they were ready to carry out an attack. the spanish interior ministry says the raids were given urgent priority because of the unpredictable nature of the group. much more on our website, aljazeera.com. teams have now started to examine the black box from the russian airliner that went down over the skies of egypt. more than 218,000 syrian refugees entering europe in october. plus voting on legalizing pot. residents in ohio going to the polls. but it's one group that is backing the bill that would benefit the most. ♪

this is al jazeera america live in new york city. i'm del walters. there are new questions but few answers this morning about what caused the russian airliner to crash in egypt. the egyptian government saying international experts and officials from airbus are now examining those black boxes. meanwhile the kremlin says items not found on that plane have been discovered. always u.s. satellites reportedly detecting a heat flash. peter sharp is in st. petersburg russia where the bodies are now being returned to their familiar list. >> reporter: they have formally extended the crash site now. they are looking at an area of more than 30 square kilometers, and it's such a large area that they are using drones to try to

search for more bodies and decree. they found more decree and wreckage but no extra bodies today. meanwhile here in st. petersburg, the awful task of identifying the dead continues. the families in and relations are taken by car to the crematorium and the mortuary, where they will have their dna matched with the bodies there. it's an appalling task, and when you think there are 224 crew and passengers killed in this disaster, and they have only formally identified just ten people, so it's going to be a very long process. putin's press secretary has warned the media against trying to link the disaster with syria's -- with russia's operations in syria. he said that is most inappropriate, he said. >> that is peter sharp reporting

for us from st. petersburg, russia. the pentagon saying it will continue operating in the south china sea. the admiral said the u.s. military would operate within a 12-mile limit. that is what is allowed under international maritime law. last week a destroyer passed near an artificial island that the chinese claim is their own sovereign territory. refugees continue to flow into europe. this weekend 60 refugees drowned trying to reach greece. many are still coming in, in overcrowded dingies, braving the freezing waters. >> reporter: with all of the tragedy they have seen, still the aid workers keep looking. on lesvos, the sea may be

calmer, but nerves are on edge. when the refugees make it ashore, a sense of relief is eclipsed only by growing outrage. >> i cannot imagine. i feel ashamed that i'm european. that i'm from holland, you know, i feel a big shame. this european union, union, it's not a union. for me it's not a union at all. >> reporter: this is one of many year committed to helping. >> i saw babies dying. i saw elderly people almost dying. i cannot imagine that you -- that you can live with yourself when you're -- when this is your responsibility. >> reporter: the refugees while extremely grateful for the help, know life won't get much easier a any time soon. but for many staying home may have been an even riskier

option. if the choice is between dying in the sea or iraq, i take the sea. he tells me he, his wife, and his children had no choice. he said ministers don't die, officers don't die, presidents don't die, it's the children and the families who die in iraq. here the kids are a priority, trying to make their fear recede even if just for a few minutes. over 200,000 refugees arrived in europe by sea in october alone. that's roughly the same amount as arrived in all of 2014. aid workers here believe that huge increase in numbers is because refugees are trying to make this journey before their window of opportunity closes for good. many worry the winter will soon keep them from crossing, while many others fear europe will soon prevent them from entering. while camps have been built,

even the united states refugee agency says still much more needs to be done. >> we issued a call to the european union, to frontex, to get more ships out there and save more people, because this is going to get out of control. >> reporter: on the beach, emotions continue to ebb and flow. there's generosity all around, but hardly any of it is state sponsored. it's volunteers driving these efforts. as frustrated as they are resolute, they look for anyway possible to help. mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, lesvos, greece. many are headed towards slovenia on their way to germany and they hope a new life. slovenia's prime minister says his country is struggling to keep up. >> it is really a national migration, and we are doing all we can to treat the migrants and refugees among them in the most

human way possible. we try to be humane, compassionate, we provide for warm shelter, food, water, medical care, and everything we can, but of course, slovenia, as i said, is a small middle european country. only 2 million inhabitants and we cannot provide for the refugees and other migrants beyond our capabilities. so we are doing all we can to help them, as i said, but of course, as a transit country we would like to see -- to find a common european solution for the issue. we would like to european union be able to establish effective control on the border between greece and turkey. above all, we would like to see that the european union would be able to finalize and conclude the agreement with turkey in order to stop this migration flow or at least reduce it to a

great extent. >> let's start with what you were saying about turkey being the solution that the external borders need to be preserved there. refugees in turkey are not given the rights that they are in europe, sir. 70% of refugee children are not even in school in turkey. is that a solution convenient for europe, but bad for the refugees. >> no, the only solution is that the european union gives some help, some support to turkey in financial aid, in other ways, and we should provide some means so that those migrants, those refugees in turkey could be -- could be in much better position. we must help turkey to provide for the human rights, for their dignity and for that reason, the european union should substantially help turkey with dealing with this terrible migration issue.

