aleppo is currently under huge attacks. we have not seen that since the beginning of the revolution. it looks even like aleppo might be besieged. >> members of the main opposition block have been having almost continuous meetings in this hotel. they decided not to go to the u.n. again to see the special envoy, but for now they're staying in geneva. they know very well that their position is the undermined by the russian and syrian government military operation, which they believe was carefully tied to this moment. they want their allies to speak out, the ongoing bombardedment is not only causing bloodshed in syria it risks destroying these talks. >> the coalition of countries fighting isil met in rome and pledged to continue the fighting against syria and iraq. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry warned to be wary of isil. al jazeera has sent us this report from rome. >> taking on isil remains a top priority for the international community. the gathering that would establish in 2014 to stem the rise of isil iraq and syri

is aleppo heading that way? >> well, it's a little bit different, but aleppo is -- actually largest city preconflict, but not the case anymore. aleppo is home to over 1.5 million people. 400,000 of those living in non-government-controlled parts. as we look at the situation today, it changes, it shifts with an increased tightening of the roots and the access points into aleppo city. so the most direct route for humanitarian assistance into aleppo city has been cut off since almost a week now. it needs humanitarian agencies with only one route, and very inconsistent, unreliable route for delivering assistance to the communities that are very much in need of it. we serve 66,000 people in aleppo city with food on a monthly basis. that's 66,000 people that depend on us as an organization, and ours -- half of our teams on the ground and our partners to make sure they meet their basic day-to-day needs. >> i really appreciate your time. thanks so much. ♪ >>> now thousands of egyptian doctors have been protesting agai

aleppo city has been a divided city for more than three years now. but the aleppo countryside, in the northern areas of syria, bordering turkey, it was the opposition strong hold, but that is now changing. what is important to note is that in the aleppo province that is the last-remaining strong hold for what the international community calls moderate groups. and they were trying -- they were making really their last stand, and we spoke to an fsa commander who said this is the only lifeline we have. this is the only border crossing we control. the opposition controls two border crossings. the other is controlled by groups like the al-qaeda linked al-nusra front, and what the government and the russian backers have been trying to do is weaken the so-called moderate opposition, and they have done that over recent weeks. undoubtedly even the government and the opposition, they have always said the battle for aleppo will be the mother of all battles. this is about capturing syrias north. >> zana thank you. >>> the opposition says they are considering pul

they are from the northern so you wantyside of aleppo. many arrived on foot, many came with nothing. there is no safe area for these people as the government pushes ahead with a major offensive in the province. >> we left our homes because of the bombings by the russians, the iranians, russia and shia army. we want president erdogan to let us in. >> there is no indication that the gates will be opened. >> officially, turkey has an open door policy for syrian refugees but over the past few months, strict restrictions have been put in place. that is because of security concerns and also turkey has been under a lot of pressure dealing with the 2.5 million syrians in this country. >> those trapped in the battleground are also under pressure. villages and towns in the aleppo countryside have become waste lands. there have been hundreds of russian airstrikes since the government's ground assault began earlier this week. there have been dozen was civilian casualties. the airstrikes are not just targeting the front lines. neighborhoods have been

>> a major offensive by syrian troops and russian airstrikes on aleppo. but the opposition said that it's undermining talks in geneva. hello there, i'm barbara and you're watching aljazeera live from london. and also, the race to be the presidential candidate. and it's not donald trump. and yemen's national museum is destroyed by fire after two days of heavy shelling. and how the world health organization is stepping up in the fight against the zika virus. thank you for joining us. syrian government forces have launched a major offensive from the north of aleppo and captured several strategically important towns. they're trying to cut rebel supply lines to aleppo and also to the turkish border. with the support of russian strikes, they have captured. the aim is to break through territory north of aleppo to reach the village. they would cut off the fighters in the north and prevent the reinforcement from getting through. reporting from northern turkey, close to the syrian border. >> reporter: this battle can change the balance of power in the strategic cor

