as victims of this week's migrant sinking disaster are laid to rest european leaders meet to discuss a way out of the crisis. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. >> as president and commander in chief, i take full responsibility. >> president obama reveals two hostages have been killed. hit with an iron bar and stabbed, the victims of south africa's xenophobic violence

talk to al jazeera. and a volcano in chile sends ash 20 kilometers into the sky. ♪ hello, european leaders are holding an emergency summit in brussels on the growing refugee crisis in the mediterranean sea. more than a thousand people have arrived in the past 24 hours. under discussion doubling the cash and equipment available, establishing a civil mission to destroy traffickers boats, and resettling five to 10,000 refugees in other states. >> reporter: europe's leaders stand accused of putting refugees in coffins, so the coffin has become the motif for

the protests. outraged that people have been left to die in the sea, so close to such rich countries. >> translator: they should give refuge to all of them said this man. families with children included. >> reporter: many of these people complained of a lack of basic rights in belgium where they managed to resettle. the crisis in the mediterranean has brought all of these grievances to head. these campaigners see in the tragedies in the mediterranean, an opportunity to try to force europe's leaders to change their policies on immigration. >> reporter: the british prime minister turned up offering a warship. there was talk of attacking smugglers and their boats. the best way to stop people drowning said the presidents of the european council, was to stop them from getting on the boats in the first place. >> saving the lives of innocent

people is of course the number one priority for us. but saving lives is not only about rescuing people at -- at sea. it is also about fighting smugglers, and preventing illegal migration flows. >> reporter: all of which was met with absolute fury by friends of the refugees. >> it's really important to change not just the narrative, but the actual policies to make more humane so stop criminalizing these communities through fingerprinting profiling, all of these policies need to be addressed, and the approach is just wrong all together. >> reporter: while all of this was going on the coffins on the island of malta were anything but symbolic. the leaders say they want to stop this yet keep people they

describe as irregular migrants out. hands across the water this most definitely is not. >> lawrence can beexpect anything concrete out of this and what is the key priority do you think? >> reporter: well i think the main thing to -- to understand is from the start, the purpose of the meeting, from the point of view of the european leadership was to try to make it look as though they were in control of events but clearly from the starting point, their rationale, that search and rescue had to be stopped because it was attracting too many refugees into boats on the assumption that they would be rescued, that being stopped hasn't stopped people from coming across indeed the absolute opposite has happened. so the logic of the argument has been proven to be wrong. clearly all of these e.u. leaders can't do nothing,

because it's frankly obscene, and everybody accepts that what has been going on. the number of people dying is so high so close to european waters, but in terms of getting on top of it from their point of view what is perfectly clear that they are not prepared to do is turn this crisis into an opportunity for much bigger resettlement programs for refugees and others who agencies say are fleeing war so even a notional idea for the united states that rich nations could vettel hundreds of thousands of people is out of bounds. the former belgium leader said the only two countries in the meeting that were at all interested in bigger relocation plans have been germany and sweden. so when you have people like the british prime minister saying that britain will commit a warship and patrol boats and helicopters to smashing

smuggling rings and things like that it sounds okay on the grounds of trying to stop people from dying at sea, by not allowing them on the boats, fair enough. but where are your escape routes? because they only get on these boats in the first place, because it is impossible to get into europe any other way. so any idea of redrawing immigration policies are for another day. they are the topic of discussion today, but the meet at it concern for them is to try to argue that saving lives is the priority and to do that you need to stop people from getting on the boat in the first place. you just ask yourself supposing you are watching any of these things from africa and you think, well really is -- is blowing boats up actually the best response that europe can do? it doesn't look like a very warm welcome. >> thank you very much indeed.

