assessing the damage. the u.n. says the plight of yemen's people is getting worse and it's envoy is quitting. ♪ ♪ hello, welcome to al jazerra, world news i am martin dennis, also to come on the program. grief and anger as south korea marks a year since the sinking of the ferry. co local boa's government says air strikes against farc rebels are back on after soldier were killed in an ambush.

we hear from migrant workers who say they are under attack in south africa. ♪ ♪ but first the u.n. says the conflict in yemen has dramatically worsened the plight of its people. a spokesman for the secretary general is the fighting is only add to this urgent humanitarian need in a country that was already one of the poorest in the region. the u.n. says nearly 10.6 million yemenis and are now facing a food shortage. of those 4.8 million are living in emergency conditions. more than 730 people have been killed in the saudi-led bombing campaign against houthi rebels. and nearly 2,760 have been injured. well as the situation deteriorates the u.n. envoy to yemen, jamal has resigned.

he had been overseeing the effort to reach a political deal between yemen's rival factions but they fell apart when the houthis staged their take over. and the former president of yemen, saleh has been trying to make an exit of his own he's asked for safe passage out of the country. forces loyal to saleh are accused of helping the houthi rebels and a spokesman for the saudi military has told al jazerra he has no role in yemen's future. >> we are addressing now stability situation for the yemen operation. we are addressing the legitimacy of the government. we are trying to prevent those militias to harm the operation and to threaten yemen. saleh and the militias they are not part of the.

[ inaudible ] the plan is the yemen, now we are facing the same. they are in the same boat. they should find the same end. i think no one is thinking logically find that al saleh could be part of the future of yemen. ♪ ♪ all right, we can talk to hakim now, who is the editor of the yemen post, he joins us live now from sanaa. first of all can i get the general reaction then to the departure and one would imagine not too many tears? i am afraid we don't seem to have him. i am ones rearing think can you hear me? we haven't got him.

we will endeavor to get him on the line so we can get the very latest from yemen itself on all of these developments. but let's have a little bit more now on the diplomatic difficulties. we have been hearing from an analyst and she says that u.n. envoy's resignation was pretty much on the cards. that the arab countries were so unhappy with his handling of the crisis. >> yemen was supposed to be saved ohio through a conference the national dialogue cough fence and the u.n. was supposed to support everything happening in the dialogue he was supposed to be the main mediator with the political allies on the ground of yemen. but he chaperon aid process that was part of a logistical practice. the entire program was set up at a bureaucratic exercise of good governance with nothing being implemented on the ground. ananalysts like myself and others talked to the failures of the national dialogue. first of all the bomb he budget exceeded

$37 million. it ale went to to salaries of five individuals and it went through 2013 to-20 tear. the houthis had representatives in that and they seemed to agree on everything. but the minute that the dialogue concluded nothing was being implemented on the ground. which angered the militia pushing them -- making them take advantage of the political vacuum and they pushed from sadder all the way to sanaa and put the president on house arrest and expanded further south. so the negotiation process clearly failed. after the national dialogue conference he met with several political parties and tried to bring them in to consensus but failed to do so because they lost trust in him. in the u.n. and in the role of the international community. meanwhile, the saudi-led air campaign continues. on wednesday strikes hit the houthi strong hold of sadr.

the attacks damaged a petro station, a market area and a local government administration. the province in yemen has been one of the most heavily starring he had areas since the air strikes began. nearly three weeks ago. all right let's look at some other news now. and the south career an national assembly has pass aid resolution on the lifting of the wreckage of the ferry that sank last year. thursday marks the first anniversary of one of the country's worst fairy disasters that killed 304 people. most of them were high school students from the from one town. nine people are still missing. amid the grief there was anger among the mourners demanding answers from their prime minister. they say their demands of a thorough probe till have not been met. the south korean president try to address the demands of lifting the wreckage during a memorial service on thursday amid the protests.

