>> the fight against isil intensifies, confirmation that a french aircraft carrier will soon be operational in the eastern mediterranean. >> it's good to have you with us. i'm david foster. you're watching al jazeera live from london. >> also in this program, belgian security on a state of high alert. >> in crimea, electricity pylons are broken up, leaving millions without power. >> i'm in kenya, keep watching,

wait until you see what all this plastic is going to be turned into. >> france is now saying that its aircraft carrier will be operational in the fight against isil from monday. that announcement just over a week after the paris attacks. the nuclear powered charles de gaulle is the biggest in western europe, can carry fort planes and helicopters and is going to be stationed in the eastern mediterranean. russia is intensifying its bombing campaign, war ships in the caspian sea targets locations across syria. activists say these are the heaviest since the conflict began in 2011. in an interview with chinese television, the syrian president bashar al assad said the russian strikes had helped improve the situation in syria. his troops were advancing on in

his words nearly every front. ok, let's go to paris, muhammed has a report. this aircraft carrier leaves the med ready to start work on monday. meanwhile, francois hollande has got a busy few days trying to build a coalition, a grand coalition, as he sees it. >> that's absolutely right. i mean, francois hollande has said for days now that france is engaged very actively in a war on terror. now you see this news emanating that the charles de gaulle carrier will be in place as of tomorrow morning. we are told there are going to be 26 fighter jets board the charles de gaulle targeting targets in syria in addition to the aircraft already targeting isil targets, 12 other french

fighter jets that have already been on bombing raids targeting isil targets. francois hollande is going to be meeting the next few days with world leaders, including david cam rob. polls suggest already that is gaining a lot of support. in fact, a poll released by a french newspaper earlier today said that 91% of the french public very much approve of the extension of the state of emergency here which was extended by three months in the last days and 94% of french citizens say they favor border control. transham said he needs support from the french public and it seems he is receiving that support from the french public to expand -- >> taking a look behind you, it's a sunday and people around the at work, bub the numbers still coming out to show the solidarity that the french people want the word to see is still quite extraordinary by the look of it.

>> it really is. even on a weekend here, there are men, women and children coming out still lighting candles, laying flowers, expressing solidarity with their fellow french citizens. now, it's been an interesting shift in the dynamic in the area just in the last half hour. there was a small demonstration, even though marches have been banned. there was a small demonstration of extreme leftist groups, saying they were marsh to go welcome migrants, refugees, but it devolved into something else altogether and in fact at the end of it, they were saying that they really wanted to be able to come out and demonstrate. there shouldn't be demonstrations. riot police tried to break that up. that's been one moment in a weekend of people continuing to come out trying to show the world that they are rallying

behind french citizenry and their government at this time of crisis. >> thank you very much indeed from paris. barack obama's been speaking about the fight against isil. he is at the asean summit in malaysia, saying he wants russia to focus on isil instead of other armed groups inside syria. >> their principal targets have been the moderate opposition that they felt threatened assad. their principle goal appeared to be, if you follow the strikes that they took, to fortify the position of the assad regime. that does not add to our efforts against isil. in some ways, it strengthens it, because isil is also fighting many of those groups that the russians were hitting. >> we will hear now from our correspondent with the latest from turkey near the syrian border on what is happening on the ground. >> activists on the ground say

that the russians have targeted different areas across syria, particularly in the eastern city in aleppo and idlib. some of the targets were basically isil's positions. the russians have been saying the last few days that they have killed hundred was isil fighters and will crib their airstrikes to undermine and destroy the oil installation of the armed group. however, activists and human rights organizations in aleppo and idlib say news of the tarts in those areas is that they were basically civilians, dozens of women and children killed. i spoke with a senior opposition commander. he said despite the massive military campaigns by the russians, it's determined to

continue the fight until bashar al assad is kicked out of power. >> belgian security officials are meeting to decide whether the terror alert in brussels will be extended. streets have been in lockdown for second day over warnings of an imminent attack. jobs and transport systems are closed, people told to avoid large crowds. there is the possibility of a paris style attack involving explosives, weapons at a number of different locations. live for us now, it's a conundrum. if you keep a state of emergency in place and nothing happens and it could prove that you are actually doing your job properly, but might make people question why there's the need for a state of emergency. >> that's the dilemma the government is facing, a fleet of

limousines have been bringing cabinet ministers into the office over my shoulder there, you can see all the media gathered outside. the meeting was due to start, it's 5:00, or 16 hub g.m.t., 5:00 local. they do have a very difficult position to make. the policy, tactic that the belgian government have adopted is to deny soft targets to the potential would be attackers. that is to close the metro station, close the underground railway system and advise people to stay away from large groups. they've closed the sunday market, the game due to take place yesterday was postponed to prevent the kind of large, easy targets gathering from taking place. that said, in the past, what in the whole week since the paris attacks and certainly in the last third six hours since the threat level was raised to four. there have been no arrests, certainly no arrests of the prime suspect, anyway. that puts the government in a very difficult situation. at what point do you make a

