hello, everyone. welcome to the news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes. brussels stays on a high state of alert with the threat of a terrorist attack balloons over the belgian capital. stepping up the fight against isil. france prepares to launch strikes from an aircraft carrier in the mediterranean. the candidate for change versus the candidate for continuity. the argentinian presidency is

decided shortly. "the washington post" journalist sentenced to a prison term in iran from spying. i'm robin adams with all the sport for you including the season to remember as the serbian finishes the year on top of the world. hello. belgium's prime minister says the country will remain on the highest state of alert with schools, universities and the metro all shut on monday. soldiers and police have been patrolling the streets of the capital for a second day after warnings of an imminent attack. shops remained closed and people have been told to avoid large crowds. belgium's prime minister says there's a possibility of an attack involving explosions and weapons at several locations.

>> translator: i can give you information about the position of the metro in brussels tomorrow. the metro in brussels will remain closed. we've also formed the decision to close the schools in brussels tomorrow. it is our intention to make a new evaluation on the security situation tomorrow afternoon. >> al jazeera's paul brennan joins us now from brussels. the capital is very nervous at the moment, and we believe there are police operations ongoing? >> reporter: indeed. a city very much on edge for the past -- well, over three hours now there's been an operation, and as you say, it's still ongoing based just off the famous big major tourist square in the center of brussels. police cars were flying around the cobbled streets here, unmarked police cars with blue lights flashing and sirens blairing and a wide cordon was thrown around the area.

it has condensed down to an year a few hundred meters by a few hundred meters. the police searches are ongoing. what they don't give us details of is what has been found or anybody arrested yet. nevertheless you can see over the shoulder a police van and tape and the operation that i can see is still ongoing here. >> earlier, of course, we heard from the belgian prime minister saying that the state of alert remains at level four, the highest possible state of alert. on monday the start of the working week we have the metro closed and schools and universities closed. it's almost unprecedented in western europe. >> reporter: it is. i mean, it's a very, very difficult decision to make. he was taking briefings from his security chiefs and defense chiefs, and he had to decide whether the risk was worthwhile. you have up until now one raid on friday, which revealed a cache of weapons and we have

salah abdeslam on the loose still now. he probably has a network of accomplices. one accomplice associate said that abdeslam, when he drove from paris back to belgium was wearing a large coat. he may still have his explosive vest. all of that data has made the authorities extremely worried and highly dangerous, and they couldn't take the chance. they've had the met fro closed for two days and extend it into a third day into the working week. it will cause major disruption, but the alternatives were frankly unthinkable. >> paul brennan is live from brussels. thanks, paul. police in france are appealing for information about the man they say was one of the suicide bombers in the paris attacks. investigators say this man is

one of three attackers that blew himself outside the staid de france and he registered as a migrant in laros back in october. france's aircraft carrier will join operations again the islamic state of iraq and levant on monday. it's the largest warship in western europe. it carries 40 aircrafts and will be stationed in the eastern mediterranean. russia is intensifying its campaign in syria with warships in the caspian sea. activists say the strikes are some of the heaviest since the syrian conflict began in 2011. in an interview with chinese television the syrian president said the russian strikes have proved the situation in syria and the troops are advancing on, quote, nearly every front. the united states has announced the coalition conducted 25

strikes against isil on saturday, 16 in iraq and 9 in syria. al jazeera has more details from paris. >> reporter: overwhelming support for security measures being put into place by french president francois hollande according to a new poll released in france on sunday. that poll stating that 91% of french citizens support the extension of the state of emergency by three months. that was passed just in the last few days. the poll also saying that 94% of respondents support further border controls. on sunday it was also announced that the aircraft carrier charles de galle will be in place monday morning. that's in addition to the our carriers carrying out air rides. barack obama has spoke about the fight against isil at the

asean convention in asia. >> their principal targets are the moderate opposition that they felt threatened assad. their principal goal appeared to be, if you follow the strikes that they took, to fortify the position of the assad regime. and 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. >> turkey and the u.s. are working together to secure a 98-kilometer area inside syria currently under isil control. in the last few days turkey stepped up the assistance to the syrian opposition to drive isil away from northern aleppo, but defeating the group may take time. we have a report from the border with syria. >> reporter: she has just

received news her father was killed in what she says was a russian air strike inside syria. but because she doesn't have travel documents, she won't be able to attend the funeral. >> translator: we're suffering a lot. i've been away from my family for two years. i just want to get back and say good-bye. >> reporter: she's among many syrians who have fled to turkey. this man has been here with his brother and sister for almost two years. their father was badly hurt in a barrel bomb attack. they drove for 20 hours to get to the border crossing, but because he lost his i.d. he won't be able to cross into syria. >> translator: my father called us and said he would love to see us. his health is deteriorating, but as you can see, i won't be able to join him.