for the grieving families these are promises have take i'm i long time coming as harry few sell explains. >> reporter: april 16 last year, south korea was met with hespan. images aircraft passenger fairy full of school children sinking off the southern coast. the mobile phone footage that emerged over the succeeding days hurt still more. those children caught between laughter and fear, obeying repeated instructions to stay put as the fairy overturned trapping them beneath the water. she believes her daughter is still there. one of nine victims whose bodies remain missing when the search was ended in november. >> translator: how can we go back to a normal life? we know where they are. how can we live without finding our kids and husbands? the government has to help us. >> reporter: for the last knew weeks this has been a duh youly compute for park and her husband getting a is close as they can to the presidential office demanding that the president

keep her promise to return all victim to his their families. by raising the wreck. a year after a disaster which rocked this country many families find themselves still fighting on. some to recover the remains of their loved ones, other too find answers. there have been criminal conviction to his the kansas who caused outrage by being one of the first to abandon the ship. crew members and the ferry operators. the families accuse the government of object strucking efforts to get a fully independent investigation underway in to lax safety enforcement before the disaster and failures in the emergency response after it. >> once our investigative team starts to work properly we will report to the publicist exactly what happened during the incidents and after. perhaps it will be a burden for the current government. so i believe the government has a rather negative on our investigative team revealing the facts. >> reporter: cameras were recently allowed onto the near

twin sister ship. official government investigation found that the operator had routinely overloaded its vessels. not tied down vehicles which slid across the cargo deck during a sharp turn causing the capsize. on wednesday family members were taken to the site of the sinking, marked by a yellow buoy. a year on from this tragedy, so much remains unresolved. not least the families' grief and regret and their questions about how 304 their loved ones were allowed to die. hairy fawcett, al jazerra seoul. the colombian president has ordered the military to resume air strikes against farc rebels. this follows the killing of 11 soldiers in western co local pee bee a. at tack is a setback for peace talks being held in cuba both sides are saying negotiations will continue.

>> reporter: a braise an tack on the armed force is his threatening a delicate peace process, 11 soldiered died in the dawn attack by farc rebels. and the aftershocks are being felt across the country. the president could barely hide his frustration as he announced the bolling of farc hideouts. >> translator: this is a reprehensibly act that will not go without punishment and requires decisive action and there will be consequences. we are going to pursue those responsible for this despicable act. i have ordered suspension on order ordered bombings on farc camps. >> reporter: he spent two years talking to rebels with little to show for it. >> he has invest ahead lot of political capital in this and many people are worried that he's more interested in this as part of his legacy than actually delivering a good deal for the

people. >> reporter: farc are the revolutionary people's army of colombia has been fighting the government since 1964, honest made the 200,000 people have died in the conflict. peace talks began in 2012 with both sides meeting in cuba. farc negotiators committed on a unilateral ceasefire in december last year and the government agreed to halt military operations. but that momentum for peace is now under threat. >> translator: we sympathize with the families and our countrymen and call on claim bee ans to reflect on this as we pursue the peace talks, it is necessary to end this war. >> reporter: the president says the talks will continue. that's giving hope for negotiation to his move forward. more a tabs may corner the government and further test the president's resolve. we have other lot more to

come including the iraqi national guard joins forces with the army in its battle against isil. but how prepared are these voluntary fighters? and. >> reporter: i am phil lavelle in geneva where hundreds of world's inventors got together in one place to show off their creations. what have we got here in find out later in the program.

♪ ♪ hello again. let's have a look at the top stories here at al jazerra. the u.n. says the conflict in yep sen worsening the plight of

it's people it says more than 10.6 million yep own hes don't have enough food. more than 730 people killed in the air and ground attacks which have bon continuing for three weeks. south korea's president says steps to salvage of the wreckage of the ferry that sank last year will begin soon. there have been frosts from mourners who gathered to mark the first anniversary of the daze as ter to killed 304 people. the colombian president has soaredded the mail mail military toy resume bombing the farc rebel. the two sides have been in peace talks to try to end the long-running civil war. now, the number of african my grand trying to cross the mediterranean in in to our autopsy has reached unprecedented levels according to the italian coast guard. thousands rescued since friday. but the number of people dieing on route has spiked this year.