aleppo which is further south not, i didn't identify it on the m map. we're concerned with the reduced humanitarian access and strikes by the russians and syrians thousands of civilians are suffering. the situation in and around aleppo has become in our view increasingly dire. yesterday's u.n. report accused the syrian regime of quote inhumane actions. against sir ran civilians on a scale the u.n.'s words amount to exeter my nation. with the destruction of two main hospitals in aleppo by russia and regime attacks over 50,000 syrians are now without any access to life-saving assistance. humanitarian organizations are responding but ongoing military actions by russia and the syrian regime as well as pro regime forces are making access to populations in need increasingly difficult. isil is virtually non-exist jents. russia can no longer claim its air strikes there are doing anything other than supporting regime forces. as they mount what the united nations has called a systematic and widespread attack on civilians. they forced tens of thousands of innocent

in aleppo, the regime is making gains. the syrian regime here basically feel emboldened that they are not going to do anything until procedural matters are taken care of. it really is a messy complicated situation and really at this hour, nobody quite knows what's going to happen, whether we are talking about the rest of this evening or in the days to come. >> thank you very much indeed. >> libya could become the second battleground in the fight against isil because for the international community, this is a huge concern. they've seen isil expanding in a coastal area that stretches from sirte towards the west, we are talking about 160-kilometer of a coastal area that could easily be used as a platform to launch attacks against europe. this is exactly why the international coalition is now looking into options. one is launching airstrikes against isil in libya. their best scenario basically is to have a national unity government in libya operating in from tripoli with a national army that can take on isil. we know that agai

jazeera's healdquarters in doha and thousands of refugees are stranded as the syrian army wages war in aleppo. police fire warning shots during a night of rioting in hong kong. plus. >>> i'm in finland where knock here once ruled supreme and now the eu's economic trouble zone. ♪ eight people are confirmed dead after two passenger trains collided in southern germany and the crash happened an hour south of munich and emma hayward now reports. >> reporter: firefighters use heavy lifting equipment to gain access to part of one of the trains to try to free any passengers still trapped inside. a full scale emergency response is underway involving hundreds of police, firefighters and medics. the accident happened in a wooded area, difficult to access, close to the river bank. one way in was by air and on water. helicopters have been used to try to move the injured and any equipment which might be needed in the coming hours. both trains partially derailed during the crash with some carriages also overturning. >> translator: two trains crashed on the rail way track which is a single track rail way.

they are going aleppo, raising the syria flag. aleppo will return to the home ground. it is what is at stake according to syrian media. this is called an outside power. some media outlets acted as proxies. state funded channels from russia, saudi arabia and qatar have been accused of reflecting patron government stances. and western news channels exposed some of their own dwelling on concern of casualties. beginning that same issue when the plane did the bombing. when the plane did the bombing. then channels like almanar next door in lebanon, beaming their signals and narratives into syria. >> i watched med een today, and we saw a lot of coverage of suicide attacks. i find the main story is refugee crisis and entering turkey. they are close to the regime, there's a lot of reporters on the ground. al jazeera is handicapped. and most western journalists for that matter - then the first that they have. hezbollah fighters are involved in the battlefield alongside the syrian army. another in touch with the pro government. recently, since september. we had a major ramp up of

aleppo is not the only battle ground. there are many front lines in syria and the government is on the offensive especially in the southern province of darra, government and its allies have managed to capture a town in that province which really brings it closer to the provincial capital. the provincial capital is now underthreat and that is now under threat. many of the syrians we speak to are frustrated, they feel that darra was the birth place of their revolution and they risk losing that strong hold. a few years back, they lost the capital of the revolution, the city of homs and now they are putting up a fight to protect the heart of the revolution, the province of aleppo. and northern syria is really strategic for opposition because it lies on the turkey border, and that has been the life line of the opposition for years. >> let's go live to the u.n. now where the security council has been holding a closed session on syria. al jazeera's gabriel elizondo is live. what do we know about these discussions on syria at the

it's a path nobody wants for aleppo. gerald tan, al jazeera. >>> let's now speak to zaina live for us on the turkish side of the syrian border and zaina intensifying air strikes, tens of thousands of civilians on the move, the situation is just getting worse and worse. >> reporter: yes, nick and we are witnessing syria's latest humanitarian crisis, like you mentioned tens of thousands on the move according to the observatory for human rights and 40,000 people have fled their homes as a result of the on going government offensive in the northern countryside of alep p and thousands reached the turkish border and they are approximately behind me but the gate is closed and the authorities have so far not allowed them in. these people are appealing to turkey to let them cross in search of safety but the problem is turkey is under a lot of pressure, it is already dealing with more than 2.5 million syrians in the country and turkey officially yes has an open-door policy for syrians but they also have security concerns so thousa

