>> recapturing tikrit, iraqi soldiers and shia militia advance in the fight against isil. [music] >> this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, the head of nato says that russia is still arming rebels in ukraine as the u.n. announces new sanctions. venezuela' parliament gives president maduro sweeping new powers. critics call it a power grab. theft of millions of dollars

in jewels along the french highway. and a decision against "blurred lines" could change the music industry. the iraqi forces are said to be moving into tikrit from the north, where we're in control of a military hospital. they're also pushing towards a street that leads into the center of the city. more video shows troops and militiamen along side heavy military vehicles along thade recapturing tikrit is significant because it coo give iraqi forces a supply link to the city of mosul. stephanie dekker reports. >> reporter: this is northeastern tikrit.

the iraqi army together with shia militia and some sunni tribesmen 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. security forces have advanced on the city from all four fronts and started to retake the neighborhood. we're head fog tikrit to liberate it from isil groups and we shall advance. >> freelance journalist shot this footage for al jazeera on wednesday. tikrit is is on the highway linking mosul further north and isil's stronghold in iraq. progress has been slow here partly because of boobie traps left by isil and the threat of sniper fire, but they're confident that they'll take tikrit. >> despite my injury and being

told by my commander to leave the battle, i will not leave. 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, shia militia will take revenge on the sunni population for being seen as sympathizers of isil. the iran-backed militia is fighting along side, number around 20,000 and there are around 2,000 sunni tribesmen involved in this defense. stephanie dekker, al jazeera. >> we have more from northern iraq. >> there are iraqi troops in tikrit, but not yet in huge numbers that would be needed to be able to announce that they

have taken the city back. this has been a stronghold for many months, among the tactics that we've seen clearly over the past couple of days there are explosion along key roads and in buildings, but it is clear that isil is on the defensive now as tikrit has seen fighters leaving leaving. and one of the things that officials are focused on as well is what happens as those thea militia memories and iraqi fruits move further troops move into the area. we hear revenge of the consequence of the fighting. there is huge potential here

and something that everyone is worried about. >> at least five people were killed in attacks including two police officers. one of the bombs exploded near a bridge in the western part of the city. and kurdish forces say that isil fighters have taken control of a village reported to be part of a large isil push to seize the town itself. fighting has been going on for two weeks as the armed group tries to take nearby towns and villages. u.s. secretary of state john kerry said that now is a pivotal hour for the country to step up its fight against isil. he has been testifying before an u.s. senate hearing afternooning congress to grant president obama more war powers. tell us what emerged during this hearing. >> well, it was about giving the obama administration the legal authority to continue its air

war against isil, an air war that has been carried out with some 60 countries either carrying out airstrikes of their own against isil targets or providing support and training to rebels and iraqi military. well clearly that discussion was derailed by other concerns about the fight against isil, and what we don't know yet lauren, is exactly when the legislators are going to take the draft versionment aumf, as it's known, from the white house, and turn it into legislation that they can vote on and then send it to president barack obama for his signature. >> it sound like it was over a row since the iranian leadership leadership. >> that's right. the big issue hanging over this hearing was the question of iran. as everyone knows the u.s. has been engaged in a number of

bilateral negotiations in recent weeks with the iranians as part of the larger p 5 p5+1 process. the deadline is coming up very quickly in 20 day's time for some political fame work. there is great concern in israel, and there is great concern here in u.s. congress about whether this deal would some how allow iran to actually build nuclear weapons, something that the obama administration has steadfastly denied when he talked about the letter in which these members of congress said. john kerry accused these republicans of interfering with the negotiating process. >> there is no grand bargain being discussed here in the context of this negotiation. this is about a nuclear weapon potential. that's it. and the president has made it clear that they will not get a nuclear weapon. now the presumption by a lot of

people up on the hill here has been that we some how aren't aware of that goal even as we negotiate that goal. our negotiation is calculated to make sure they can't get a nuclear weapon. and it's really almost insulting that the presumption is that we're going to negotiate something that allows them to get a nuclear weapon. >> they're currently meeting. what is the focus of those talks expected to be? >> well, they just started their press briefing, and much of the conversation is being split between what is happening in eastern ukraine and what is happening in the fight against isil in syria and in iraq. the two leaders ash carter, the new u.s. defense secretary and michael fallon, who recently became the british defense secretary, are talking about their country's joint commitment to deal with these issues in a

very firm, very resolute way. of course, the questions are getting a little more particular about the military aims of both missions even though the obama administration has said when it comes to both dealing with isil and with resolving the crisis in ukraine, that ideally a political solution is what is needed not guns and bombs. >> okay, roslind jordan, thank you very much, indeed. [music] >> international monetary funds have signed off an loan aimed at keeping ukraine's economy from going into bankruptcy. 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 a year ago. >> we see and still is he strong russian support in eastern ukraine. we see the equipment forces training russia is still in eastern ukraine. they have over a long period provided substantial support for the separatist. >> the u.s. has imposed sanctions on eight pro-russian separatists who are accused of causing conflict in eastern ukraine. washington also said it would deliver humvees and drones to ukraine. we have more on this from fred weir. >> it is mostly a symbolic political statement by the americans' message. 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

