only on al jazeera america. assessing the damage - the u.n. says the plight of yemen's people is getting worse, and its envoy is quitting. hello there, i'm mikhail gorbachev -- shoedy ghosh also coming up anger at the anniversary of the south korean sunken ferry soldiers killed in an ambush

police are better paid. workers in the united states who say the minimum wage is not enough to live on the u.n. says the humanitarian situation in yemen is deteriorating with millions struggling to find food and water. at the same time the u.n.'s own envoy to the buntry jamal benomar, has -- country, jamal benomar, has resigned. he'd been overseeing elements to reach a political deal but it fell apart when the houthis staged their take over. the number of dead and injured keeps rising. more than 730 people have been killed in the air attacks and street battles. nearly 2,700 people have been injured. meanwhile the former president of yemen ali abdullah saleh, has been trying to make an exit of his own, asking for

safe passage out of the country. forces loyal to ali abdullah saleh are accused of helping the houthi rebels. the spokesman told al jazeera ali abdullah saleh has no role in yemen's future. >> we are addressing now security situation for the yemeni's occupation. we are trying to bring those initiatives for yemen. ali abdullah saleh, and the militias they are... ..yemen. they are in the same boat. they should find the same end. no one finds ali abdullah saleh could be part of the future of

yemen saudi-led air strikes hit the houthi strong hold of sadr in yemen. the attacks damaging a petrol station, market area and a building. it's been one of the most heavily targeted. >> let's speak to our correspondent in jizan from saudi arabia. lots of developments. let's start with the departure of jamal benomar, the u.n. envoy from yemen, tell us more about that decision. >> yes, according to the u.n. official website, jamal benomar resigned because of what they called difficulties in yemen. that sums up a lot of things. jamal benomar has been trying to bring about a peaceful solution for about five years even just after the removal of the former president ali abdullah saleh. but his efforts were in vain, and he was frustrated and

expressed his frustration on several occasions, particularly after the houthis takeover of sanaa in september, and several other occasions after that. many deals were signed with the houthis, in which they pledged to withdraw the militias from sanaa and other territories. they did not deliver on those promises. also jamal benomar has been criticized by other parties, saying there is no sufficient amount of cooperation on many sides and he's reached the limits particularly now that the country is heading towards more deterioration. >> we have the former president, ali abdullah saleh a man accused of backing the houthi rebels asking for safe passage out of the country for him and his family. it looked like the saudis said no. >> yes, a kata corical no.

and -- categorical no. ali abdullah saleh sent his envoy, trying to sell some kind of proposal by salah, whereby he moves away from the country safely along with the family in exchange for stopping his support for the houthis. ali abdullah saleh has been contradictory in this act. on some occasion he said he'd abandon the houthis, and others he said he didn't have a relationship and is not cooperating with them. we can read from this that he has now yes little options left before him. he's been successful and wily, he was able to play it safe. now it seems that he is seeing what happens if he doesn't find - if he doesn't try to find a safe exit for himself and his family. >> we hope to hear from the new

vice president of yemen later. for the moment thank you for that now south korea's president says efforts to raise the wreckage of the sewol ferry that sank last year will begin soon. thursday is the first anniversary of the disaster killing 304 people. most were high school students from the town. nine are missing. amid the grief there was anger among the mourners the south korean prime minister blocked from a memorial service by angry relatives, and faced similar protests at another. the main event was cancelled because of protests against the government. family members say a probe has not been met. harry fawcett spoke to the families waiting for closure. >> reporter: april 16th last year south korea was confronted

with these images a passenger ferry singing. mobile phone images - children laughing and half in fear. told to say. >> this woman's daughter is still missing. >> how can we go back to a normal life. we know where they were how can we live without finding kids and husband. the government has to help us. >> reporter: for the last few weeks this is a daily commute to park geun-hye and her husband. getting as close as they can, demanding that park geun-hye return all victims to their families by raising the wreck. a year later many families are fighting on.

some to recover the remains of their loved ones others to find answers. there has been criminal convictions for the captain, one of the first to abandonship, the ferry owners and others. the families struggled to get an investigation into lax safety enforcements and failures in the emergency response after it. >> translation: once our investigative team works properly we'll report to the public what happened during the incident and after. perhaps it will be a burden to the public. >> 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. on 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 regret, and the questions on how 304 loved ones were allowed to die columbia's president ordered the military to resume air strikes against f.a.r.c. rebels, following the killing of 11 soldiers. both sides say negotiations will continue. >> reporter: a brazen attack on columbia's armed forces threatens a peace process. 11 soldiers died and after shocks are felled.

the president could barely hide his frustration as he announced a resumption of bombing for al rebels. >> 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. spending two years talking to the rebels, with little to show for it in return. . >> the president invested a lot of political capital. many thing he s interested in this as part of his legacy, instead of delivering a good deal for the columbian people. >> reporter: f.a.r.c. or the revolutionary people's army of columbia been fighting the government since 1964. an estimated 200,000 died in the conflict.