controlling almost 40% of aleppo. and the immediate goal of operation wants to end a 735-year-old siege north of the city of aleppo. now the other goal is the circle of the siege under parts of the city. the syrian army has made substantial gains and now is very close to fully encircling the rebel-held parts of the city. >> south african's government said that this year will be a tough one. the job also continue into the thousands with plummeting commodity prices. we have reports from cape town. mine workers don't want to think about the future. the loss of profits for mining companies mean that jobs have been cut. >> we don't know how many jobs will be lost. >> it'sest maded 52,000 jobs are under threat in africa's industrialized economy. it's an industry in turmoil with frequent costs. many will feel the impact more. >> it would be interesting to see how they position themselves going forward. it is also the year in which they're determined to save as many jobs as possible. >> policy making in the mining, do we pres

we will fight. >> there are many front lines in the province of aleppo. the opposition lost territory in the countryside, but they are still fighting back. >> with the help of russia and iran, the syrian government is close to encircling the city of aleppo and troops approaching the border with turkey. it wants to cut the rebel's lifeline. it has already managed to disrupt their supply lines. >> there are towns where opposition fighters are still holding ground. it is strategic to prevent the government from cutting off the highway that links the city to opposition territories further west. this battle is not over, but the opposition is under a lot of pressure. the threat of losing its hard land is real. >> turkey has accused russia of mercilessly bombing civilian targets in syria and has called on the international community to speak out. a report from human rights watch says russian military forces have carried out daily attacks using internationally banned cluster bombs. more now from moscow. >> these kind of accusations have been leveled against russi

they want to separate rebel-controlled districts in aleppo city from the countryside, the aleppo countryside, and they also want to block the rebel supply groups from turkey. this is the object iive. the government is advancing. they have called on other factions to send reinforcements and the rebels are calling their foreign backers to send weapons. the opposition are saying that this offensive is really that the government is not serious about negotiations and that negotiations are taking place on the battle field > >>> aleppo has been a very important bastian. do you get the feeling this is a key moment in the battle? >> reporter: undoubtedly. aleppo is the last remaining area where they actually control an urban center. this is syria's second largest city, but it's not just that. the aleppo province is where groups, allied, or who operate under the free syrian army banner, with the international community call the moderate groups. this is really their last praming prevention. yes, they are in southern syria, but the government has taken the area stopping the advance there. the last remai

♪ syrian government forces further tighten their group around aleppo about a planned pause in fighting. ♪ hello this is jane and you are watching al jazeera life from doha and also on the program president elsie si promises a new egypt before parliament. leader of the catholic church arrives in mexico after stopping on the way to heal a thousand-year-old rift and. >> i'm andy in the florida everglades where the grade python hunt is underway and are keen to get rid of another invasive species. ♪ inside and outside syria they are saying the pause in fighting agreed by world powers this week will actually happen and russian foreign minister says the deal is more likely to fail than succeed, on the ground govement forces supported by air raids are trying to encircle rebels in the largest city of aleppo and captured strategic high ground and forcing opposition fighters out of the small town on the road down into aleppo. and now in a position to move further towards the city to the next rebel heldtown. on friday they captured the village as they attempt to close the circle around aleppo

aleppo is -- going to fall? kristin: depending on what the west is willing to put in front of it to stop putin. but i think it is almost in circles, and it will be probably be followed by the strategy of besieging the area. able will die of hunger. and depending on if the west is ready to watch this, i do anything against it, aleppo is going to be the next. melinda: a similar parallel was drawn this week by a new york times columnist. he did not use those cities. instead, he said aleppo may be the sarajevo of syria. it is already a munich. both of those were cases where the rest of the world did in fact simply stand by and watch, as disaster unfolded. is that the road we are condemned to play here? allen: i'm not content, but it seems like the free world, america, as the leader of the west, is not content, but willing to let things happen. unwilling to do more. we've been talking about this so many times now. time and again, the point has been made, you should have had no-fly zones, no bombing zones to stop assa