barnaby phillips joins us live from sicily. and you have been talking to some of those people who had to make that decision. do you think the idea of a military intervention could work? and would it put people off trying to make the journey in some other way? >> reporter: they could work to some extent lauren because obviously there is a finite supply of boats. and the european leaders see that as the achilles heel. but it does raise other ethical problems. if you talk to human rights groups here in southern italy, or aid groups involved in helping migrants they say hold on there are tens maybe hundreds of thousands of africans on the north african coast and libya in particular who are having a very very

difficult time and who are looking to escape. and they cannot escape if that root is taken away from them. if there are no boats available. so there's a clear contrast in interests if you would like or clash in interest between humanitarian groups and european governments around this issue. i should give you a tiny bit of news that has come in. the italian coast guard tell us they have picked up 82 migrants 35 miles off of the libyan coast today. fortunately no fatalities all of those picked up believed to be sub saharan africans. >> thank you very much indeed. well the italian government says that nearly all of the migrants who make the journey across the mediterranean leave from libya. hoda abdel hamid reports from the libyan city on the people risking their lives in search of a better life.

>> reporter: they escapes war and poverty, traveled for weeks sometimes months to reach libya, the gateway for a better life in europe. this man nearly made it when the boat he was sailing on was intercepted by the libyan coast guard. it was on the same day another one carrying 400 migrants capsized. >> they captured me and put me in -- in container. and i come here. i don't know this place. people are in here we don't understand [ inaudible ] they will help us to leave us free. >> reporter: mohammed was on that same journey. he escaped sierra leone after both of his parents died of ebola last year. >> we don't have anybody. anybody care for us. that's we come here. see, we don't -- we don't have any help from anybody. >> reporter: now they are both

in a detention center on the outskirts of misrata. about a thousand people are held here. the building used to be a school. the classrooms are now cramped. they come mainly from sub saharan countries. but some as far as bangladesh. there is only one toilet here. living conditions are extremely difficult. authorities acknowledge that but they say they are doing as best as they can to cope with the situation, and they fear in the coming months things could get worse. with the on set of summer many more migrants are expected to leave the coast of libya. they have heard about the ship risks, but still it's a risk they are prepared to take. >> translator: yes, it's dangerous, but there's no work in our country. i'm scared but i have no other

option. i have not spoken to my mother in fronts. she doesn't know if i'm alive or dead. but i have to work earn some money, and then i can see her again. it will take four or five years. >> reporter: it is despair that made these men and women flee so far from home. now despite the risk it remains the only hope for a safer future. hoda abdel hamid al jazeera, misrata. ♪ u.s. president barack obama has offered his condolences for the deathsover an american and italian hostage who were killed during u.s. drone strikes in january. in a statement earlier president obama said he took full responsibility for the operation. >> based on the intelligence that we had obtained at the

time including hundreds of hours of surveillance we believed that this was an al-qaeda compound that no civilians were present, and that capturing these terrorists was not possible. and we do believe that the operation did take out dangerous members of al-qaeda. what we did not know tragically, is that al-qaeda was hiding the presence of warren and giovanni in this same compound. >> kamal hider has more. >> reporter: for the past several years u.s. drones have been actively targeting compounded on the pakistani side of the border as well as the afghanistan side of the border along the mountainous region. even though there have been hundreds of civilian casualties and condemnation the americans

have never apologized for the drone strikes. however, it is interesting to see that the u.s. is now apologizing, the american president taking responsibility for an operation that went terribly wrong back in january, and admitting that at least two of the hostages including an american and italian, were killed in that particular strike by the u.s. so indeed there will be question marks as to whether there should have been an apology for the hundreds of civilians also killed in pakistan's tribal area along the border. rosiland jordan has been following the developments and joins us live from washington, d.c. how could a mistake like this have happened? >> reporter: well one of the big questions that is going to be raised during this review of the drone strikes that took place in january is going to be whether or not the u.s. had any other options besides using drones to go after suspected members of al-qaeda. if there were other options,

then certainly questions are going to be raised about why the u.s. instead chose to use the drone strikes which ended up killing the -- the italian aid worker, and the american aid worker warren weinstein. there are also going to be questions raised about whether the u.s. deliberately did not tell pakistan that it was conducting these air strikes in order to go after al-qaeda leaders, even though the two were not the intended targets of those drone strikes. so lots of questions, lauren, about why these drone striked were carried out, if there were other options available to the u.s. government. >> rosiland jordan thank you very much indeed for that update. still to come saudi jets launch new air strikes in yemen. houthi rebels demand a complete halt to the raids as a precondition to talks. from top general to disgraced criminal. we'll have the latest on the

sentencing of david petraeus for leaking secret military information. ♪

just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office. fast in other tom's office. fast in the foyer [pronounced foy-yer] or is it foyer [pronounced foy-yay]? fast in the hallway. i feel like i've been here before. switch now and get the fastest wifi everywhere. comcast business. built for business.

