>> answering another distress call in the mediterranean. two vessels carrying hundreds of people are in danger of sinking off of the libyan coast. and yet another boat is smashed where there they have confirmed the deaths of a man and a child. paul what more have we learned? >> the latest that we have is from the italian prime minister.

there were three boats involved. potentially each with 300 people on board and one of those boats was in trouble. that came from the international organization from migration which said it received a distress call. in the last hour we heard from the italian employment that he has given details of two boats. one is a rubber boat, an inflatable boat with estimated between 100 and 150 people on board 30 miles off the libyan coast that is in double. and a larger both with boat with it. distress call has been received from that pair of boats and ships are headed in that direction to determine what the situation is and if necessary make a rescue of that boat. we don't have full details but there is a situation on going

off the libyan coast as we speak. >> the other boat that sank just two days ago off the italian coast with up to 900 people on board, according to the maltese prime minister. what more are we learning, which could turn out to be the most tragic incident in recent years. >> initial estimates are around 700. the number of 900 has come from a bangladeshi survivor of the boat that went down while speaking to prosecutors while being treated in hospital. with large numbers like that it is very difficult and especially crammed into a 20-meter boat, very difficult to get accurate

numbers on board. we're speaking hundreds, but it could be anywhere between 700 and 900. it appears that the migrant boat was spotted by a container ship called king jacob. the migrants may have moved to one side of the probably already unstable boat and in doing so destabilizeed it internally and the boat capsized. the other thing that the survivor has told prosecutors is that perhaps 300 people locked downstairs in the hull that have boat who would have had no hope of escape. >> now for the latest of the shipwreck we have got an update from the capital of athens the. >> greek coast guards say they have rescued 100 people.

they plucked them out of the water just dozens of yards from the shores in the southeast aegean. these migrants were lucky it seems. they have told local reporters that the engines where they were cut out and that encouraged them to jump out and swim to shore. the coast guards got word of what was happening quickly. they arrived with boats and got them out of the water in many cases before they were able to reach shore. emergency services were there to deliver first aid and cpr. there appears to be main more than three confirmed fatalities that we know about, a man woman and small child. a local reporter that i spoke to earlier said that she saw the body of a child roughly six

years old being fished out of the water. and the child was unconscience. emergency aid workers were unable to revive that child. there do cobb a fourth fatality, there could be more. but it seems that roughly 100 people are safe having been rescued from this wreck. we believe they are of syrian origin. >> the growing migrant crisis is at the top of the agenda the meeting between european foreign ministers in luxembourg. they had a prom program to rescue immigrants but they were unable to do more. >> i felt it was our foreign duty to concentrate as european to prevent this type of

tragedies from happening again and again. the main issue here is to build together some sense of responsibilities of what is happening in the mediterranean. it is a solution we have to exercise together as europeansing and in a consistent consistent, coherent way. >> there has ban massive explosion in yemen's capital of sanaa. they say it was being used by houthi rebels where 27 people have been killed. we're joined live, tell us more about this target that was hit today in sanaa. >> yes let me tell that you there are reports that this has been a saudi airstrikes. we have to wait for the coalition spokesman this evening

to confirm that or deny it. reports suggest that there might have been an explosion. what the reports say that there are scud missiles. those are weapons coming from the former soviet union. they were in position of the yemeni army, we know in several countries scud micels missiles had widened their range. some of them can reach hundreds of kilometers in distance. the reports from sanaa show that this has been the largest explosion very abramic explosion there in sanaa that caused a lot of fear.

it over looks where the presidential palace is located where some of the special forces are local to former president ali abdullah saleh. if indeed, whether it's an air cycle, an explosion that should be considered by the saudi coalition as a big success. that's the type of weapons they've been after trying to destroy them, in fear that the houthis or other or those loyal to ali abdullah would use. in >> in aden the humanitarian situation has worsened. >> for weeks this southern potter city has been witnessing fierce fighting. these men are loyal to president

