another day another rescue by the italian coast guard. more than 400 migrants are brought to safety. ♪ hello, this is al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead . . . saudi arabia orders the national guard to boost security along its border with yemen. egypt's former president mohammed morsi gets 20 years in prison. and it's being described

thailand's biggest ivory bust. we'll have details on the seizure of elephant tusks in bang kong. more than 400 asylum seekers have been rescued off of the coast of italy. the group was found by a fishing boat. the ship they were on was taking on water. it's just the latest incident in what has become an almost daily occurrence between northern africa and southern europe. in the last week alone more than 10,000 people have been rescued in the seas. hundreds more have drowned. ing on sunday a ship carrying more than 800 people sank off of the libyan coast. it's one of the worst disasters in the mediterranean sea. then on monday a ship carrying migrants smashed off of the

greek island of rhodes. the italian and maltese guards scrambled to respond to distress calls from a ship from libya. >> reporter: given how difficult the crisis has become the sight of young italian women showering refugee ships are flowers is a display of basic humanity that is more than a little moving. this claimed 700 lives or more brought ashore. the captain and his deputy were arrested for people trafficking. the main thing, though is to look after those who got this far. >> they were very tired and traumatized of course. one was taken to the hospital the others received medical attention. they had clothes and food. >> reporter: day by day new stories emerge of boats adrift.

these are pictures from the italian coast guard flying over a leaking boat containing another 450 or so. sighted at dawn they were all rescued, including some 59 children. off the coast of spain 44 were rescued. life or death in these situations looks like a matter of complete fluke. one estimate said that 30 times more people had died in the mediterranean so far this year than during the same period in 2014. that's so say getting on for 2,000 this year so far, already lost to the sea. hardly surprising that so many are now calling for a pan european effort to at the very least stop people dying while in the act of trying to escape war or unrest. >> translator: of course if we let them die, they will stop coming. but that's not what we need to

do. it's not a question of taking them all, it's a question of saving as many as we can. >> reporter: it shouldn't be as hard as it seems to rescue people at sea. italy managed all by itself until it stopped its program. the bigger more difficult condition is what you do with people once you have saved them. whether you offer them refuge or send them home is the issue pushing at the e.u. saudi arabia has ordered the national guard to reinforce its border with yemen. the national guard is regarded as the country's best equipped military force. let's speak to mohamed vall who speaks to us now. quite significant the national guard is now being called in to boost defenses. >> reporter: yes, it's a

significant move significant decision. viewing that the national guard is considered like a second army. saudi arabia has so far engaged itself ground forces on the border its air forces and also its maritime forces and these are -- all of them are answerable to the ministry of defense. the national guard is another army that has its own ministry independently from the ministry of defense, but it is considered the elite army of saudi arabia. for a long time it was under the late king abdullah a sign of its importance there. this is a significant move considering that we have been hearing reports on renewed clashes on the border between saudi arabia and yemen, particularly in one area and heavy fighting has been going on for a while tonight and also this morning. eyewitnesss talking about

ambulances being seen moving towards the border and this is compatible with the recent reports by the saudis that they have some suspicion that the houthis have been moving some of their heavy military equipment to the border with saudi arabia and this is one of the major concerns here in the kingdom, because one of the main objectives behind the war of yemen was to make sure that the conflict doesn't spill over into saudi arabia even before the beginning of the air strikes. so right now we see that after almost a month of those air strikes, there are still concerns and fears on the saudi border of a possible houthi attack. >> okay. mohammed thank you very much for that update. in egypt mohammed morsi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. he was the first democratically

elected president but was toppled in a military coup in 2013. he still faces several charges. he was acquitted of inciting murder but incest was convicted of ordering the arrest and torture of protesters. there are three other cases against him including one linked to his escape from prison in 2011. he was being held in custody after a round up of muslim brotherhood supporters. he is also charged with spying. he is accused of conspiring to commit terrorist acts in egypt with hamas, and there are also allegations hen gangered egypt's national security by leaking state secrets to qatar. and he is accused of insulting the judiciary.

toby is an international human rights lawyer involved in a number of legal cases in egypt. he says the judicial system needs to be more own and transparent. >> as we have heard there are still a number of charges outstanding, but if these are credible allegations then this should be shown in a transparent trial, where president morsi has the right to consult with his lawyers and to challenge the evidence against him. and this is not a way to deal with this. and what he has effectively been charged with we have seen countless civilians killed during during sisis time. so it is concerning that the judiciary is becoming an extra arm of the executive. a car bombing has killed at least four people in somalia's capitol. a vehicle rammed into a busy

restaurant and exploded. al-shabab says it carried out the attack. the blast happened near the central hotel where al-shabab fighters attacked in february. and the kenyan government is offering a ten-day amnesty for al-shabab fighters willing to turn themselves in. we have this exclusive report. >> reporter: on patrol of the porous border between kenya and somalia, this is the militia of somalia, part of an international effort to build somalia from the grassroots up. they are on the lookout for groups passing back and forth between the countries undetected. >> translator: the border is 700

kilometers long. we lack vehicles. we try our best to cover all of the smuggling routes. >> reporter: the militia men are based in a town a few meters over the border. the group lost control of the town some three years ago, but they still operate in the thicketed outside of it. these men say they are trying to shun the image of their town being an route for al-shabab. mohammed is a kenyan national and al-shabab member. >> translator: i was arrested while buying food. it was in charge of logistics, i was recruit into al-shabab a year ago by a relative. once in i had no way of backing out as anyone who tried to escape was killed. >> reporter: he used to operate in the al-shabab training camp.

