>> some of the heaviest bombing raids in syria for years - as russia steps up its air campaign hello, this is al jazeera, live from doha. also ahead - we are at the slovenian border where refugees are facing a rough road ahead, following the attacks in paris. >> funeral in bangladesh. two opposition leaders hanged for war crimes committed 40 years ago. >> polls open in the final round of voting in egypt's long-delayed parliamentary

elections russia has stepped up a bombing campaign in syria, in what activists are calling the heaviest air strikes since the conflict began. several cities and towns have been targeted. civilians are once again caught up in the violence. >> reporter: people of aleppo say when the bomb called from the sky, it killed indiscriminately. for those that survived, it's hard to breathe. in another area of aleppo, it hit the area. others say the strikes intensified. >> we suddenly heard the rockets. we were hit, the mother and the child. >> it's not clear whether the strikes in aleppo were carried out by russia or the syrian

army. the president wants to step up the campaign. >> i want to thank all of you. i want to stress for now it is not enough to cleanse syria of rebels and terrorists, and to protect russians from possible terrorist attacks. >> we take a lot of work. nearly 70 russian jets are carrying out 100 sortees every day in syria, against what moscow called terrorists. u.s. and allies criticized russian opposition groups. >> more than 60 countries are involved in an effort to find islamic state of iraq and levant. france sent the aircraft carrier to the mediterranean, to boost strikes on i.s.i.l. on some places coalition air strikes pushed back the group.

two villages were attacked near aleppo. activists say more than 400 civilians have been killed by the air campaign, and thousands displaced. >> translation: these are barbaric air strikes. they are destroying everything, even electricity cables. these men are doing their best to repair things. >> it's not just homes. the charity, doctors without borders says the hospital came under attack. more than 11 million syrians, half the population has been made homeless or left the country. as sir attacks intensified. so do the civilians. >> president obama has been speaking about the fight against i.s.i.l. at the asian summit.

he wants to focus on i.s.i.l., instead of other armed groups in syria. the targets have been moderate opposition. their principal zol appears to be, if you follow the strikes they took, to fortify the position of the bashar al-assad regime. that does not add to our efforts against i.s.i.l. in some ways it strengthens it, because i.s.i.l.'s fighting many of those groups that the russians were hitting. >> live in moscow, al jazeera's rory challands is there. what will the kremlin make of those remarks? >> well, the kremlin has always insisted, from the get-go in this air campaign, which started towards the end of scept. it insisted that it has been going after i.s.i.l., i.s.i.l. has been the primary target of this campaign. and it's deniable, really, that

a portion of that - it has been targetting i.s.i.l., it has naval assets, in the mediterranean, and the caspian sea. launching cruise missiles into syria, it has long-range bombers flying from russia, dropping bombs on syria and an airbase outside of damascus used to launch strikes in syria as well. the question is not whether it is hitting i.s.i.l., but how much is it hitting i.s.i.l. and there is, president obama, is it looking to target other groups before it strikes i.s.i.l. >> the rushions want, really, to try to build a coalition, a coalition involving the americans, a coalition now involving the french and anyone else that wants to join in. >> russia says the only way that i.s.i.l. can be properly eradicated is by working together. of course, russia's key

objective in all of this is to somewhere protect the regime in syria. it's not necessarily the presidency of bashar al-assad, that it wants to protect, but at least keep the its interests intact in the area. that's why there's so much difference between the united states on one side, and moscow on the other. because they do not agree at all at the moment on what should happen to the regime in syria. >> diplomatically, this is said to be a busy week for vladimir putin, isn't it? >> it is, it is. so what we have earlier in the week is vladimir putin going to iran. he's going to a summit of oil-producing nations there. while he's in iran, he's going to be speaking with president hassan rouhani, and he's also going to be speaking with the ayatollah khamenei. their conversation will, of course, include what is going on in syria. both of these countries are stakeholders in what is going on in syria, both participating.

later in the week the syrian foreign minister will travel at moscow to have talks about what is going on in his country, and towards the end of the week, we have the french president francis hollande travelling to moscow to meet with vladimir putin, coming to moscow after a visit to washington d.c. now, there seems to be at the moment, at least on the surface of things, a growing partnership between the french and the russians in the wake of the paris attacks and the russian plane that crashed in the sinai desert. russia and france feel that they have been wounded and are trying to build a consensus towards fighting it. as i said, the difficulty is about the political solution for syria, what happens to the government in syria. at the moment that's the blocking point. that is what is preventing a trooper true grand coalition that will tackle i.s.i.l.