decision with monday looming and the supposedly normal working day starting tomorrow. at what point do you decide that the risk is acceptable? it's a very difficult decision they're going to have. they need to make arrests quick or decide if they're going to risk the safety of the brussels public. >> how difficult is it going to be, paul? monday is yet to come but on a normal working day, russia, what is the effect likely to be on brussels, what are people saying could happen? >> well, i got the metro from the hotel to the e.u. building where they had that ministers meeting friday. i did it early in the morning, rush hour, essentially and the carriages were packed out and there are four main lines here. it is a city of 1.4 million, but when you add up the nato staff and the various e.u. diplomats

and everything, it's closer to 2 million, all trying to get to work. if those metro trains aren't running within the disruption is going to be immense and i suspect that you speak of lockdown, i certainly think gridlock is what we're going to have on monday morning, if the decision is made to keep the current restrictions as they are. >> thank you. we'll leave it there for now. paul, as that meeting cribs, i'm sure you'll tell us what happens as soon as you do. >> almost 2 million people in crimea are without power after pylons carrying electric industry from ukraine were reportedly blown up. state of emergency has been declared in the peninsula, which was annexed last year by russia. the incident is likely to heighten already tense relationship between russia and ukraine. we have this report.

>> circulated on social media, images of the four damaged electric pylons. electricity is completely cut off. attached is a flag. ukraine still continues to supply the peninsula with electricity. overnight, the city was plunged into darkness with thousands of homes left without power. at this city hospital, backup generators were used to keep the lights on and keep vital equipment running. rescue teams have been put on high alert and a state of emergency declared. >> absolutely all services have been fully mobilized. all diesel generators have been checked. we have 217 in the city. schools, hospitals and kindergartens, so in any scenario, they will have electricity. >> two of the four pylons on ukrainian territory were first damaged on friday. ukrainian activists, including

crimean tartars tried to repair the lines but were pushed back by police. ukrainian officials believe the pylons were blown up. russia hasn't said who it thinks caused the damage, but state media reported they were attacked by ukrainian nationalists. if true, the blackouts are likely to increase tensions between russia and ukraine. it's expected to take 48 hours for power to be restored. al jazeera. >> stay with us if you can, we have this story coming up, covering the funeral of executed opposition in bangladesh is injured in a shooting.

june the headlines for you here on al jazeera. r.b.i.'s been pounding isil targets in syria, one of the heaviest boom barredments in the conflict. france's aircraft carrier prepares to commence its campaign in the mediterranean. >> the belgian capital in lockdown, second day of this after warnings of a paris style attack. officials are meeting to decide whether to extend the alert in brussels. >> crimea here in a state of emergency in that area after pylons carrying electricity from ukraine were blown up, leaving almost 2 million people without power. >> the 10 member countries of

the association of southeast asianations asean agreed to create a single economic community. trade barriers will gradually be lifted, people able to move around more freely. the last day of the asean summit in kuala lampur. >> the hope is that the agreement signed will improve the lives of 620 million people. >> we have to insure a single market and production base with freer movement of goods and services, with common standards, far greater connectivity and the removal of the barriers that make our borders a hindrance to growth and investment.

>> the block which concluded its annual meeting with disagreement is the third largest economy in the region after china and japan. the aims of the new asean community agreement known as the a.e.c. is to create a single economic market, one that is competitive within the region and will attract more foreign investment. it also plans to phase out tariffs and taxes and make it easier to get work permits in all member states. since the blue paint for the a.e.c. was first penned in 2007, it was always in advicaged to greater economic incident allegation would be the ultimate goal. according to figures up to 2014, the economic blocks combined g.d.p. grew and foreign investment increased. much of that success has been down to small and medium business enterprises. >> he employs 20 people at this tire factory. its annual turnover is more than $3.5 million. he has plans to expand and export more if trade barriers can be removed.

tech savvy entrepreneurs have begun to trade beyond malaysia. his taxi booking app has been downloaded by 4 million customers in the six asean countries where it operates. it's taken 20 years of negotiations to get this far and this is still only the start. >> i think asean will continue to move forward slowly and will be correct to do so. it's keeping its peoples with them. i think as governments keep that goal in mind and they keep making it into a real single market, there will be huge gains to be made for the people of asean. >> asean is in no rush. analysts say its steady, cautious approach has been a strong point in the world of turbulence. al jazeera, kuala lampur. >> the funerals of two hanged

leaders have taken place within heightened security. he is the first former minister executed for war crimes committed during bangladesh's war of independence. he was hanged along with the opposition leader after presidential clemency was denied. >> we have more from dhaka. >> behind me is shaba square, over the years the epicenter of protests calling for the execution of war criminals. in a little bit, there's going to be another gathering over there, but this time, it's going to be a celebration rather than a protest. that's because two of the most high profile men accused of war crimes were hanged on sunday. the mood across the country is not entirely june hospital. that's because the two men who were hanged were influential politicians and their supporters say that their trial was about

neutering the opposition rather than about justice and these supporters have taken to the streets in the past in protest, which have resulted in hundred was people killed in political violence. the government has taken fairly extraordinary measures to prevent further violence from taking operation. they have defied tens of thousands of security personnel, police, border guards, paramilitary units have been deployed in cities across the country, and they've clamped down on social media activity with what's app, twitter, facebook and vibr locked for a while now. however, despite this, there's been at least one incidence of violence with a t.v. van fired at by unknown tackers and at least one journalist wounded as a result. the possibility of further violence is certainly there. >> mali said president has been

