take a new look at news. the battle iraq army fighters win back control of a major oil refinery and the key isil command center. ♪ ♪ good to have you with us, i am david foster you are watching al jazerra. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. the president says he well stay in power despite violent protests over an attempt to extend his 27-year rule. russia agrees to a multi billion dollar deal to turn the gas back on for ukraine,

safeguarding supplies for europe. and thousands of homes flooded in argentina after heavy rains. ♪ ♪ well, we start in iraq where the army is fighting hard to take back important territory from the islamic state of iraq and the levant. government forces are battling towards the town of bei just a minute which is an isil command center 200 wheels north of baghdad. in the town itself the north of the town is the refinery. the iraqi army controls part of it, by they are trying for force isil out altogether 67 this is what most of the fighting against isil now looks like, street to street in deserted neighborhoods. isil fighters are just a few hundred meters up the road.

this is less than 20-kilometers south of iraq's large he felt oil refineries and an isil command center. the offensive it take beiji has lasted two weeksing so far, this special forces unit of the iraqi army has made gains and the commander says he's confident. >> translator: as we advance, we have manage the to if you would i clear the town. after securing these towns wail move to the nearby town. and then the goal is to reach the city of beiji. now we are in sweep mode and holding the ground in these areas. so far we have gained control over these territories and expelled isil fighters. >> reporter: although the fighting looks chaotic. there is a plan here. rapid deployment unit is taking the road and pushing isil fighters slowly out of the town. this is a pattern we see quite a lot here in iraq, first the special forces go in along the main road and then they fan out

and take the villages and town that his surround that main road. then we see the iraqi army coming in, consolidating the positions and plan for the next offensive. this footage was shot on wednesday and the government says the town is now fairlily under army control. but beiji the city and the oil refinery are the next prize. the hope is to take them from isil and weaken the group and with the help of coalition air strikes that prize may well be in sight. imran kahn, al jazerra, baghdad. he has been in power for the past 27 years, now the president of the state in west africa faces his biggest threat insisting he's going nowhere. as the compromise he says he will stay in power for a year under a transitional government. this is after a day of violent protests demanding his resignation, the demonstrators are angered by his attempt to extend his 27 years in power.

and set fire to parliament and government buildings. at least 10 people tied in the protests which have moved to a second city know. army has imposed a state of emergency in the capital. >> reporter: angry and determined, thousands of protesters march towards parliament where legislators remember considering the motion to extend the president's rule beyond 2015. >> translator: this is not a history of political parties. it is the story of this nation. it is a choice for the african continent today in africa there is a germ that is growing and we want an alternative for africa. >> reporter: the vote was later canceled but the protest continued. the demonstrators broke through police barriers and set fire to parliament. police responded with water cannons and tear gas and hundreds of people were

arrested. the military announced emergency measures, including the formation of a transitional government. >> translator: the national assembly is dissolved. the government has dissolved. a transitional body will be put in place in consultation with all parties. this will create the conditions for a return to constitutional order. which is expected in no more 12 those. >> reporter: he has ruled for the past 27 years, to many he's the only president they have ever known. it's his attempt to further extends his term in office that is prompted mass protests on the streets of the capital. >> i think this will be a strong message that he cannot carry on. so he will have to make room for grooming a successor aura laying his party to take the necessary steps to find someone else who would be the next candidate for the next elections. >> reporter: tuesday marked the start of a civil disobedience

tumpane called by opposition parties. thousands of people took to the streets. some carried banners comparing the president to ebola. the virus that killed nearly 5,000 people in the nearby states of liberia, guinea and sierra leone. the u.n. secretary general is so concerned about the deteriorating situation that he's asked his special representatives to west africa to visit the country as a matter of urgency. victoria, al jazerra. rausch and ukraine have signed ideal so that russian gas exports can resume throughout the winter. european union managed to broker the deal signed in brussel despite the fighting in eastern ukraine. the russian energy giant turned off the taps last summer because it says ukraine owed 4 1/2 billion dollars. >> translator: this descension we have taken today will provide the energy security of ukraine but also secure the supply of gas towards the european union.

