has tested positive with ebola. the nurse fell ill on tuesday and was immediately isolated in hospital in dallas. she and the other infected nurse had been treating the liberian patient thomas duncan who died

from the disease last week. 76 health-care workers are currently being monitored for symptoms. the u.n. envoy on ebola is urging countries to give help now or pay the price later. and the world health organization is saying there may soon be 10,000 new cases of ebola every week in west africa. >> it's running faster than us, and it is winning the race. >> reporter: experts issue warning, saying the virus's spread isn't slowing, instead it is increasing its reach geographically and in numbers. >> we stop it now or face an entirely unprecedented situation. >> reporter: there are 1,000 new cases being registered each week in west africa. but the world health organization has warned that will likely increase five to tenfold within the next two

months. and while the virus was thought to be killing half of those who contracted it, the w.h.o. says victims now only have a 30% chance of survival. those who's countries it has affected the most have called for a united approach to stop the outbreak. >> above all, what we require is a sense of hope, a sense that the united nations and the community of nations that it represents will not abandon the fight, will not fail us, and will not relent until the scourge of ebola has been removed. >> reporter: but with theed they has been coming in, it is feared it still may not be enough. >> we either bring all of the possible resources and people that we can muster and make them available to the affected countries so that the outbreak is tackled as energetically as possible now, or we wait and we

see the situation reach the point that w.h.o. have suggested it can, with as many as 10,000 cases a week. and then, we will be facing a much, much tougher battle. >> reporter: almost 4,500 people have now died since the outbreak was discovered at the start of the year, but with limited treatment, fear and sigma in some of the worst-hit countries, the real number could be much higher. the fight is regularly described as a race against time, but it's a race many are now saying we are losing. the best hope may be stopping it in its tracks by finding that ever-elusive cure or vaccine. seen i don't know diplomats from the united states, iran, and the european union are currently meeting in vienna to talk about iran's nuclear program. iran, china, and russia, have

less than six weeks to come to an agreement that would prevent iran from developing nuclear weapons. john kerry is meeting his iranian counterpart, and the katherine ashton. iran insists its atomic prom is for peaceful purposes. the european championship in belgrade had to be dissolved after the match dissoled in into a brawl. >> reporter: this was the moment that sports and politics clashed on the football pitch. a drone bearing an albanian banner flown over serbian players during a qualifying match between the balkan rivals. a syrian player grabs the

banner, albanian players rush to protect it. the match abandoned the players brawling, while supporters envieded the pitch. uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against the teams. after the match an official called it regretful but wasn't taking sides. >> you have all seen what happened, and i cannot comment on who is to blame or what to blame or what happens. i'll report to uefa and uefa will decide on what will happen further. >> reporter: there is no love lost between these two nationalities who have been at war on and off the pitch. serbian fans leaving the stadium on the streets of belgrade, and albanian supporters like these in kosovo's capitol. >> translator: probably the consequences of the war in kosovo here lead to this situation today.

what they did to us there in kosovo, i believe that's the root cause of this and it is not going to end well. >> translator: they show themselves how they historically truly are. a criminal nation. this was a football match and they turn it into a war arena. >> reporter: the albanian team returned home to a hero's welcome. on twitter the prime minister wrote they had given the country pride and joy. where politics and sport intersect, in this case it is politics that appears to have won. still to come, we're following the elections in mozambique. the country in southern africa where many people live on less than $2 a day. women working for some employers in the u.s. are now getting financial help to freeze their eggs so they can focus on their careers. ♪

♪ hello again, these are the top stories here at al jazeera, we have gained rare and exclusive access to isil fighters and their military tactics as they battle against government forces in iraq. the group has killed a number of journalists over the past few months, but does allow a select group to film their activities from time to time. the u.s. says more than 18 air strikes have been carried out against isil fighters in kobani since tuesday. now this is has allowed kurdish

fighters to retake some positions in the strategic town. police in hong kong are investigating claims its officers used excessive force against protesters. only a few hundred remain on the streets of this chinese territory. now renegade journal in libya is threatening to retake benghazi. mohammed val has more on the struggle for libya's second-largest city. >> reporter: eastern libya is bracing for a serious escalation of violence. the former general announced he is about to launch a new offensive to liberate benghazi from what he calls terrorists. >> translator: the here rose of operation dignity, they are now

fully prepared to achieve their goal, namely to liberate the city of benghazi. it is a city worthy of living that has sacrificed, and the lives of martyrs are falling victims to terrorists bullets. >> reporter: the opponents have promised to counter his attack. the group's special brigades that call themselves the benghazi lions released a video in response to the threats. >> translator: we warn of any assault against the household of the revolutionary fighters. the response will be in the same manner with no leniency. you will meet the same fate his soldiers and collaborators have seen. >> reporter: at the end of july they drove the forces from their main bases in benghazi, killing dozens of fighters. the city is now under the control of religious militias.