>> and the prime minister said the volume of refugees coming into his country would be the same if you added about 2 million refugees to the u.s. population each and every day. south after scan supreme court considering whether to convict oscar pistorius of murder. prosecutors claim a lower court made a mistake. he was released from jail last month after spending a year behind bars. the iraqi politician who helped persuade the u.s. to invade iraq back in 2003 has died. he was 71. he was a key force in helping guide the bush administration to war. >> an iraq that standings ready. >> reporter: he was still in exile when he advocated for the u.s. to invade iraq in 2003. the shia politician with a phd

from the university of chicago built ties with recorders and the bush administration. >> for those who stood with the dictator and continue to question the intentions of the american and british governments, we invite you to come and visit the mass graves where half a million of our citizens law. >> reporter: but his relationship with washington would soon turn from close to cold. he received millions of dollars from the cia for forwarding evidence that he said showed saddam hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was considered a favorite to leave iraq after saddam hussein was toppled, yet after it become clear the information he provided was false, he u.s. began distancing itself from him. >> i will be very much part of the future of iraq, but i'm not a candidate for any political office. i want to focus on i'm home, and

focus on rebuilding civil society in iraq which is the basis of a true democracy. >> reporter: iraq and the u.s. forces invaded his home in 2004, searching for evidence that he could be spying for iran. he was also the target of at least one assassination attempt in 2008. he served as a deputy prime minister but never reached to the top of iraq's political structure. people in ohio going to the polls, but it is one group of investors that would truly win if a pot-smoking bill gets passed. ed.

the company behind the keystone xl oil pipeline says it is putting the project on hold. the obama administration was in the final stages of deciding whether to go ahead with the pipeline. many conservatives in congress have been pushing to build it. in ohio, voters are deciding whether to allow the recreational and medical use of marijuana. that is where al jazeera's bisi onile-ere is. >> my name is joe, i spent my entire career fighting crime, and that's why i am voting to legalize marijuana. >> reporter: the commercials have been filling up space on television screens in ohio for months. now it's up to the voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to legalize medicinal and recreational marijuana.

ian james where responsible ohio says he believes the proposal is an opportunity for economic growth. >> we can literally create 30,000 jobs, generate $554 billion a year. we can help people that are chronically ill. >> reporter: but there is another side to the battle. the drive is legalize marijuana is funded by a group of big-money investors. if the measure is approved, though investors will get the rights to develop marijuana in the state. >> and with this plan, which has no boundaries on where you can market it, there's going to be 1159 stores in the state of ohio. >> reporter: tony is concerned

about the impact marijuana edibles, such as candy, and baked goods could have on young children. >> as much as you talk about this being a harmless drug, we know one in 11 folks do become addicted to it. >> reporter: ian james disagrees. >> reporter: until we regulate marijuana we're not going to control it. >> reporter: if issue 3 is approved ohio would become the fifth state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. however, some analysts say it's likely this debate over legal pot will eventually end in court. >> that is bisi onile-ere reporting from columbus, ohio. she says if ohio does legalize, it would become the first midwestern state to do so, and become the first state to legalize recreational and medical marijuana at the same time. kentucky voters are deciding the next governor there.

michael shure has more. >> reporter: voters in kentucky will elect a new governor to replace the outgoing governor steve bashir. they reelected mitch mcconnell by 15 points just last year, and barack obama lost kentucky twice and decisively. this time there's a tea party challenger and a democrat. it is a state that does not mirror national politics. they have had only two republican governors in kentucky since world war ii. and their democratic house makes it the last one in the entire south. bevin has been controversial, for his challenge to mitch

mcconnell and for supporting ben carson. two of the issues on which the election hinges most are healthcare and gay marriage. kentuckyians are mostly pleased with their version of the affordable care act. and the governor has expanded medicare by 425,000 people. conway has embraced both programs and refused to take the side of kentucky's same-sex marriage ban as bevin visited kim davis, the county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to gay could .s. conway has a little bit of an edge, but they need to get out the voters. and this race is by no means a bell-weather for other national races though it could be a referendum on the affordable

care act, or obamacare which you dare not say in kentucky. the polls show them separated think 3 points, and it's expected to remain just as close once the votes are counted. that is michael shure reporting. the polls leading up to this race show the democrat, conway, leading the republican bevin. the supreme court taking up racism in the way that juries are picked. a black teen was convicted by an all-white jury back in 1987. >> reporter: the case involves timothy foster who at age 18 was accused of robbing, sexually assaulting, and murdering an elderly white woman. he was convicteded and sentenced to death by an all-white jury. that was in 1987 one year after the supreme court ruled that race cannot be used to disqualify a juror.

