saudi-led air strikes end in yemen. street battles continue hello, welcome to al jazeera. i'm live from our doha headquarters. also coming up he survived a deadly boat capsized in the mediterranean, killing over 800. coming up, an exclusive interview protests in hong kong after the government introducing a new electoral reform plan and a powerful form in the

australian south-east, leaving three dead and thousands without power let's start with yemen, where, for the first time in 28 days saudi-led air strikes targetting houthi positions stopped. the coalition declared the strikes are over at least for now. saudi arabia made the announcement at a press briefing in riyadh a spokesman saying operation decisive storm achieved its main objectives of weekening houthi control over certain areas. a new face called operation renewal of hope will begin, focussing on preventing the houthis advancing further protecting civilians and allowing humanitarian aid to get in. saudi arabia has not ruled out further streaks and will monitor houthi movements. on the ground street battles

are financing between the fighters and those loyal to abd-rabbu mansour hadi. the u.s. is welcoming the end of the strikes. more on that in a moment but first this report. >> reporter: saudi-led air strikes are over as the "ation says they've -- "ation says they've achieved their goal warning that the houthis are no longer a threat. the air strikes may be over the campaign moves into an unclear phase. >> we will continue to target the houthis to prevent them attacking our hurting yemeni citizens we will continue support and help with evacuations and human support. operations will continue regarding the three goals. they could be smaller in scale. there'll be actions when command deems it necessary. >> reporter: the coalition says it began the offensive on the

recommendation. >> translation: shortly after the cessation, abd-rabbu mansour hadi addressed the people of yemen from ri hard. >> reporter: i say with all honesty, we never imagined the scale of hate red in a pursuit from the houthis, evil took over their mind and conscience. we'll avert it soon with gods help. returning to aden and san awe. restoring home. we'll double up compensate our people from the crisis starting a new yemen. the houthis rejected abd-rabbu mansour hadi. >> there was little they could do. >> it would never achieve their objectives. the saudis realised they did everything they can, and the best thing now you have is a negotiated solution and this was

a face-saying way out for them. the air strikes may have ended. peace was a long way off. and it's not just houthi fighters. troops loyal to ali abdullah saleh are active across the country. he may not be able to command ear the support to bridge the divisions. he's likely to be replaced by the vice president and prime minister. he has received the backing of the houthis. they face the task of reuniting yemenis and bringing an end to decades of instability. >> president obama says the conflict can only be resolved through dialogue making the comment during an interview with a u.s. channel. >> that's always been a fractious country with a lot of problems. it's very poor and right now there's a lot of people inside of yemen suffering.

what we need to do is bring the parties together. it is not solved by having another proxy war fought inside of yemen, and, yes, we've indicated the run ins they need to be part of the solution not the problem. >> a retired lebanese army general joins us from beirut. the end of the air strikes. it doesn't mean the fighting on the ground, the conflict as a whole will end, does it? > yes, we always said and according to the military science are signs and the books and as we learnt that air strike has never been and it will not be enough to determine who they are, and the targets, but cannot achieve objectives, and especially political and strategic objects. that happens, finally, i think,

the storm has been stopped. and operation started. but i think it is time to ensure a ceasefire. the question is why it's stopped. and is this operation. it did achieve its goals. i think why it stopped is because finally the saudis and president abd-rabbu mansour hadi has been convinced that it will not achieve any goals, even if it were to remain for months. interesting, if you allow me to jump in on that point. has anything been achieved militarily then? >> yes. in some respect, okay if - you want to say they did decrease the military power of the houthis. yes.

if this is a military point of view. but they did destroy, you know 70% according to the saudi ambassador in washington. 70% of the infrastructure is destroyed. okay maybe 40% or 50% of the houthi military power and concludes ali abdullah saleh has been destroyed. but, we could stay you know and remain with this air strike without any resolve. anyway i think now, why it's stopped here as you know. they have been convinced, as we said and they will not forget that he is there yesterday, they'll have a high tension. and see that parade of battle ship or navy the american and iranian. we hear yesterday that the

assistant of the iranian minister of foreign affairs said that we will hear good news and we have to expect a ceasefire, et cetera. we have also to add a lot of initiatives, and based on that the u.n. resolution you know two weeks ago or 10 days ago, you have also a main initiative. the american, you know well and the saudis and the gulf. all of the above, i think, has been the reason to have this decision. >> obviously a lot of... >> it didn't achieve its goals. i think i did answer you. >> thank you. a lot of politics and goals. we'll leave that for another interview. thank you arab army chiefs are meting to discuss how to establish a unit military force. a former military coalition to

tackle growing threats. representatives from oman jordan and tunisian armies will discuss how to finance the force, and how responsibilities could be divvied up between the countries syrian opposition fighters gained ground in damascus. rebels have taken over part of the neighbourhood from government forces after an intense battle. >> libya says it detained hundreds of migrants along its coast. there's 450 people in custody, picked up as they tried to leave for europe. they were arrested in two separate raids sunday and monday. most are from sub-saharan africa. >> many who make it on to the boats face a perilous journey. 800 migrants died trying to make it to europe. 28 were pulled alive out of the water.

