consider this on al jazeera america attacking al-qaeda in its strong hold. shia houthi fighters in yemen make significant military gains against the group. ♪ you are watching al jazeera live from our head dquarters in doha. al jazeera takes you to a key oil town where iraqi forces say they have taken control from isil. protests in the occupied west bank despite a move by israel to ease tension. and the head of the drugs

firm arrested in india over botch botched sterilizations that killed 14 women. ♪ hello, shia houthi rebelling in yemen are making significant military gains in an al-qaeda strong hold. there has been heavy fighting there between rebels and sunni tribesmen backed by al-qaeda. >> reporter: sunni tribesmen on the front line. the fighting has intensified in this pre.com -- predominantly sunni area. this territory belongs to an al-qaeda affiliate. its commanders are tapping into

the deep-seated anger of the houthis. >> translator: it was handed over to the houthis who are now expanding and the americans are helping them. the u.s. launched drone attacks on our positions so the houthis could advance. >> reporter: the houthis are also expanding in an area where most of the oil and gas reserves are located. local tribesmen are preparing for what they expect to be an eminent confrontation with the houthis. some analysts are concerned the fighting could spread across the country. >> [ inaudible ] positive force in forming this central government in sana'a. and instead of focusing on the task to serve the nation, they are going about an agenda that

nobody knows where it comes from, and spreading themselves thin, creating animosities and putting the country at the risk of dissent gags. >> reporter: the army has been weakened by years of instability and its reputation compromised when the houthis intept into the capitol in september. the army is now pushing to take back the nearby oil refinery. they have been trying to break a five-month long siege by isil on iraq's biggest oil refinery. >> reporter: this small act of iraqi pride sends out a loud message. this is the beiji town building.

this military operation has been a blueprint with enhanced cooperation among iraqi units. >> translator: we are proud of the perfect combination of security apparatuses. for this battle which include many forces. >> reporter: with such team work, newer and more sophisticated units have been put to use. >> translator: a quick calculation and isil positions in the north come under fire >> reporter: the iraqi army are still facing stift resistance and their confidence has been boosted by an audio recording where the leader says no amount of american-made weaponry or

coalition air strikes will be able to defeat the group. >> reporter: but the iraqi army patrols wind through the streets here. in other provinces isil is still a formidable enemy. but with gains being slowly made and with the help of coalition air strikes many iraqis are hoping that soon iraqi army like there will be driving through all of the territories isil has taken. david cameron says he will introduce new laws to prevent nationals fighting for isil from returning home. >> new powers for the police at ports to seize pass ports to stop suspects traveling and to stop british nationals returning

to the u.k. unless they do so on our terms. new rules to prevent airlines that don't comply with our no-fly list, or security screening measures from landing in the u.k. we were telling you about the latest gains made by houthis, let's cross over to our hash am. when you were watching your report you were saying the battle is intensifying between the houthis and al-qaeda. why is it intensifying now? >> well, because houthi fighters sent reinforcement. hundreds of fighters joined the fight against sunni tribesmen backed by al-qaeda. we know so far that at least 50 houthi fighters and tribesmen were killed today in heavy

fighting. but houthis say that they now control two major areas. these were al-qaeda strong holds in rada, but the fighting continues. sunni tribesmen are calling for reinforcement and the fighting is expanding. but the houthis say they are determined to fight until al-qaeda is either defeated or evicted from those areas. >> how does the new cabinet play into all of this? the new cabinet that was sworn in just a few days ago. talk about that agenda. >> there is going to take the government some time -- you remember, doreen, just a few weeks ago when the houthis swept into the capitol, the army security forces disappeared. they were sidelined, weekended and their reputation severely undermined here in yemen in

general. so it is going to take some time for the president and the prime minister to ask the newly appointed defense minister to deploy the army and police to maintain security, and to lead in the fight against al-qaeda. the houthis say the moment they see the army and police leading in the security, then they will ask their fighters to pull out of the capitol and go back to their strong hold. the new government has many challenges, the fight against al-qaeda, restoring security, asking the houthis to pull out. it's definitely going to take some time. >> okay. hashem thank you. there has been violent confrontations in the occupied west bank between palestinians and the israeli police. police are firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing protesters. it follows weeks of unrest and

comes as israel lifts age restrictions on praying at the al-aqsa mosque. our correspondent has more from the occupied west bank. >> reporter: you can see israeli security forces trying to disperse the crowd. let me just get out of the picture and show you, again, this is of course a scene that has been going on here for -- for the better part of a few hours, again, as israeli security forces confront protesters. you can see it is a pretty volatile situation as they try to disperse these crowds. these crowds aren't huge, they only number in the dozens, but it is enough to warrant this kind of response. in the background of all of this, of course is concessions made by the israeli government to allow people to pray at the