>> reporter: turkey has increased security at its border with syria after several attacks for which the government blames isil. turkey's western allies have been asking for tighter border controls for some time. this is why the u.s. is stepping up pressure on turkey to sale off border areas. first, to prevent foreign fighters from crossing into syria, and second, to ensure isil won't be able to smuggle oil into turkish markets. if that happens, the u.s. hopes isil will lose significant revenues and its influence in the region will diminish. these are syrian rebels on the move to retake isil territory in aleppo. turkish fighter jets are helping them, but syrian opposition military commanders say more should be done. >> translator: the international

coalition is launches air strikes against isil, but you need boots on the ground. the only way is to give the syrian opposition weapons to lead the fight. >> reporter: the u.s. reluctant to give the rebels advanced weapons fearing some of them might fall into the hands of groups affiliated with isil or al qaeda. back at the border crossing she and her father and other syrian refugees like them will have to wait until war comes to an end to reunite with their relatives. we're on the turkish border with syria. we're going to take you to argentina now, which is holding its first ever runoff election to choose a new president. it is a race between daniel ceolio and the opposition. daniel swiemer reports. >> he came down to the final day of a long campaign, and it's

still unclear who will be the next president of argentina. some want radical change, a more open economy and end to enflags, while others think the country should move forward with what they've had over the past 12 years. >> translator: i want the country to grow. our children had to leave because of the economic situation and we want them to return. >> reporter: the opinion polls are unreliable in the fist round when daniel stinishes ahead. both candidates are urging their supporters out to vote. a close race gives added urgency to these elections. the country divided between those who want change between the same government in office

for 12 years and those who want more of the same with minor adjustments. the future hangs in the balance. argentina faces high inflation, dwindling reserves and unresolved foreign debt disputes, which the opposition's mauricio macri promises to deal with. it has high employment and extension public health and education systems and has been praised for tackling human rights issue, which daniel scioli says he's fight to maintain. there's two distinct ways to tackle the future. >> we go live to buenos aires to teresa with mauricio macri supporters, and early exit polls say he's, indeed, won. >> reporter: people here are already celebrating because the media outlets here are showing that the first exit polls are

out and that macri has won. this is very, very preliminary, but i don't know if you can see right behind me. people here are already celebrating what they say is a victory of mauricio macri. people are tired of the confrontation that has existed in the country in the last year. macri has started to work with a coalition in argentina. the radical party is working in the slums and working class neighborhoods hit by violence and inflation. we will have to see whether all this work is enough for him to win the election. from what we see here, it seems very, very likely. >> if he is indeed the new president, what are the big tasks? what has he promised to do? >> well, the first task that any president from argentina right now has to deal with is the economy. very high inflation and liquid reserves are running short.

it's been 12 years of kirchenrism. they created it here in the country. there's times when many things have been achieved, talking about human rights and high employment among other issues, but people here after 12 years are saying that something else needs to be done. inflation seems to be what almost everyone here in the country is very worried about. >> teresa live in buenos aires for us. thank you. there's more to come on this al jazeera news hour, including funerals held for opposition figures executed in bangladesh. a record number of candidates in hong kong's local elections following last year's mass protests. and in sport one of greece's biggest football clubs threatens to leave the league after another space with fan violence.

first, the french president will meet with british prime minister david cameron on monday to discuss the fight against isil. that meeting begins a week of diplomacy for fran choice hollande, who is set for talks with the united states, germany and russia. andrew simmons reports from paris. >> reporter: france at war is what the president promised, and that's being delivered. increased raids on isil targets in syria and the only french aircraft carrier is in position to intensify the air strikes. francois hollande finds his popularity rising after a week of national trauma with 130 lives lost in the paris attacks. one poll says more than 90% support his actions so far. right now the people of france appear to be content with what their president is doing and saying, but the week ahead will probably be the most difficult in his presidency. he has to actually convince

