twitter and watch us next time. in washington, i'm ray suarez. the u.n.'s envoy to yemen resigns as fighting between saudi arabia coalition force and houthi rebels shows no sign of ending hello, i'm iraq clark, you are watching al jazeera live from our hairs in doha -- headquarters in dowl ha. the government in columbia resumes fighting against the f.a.r.c. the anniversary of a tragedy in south korea, families and victims demand answers from the

prime minister. and a call for higher pay. thousands across the united states rally for a raising of the minimum wage so then the u.n. envoy to yemen, resigned. the mora tainian diplomat is being lined up as a replacement. al jazeera learnt that he told the secretary-general ban ki-moon that it was time for him to end his role. it comes as the war in yemen intensifies. it's been three weeks since the saudi-led coalition began air strikes. in recent weeks he warned the u.n. scoun that yemen was slipping towards a civil war. he was appointed to advisor in yemen since april 2011 and has been in the u.n. in roles for

two decades. before his time at the united nations he was a political prisoner in his home country of morocco. a yemeni analyst says his resignation is not a sprays. -- surprise. >> yemen was supposed to be safe, and the u.n. was supposed to support everything in the dialogue the conference. he was the main mediator he didn't shop ron a process that was part of a logistical practice. the programme as set up as a bureaucratic exercise. analysts like myself and others talked about the failures of the dialogue. the budget of the dialogue exceeded 37 million. all members met with each other in march 2013 and ended in

january 2014. the houthi rebel movement had representatives in that, and were part of the conference and seemed to agree on everything. but the minute it concluded nothing was implemented on the ground angering the militia, making them take advantage of the political vacuum and they pushed from sadr to sanaa, the capital, putting the president on house arrest and they expanded. the negotiation process failed. >> after the national dialogue conference he met with several parties and brought them into consensus, but failed to do so, because they lost faith in him, the u.n. and the international community the former president ali abdullah saleh asked for safe passage out of the country, forces loyal to ali abdullah saleh have been accused of helping the houthi rebels. the g.c.c. rejected the request

the offensive crippled the houthis capabilities hashem ahelbarra has more on the saudi-led operations in yemen. >> houthi tanks destroyed in saudi-led air strikes. coalition say the tanks were on their way to aden where fighting continues. these war planes were spotted on the runway of a military base that was also hit. >> translation: the houthis were isolated. they are drying to redeploy but their convoys were targeted by coalition forces. >> reporter: there's no knowledge whether the military would come to an end. the use of force was the only way to control yemen. >> i would not describe it as a proxy war with iran but a war of necessity. >> we had no choice but to

respond to the request of the legitimate government in order to prevent the takeover of yemen by a radical group. the iranians last time i checked did not have a border with yemen. there's no reason for iran to be involved in yemen. >> after almost three weeks of air strikes houthi fighters backed by troops loyal to the former president ali abdullah saleh hold ground in many provinces. the yemenis and allies ask for ground troops to defeat the houthis. for the time being the saudis have no plans for a full-scale invasion. forces loyal are gaining ground to aden and other areas in the south. here on the western entrance into aden, vehicles feed away carrying people escaping the fighting. travelling in the opposite

direction, ambulances head towards the fighting but can't get very far. >> there are injured people over there, but the houthis are fighting at the vehicles. they shot at us. >> hospitals have been badly hit. some like this one have no electricity. air strikes continue to target houthi positions in sadr. their strong hold, and the capital where some of the best trained army units loyal to salah are based. the saudi arabia led collision is camping up a campaign to force houthis and allies to disarm. join political talks to solve the crisis. the houthis say they will not hold talks if the air strikes continue meanwhile, iraq's prime minister criticized the saudi arabia-led campaign haider

al-abadi told a group of journalists that the operation has no logic. there are fears that the fighting in yemen could engulf the whole region in war forces loyal to libya's internationally recognised government carried out air strikes on a military base controlled by the rival government. they are said to have inflict damage to a base to the north in syria eight have been killed in a g.s.t. attack in the south-east of damascus -- government attack in the south-east of damascus. the region, eastern ghouta came under attack by government air strikes and forces in recent days. >> the columbian president juan santos ordered the military to

reduce air strikes. the attack hampered peace talks. both say the conversation will continue. >> reporter: a brazen attack on columbia's armed forces is threatening a delicate peace process. 11 soldiers died in the dawn attack by f.a.r.c. rebels in western columbia. the aftershocks are being felt across the country. the president could barely hide his frustration as he announced a resumption of bombing for al qaeda. >> this is a reprehensible act that will not go about punishment and requires decisive action. we'll pursue those responsible for the act. i ordered the armed forces to lift the suspension of the bombings until further notice. >> it's a difficult time for

