rld was >> every monday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america italy's navy says it's worried about a new trend in people smuggling as another abandoned migrant ship is brought to shore. hello there, i'm shiulie ghosh with the world news from al jazeera. also coming up, the al qaeda suspect accused over the bombing of u.s. embassies in africa dies days before his >> we are dealing with an incredibly dangerous spy. >> lives at risk in south australia and two other says where bushfires are out of control and we go to court in eastern afghanistan and see the

taliban's justice system in action. pash an italian navy commander told al jazeera he is worried ships carrying migrants will be abandon in what appears to be a new tactic. around 400 refugees have been rescued from a cattle sheep, the third found off the coast in the past few weeks. lawrence lee has more from the port where the ship docked. >> reporter: they have spent many days at sea, some in fear that they may be ship wrecked. coming off a vessel dined to carry cattle not people must have been an enormous relief and how exhausted they must have been. italian medics were ready for them with a level of sympathy towards the refugees, something

many politicians lack. >> translation: we put them in corridors allowing them to arrive in a way that doesn't help the smugglers to prey on the people. >> reporter: they have been forced to board via helicopter in the dark and rough sea, after the passengers or the crew had abandoned the ship without power and left it to the mercy of the sea. it was the second such incident in four days after another vessel with 1,000 on board had to be rescued close to the italian coast before it too, became wrecked. the commander of the italian coast guard says that he believes the crew deliberately disabled the ship in the knowledge that the italian navy would perform a rescue. they are digesting the assumption that this is the trafficker's new strategy. >> it is deliberate.

they have no respect for human life. >> reporter: do you think they may do more like this? >> we expect there can be other - there can be new cases. we worry there'll be new cases. >> herding refugees around in a boat dine -- designed for cattle may be cynical, but it affords traffickers the opportunity to move them by the hundreds into europe at a time in the winter when small boats and dinghies would not be able to cope with the waves. that is now a huge problem for europe's border agencies. so they are all safe for now. there's a huge new challenge for the army and the european border force. 170,000 people.

2015, it seems has begun with predictions of greater numbers. let's speak to elizabeth collett, the director of migration policy institute europe. she joins us live from brussels. good to have you with us elizabeth. if this is the case this is a new tactic being used by people smugglers taking a ship to within reach of italy and abandoning it that is a big problem for europe. >> it is a big challenge, and it's a new development in several ways as your correspondent noted, that this is winter traffic not seen before. the scale of the boat. it is inclandestine travel these are large boats that must be seen as they leave do, and are not trying to evade authorities, but are trying to interact with authorities to be rescued. the route, too dangerous for

many syrian refugees to find its way and crossing to libya, given the situation is hard. and we see a route from turkey it's not the shortest journey, but it bypasses several e.u. member states such as greece or cypress to reach the country of desired destination, which is italy. >> a new route or tactics, posing a dilemma. europeans don't want to leave migrants to their fate. neither do they want to encourage them to head for their shores. >> there are a number of dilemmas here, and several speak to the italian systems at large, and whether they are fit for purpose in the modern day. you protect people in the region lebanon, jordan taking on millions of refugees and protecting them at the moment. or do you try to create as mentioned in the report humanitarian corridors, ways for

the people to reach the european union so they don't have to resort to traffickers. the big one is scale. what number do the european union have to take refuge in order for the trafficker to be less attractive to desperate refugees that want to start a new life. >> one of the other problems is how countries deal with asylum seekers or refugees there's not a standardized policy and there has been a growing political backlash because of tough times of austerity. le. >> yes. we have common standards within the european union, standards that each asylum systems must rate we have 28 that treat asylum seekers differently, from country to country - it changes differently. in 2012 for example, 89% of

refugees in cyprus - 0% were recognised. what they see and experience arriving in different countries is differing enormously, and many countries taking on more of the burden. german and sweden key countries, both experiencing political unrest. and this sends a message o other e.u. states do you have the political courage to offer more refuge to people in dire straits. >> thank you very much indeed for speaking with us. good to have you. elizabeth collett from the migration institute in europe. >> a libyan al qaeda suspect died days before he's due to stand trial in the u.s. state of new york. he was accused of plotting the 1998 u.s. embassy bombings which killed 220 people in tanzania.

he had been diagnosed with cancer. he claimed he was illegally kidnapped in 2013, and interrogated him for several days. >> master gunmen in libya ambushed a checkpoint killing seven people, including three soldiers loyal to tripoli-based government. two were in the south-east of the capital. security worsened as several armed groups and two rival governments battle control. >> in gaza. hamas is condemning the killing of a teenager. gaza emergency services said 17-year-old zachie was shot when a soldier fired across the border. hamas considers it a dangerous development and use of force. egypt announced this week it would expand the border buffer zone to keep palestinians out a senior u.s. state department official said

financial aid to palestine might be affected if the joins the international criminal court. kristen saloomey reports. >> reporter: it's official, palestine's application to join the criminal court has been received. >> it is a significant step in which we will be going through it to seek justice through a legal option. it is a peaceful option, a civilized option. it is an option that anyone who uphold the law should not be afraid. >> reporter: if the palestinian leadership has its way, the court will investigate israel's 2014 attack on gaza. and the ongoing construction of the israeli settlement.