people that what he says and does is right. once he was seen as a mild-mannered mr. gray sort of figure. now he's following a hawkish path. france can't go it alone. hollande's first meeting this week is with the u.k. prime minister. david cameron is hoping to get enough support for parliamentary approval to extend british air strikes on isil into syria. france isn't just looking for military support. at the present times to bolster deals for the intelligence cooperation and more border checks within the eu. on tuesday hollande will leave paris for washington. he'll be after more military commitment in syria from barack obama, the u.s. president and his russian counterpart, vladimir putin, appear to have broken some of the ice between them at the g-20 meeting in turkey earlier this month. there will be efforts for a grand military coalition to include russia, and hollande

plans to head to moscow later in the week in an effort to secure a deal with putin. not everyone back home, though, is confident about the end game. >> more bombs. it's the conflict in the middle east. our military chief of staff the other day said we won't win in the short term militarily against isil. it's about a political and diplomatic solution. >> reporter: hollande plans to meet germany's chancellor angle merkel. he'll consult her about putin being on board. he supports assad with his own air strikes will want concessions. he'll likely want the lifting of sanctions for his action in crimea and eastern ukraine, and may be too high a price to pay. andrew simmons, al jazeera, paris. with me from paris is charles litchfield, europe team

associate at the euroasia group. thanks for being on the program. one of the key important meetings this week hollande will have is with the u.s. president, barack obama. how much pressure will he apply from obama, and exactly what does he want from the u.s. president? >> first of all, he has the capacity to apply a lot of pressure because he's a legitimate representative of a wounded party, that being france. president obama has said he'll do everything he can to support france. so i think there is some legitimacy to president obama's actions. obviously, it will be difficult to convince president obama to do much more in the middle east. president obama isn't a president who likes to think of himself as an interventionist president. >> indeed. how reluctant is obama going to be with to have any more military cooperation with the russians? >> it's difficult certainly, but you've already seen them talking.

i think the main objective now is to achieve some sort of unified koelcoalition. there's a recognition they have the interests in defeating isil, so the only thing they need to achieve now is there aren't two competing coalitions against isil in the middle east. >> the person who appears to come out well from all of this would be president putin. he's been calling, hasn't he, for this alliance to fight groups in syria. he must be delighted with what president hollande is doing at the moment. >> maybe to an extent. remember, he's also in a rather difficult situation suddenly, because his action in the middle east have led to the death of more than 200 russian citizens on a plan in the sinai region in egypt. he'll be happy to see western leaders talking to him again, having been a pariah for two years. the question is what they can achieve and if they can agree on

syria. whether they just want to defeat isis or talk about a political transition, and there are more causes for them to disagree there because of rush aya's support for the assad regime and the west's frosty relations if any at all with assad. >> that's why many think it's difficult to get a coalition like that. is it fair to say, though, that france has been disappointed by the contribution being made by some of the its european allies in the fight against isil? >> yes, i think so you're right. i mean, you can talk about different countries that have usually had the capacity to intervene abroad and thinking of the u.k. the u.k. is currently striking isil in iraq but not in syria, which is a rather strange situation if you remember that isil doesn't really consider the syrian-iraq border to be as a border at all. david cameron is very careful about taking a vote to parliament to strike in syria

given the problem we had getting the votes in 2013. we believe it's more likely that he ultimately gets the vote, and i think president hollande and president cameron will talk about that tomorrow in when they meet. in germany's case is a case of the country not wanting to intervene militarily in any conflict abroad and simply to seek diplomatic solutions. i think overall in germ they'd like to see germany playing more of a military role as well as a diplomatic roll. >> good to get your analysis on the situation. thank you. a day after two bangladeshi op poigs leaders you were p death, human rights groups are criticize the trials but others support the execution. they were hanged for war crimes connected to the war of independence back in 1971. we have the report from dabbing ka. >> they have come to celebrate the hanging, but the movement calling for the death penalty

for those with war crimes, the verdicts arrived 44 years too late. independent historians estimate hundreds of thousands of people were killered during the war of independence from fabricing sfan in 1971. the bangladeshi government puts the number at 3 million. >> translator: they took our sisters, our daughters, our sons by force and handed them over to the pakistanis. they tortured them. they looted our wealth. what didn't they do to us? in return they became rich and powerful. >> reporter: these two men who were hanged certainly were powerful. influential opposition leaders with many supporters. but human rights watch says these trials are more about a power struggle between the government and the opposition than about justice. in this case we have incidents of harassment of defense counsel including one lawyer that went into hiding before the trial because of raids on his office