santos santos. spending two years talking to the rebels, with little to show for it. many are worried that he is more interested in this as part of his legacy instead of delivering a good deal for the columbian people. factor, or the revolutionary people's army of columbia have been fighting the government since 1964. an estimated 200,000 died in the conflict. >> peace talks began in 2012, both sides meting in cuba. f.a.r.c. negotiators committed to a unilateral ceasefire in september last year and the government agreed to halt military operations the momentum for peace is under threat. >> we sympathise with families and our country men, and call on columbians to reflect on this as we pursue the peace talks. it is necessary to end the war. >> the president says the talks

will continue. that has given hope for negotiations to move forward. more attacks may corner the government and test the president's resolve the number of people from africa trying to cross the mediterranean to europe reached unprecedented levels according to the italian coast guard. the number of people dying en route is 10 times higher than the aim koout laffed year. >> the reception center on the island of juho lammikko is heaving. 1400 refugees are crammed in a unit intended for 250. it's to be a long difficult summer on the border. at ports along italy's southern coast beats are bringing in

hundreds of refugees. 10,000 have been plucked from the water since last friday alone. risks are high. mont more than 400 are believed to have drowned before rescue arrived. survivors speak of panic and tragedy. >> we met them. spoke to them a group of people they mentioned they depart from libya. there were 550 people approximately, and only 145 were rescued. the others led to - unfortunately died in the mediterranean. >> the traffickers are bolder and more ruthless. boats are no longer abandoned. they are too valuable to lose. >> last monday one of the vessels within the framework witnessed warning shots fired,

attempt attempting to take the boats carrying migrants back to libya. this is a sign that the smugglers in libya are running out of boats, and are determined to do anything including shooting their guns in order to do that. >> it's estimated that this year more than 500 migrants died trying to make the crossing from north africa. that's a tenfold increase on the same period last year. humanitarian groups say it's a direct result of scaling back of search and rescue efforts. >> the rescue in the mediterranean sea is deficient and there's a need to swiftly and urgently do something about that. there needs to be alternatives to come to europe.

>> the police will not tell us where the families boarding the buses behind me will be taken. the rescued might ants are the lucky ones. many perished trying to make the dangerous sea crossing in the world, more following in their footsteps still ahead - china is accused of increasing tensions in the south china sea by building a manmade island. america's greatest president - 150 years after his assassination.

hello again, you are watching al jazeera. let's have the top stories. the u.n. envoy to yemen resigned as conditions deteriorate. a maurey tainian diplomat is being lined up as a replacement, as the saudi-led coalition begins its 21st day of air strikes against the houthi rebels. >> the columbian president ordered the military to resume air strikes against f.a.r.c. rebels following the killing of 11 soldiers in an f.a.r.c. stronghold. hundreds of migrants have been brought into ports in italy. hundreds died. the numbers trying to cross has reach unprecedented levels. china is seepn as a threat to

peace and stability. beijing is accused of elbowing smaller countries. within china there's a different perspective perspective. >> reporter: 71-year-old man has been a radio enthusiast. he likes that it connects him to the rest of the world and radio fans are bound by an honour code. a big triumph setting up a transmitter with an international croup of enthusiasts, on the sholl, 3,000 sill l kilometres in waters claimed by china in the philippines uch. >> all the radio analysts have a good relationship. we use philippine materials. >> reporter: relations with china is not good, with many accusing china of bullying them.

the phil eens say china is building installations and creating islands op nine sites in disputed water, waters where $5 trillion of trade passes through each year. china says the projects are for civilian purposes and development. >> the relevant construction justified and laugh is within china's sovereignty. it does not impact or talk to any country. it is beyond reproach. >> it's what most in china believe. >> from a young age the chinese are taught to be proceed of their heritage that they life in the center kingdom, the center of the world. part of that is ownership over the shouth china sea. >> reporter: many are unaware that the matter has been brought to an international tribal.

>> of course the islands are chinas. >> yes, they are chinas. we've been told this since we were kids in school. >> they believe the waters belong to china, but hopes the government takes a queue from the hobby, talking to the neighbours to find i don't remember way to deal with the situation. >> china is saying put the oil on the fire. if we have a dispute, we cannot find a way to solve at the moment. the best of ways is to cool down not put the oil on the fire. that is no good with chinese activity continuing despite objections from its neighbours many find it hard to believe intentions to talk and find a common solution now, thursday marks the first anniversary of the south korea's civil ferry disaster in which 304 people died. let's cross to seoul.