the camp is under the command of this man. the man kenya says masterminded the recent attack in which al-shabab gunmen kill 148 people. >> translator: it's a huge camp. there are about 300 fighters both foreigners and somalis, almost all of the activities are geared towards carrying out attacks in kenya. >> reporter: we also met two youth arrested while on their way to join al-shabab. they are from the central province. >> translator: we were heading to the camp when we were arrested. we were given a map by a recruiter and the names of cities we were to pass through. we had run out of funds and decided to go on foot once we entered somalia. >> reporter: for now the kenya trained and equipped troops celebrate their modest gains.

they say they will need more support effectively secure the border and hopefully kif up to kenya's dream of getting a buffer zone to shield its territory from lawless somalia. still ahead on the news hour on al jazeera, we meet the foreign workers returning to zimbabwe because they are scared to stay in south africa. plus from any rain forest to the courtroom, the fight between chevron and an environmental lawyer takes a u-turn.

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welcome back. a reminder of our top stories. the italian coast guard has rescued another 400 people off of the coast of italy. it comes as the captain of the ship that was rescued with over 800 people on board was charged with manslaughter. and a cairo court has sentenced former egyptian president mohammed morsi to 20 years in jail. he was convicted of ordering the arrest and torture of protesters. in iraq forces are engaged in heavy battles with fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant in anbar province troops say they have retaken the ramadi children's hospital captured ten days ago

by the fighters. more than 90,000 people have fled the fighting over the last two weeks. meanwhile iraq's government says its forces have recaptured the largest oil refinery from isil. from baghdad, omar sally reports. >> reporter: on the outskirts of beiji refinery the war is not over. the target is isil fighters inside the sprawling energy come complex. these iraqi special forces are part of the government's reinforcements after isil fighters stormed parts of the refinery last week. the plan is to attack from three directions. from the western front these men need to clear the surrounding

areas while hitting isil positions. >> reporter: -- >> translator: we're in the third front. we have been attacked by isil in the areas next to the refinery. >> reporter: security forces suggest there are isil fighters still inside the refinery but the u.s.-lead coalition says army forces are now in full control of the refinery and are fortifying defense positions. they describe isil's latest infilt trags as an attempt to boost its online propaganda but it also proves the group is still capable of attacking and advancing despite weeks of u.s.-lead air strikes. the group posted videos like this showing its fighters storming the western entrance. u.s.-lead coalition jets have carried out 47 air strikes in

and around the refinery in the last ten days. in baghdad prime minister abadi lead the military funeral for the cop tom manneder who was killed last week. he also met the commander of u.s. central command. the fight for iraq's biggest oil refinery has proven to be a tough one. gains made by either side could change momentarily. they say the town of beiji and the refinery remain a top strategic priority. the challenge for the government is to reopen the refinery and resume production. the battle is proving to be hard long and costly. it has become a symbol of the chap challenge between the warring sides neither of which is able to fully declare

victory. the production of 175,000 barrels of oil a day has stopped and the refinery has been shut down since june of last year. in syria, activists say that rebels have repelled a government offensive in the east. 30 government soldiers were killed when seven army tanks were destroyed. the syrian observatory for human rights said rebel fighters also died in the offensive. a bomb has exploded in tripoli, no one was hurt because spain pulled out his diplomats last year. so far there has been no claim of responsibility. now the killing of a group of ethiopians by isil in libya has prompted protests by hundreds of people in ethiopia's capitol. the demonstration happened at the start of three days of national mourning. >> reporter: there are few words

to express this kind of pain. this was one of the dozens of ethiopian christians killed by isil in libya. his friends and family gathered on monday to mourn his death, but it hasn't fully sunk in yet. >> translator: i have never seen such a barbaric act. i'm shocked. i can't think of him being slaughtered. how can much a merciless and horrible act happen to human kind. how? why? >> reporter: a video was posted online on sunday which app pee peers to show isil fighters beheading and shooting at least 30 ethiopians. al jazeera will not show the video, but some of the family have seen it. >> translator: we are very sad. all of these people you see are not only neighbors but ethiopians who came from every corner to give their condolences and grieve with us.

they all came here after they saw this posting on facebook. when a human being is slaughtered like a sheep it's horrific. >> reporter: they called their families regularly as they traveled to libya together. they had hoped to get on a boat to europe and start a new life. their friends say there are no good job opportunities in ethiopia. they stopped calling month ago. and the fate of these two young men who hoped for so much more has become horribly clear. south africa's defense ministry says it is sending troops to johannesberg after a series of anti-immigrant attacks. at least seven people have been killed in the past two weeks. this has prompted hundreds to return home. harrah spoke to some who are trying to move back.