abd rabbuh mansur hadi not only have they seized several important buildings in aden, but with the help of the saudi led coalition airstrikes, they would manage to come in into control. >> they came in and humiliated us, they have taken our money so many women are left widows. so many children are left orphans. >> in the capital of sanaa hospitals are running out of supplies. the wounded keep pouring in, and doctors have long been appealing for help saying they can no longer cope, and they fear the hospital may no longer receive patients. efforts to find a political solution has so far failed. the united nations hoped that the warring sides would agree to

a cease-fire, but the leader of the houthis have rejected that call and show no signs of backing down. >> the saudi regime has no right interfering with our issue. this is our country this is our regime. we should determine our fate, and we should choose our government. and we as yemenis should decide our regime. >> pro hadi forces may have regained control in parts of aden but this is only one of many front lines in yemen. >> in south africa the zulu king has blamed attacks as vial. >> they have been a appealing for calm. seven people have been killed in

the violence over the past week. we have more from that rally in durban. >> very much a speech of peace and reconciliation here by the zulu king. he calls for a new war. a new war to protect all the foreign nationals in south africa as there are zenophobic attacks against migrant workers here. he spoke about the culpability of the media describing his statements last month that have been said to have sparked in violence. he said that zenophobic violence that happened in 2008 was a case in point and south africa had not learned from those mistakes yet. he drew comparisons warnings of

the genocide of rwanda. he went as far as managing that and said that south africa and africa as a continent were deeply damage bid such violence. very much a message of peace and reconciliation and it's hoped that the king's speech will do something to equal these attacks against foreign migrants in south africa. >> still ahead on al jazeera. on the wrong side of the law we'll report on the security councildown in garissa in the wake of annal shah lab attack. >> plus how china is using the silk route to increase its influence in pakistan.

>> welcome back. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. we'll remind you of our top stories now. two vessels carrying hundreds of people are in danger of sinking off libyan coast. meanwhile, european foreign ministers they say it's being used by houthi rebels. and south africa's zulu king has condemned ant immigrant attacks as vile, and is blamed for

stoking unrest citing that foreigners were responsible for the high crime rate. in a growing migrant crisis in the mediterranean the maltese prime ministers that toldage that it was initially thought that 750 people died when the boat capsized off the coast on sunday the death toll could be much higher. >> i'm afraid we made have the figures wrong the latest iwitness saying there were 700 people on board and there might have been as many as 900 people on board. truly, this is a humanitarian tragedy of proportions we've rarely seen. and what we're seeing today that after we learned about these things, the human traffickers are sending more

boats. we're ask youing more people right now. seeing that this could not be bus as usual because this is not business as usual. this will happen this week's, next week and the week after and it really seems that these criminals haven't anything to lose. we must send the message that europe is ready to take all the necessary steps to ensure that this racket is destroyed. >> the killing of environmental campaigners has increased in the last year. according to the organization global witness 161 activists were killed in 2014 at more than two a week. this is a rise of 20% from the previous years. honduras is the most dangerous to work country to work as an

environmental activists. 111 campaigners had been killed there. >> the 116 killings of environmental defenders have happened globally. all of the most dangerous countries, brazil, columbia colombia and honduras is the worst affected. in honduras we documented 101 cases between 2010 and 2014. and the reason for those killist in honduras stem largely from the coup that happened there in 2010, which saw rising levels of impunity and corruption across the judicial and law enforcement section, which is really the front line of defense against environmental land defenders, and also you have seen a government that is promoting a particular type of sector-led development

prioritizing, for example palm oil plantations and mining projects. you're seeing massive conflicts between indigenous communities and rural communities, large land owners and state and clashing conceptions of development. >> the united nations has condemned an al-shabab attack that has killed seven of its staff in somalia. in neighboring kenya residents are recovering from an attack by al-shabab two weeks ago. they have affected local businesses. mohammed abdul reports. >> on the wrong side of the law. this is how police deal with the dusk to dawn attack at the

garissa university. a massive security operation has led dozens of youth of suspected involvement in the attack. security footage shows one suspect being led away by officials by the anticipate anti-terrorism unit. his elder brother said that he doesn't know where his brother is. >> we've been to every police station and all prisons but we can't find him. we sent people to nairobi but we still do not know if he's alive or dead. our brother is innocent. >> at garissa university 148 people were killed. this has been a shock. there has been an exodus of christians from the town and markets have been closed.