foster's lawyers argued that prosecutors did just that, and they uncovered prosecutors notes highlighting the names of potential black jurors, circling the word black on juror questionnaires, and on a list of definite noes, all of the african-americans topped the list. steven bright told the court there is little doubt what was going on. >> we have an arsenal of smoking guns. we know what the prosecutor did here was identify the african-americans, rank them against each other, in case as their notes say we have to accept a black. >> reporter: a number of the justices seem to agree, alain that kagan, quote: stephen breyer said the prosecutor gave 40 different reasons to strike

african-americans from the jury: but georgia's deputy general added quote: there's widespread agreement that racial discrimination in jury selection is pervasive nationwide, and no matter what the justices decide in this case, it is unlikely to solve that problem. some critics say the only way to eliminate, discrimination is to get rid of pre-emptive challenges. >> if we're serious about ending race discrimination in jury selection then you have to eliminate presumptive strikes, because as long as you can strike for any reason except race or gender, there's no way to know. >> reporter: and that undermines confidence in the judicial

system, and the idea of a fair trial by a jury of one's peers. some say it is a bad game of red light green light. chicago's red light program nets millions of revenue, but some are calling it legal corruption. ♪

seattle is declares a state of emergency over the issue of homelessness. officials are calling for millions of dollars to go towards a prevention and outreach programs. rising cost of living has been forcing more and more people out in the streets. that county seeing a 21% rise in homelessness since 2010. there is a controversial red light program in chicago adding $500 million to the city's coffers. critics argue the lights are designed to change too quickly. ali velshi has our story. >> reporter: captured on camera, vehicles running red lights with disastrous results. engineers have grappled with ways to make intersections safer, and one of the most con tro sler ver shall methods to use red light cameras. >> when you throw a red light

camera up another on intersection. what happened was people started slamming on the breaks, and lo and behold this is a 22% increase in rear-end accidents at these intersections. >> reporter: david kidwell is an investigative reporter. he has been following the troubled history of chicago's red light program. since 2003, the city's nearly 400 red light cam ares have brought in $500 million in traffic fines, money the city desperately needs. >> the city of chicago's bond rating is darn near junk rating right now. ending the red light camera program only creates more problems for the government of the city in terms of making up very, very critical shortfall in the amount of money they have to run the city. >> reporter: and kidwell's investigation also exposed other

issues at intersections in chicago with red light cameras. one of the biggest problems is the yellow-light intervals are too short. the city's yellow lights are set at 3 seconds. kidwell uncovered evidence that many of the intersections had so-called yellow light intervals of less than 3 seconds. this man is better known to thousands of chicagoans as the red light doctor. he is able to capture the exact duration of a yellow-light interval. today his research shows that this chicago yellow light lasts just 2.37 seconds. >> they will go down fighting before they give up the revenue

from the camera. >> reporter: kidwell says chicago became the capitol of red light cameras through a mix of corruption. john bills was indicted on a federal bribery charge. prosecutors say as assist important transportation commissioner, he received as much as $2 million in bribes from red flex. former red flex ceo pleaded guilty to a federal charge that she conspired to bribe john bills. a few months earlier, finley pleaded guilty to a charge that she bribed officials in ohio. but red flex's problems are far from over. a fired former executive of that

company now working with federal prosecutors alleges in another lawsuit that red flex executives bribed officials in at least 13 other states. for its part, red flex says the company has new leadership, new systems and new policies, and is committed to transparency and honesty in our business practices. >> they still got 300 cameras out there. still the largest camera operation in the country, and it still fills a very, very huge budget hole for the city of chicago. a group of hackers earning $1 million for successfully cracking apple's operating system, security startup making the offer. paying the money to anyone who could break into the devices. the hackers said they found a number of ways to do so. in the past it is believed that the information has been sold to spy agencies. thanks for joining us, i'm del walters in new york.

the news continues live from london next. and remember, you can check us out by going to our website, aljazeera.com. israel directs tough new measures at stone-throwing protesters. their families could be sanctioned too. ♪ hello there, i'm barbara sarah, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up on the program, russian media says debris found where an airliner crashed in egypt does not belong to the plane. why the u.n. is warning of a crisis of statelessness for children born to syrians who have fled the war. and a rare cyclone slams into war-torn yemen,