and it was an awful tragedy and a year on the anger and emotion is as intense as ever. >> that's right, there's a huge amount of grief and pain from the family members, and we have seen that at the memorial to the 250 schoolchildren killed in this disaster. we have seen a good deal of anger. the prime minister came along this morning trying to pay his respects. he was turned away and parents shouted abuse at him as he left. that's because the parents had been fighting a campaign since the sinking, both to have an independent investigation into how it sank and into the rescue efforts. it was described as inept rescue ests that followed it, and to see the ferry raise from the seabed to investigate what

happened to it, and for many of the family members to recover the nine missing bodies. what we heard is the president of south korea, who came in to criticism because of a decision to leave this country, she was at the port in jindo, close to where the sewol sank and wants to seat the ferry raised at the earliers possible time. there has been some equivocation about that because of cost and the government needed a public consultation it may most more than $110 million. it sounds as if one parent demands to see the ferry raised will be met. >> how deeply rooted are the problems that this tragedy highlighted? >> well it shocked everyone in the country. it, of course, was shocking

because of the age of so many of the victims, and the fact that they were told to stay put. it threw to might a lot of the other problems of corruption lax safety standards that many had to reflect on since it happened. >> reporter: on april 6th south korea was can't fronted with painful images a passenger ferry full of schoolchildren sinking off the southern coast. the mobile phone footage that emerged hurt still more. children caught between laughter and fear obeying instructions to stay put as the sewol overturned tracking them beneath the water. this woman believes her daughter is still there, one nine bodies that are missing.

>> translation: how can we go back to a normal life. without our kids and husbands the the government has to help us. >> reporter: the last few weeks they've been demanding that the president park geun-hye keep her promise to keep promises to the victims and family by rising the wreck. >> many families find themselves fighting on some to recover the remains of their loved ones other to find answers. there has been criminal convictions to the captain, who caused outrage by being one of the first to command the ship. the families accused the government of obstructing evidence and request an investigation into lax investigations and the response after. >> translation: once our investigative team works properly we'll report to the

public what happened during the incident and after. perhaps it le about a burden for the counter government. they have a negative view. >> cameras were allowed onto the sewol's near twin sister ship. it had routinely overloaded the vessels, not tied down vehicles which slid causing a capsize. this week the government released a sonar visualization of the ship. the president says she's consider raising it to the surface. at the statement there should be a public consultation on a promote that would cost $110 million. >> wednesday, family members were taken to the site of the singing, marked by a yellow buoy. a year on much is unresolved. not the least re great, and the

questions on how 304 loved ones were allowed to die the indian prime minister narendra modi met with his canadian counterparts stephen harper. they met at pearson international airport. wednesday canada agreed to provide india with 300,000 tonnes of uranium for their power plants. >> canada has the potential to be a key partner in every area of india's development. energy and infrastructure manufacturing and skills smart cities and agri-industry. visa and education. a small giro copter landed on the capitol hill lawn in washington d.c. it prompted a temporary lock

down of the visitors streets. the map flying it was tape into custody as soon as it landed u.s. democratic presidential contender hillary clinton promised to help many businesses. she told them she wants to make it easier for them to get loans and cut through the red tape. she's the only candidate in the running for the democratic presidential nomination. tens of thousand across the united states is calling for the minimum wage to be hired. the movement is expanding agnes has a long commute to her jock as a home health aid, taking two buses and a subway spending $10 and four hours getting to and fro work where she makes $10 an hour. she says she hasn't had a raise in a decade. >> we are really struggling.

i mean struggling real bad in the city. we need the $15 an hour because cost of living has gone up. transportation has gone up. food went up, rent went up. we need the $15. >> the fight for $15 started with fast food workers and expanded to include others like agnes. her union, the service employee is an organiser. >> we need to put demand on the table that is real nabing us to take care of the families. >> reporter: in response to critics, the announcement by mcdonald's that it is increasing by pay to $15.

others say it's not enough and would impact only a small group. they continue to battle. rallying outside big-named businesses who say net can't afford the increase and will have to cut jobs or raise prices. >> $15 sounds reasonable until you realise someone has to pay for it. >> the reacher says the economy needs jobs like thee. >> the fast majority move to higher paying positions in a few years or within a year. >> agnes whose husband lives on a fixed income has been doing her job for 27 years. >> that is the biggest myth. wage workers are not teenagers, they are mother and fathers. >> reporter: like agnes, they are willing to take to the streets to make their voices

heard. in brazil fast food workers are protesting in sympathy saying they can't live on the hourly wages paid by many american corporations. demonstrations took to the streets saying brands like mcdonald's exploit young people in their first jobs historians gathered at forbes theatre in washington d.c. to mark the 150th anniversary of the assassination the u.s. president abraham lincoln, he was shot in 1865 john ruth botes, five days after the surrender of general lee. >> his assassination was a tragic and pivotal event in american history. we can only speculate what might have happened had he lived. yet lincoln does live to this

day. in what he would call the bart angels. the man that liberated 4 million enslaved people lives on in every sacrifice women and many make. >> a little nudge to the website aljazeera.com is the address. >> often "america on "america tonight". the last rights. >> why can't he do everything he can? i am doing everything i can. i'm doing everything i think is best for everyone involved myself and the family. >> the most important conversation a family can have with the dying and how to begin it. also ahead, a team torn apart by violent tradition. >> i felt like i was playing for my life. i felt that just because of the