more sanctions at least for the time being as long as the minsk cease-fire is in place. the idea is that a rift widening between the united states and europe over the efficacy of the sanctions on russia. but this particular list of sanctions probably won't make a difference at all. >> the peace process in colombia that is been given a past with the president announcing a one- one-month halt in airstrikes on the rebel-held camps. farc announced a cease-fire in december but the president rejected the cease-fire without a deal. they have praised peace talks in cuba. >> to help de-escalate the conflict, i have ordered the defense ministry and armed force to cease bomb batterments over

farc camps for one month. venezuela is asking for approval of a bill that would give him more powers. critics have described it as a power grab and worry that it will be used to silence dissent in venezuela. why is president maduro asking for these special powers? >> it's in response to the recent sanctions that the u.s. passed over government officials now madura has cleverly shifted attention from the sanctions that were meant to ban assets and made it something about protecting national sovereignty. he has been asking for this enabling law to protect the nation from any possible aggression from the u.s.

>> and is this unusual in venezuela? >> not at all. it's taken no one by surprise here. this is the second time that president maduro would have asked for the right to rule by decree in just two years of government. and his predecessor and mentor, hugo chavez, this was something that he often did. critics argue that it is more of a tool that maduro will be using ahead of parliamentary objection to draw in support in light of his dropping pap layerty. >> still to come, south africa's president resist demands to pay back millions of dollars in taxpayer's money that he spent on his home. and more on the operation that we'll see countries team up to catch drug dealers along the

mekong river. your kids... >> they're mine >> al jazeera america presents camp last resort on al jazeera america >> this is the true definition of tough love

>> weeknights on al jazeera america. >> join me as we bring you an in-depth look at the most important issues of the day. breaking it down. getting you the facts. it's the only place you'll find... the inside story. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". weeknights, 11:30 eastern. on al jazeera america. >> a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. support of shia militiamen have pushed into the city of tikrit has been held by isil fighters since june. secretarysecretary of state john kerry said now is the hour to step up against isil and has asked congress to grant president obama to take on the group. national monetary fund has

will help ukraine against bankruptcy. we go to libya. two rival governments meet in morocco. the united nations backing the talks say that significant process has been made. according to reports, they have asked for the talks to be postponed for a week. a ruling made in february was a mistake committed against the palestinian people. the appeal will be heard later this month. outrage after thosethe foreign minister of israel said that those who are not with

israel should have their heads cut off. >> i would like to say whoever is with us should get everything as they wish. but those who are against us, there is nothing to be done. we need. tick up an axe and cut off their heads. otherwise we won't survive here. >> an error in ground campaign against boko haram in nigeria appears to be gaining momentum. they have recaptureed towns nigeria's military says it only has one town left to recapture from boko haram fighters in yorbe, the stronghold of the group. south africa's president zuma has appeared before parliament. opposition members disrupted the session. >> never, ever have i ever thought that i would pay back the money. firstly, there is no money that i'm going to be paying back

without a determination by those who are authorized to do so as by the public protector. >> we have an run down of what is happening in the national assembly. >> presidents are allowed to make security upgrades to their home but the estimated $20 million that zuma made on his house far outstrips anything that any former president has ever spent. the public protector was asked to investigate and in her report she said there were many upgrades to the home that did not fall under the category of security upgrades. she pointed to a swimming pool, a cattle enclosure a chicken run and even an amphitheater. she recommended that zuma pay back the money that was toyed to unnecessary upgrades. he has not done so, and when

asked if he would be paying back money during the state of the nation speech last month he didn't answer the question, instead, the police were called and eff were escorted out. jacob zuma did answer the questions vaguely. he said he has nothing to answer, and that he had spent nothing, taken not a penny from the state funds. instead he said that he's asked the police to investigate, and whether he needs to pay back any money, and if so, how much. until they come back with an answer he said it's premature to ask him if he would be paying back any money. as far as the public is concerned, they're frustrated how long this has dragged out they say it is a circus, and there are social issues in south africa, many of them. the fact that he has spent an excess in some estimates of $20 million on his home for

whatever reason, it is something for them that is very hard to swallow. >> two men have been caught on camera mugging a south african journalist. >> seconds from going on lane in johannesburg when two men approached him and threatened him with a gun. he said did he not want to give up his phone. no one was injured in the incident. >> mexican cartels are flooding the united states with heroin. the drug enforcement administration said that cheap heroin coming in from mexico is the greatest challenge the agency faces. adam rainy sat down with the dea's chief of operations. >> i've been doing this for 30 years. i've never seen a source country have such an overall impact of the availability of heroin in the united states and for that matter much of the world. >> we're told that in west