area which means it comes from the eastern side of aleppo. now this road between east and west is cut from the northern countryside and by the i.s.i.l. fighters regime now and the kurdish fighters which means the western countryside people may suffer the cold of the winter. >> so it's a desperate situation with tens of thousands of people. what do you know about the advances and gains of government force forces? >> so far we know that they had a plan to reach the countryside and they did. now we think and we are getting ready for what they wanted to siege the city of aleppo through and with this essential road that connects the city to its countryside. all they say is all the fighters are from the opposition are gathering and trying to defy against this offensive held by the regime supported by the russian air strikes and they will do their best not to be siege but so far i don't think that the regime forces are aiming to reach turkish border. no one would allow them, not the kurdish, not the turkish, no one but they might like to be siege th

isis is not in aleppo. who is in aleppo are syrian civilians and anti regime opponents. opponents of bashir al assad, the very targets that the russians have been bombing for some months now. so the u.s. says it's absolutely not u.s. war planes, and that the russians they say simply are not telling the truth. the russians say there were two u.s. war planes bombing in aleppo. wolf? >> are there any planes for the russians to cut down the number of sorties? >> at this points the u.s. doesn't see it. there are these ongoing peace talks that are very difficult right now and don't really appear to be headed anywhere the russians have been calling for some sort of cease fire. but when you look at what is happening in aleppo, the city in the last several days has become surrounded. surrounded due to russian air strikes, regime forces, iranian backed shia militias, hundreds of thousands of people at risk, really just barely subsisting in this city. the russians engaging in some -- at some points in more than 100 air strikes in a 24-hour period, according to u.s. estimates. so no

p aleppo city. this is the only road, really, that opposition controlled districts inside that divided city. what they want to do is cut off that road and basically encircle the city and lay siege to the opposition portions of that city where between 200 to 300,000 people live already because of the ongoing fighting. a lot of supply routes have been cut off which means that the prices of essential goods are on the rise. we also understand from people inside that fuel hasn't been able to reach the areas which means there is shortage of bred. so this is a humanitarian crisis. while all ice are on aleppo-- eyes are on aleppo, we have to mention there are government offensives on other areas. we understand air strikes are happening in the northern countryside of homs and the government has given an ultimatum to rebels there to withdraw and also the government pushing ahead in their offensive in the southern province of zeraa. what has become clear is the government and allies are trying to take as much

tell us about the situation there in aleppo. what is daily life like with the city being bombarded as it is? >> hello, sir. so, in the city of aleppo, the very [ inaudible ] thing is the aircraft. it's all the day, like for seven or eight hours per day, they are invading the sky, and -- and it is terrorizing the people psychologically, and, although they are bombarding the city of aleppo, like at least there are five air strikes per day, [ inaudible ] on daily basis. >> how many people are left living in aleppo now? >> well, we don't know yet, because of the latest migration waves. however, we may say like 200,000 people >> but if people want to leave the city because of this bombardment, how do they do so? >> there is still the [ inaudible ] road which leads to western aleppo countryside, they can until now leave the city to the turkish border. however, the turkish government is still blocking the people from entering the -- its borders. >> what happens when there is an air strike in aleppo? do you get any sort of warning? >> n

if this continues, if there is a corridor from turkey to aleppo all of us and u.n. security council will be responsible for the humanitarians disaster in aleppo and nobody will be able to convince people of opposition of syria to come to the table again. >> reporter: and going back to those funds, those $10 billion any indication on how and where they would be spent? >> yes, and there is an interesting change of emphasis here barbara because some of that money will be spent on emergency humanitarian needs, medicine, shelter and so on for people on the move. but a lot of it is going to go on education and employment prospects for refugees who have run away from syria, who are primarily of course as i was saying in jordan, lebanon and turkey. talk about getting an extra million syrian children into schools so that they are not a lost generation. of course that is a long-term commitment and they have to be sent through school and that could be what six, seven years. talk about giving syrian refugees employment opportunities and again here there is a quid proquo that if