how far back and to what incidents the court's authority will apply is open to debate. palestinians can be charged for war crimes including firing rockets. and most countries recognise is palestine as a state, israel doesn't. >> this unny lateral state -- unilateral state. israel says palestine is not an independent state. they don't have the right to go to i.c.c. i expect that they - i.c.c. reject the application. >> reporter: the move comes days after the u.n. security council rejected a resolution selecting a deadline. u.s. peace talks broke down u.s. and israel say unilateral actions will hinder

negotiations. a spokesperson for ban ki-moon says the united nations has received the application and is considering appropriate next steps. even if the application is accepted without a hitch, it will take 60 days for jurisdiction to kick in and months before the court decides whether or not to pick up a case. kristen saloomey indonesia's transport minister is investigating maltheir -- investigating their policies and procedures after the airasia crash. search teams think they found two large pieces of wreckage 30 meters down at the bottom of the java sea. it's hoped the black box flight recorders will be found seen. 162 passengers and crew were killed. the pod yes of 30 victims -- bodies of 30 victims has been

recovered. the united states imposed international sanctions on north korea over the cyber attack on sony last month. the obama administration insists that north korea was involved. pyongyang denies involvement. it was an "the interview," an assassination plot on kim jong un was released. tom ackerman has more. >> these actions baffle cut off 10 individuals associated with the north korean government as well as their intelligence agency and a north korean arms dealer from any kind of financial access to the world banking institutions. but it is just a supplement to the existing multilateral and unilateral u.s. sanctions gapes north korea dating from the time the u.n. security council posed them in reaction to the north korea's nuclear activity. one thing that might be noted

though is that there are people in the cyber security community of the united states who are still not convinced that the north koreans were behind this. they basically accept the north korean government's denial of the hacking, and they say that there is evidence to believe that the actual culprit was a disgruntled ex-sony employee. the fbi says it is confident that it is the source of the hacking coming up in the next 15 minutes, living in the shadow of a japanese power takes that is about to be switched back to life we'll meet the me that call themselves the zama-zama's - illegal miners finding gold.

hello there, welcome back i'm shiulie ghosh let's remind you of the top stories. an italian navy commander told al jazeera that he's worried more ships carrying migrants will be abandoned, in what appears to be a new tactic. in the third incident in two weeks, immigrants have been rescued from a cattleship. >> palestine may lose u.s. aid if it joins the criminal court. they have han handed in documents for membership north korea has sanctions

imposed on it after allegedly a hack on sony pictures the government wants afghanistan to handle its own affairs. for that to happen they need to end the conflict with taliban. jennifer glasse reports on the taliban's justice system. >> reporter: a taliban court called into session in kunar province in eastern afghanistan. three men are accused of using the fighter status to steal livestock from a neighbouring district. >> translation: we question the criminals and the owners of the livestock. in the end it's proven these people are criminals and thieves. >> the men's punishment they must pay a fine, about $2,000 and replace the goats they stole. their faces are black and cut off. they are no longer allowed to be taliban fighters and will be whipped with sticks. punishment is carried out.

that's the attraction. taliban justice system - it's immediate, local and cheap. the government refused to comment on the taliban court system. >> translation: there is corruption and problems in the government court. instead of solving the case they create more problems. that's why people come to the taliban court. >> the convicted men are put on donkeys and taken to the village center to be shamed. they collect taxes from the people. >> translation: we don't have a specific income like at the government level, like pakistan or any other government to get help or financial support. we don't have a specific source except donations from people. >> reporter: they say the fight is not just against foreigners but anyone who opposes them including afghans that support the government.

>> we will fight whoever tries to stop us. >> reporter: god it great, long life to the regime. they say the fighting ends in afghanistan. they'll travel around the world to help muslim brothers where they are needed. >> police in india arrested two brothers accused of kidnapping and repeatedly raping a japanese tourist. the 22-year-old is thought to be held hostage pakistan says a teenage girl was killed and a child wounded in the latest round of cross-border violence with indian troops happening near indian administered kashmir. >> four civilians have been issued. each accused the other of starting the fighting which begonebe

begonebe begone -- began on new year's eve. iraqi forces a taken back sol of kobane from islamic state of iraq and levant. troops and air force jets mounted a large-scale sault. 100 i.s.i.l. fighters have been killed. >> two have been killed after forces opened fire. demonstrations were held. protesters are anning which about a military coup that removed president mohamed mursi from power in 2013 lawyers for gaoled al jazeera journalist mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste have made application for them to be deported from egypt. they and baher mohamed have been imprisoned for more than a year wrongly convicted of broadcasting false news much on thursday an appeals court in cairo ordered a retrial that could begin within a month.