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 countrymen, 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. but more attacks may corner the government and test the president's resolve still to come the iraqi national guard join forces with the army in the battle against i.s.i.l. how prepared are the voluntary fighters. i'll hear from the migrant workers who say they are under attack in south africa. that's after the break.

welcome back. i'm shiulie ghosh. let's remind you of the top stories - the u.n. says the plight of yemenis is worsening. air and ground attacks are continuing for three weeks, and the u.n. envoy to yemen has resigned. efforts to raise the wreckage of the se cole ferry.

family is demanding an investigation and retrieval of the wreckage. >> columbian president santos ordered the military to resume air strikes against f.a.r.c. rebels following the killing of 11 soldiers in what is considered a strong f.a.r.c. region the number of african migrants crossing the mediterranean sea to europe has reached unprecedented levels. the numbers dying en route spiked. paul brennan reports from the port of keitania in sisly. >> it's not even peak season for migrants yet, but the reception area on the island of lampedusa is heaving. 1400 rescued refugees are crammed in a unit intended tore 250. it will be another long difficult summer on the mediterranean border. ports along italy's southern coast, boats bring in hundreds

of rescued refugees. at the latest count. 10,000 have been fluked from the water. risks are -- plucked from the water. risks are high. 400 are believed to have drowned on monday. survivors spoke of panic and tragedy. >> we met them yesterday, talked to them. a group of people mentioned that they departed from libya on the same boat. there were 550 people approximately. and 45 were rescued. the others unfortunately died in the mediterranean. >> traffickers are bolder. last monday one deployed to italy. and witnessed warning shots

fired by the smugglers who were attempting to take the boat originally carrying the migrants back to libya. this is a sign that the smugglers are running out of boats, and, therefore they are determined to do anything including shooting their guns in order to do that. >> reporter: it's estimated this year more than 500 migrants died trying to make the crossing from north africa a tenfold increase on the same period last year, humanitarian groups say it's a result of the scaling back of search and rescue. >> the capacity to rescue in the mediterranean is insufficient. there is a need soon, swiftly to do something about it. secondly there needs to be legal alternatives to come to europe

police will not tell us where the families boarding the buses behind me will be taken. the fact is that these people rescued migrants are the lucky ones. more have perished trying to make the most dangerous sea crossing and more will follow in their footsteps. russian president vladimir putin is right now fielding questions for his annual call-in show. he's speaking to viewers live across russia on state television. vladimir putin has been hosting this session every year since 2001. he has been answering questions about international sanctions obvious ukraine, and the state of russia's economy. iraq's prime minister is pushing for the creation of a unified fighting force under the banner of the iraqi army. many of the voluntary fighters are under prepared and under-resourced, blaming the government for that. 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, pledged to take orders from baghdad. part of the government'sest to unify countless militias. this group is diverse, sunni arabs, kurds and christians from mosul, occupied by i.s.i.l. all are eager to go back. >> translation: one of my sons is here. he was a soldiers. the other will come in the next in take. i have 10 children and came to be a volunteer not for money or benefit, but to get my city back. >> reporter: they call themselves the national guard, a force which officially doesn't exist. it's the name haider al-abadi wants to give to a new force of sunni tribesman, forces and other volunteers.

it's an uneasy union, one these men don't trust, but say they'll answer to haider al-abadi himself. mosul is on the other side of this hill. the front line is protected by kurdish, peshmerga forces. there has been about 11,000 soldiers through this camp in the past three months. commanders admit they are under prepared and under resourced. >> if we are doing the fighting with these weapons the balance will not be in our favour, and we will not succeed. >> you've had 11,000 soldiers through here and, what maybe a dozen weapons. >> i'm asking where is that support and equipment. we are the first army base closest to mosul. and we don't have a pistol. >> reporter: they say the iraqi army needs them to keep the

people of mosul on side. this man agrees. he is the former head of an anti-i.s.i.l. a sleeper cell trying to gather information on i.s.i.l. and its leaders. >> translation: from the very start, what i.s.i.l. is doing - i mean killing and beheading, the shias are doing the same. i.s.i.l. is beating girls, making slaves destroying mosques and homes. the same is done by shi'a militia. there's no difference at all. >> reporter: with all the talk of unity, sectarian tensions remain high. the mosul operation will have to be carefully managed to keep the people on side and these men prepared to fight in syria at least eight people have been killed in a government attack on a south-eastern suburb of damascus. a main roundabout in an up to was shelled and homes -- in a