al-aqsa mosque. many had hoped that that was calm the unrest, but it really hasn't done much. so again, a very volatile situation as palestinian protesters confront israeli security forces. israel security forces who again are firing tear gas canisters, using stun again neighborhoods and really whatever else at their disposal to try to push back the crowds who they have been confronting for quite sometime now. but really it is quite a site to see to see these two sides battle with each other here at the check point, of course, a place which has seen frequent confrontations between israel security forces and palestinians, and yet here we are again with even more violence. well, as you have heard, young muslims are now being allowed into jerusalem's holiest

site. stephanie decker has more. >> reporter: friday prayers have finished, and there is a steady stream of people now leaving the old city. this is the gate in occupied east jerusalem. and the day has passed really without insecond dent. everything is back to normal. there is a market, crowds. any men who wanted to come and pray could do that today. there has been much less of a security presence here as well. you can see a couple of forces up there looking down, but really nothing like we have seen before here in the last couple of weeks, and certainly when things are tense in this area. israeli keen to show a response to that meeting in jordan that it is time to de-escalate the situation here. people here will tell you that they are incredibly frustrated, certainly not only because of the violations as they say that has been happening at al-aqsa

but the whole bigger picture of the occupation of palestinian land. things like this will flair up again and again, unless there is a real resolve to the situation, which is a two-state situation. but at the moment that peace process certainly not looking like it is on the table. guinea has been named as the host for the 2015 african cup of nations tournament. the oil-rich nation replaces morocco. exer toal guinea prohosted the tournament previously. and they automatically qualified as the new host. still ahead on al jazeera, we look at how germany narrowly avoided a recession. i'm lawrence lee in scotland where two months ago people voted to stay in the united

kingdom, and yet now it appears they prefer independence. so could another referendum be on the horizon? ♪ broken dreams: the boing 787 only on al jazera america >> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> this trial was a sham... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation...

>> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy,

♪ress in the new democracy, hello again the top stories on al jazeera. yemen's shia houthi rebels are making significant military gains in rada', an al-qaeda strong hold. dozens have been killed in fighting between houthis and sunni tribesmen who are backed by al-qaeda. there have been violent confrontations between palestinians and the israeli police in the occupied west

bank. police are firing tear gas and stone-throwers. iraqi go forces say they have driven isil out of the strategic town of beiji. the army is now pushing to take back the oil refinery. they have been trying to take back a siege by isil. u.s. president barack obama has urged myanmar's leaders to continue with the democratic reform process. the president said the reform process was facing difficulties, and warned against complacency. >> our reform process is going through -- let us say a bumpy -- a bumpy patch. but this bumpy patch is something that we can negotiate with commitment and them .and understanding of our friends

from all over the world. >> a lot of hard work remains. the process for reform is by no means complete or irreversible. well the army in burkina faso has reached an agreement over a transitional government. the army has been in charge under the self proclaimed leader sitta since the resignation of the president last month. >> reporter: the agreement is significant. it needs a lieutenant colonel has agreed to step down and hand over power to a civilian, but there is no time frame yet. a committee will choose the person who leads the country. until that happens it means sitta is still the man in charge. speaking to activists who lead

the revelation, and they, saying now the politicians are in these meetings negotiating. they all have different interests and agendas. it could be a long while before a name is decided. people are awaiting for the announcement. they are being told it could be as early as monday or could be later than that. they want a name announced soon and hopefully they can start preparing this interim government and move forward towards election in november next year. there have been several protests across egypt. demonstrators have been calling for the army to withdraw from politics. they have accused the military of concentrating too much on politics and forgetting its duty of providing security. al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three journalists who have been detained in egypt for 321 days. they are falsely accused of helping the out lawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their

convictions. baher mohamed was given anned a den shunnal three years for having a spent bullet in his possession, which he picked up at a protest. germany has narrowly avoided a recession. figures released today show a minimal growth of .1% in the third quarter. the statistics office said german consumers had increased spending and exports had also risen. >> reporter: europe's largest economy is growing again, but just barely. still it's enough to avoid a recession. the second-biggest economy in europe, france, was a bigger surprise with 0.3% growth, the first increase this year. it's all relatively good news that could help change investor's mind sets. >> realizing that even france who is lagging with reforms and such then -- even there, the recovery is -- is bound

to -- to -- to set in with moderate rates, but then it reassures that investment like might be justified because euro zone is actually recovering. >> reporter: emerging markets haven't performed as well as hoped for, and that hurts european exports. and then there are are the european sanctions against russia over ukraine, that hurts company's ability to make decisions about investments. and france and italy have been reluctant to implement the reforms they agreed to during the crisis. there is increasing talk that the governments might buy up bonds to help things, but many german mp's are opposed. >> translator: what is important is that we don't leave it to the ecb alone to help the situation. the e.u. government and european