>> translator: russia has comprisessed ocompromise comproe prize in order to establish eyes the situation in ukraine, we are convinced that our future relationship will be constructive and that our agreements will be pull filled. >> rory is live in mass could you for us, is this about two parties being prepared to put aside political and territorial differences because one needs the money and the other needs the gas? >> reporter: well, you would hope that given the amount of time that all of the parties have spent on these negotiations that everyone would be satisfied. this particular round lasted some 30 hours of talks and then there were all the discussions that have been stretching back for months. so you would hope that everyone got something out of this deal. but like every hard-fought deal. every hard-fought negotiation everyone has made a compromise. here is the deal.

basically, ukraine is going to settle its already existing gas bill to russia which is some $3.1 billion. it's going to pay for that. it's also going to prepay for gas totaling $1.5 billion, taking it through until in march. now, the price that it's paying for that is at a big discount from what russia was initially asking for. it's going to be paying $378 per 1,000 cubic meters until the end of the year and then $365 per thousand cubic meters until march. so everyone is, i think, sort of giving some ground. the energy minister for europe says this is the first sign of a that you twine these two countries. so a great deal of hopeful but, of course, this deal only takes us up until march. there is another round of negotiations that will have to

be done to settle a much more longstanding gas settlement. >> thank you, that's rory in moscow. the fight in eastern ukraine -- rory, thank you very much indeed. the fighting in eastern ukraine has led to the closure of most factories in that region there are plans to reopen and nationalize the mines and factories to funneled the new government. let's see if if hamid who went to a couple of factories. >> reporter: it's a heavy machinery fact are where pro-russian fighters set up workshop. it belongs to the ukraine's richest man. its facilities have been mobilized as part of the separatist war effort. no one here wants to be recognized the matter is too sensitive they say. >> translator: instead of building a factory from scratch.

we are using what is available. we started as volunteers, but now we have to become a regular army. if you want peace, you need to prepare for war. >> reporter: much of this war trophy was ceased from the ukrainian army. the mud is still fresh on some of the tracks. tanks are cleaned. and repaired. layers of armored protection are then added. soon they will return to the battlefield. but under the colors of the donetsk people's republic. the enclave the separatists have carved out in eastern ukraine. technically the factory still belongs to its owner even though he says he has no control on what's going on here at the moment. but there is a risk that after the separatist lexes he could lose at least part of his business, pro russian separatists are eyeing such companies for their economic survival. they have hinted that they could be nationalized once their new government is in place after november 2nd. >> translator: we don't want to

rely help and have to keep asking for it. we have our people to consider. if big businesses take this on board then we will do business with them. if not, then we will deal with them in a radical way. >> reporter: coal mining and the steel industry are the bedrock of the economy in eastern ukraine, there is still some production going on, but at a minimal capacity. separatists are cash strapped and can't pay salaries and pensions. essential if more people are to return to their jobs. >> translator: we get food rations that's how we survive. i don't know where it comes from. probably russia. they don't pay us right now, i don't know how my pension will be paid it's not yet clear. >> reporter: a deed was struck to sale 60,000 tons of coal to crimea, now an ex-s by russia, to get it there the fighting needs to stop. in the meantime, the conflict continues to stifle the economy. al jazerra, donetsk. still adhere on al jazerra,

a commander of syrian opposition forces says his fighters are now in control of most of the syrian border town bow ban i. we'll be live on that border in a few minutes from now. and israel reopened the mosque compound after clashing following the shooting of a rabbi and hits suspected attacker. >> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy...

>> this is another significant development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live...

top stories for you here on al jazerra. the iraqi army battling isil fighters in the city. beiji it has a sprawling

industrial complex partly controlled by aisles including the aisle refinery there. iraqi forces are now making efforts to retake this. at least 10 people have been killed and 60 hurt during protests against the president in bur couple of na faso after the parliament building was set on five they placed a approximate kerr true. russian gas exports can resume throughout the winter the even u. managed to broker the deal despite fighting still going on eastern ukraine. it's ideal that insures gas will will be supplied to even u. countries. fighters are now in control the most of the border town of kobane, fighting in its sixth week let's go live to bernard smith who is in turkey close to the border with syria. as some claim, this, considering

we have very little details about what exactly is happening there. >> reporter: well, david, i think essentially, as far as we understand, there remains something of a territorial stalemate, isil forces control perhaps the eastern part of kobane, they say as much as 40%, no sign is going to under estimate how much control they have and it's very difficult to have precise figures about all of this. the stalemate, though, maintained essentially because the kurdish fighters haven't got the heavily weaponry they say they need to push isil back. it's the air strikes that have pretty much kept the status quo. but there has been one of the free syrian army commanders who is fight ago long -- who are fight ago long istanbul and plaining to the media there how he thinks the lie of the land

