>> iraqi forces retake parts of the tikrit as they battle to push isil out all together. >> also coming up on the program ahead ofprogram. the head of nato as the u.s. announce new sanctions. and gunmen ambush two advance carrying millions of dollars of jewels along a french

highway. >> thank you for joining us. iraqi government forces and thea militia are advancing into the city of tikrit. their hall of aim is to capture the city from the islamic state in iraq and the levant. they're pushing towards the street which leads into the center of the city. this video shows troops and militiamen along side heavy military vehicles in the neighborhood. recapturing tikrit would give forces a supply link in the offensive against isil in the major northern city of mosul. stephaniestephanie dekker reports. >> reporter: this is northeastern tikrit. the iraqi army are trying to

push isil out of the city. >> we want to tell the iraqi people that tikrit will be liberated and retaken from isil terrorist groups. they started to retake the city to liberate it from isil groups. from there we shall advance to mosul. >> a freelance journalist shot this footage interior al jazeera on wednesday. tikrit is controlled by isil. the city is on the highway linking baghdad to mosul further north, which is isil's stronghold in iraq. progress has been slow because of boobie traps and. >> despite my injury and called by my commander to leave the battle i told him i would not leave. hopefully we'll take the city today. so far we're in control and we

have the upper hand with no casualties as of yet. just slight injuries. >> but there are fears if tikrit falls, militia will take revenge on sunni population who have been seen as collaborators of isil. the iraqi army is the majority shia. there are around sunni tribesmen involved in this offensive. tikrit will be an important test. not if they can fight off isil all together, but whether they can keep the peace after doing so. >> after the response, isil fighters have launched a series of suicide-bomb attacks on army and security positions in ramadi ramadi. five people were killed in the attacks including two police officers. one of the bombs exploded near a bridge in the western part of

the city. and kurdish sources say isil fighters have taken control of the village in northern syria. it's reported to be part of a large isil push to seize the area itself. fighting has been going on for weeks after they try to take nearby towns and villages. meanwhile, secretary of state john kerry says this is a pivotal our hour for the country to step up against isil. he has been urging congress to grant barack obama new powers. >> we simply cannot allow this collection of murder murderers and thugs to achieve in their group their ambition. which includes, by the way most likely the death or submission of all those who oppose it. the seizure of land, the theft of resources the incitement of

terrorism across the globe. the kidnapping and attacking people simply for what they believe and who they are. >> let's talk about this in more detail. i guess all this news we've been talking about of the push into tikrit to push back isil has been good news. but when you go to the enemy of my enemy is my friend, how do they see that racially in iran racial--usually on the ground ground. >> they're takinging a pragmatic stance. general martin dempsey told the senate foreign relations committee that in his few anyone who fighting against isil is doing the right thing. i'm paraphrasing there but he did say once the fight against isil is over, he said that the u.s. and other countries are

very much concerned about what sectarian strife could result because of all these different countries and groups coming in to try to push back against isil's influence. but he did suggest that that's a long-term issue, something that he felt that military leaders particularly here in the u.s. would have time to game out. >> so there is still a push to try to get these new war powers for president obama. how close is he to getting them, and how would he use them? >> it's not really clear barbara, how close they are to actually getting this authorization actually put into a formal bill, debate it, vote it on, and send it to the president's desk. it could be a quick process, a lengthy process right now there is just no way of knowing. let's consider this. u.s. and coalition forces started airstrikes on isil targets back on august eighth. so we're already eight months

into this situation. and there is still not been any formal legal authorization. one would have to question whether or not the sense of urgency here in the u.s. congress is actually there. >> but that's interesting. because we heard obviously the u.s. is also embroiled in tensions with russia over eastern ukraine. now that they're seeing i guess the iraqi forces taking of isil, which is something they always wanted to see, how much of a priority do you think they see the fight against isil as? >> well, they still consider it a very very key priority. it's probably the u.s.' top defense and national defense priority right now. just because we're seeing these positive developments happening in tikrit on wednesday does not mean that the pentagon believes that the iraqi military is fully capable of fighting it's fight by itself. they are already looking at bringing in more u.s. forces to

help provide training and support for these troops. part of the reason why they need this legal authorization is to basically codify, put into writing exactly what it is that these u.s. forces would be able to do, partly in order to have legal cover and partly to get political cover. they want to make certain barbara, that people here in the united states, who frankly are tired of war under the very limited mission that the obama administration wants these troops to have. one other point they also want this legal authorization because as we heard from general dempsey and the secretary of defense ash carter, they don't want the next president in 2017 to be dealing with the kind of open-ended war which they say barack obama was handed when he came in to office back in 2009. >> roslind jordan in washington, d.c. thank you.