al jazeera spoke to a survivor a 16-year-old from somalia. in a reception center in sicily. we have this exclusive report. >> it looks like a normal youth club with the table ten us and television blaring. the teenagers are a lucky few that have endured the hardship. the latest to arrive are the luckiest of all. to protect the identity we call him jamal, he is one of 28 survivors from the sinking in the mediterranean. in somali they told me there's no happiness, what al jazeera america experienced at the hands of libya's people traffickers was worse. >> the problem we face in libya was mainly around the fact that we had money taken and were beaten up badly. some individuals died of

starvation. the trafficker didn't allow us to speak to our families. we weren't given food. the trafficking ring was uncovered and it was blamed on a woman beaten severely. >> eventually jamal was herded on to the traffickers boat for the journey turning into disaster. the boat was so crowded and at won point had to be dragged back in. >> when we were on the ship. we had no food and water. and only had one fish. we travelle all day. we saw the ship from europe. >> as they thought they were rescued, disaster struck. >> after yelling for help, we overturned and we died. i was underwater thinking "god god, god," and i managed to swim to the surface. me and four others shouted for

help. hundreds were not happy, migrants were in the dark out at sea, and rescuers were glind. the sea is dark. after a few meter, you can't see anything. the only thing we could see were the beams of light. we had to rely on what we could hear. listening out for the screams to rescue survivors. >> jamal feels nothing but bitterness towards the traffickers, who jamal believes put the passengers in mortal danger. the migrant captain and the mate are facing charles of homicide. jamal is already looking to the future. god willing i intend on bringing my parents over here i'm working hard on that from what the survivors told us about what happened during the sinking on saturday. it's remarkable that anyone survived. the matter of fact way with

which they described the circumstances makes it clear that there is deep psychological scars that they'd have to cope with. in the former orphanage, they have a chance to build a new life a chance denied to hundreds on the fateful voyage there has been protests in egypt against a 20 years gaol sentence handed down for deposed president mohamed mursi. these pictures show hundreds of people demonstrating in neighbourhoods of cairo. they were removed from power in the military of 2013. dozens of people in hong kong have been rallying against an electoral reform plan. pro-democracy protesters called for an open election with no interference from the government. they are angry that the

blueprint complies with the guidelines and they'll screen candidates. sarah clarke is in hong kong with more details. >> the government electoral reform plan divided the people of hong kong. it triggered months of protests shutting part of the cities including here at government headquarters. today some of those protesters returned for another round of demonstrations. essential to the reform plan is ruling out a free election in 2017. it will be china or the national people's congress. that angered the lawmakers who have youed to veto the plan. >> more to come on al jazeera. hospitals overwhelmed and running out of supplies. we'll take a look at the humanitarian situation in yemen and how a blend of poverty and broken promises are fuelling anger against foreign workers in

south africa.

fragile planet welcome back you're watching al jazeera, let's recap the headlines. saudi-led air strikes in yemen have ended. operation decisive storm achieved its objectives to weaken certain controls. battles are going on between houthi fighters. dozens of people in hong kong

have been rallying against electoral reform. pro-democracy blue prints to screen candidates for the 2017 elections. more on the top story - the crisis in yemen, aid agencies warn that the humanitarian situation is worsening. hospitals are struggling to cope with rising numbers of casualties and dwindling supplies. it's a struggle for doctors to treat patients at the hospital in yemen's capital sanaa. electricity outages intensified in the last few weeks, as saudi-led tribes targeted houthi positions. >> translation: the hospital is dependent on two electricity generators. the first works for six hours, and the second for six hours. there's a chance it will come to a standstill when it running out of fuel. >> medics say they are running out of supplies.

the world health organisation estimates 944 people have been killed and nearly 3,500 have been injured. the u.n. says that more than 150,000 people have been displaced since the strikes began. the number of food insecure people has run into 12 million. not all of this is knew. 16 million are more than 61% of the population, required humanitarian assistance in 2014. yemen is a poor country. more than 90% of food was imported. since the take ever and unrest ports have been closed and imports decreased substantially. >> the shortage of fuel meant whatever remains is only available at quadruple the price. most can't afford it and those that can wait in long lines. services have been badly affected and schooling suspended for over 1.5 million children.

>> people are finding it very very difficult to just live. insomnia sleepless nights with the heavy bombing and shelling. whether from air or houthis on the ground in the south and other areas. electricity. for more than nine days no electricity whatsoever. water. and there's no food. and many shops have been destroyed. the infrastructure as well. it's very, very difficult. >> reporter: the humanitarian crisis is worse in areas like aden where pro-government fighters retained control from forces loyal to the president ali abdullah saleh. aid groups warn of a spike in the number of people requiring assistance. >> many yemenis are welcoming an end to the saudi-led air strikes. they know that a lasting peace may be a long way off. >> al jazeera journalist