>> we've lost people. we have lost our children. we are now seeing people going away. >> lack of trust among the population has been blamed for the worsening situation in garissa. town residents have been calling for security agencies. >> it is they who can really help. the role they have to play in addressing that, and the time now has come to face the reality, not to deny, not to live in denial but to look at it in the face and address it. >> leaders have held talks with the garissa population, and urged them not to leave. there are fears that the flight of professionals will affect the town. >> the united states has already taken cuba off its list of countries accused of supporting

terrorism. now investors are waiting for the trade embargo to be lifted after 50 years. the. >> americans are coming. but not in the way the cuban government had for so long anticipated. these visitors are here from a washington organization to talk about mutual understanding and political cooperation. >> you can do the same thing year after year for 50 years it doesn't work, maybe you should try something new, something else. so we are trying something else at long last. >> many on both sides of the florida strait are anticipating and planning for financial investment. the tourists are already here. but this is just the beginning. plenty more visiters will be

coming from the united states, and many will be coming to invest in a way that cuba has not seen in more than 50 years. >> but the u.s. embargo cuba calls it a blockade continues to remain did not achieve what was anticipated to topple the government. in the meantime, preparations are being made. >> think come as tourists. but when you talk to them, you find that they're lawyers and they're coming to talk about the opportunities in cuba. >> development of container port west of havana while many smaller cuban businesses are already well placed and keenly anticipating the changes. >> we're not happy just having foreigners here. we want them to come and meet

and mix with cubans from every social and cultural background, and we as cubans want to know people of different countries and cultures to talk, share and exchange ideas. >> for most cubans, however not much has changed not yet. with all change comes with uncertainty about what will be lost while what will be gained. the americans are coming while some wait for great expectations and fears over what they may bring. al jazeera. havana. >> chinese president chicago chicagoxi jinping is in pakistan. >> high in the mountains close to the border of china and and pakistan china is expanding the

highest paved road, and expanding it's influence. this is the project called the china-pakistan economic corridor. it will stretch from china all the way south through pakistan to the port city of gwadar. >> china would be directly connected to the gulf straits and africa. this would be a big dividend accruing directly from the corridor. >> construction has started on a chinese-funded port. it would cut the time for goods and oil to reach china from the middle east from 12 days to 36 hours. and there all sorts of deals linked to it.

coal solar and highways and railways. this is one of the most impressive buildings in islamabad. a convention center paid for by china. the two countries have a long tested relationship, one that is based on cultural, economic, and strong military ties. china is pakistan's biggest supplier of weapons. it helped to develop it's jet fighter. the jf 17 thunder. >> pakistan is a country that has been plagued by problems from all around. unless we get on our own feet we cannot depend on others. china is a much more reliable friend of pakistan, and that is known universally. >> the china-pakistan economic corridor revives the old silk road traders used centuries ago.

and a nod to the past while developing new industries for the future. nicole johnston, al jazeera f islamabad. >> in the eastern of city of wafang that means kite, hundreds gather for the celebration. >> a swath of color against gray skies. a sign of better days ahead. nothing can stop kite enthusiasts from ushering in the spring. it's where kites were invented years ago as an instrument of war. >> the difference between chinese kites and foreign kites is overseas they use big blocks

of color and focus on flying while chinese kites focus on the shape and colors. >> it's a traditional art former form that he has turned into a business. using the strongest bamboo as framework and canvas of silk for painting. when completed each kite will tell a story with shapes and colors spoke to go harmony prosperity and long life. they become flying works of art. >> many come every year for the kite festival all vying for the honor of being recognized as a kite master. >> anyone can learn to fly a kite but it takes skill to master it. the dragon symbolizes china itself and there is nothing more accelerate exhilarating

than to look up in the sky and see the kites of their heritage. >> rear a remind that are there is always more news on our website, www.aljazeera.com. >> a migrant crisis in the mediterranean. another ship runs aground as european leaders hold an emergency meeting. and the fbi set to hold a news conference after many were arrested for allegedly having ties to isil. and speaking out weeks after a volunteer deputy shot and killed a suspect.