[music] >> the international monetary fund has signed off $17.5 billion loan aimed at helping ukraine's economy avoid bankruptcy. nato has accused russia of continuing to arm separatist fighters in ukraine's east. they called on russia to leave the territory and honor the minsk peace agreement. more than 6,000 people have been killed in eastern ukraine since the conflict began nearly a year ago. >> we have seen and still see russian presence and strong support for the separatists in eastern ukraine. we have seen the delivery of equipment, forces, training, so russia is still in eastern ukraine. they have over over a long

period supported the separatists. >> the u.s.-imposed sanctions on eight pro-russian separatists who are accused of causing conflict in the eastern ukraine. there have been sanctions on the russian bank and national group. they say they will deliver humvees and drones to ukraine. let's go to fred who is in moscow for us. >> it is a symbolic political statement by the americans i think they're still interested in putting the screws to russia, keeping the pressure on even though the europeans seem to have lost their appetite for nor sanctionsfor for more sanctions for the time being as long as the minsk agreement is in place. there may an rift widening between the united states and europe over the efficacy of putting sanctions on russia. but this particular list of

sanctions probably won't make a difference at all. >> frosty relations in one of russia's most significant fishing ports. the embargo on imported seafood has sent prices soaring in the arctic and that has left buyers and suppliers struggling. >> a statue of a young woman watches the port's cold waters, waiting for her fisherman to return. this is the largest city inside the arctic circle. it helps support a large fishing industry with an international history. but since these pictures were filmed two years ago the fish factory has stopped operating buying fish from norway is now banned as part of russia's embargo on western fresh food and dairy.

that's all this place did so it was particularly vulnerable. supply lines have been severely kiss erupted, and the effect has been felt in shops and markets. >> fish gets more expensive every day. it's gone up 20% in price. >> and rising prices mean that people buy less. >> the suppliers just called, but we reject nearly all the fish now because there is no one to buy. >> two of russia's most popular fish herring and salmon, were imported in huge quantities from the norwegian waters. customers complain that what they find in the shops are more expensive and quality is worse. eight years ago this restaurant started farming trout, a decision now paying off as people replace salmon with cheaper fish. >> there is always an alternative. in the time of crisis is also a time of new possibilities.

if before we're trying to figure out if our own breeding will be profitable, now we see that it works very well. >> that's a small silver lining, though, and the fish industries representatives are worrying that lasting damage could be done. >> we russian fishermen have good relationships with norway. we should work together. if wewe could lose a common resource. we don't wish for sanctions on either side. >> russian's government hopes that farms in russia will replace, and that's years off and herring is a bigger problem. there is no easy way to replace that. the sad lady of romansk is not the only one waiting. this is a port that buffeted by the cold winds of politics, and it just wants things to get back

to normal. al jazeera. >> still to come in the next 15 minutes, why venezuela is giving new powers to its president. plus... [music] the copyright ruling against robin thicke and ferrell williams that could change the movie business.

>> hello there, time now for a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. iraqi government forces with

>> iran will make it harder for women without children to get a job. the proposal is aimed at boosting the country's population. amnesty international said it will turn women into baby-making

machines. in recent decades iran has tried to restrict population growth with subsidizeed birth control. >> they want women to go back to their private life, going to stay at home. that's why they're bringing all these discriminating laws against women. what is the purpose of this family planning laws, planning protection? what is the purpose of this in parliament? i think the only reason is to restrict women's rights. they want to promote the culture of ignoring women's rights. they want to promote the culture that there is no praise for place for women. they should stay home and take care of the babies and family.

