>> russia launch airstrikes against isil targets in syria, a move described by washington as dangerous. hello, i'm felicity ba barr. you're watching al jazeera out of london. the palestinian flag is raised for the first time at the u.n. as it's president declares that they are no longer bound by agreements with israel. afghan forces backed by the u.s. and nato continue their fight for the control of the city of kunduz. and the man accused of he

destroying cultural sites in timbuktu is now facing war crimes at the international court. hello, russia has launched it's first airstrikes against targets in syria whic against islamic state in iraq and the levant. president bashar al-assad has asked for help from the russians and has welcomed the decision. the military operation will be limited to airstrikes rather than troops on the ground. we have this report from moscow. >> well, it's got to be said that the russian airstrikes were expected, they've been steadily building up their military arsenal in military for the last 30 days. but it was not the kremlin who announced the raid that was taking place.

it was u.s. central command, who had been given an hour's notice of russian intentions, they would hit isil targets including communication bases and fuel areas. and they were quick to say that the support from russia will only come from the air. he had a warning, a political warning for president assad basically telling him what the price he'll have to pay for russian support. he said you're going to have to compromise. >> we perceived from the fact that a full and long-term settlement in syria is possible only through reforms and dialogue. i know that president assad understands that and is ready for this process. we hope that his position will be active and flexible, that he's ready for compromise for the sake of his country and his people. >> and the military build up continues as russian fleet now taking part in a week-long

exercise in waters between cyprus and syria. these are live fire exercises and civilian aircraft have been told to stay away from the area. according to the u.n. convention this exercise is legal but worrying nato, they're now getting more and more armed vessels in an area that is already militarized, and that could upset stability in the middle east. >> following the reports of russian strikes the u.s. secretary of state john kerry said that his government supports any genuine efforts to fight isil. they warned that the fight against isil should not be confused for support for assad. a short time ago ashton carter was questioned if they were operating areas targeted by the airstrikes. >> one of the reasons why the russian position is contradictory is that exactly the potential for them to strike is that they may well have in places where, in fact, isil is

not present. others are present. this is one of the reasons why the result of this kind of action will inevitably simply be to inflame the civil war in syria. >> the palestinian president has spoken to the u.s. generalcy systembly to declare he will not longer be bound to the oslo accord if israel is no longer committed to them. the palestinian flag was raised for the first time at the u.n. >> here we declare that as long as israel refuses to commit to the agreements signed with us,

which render us and as long as thecontinue with settlement activity, and continue against accordance of the agreement, israel has thus left us no choice but to insist that we will not remain the only ones committed to the implementation of the oslo agreements. israel continuously violates them. we therefore declare we cannot continue to be bound about these signed agreements with israel. >> let's take you live to ramallah, and at first glance it sounded like president abbas was saying that's it. the oslo accord is completely over. israel must now assume its

responsibilities as the occupying power. but when you study his speech in-depth, it is not that simple, is it? >> it certainly isn't. what president abbas said, until israel meets the conditions of the oslo accord, then palestine is not bound by it. there is wiggle room there. and if we want to use history as a yardstick, if you will, to measure just what mr. abbas may do next, we only need to look at the fact that the palestinians showing the international criminal court on decembe december 31st last year signing the rome statute. it took mr. abbas two years when he first started talking about it in 2013 to when he signed it. when you look at how there were no repercussions to him as president, no threat to the

palestinian authority, and no threat to his party, when you think about the oslo accords there are major repercussions to him as president, to the palestinian authority, and of course, by default his party as well. if he ends that relationship, ends those agreements, israel's role suddenly changes very dramatically, and his role does as well. mr. abbas, as we've seen over the years, is a very deliberate man, a very careful man. we can't expect him to or we're not expecting him, rather, to take a major dramatic step. it is very telling. very quickly i shut point out that the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, who is also in new york, he's going to be giving his speech to the united nations tomorrow on wednesday, he put out a statement after mr. abbas' speech, a very statement that said this, abbas' speech was filled with falsehoods that will only promote and incite in the middle

east. the israelis are looking at this speech thinking what exactly is mr. abbas going to do. >> the latest there at the moment. thank you. >> well, when you look in detail at president abbas' speech, how do you read what he exactly said. what did he really mean by this. >> to clarify, i wa as was just said, the language used was very ambiguous. it's not known if the plo is terminating the oslo agreement. it is only a threat that if certain measures are not met, some measures will be taken in

that direction. >> surely he's risking a lot if this is an empty threat, isn't he? >> he's risking a lot if it's an empty threat, that's true. but it's similar language that has been used for the past two years, probably not in the u.n. not in international format, but in local meetings and interviews he has mentioned, he has raised these points before that the pa currently is a shell that does not have any powers but has responsibilities, and that might push him to take measures regarding the oslo agreement. but there were no measures that were taken so far. >> practicalities on the ground should he go through with such a threat are enormous. looking at thousands of people's jobs for a start. >> the threat itself is not to dismantle or dissolve authority, but that would be contrary to his point.

