>> america tonight. tuesday through friday. 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. iraqi forces say they are making gains if their latest offensive against i.s.i.l. fighters around the city of tikrit. i'm jane dutton. the other stories making headlines around al jazeera boris nemtsov shot dead around the kremlin. and around benjamin

netanyahu's controversial visit to the u.s. and we take a look at the forbes list of most wealthiest people. iraqi forces say they are making gains in their latest ordinancive against i.s.i.l. fight centers saladin province north of baghdad. thoapg directaround 20,000 soldiers and militia fighters are advancing on the city of tikrit. it's been under the control of i.s.i.l. since june. jane arraf in the capital city of baghdad, what is the latest jane? >> reporter: troops are advancing, and in towns leading up to tikrit, opposition fighters started in samarra

north of baghdad. there is no u.s. air support but a lot of iranian involvement sunni tribes and iraqi security forces. they have taken a town of aldor and around the outskirts of the city. that city has been evacuated of most civilians but it is still full of i.s.i.l. fighters and full of explosives. let's take a closer look at this battle. >> the city of sala hudin their prize is tikrit. the city is the birth place of the former leader of iraq, saddam hussein.

seezed byseized earlier by i.s.i.l. fighters. >> this is the campaign to liberate the country from the tyranny of i.s.i.l. >> force of around 20,000 have stormed tikrit. shia militias and 2,000 sunni fighters have joined the offensive on sala hudin. but it is feared it could un unfairly target sunnies. the army says it has recaptured the town of dor from those loyal

to i.s.i.l. this video from iranian state tv is set to show the offensive. the commander general guzman suleman, as the town attempts otake back the town. >> i want to take back the statement of iran leading the offensive, what do you read into that? >> reporter: well, part of it is reality on the ground. this is iraqi military that collapsed on the ground. you can hear helicopters but not a lot of disciplined troops on the ground. they are also providing weapons. there have been sightings, of

vehicles that have not been seen before. that is probably why the u.s. is not heavily involved. they have announced they will not provide air support some say they have not been asked. a huge potential for repercussions and sectarian violence. prime minister abadi had meant to be a reassuring message but didn't have aquite that message. >> jane arraf. north of dera. libya's internationally recognized parliament has agreed to return to u.n. brokered peace

talks. the tobruk based faction says only if it is recognized as the sole government. after a series of suicide bombings. the u.n. says political parties are returning to the negotiating table in yemen. previous talks broke down when some parties prefted against what they called heavy-handed tactics, as mohamed vall reports. >> these women are mark of marching dependence the houthi coup. oven acknowledgment is helping. >> translator: everyone is returning to the negotiating

table. >> reporter: those who refused to participate in the takeover, since the coup last month the houthis put the president under house arrest, dissolved the parliament and improved ties with iran, yemen's powerful ally against saudi arabia. expectations of a solution are low. these are negotiations before substantive talks can begin. among other issues the fate of this man hangs in the balance. abdel mansour hadi. he demanded the return to legitimacy. >> they do not know that the dialogue will bring rights to those oppressed for tens of years. the results of the dialogue support a united yemen. >> reporter: hadi got support from gulf countries and elsewhere. the u.s. says he is still the

letting president. >> we strongly support those who are seeking to see yemen completion of the task of the gcc initiative. >> but taking the power back from the houthis is not going to be easy. fighters still hold the prime minister and other yemeni politicians in the capital sanaa. call houthis iran's thution for hire. a separatist in the south-f whether they want to be part of yemen. among all this, the people of yemen are faced with a deteriorating political and security situation. this protest of medical staff was against their colleague and a french woman. hinges on the ability of them to

talk to each other. mohamed vall, al jazeera yemen. why he post office the terms of a potential nuclear dl and tom ackerman reports. >> reporter: as in previous appearances, netanyahu received a warm welcome before aipac this time netanyahu took pains to assure that his differences with obama should not misconstrue his rift. >> israel has been a bipartisan issue, israel should remain a

bipartisan issue. >> nunls, anonetheless, many are describing this as a tactical mistake. they say he's choosing democrats to choose between israel and obama. u.s. secretary of state john kerry signaled that netanyahu should not leak any specifics of a dale that israel may find are unacceptable. >> we are concerned about reports that suggest that details of the ongoing negotiations will be discussed publicly in the coming days. i want to say clearly that doing so will make it more difficult to reach the goal that israel and others say they share in order to get a good deal. >> while obama will not meet netanyahu here they say it should not be exaggerated.