is. >> translator: as of now the syrian opposition kurdish forces control over two-thirds of kobane, controlling several eastern neighborhoods, especially the street zone. >> reporter: now, we mentioned to you yesterday that 10 fighters were from the iraqi peshmerga had gone in to kobane on a bit of. [ inaudible ] they have now come out and been holding meetings with fellow fight ores their strategy. and we understand that the peshmerga, when they go in, they will look after the fighting in the east of kobane, that's where it's been at its most intense. while the syrian kurds and the free syrian army fighters will look after the south and the west. that makes sense because most of the fighting has been on the east, the peshmerga are trained fighters, it will give some break as well to exhausted syrian-kurdish fighters and the per mega will be able to use that heavy artillery that they have brought with them. the heavy weapons against isil in the east. the syrian kurds long saying, david that, they believe with

the heavy weaponry they are push isil out of there. >> good to hear from you, bernard smith there on the syria-turkey border. u.n. security council held a briefing on the humanitarian cries let syria. the new peace envoy introduced the idea of so-called incremental freeze zones as way to ease the fighting. our diplomatic editor james bays reports. >> reporter: every month the u.n. security council hold a meeting about the situation in syria, and every month it gets even worse. >> the human sufficient sufferia is worsening. the number of people killed and injured in nearly four years of conflict are staggering. >> the collective punishment inflicted upon civilians is appalling. >> reporter: also briefing the security council the new peace envoy stefan, the man taking over the job previously held by former secretary general kofi anan, and by veteran diplomat. [ inaudible ] after the open

session in front of the cameras was over, he then briefed council anybodies in private, his new plan a bottom up approach starting in perhaps the a hleb owe area what he is calling incremental freeze zones, local cease fires in effect, although he's not using that term as so many cease fires have been broken in the past. you talk about these free zones, local ceasefires, i am told you told the council they could be drops of hopeful doesn't syria need much more than drops of hope? >> as you know very well by experience main droppings can produce a lake and a lake can produce a sea, we have to start somewhere. >> reporter: what us proposing are relatively small michigan your honor whether you can all incremental freeze zone or ceasefires they will still be tricky to negotiate in war-ravaged syria.

israel reopened the al-aqsa mosque. and it was closed by a palestinian accused of shooting a rabbi. the funeral was held on thursday night, he was killed by israeli police after a raid on his home. a report now from occupied ice jerusalem. >> reporter: stones, stun grenades and tear gas. they have all been used in several neighborhoods across occupied east jerusalem. there has been violence here for months. but it flared up on thursday after israelii police shot dead a palestinian man, they accuse him of trying to kill a far right jewish activist the day before. israeli investigators removed the body of the man from the roof of his family's home. his father and brothers were arrested and take then to custody. his sister described what happens. >> translator: the israelis shot and then beat him. they threw water all over him and a water tank, they then

broke glass on him. >> reporter: since then, tensions have run high. there is a major security presence across most most neighborhoods in occupied east jerusalem and many people here are concerned as the protests continue to grow in size and intensity, the situation could spiral out of control. police took the rare step of shutting the al-aqsa mosque compound, israel i officials say the decision was made after far right jewish activists urged supporters to go to the site in response to the shooting of the rabbi. glick, who was born in the u.s. had led a campaign for jewish people to be allowed to pray at the mosque compound which is the third holiest site in islam and holiest place in jew dayism. the palestinians oppose it. >> translator: we condemn and refuse the israeli escalation in jerusalem over the holy shrines

we will take all legal measures to hold israel accountable and to stop these repeated attack because the continuation of israeli aggression and dangerous escalation will calls more violence, the israeli government is responsible. >> reporter: the palestinian president took the criticism one skip further and described the closure of the al-aqsa compound as tantamount to a declaration of war. the situation here is far from a war it's still an intense fight being fought in neighborhoods like this one. >> and we can join him now outside the damascus gate which is where there is a security checkpoint to get to the compound as we can see people getting searched pretty there arely before they get this. and rules about who can actually go in. >> reporter: in fact the entire area leading up to the old city has been cordoned off by the police here. as you can see pretty strict checks going on right now behind

me. the only people that will be allowed to pray inside the al-aqsa mosque compound for the friday prayers will be men over the age of 50. most women of all ages, but these restrictions that have been put in place on who can go in to pray at the al-aqsa mosque and, indeed, checks like this, if you speak to palestinian on his the street they say what you sigh right here behind me is a form of collective punishment. that the actions of the few is ultimately felt by the many. felt by pretty much everybody who wanting to to al-aqsa mosque and pray. and they say these restrictions like this is an example of that punishment. whatever the case, the situation right across occupied ice jerusalem remains extremely tins, of course, only yesterday we saw pretty fierce fights between palestinian youths and israeli security forces in several neighborhoods. but that's really been bubbling now for several months since before the gas war, but really

