the news continues love from london next. ♪ syrians in aleppo pounded by russian air strikes, but now russia says it has a plan to end the fighting. ♪ hello there, i'm felicity barr and you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up. two passenger trains collide head on in southern germany. nine people are confirmed dead more than a hundred are injured. demands in court for the south african president to repay public money spent on renovating his home. plus -- >> i'm in new hampshire.

i have been asking first-time voters what do they think about the presidential candidates? ♪ hello, in the last hour, russia's foreign minister has said his country has proposed what it calls a concrete plan to resolve the syrian crisis. sergei lavrov said the proposal is now being studied think washington. but the u.s. secretary of state has said russia's air strikes are making it harder to hold talks with moscow. >> there is no question that russia's activities in aleppo and the region right now, are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and to be able to have a serious conversation. and we have called on russia, and we call on russia again to join in the effort to bring

about an immediate ceasefire, and to bring about full humanitarian access. in that is what this meeting will be about, and this meeting will tell a lot about the road ahead. we are not blind to what is happening. we are all very, very aware of how critical this moment is, and russia needs to contribute in significant ways to sustaining the ability of the opposition and others to come to the table. let's get the latest reaction from moscow, and speak to al jazeera's rory challands. rory, what more did the russian foreign minister have to say about this russian plan to end the syrian crisis? >> reporter: to be honest he didn't really say anything more than that. it's all a little bit cryptic. it seems the state department in the u.s. is a bit confused about exactly what it is that the russians have proposed.

it didn't come out of some kind of snap -- snap prez briefing from sergei lavrov. it came from a fairly long and in-depth interview he cave to a newspaper here on thieve of diplomats day tomorrow. he was talking about a great many things to do with foreign policy, he was talking about ukraine. he was talking about angela merkel's support for the turkish, and how he was confused by this. it was ignoring certain facts he said like the smuggling of oil across the turkish border, et cetera. and in this interview with this newspaper he said the russians had given the americans some concrete proposals for resolving the situation in syria. the americans had been looking at this, and he hoped that they would not take too long in getting back to the russians about what their response might

be. but beyond this, we know very little. i think we're going to have to wait for more information. >> at this stage it does seem highly unlikely they would act favorably to by plan suggested by the russians. >> reporter: absolutely. the opposition at the moment have their hands very, very full dealing with this punishment offensive that has been launched by the syrian government, of course aided by fairly overwhelming air support, given by russian planes. we have heard numerous reports in the last few days about how the russians have been using cluster munitions, how they have been attacking heavily built-up areas, and how this is having an increasingly devastating toll on the civilian population of aleppo province. it is unlikely to say that the opposition who have walked away

from talks in geneva and discussed the ground support, it's unlikely the opposition are going to believe anything that the russians have to say. >> gory in moscow. thank you. the united nations is calling on turkey to open its border with syria and allow tens of thousands of refugees across. about 30,000 people are stuck on the syrian side of the crossing. most have been displaced from northern parts of aleppo province. gains by syrian government forces last week blocked that route for those in opposition-held areas further south. some have been escaping into kurdish-controlled territory instead. more than a hundred thouks could follow if government forces capture more ground. but about 300,000 people are still living in aleppo itself. they will be cut off from food supplies if the syrian army

succeeds in encircling the city. >> reporter: it's their job to watch the skies. these volunteers are on alert whenever they hear the sound of jets. as first responders to scenes of attacks, they have been busier than usual. russian air strikes have intensified since the government offensive gave in aleppo over a week ago. civil defense volunteers say they are the only hope for those who may be trapped. >> translator: there are some people who are leaving because they are afraid of the siege. regardless, and our familiar list decided to stay because we need to help the people and fighters who chose to stay. >> reporter: civilians are increasingly helpless, doctors and nurses are overwhelmed.

they work out of makeshift clinics because hospitals have been reduced to rubble. medical workers are now preparing for the worst. the government has besieged areas in other corners of syria, where people continue to die due to lack of food and medicine. >> translator: we will stay. but the medical supplies we are have are only enough for a month and a half. >> reporter: the armed opposition is just as defiant. they use whatever weapons they have, but their opponents control the skies. nevertheless they say they will not withdrawal. >> we have a military plan to confront this. we promise our brothers in syria, we will fight. >> reporter: there are many front lines. the opposition has lost territory in the countryside, but they are still fighting back. with the help of russian and iran the syrian government is

close to ensieshg ling the city of aleppo. it wants to cut the rebel's lifeline. it has already managed to disrupt their supply lines. >> reporter: there are towns where opposition fighters are still holding ground. it is strategic to prevent the government from cutting off the highway that links this city to opposition territories further west. the opposition is under a lot of pressure. the threat of losing its heartland is real. the islamic state of iraq and the levant has claimed responsibility for a car bombing in syria's capitol that killed at least ten people. the syrian observatory for human rights says at least 20 others were injured in the blast in damascus. it was reported that an isil fighter dressed in a police uniform tried to ram his car into a police officer's club. when he was stopped, he detonated the explosives. ten times as many migrants and refugees arrived in europe

by sea in the first six weeks of this year, as opposed to 2015. the number of deaths has also soared. greece east coast guard has rescued dozens of syrian refugees trying to cross over from turkey. and the turkish coast guard has released footage of one man's dramatic rescue in the aegean sea. 34 people had been on board the vessel when it en route to the greek island of lesvos. 27 died, and six are still missing. ♪ at least nine people have killed in a collision between two trains in germany. the accident happened at high speed in bah varyia.