to see those injured in the affect at the attack on the hotel. he went to bamako to meet survivors. 21 people were killed in the siege at raddison blu hotel, including two attackers. police say they are continuing to look for suspects. >> an style woman has died in hospital after being stabbed by a palestinian in the occupied west bank. israeli security forces shot the palestinian attacker dead. in a separate incident, a 16-year-old palestinian girl was shot dead by israeli security forces after she tried to stab in a israeli at a traffic juncture. a palestinian man reportedly tried to ram his car into israelis. it's the latest wave of violence

in which 91 palestinians have lost their lives. >> the final phase in egypt's parliamentary elections has begun, but voter turnout expected to be low. the country has been without a parliament for nearly three years after dissolved by court order in 2012. we have this report. >> egyptian president al sisi cast his blot in the latest round of voting and long delayed parliamentary elections. polling stations in egypt have now opened. >> a key question now is how many people will cast their votes. there are worries the number will be low this time, too. voters complain there is little difference between the parties. >> their parties have joined forces with the current regime. that's my opinion. this is not something i recognize at all.

>> in 2012 with a turnout of 46%, mohamed morsi and the muslim brotherhood's freedom and justice party won what was regarded as free and fair elections. morsi was deposed in a military coup, which dissolved the freedom and justice party. the military security support by offering to hold parliamentary elections within months. it's taken two years for that to happen. tens of thousands of activists are still in jail, dozens of journalists are behind bars. the media are tightly controlled. several parties are boycotting this latest vote, claiming there is little chance to play a part in egypt's politics. >> there is a widespread sense

of frustration and cynicism that this upcoming parliament will perform any sirius role. the dominant feeling is that the president wants a parliament that's going to support him in all the decisions that he's going to make. >> president sisi has faced international criticism for cracking down on opponents. this vote is unlikely to change the face of egyptian politics, but the level of turnout may give some indication how many egyptians are behind their president and his policies. >> people in argentina are voting in the country's first ever presidential head-to-head runoff election. whoever wins faces massive challenges especially when it comes to the economy, argentina facing a massive debt, as well as big inflation. leaders in canada are taking very different approaches on that front. it's all about continuity. he's with the ruling front for victory party and about to maintain the policies of the outgoing president kirchner, barred from running for a third term. the alternative for voters is

change. that's what the opposition wants, including scrapping controls on the current and trade. let's go live to argentina's capital for the very latest. i was going to ask you how different these two men would be. i've sort of outlined it there. now you're going to have to give us a character assessment. how will it appear to the outside world if one man gets the presidency or the other man does? >> well, david, i mean, they are two very different characters. maurice yo mack knee comes from a family where he is desperately trying to find common ground with the ordinary people of argentina. it does seem he's done that.

>> he's very well known to the argentine electorate. he's been a vice president, major minister, he's a very well known figure in argentina. he was a professional power boat racer, losing his arm, his right arm in an accident in the late 1980's, the two men very different styles, although to some degree, similar backgrounds. >> do you want to hazard a guess

whether christina kirchner will be pulling the strings to some extent if her man gets in? >> the rumors certainly say or the speculation say that christina's going to find it very difficult to take a back seat. she's been in office for eight years, two materials in office. her husband was in office before her, so the country, argentina's had 12 years of search in her government is going to be very difficult for her to, most people here seem to think to take a back seat if daniel cioli should win. >> people are voting in hong kong for no council members there, the first poll since last year says mass protest with a call for greater democracy. >> candidates were still campaigning in a bid to secure

last minute votes. the record number of people are competing at this district elections in the wake of last year's protests that brought hong kong to a standstill, it's the younger generation turning up in high numbers to vote. about the political situation, so are more active in participating. >> people want to vote this time, because the umbrella movement last year encouraged more young people to vote. >> they are not only voting younger, but new candidates are challenging the seasoned politicians. he is just 23 years old, disillusioned by the current political landscape, he joined the newly formed young-spiration party.

>> the district election may be very much a local event dealing with traffic and the day to day complaints of local residents, but the importance of this election should not be underestimated. it is seen by many as a referendum on hong kong's political future. >> hong kong's chief executive cast his vote early. he and other lawmakers know that this vote could reshape hong kong's political future. >> in a way, it would indicate whether or not the umbrella movement does have the support of voters in general, and also, it can be a test for the degree of awakening of hong kong

people. >> there's plenty of enthusiasm among voters in hong kong, but a different story in egypt. polls there opened for lon >> you can get more at aljazeera.com for all the world's news. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera", singer / songwriter and artist nona hendryx. >> taking risks, sometimes it's, you know, doing that, i find something that didn't exist for me. or i can create something that nobody else will. >> she's best know for being one third of the famed group labelle. lady marmalade was their biggest hit. but it was just one of many that topped the charts. she grew up in new jersey, influenced by gospel music. she was the creative force