>> reporter: the journey took about 24 hours by bus, and now the families are finally here in zimbabwe. and they are in this camp set up by government and aid agencies but they are waiting for the next way forward, how to get to their respective homes in other parts of the country. this is where many people will be sleeping for a couple of days until plans are made for them to go home. but they say the next problem is what will they do when they get there? this country has a high unemployment rate. some say it's as high as 80 or 90%. and a lot of families are wondering when they get to their villages or town will they be able to find jobs. they find life too tough here in zimbabwe, some say they are willing to take the risk and go back to south africa even if it is dangerous if it means they can earn a bit of money to send

back home. a court in argentina has thrown out a complaint against the president. the late prosecutor had been investigating allegations that the plt -- president tried to cover up iran's involvement in a bombing. the court ruled that no crime was committed. and this man brought the case in january, and was then found day the day before he was set to testify. >> reporter: this is the first time that the alberto occasions that the president was trying to cover iranian involvement in that 1994 bomb attack a judge and now two courts have said there is no case to answer. there was no crime involved in this. although i think this is the end of the case legally, it's still not the end politically.

the country argentina still very much split down the middle. those who believed that mr. nisman had a case and those who believe it was all a plot to try to destabilize the government's name. there is still a case outstanding, that being how mr. nisman died. he was found dead in his bath with a bullet wound to his head the day before he was to testify. some believe those who support the government believe that he committed suicide in general. those who oppose the government believe in general that somehow or other somebody loyal to the government had him killed so that he couldn't continue with that testimony. so this is election year in argentina, so although one part of this case has now been put to rest legally, politically it's still very much alive, as i say the country is split very much

down the middle. [ inaudible ] is a region in the u.s. a vote was meant to happen five months ago. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: there's a contention election happening on the navajo nation. after months of protests, and court rulings, navajo voters will finally go to the polls to elect a president. a top contender did not speak the language fluently. >> language is important it identifies who we are, who we come from you cannot be a nation without language. >> reporter: it's unclear if today's election will even take place or be delayed further by the courts. does the requirement need to stay in place. >> anyone that is wanting to be president and vice president needs to take time to learn the language. >> reporter: language and navajo

identity go hand in hand and fewer and fewer can speak the language of their ancestors. it has created a divide between old and young, lawmakers and the courts but all believe the language must be preserved even if they can't agree on who should be their next president or if he should be required to be fluent. a lawyer trying to hold oil giant chevron accountable for dumping toxic waste in ecuador has lost his case. >> reporter: he has been found liable in new york for bribing a judge and ghost writing a court decision in ecuador. but he denies he did any of that in trying to hold chevron accountable. >> they go after anyone who is effective at holding them accountable for their environmental crimes and fraud and ecuador, and that's why they are going after me. they have made a calculated

decision to distract attention from themselves, and go after the lawyers. >> reporter: at issue this billions of gallons of toxic waste dumped in ecuador by texaco which has since been brought by chevron. 30,000 villagers first tried to sue the company in new york in the 1990s. but the company insisted on holding the trial in ecuador. the judgment against chevron in ecuador has been found a u.s. federal court to be the product of fraud. does chevron have any attention on making good on that judgment? >> nice try. >> reporter: their lawyers wouldn't answer questions on camera. they have also taken legal action in canada and brazil in an attempt to get chevron to pay

the money. whatever happens here in new york could hurt those efforts. if he loses the case will have a chilling effect on other class action lawsuits. >> what we fear is that chevron's play book which is to throw enormous resources against the case will become the model for other corporations facing similar lawsuits in the future. >> reporter: environmental groups continue to stand by him. >> he didn't commit any fraud. what he did was stand bhiz clients despite though fact that chevron has tried to destroy him. >> reporter: they say they will continue to fight chevron until the spill has been cleaned up. kristen saloomey al jazeera, new york. thailand says it has made its biggest ever ivy bust.

customs officers estimate the ivory to be worth $6 million. from bangkok, scott heidler reporters. >> reporter: it happened monday. it is a shipment they have been tracking for two months. it was seized here in bangkok, nearly 4 tons of ivory was seized worth about $6 million. there are buyers for this ivory in thailand vietnam, and china. officials are telling us that ivory will be destroyed. this comes during an ivory amnesty program here in thailand fronted by the government. this goes out to even sellers of ivory if they come in and register their ivory, they have an amnesty.

but if they are caught with the ivory after the deadline tuesday, they could face up to a hundred thousand dollars fine. this is all part of a program to clamp down on the illegal ivory trade here in thailand. a reminder you can keep up to date with all of the news all the time at aljazeera.com. survivors under arrest hundreds dies when a ship filled with migrants went down in the mediterranean. now two of the lucky ones are behind bars. a fierce fire fight in the isil-held city of ramadi. al jazeera goes on the ground where the iraqi government says it is making gains. and demonstrations on the streets of baltimore after the death of a black man in police cu