commission now need to address through investment and ending austerity. >> reporter: angela merkel is unlikely to lend support towards any more austerity softening policies. well the head of a pharmaceutical firm in india and his son have been arrested over botched sterilizations that lead to the death of 14 women. nearly 90 procedures were performed in 6 hours. 16 of the patients are still fighting for their lives. police arrested the doctor, and he blamed bad quality drugs. crossing over to new delhi. what is the latest on the investigation and what we can expect to happen. >> absolutely. well as you mentioned, the

director of a local pharmaceutical firm as well as his sop have been arrested. keeping in mind one thing that is really important here is it's all allegations and possibilities at this stage. we have yet to see any formal drug test results. we have yet to see any formal autopsy. those results have not been released to the public yet. so until we have that information, it's quite hard to see where the focus of the investigation will be. but what we can say is it will be a wide-ranging investigation and most likely a long investigation. those responsible for it have three months to come back with a report. >> how is this horrific story being received in india. >> certainly horrific is a pretty concise description of the way it has been received, the news over the last few days

in india. but outside of the people following what happened to the women at the center of this is the debate about family planning in india. it has been a contentious and challenging issue for one of the world's most populous countries. and the question is how will the governance learn from this tragedy, and will lessens be incorporated into family planning and population-control measures. so that's the real key issue going forward here. >> thank you very much. >> getting major economies growing will be one of the things leaders will be talking about in strayia on saturday. but other issues are competing for attention. >> reporter: it's not easy being russian in australia at the moment. there were 38 people from

australia who died in the plane shot down in ukraine. >> somebody in russia is sitting drinking vodka and laughing at this. no one is laughing of this. >> reporter: as brisbane prepares for the g-20 antagonism towards russia is threatening to overshadow the meeting. unable to stop them from coming, tony abbott said he would aggressively confront putin when he got the chance. russia has responded by moving its navy into the sea around australia. >> i think there's a heavy responsible on russia to come clean and return. >> reporter: -- >> right now there is the opportunity to put pressure on

russia to behave more responsibleably as a global citizen. >> reporter: the countries represented make up 85% of the world's gross domestic product. australia's go wants the agenda to be on how to increase world growth, encouraging infrastructure development, freer trade, and preventing big companies from shunting profits around the world to avoid tax will all be themes. >> there will be no single issue that will disinstruct leaders or anyone else from the task of delivering on growth and jobs. >> reporter: but other issues will come up. many are disappointed that australia has said climate change will not feature in official talks. both following the agreement between u.s. and china to cut greenhouse emissions, it will inevitably come up.

australia's government is determined that this meeting stays focused on economics. andrew thomas, al jazeera, brisbane. two months ago the scott lish national party lost the referendum on independence from the united kingdom, yet they are now claiming that separation is likelier than ever. the snp has seen its membership more than triple since september's vote. the first two reports on the fallout from the scottish vote, lawrence lee reports. >> reporter: the scottish nationalists are amazingly confident. no, they do not think talk of independence has gone away for a generation. >> 58% of people are in favor of

another referendum within five years and 66%, a massive two-thirds of people are in favor of another referendum within ten years. so any talk of this september referendum being settled role of the people is nonsense. >> reporter: now many of the 55%, the so-called sighing lent majority admit they might have got it wrong. >> the 55% i think there is a portion that were questioned immediately after the ren ren dumb on whether they made the right decision, i probably was one of them. >> 85% of the rest of the u.k. would really love scotland to stay in the united king doll. >> reporter: the no to independence campaign was offering solemn vows to give scotland more powers.

>> english votes for english laws. >> reporter: yet within hours of the vote, the prime minister was talking about more powers for england. the two months since the votes have seen politics in london desce descend into a sort of chaos with all sorts of bickering, but no sense that politicians want to attend to scotland's future in the way they promised to before the vote. polls suggest if there was another referendum now, scotland would voted for independence. if the u.k. voted to leave the european union, as looks increasingly likely, this man would want another chance to leave the u.k. >> what is your bet? >> if i had to put my money on it, i would say 2018.

>> reporter: in september the english media pleaded with the scotts not to leave. by november scotland isn't even a story. more and more scots it seems are intent on getting their wish. in the united states there is a push in one small town to ban tobacco entirely. they are proposing a blanket a ban on the sale of alto -- all tobacco and nicotine products. the proposed ban is believed to be the first of its kind in the u.s. and the world health organization warns the number of people dying from diabetes each year is going to double within the next two decades. november 14th marks world diabetes day. 340 million people are living with diabetes, but increasing numbers of people are actually developing it.

the w.h.o. predicts by 2030 it will be the world's seventh biggest killer. scientists say there is a clear link between poverty and the prevalence of that disease. ♪ it the challenges to the law are the inside story. the republican cries