and threats. you know, the problem is that bangladesh is cutting corners. the evidence is there, and many people think it should go through a free, fair trial and ensure they're recognized as being prosecutions of the highest standard. >> past war crimes verdicts and executions have resulted in large-scale violence on the streets with hundreds killed. this time, though, the reaction was far more sub dued because many say the opposition is in disarray after a prolonged government crackdown. those that support the executions are out in a show of force here, but thousands of opposition activists are under arrest or in hiding. we tried repeatedly to speak with opposition leaders and lawyers about their reaction to the executions. they all said they didn't feel it was safe to comment. the fear remains that the opposition reaction to the hanging could turn violent any

moment. a fear reinforced by the shooting of a journalist covering the burial. the opposition called for a general strike on monday. they were worried it might end with the same violent street protests that marked this beginning. the president has injured some people injured in friday's attack in the upmarket hotel in the capital. he went to a hospital in bamako to meet survivors. 21 people were killed at the raddison blu hotel including two attackers. a state emergency is still in force, but in the capital many are trying to get on with their day-to-day lives as we have the report from bamako. >> reporter: this is bamako central market. busy as ever. two days after an attack on a luxury hotel that killed dozens of people, most have moved on, even as the government announces a ten-day state of emergency.

like most traders at the market the only concern is if the measures will affect her income. >> translator: if the state of emergency brings peace, then so by it. i hope it doesn't stop my customers from coming to the market. >> there's no extra police presence on the streets or troop deployments, but the government hopes the security measures leads to the arrest of suspects on the run and prevent a similar la attack. the gunmen knew what they were looking for, a gathering of foreigners and locals, people from 20 countries who are inside the hotel. at least two major countries are held. the gunmen searched for the victims before special forces arrived. now a manhunt is on for three. there are concerns that they might strike again. mali has seen such attacks before. the armed group that took responsibility for friday's attack also targeted a pub frequented in bamako back in

march and in august another hotel was attacked. in both cases people were killed. mali issued a state of emergency and is raising concerns for some. >> translator: if i remember, there were three states of emergency in the past, and on each occasion it was the civil population that suffered the most. >> reporter: in mali we will watch whether this is another eyre ra of piece or period of uncertainty. for now things head back to normal on the streets of the capital. al jazeera, bamako. still ahead on this al jazeera news hour, questions raised over europe's borderless zone following the attacks in paris. pushing for a sing economic community at the final day of the asean summit. that's dwenlt not sport. it looks like davis cup concerns about britain's andy murray.

we'll tell you a little bit more about that later in the program.

welcome back. a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. belgian security officials say they will stay at the highest level of alert for three days. russia has hit isil targets in syria in one of the heaviest bombardments of the conflict. in the eastern mediterranean a french air carrier is beginning it's campaign inches exit polls in the runoff for the argentinian presidential election suggest the opposition challenger mauricio macri has won. the attacks in paris have led to calls for tighter policing of europe's borders. in response, the eu has ordered stronger checks on everyone arriving or leaving the border-free zone. these restrictions directly contradict the idea of free muchlt protected what is called is the shanning han area. it's the area highlighted here

and has been in place for 30 years. you can enter the border and travel to any countries part of the zone. an exit through finland without having to pass through border control or have your pass up or down checked. it's worth notes that the u.k. despite being part of the eu are not part of the schengen zone. they recognize it as a fundamental right guaranteed by the eu to citizens. it also extends to many non-i nationals legally on eu territory. laurence lee has more details. >> reporter: fences, the european union for years campaigned against them. in the divided communities in the occupied palestinian territories, yet now inside of europe itself security, just like everyone else, is trumping

high moral talk of human rights. greece has a fence and mass doan yeah is currently making one and hungary even fenced itself over. even more liberal slovenia has bought the barbed wire. this calls into kweb what the greater supporters say is the greatest achievement. border-free travel otherwise known as schengen. schengen turns 30 this year. in 1985 when it was created for the soviet union was about to collapse, and academics were writing books called "the end of history," a source of boring but safe state of affairs in which nothing significant was going to happen and conflicts were a thing of the past. a long time ago that now feels the question is really whether a europe without borders and security checks is really such a good idea in such a violent world. so the populist right in any number of countries says