. >>> syrian troops backed by russian airstrikes close in on aleppo. the opposition says they're undermining talks in geneva. lime lauren taylor, we are live from london. >>> cruz control, a front runner emerges in the u.s. presidential candidate and it's not donald trump. >>> securing a deal on reforming the e.u. ahead of the referendum on britain's membership. >>> how the world health others is stepping up a gear fighting against the zika virus. >>> talks about ending the syria civil war continue in switzerland while fighting on the ground intensifies. a major offensive in the north of aleppo, several towns were captured. trying to cut rebel supply lines to aleppo and also to the turkish border, with support of russian strikes captured two towns. the aim is to breakthrough rebel held territory to reach the pro government villages. by doing this, the government would cut off rebel fighters in the north and prevent reinforcements from getting through. we have a report from southern turkey close to the syrian border. >> with the help of russian heir, th

and if they lose aleppo, they feel they will lose this war, because aleppo borders turkey, and that has been a lifeline for the opposition to survive. >> yeah, we really have seen a shift? power. thank you. >>> now let's go to the u.n. gabriel elizondo is there, joins us live now. a closed door meeting, but what do we know about what was said at the meeting or afterwards? >> reporter: it was a closed door meeting of the security council. they were briefed by steph man de mistura, the u.n. special envoy to syria, via video conference call from geneva. we were told that he briefed the security council telling them what he has already said publicly, he told the security council that clearly the syrian government came to the peace talks and they had procedural matters that they wanted addressed before the talks would go forward, and reaffirmed that the opposition the hnc, as it's called, came to the talks with demands that they already wanted to have met during the talks. so those two -- coming to the talks with those two divergent paths were very difficult. and that's partially why he deci

how close are they now to the key objective of encircling aleppo? skwoo quite close because the main rebel supply line between the western countryside of aleppo and the northern countryside of aleppo is now within their range of fire. so they can disrupt the supply lines and they are approximately 7 kilometers from the only entrance into the eastern controlled neighborhoods inside aleppo city. but the opposition is fighting back. they are trying to target government positions but definitely controlling high ground gives the government an advantage. people inside the city, we don't have exact estimates on how many people are left, but before the offensive began in aleppo, there was estimates of 200 to 300,000 people. we understand many remain in side refusing to leave because they have no other place to go. they say that if they leave where are they going? are they going to live in camps, out in the open in the cold. people are preparing for this eventuality, but inside the city there has been a call to arms. men are being trade to fight. they say th

villages and towns in the aleppo countryside have become waste lands. there have been hundreds of russian air strikes since the government's ground assault began earlier this week. and there have been dozens of civilian casualties. the air strikes are not just targeting the front lines. neighborhoods have been hit. people have abandoned their homes, their livelihoods. the ongoing government offensive has cut through the heart of rebel-controlled territory in northern syria, this has severed the opposition's supply lines. a number of factions have created a joint command and are calling on all men in the area to take up arms. the opposition is fighting for its survival in this corner of syria, the last remaining strong hold in north of groups described atz the moderate rebels. and this is the 1 remaining road that supplies the eastern districts of aleppo city. for now the road is still open. keeping it that way is vital to keeping some 300,000 people supplied with basic necessities. it is the only way in and out, but the syrian military has said it is ju

they've been trying to encircle the opposition held city of aleppo. they took two places on tuesday. they broke through territory north of aleppo reaching government villages, allowing the syrian military to cut off rebel supply routes from the turkish boarder and stop reinforcements from getting through. zeina khodr has more from the border between syria and turkey. >> reporter: opposition fighters made their last stance. they face difficulties confronting what commanders describe as an unprecedented assault. troops and allies advance under the cover of heavy russian air strikes. they cut through the heart of rebel held territory in the north. they reached two towns surrounded by rebel groups for more than three years, lifting the siege on predominantly shia communities. they cut off rebels in the city and cut out supply lines. >> this is the only road, the only life line. the f.f.a. is fighting on the front. confronted by terrorist groups, the kurdish y.p,p. i.s.i.l. and the regime, m.e.r.s.an air yeas and russian air-power. >> the northern aleppo c

that's north of aleppo. the opposition is struggling to hold its supply lines which are close to the border with turkey. foreign ministers are meeting in munich to talk about the war in syria and russia's role in ukraine is also on the agenda. pope francis has arrived in mexico. he was welcomed by huge crowds. he will celebrate mass there later on saturday. a funeral has been held for - t difficulties >> reporter: they cook their own food, have freedoms while they wait to see what the authorities make of them. some had had already got the supposed promised land of germany and found it impossible to penetrate so they turned around and went back. >> they were giving us food and all that stuff, but i saw it. it was very busy. in one month nobody could came - nobody came to us and ask anything like that. >> reporter: syrians iraqis and afghans are the ones to get priority in the asylum queue, but many say it doesn't work like that in practice. afghans and pakistanis have told us they try to go to germany only to