town was shelled and homes destroyed. a report from amnesty international says four years after the uprising in bahrain, rampant human rights abuses continues despite reforms. the report details several incidents, torture, arbitrary arrest and the pan on protests. bahrain's government has not responded to a request for comment on the report south africa's ruling a.n.c. party are condemning xenophobic attack against shopkeepers. six people have been killed, and migrants forced from their homes. they've been told to get out of southern africa. we have been speaking to some victims. >> reporter: these migrant workers in south africa say they'll do anything to protect themselves and families. >> we are sick and tired of this

xenophobia. they kill us lots. we didn't kill maybe one person. >> there has been a wave of fighting twine immigrants and locals. here in durban four people have been killed. thousands fled their homes. gloria is from mozambique. she came to south africa 20 years ago, but the men that chased her and her nine-year-old out of her home insisted that she doesn't belong here. >> translation: they say we know you are not from south africa can you get out. you must go because when we are done here we are coming for you. i ran away. >> here in a sports field foreigners feel there is safety in numbers. they have food from agencies. they don't now how long they'll be here. >> there's taught to be more than 1,000 families. they say they are conenoughed and can't understand why they

are not welcome. >> some accused immigrants of taking their jobs. the unemployment rate is at around 25%, but others say the anger is misguided. this is a protest against south africans who have been screaming and shouting to the government, for their voices to be heard, and the government ignored them. now, people are starting to protest. >> it will get dark and cold. most families would rather be in their home. they can't leave yet, not until we are sure some of their neighbours won't attack them again tens of thousands of workers across the united states demand the federal minimum wage be daubd to $15 an hour. the push four higher pay started in the fast food industry. >> reporter: agnes maitland has a long come ute to her job as a home health aid, taking two buses and a subway spending $10

and 4 hours getting to and from work where she makes $10 an hour. she said she hasn't had a raise in nearly a decade. >> we are really struggling. i mean struggling real bad in the city. so we need the $15 an hour because the cost of living gone up. transportation gone up. food went up. rent went up. so we need the $15. >> the fight for $15 started with fast food workers and expanded to include others like they continue to battle. . >> we need to put a demand on the table that is real. a lot of groups coalesced around $15 as a ware minimum. especially in a place like new york. >> in response to critic

mcdonald's announced itself agrees pay to under $10 for workers at corporate owned restaurants. workers say that's not nearly snuff. and the wage impacts a small majority. they continue to battle. rallying across the country on wednesday, outside big named businesses who say they kant 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 researcher 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. low

wage workers are not teenagers, they are mother and fathers. not just teenagers. >> reporter: like agnes, they are willing to take to the streets to make their voices heard. a sandstorm swept through parts of northern china causing blackouts and traffic problems. visibility dropped to less than 10 meters in areas. beijing's skyline turned orange because of the dust. residents braved the outdoors with protective face marks. hundreds of inventors from across the world flew into switzerland. the international inventors exhibition show cases the strange to the revolutionary. phil lavelle reports. >> reporter: so much to see, so little time. where to start. how about a duck on wheels. everybody loves a duck on wheels right. especially this guy. his creation houses a secret

weapon. there it is. one duck caught, one inventor satisfied. >> it will expand all around 3.5 meters, and all will be there. you can take it, watch it if it's sick or you want to put a tag on it and leave it. >> reporter: if it lights up it's here. if it flies, it's here to. that is when it's working. selfie lovers out there, check this out. a 3d body scanner printing models of yourself to give to your friends. think how grateful they'll be. they are welcome. is there a popular market for people having models of themselves. >> it is increasing. >> people want models of themselves. >> yes, these figures are selling hot in europe in asia. >> you know this place is heefing with innovations. there's 750 exhibitors from all over the world. some of the creations are slightly odd, slightly being the

word. others you can see having a positive impact on lives. from using nanotechnology to remove brain tumours to this. a contact lens that monitors the eye 24 hours a day. >> we can maybe personalize a treatment, how the disease works. every people is different. for some the excitement is too much. for others it's infectious like the inventors of this wheelchair without wheels, that can climb stairs for a new take on the idea. >> from a mechanical point of view it's unique unique as you never seen this. you see the tank wheels, but you never seen so many together. and they can climb upstairs so easy. from horses to high tech travel. from cleaning hands to cleaning the house. the goal here - to make life's

chores and problems a thing of the past and all the day's news and developments including the latest on events in yemen on the website. aljazeera.com. the unwillingness of the pharmaceutical industry to sell its medicine to state for the purposes of executing condemned prisoners are giving states a problem. if you carry out the sanctions you need to come up with new measures. a state decided on the firing squad as an option. problems coming with using medicine to end life instead of prolong it -