paul brennan reports from the port in sicily. >> reporter: it's not even peak season for migrants yet. but the reception associate island is already heaving. 1400 rescued refugees are crammed in a unit intended for just 250. it's to be another long, difficult summer on europe's mediterranean border. at ports all along the southern coast of italy. boats of bringing in hundreds of rescued refugees. at the last it's count, more than 10,000 plucked from the water since last friday alone. but the risks are high. on monday, more than 400 people are believed to have drowned before rescue could arrive. survivors spoke of panic then tragedy. >> we met them yesterday we spoke to them. a group of people mentioned that they departed from libya on the

same boat. there were 550 people approximately and only you're 50 were rescued while the others are believed to have a unfortunately died in the mediterranean. >> reporter: the traffickers are becoming bolder and more ruthless. boats are no longer just being abandoned. they are too valuable to lose. >> last monday one of the vesseled deployed to italy within the framework of operation tritan witnessed warning shots fired by the smugglers who were attempting to take the boat originally carrying the migrants back to libya. this is a clear sign that the smugglers in libya are running out of boats. and therefore they are determined do anything, including shooting their guns in order to do that. >> reporter: it's estimated more

than 500 migrants have already died this year trying to mace the crossing from africa. 10 a 10 fieldin crease from last year. groups say it's the direct result of the scaling back of search and rescue operations . >> we don't have the present capacity to rescue in the mediterranean and it's insufficient and that there is really a need, very soon and swiftly and urgent there on do something about that. that secondly there needs to be legal alternatives to being able to come to europe. >> reporter: the police here will not tell us where these families now boarding the buses behind him will be taken. but the stabbing that these people these rescued migrants are the will be i ones, many more have perished trying to make what is now most dangerous sea crossing in the world many thousands more will try to follow in their footsteps. paul brennan, al jazerra sicily. now, the iraqi prim minister is pushing for a creation of a national guard. and is trying to bring militias across the country under the official banner of the iraqi

army. but many of these sources are under prepared and under resourced. and they blame the government for that as kim vinnell reports from near mosul. >> reporter: in step with each other, and now with the iraqi army too. these volunteer fighters have for the first time pledge today take orders from baghdad. part of the government's effort to unify countless militias. this group is diverse. sunni arabs kurds and christians from mosul which has been occupied by isil. all of tell are eager to go back. >> translator: one of my sons is here. he was a soldier and the other one will come in the next intake. i have 10 children. and i came to be a volunteer. not for money not for any benefit just to get nigh city back as soon as possible. >> reporter: they call themselves the national guard. a force which officially doesn't yet exist. it's the name the prime minister

wants to give to a new force the sunni tribeses men the mostly shia popular mobilization forces and other volunteers. it's an uneasy union. and one these men don't fully trust. but say they'll answer to the prime minister himself. >> reporter: mosul is on the other side of this hill. it's about 12-kilometer as way. and the front line is being protected by kurdish peshmerga forces. there has been about 11,000 soldiers through this camp in the past three months. but even the commander here admit they are under prepared and under resourced. >> translator: if we are doing the fighting with these kind of weapons, the balance will not be in our favor. and we will not succeed. >> reporter: you have had 11,000 soldiers through here and you have what, maybe a dozen weapons. >> translator: i am asking where is that support? where is that equipment? because we are the first army

base closest to mosul. and we don't even have one pistol. >> reporter: they say the iraqi army needs them to keep the people of mosul onside. this man agrees he says he's the former head of an anti isil sleeper cell trying to gather information on isil and its leaders in mosul. >> translator: from the very start what isil is doing, i mean killing and beheading the shia is also doing the same. isil is beating girls making slaves destroys mosques and homes the same thing is being done by the shia militia and there is no difference at all. >> reporter: with all of the talk of unity sake terrien tensions still remain high here. the mosul operation will have to be carefully managed too keep the people onside and these men prepared to fight. kim very mel, al jazerra northern iraq.