schengen's lack of border controls allows for attacks in europe. increasingly they say we told you this would happen. >> schengen is not working because it must be like it was once in here 25 years ago when you had to show your passport. there's no need to make such a strong border, but i think it's important to show at each border your passport and the origins must make it controlled. >> reporter: the dutch government is proposing going back to the original mini schengen, open borders with just it, austria and germany. this would leave the newer european union countries out. countries like slovenia with its open border with austria now a main refugee route suddenly under threat. liberal voices say it would be

an economic and social disaster for them. >> i am afraid we're in the state of dissin integration, and it would be led by right wing politicians predominantly, so they will propose a europe more utilitarian. >> it's not just the end of schengen but the eu. potential economic collapse, and the unpicking of wounds between countries two generations ago were a war. that really would be a victory for isil. laurence lee, al jazeera, on the edge of the schengen zone in slovenia. hundreds of refugees stranded at the greek border with macedonia tried to push through a police blockade. they were left stranded last week following macedonia's admission to grant passage from refugees from syria, iraq and libya. the head of the european

council head talks with the mass tonian president. he promised more action to reduce the flow of refugees through the balkans heading towards western europe. >> our main goal is to reduce the wave of refugees and not only to ease transit. this is why europe is focused today especially when it comes to financial support to such a country like turkey or african countries because of our intention to reduce the flow of refugees. a court in iran sentenced an american journalist to a jail term, although it hasn't specified the lengths. jason, the at that ran bury rechief for "the washington post" was convicted of espionage last month which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. the newspaper called the sentence a sham saying iran has produced no evidence of wrongdoing so far.

douglas jerrold, the foreign editor for "the washington post" says getting diplomat help to the correspondent has been difficult. >> jason is a dual iranian-american citizens and it makes it difficult because iran won't recognize his u.s. citizenship and is treating him as iranian. he's not alone behind bars in ir iran. he's alone as a foreign correspondent detained longer than any correspondent in iranian history, longer than the american hostages who were taken in 1979. you know, it's time for iran's senior leaders to step in. this case has been snuck in the judiciary now for 15 months. this is the moment where iran's senior leaders have the power to overturn a verdict, to issue a pardon, to make this matter go away and resolve it.

an israeli woman has died after being stopped. the israeli forces shot dead the palestinian attacker. in a separate attack a 16-year-old palestinian girl was shot dead by israeli security forces after she tried to stab an israeli at a traffic junction. an israeli civilian shot a palestinian man. the man reportedly tried to ram his car into israelis. there have been more casualties in yemen in the battle. 16 fighters were killed and dozens more injured. in the latest round of saudi-led air strikes. people have been voting in hong kong for new local councilmembers, and the turnout there has been huge. it is the first poll since last year's mass protests which called for greater democracy. sarah clark has more. >> reporter: the polling booths closed, and candidates were

still campaign in a bid for last-minute votes. a record number of people are competing at this district election in the wake of last year's protests that brought hong kong to a stand still. it's the younger generation turning up in high numbers to vote. >> people are more concerned about the political situation in hong kong. so they're more activity in participating. >> we've been working it this time. there's a greater movement last year. >> they're voting younger and more candidates challenge the seasoned politicians. donald chow is just 23 years old. disillusioned by the current political landscape, he joined the newly formed jong inspiration party and says his supporters want change at a local level. >> we want to make a new picture. the picture is people have a new choice. the choice is the candidate just

by this and it's for our own benefit. >> this election may be very much a local event dealing with the likes of traffic and day-to-day complaints of local residents. the importance of this election shouldn't be underestimated and being seen by many as a referendum on hong kong's political future. the chief executive has this vote earlier, and with the election next month. it could reshape hong kong's political future. >> either 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. >> the pro-beijing party holds the majority of the local council at a time when the people are divided about

political reform. this is the city's toughest test yet. sarah clark, al jazeera, hong kong. ten member countries of association of southeast asian nations have agreed to create a single economic community. trade barriers will be lifted fwrad wally and people within the bloc can move around for freely. we have the last day of the asean summit. >> the hope is that the agreement signed this weekend will improve the lives of 620 million people who live in the ten asean member states. >> we now have to ensure that we create a truly 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. >> reporter: the bloc that

concluded its an mule meeting with disagreement is the third largest economy in the region after china and japan. the aims of the new asean community agree 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 for professionals to get work permits in all member states. since the blueprint for the asean was first penned in 2007, it was always a vision that greater economic integration would be the mult goal. according to the figures up to 2014, the economic blocs and combined gdp grew by 4.6% and foreign investment increased by nearly 16%. much of that success has been done to small, medium business enterprises. they employee 100 people at this tire factor he set up 20 years ago. it's annual turnover is more than $3.5 million.

