we believe shopping malls, events, demonstrations and transport are the main targets brussels is in lock down and the army is on the streets in the face of a series and imminent threat. -- serious and imminent threat. coming up in the next half hour. as russia signals a new phase in its campaign in syria, criticismians bear the brunt of intensified air strike. tension in bangladesh to two opposition leaders are hanged for war crimes in 1971.

a long journey for food. in south sudan thousands are facing severe hunger. the army is patrolling the streets of brussels after the government warned a major attack was being planned. shops closed, the metro system was shut down and people were urged to stay indoors. paul brennan >> reporter: belgian soldiers patrol where once was just the police. a security level not seen for nearly a decade. the p.m. if contact with his cabinet to brief his ministers. the p.m. did not reveal the exact nature of the danger, but urged the public to avoid crowded places. >> translation: the analysis of the situation leads us to

identify particular locations. we believe shopping malls, events, demonstrations and transport are the main targets. the whole of the brussels region has gone over to enhanced threat level 4. >> reporter: all four of brussels metro system has shut down. it is a city on edge. people here have become used to sealing police and even army on the streets in past few days. the closure of the mountain metro ramped that up to a new level. on friday a third brussels man was charged with terrorism offences connected to the paris attacks. the security alert was raised after raiding this address connected to that suspect in the district the molenbeek. weapons was discovered in an apartment on a second in regard. prosecutors are denying reports

at an explosives were also found. this witness wouldn't give his name, but saw the search operation unfold >> translation: it began around 6 p.m. and went to midnight. dozens of police came. i couldn't see much but i saw them go in. they had a robot too in the corner cave a >> reporter: the-- café >> reporter: the main focus is this man salah abdeslam who escaped capture and is still on the run as highly dangerous and believed to be hiding somewhere in brussels. despite the tight security and rain, people are refusing to be afraid. >> i think that we have just learned to live with it and we can't just stop living because of the security measures >> if they blocked the metro and public transportation, there must be a reason for it. we're worried about that.

>> reporter: the security forces have been under intense pressure ever since the paris attacks. now the public too are seeing and feeling the effects france has deployed an aircraft car your to the mediterranean. the push against i.s.i.l. is intensifying, but it's civilians that seem to be bearing the brunt of the intense air campaigns. aid workers are struggling to help the wounded as hospitals are also coming under attack. >> reporter: people of aleppo say when a bottom falls from the chi it kills indiscriminately. for those who survive, it's hard to breathe in the thick dust of collapsed buildings. in another part of rebel held aleppo another air strike hit a civilian area. activists say the strikes have intensified since russia began its air campaign. >> translation: we suddenly

heard the rockets. we were hit. we rushed with a mother and chill >> reporter: it's not clear whether these strikes in aleppo were carried out by russia or the syrian army, but the russian president wants to step up the campaign in syria. >> translation: i want to thank you all of you, but i want to stress for now it is not enough to cleanse syria of rebels and terrorists and protect russians from possible terrorist attack $. we face a lot of work and i hope the next phase will be conducted at the same high level. >> reporter: nearly 70 russian jets are carrying out more than 100 sartes every day against what moscow calls terrorists. the u.s. and allies have criticised russian. more than 60 countries are involved in an international effort to fight islamic state in iraq and the levant. the aircraft carrier was sent to

mediterranean. i.s.i.l. held obviously applings were captured near aleppo. as air campaigns to fight i.s.i.l. have intensified, it is said nearly 400 civilians have been killed and thousands more displaced. >> translation: these are bar baric air strikes by russia, iran and regime. they are destroying everything, even electricity cables. these men are doing their best to repair things after every hit. >> reporter: it is not just homes, the doctors without borders said their hospitals have also come under attack. nearly half the population has either been made homeless or left the country. as the attacks intensify, so does the civilian suffering

moving on to a developing story. a state of emergency after the main power lines from ukraine were blown up. what can you tell us about this? >> reporter: what has been happening over the last few nights is a series of attacks, really, on the infrastructure, the electrical infrastructure, that links the peninsula of crimere with the main land of ukraine. there are four power lines that do this. two of those lines were disrupted on friday and last night the two remaining lines were severed so the power pylons were blown up and bringing the entirety of the crimean

peninsula to a complete power isolation. it is all running on generators. all medical establishments that we've been told have been connected to generators. there's no sort of immediate medical crisis as long as those generators have enough fuel to keep them going. there has been an advice bulletin saying to charge batteries and stock up on water. we don't know how long it will affect. maybe as much as 48 hours. that's what the authorities are saying. the political spat between russia, which now has possession of crime refreshings e and ukraine is well-known and we need to have power

reestablished. in terms of who is behind this, russian media, i think they know. they're saying it is right wing nationalists there a state of emergency after their power lines were blown up. dozens of people are dead and missing in a land slide near a jade mine in the northern cachin state. 30 people were killed. local communities put that figure at about 60 with 100 others still missing. it is clear what caused the collapse. two opposition leaders in bangladesh have been executed for war crimes committed in 1971. one was the secretary general of the country's largist religious party and the other was influential within the bangladesh nationalist party.