the threat itself is there are certain provisions that would no longer be binding on the palestinian authority. >> we're talking about coordination with israel? >> well, it could be really many aspects because the possible agreements covers a lot--a lot of virtually almost everything that effects life in the west bank and gaza strip is regulated some how or is related in one way or another to the oslo accord. it's not only about security coordination or coordination--it is also related to trade, commerce, movement, and access, and health, water, electricity, and many other aspects. it's not really clear how it's going to be--how it will effect, and what the other measures are. the other thing by saying that the palestinian authority or plo

is no longer bound by certain obligations does not necessarily mean full termination. >> exactly because legally we're not bound by it, we'll still carry on with it any way. >> yes, and the international law allows in such situation where is there is a breach, allows termination or suspension in whole or in part. it could be something that is more closer to suspension in part rather than full termination. >> very good to talk with you. thank you. large numbers of people leaving the northern afghan city of kundaz after the taliban seized control there. the army is now supported by u.s. and nato special forces as it tries to take back the city, about the afghan security forces say that the fight has been tougher than anticipated. >> as reinforcements arrive and heavy fighting continues, afghan

security forces struggle to regain control of kunduz from the taliban. >> they have put the mines in the roads. >> they have not been able to reach their target yet insisting because taliban fighters are hiding amongst civilians the fight so far has been much harder than anticipated. even here south of kunduz, these forces have been repeatedly ambushed by improvised bombs. afghan government forces backed by airstrikes and nato are desperate to regain control of the northern city from taliban fighters. the loss of kunduz is seen as a

major setback for afghanistan government and seen as a visit since the overthrow of the taliban government in 2001. raising questions once more about the strength and effectiveness of afghanistan's army. now anger is on the rise in parliament with some politicians calling on president ashraf ghani to resign. >> we don't want to hear lies any more. the government keeps telling us that they're sending troops, but it's 72 hours that people inside the city have been suffering from a lack of food, water and electricity. children and women are dying inside kunduz because of hunger. >> many residents are fleeing kunduz, fearing for their lives. while the number of dead and wounded are unclear aid workers fear many more civilians may be killed or injured if fighting continues. >> still to come on the program.

tens of thousands of protesters march against corruption in south africa. plus... >> in southern argentina where satellites are made. one has been blast into orbit, and here they're very excited.

>> hello again. and going to the stop stories on al jazeera. russia has carried out 20 airstrikes against isil targets in syria. the u.s. believes the attacks may have been in areas where

there were no isil forces. the flag of palestine has been raised at the united nations for the first type as the palestinian president talked to the general assembly saying that the country was no longer bound by the oslo accord. the battle to regain the city of kunduz has intensified and engaging in ground clashes for the first time. india has sentenced five men to death for the 2006 mumbai train blasts. they have been found guilty of planning train attacks killing 180 people and injured hundreds of others. several other men were jailed for life when they targeted a suburban network that carries 7 million people a day. we have more. >> five people have been given the death sentence, seven others sentenced to life for the 2006 blast where bombs were placed

inside pressure cookers and put on computer trains that went off during morning rush hour. there have been several delays over the past nine years, and they called nearly 200 people to the witness stand which delayed the trial. then the supreme court got involved after one of the accused contested being arrested under anti-terrorism laws which delayed the trial for two years. now the convictio convicts can appeal to a higher court, although that could take years. but this case is not closed yet. police believe 15 accused are still at large including who they believe to be the mastermind, and until all those are caught and convicted, they won't feel that justice has been done. >> a man accused of destroying cultural sites in northern mali will appear in criminal courts in the hague.

he is accused of war crimes before the destruction of tombs and a mosque in timbuktu. barnaby phillips reports. >> this man is accused of destroying precious cultural heritage. he listened to the charge against him at the international court in the hague and identified himself. >> it is me. >> i'm from the taureg tribe. he was born 40 years ago and i'm a graduate of the teacher's institute in tic timbuktu. and i've been a silver servant since 2011. >> with links to al-qaida they occupied the city of timbuktu. they set about destroying a number of tombs and mosques which offended their own strict interpretation of islam. hundreds of years of history

smashed into dust. according to the prosecutor, he was a zealous member. he could become the first man to be tried for war crimes committed against buildings and culture, although human rights groups hope that courts will examine other allegations against him and his colleagues. >> indeed, the atrocities included rape, sexual slavery against others. and to take into account the credible evidence provided within the national system about these further scopes of crime. >> timbuktu suffered badly during the occupation. he will next appear in court in january 2016. the icc hopes that a case against him might deter others who destroy cultural treasures in other parts of the world.