virginia, the area is swimming in it. >> when you look at west virginia in particular, when oxycodone was first released by a certain company it hit very hard in rural areas. it used to be referred to as the hillbilly heroin. i think that is really the formulation of what we're seeing today of prescription drug abuse. you're seeing it in communities that you've never seen it before. you're seeing in many cases social services, law enforcement agencies the healthcare system really slow to react with its growth. i'll tell you how i see it, and i know there are great stories about treatment and people coming through treatment but from a law enforcement point of view there are usually two things that happen when you're involved in the heroin business. number one, you meet a guy like me, and go to jail. or number two you die. >> in these towns they define success and life and death on prison terms and they see their

authorities totally failing them. what do you say when they say the dea is failing the ground because drugs are easier to find than anything else. >> it is street gangs high grating faced off markets and a shadowy existence of the cartel who is will stop at nothing to make a dollar and could care less who dies. that's what we're up against. people need to understand what role they can play to make a difference. >> you said heroin is the new face of new organized crime. is heroin the biggest challenge for new the dea? >> for me, no question about it. it goes hand in hand with the illegal money from terrorist organizations. those two things keep me up at night. >> officials are tackling drug

trafficking along the mekong river. for decades had than been known as one of the biggest opium producing regions. >> it's been his early morning routine for ten years. this man readies his net along the mekong river. fishing is not an easy living, but it's more difficult in the golden triangle, one of the areas' most notorious regions for drug trafficking. >> they use piers like this one to for drug trafficking. >> they say since operations started there has been a 50% increase in arrests and see sures. >> an arrest in one country can

lead to another arrest in another country. coordination can lead to many arrests and perhaps to drug kingpins. >> an example of that coordination happened at the headquarters recently. tea packets were being used to smuggle methamphetamine, locally called ice. laos saw a similar thing on their side of the border. now law enforcement know to keep an eye out for the tea packets. >> about 5,000 soldiers and police officers are directed by the mekong coordination center. in each country they're working in several provinces either bordering or connected to the golden triangle here. their operations range from anti-trafficking to breaking up money laundering syndicates. >> their joint investigations but no joint operations yet.

>> it is a trust-building exercise, to work together on the same initiative at the aim time. barriers come down. you have to trust each other to work together. >> as nightfalls on the mekong there is hope for the fishermen who pull their livelihoods from the river. if this program is successful they'll have less to worry about. as there are fewer traffickers on their stretch of the river at night and fishing piers will only be used for fish and not illegal cargo. al jazeera thailand. >> french military police are searching for a team of brazen jewel thieves. they managed to escape with $9.5 million of precious stones and jewels. the two vans were found burnt out and abandoned.

>> the robbery was clearly very well planned. the thieves must have had intelligence over the way the jewels and artworks were being transported, and also the route 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 two instruct. and then made off with the vehicles themselves, which were found later abandoned about $10 million of diamonds and artwork were stolen. now police are abandon examining the abandoned trucks. it's thought the thieves made their way back in the direction of paris. this whole incident took place 200 kilometers southeast of the city. this is by no means the first major jewelry robbery in france

in recent years. there has been a rash of threats thefts against luxury stores in paris and also in the city of cannes. on some occasions the police have been able to solve the burglaries. but on other occasions the jewelry and thieves have never been found. >> music recording artists pharrell williams and robin thicke have been ordered to pay marvin gaye's family $7 million after being ruled that they copied his music. the compensation will go to gaye's children who own the copyright to gaye's music. >> i feel free from pharrell williams and robin thicke's chains, and that they tried to

keep on us, and the lies that were told, and the best that we were able to break through. >> music journalists david stubbs believes the rulings rulings it's effect are unfounded. >> anything that has the feel, sounds in terms of the coloring of it, it sounds like things that have gone before, but then these people would be liable for lawsuit. and on that basis since nothing is really original. everything has sort of a precedence elsewhere whether it's the blues suddenly it could an legal jamboree that people can bring suits just because something has a similar feel to something or other. i don't think that's the case. i think that the jury made the decision on the basis of the two songs were suspiciously similar. i think they came to--if they're

going to appeal thicke and pharell, they may be successful. >> for more you can go to www.aljazeera.com. watch us been clicking on the watch live icon. i managed to really memorize the features of the man that was actually the rapeist in the room with us. >> fran drescher not only survived rape. she helped bring her stacker to justice. the lesson she learned helped her cope with another trauma. she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. two years after she began feeling symptoms. >> you have to be able to transfer from being a patient into a medical consu