>> thanks now to belgium, where the government is due to decide whether to extend its state of emergency. the streets of the capital brussels are quiet after warnings of an imminent transport system is cheesed. belgium's prime minister charles mitchell says there's a chance of a paris-type attack in belgium. >> paris has tightened borders, meaning countries like slovenia, at the end of the schengen zone, are facing mounting pressure usual to identify all passing through. lawrence lee reports from the border. >> reporter: by now everyone had their say, except the refugees, here they were, 700 in the

freezing rain on the slovenian border with russia. they knew about paris, and now their journeys had become harder. with everything here, and saying that we are from these people. and saying thank you to american that helped us, we are against the tourists. >> with european leaders admitting the borders leaked like a bucket. they admit one of the attackers could have made the journey with everyone else. even if so many of the people here pose no threat. >> all it took was a syrian passport on the ground in paris, one fingerprint from an attacker that proved that he came through greece, and had made the

crossing. that's changed absolutely everything for every won of these people. now, the authorities are not only trying to prove whether or not they are refugees, they are trying to prove whether or not they are part of i.s.i.l. >> 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 police agency. yet security specialists think gangs will find ways around the borders if there's money in it. >> some, smugglers, look how to transport into moscow or italy. >> somehow, the route will stop slightly and some. migrants will go through the scene through italy, or they should use the old way of the marco paulo, between ukraine and russia. >> having been fingerprinted on

the border, once they crossed into austria they disappeared into massive tents. the army is in commarge, and they increased their numbers. 10,000 passed through here on thursday alone. in security terms, the walls are looking too easy to breach. >> two bangladeshy opposition leaders have been buried after being committed for war crimes in 1971. one was the secretary-general of the largest party. the other was flun jal in a bangladesh party. they were convicted in 2013 by a special tribeca. the president rejected a last-minute appeal. >> phil robertson is the deputy director of the asian human rights watch. and says both men did not get a fair trial.

>> human rights watch supports the idea of holding people accountable for the crimes. the problem is how you do it, whether you are accord them the fair trial standards. in this instance, we don't think that's the case. there has been an effective quality between the defense and prosecution witnesses, and people that both men wanted to defend themselves in court were not permitted. in an arbitrary fashion. >> people in egypt began to vote in elections which could results in the first parliament for three years. in 2012 parliament was dissolved after a court ruled the lower chamber was not constitutionally elected. >> reporter: egyptian president abdul fatah al-sisi cast his ballot in long-delayed parliamentary elections. stations in egypt have opened. >> a key question now is how many people will cast their votes. during the first round in october. turn out was under 22%.

there are worries the numbers will be low this time, if few believe their vote matters. some voters complained there's little difference between the parties. >> translation: there are parties that joined forces with the counter regime, that is my opinion. the parliament is not something they recognised. mubarak's regime, the political return once again. >> in 2012, with a turn out of roughly 46%. mohamed mursi, and the muslim brotherhood's freedom and justice party won what were regarded as free and fair elections. a little over 12 months later mohamed mursi was deposed in a military coup. the military secured support, promising to hold parliamentary elections within months, it's taken two years for that to happen. tens of thousands of activists

are in gaol and the media tightly controlled. several boycotted the vote, saying there's little chance for them to play a role in the politics. >> there's a sense of frustration and cynicism that the parliament will perform a serious role. the feeling is that the president wants a parliament to support him in the decisions that he makes. >> abdul fatah al-sisi faces criticism for cracking down on opponents. this is unlikely to change the face of melissa chan policy. they give an agency as to how many is behind the president and the policies. still to come - brazil faces environmental zasers. toxic sludge from a landslide flows downstream towards the

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>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. hello, the top stories on al jazeera. russia stepped up a campaign in what activists called the heaviest air strikes, targetting the northern city of aleppo and several other towns. two bangladeshy leaders were buried when they were executed for war crimes committed in 1971. a special tribeca convicted them in 2013 -- tribunal convicted them in 2013.

the president rejected a last minute bid for clemency. >> abdul fatah al-sisi votes in the latest rounds of parliamentary elections. the vote has been delayed by two years. egypt has been without a parliament since 2012. >> elections are taking place in ongoing kong, the first since the protest last year. the local council poll is seen as a test of support for the movement. sarah clarke reports from hong kong. >> there's a record number of candidates standing in the district election. 900 are competing for 431 seats. there's a large number of parties formed in the wake. of last year's pro-democracy movement, and the protest shutting parts of hong kong. a lot of people are expecting a more younger - the younger quernation to vote, because they are -- generation to turn out and vote because they are

disillusioned. there's an election watched by the hong kong government. because it's the first time people have gone to a general election. while the pro-beijing party holds a majority, the record number of independent candidates gives more variety, choice when they cast their vote. this is an insight into how the legislative elections will go when people go to vote next year china accused the u.s. of political provocation, with naval patrols in the south china sea. the vice prime minister made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting of leaders in asia. >> let's cross to scott heidler. what has the u.s. made of those remarks? president obama had a press conference pretty much out of country, and out of asia, which

he spent a week in with apak and a.s.e.a.n. he said it was a key issue in the breakaway summit and he said it's something that he felt he wanted to stick to the rule of law. and he didn't hit hard back at the comments, officials at the end of last week that china must stop land reclamation. and the disputed territory in the south china sea, he didn't says those things again on sunday, but underlined the ov over - the overall idea of the rule of law from most nations in a.s.e.a.n. >> south-east asian nations