barnaby phillips, al jazeera. >> thousands of people are marching through south africa's city accusing the government of failing to act against what they say is widespread corruption. church leaders trade unions and opposition parties are all involved. the president has been widely criticized for using state funds to upgrade his house. we have been looking at corruption in south african society. >> some of the people most vulnerable to corruption in south africa are those most desperate to stay in the country. before 6:00 a.m. the queue is already long. this young woman has been coming for days to try to get her asylum papers extended. she has paid $10 just to queue and is likely to pay more once

inside. >> pay hundreds each time. i pay hundreds. >> can you get anywhere without paying the money? >> no, you can't. >> a report by a group of civil society organizations found this to be the most corrupt office in the country. government has been trying to clean it up, but on the morning that we were there it was easy to find people who had paid bribes. >> what can i do? >> corruption is deeply entrenched and rampant in government. in the last 20 years the government corruption would cost south africas $70 billion. in 2013 to 2014 financial year, only 14% of the municipalities received a clean order and improvement that same financial year they were $6.5 billion an with unauthorized and irregular spending. >> now this man does his best to avoid doing business with

government. he has paid bribes for construction tendered. >> it's very wise. it's just the norm. it's the norm because there is no way you can get something for nothing. >> among the government's many anti-corruption measures is the public service commission. it has handled 16,000 cases. it runs a hotline for people to report corruption but says whistle blowers need better protection. >> because most of the time that once people disclose something or report something, at the end of the day they will suffer. they will be victimized. and it's difficult to prove that. >> corruption in th the asylum process mean that people who may not be genuine refugees can pay their way in. whether genuine or not, these asylum seekers say they have no choice but to pay. al jazeera, south africa. >> at the u.n. in new york to discuss the refugee crisis, germany is leading the way.

19 countries are donating $1.8 billion to aid organizations in camps where migrants and refugees staying. they've discussed how to handle thousands of new arrivals. we have reports from southern germany. >> bavaria, perhaps the essence of germany where the rich come to play. driving through the south of this region it's all forests, lakes, and perfectly kept small towns. the so-called family businesses that drive the economy. here around the corner in this tourist spot the authorities put up a refugee camp for 128 people. these afghans told me it was great. they get $400 a month for food. heated tents with their own kitchens. this is their prize. the three months of cross country travel. the way the germany quota system

works by the end of this year, this bit of bavaria will be home to 1800 refugees. for the whole of hungary, there is more in estonia, latvia combined taking more than liberal sweden. and the government has to persuade that it's all going to be worth it. this hearts and minds approach means they have begun building permanent acome days up the road. they've determined there are enough school places for the refugee children to mingle with the locals. but local employers have told the regional government that they're days operate for more y to train. here there is almost no unemployment. going to other countries would be a crisis presented here is an opportunity. >> this is a great opportunity. we recognize it. we started talks with employers. we will need to change laws, and it should not take as long as it does for these people to join

the workforce. the main thing is for them to learn german. we've invested in german courses and we need to push on it. >> local volunteers have taken children from syria and afghanistan to the circus and asked them to do a picture. what they've come up with is a million miles away from the images of war, so many other refugee children have painted. they say this is no hardship for them. >> we are so rich, and we can help. if you see what they throw away, then we see how rich we are. and you know, it's only a part of millions of people in the country, and we're really able to help. >> no doubt not everyone thinks the same way, but the positive message of yes we can is overwhelming. the refugee camp that we saw these young men carrying suit cases, and no, they have not just arrived. they've been to the church, which has given them coats for

the winter donated by locals. seen from here this refugee influx does not seem oh so hard to manage at all. al jazeera, bavaria. >> the norwegian mask killer is threatening to starve himself to death because of conditions in prison. he claims to have been kept in isolation for nearly a month. he killed 77 people four years ago when he bombed central oslo and went on a shooting spree at a youth camp. the space rocket is just hours away from blast off from on board of an argentine satellite aimed at revolutionizing communications in south africa. we meet the scientist who is made it possible. >> it's a dream that has become a reality. a reality that's brought investment, education, and independence. argentina is launching it's own

communication satellites into orbit, improving mobile phone reception, television signals and gps for argentine i argentina argentin and it's neighbors. >> of course it's important for the country. not to rely on equipment that comes from abroad, but to rely on our own ability adapted to our needs. of course, the argentine labor and engineering. >> launched into orbit 36,000 kilometers from earth last year. they would enhance that service after being moved by transport planes in french guiana. workers are under way, a private company financed by government funding. with all the excitement and

expectation focused on the launch of rsat 2, workers are continuing on satellites like this one that will be launched into space in 2017. from the andes mountains, several hundred kilometers into sky by the french guiana. more than 10 kilometers of cable go into the satellite. the hope is that they'll operate for up to 15 years. the launch and operation wanted from a control center near from buenos aires. >> it is a source of employment in a country and lucrative export diversifying what we produce. it's a great way to use the great tonight in argentin --great talent in argentina where they can grow. >> many will be watching the rocket taking arsat 2 into space live on television, excited and

nervous to boldly go where only a few have gone before. >> and we will keep communicating with you via our website. al jazeera. www.aljazeera.com. www.aljazeera.com for all your international news. >> this week on talk to al jazeera - sonia manzano, otherwise known as maria on 'sesame street'. >> i can't believe i did it. if someone had suggested that this was gonna be my future, i would have suggested that they commit themselves to the nearest insane asylum. >> manzano also wrote for the children's television series and would share in 15 emmy awards. she was a trailblazer - the first leading latina on american television. but after 44 years, manzano is retired. >> it's very hard for me to get across to kids, or people who weren't around in '69, how absolutely invisible people of