♪ hello, these are the top stories here on al jazeera. european leaders have held a minute of silence for victims of migrant boat disasters in the mediterranean, as they met in brussels to discuss the crisis. they talked about doubling resources, and finding ways to destroy the trafficker's boats. italian government said nearly all of the migrants leave from libya, many more are expected to

make the journey with the onset of summer conditions. president obama has expressed his condolences for the killing of two hostages killed during an al-qaeda strike in january. the saudi-lead coalition has launched more air strikes in yemen. the rebels are demanding a complete halt to the raids as a condition to talks. saudis say 95% of the air system in the hands of the houthis has been destroyed. and the death toll has now topped 1,000. nicole johnston reports. >> reporter: before the war, aden was a busy harbor city. now tanks rubble through the street. these men are loyal to the president in exile, and they support the saudi arabia-lead campaign to restore him to

power. >> translator: we urge your to continue your operation, because it is what kicked out the houthis. and we in the south, we salute you. >> reporter: there have been street battles in aden between pro-government forces and houthi rebels. and the air strikes haven't stopped either. two days ago, riyadh indicated that aerial bombing was over. but early on thursday morning, these cities were hit again. after almost a month of bombing, most people in yemen want the war to end. >> translator: we hope for things in the country to calm down, and for aden to become safe, and for the houthi militants to leave aden and go back to their area. >> reporter: the capitol sana'a has been badly damaged. this is a city with a world heritage listed center but

outside old center cars have been hit. people search for their things. some blame yemen's politicians. >> translator: what is happening here is a humanitarian crisis. these homes that have been destroyed and the victims are a result of what the politicians have done to yemen. in ta'izz where long lines have formed for food. a political solution to the conflict seems a long way off. saudi arabia says it has ended the first phase of operation storm, and been replaced with operation renewed hope. but with more than 150,000 forced out of their homes from the fighting every day is a struggle and there's no clear sign that saudi arabia is about to end its war in yemen. the iraqi government says its forces are making gains in the battle against the islamic state of iraq and the levant in

ramadi and anbar. our correspondent reports from baghdad. >> reporter: in the western suburb of baghdad this football pitch has been turned into a tent camp. everyone here has escaped the fighting in ramadi and the surrounding areas. many were scared and criticized their government. this woman has eight children including a boy with leukemia he is unemployed and poor. he says he felt humiliating after sleeping two nights in the open waiting for permission from the government to let his family in. >> translator: they demanded a response. i said i have no one. i asked them to give me my papers and let me die in dignity back home. >> reporter: he and his family were allowed in after someone they don't know sponsored them. his wife says they had to flee. >> translator: we asked the government many times to give anbar weapons to people can

defend it and not allow strangers in. they ignored us. now we urge the government to do something so we can return home. >> reporter: more than 130,000 people have left anbar since april 8th. the battle may continue for a while. the u.n. says it is doing what it can to help. >> i think what was surprising is how quickly the people left anbar or in particular ramadi. we saw within a period of a couple of days more than a hundred thousand people fled the town. the world food program have distributed food to 80,000 people. >> reporter: there are terrified people. they are lucky to have found shelter. there are 106 families living in this camp and they have to share eight toilets and four

bathrooms. conditions are quite tough, and many people here feel they have an unknown future. in other parts of baghdad, conditions are not much better for the displaced. mosques are packed and people are almost squeezed in. former cia director david petraeus is due to be sentenced in the u.s. for leaking highly classified military information to his mistress and biographer. kimberly halkett has more. >> reporter: when he was unanimously confirmed as the director of the cia, david petraeus was applauded for his military pedigree as the top u.s. general in iraq and afghanistan. >> i don't believe i have ever quite encountered a military leader or civil leader for that matter with the combination of charisma and intellect that