>> it's been a distraction. negotiators are going full speed ahead. what's remarkable is the international eunt unity we have been able to restain. >> forced to dismantle its nuclear program well before it can weaponize. >> israel and the united states agree that iran should not have nuclear weapons. but we disagree on the best way to prevent iran from the best way of developing those weapons. >> he has no intention to get caught up in domestic american politics. but his speech on tuesday should not push to add.

>> .stimulant about their fears for the future. plus, china faces criticism that its crack dun on the illegal ivory trade isn't enough. guns came in. >> murder rate was sky-high. >> this guy was the biggest in l.a. >> i was goin' through a million dollars worth of drugs every day. i liked it. it's hard to believe that a friend would set you up. people don't get federal life sentences and beat them. >> they had been trafficking on behalf of the united states government. >> the cia admitted it. >> "freeway - crack in the system". only on al jaz he's out there. there's a guy out there whose making a name for himself in a sport where your name and maybe a number are what define you. somewhere in that pack is a driver that can intimidate the intimidator.

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>> tomorrow. did the police fail misty upham? >> if somebody did something to my girl, i need to know that. >> was is a case of discrimination? >> we had no help from the police. >> a family pleads for answers. "stolen sisters", an "america tonight" special report. tomorrow, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> hello there again. senior iranian command is reportedly helping to direct the

iraqi offensive and the u.s. isn't providing air support because it says it hasn't been requested. broke down when some parties protested against heavy-handed tactics by houthi rebels in the capital sanaa. benjamin netanyahu will tell congress why he's owned opposed to a neucialgnuclear deal. boris nemtsov was shot friday in one of the most heavily monitored areas of moscow. rory challands what's the

situation there? >> the sakarov center, named against an important dissident. the coffin of boris nemtsov the memorial center started quite a while ago but many are still filing in. representatives of all 28 eu countries have a representative here, the former british prime minister came about 45 minutes ago. we understand the polish

representative was denied entry. after the memorial service boris nemtsov's body will be taken to a cemetery in moscow where he will be laid to rest. >> i'm sure everyone is wondering what happened. his imirl friend girlfriend is being loued to return home to ukraine. >> there are theories why he died but hasn't been significant progress in catching the persons behind it. they are looking at cctv footage, confiscated various bits of evidence and they are making various lines of examination but beyond that we

don't really know much about what's happening in the investigation itself. you're right as you say the girlfriend of boris nemtsov a ukrainian woman anna duritska, has been allowed to return home. she wasn't kept as a suspect but as a significant witness. she was kept for a long time after boris nemtsov was murdered and questioned quite extensively. she has been allowed bass to ukraine. within the option movement friend and associates of boris nesms, they certainlynemtsov, are not encouraged that this will lead to anything substantive. >> thank you rory challands. u.s. secretary of state john kerry warns of further

consequences if ukraine and the pro-russian separatists don't come to full ceasefire. john hendren has the story. >> in principle the ceasefire is holding but there's regular small arms fire. several small shells landed on our side. before we fired back there were greandgrandegrenade launchers who fired on

us. >> translator: the ceasefire from our side we are not just trying we are holding it completely. the fire was because the ukrainian side again violated the minsk agreement and started to open fire. >> a year after the opening the firing continues. the front line continues to shift. in weekend fighting few were killed. few expect the ceasefire to hold. >> we are strengthening defenses in preparation for the next offensive. we are preparing to repel their next attack. >> if they want to fortify the pokses theypositions they have already