>> nigerian military has recaptured towns. the military said there is only one town left to recapture from boko haram fighters in yorbe which was once a stronghold. venezuela's parliament has approved a bill that will give the president more powers. president maduro a walked into into the national assembly carrying the bill to fight what he calls american imperialism. many worry that the new law will be used to silent political dissent in venezuela. plain to us why maduro is asking for these powers specific? >> well, the special powers come in response to obama's decision to brand venezuela a national threat and also to sanction

seven government officials here. maduro has claimed that he needs these special powers to protect venezuela from any further escalation of violence or what could be called an armed attack from the u.s. but also to prepare for any escalation in these sanctions or what he calls the blockade that could interrupt commercial trade or economic sanctions towards venezuela. >> is this unusual for a step like this to be taken in venezuela? >> no, not at all. in fact, nicholas nicolás maduro has been in power for two years and this is the second time he has asked for special powers or the right to rule by decree. several of the analysts we spoke with today were not taken by surprise at all. in fact, this is something that many are criticizeing would be a power grab, like you said, but also an excuse to divert

attention from the economic woes that the country is facing. but venezuela is about to have election this is year, and maduro's popularity has plummeted since he came into power. this may be what he needs to bolster his support or distract attention against mounting inflation and shortages of food. >> the latest from caracas thank you. mexican cartels are flooding the united states with heroin. in fact, the u.s. drug enforcement administration or the dea now describes the cheap heroin as it's greatest challenge. adam rainy sat down with the dea's chief of operations. >> i've been doing this for 30 years. i've never seen the source at any time in our history have such a large overall impact of the availability of heroin in the united states, and for that matter, much of the world.

>> everyone from the sheriff to users told us heroin is everywhere. the community is swimming in it. >> if you look at west virginia in particular, when oxycodone was first really released by a certain company it hit very hard in rural areas. it used to be referred to as the hillbilly heroin. that really is really the formulation what have we're seeing today of prescription drug abuse. you're seeing it in communities you've never seen it before, and you're seeing many cases social services, law enforcement agencies, the healthcare system, really slow to react with its growth. i tell you how i see t and i know there are great stories about treatment and people coming through treatment but from a law enforcement point of view there is usually two things that happen when you become involved in the heroin business. number one you meet a guy like me and you go to jail. or number two you die. >> but in these towns they define success and life and

death on prison terms and they see their community and authorities as totally failing them. what do you say to someone who says that the dea is failing this town because drugs are everywhere? i can get it easier than almost anything else. >> what we're dealing with in the spread of heroin in this country is the new face of organized game. it's street games migrating based off markets and the shadow shadowing existence of the cartel who is will stop at nothing to make aer make a dollar and does not care who dies. >> is heroin the biggest challenge for you in the dea? >> for me no, question about it. it goes hand in hand with the flow of illegal money that terrorists-related organizations. those two things keep me up at night. >> the former italian prime minister berlusconi said that he's planning to make a return

to politics. 's being acquitted by italy's highest court of having sex with an underaged private prostitute, and using his position to cover it up. french military police are searching for a team of brazen jewel thieves responsible for a multi million dollar theft. 15 armed robbers ambushed two security advance and managed to escape with $9.5 million of precious stones and jewels. the police say that no one was injured in the attack. the two vans were later found burned out jackie rowland has more from paris. . >> the robbery was clearly very well plan: the thieves must have had intelligence over the way the jewels and artworks were being transported and also that they were taking.

what happened was when these two armored trucks stopped at a tollbooth on the motor way to pay the toll fee that's when the thieves struck. 15 men wearing face masks sprayed gas into the faces of the drivers of the takes, and made off with the vehicles themselves, which were found later abandoned about $10 million worth of diamonds, jewelry and artworks have been stolen. now police are examining the abandoned trucks. it's thought that the thieves some how made their way back in the direction of paris this whole incident took place 200 kilometers southeast of the city. now this is by no means the first major jewelry robbery in france this year. there have been a rash of threats against stores in paris and also in the resorts of cannes. on some occasions police have been able to solve the burglaries but on other

occasions the jewelry and the thieves have never been. >> u.s. recording artists fairly williams and robin t pay marvin gaye's family $7 million after being found guilty of copying his music. [music] >> a jury ruled that this track "blurred lines" plagiarizeed gaye's song and the money will go to his children. >> i feel free, free from--honestly free from pharrell williams and robin thicke's chains, the lies that were told, and the fact that we were able to break through any way. >> you can find out a lot more

on that story and everything else we've been covering on our website. there is the address. iraqi forces advance on isil strongholds in tikrit. that is our main story on www.aljazeera.com. hi i'm lisa fletcher, and you're in stream are. . -- in "the stream". libya descends into chaos more than a decade after muammar gaddafi lost power. why it is on the brink of war and what another failed state would mean. filipinos join the fight with americans in world war ii, why the veterans with us are fighting now to make good on a families.