since this latest flare up there is a lot of concern particularly from the israeli authorities that the situation could spiral out of control. >> yeah, thank you very much indeed. reporting from occupied east gentleman ruus limb. the u.s. is voicing its concern over egypt's decision to create a buffer zone on its border with the gaza strip. about 800 homes are being destroyed along the 10-kilometer border in an effort to curb arms smuggling. the u.s. state department says it's worried about the impact on local communities but said it backed egypt's right to maintain security. al jazerra continues to demand the immediate release of our three journalists who have been behind bars in egypt now for 307 days. peter greste, muhammad fahmy and bahar mohamed are falsely accused of helping the muslim brotherly they are and al jazerra rejoke the charges leveled against them.

floods in argentina mean a state of emergency around boy en eras. daniel has been seeing some of the damage done after record-breaking rainfall. >> reporter: it seemed like it would never stop. 140 mill meet nurse just a few hours. more rain than usually falls in a whole month. thousands of homes flooded minutes of people evacuated. power lines came down. and for many, life simply stood still. >> we have rescued lots of people, at least 200. many waited until the last minute to be rescued to try to protect their homes which made things difficult for us. >> reporter: severe flooding is become being over more frequent in al jazerra. this last year in the city. here they suffered heavy flooding in 2012.

but this is worse. >> we have lots everything, fridge, bed, clothes, furniture, the mattress my disabled son sleeps on. who is going to help me replace all of this? >> reporter: the family has been evacuated to a relief center in a dry part of town. while he tries to see what he can salvage from the wreck i believe. >> translator: the authorities did nothing. the neighbors say it's always the same. but i never thought it would hit us this hard. >> reporter: the sun is shining now, but the waters are still rising. wrecking holes and ruining lives. and even touching the steps of argentina's most important religious shrine, the basilica behind me. the defenses it seems were simply not enough. the authorities said they had taken precautions but were surprised by the sheer amount of rainfall. the combination of climate change, agricultural practices

that deplete natural defenses ds and an inadequate preparation have left many here worried that they have to get used to disasters like this one. al jazerra. well, what are called the midterm elections already held in u.s. next tuesday two years after the presidential election hence midterm and all 435 seats in the house of representatives are being contested. so too one-third of the senate. one of the so-called battle ground states for democrats and republicans is georgia. and it's from there that kimberly sends us this report. >> reporter: at georgia's decatur boxing club the trainer's class fights through the frustrations of their state. these boxers have jobs but georgia has the highest unemployment rate in the u.s. 7.9%. and few here think politicians will change that. >> i think that over all the candidates are dealing with ideology, as parties instead of

necessarily being concerned with the needs and desires of the citizens of georgia. >> reporter: the two candidates sparring in the senate race have become a focus of national attention. it is, say the polls, a statistical dead heat. that's made it a marquee fight in the national political arena. that's because georgia is considered a battle ground, or swing state that, means no single candidate or party has overwhelming support here. that makes it found grabs for both democrats and republicans. the winner in georgia's election battle could determine which party controls the u.s. senate for the next two years. currently, it's run by democrats. but republicans need just six seats to become the majority. so both parties are pouring millions of dollars in to slick attack ads to help their respective candidate win. >> and move jobs to china. david purdue, his world doesn't include you. >> reporter: the democrat candidate is accusing her opponents of outsourcing local

jobs. the republican says his rival wilin flick on the state what he called president obama's job-killing policies. but georgia isn't the only swing state. there are nine so-called battle ground states in addition to georgia that are too close to call. so both sides are pushing supporters to vote early. with the majority of u.s. states firmly in one camp or another. these swing states matter because. >> that's where the actual campaign is fought out. in a battle ground state every vote is extremely valuable. candidates are willing to practically sell their souls to win and the parties are backing them up. >> reporter: the national tension on this local election has members of the decatur boxing club feeling jaded. >> i think they are focusing on the politics of the day and we need more focused on the politics for the people. they got million dollars problems when i have 20-dollar problems, it's kind of -- that's a pretty funny thing about it. >> reporter: the other funny thing about this georgia battle, is that it might not be over on

voting day. in a fight this close, if no one candidate earns a majority, there will be a run off vote. that means the outcome of the u.s. election may not be known until early january. kimberly, al jazerra, atlanta. and whether to down grade a long list of crimes from the felonies to misdemeanors, will the punishment fit the crime, it is inside story. when meshes were rivered