they have seized large amounts of weapons. on wednesday they called for an armed uprising in benghazi, urging young people to carry weapons and fight the militias. libya has fallen into chaos since the uprising that toppled the former leader. and things got worse after several groups opposed the newly elected parliament, leaving the country in a state of political paralysis. hundreds of police in algiers, the algerian capitol have been protesting for a second day. they are demonstrating outside of the participa-- president's d they want better working conditions. a number of officers in gadire have been injured in fighting. some of the protesting policemen

are expected to be deployed to gadire. . student protesters across egypt have been protesting for a fourth day against what they say is a government crackdown on political activism. this is the scene at a university. dozens of students have been arrested for demanding an end to political arrests and alleged torture of political prisoners. the u.s. state department says secretary of state john kerry raised the case of the three jailed al jazeera journalists whilst he was on a visit to cairo. they have now been detained in egypted for 291 days. they are wrongly accused of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood, and are appealing against their convictions. al jazeera is demanding their immediate release. now israeli police say three officers have been wounded in

clashes with palestinian protesters in jerusalem. there have been protests there for days against restricted access to the mosque. israeli police were trying to clear the site to prepare for worshippers for a jewish holiday. the area is revered by both muslims and jews, but it's in east jerusalem, land illegally occupied by israel. the people in mozambique have been voting for a new president and a new parliament. the international monetary fund expects the economy to grow by more than 8% this year, and more than 60% of mozambiquians earn less than $1.25 a day. so where is all of the money going?

despite the poverty the ruling president is expected to win. the most serious challenger is this man. he is a former gorilla heard who came out of hiding just a couple of months ago. whoever wins will have to ensure that they develop recently discovered oil and gas reserves for the benefit of mozambiquia mozambiquians. tania page is in the mozambique can capitol. >> reporter: the end of the day here, and no widespread reports of irregularities, but the opposition leader was telling me that he had heard in a central province they had run out of ballots and some of the polling stations opened several hours late. he found that very suspicious. it's one of his strong holds, but he did say this election had

the best chance possible of being truly free because of the electoral forms he had managed to squeeze out of the government in signing a new peace deal last year. he spent about 18 months in hiding, waging a low-level insurgency african selling the original peace deal. he has seen a resurgence in his popularity. but the governing party's candidate is still the favorite. he needs to achieve 51% in order to avoid a runoff and to avoid facing a united opposition vote. now in the united states apple and facebook are offering to pay for its female staff to freeze their eggs if they want to. but there is doubt over whether this initiative is the best way to empower women in the workplace. roxana saberi reports. >> reporter: you have got things

to do. goals toaccomplish. and you may not have found the right partner yet. but you want a family some day. >> reporter: fertility centers are encouraging women who can't have kids now to freeze their eggs. >> you can stop time and preserve your fertility for when yao are ready. >> reporter: but the procedure is rarely covered by insurance and it is expensive. now facebook is helping its female employees potentially covering most of that cost. and apple is making a similar offer starting in january. a company spokes women told al jazeera: >> it takes some of the financial burden after -- it's almost like a no-brainer decision to do this, and then feel great about having that sort of insurance policy to pursue a family later on when they are ready. >> reporter: the perk is unusual for companies to offer, and it

may help facebook and apple attract more women. men far outwomen on their tech teams. managers are mostly men too. those ratios are roughly in line with other rivals. but critics say by paying for egg freezing, apple and facebook are encouraging women to focus on work. >> on the one hand it is supporting women to have a family, but it is also sending people a message that our work is the main priority that we should be focusing on. >> reporter: they say it would be better for companies to offer other ways for women to find a balance between work and personal life. roxana saberi, al jazeera. now a saying in the u.s., it's legal for wealthy americans to help sway the election result. but now a group of nuns are trying to fight back. they have taken to the streets to try to let ordinary people know that their voice still

matters. kimberly caught up with the nuns on the bus. >> reporter: it's just after sunrise and the sisters are heading to a political rally in lexington, kentucky. they are coming to tell apathetic elections that the issues of ordinary voters still matter. >> there's a lot of negativity and fear. >> reporter: for months residents have been bombarded with anonymous tv ads paid for which rich donors. the catholic sisters say the conservative industrials are footing the ad in kentucky through a foundation known as americans for prosperity. but it's not just the political right that is flooding this

campaign. it is also the left. both liberals and conservatives are spending tens of millions of dollars to influence the election's outcome. ♪ >> reporter: according to data filed with the u.s. federal elections commission, a liberal group is doing its best to sway the vote. >> cutting social security and medicare may be mitch mcconnell's plan -- >> reporter: one expert says the spending is roughly eight times greater than four years ago. >> a small number of wealthy elites are having an incredible influence on the process, and not only do they change the nature of a debate in an election, you know, they define what is discussed -- >> reporter: and because it is 100% legal, voters say they feel they no longer have a voice in u.s. politics. >> i think the corporations are trying to take over. they are trying to control us. >> as poor of a state as kentucky is, we could have sure

used that money someplace else. [ cheers ] >> reporter: so the sisters are setting up registration drives to inspire residents to vote. they say their efforts are shining a light on issues important to the working class like raising the minimum wage. >> for the first time in a decade or so, we're talking about poverty in our nation, we're talking about the needs of those most left out, and the holy spirit is using it all to hopefully wake us up as a nation. >> reporter: she says america's working and middle class can counter the dark money in u.s. politics if they vote. now a european spacecraft currently orbiting the commit nicknamed cherry jerry, has sent abextrordanaire selfie back to earth. the probe has been chasing the commit for the last ten years.

it's currently about 16 kilometers away. it has been sending a serie of photographs back to earth as it slowly edges closer. find out more about cherry jerry and the rest of the day's news on the website. the ghosts of men and women fill the wards of government hospitals across india. they stare silently - suspended in limbo between the living and the dead. these patients are the infected - victims of a contagion so lethal it kills almost one and a