they were both quitted in 2013 by a special tribunal. the president rejected a last minute appeal. the deputy director of the division of human rights watch and he says the defendants haven't received a fair trial. >> human rights watch support the idea of holding people accountable for these kind of crimes. the problem is how you do it and according them fair trial standards or not. in this instance we don't think it is the case. there hasn't been an effective equality between the witnesses. who these men wanted to bring in as witnesses weren't allowed. these people have been sentenced to death and the executions have been carried out. clearly a very serious travisty of justice. one of the lawyers actually had

to go into hiding before this trial because of raids on his office and threats. the problem is that bangladesh has been cutting corners. the evidence is there and many people believe it may be going through a full free fair trial and go through historically these are recognised as being prosecutions of the highest standard. unfortunately, we're not seeing that from the ict tribunal and these two cases are added to a lit knee of other-- litany of others that seem to have procedural problems in the prosecution of the cases south-east asian countries have signed a new trade deal that they're calling historic. the ten countries that make up the group are having the second and final day of the summit. malcolm cook from the institute of south-east asian studies

joining us from singapore. apart from trade security was also a main cause of concern in the summit and the western world is very concerned over i.s.i.l. attacks. i.s.i.l., though, their presence is not as strong in asia, but their influence is spreading. is asian united enough to thwart an i.s.i.l. threat? >> certainly there's already a south-east asia battalion fighting in syria and iraq. the numbers are quite small. i think the government of south-east asia are worried about returnees from i.s.i.l. fighting coming back home and have gp intelligence sharing when we saw people caught in their states. i think they're taking the threat seriously and are working on it the members have signed a

treaty to combat human trafficking. south-east asian governments are not able to agree on how to handle the numbers of rohinga refugees that are arriving on their shores. how do you see them agreeing on tackle human trafficking groups? >> i think the agreement they signed is a reactive one given the problems this region and asian and association faced with the rohinga crisis this year. unless there is a major change, the agreement will have many concrete effect the south china sea was a part of the agenda. obama urged the mens to resolve

the dispute between dialogue and not through bullying and coercion, and those were his words. do you see tensions over the south china sea disbursing. >> no. i don't think so. i think the role to manage the disputes between china and five of asian members is reducing, particularly since the philippines has taken china to the international arbitration tribunal. it has very little role in helping solve the disputes and now a less role in managing them as its members are looking outside asian thank you for your insight. michael cook there from the institute of south-east asian studies and speaking to us from singapore. still to come here on al jazeera egyptians go to the polls for parliamentary elections but how

many will turn out? at the slovenian border where refugees follow a rough road ahead following the attacks in paris.

welcome back. the top stories. in brussels is in lock down after the belgian government raised the terror alert to its highest level. people are to avoid public areas. the main pore lines from the

ukraine were blown up. the second attack in as many days. the state energy company says the damage was from either shelling or explosives. two of the most senior open addition leaders in bangladesh have been executed for war crimes committed in 1971. the president rejected a last minute appeal. human rights have condemned the executions say they did not receive a fair trial. where a state of emergency is in force a day after an attack in the capital of bamako. >> reporter: shaken and still in shock, survivors walk back into the hotel where they were taken hostage. they're here to pick up their belongings. inside the remains of the carnage. smell of gun fire hangs in the air. this lady a delegate at a

conference hid in her room for hours praying that she wouldn't die. >> translation: i was in the room. i tried to hide under my bed. i was so scared i felt like jumping off the balcony >> reporter: the 170 people were held hostage before forces stormed the building shooting the attackers dead. people are still being treated for gunshot wounds and investigators trying to look through the rubble. three days of national warnings has been made. >> no city is safe, no matter where you are. we are all at risk. it's affecting all of us >> reporter: this is the worst attack bamako has experienced. 24 hours after this attack, it's almost as if bamako is back to normal. survivors are picking up their luggage from the hotel and going

home. meanwhile the investigation continues. security forces are after three suspects on the run. all al-mourabitoun is sa took responsibility for the attack. >> translation: i was hiding in my room and i felt reassured when i heard people speaking the malian language. i knew then it was safe to come out >> reporter: this attack is a severe blow to a country that is seeking foreign country monday eke and her fellow investors are unlikely to stay suicide bombings have killed at least eight people in cameroon. several attackers, including teenage girls blew themselves

up. boko haram is suspected of carrying it out. the u.n. says nearly four million people are starving in south sudan. getting food to them is dangerous because of fighting between the government and opposition forces. this is dispute a peace agreement in place. >> reporter: -- despite a peace agreement in place. this woman has been walking for two days travelling 20 kilometres with her son in one hand and her sleeping mat in the other. she came to a village to look for food for her family. she has been waiting for a week. >> translation: i came here because of the hunger that happened there. things have become expensive and there's no money. there are families that don't have anything. they eat leaves >> reporter: the local community has opinion helping

her, but she is not the only one who made the trek to get food to stay alive. thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, walk for days to get food. upon arrival to distribution sites most have nowhere to stay and camp for days before travelling home. the conflict in south sudan have forced farmers to rely on aid programs. reaching distribution sites is not always easy >> of course there is a risk because sometimes there are snobs in the grass. because of circumstances, the people have patience. so they can get food because that is what they came for. we have recommending sistered more than 15 thousand people. almost 4249 families. >> reporter: that figure is less than 1% of people facing hunger in sudan.