turkey has accused russia of ethnically cleansing northern aleppo. changing the demography, russia has accused turkey of allowing what it calls jihadi groups to enter syria illegally and supporting jihadi groups. but russia has expressed serious concern about what it called turkey's aggressive policies in syria. now turkey has been targeting ypg positions inside syria. the ypg enjoys good relations with moscow. moscow still has not responded to that, but still there is that risk of confrontation. turkey has been frustrated by the fact that it really has been a game changer. the assad regime has been surviving. they're no longer on the retreat. russia is targeting opposition groups that turkey supports. so turkey's maneuver really in syria has been eliminated especially the downing of the russian jets because they deployed missiles on the ground, so russia controls the skies. we heard them say that for them azaz is the red line and we will not allow it to fall. and russia is saying no, this is not a red line. the advances near the turkish border is no

, and to stop their bombardment of aleppo. this is what the russian ambassador had to say about that. >> we're acting in a very transparent manner. daily briefings are being conducted by our ministry of defense. we havwe are there presently at the invitation of the syrian government. those who are acting outside of international law and never telling anybody what they're doing, the targets, the results of their campaigns are. also refusing our cooperation and the fighting on the ground. >> now this all happens on the eve of a big meeting in munich by the international syria's support group, a group that includes russia and the united states. they're meeting in munich in less than 24 hours to try to get the syrian peace talks from geneva back on track. those talks are scheduled debttively for later this month. as we all know we're put on hold after they fell through in geneva just recently. so now those talks are trying to get back on track, we'll see if that happens with these talks in munich. starting on thursday. >> gabriel

they're strongest around aleppo and homs. for the first time in years the opposition risks losing its heart land in the north and its life line of the turkish border. the fall of aleppo won't be the end of the war instead of direct confrontation they plan to resort to irregular warfare to loosen the government's grip on the ground >>> saudi arabia has confirmed its military personnel and jets have arrived. the base is used by the u.s. led coalition in the fight against i.s.i.l. >> translation: the latest deployments when it comes to the land forces or increasing our land campaign emphasize that saudi arabia is continuing to work with the international coalition to fight i.s.i.l. today we are reinforcing our compare campaign and we will wait for military details. teams have arrived at the air base. some planes have arrived and the rest will arrive in hours >>> at least 20 people have been killed in russian air strikes. the attacks happened in the town in the homs province. the video posted online which we cannot independently

inside syria itself they've circled rebel forces in aleppo. russia has continued it's bombing campaign and to complicate matters further they have continued bombing kurdish fighters inside syria. first this report from dana, who is on the turkish border of syria. >> this high ground gives the allies an advantage disrupting the supply line is not their own objective. they're not far from the only entrance to the opposition controlled enclave in the divided city of aleppo. opposition fighters are trying to keep the roads open to prevent a siege of aleppo. inside the city rebel commanders say a proposed pause in the fighting will only benefit the government. >> the battle of aleppo is carried out by the international community who calls themselves the friends of syria. but we are told that they will not stop until bombardments stop. >> the people of aleppo have come together to prepare for the possibility of a siege. doctors, activists, lawyers, journalists creating what they call an united revolutionary front. and a call to arms has been answere

: the syrian regime has been fighting rebels in aleppo for years now. but an air strike is clearing the way. first syrian troops are advancing and destroying the city in the process. activists in the white helmets dig through the rubble for survivors. they provided us with this footage to show the world what is happening in aleppo. one of the volunteers told us by skype that he fears the city's fall is near. >> we are so worried, because if we lose aleppo, we lose all the war. changes the game? >> yes. absolutely. it changes everything. >> reporter: aiding, he says, 70,000 people already escaping aleppo in the last few weeks. panic is spreading in aleppo that the regime plans to starve the city into submission. it's a tactic they've used in other places. >> that's why we are sending this to you and all the world. we need help. >> reporter: what kind of help do you need? what are you looking for? >> now, we need just to stop the russians. >> reporter: the russians say they are bombing isis targets in aleppo, but ismael said that's just an excuse. >> we d