dominic kane reports. >> reporter: it's a picture of devastation seen from the air, the task of the emergency services is clear. using heavy lifting equipment to try to free any passengers still trapped inside. and carefully to remove the bodies of those who were killed. a full-scale emergency response underway. the accident happened in a wooded area, difficult to access close to a river bank. rescuers attempted to reach those stranded anyway they could, both by air and on the water. deploying helicopters to help move the injured, and any equipment which might be needed in the coming hours. >> translator: because of the confined space we are rescuing the injured by air and then taking them to nearby hospitals. >> reporter: the trains were both traveling on a single-track

line and hit each overhead on and then partially derailed. this is as close as the authorities will allow us to get to the crash site. behind me you can see the end of one of the trains involved. and moving down the river bank, following the natural curve where the ambulances are, is the point of the collision. >> translator: the trains must have collided at high speed this particular part of the route allows for a speed of about 100 kilometers her hour. the sight is on a curve we have to assume the drivers had no visual contact and hit each other without breaking. >> reporter: at least a hundred people have been injured. some are being treated while still on the train. many of those on board were thought to be on their way to work when the crash happened. one line of investigation is why an auto t mattic train braking

system in place here did not work. officials are at the scene trying to find out what happened the collision and why they were on the same line at the same time. dominic kane, al jazeera. south africa's president is facing a legal battle that could force him to repay millions in state funds he used to renovate his home. the state against jacob zuma was brought by opposition parties to combat what they are calling corruption and coneyism. they are outraged that the taxpayer has to foot the bill for the renovations. >> reporter: thousands of opposition supporters push, shove, and march through the city center. they are going to south africa's constitutional court where the judge is hearing a case on whether the president should repay for renovations of his

hom home. >> we want to show that he is going to repay that money. >> we are 100% there is corruption here. >> reporter: when they arrive, things get a bit rowdy, for safety reasons and crowd control, the police tell protesters they cannot go further. police have put up this barbed wire to separate supporters from each other, and stay away from the court just in case things get a bit hectic. the president says he will pay back the money. opposition parties say the president should not be allowed to repay on his own terms. they want the highest court to respect the authority of the office of the public protector. that's an independent body that is supposed to hold people to account, even the president.

these protests are happening a new months before local election. this could see the ruling party lose support in some areas. >> by think the opposition parties will try to squeeze any political will out of this. more to come on the program, already useless, claims that a north korean satellite is spinning out of control, two days after launching. plus -- >> i'm jonah hul in finland where nokia once ruled supreme, now the e.u.'s economic trouble zone.

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♪ welcome back. and reminder of the top stories on al-yazidis. the united nations has made a desperate plea to turkey to open its boarder with syria to let refugees across. at least ten people have been killed in a high-speed collision between two trains in germany. both drivers are reported to have died and more than a hundred people have been injured. and protesters have rallied outside of a court where south africa's president is in a hearing to determine if he has to repay public funds used to renovate his home.

new hampshire is always the first state to hold a primary, and it sets the scene for the presidential election in the u.s. bernie sanders leads hillary clinton in the democratic race. while the polls have tipped donald trump for a win for the republicans. how is the turnout looking? >> reporter: well, the local officials here in new hampshire say that they are expecting a record turnout. we are in a small resort town in the north. population of about 3,400. the officials at the polling station behind me, said about a hundred people were waiting here on the doorstep before the doors had even opened at 8:00 in the morning. this town is interesting because over half of the registered voters are not registered to either the democrats or the republicans. also key first-time voters. voters who have never voted in a

primary here in new hampshire, and i spoke to some of those voters to see where they are leaning. this person is undecided. >> immigration, education, foreign policy, safety and security of the people in the country, and improving economy are the big issues that i want to see hit. >> reporter: he was 13 when his kingdom expelled tens of thousands ethnic nepalese like him. he and his family we reis the led in new hampshire in 2008. he will now for the first time vote in a presidential election. >> my finalists are -- you know, secretary hillary clinton, and bernie sanders. i do like john kasich as well to

some extent. we have seen hillary clinton's leadership when she was secretary of state. bernie sanders we still need to see his foreign policies. >> reporter: about a third of potential voters in new hampshire will be casting their ballots for the first time in the state's primary. they either lived somewhere else during the 2012 election or they were too young to vote. >> i support bernie sanders. >> reporter: why not hilary? >> there is a lot of things with hilary that i don't feel right about. i think -- i know she has definitely been an ally for like planned parenthood and, you know, women's rights over the years, but i just feel like there's a lot of things about her that i don't -- i don't know that she has our -- our best interests at heart. i kind of feel like she has her best interests at heart. >> reporter: another appears to