in syrian, at least eight people have been killed in a government attack on the south cease suburb of duh damascus, a main roundabout was she would and homes were destroyed. it has been bombarded by government air strikes and or artillery. 24 south africa thousands of migrant workers have been forced by their homes -- from their hopes by a yes sent series of after tacks. we have been speaking to of some of the victims of violence in the port city of durban. >> reporter: these my grand workers in south safe what say they will do anything to protect themselves and their families. >> we are sick and tired of this. they kill us, lots. we didn't kill and we didn't kill maybe one person. >> reporter: there has been a wave of fighting between immigrants and locals in some areas. here in the port city of durban, police say at least four people have been killed. thousands have fled their homes

gloria ya is from mozambique and came to south africa near 20 year old and said the men that chased her and her nine-year-old daughter out of their home insisted they doesn't belong here. >> translator: she said we know that not from south africa. can you get out. you must go because when we are done here we are coming for you so i ran away. >> reporter: here in this sports field. there is safe any numbers they get food and aways i can necessities from aid agencies. right now they don't know how long they'll be here. there is supposed to be more than a thousand families here. they say that they are confused. and they can't understand why as africans, they are not welcome. some locals accuse immigrants from other african countries of taking their jobs. the unemployment rate is official at around 25%. but others say the anger is misguided. >> this is a protest against the angry south africans screaming

and shouting for the government for them for their voices to be heard and the government is has ignored them for a time. so now the people are starting to protest. >> reporter: it's going to get dark and cold soon. most families would rather be in their homes but they say they can't leave just yet. not until they are sure some of their neighbors won't attack them again. al jazerra. durban. now 10s of thousands of workers have crossed the united states demanding the federal minimum wage be doubled to $15 an hour. now, the pushing for higher pay started in the fast food industry a year ago. but the movement is expanding. as kristen saloomey now explains. >> reporter: agnes has a long commute to her job as a home health aid. she takes two buses and a subway spending $10 as long as four howard just getting to and from work. where he makes just $10 an hour. she says she hasn't had a raise in nearly a decades.

>> we really struggling. i mean, struggling real bad in the city. so we need the $15 an hour. because the cost of living gone up. the transportation gone up. food went up. represent went we need the $15. >> reporter: the fight for 15 started with fast food workers. but has expand today include other frustrated low wage earners like agnes her union the service employees international is honoringer. >> we need to put a demand on the table that is real and that would enable to us take care of our family always. so a lot of groups start today coalesce around the idea of $15 an hour as ebber minimum. s in a place like new york. >> reporter: in response to criticses, mcdonald's a can noannounced on april 1st it's increasing average pay to under are just under $10 an hour for workers at corporate-owned restaurants but the workers are saying it's not enough. and the raise will only impact a

small minority of mcdonald's employees. so they continue to do battle. rallying across the country roy wednesday, outside big-named business who his say they can't afford the increase. and will either have to cut jobs or raise prices. fifteen dollars an hour sounds like a reasonable thing to do. until you realize that somebody has to pay for it. >> reporter: researcher james shrek says the economy needs entry level jobs like these. >> the vast majority of people who start at these low wage jobs move up in to hire paying positions one a few years or in many cases within a year. >> reporter: but agnes whose husband lives on a fixed income has been doing her job for 27 years. >> that is a biggest myth. low wage workers are not teenagers, they are families, they are mothers, they are fathers. they are not just teenagers. >> reporter: and like agnes they are willing to take to the streets to make their voices heard. kristen saloomey, al jazerra

new york. fast food workers in brazil are protesting to show their solidarity with their colleagues in the u.s. demonstrators took to the streets to sao paulo saying companies like mcdonald's exploit young people in their jobs. they say they can't live on the hourly wages paid by many american corpses. hundreds of inventors from across the world have flown to switzerland. to show off their new projects. now, the international inventors ex-vision showcases everything from the slightly strange to the potentially revolutionary from geneva phil lavelle. >> reporter: so much to see so little time. where to start. everybody loved a duck on wheels right? especially this guy. his creation house a secret weapon. there it is, one duck one inventor satisfied.

>> it will be ex-panted around. three, four, five meeter. and it will be there. and you can take it. watch it if it's sick or want to put any tag on it and leave it. >> reporter: if it lights up, it's here. .

and musk, have helped make america the country envied by the world. we're looking at why so many americans are slowly rolling down the break down lane of the information superhighway and why nearly everyone you know have an iphone in their pocket, some people still don't have affordable access to the internet. i'm ali velshi. my special report on the digital