signed a trade deal, the kuala lumpur declaration. what does that mean for the region? >> it's something that has been in the works for about eight years. in essence, it's like what europe has when it comes to its economic community. there won't be as much integration as europe. they are trying to open the borders to make tried and work flow easier. now that they have this in the works, it will be a go into law, if you will. the first of next year. it will create the third largest economy. there's a lot of potential and work to be done, because we have 10 independent nations with different economic systems, different ruling systems, so the integration will be a tough task moving forwards. >> many thanks, scott heidler in kuala lumpur a landslide in myanmar

killed 89 people, happening near a jade mine in the northern states. emergency services are looking for survivors. frorens louie as more from yank gong. >> reporter: it's not clear what caused the landslide. according to a state owned newspaper, there was a collapse of waste oil, burying houses. it was from the jade mining process. and most are the dead are thought to be the miners, that make their living there. most rescues are being made by police and soldiers. this is where some of the best quality jade is found. the jade industry is poorly

maintained. people are risking lives, digging through scrap from bigger companies. people were killed in late march in a collapse of a mine in the same area a woman south of nablus has been shot. police say she dried to stab an israeli. 88 palestinians, and 15 israelis have been killed. >> now, to mali, where a state of emergency is in force a day after an attack on a luxury hotel - should be two days. 21 people, two attackers were killed. niklas reports from the capital. >> reporter: shaken and in shock, survivors walk back into the hotel where they were taken mostage. they are here to pick up their belongings. inside the remains of carnage.

the smell of gunpowder in the air. this delegate from a conference for energy hid in a room, praying that she wouldn't die. >> translation: i was in the room. i tried to hide under my bed. i was so scared i thought about jumping off the balcony. >> 170 people were held hostage before malian and french stormed the building. many are treated for gunshot wounds. forensic experts are continuing to identify the dead. many are foreign workers. a 10 day state of emergency and 3 day mourning was declared. >> translation: no city is safe. we are all at risk. it's affected all of us. >> reporter: this is the worst attack they have experienced. yet 24 hours after the attack,

it's as if bamako are back to normal. meanwhile the investigation continues. >> korean fors forces are after three suspects on the run. >> a splinter group accused twitter to claim responsibility for the attack. the government wouldn't confirm this, saying investigations are under way. eyewitnesss say the attackers spoke perfect english, suggesting they may not be malian. >> i was hiding in my room, i felt reassured. i knew it was safe to come out. >> this attack is a blow to a country seeking foreign investment. >> monique and fellow investors are unlikely to stay and mali can ill afford to see them go crimea declared a state of emergency after the main

powerlines from ukraine were blown up. it's the second such attack in many days. ukraine's state energy company says the damage was caused by shelling or explosives. russia's emergency militaries says the hospitals are supplied by generators. russia annexed in march last year. >> a mud flow hit the atlanta ocean. the sludge has been flowing downstream. the disaster killed 11 people, 12 are missing. >> gerald tan reports. >> reporter: the river turned a murky orange for as far as the eye can see. the change in colour caused by mining waste unleashed after two dams collapse said. in two weeks the struj travelled -- sludge travelled 500km into the atlanta. >> translation: all we expect

now is the death of the river. all the logistics will not solve our problems. we need a solution. >> the mine is owned by an australian and brazilian joint venture, greeg to pay a quarter of a million. they insist the mud is not toxic. those along the river feel the facts. >> i'm catching one or two fish a day. recently i was catching seven. >> i can't save anything now, i can't throw the water on the cocoa plants, it will die. we don't know what is in the water. there's nothing we can do. >> biologies are working to constain the damage. it will not be easy. enough to fill 25,000 swimming pools of sludge was released. >> our objective is to reduce the environmental damage, the negative impact, to mitigate the

most we can. with regards to who is to blame and other legal proceedings, that's for the courts. >> brazil's environment minister said it could take up to 30 years to clean up the basin, calling it the worst environmental disaster history. >> recycled plastic is used to make polls for construction and road signs in kenya. we have this report from nairobi, on how people are turning waste into an alternative for wood and aluminium. >> translation: it doesn't matter how filthy the job is. in kenya, it's money. as for what happened after the plastic is collected and it's sold... >> that i don't know. they make materials, but i don't know what materials they make. >> take a look at this. the plastic goes in here.

it is then melted down and compressed in this machine. drop it in cold water, and here is what you get. poles made out of recycled plastic. an alternative to woods. >> i think it's something the world should explore, based on the counter raw materials in the form of waste. >> you can use it to make furniture and construction. manufacturers say they don't rot and won't be eaten by tur mites. >> you have different options. some like this. they are heavy. they are more expensive. production costs are high. >> a lot of funny are going into paying for electricity. the concept is new in kenya, the polls are changing the landscape. if kenyans stopped and looked.

some would be surprised that more poles are made from recycled plastic. waste that many would throw away much more real news with analysis and comments at the website, aljazeera.com. azeera.com. >> in 1978, joseph sledge was convicted of murder in north carolina. >> they made me the scapegoat because they had no one to blame. >> at his trial, an fbi scientist testified that hairs found at the crime scene were 'microscopically alike' to joseph's. just months ago, joseph was released from prison, after serving almost forty years behind bars.