the rebel commander say that the fall of aleppo won't be the end of the war. instead of direct confronttation they plan to resort to irregular warfare to listen the government's grip on the ground. >> all right, now there is a security conference in bavaria in munich, that's where we find dominic kane many there are diplomats, hence the diplomatic lang, but then are on option sides of the conflict, and they have made it pretty clear about what they think the others are doing. >> well, that's right. we've seen a succession of speakers speaking about the importance in the regional middle east and the powers, as it were, who from president el-sisi brought to deliberate over this agreement at this security conference. one thing that is increasingly clear is that there is a divergence of opinion on syria. only a short while after it was agreed in this city, they were back in munich for a security conference. although some politicians have hailed the deliberations as a step forward, others have expressed extreme skepticism. in his address to the conference, john ker

respondents in the heart of aleppo have only one option. the western countryside to i see lib and the crossing. the city will be under a total siege similar to homs in the past and madaya now. the opposition is now helpless as the russian jets play a big role in the battles causing the regime forces to advance and armed opposition to lose all of aleppo. amid this, the humanitarian situation is dire, especially since aleppo and its northern countryside were bombed by missiles launched from the caspian sea, paving the way for the regime forces to advance more. the kurdish units are taking advantage of the armed opposition and advancing and seizing control of towns and villages close to the countryside of aleppo. >> the u.n. mission in marlee is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. international troops are trying to bring stability after years of conflict. last friday, a group linked to al-qaeda caused a constant threat of attack. >> the sun falls on timbuktu and the nice shift tarts. this nigerian unit came under attack last fri

it is a path nobody wants for aleppo. gerald tan >>> saudi arabia says it is ready to send troops into syria to fight i.s.i.l. on the ground. military spokesman says air strikes are not enough. >> translation: from the beginning of the operation against i.s.i.l. in september 2014 the saudi kingdom was committed to the international coalition and we stayed the course despite our operations in yemen. we announced our readiness to participate with ground troops against i.s.i.l. because we now have the experience in yemen and so do our allies in iraq that we all know air strikes alone cannot be enough and a ground operation it needed. we need to combine both to achieve better results on the ground >>> let's get the latest from our correspondent live on the turkish side of the syrian border. tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing north. can we expect refugees crossing the border today? >> reporter: as you can see behind me, that border is closed. thousands of syrians like you mentioned when escaped the ongoing government o

and the city of homs, and aleppo is currently under huge attacks. we have not seen that since the beginning of the revolution. it looks even like aleppo might be besieged. >> reporter: members of the main opposition block have been having almost continuous meetings in this hotel. they decided not to go to the u.n. again to see the special envoy but for now they're staying in geneva. they know very well that their position is undermined by the russian and syrian government which they believed was timed for this moment. they want their allies to speak out. the bombardment is not only causing blood in syria but it is risking these talks >>> to yemen where about 40 houthi fighters have reportedly been killed by saudi-led air strikes. it happened north-east of the capital in the mountain range where pro-government fighters are trying to take back control. six yemeni soldiers and allied fighters from the popular resistance armed group were also killed in the clashes around the camp. japan has put its military on alert to shoot down a north korean rocket i

>>> in syria, war is raging in the northern province of aleppo. tens of thousands heading toward turkey. diplomatic talks for ending the crisis is on hold. turkey is ready to send in ground troops. syrian government forces backed by russian air raids stepped up their offensive in the east of aleppo. opposition fighters have appealed for help as their main supply route to turkey is under pressure. the syrian observatory for human rights estimates as many as 40,000 civilians are making that you are way towards the turkish border. can we expect to see refugees crossling at turkish border, zeina? >> jane, no, for the time being, the border gate behind me is closed. there are syrians who have fled the conflict and fled the ground offensive that is underway in the northern countryside of aleppo. officially, turkey has an open door policy, but at the same time, the government has imposed strict restrictions, as well as, you know, because of the burden it is carrying, it is already holding 2.5 million refugees, so we do not expect them to cross into turke

the only entrance to the opposition controlled enclave in a divided city of aleppo. opposition fighters, rebel commanders say a proposed end of the fighting will only benefit the government. >> translator: the battle for aleppo was carried out by the international community who called themselves friends of syria. we will not stop fighting until all siege is lifted. >> reporter: the people of aleppo have come together to prepare for the possibility of a siege. doctors, activists, lawyers, journalists created what they call a united revolutionary front and at that call to arms has been answered by civilians. men of fighting age are now receiving training before what could be a major battle. >> these men will join their brothers in the free syrian army. they will hold positions and join. we will teach our enemy lessons they won't forget. >> for those defendant opinionzition, the military cam pangs across country and the recently battlefield gains will not force them to lay down their arms. >> this is opposition to a u.s./russian plan agreed in munich to pause the fighti