aid organizations have resorted to air drops to be able to provide assistance to the civilians in need. many remain far from reach. >> we have about three million people facing acute hunger in the country. in certain parts in the country where the humanitarian community has had very little access due to constant conflict and also the difficulties in terms of movement in these places there is a real concern about people being in situations which are near cot strophic. >> reporter: -- catastrophic. >> reporter: people will continue to risk their lives to get a meal unless the conflict stops argentina will vote for a new president on sunday. the center rate opposition will have a real chance of winning in the first time in a decade.

macri has a slight lead over his rival from the ruling party. egyptians are also heading to the polls. the figure for voter turn out will be closely watched as an indicator of confidence or lack of it in the political process. rob matheson has more. >> reporter: the streets may be noisy as usual, but campaigning is over. the egyptians abroad are already voting. in egypt itself polling takes place on sunday and monday. a key question is how many people will cast their votes. during the first round in october turn out was just under 22%. the number will be low this time too as too few believe their vote matters. some people there is little difference between the parties >> the parties have joined forces with the current regime. for me this next parliament is not something i recognise at all

because in my opinion this is the return of the ndp symbols. their political return once again. >> reporter: in 2012 with the turn out of roughly 46% the muslim brotherhood freedom and justice party won what was regarded as free and fair elections. a little 12 months later if sdoefd the free dram and justice parties. support from other parties were promising to hold parliamentary elections within months. it has taken two years for that to happen. tens of thousands of activists are still in jail, dozens of journalists are behind bars and the committeed i can't is tightly controlled. one >> one of the key reasons widespread sense of frustration and kind of cynicism that this

upcoming parliament will perform any serious role. the dominant feeling is that the president wants a parliament that is going to support him in all the decisions he is going to face. >> reporter: sisi has faced criticism. the level of turp out may give some indication as to how many egyptians are behind their president and his policies an operation is currently underway on a remote glacier in new zealand to retrieve bodies from a helicopter crash on saturday. the the recovery could take a while. dozens of refugees have tried to cross the border between morocco. 25 people sat for hours on top a six metre high fence while police tried to get them down.

only a few managed to enter the territory and taken to a temporary migrant center. the paris attacks have prompted calls for tighter policing at europe's sfernl borders. this means the countries like slovenia which are at the edge of the e.u.'s passport free schengen zone are facing mounting pressure to have people flow there through >> reporter: everyone has had their say on paris except the refugees. there were some 700 lined up in the freezing rain on slovenia's border with austria. they all new about paris, december pies i.s.i.l. and they knew full well their journeys were about to become harder. >> translation: we are saying we are from your people's and we say thanks for everyone who helped us. we are against the terrorists

and we hate them. >> reporter: one of the paris attackers could easily have made this journey before the autumn started hiding behind everybody else on a false passport. even if so many of the people here pose no threat, absolutely nothing can be taken for granted any more. >> reporter: all it took was one syrian passport left on the ground in paris, one fingerprint from one of the attackers which apparently proved that he came through greece and had made this crossing and that has changed absolutely everything for every single one of these people because now the authorities aren't only trying to prove whether or not they're legitimate refugees, they're also trying to prove yornt they're part of i.s.i.l. so saturday marks day one of the new security regime. countries like slovenia will have to do a lot more joined up thinking with the european is

police agency uropol, yet security specialists think gang will city find the way around borders if there's money in it >> some will find the loopholes in the fence. they know how to transport in austria first or italy. some of the migrants will grow directly through the ukraine and russia. >> reporter: fingerprinted already on the border between croatia and slovenia, one they across over austria. ten thousand people pass through here on thursday alone. in security terms, the walls of fortress europe are looking far too easy to breach

greece's most eagerly anticipated football match has been called off because of violence between fans and police. fights broke out between rivals who both played in athens. the entire league could be suspended. suspended. on america tonight after paris. can drones do the job of stopping i.s.i.l. of the fire from the sky. >> i participated in actions in the drone program that killed people who i'm pretty sure were innocent regrets from a man who had his fingers on the trigger. thanks for joining us. it is the force from the sky that has changed modern warfare and maybe the world's most effective tool for dealing with i.s.i.l.