mohammed badr and mohamed fadel fahmy are due in an egyptian court on wednesday, facing a retrial for harming national security and collaborating with a banned muslim brotherhood. we have this report. >> reporter: a second trial, a second opportunity for mohammed badr and mohamed fadel fahmy to show the charges against them are baseless. the prosecution's evidence rests on a report including videos. it's supposed to prove al jazeera journalists harmed the national security. the members of the committee issued that report testified that they didn't see the video, write the report or remember what they wrote. a new committee as been sworn in. how can someone say we published - we tested against national security the members say we haven't done that. so far the witnesses have

supported their sides. the retrial cams after an appeals court ruled that this wasn't enough evidence to convict the journalists of aiding the banned muslim brotherhood. mohamed fadel fahmy and mohammed badr along with colleague peter greste spent 400 days in gaol. in february peter greste was deported to his native australia. and mohamed fadel fahmy and mohammed badr were released on gail. mohamed fadel fahmy was a dual citizens of egypt and canada he to give up his egyptian passport. there has been frustration for the journalists, but net will not give up until they clear their names. u.n. peacekeepers freed 21 muslim cattle herders in the central african republic. the group consisting of women and children were captured by

militia groups. the herders from the fel aroundy ethnic group were freed after negotiations. >> south africa's army is being sent to johannesburg after a series of attacks against foreigners. seven have been killed. charles stratford explains how the government's inability to deliver on a promise of creating more jobs helped to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. >> reporter: this person was eight years old when apartheid ended. he was too young to predict two decades later he and many like him would be struggling to survive. he has seven children and hasn't had a proper job in three years. >> it's like a failure in life. i'm a failure. most of the things that men are supposed to do, that i can't do. i'm supposed to support my

children first of all. the priority is to support my children. i can't do that. >> he lives with his sisters in this tiny house. he takes whatever low paid part-time work he can find. instead of getting jobs yes foreigners are getting jobs. the foreigners that earn less money than they expect to get. >> djibouti says he's shocked by the latest wave of attacks against migrant workers in their country. >> they are human being like us. africans are of the same bloodstains. it's not their fault to get the job here. they came looking like us. so i say no to xenophobia. >> there has been lit the infrastructure development in

communities like these. since the end of apartheid more than 20 years ago, their story is shared by millions of south africans. it's why we believe if the government is serious to putting an end to the xenophobic attacks by a small minority it has to start delivering on the promises. >> the zulu king condemned the attacks on foreign workers. the government continues to deliver basic services and jobs. >> the president formed a special team that is looking into such economic and social infrastructure. and that is forecasting on job creation. >> in djibouti and millions of unemployed south africans like him heard this many times before. >> in malawi 2,000 protested against the anti-immigrant

attacks. demonstrators gave the president 48 hours to apologise and hold responsible the zulu king whose comments have been blamed and they it demonstrated compensation for the victims. the protests are threatening to boycott south african goods if they miss the deadline. >> japan's prime minister expressed remorse over his country's role in world war ii. they made the comments in the indonesian capital. it's seen as a move to improve relations with china. beijing urged tokyo to face up to its legacy. >> seen government is formally improving fans to salvage an is ferry, killing more than 300 bodies of nine are still missing. raising the ferry is a demand made by the family who hopes it may help to reveal what caused the sinking.

most of the victims were high school students on a trip to the southern resort island. >> a storm battering the east coast of australia killed three and cut power to 200,000 homes. winds of up to 140 k/hr crushed cars and uprooted trees. andrew foster reports. >> to a country used to weather, the severity of the storms took australia south-east by surprise. more than 30 centimetres of rain dumped on parts of new south wales in less than 24 hours, leading to flash floods and little time to get away. >> we had to swim for it and stuck at the bridge. we are stuck in behind the toilets. and got colleen's jumper wrapped it through one of the weave holes and hung on been there for a while. telephone polls struggled to resist high winds. trees also toppled.

>> i was looking at a couple of other trees up there. looks like a slightly - a lot smaller tree than that one deflected it enough. >> leading to a narrow scope. at sydney's famous bondi beach the waves were less welcoming than normal. damaging properties along the coastline. with the city's harbour well above the usual level, some were warned they might have to evacuate. >> a short trip by ferry resembling the high seas much the storm was more serious than expected. >> there's no doubt that this is a severe storm event a once in 10 year cht. more severe than anticipated. clearly the consequences are quite significant across new south wales, and it is clear they were in the midst of challenging weather. >> reporter: more than 200,000

homes were left without power. authorities warned the worst of the storm may not be over with more flooding expected the number of people killed in a flooded mine in northern china rose to 16. it happened at a mine. state media says 247 minors were under ground when the shaft flooded. rescuers are working to free five minors still trapped inside. >> thousands of couples parried in a ceremony. the ceremonies were organised by a campaign group. 1,000 couples and 15,000 across the state tied the knot on tuesday, coinciding with a hindu festival. $22 million, that's how much an anonymous buyer paid for the

world's largest flawless diamond. the 100 carat diamond is the size of a walnut. snapped up after three years of bidding. it took more than a year to cut, polish and perfect it. more news on the website. stay with us. person it's bad for the american worker says a man i talk to. china's balance with a push to plug asia's infrastructure trap. you hear from a man calling it a wake-up call for washington. om-ali velshi, this is -- i'm ali velshi this is "real money".