general petraeus possesses. >> reporter: but fast forward 14 months and the most respected general was forced to resign. he was accused of sharing top secret documents with his mistress, paula broadwell. broadwell had been writing a biography about petraeus and the two became romantically involved. when she felt threatened by jill kelli, he is began sending harassing emails when the fbi unveiled broadwell as the source of the emails they also discovered the affair. he is ak cased of sharing with broadwell eight of his personal black books, recording his time in afghanistan. the highly confidential material is said to include the identities of intelligence offices, war strategies and notes from high-level u.s. security meetings. he will plead guilty to

unauthorized removal of classified material the charge carries up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine. but it's unlikely he'll do any jail time. this analyst says he belongs -- >> belongs to a cast which is extremely powerful protected by powerful interests essentially. pay -- petraeus ingratiated himself to the people who are not just supporting the wars abroad -- >> reporter: but also though in power. that's while unlike edward snowden or chelsea manning, petraeus is expected to receive just two years probation and pay a fine of $40,000. it's about a third of what he collects for making a single public speech. kimberley hall cut, al jazeera,

washington. hundreds of similar bob -- zimbabwe ans are fleeing south africa. >> reporter: they leave disappointed, confused and worried. this man barry got to see his wife and children when he was across the boarder, working as a bricklayer. there was a moment when he thought he would never see his family again. >> there was about 30 to 40 people they hit me on the head with their bars and then in the end they stabbed me with their knife. >> reporter: he said he only survived by pretending to be dead. >> they were acting by themselves. one of them said let's leave him, he is dead. when they started to leave me that's when i traveled to -- to

where i met the policemen. >> reporter: on a good month in south africa he would make around $700. he sent most of it to zimbabwe. they are heart broken when he is battered and bruised, but they say at least he is alive. >> translator: when my son was in south africa he sent money home. we could buy food and pay school fees. now what are we going to do? >> reporter: the family has every reason to worry. the unemployment rate is high between 80 and 90% according to some economists the city nearest them is known as forth victoria during the colonial years. it is no longer thriving. many farms or businesses have closed or aren't operating at full capacity. he says he still gets calls from

clients in south africa asking when he is coming back to work but he is afraid he will be killed. >> i think we have to wait in zimbabwe, until it is better. >> reporter: but he knows feeling safe is not enough. he says he needs to make a plan because if he doesn't, his family will have a hard time surviving. one of chile's most dangerous volcanos has erupted for the second time in a day after being dormant for nearly 50 years. concern is growing as ash spreads across the region. >> reporter: a reminder of the earth's fury as the volcano roars into life sending ash and smoke into the sky. this time lapse video capturing the moment it erupted for the first time in 43 years. >> translator: at the beginning

it was small, but later the cloud grew and then there was a huge cloud over me and i got really scared. >> reporter: chile has issued a red alert, closing local schools and airports and ordering anyone nearby to leave quickly. >> translator: we are going to increase the evacuation zone from 10 kilometers to 20 kilometers and we're asking anyone nearby to evacuate the area and take all precautionary measures for safety. >> reporter: that sent locals scrambling, and as the clouds of ash grew above them so did the coup -- queues for the petrol pumps. >> translator: it was impressive to see an enormous mushroom cloud. at that point there was lots of chaos, people going to supermarkets looking for water. >> reporter: it is considered one of the most dangerous of

chile's 90 active volcanos and while there has been no lava yet, authorities are watching this reception closely. and you can watch up on that story and all of the news we're covering any time by checking out our website. that is aljazeera.com. >> on behalf of the united states government i offer our deepest apologies to the families. >> the president offers condolences after two hostages held by al-qaeda were killed in a counter terrorism operation. david petraeus is being sentenced today, but he is not expected to serve prison time. and today the united states senate votes