and aleppo is currently under huge attacks. we have not seen that since the beginning of the revolution. it looks even like aleppo-- >> they decided not to go to the u.n. again to see the special envoy but for now they're staying in geneva. they know very well that their position is being under mined by the russian and syrian government military opposite ration, which they believe was carefully timed for this moment. they want their allies to speak out. the ongoing bombardment is not only causing bloodshed in syria, it risks destroying these talks. james bays, al jazeera, geneva. >> well, the middle east expert from the school of economic science. it's incredible the shift we see now in syria. over the last two weeks, how much do you think the balance of power has shifted in syria over the past few weeks? >> it has shifted. it has shafted, not dramatically, but it has shifted a great deal. the russian intervention over the last two months has allowed the syrian army to create major gains in the north, in the south, and even the

whoever is presents humanitarian access in madaya and aleppo, they were criminals. and the regime today, when they are talking here, people are eating crass, they don't have water to drink. they are lucky, at least they have some in turkey, jordan and lebanon. those in syria don't have anything to eat or drink. all of us, a statesman of this century, we are responsible for this. now geneva talks unfortunately, despite our efforts, the first phase was not hopeful. why? because when the regime was going to geneva, the aid bombardment was continuing in aleppo, in latakia, against civilians. schools, hospitals. we have to be honest with each other. for the last five years, all the refugees escaped from aid bombard. by the gix regime forces. and dash, a terrorist organization emerged. we had two enemies of humanity. regime and terrorism - we have to be shoulder to shoulder, working against these - those who are committing war crimes. who can explain to me or the people of syria the mentality of madaya siege, which is a study from the centuries, we have to talk for the fu

the advance on aleppo designed to show who is in charge. the talks are breaking down. >> what you have seen is that the intense russian airstrikes, mainly targeting opposition groups in syria, is undermining the efforts to find a political solution to the conflict. reporter: politics fails, fighting goes on, and thousands of syrians bed down in their new tent city not knowing where they will go into their city will ever unite again. bbc news on the turkey-syrian border. anchor: for more on the situation inside syria, i spoke with a fellow at the washington institute for near east policy. we saw more than 15,000 refugees from syria amassing on the border with turkey tonight. has this russian intervention around aleppo on behalf of the syrian government that the -- brought the situation to a tipping point? >> i think it has, especially in the northwest. you have the regime combined with russian airstrikes and supported by hezbollah and various militias pushing the opposition northward. areas areans in those pushed toward the border fleeing fo

thousands of refugees are desperate to leave as the syrian army rages war in aleppo. welcome to al jazeera at our headquarters. also coming up in the next half hour. the police fire warning shots during a night of violence with protesters in hong kong. the search for life continues in taiwan as it emerges the apartments that were toppled were built with tin cans. and also news from new hampshire >>> thousands of syrian refugees are trapped at the border with turkey. as many as 30,000 people are trying to reach safety, but turkey has only allowed a small number to cross the border. they're fleeing heavy fighting with the syrian army attempting to retake aleppo and russian air strikes pounding their homes. live to our correspondent. what is the latest on the humanitarian crisis? >> reporter: there is a humanitarian tragedy. like you mentioned, tens of thousands of people are on the move in search of safety, really, in the turkish border is closed. they're not able to cross into turkey. there are many front lines on the ground in northern syria. in fact aleppo province a

no going back and no way out, thousands of refugees are stranded as the syrian army wages war this aleppo. police fire warning shots during a night of rioting in hong kong plus. >>> i'm in finland where knock here was ruling supreme and now an economic trouble zone. ♪ four people have been confirmed dead after two passenger trains collided in southern germany, the crash happened an hour south of munich and the trains were traveling on the same track and collided head on. about 150 people have been injured, ten of them are in a serious condition a and we are n berlin and dominick what is the latest information your have? >> that casualty and the death toll has risen to eight, eight confirmed fatalities in this incident, as you say it happened in bad aibling operated by the private company meredian and the rail track is owned by the german rail network but a private company meridian, the to trains collided z on on a single stretch of stretch around 7:00 local time so perhaps four hours ago and we understand there are many dozens of casualties, and it's suggested that perhaps 15 people are