he has plans to expand and export more if trade barriers can be removed. tech savvy intree preer nears will trade beyond asia. it's been downloaded by 4 million in the six asean countries where it operates. it took 20 years of negotiations to get this far and this is the start of economic intee graying. >> i think asean will continue to move forward slowly and it will be correct to do so, because that's the reason why it hasn't faced the problems that the eu is facing keeping people with them. i think as governments keep that goal in mind and keep making it into a real single market, there will be huge gains to be made for the people of asean. >> it's in no rush, and analysts say its steady, cautious approach has been a strong point in a world of turbulent global finance. at least 97 people are dead

and 100 more still missing after a landslide near a jade mine in myanmar's north. emergency services are searching for the rubble for survivors. mining debris slipped away either on saturday. a mudflow thick with mining waste in brazil has reached the atlantic ocean. it's flowing downstream since storage dams burst earlier in month. the disaster killed at least 11 people, and another 12 are missing. we have the latest. >> reporter: the river dosi turned a murky orange as far as the eye can see. the change in color is caused by mining waste unleashed after two dams collapsed around an iron ore mine. in two weeks the thick sludge traveled more than 500 kilome r kilometers through southeastern brazil into the atlantic. >> translator: all we expect now is the death of the river. all of the logistics going on

here will not solve our problems. we need a solution. >> reporter: the mine is owned by an australian and brazilian joint venture, which will pay more than a quarter of a billion dollars in compensation. the company continues to insist the mud is not toxic, and that those in fishing and farming communities along the river say they're feeling the effects. >> translator: i'm catching just one or two fish a day now. just recently i was catching seven. >> translator: i can't save anything now. you can't throw that water on the cocoa plant. it will die. we don't know what's in the water. there's nothing we can do. >> reporter: biologists are working to contain the damage. it won't be easy. an estimated 60 million cubic meters of mud was released, enough to fill 25,000 olympic-sized swimming pools. >> translator: our objective is to reduce the environmental damage, the negative impact to mitigate the most we can. with regard to who is to blame

in other legal proceedings, that's for the courts. >> reporter: brazil's environment minister said it could take up to 30 years to clean up the dosi basin, calling it the worst environmental disaster in the country in history. jerrold tan, al jazeera. still to come on the program, a state of emergency in crimea affleck city pilots are reportedly blown up. millions are still without power. i'm in kenya. keep watching, and wait until you see what all this is going to be turned into. this is 28 years running. >> and one of the greatest ever longest distance run eners talk about athletics on thiz home turf. details are coming up. p.

hello again. almost 2 million people in crimea are without power after pylons carrying electricity from ukraine were reportedly blown up. a state of emergency has been declared in the peninsula annexed by russia last year. >> reporter: circulated on social media, imagines of the four damaged electricity pylons. local officials say crimea is now completely cut off. attached to a pylon is the ukrainian flag. crimea was annexed by russia last year, but ukraine supplies the peninsula with electricity. overnight crimea's largest 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. >> translator: absolutely all services have been fully mobilized. all diesel generators have been checked. we have 217 in the city. they are mostly located at social installations and schools and hospitals and kindergartens. these areas will have electricity. >> reporter: two of the four pylons were first damaged on friday. ukrainian activist including creamian fighters tried to stop attempts to repair the line and 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 the pylons were attacked by ukrainian nationalists.

if true, the blackouts are likely to further increase tensions between russia and ukraine. it's expected to take up to 48 hours for power to be restored. lee barker, al jazeera. it's about time to we caught with sports. here's robin. >> good to see you. thank you so much. tennis first. djokovic has an end to the world tour event in london. he was in action against roger federer in sunday's final. he appeared in the group stages, but federer coming out on top on that occasion. joj jock vich and a record fourth straight title for him. another season of his domination comes to an end. he's won 11 titles including three grand slams this year and

maintains the world number one status plus he gets over $2 million in prize money. in great britain the davis cup tennis team delayed the departure to bem jum for the final. the team with andy murray is now expected to travel on monday for the match 60 kilometers away from brussels. the international tennis federation is greatly concerned by the terror alert but the final will go ahead. leaving greek football league, they blamed the referee this weekend. it was called off after violence in and around the stadium. there's major clashes between the police and fans after the decision to postpone the match. the chairman threatened to resign but agreed to stay on after an emergency board meeting. the club is now calling on fans