be a constant view among many first-time voters. >> i think it's bernie. i see the college students resinate with what he says about wall street, student loans, difficulty of the middle class to make a living. >> reporter: this man now works for an organization help others find refuge in the u.s. and he had as viesz for the candidates attacking immigrants. >> i think some of them still need to learn about the sense of community. to be very polite. >> reporter: sometimes it's easier to decide who not to vote for. and as felicity you mentioned the headline predictions are trump for the republicans, sanders for the democrats. we beneath those headlines if trump only narrowly wins or

doesn't win at all, there will be real questions for his campaign and the value of polling. and if the clinton campaign only narrowly loses they will take that. >> thanks so much. a 17 year old has been killed after police broke up kurdish protests in southeastern turkey. police used stun grenades and water cannon against demonstrators. the army has been trying to clamp down on the kurdish separatists group in the area, the pkk. the strike of pakistan's nation national airline is now over. the airline says more than 50% of flights have already been restored.

two striking workers were killed last week in clashes with police at karachi international airport. u.s. president barack obama has spoken to the leaders of south korea and japan after north korea launched a rocket over the weekend. the u.s. says the satellite is effectively useless as it is spinning out of control in orbit. harry fawcett is in south korea's capitol, seoul. >> reporter: south korea's defense ministry has been talking about what it has learned so far from north korea's launch on sunday. it says the first, second, and third stages all appeared to separate successfully as planned, but the first stage which exploded over the sea to the west of the korean peninsula

may have been exploded on purpose to prevent the south koreans from learning too much from the debris. it does say, though that the indications are that there have been some improvements to that technology, since december 2012, that the rocket -- rocket engines may well be somewhat stronger, that the satellite appears to be double the weight of the one carried last time around, and the maximum range of this rocket may will be 12,000 kilometers as opposed to 10,000 kilometers there were reports from the u.s. saying they think the rocket is tumbling in orbit, and is not useful as a satellite. there remains a big effort to try to get sanctions through the u.n. security council. there were three separate telephones calls between

president obama and the president of south korea and prime minister of japan as they try to make sure that north korea is punished for this latest action. >> translator: we have decided to move towards imposing unilateral sanctions against north korea, having to resolve the comprehensive issues of abductions, nuclear weapons and missiles. billions of dollars have been wiped off of japanese stock markets after they plunged more than 5%. the average posted its biggest daily drop in nearly three years. investors are also uncertain that the u.s. federal reserve will raise interest rates this year. >> seven weeks ago, global investors worried about things like china and oil prices.

today they are more worried about the state of the global banking sector. the exposure to markets like energy, and this has sparked a lot of selling pressure globally. israeli's parliament has voted to compel non-government organizations to publish the origins of overseas donations. opponents say it will unfairly target groups which help palestinians and are critical of israeli government policies. the bosnian serb general has died in jail in the hague. he was convicted of genocide in 2012. he was serving a life sentence for his rule in the 1995 massacre. he was considered the right-hand man of the bosnia serb army leader. finland used to be one of

the european union's stronger economy, and now it is one of the worst, second only to greece. jonah hull reports on a new challenge facing the e.u. >> reporter: finland could hardly have less in common with the countries of sunny southern europe, the once prosperous most northern member of the e.u. joins greece at the bottom of the economic table. >> we are falling below the euro zone level all the time. and things are getting worse at the time when things are getting better in other european crisis countries. >> reporter: hairy is a craft

beer drawer. he once worked for nokia. >> i would say it was way too much nokia focused, at least the business environment back at that time. now we are [ inaudible ] several small companies here. we have several -- quite a bit companies that have established their offices here now. >> reporter: harry brews his beer in the northern city, nokia's former heartland. the boom years brought big salaries. now finland's high-wage work force is too expensive to compete globally. the story of nokia's decline is pretty simple really. once the dominant mobile phone handset manufacturer. then came apples iphone.

nokia failed to innovate to stay in the game and the whole business was swept away, leaving only remnants involved in networks behind. dark days too for finland's other mainstay, the paper industry, in decline because of cheaper pulp and cheaper workers elsewhere, and the soup kitchens are filling up. it's no better in the capitol. ten years ago, this food bank served 200 people a day, now the cold and hungry arrive twice a week in their thousands. >> here it's not much people, but there's other lines that are very long, and it is getting more and more. we were two years ago first time. and now -- like this year it is getting like double the size. >> reporter: the government's preferred solution is austerity, and amid the spending cuts there's pressure to return to a

sovereign currency, so finland can devalue its way out of economic trouble. jonah hull, al jazeera, finland. you'll find much more on our website, the address to click on to, aljazeera.com. record turn out in a late undecided vetters could play the spoiler. president obama releases the final budget of his presidency. director of national -- before the senate. today in ferguson, major reforms to it's troubled police department at a hefty price tag.