gained. john hendren, al jazeera. >> speaking to chief of staff abdel fattah al-sisi apparently talks about taking the residential project. >> i will collect the fee. >> he will take it. >> he will take it but that's the reality you see what i mean? >> a brokered deal between an indigenous tribe and the government. the naza are refusing to leave four sugar cane plantations saying they are part of their ancestral land. alessandro rampiti reports. >> in the allegation of senators

ngo came to the camp to speak with the people to try to broker a deal and avoid the kind of violence we have seen in the past couple of days. accused of using excessive force and brutality. say the naza has a right the these lands. >> the indij indigenous tribes, it is here that the naza's ancestors are buried. this is been their land for time immemorial. >> the naza insist they will not leave no. they recover it. >> they will have to kill us all until they push us out.

we will not leave this land until it becomes ours. >> last sunday the naza and the police reached a temporary deal but everybody hopes these negotiations will help to avoid further violence. >> farmers say they are now forced to sell at blow- below market prices. >> growing cat is what folks in the highlands have done for generations. they complain somali middle men manipulate the market forcing them to sell cheap. >> they want to maximize their profit and they know we have to

other market. they sit down and try to make the maximum of us that's why they lower the price. >> farmers say they used to get $600 a back. now it can get down to only $200 a bag. some doctors say it can lead to insomnia high blood pressure and heart problems. now their biggest and sometimes only market. it is a mild narcotic. the people who use it regularly say they can chew the leave for hours. always puts them in a good mood and helps depress their appetite. lead for somalia's capital mogadishu. many somali cartels who are benefit be approximating.they

must take into requirement their needs. to produce enough for them. unfortunately they are very short sighted can see only the profits they can make. >> so sales resumed but the price war is still a constant battle. >> translator: the problem will persist if the farmers increase the the prices. we insist on paying less. >> reporter: it's nighttime and the vehicles head to capital nairobi. diversifying into other crops could be a solution but it's frustrated the community and changing a way of life is still difficult for some. haru mutasa, al jazeera

mogadishu in the highlands. >> some residents accuse fire services of being too slow in their response. tuesday marks world wildlife day. causes sophisticated network of crime. demand from china has caused a booming smuggling trade the cost of tusks have tripled in the last four years. the number of tusks have quadrupled in the last three years. killing elephants faster than being born. >> their tusks sawn off these elephants perform. four times day.

britain's prince william is expected to be one of the spectators on wednesday. convicted poachers now face the death penalty. environmentalists are cautiously optimistic that china is finally fetting the message about elephant conservation. >> it's important to change the consumer behavior. we have seen them take some steps to doing that. >> one of the steps was announced just days before pris williamprince william began his visit. animal rights is an abiding passion for the prince. who has recruited some of the biggest name in sports for his

campaign. how common on chinese tv. hong kong is playing a role too. this recent haul was one of the world's largest and had been destined for the mainland. while china is the largest importer of smug manied elephant ivory, it's doing what it can to regulate the trade. stockpile the country acquired more than seven years ago are still legal. conservationists want to ban that legal trade because they say it would help to end the legal one. but for now that remains a step too far for china. adrian brown, al jazeera beijing. the financial magazine forbes has released its world's most wealthy list.

there has never been so many. >> bill gates's wealth is now 79.2 billion. 290 people have made it onto the billion air list for first time. most of them from china most of them in the technology sector. the youngest newcomer is also a tech tycoon. 24-year-old evan spiegel is co-founder of snap chat. worth 1.5 billion. he has got a long way to go to catch up with number 2 and 3 on the list. mexican owner mowg mogul carlos slim

and a record number of the world's ultrarich. >> if you want to find out more of those incredible characters including the stories making the headlines, log on to the address aljazeera.com. tonight, special coverage of the new cold war. murder in moscow. just days after one of the kremlin's biggest critics was shot and killed his assassins remain at large, and russia remain loyal to those who are becoming too powerful. who is left to take on vladimir putin. our special coverage begins right now.