to stage a peaceful protest on wednesday protesting the decision of the referee and the wider problems facing greek football. this is a football journalist from at thens at that troubled game on saturday and explains to al jazeera why officials and fans are so unhappy. >> it is firstly the club's apparent inability to control those few fans that have that strong tendency for violence. the management has made all possible efforts we understand to persuade all fans to be as peaceful as possible and has failed in that. that's one point. the second point is the club's inability to secure equal footing in greek football by accommodating the widespread corruption because there are

quite a few judicial inquiries underway about corruption in greek football, including the charges -- including charges of running a criminal organization, match fixing and so on and so forth. now they feel they are the victim of that situation and they have to combat this. they have not managed to do that successfully so far, and so there's a general disappointment and disillusionment among fans. >> violence in greek football is nothing new. incidents of fan violence in greece have been recorded as far back as the 1930s. the biggest rivalry has already between these two teams. the game is known as the darby of the eternal enemies. in 2004 greek police banned away fans due to the violence. the league was suspended in an

effort to clamp down on the hooligans. we move to england now. ed double helped spurs on watt toy to a 4-1 victory and 20 woints from first place arsenal. rory mcilroy finishes the year as the europe's number one golfer after finishing the event in dubai. by the 17th hole he had a two-shot lead. then disaster struck with his tee shot. you stayed a shot clear into that all-important final hole. they inned that, and you see it there without any alarm to finish with a final round of 66 at 21 under overall. that means he tops the european money list for the third time in

four years profiting over $2.5 million for the event. >> you wanted to win the rest of dubai, and when i play i play well. i'm obviously delighted with how i finished the season and can't wait to play a full european tour schedule next year. molanari finished the season in some style. he hit the hole in one on the 6th. at the tournament there was a record 46 ace the european tour event. it's been a challenging year for organizers of the video games. pollution at the water sports events is one of the biggest problems this year. the golf course has been handed over to organizers. $16.5 million course took three years to build. it was the subject of

environmental lawsuits and landownership disputes. golf makes a return to the olympic program after a 112-year absence. one of the greatest long-distance athletes of all time has run his last competitive rest. he bowed out of the sport after a three-decade long career. he did so at the event he founded. around 40,000 runners set up for this 15th edition of the 10-kilometer race. he has two olympic titles and he's 43 years old. he's also an eight-time world champion. he finished race barefoot with his family waiting at the finish line. >> i would like to say thank you to all the people who supported me the last 28 years, especially my wife and children.

following me this hour, kenyans are turned used plastic into road signs and materials and bolster their back pockets in the process. harry matasa explains. >> it doesn't matter how filthy the job is. in kenya it's money. he gets 15 cents for every kilogram of plastic he collects. >> once i heard they make materials, but i don't know what kind of materials they take. >> reporter: take a look that the. the shred of plastic goes in it is then melted down and compressioned in this machine. drop it in cool water to cool, and here is what you get. plants or poles made out of recycled plastic, an alternative to wood or aluminum.

>> it's something someone should explore based on the plastic weighs. >> reporter: you can use it to make fences, furniture and in construction. manufacturers say they don't rot and unlike wood won't be eaten by termites. you have different options. some come like this. they're ho more expensive than the regular ones, and that's because production costs are still high.more expensive than regular ones, and that's because production costs are still high. it's slowly changing the landscape. some are surprised that more and more street poles are made from recycled plastic. waste many people would ordinarily just throw away. >> that's it from me, but joan us again in a couple of minutes. see you again. bye-bye.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york. >> at 7:00 - "news roundup". tony harris gives you a fast-paced recap of the day's events. >> this is the first line of defense. >> we have an exclusive story tonight. >> then at 8:00 - john seigenthaler brings you the top stories from across america. >> the question is, will these dams hold? >> and at 9:00 - >> i'm ali velshi, on target tonight... >> ali velshi on target. digging deeper into the issues that matter. >> i'm trying to get a sense for what iranians are feeling.

brussels stays on a high state of alert as the threat of a paris-style attack looms over the belgian capital. you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up. stepping up the fight against i.s.i.l. france prepares to launch fights from an aircraft carrier. the new president of are gen teen is a-- argentina i