al jazeera continues to demand its release. >> bushfires are burning out of the control in australia. thousands have been moved. homes are at risk. emergency crews in victoria and tasmania are battling hundreds of fires. nicole johnson has the latest. >> reporter: it's summer in australia, bushfire season. a heatwave swept across the eastern states sending temperatures soaring to over 40 degrees celsius. it's a lethal application. searing heat and dry crass. the worst fires are in the state of south australia. in the hills, near the city of adelaide. >> the sound of the roar over the hills almost like a jet engine on an airplane is getting louder and louder. thousands flted from their home. there are fears dozens of homes have been lost in the fire. five have burnt to the ground so far. >> we are losing properties we

don't know exactly how many. >> reporter: plies declared a major emergency. this gives them the power to force people from their homes. >> we are dealing with an incredibly dangerous fire. your life is at risk. >> reporter: it's hard work for firefighters. six have been injured. officials are calling on other states to help. they have their own problems. in victoria bushfires have threatened homes in the coastal area of the mornington peninsula, or in farming areas in the west. >> we went back got a couple of things. they said "look, we can't save everyone's house. i think yours and your neighbour's will be part of them." >> reporter: a wall of flames and smoke is turning the scrub black. for some bringing back memories of the greatest disaster 35 years ago. in that one 75 people were killed. it was known as ash wednesday.

everyone is hoping these fires will not end up rivalling that one. australia has a long summer ahead of it and fires are a dangerous part of it the u.n. says the ebola outbreak in west africa could be over by the end of this year. so far more than 8,000 people have died. the u.n. missed the december target but the outgoing chief of the ebola mission in ghana is optimistic. >> it will go on for not just weeks, but, you know, some months more. i believe we will do it in 2015. i believe we will end ebola in 2015. and we are going to do it. we'll do it by working not just with governments of the countries, but the communities. >> south africa is one of the world's largest goal producers.

alongside the legal gold industry is an illegal one where people mine just to put food on the table. >> reporter: each time this man goes into a mine he doesn't think about being shot eight times, dying or getting arrested. he thinks about his three children. he said mining illegal is not a choice, it's a necessity in a country with unemployment rates of 25%. >> illegal mining - understand that it's not easy. sometimes you have to choose what you think is best for you. >> about two-thirds of illegal minors or zama-zamas are undocumented migrants. it's estimated they steel 5-10% of gold platinum introduced in

south africa. >> for the people here they represent the bottom of a network of players. at the top an international syndicate involved not only illegal mining but other crimes such as weapon smuggling and money lawned rig. >> the pursuit of special medals one at a time. not only do zama-zamas go into mines, they fighting with rival gangs and people are getting thrilled. it is being made difficult to battle the industry. >> it's important to realise physically going to arrest these minors will not solve the problem. we need to address a lot of social economic issues border control. passport issues. >> for this man, the persistent risks outweighs the rewards.

right now, illegal mining is supporting his family of five. >> we go to place and open something that i wish to have in life and forget about mining. >> reporter: while he is planning for the day when he no longer has to risk arrest or his life, the mines will attract desperate people with the promise of gold. after all, illegal mining in south africa is almost as old as muping itself. -- mining itself. thousands of hungarians rallied in budapest about the policies of viktor orban. demonstrations have been held over corruption and the close economic ties. forcing them to back down on a plan to attract internet traffic

we are looking at stories expecting to headline in 2015. japan is gearing up to restart the nuclear power plant since the fukushima meltdown disaster. the decision is not popular with everyone. harry fawcett reports - the government says nuclear power is vital for the struggling economy. >> reporter: more than 1,000km south of the fukushima disasters, japan is getting ready to embrace nuclear power. they will have a nuclear generate to go online. the local business association sees it has a vote of confidence. >> translation: it was thanks to the job done when the reactors were rebuilt, and the elected company spent a lot of safety measures. i feel we can trust them and the

government. >> reporter: but polls show most japanese lack the trust and oppose the restart. >> reporter: a former baker from tokyo is a full-time antinuclear campaigner, saying the high volcanic activity means a reactor here is a danger and insists it is not too late to stop the plant. >> if something is rejected it needs to be rejected. i want the local residents to stand up and voice their opinions. you are allowed to speak up. >> his is a fight against the political tide. the japanese government is committed to nuclear energy for decades to come saying economic recovery depend on it. >> the government is pushing ahead full speed, problems are emerging with another part of its policy the plan to promote renewable power. >> in fukushima, there's evidence of a nationwide boom in solar panels. the government guaranteed solar

plants. high prices for electricity for years to come. the big utilities, with a centralized system say they can't handle to many suppliers of variable output. that leaves people in the lurch. a brewer ahead of a fukushima cooperative. he says the problems are the result of familiar cosy links between the government and the nuclear power industry. >> the government wants to keep nuclear energy going, and any other possibilities like the renewables are not welcome. when they say the renewables should be accepted just putting tonne it. >> reporter: japan's government says it's trying to fix the problems of getting renewable energy into the mix, but made it clear four years after the fukushima disaster japan is going back to the nuclear disaster come what may.

>> that is one story we'll keep an eye on in the year ahead. don't forget, you can keep up to date with all new, sport and developments by going to the website. check out aljazeera.com. pass