my grants keep arriving in italy as new figures reveal 2,000 have died this year trying to cross the mediterranean. ♪ hello there i'm barbara sarah. you are watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up myanmar cries out for international help to deal with devastating floods caused by relentless rain. a corruption case against south african poll -- politician is thrown out of court. and why many in the u.s. see

this huge mountain carving as a symbol of racial hatred. ♪ 2 -- 2015 is on track to be one of the deadliest years for deaths of migrants crossing the mediterranean see. more than 2,000 people have died since january. that's about 400 more than the same period last year. and approximately 188,000 people have been rescued and that number is likely to grow as more try to cross during the warmer months. once they reach italy, many migrants try to go to northern europe. between 3 and 5,000 people are currently camping in largely squall

squallar conditions. >> many migrants unfortunately died on the boat because -- especially the sub saharan migrants are forced to embark in the hull of the boat where there is the engine. there are no windows, and where it is very easy unfortunately to die because of the exhalation of the fumes of the engine. last week 14 migrants died because of these unhealthy vessels. they were kept in the hull of the boat unfortunately they had run out of water so they couldn't drink and in the end they died of thrust. >> more now from france. we have correspondents covering this developing story from both sides of the english channel.

charles stratford is in calais and lawrence lee is in dover which is the closest town on the british side to calais. let's go to charles stratford first. tell us about what they are saying about the situation there. >> reporter: i have just come from speaking to medics and they are telling us that they are seeing an increasing amount of injuries here an indication of just how desperate and determined people are here to try to cross those fences to cut through those barbed wire fences and try to make it on to the trains. they are saying that doctors are treating around 40 cases a day. and they were often getting the same person back with the same injuries repeated injuries the next day. saying for these people they are so desperate to make it to the u.k. that obviously health is not a big priority.

you are seeing cuts on hands, broken limbs. we spoke to a group of men from darfur darfur who was saying that they believe around 30 to 40 men and women make it across each week. i said how -- how can you confirm that? and they say, because sometimes you'll hear it within the camp you'll hear celebrations among the people in the camp. some people will get calls from migrants that were here on u.k. numbers. the situation in the meantime in the camp remains pretty desperate. it's summertime here we have had good weather, but there's very poor sanitation and hygiene, we witnessed a bit of a scrum for a good handout earlier today. the police are telling us that they have been under increasing pressure in recent weeks. they welcomed this call by the

british government to support them. and they have also said that the arrival of around 120 extra policemen here in calais have certainly helped. we have seen certainly a lot more visible security in the last couple of days areas close to the tunnel during the daytime that used to be pretty much full you would see large groups of migrants looking for trucks to get on to they are no longer there, they have been pushed back. we have also seen helicopters in the air, fencing being repaired as well. and -- so certainly the french are making a big effort to stop this push by these migrants to try to get into the u.k. but as i say what it really underlines the mere fact that there are thousands living in tents behind me still. it just highlights the contradiction between what the politicians say is a solution through security whilst the people that are living here are -- are stuck, and feel

basically as persecuted and as hounded as they have for a long time now, since leaving their home countries. some of them months if not years ago traveling across to europe to get to this bottleneck here in calais before take that risk and trying to get on the train to the u.k. >> thank you charles. now let's speak to lawrence lee in dover. we were hearing all of these people who have risked their lives crossing the mediterranean, have traveled for thousands of miles, they finally make it to france. i guess they would consider themselves the lucky ones if they do manage to get to the u.k. so when they get there, what kind of welcome can they expect? >> reporter: well in a place like this barbara, i would say it's pretty ferrousous. it's a very strange situation.

when you come here you can walk around all day and not see a single refugee from the camps. the reason why is if they manage to get on one of the loris here or further up they want to try to get as close to london as they can, because that's where they would register their ally sum claim. london looks like one of the few places in england left that has a body of opinion that really feels sorry for the situation that a lot of the refugees find themselves in. but the main body of opinion in places like dover has absolutely no sympathy at all. that's calais just over there, and the loris that come are now being watched with a suspicious gaze of authorities, increasingly determined to keep people out, who might be hiding inside. egged on by a british media possessed of a rage against all migrants, the political class and popular opinion here have

decided that by and large the stow a ways are almost all up to no good. you hear it everywhere you go. >> i think there are thousands that would come if they could just for the freehandouts housing and whatever they can get really. they say they want to work but i don't think actually that is the case. >> this country is for these people. it is for the british. so why should they be coming over in the first place? >> reporter: it's not mattering that most of it isn't true that the loris got stuck there because of a strike. and those who try to explain to the public that almost all of those in calais are likely to be legitimate refugees have had their voices drowned out. >> the policy that david cameron is talking about of more army more fences is just not going to work. because the reality is they are

fleeing for their lives, and the u.k. and the rest of europe does need to take responsibility for that. >> the prime minister has spoken of a swarm of migrants coming by the thousands. well, the local council has a number for those unaccompanied children it has to look after. in total it stands at 639. not this year but ever. >> i met a young man who's mother and father were both murdered in front of him. and he kept running. i spoke to a young man who's village was attacked and he left and doesn't know to this day whether or not members of his family are still alive. these are young people that really do need our help. >> reporter: so where are they all? our taxi driver said they were here. in fact the only foreigners here are from sew vaukia, which is in the european union, so they are free to live and work in the

u.k. >> reporter: i was talking to a woman who had eight kids who risked their live to come here. it's a big mess. >> reporter: but the government says this is the land of milk and honey ripe for exploitation and the majority agree, even if much of what has been said is a fairytale. lawrence lee, al jazeera, droefr. -- dover. ♪ a senior taliban commander has told al jazeera that he rejects the new leader mullah mansoor. >> reporter: the reason we are not accepting mansoor as our leader is because he is the cause of disunity. the close family of mullah omar is not happy with him they have left the taliban movement and

his appointment was consulting with any leader or tribal elder, especially the family of mullah omar which is very respected, and should have been informed of the election. he has chosen himself as a leader. electing mansoor shows he has been appointed by an outsider and wanted to impose him on us and that's the reason for disunity. >> jennifer glass sent us this update. >> reporter: he is considered by afghan intelligence as the third most powerful taliban leader and it shows how deep the split is here over the new leadership. objecting to the legal shun of mansoor as the successor to mullah omar saying he believes it was outsiders who dictated that and he thinks the new leader should be chosen by afghans inside of afghanistan. all of this comes as taliban peace talks were to be held.

it was the prospect of peace talks that started really highlighting the divisions in the leadership and it was his group that started raising questions as the prospect of peace talks became event earlier this summer asking where omar was. the taliban not being specific about when he died. afghan officials saying he may have died as long as two years ago. these splits in the taliban, making peace talks much more difficult, because the afghan government would like to talk to a united taliban, a taliban with a brood base of support. and of course it comes at the height of the fighting season. taliban righters in the north, south, and east taking quite a bit of land and giving the afghan security forces quite a difficult fight. there has been a desperate plea for international help as myanmar's government struggles to deal with the worst flooding

the country has faced in decades. there are fears that flood waters will hit more populated areas as caroline malone reports. >> reporter: this is one area of myanmar hit by floods. a stream overflowed into the village. villagers are dealing with the consequences without government support. >> translator: this situation is not good for us. every day we need to pay for a boat just to get out of the house and buy groceries. >> reporter: a nearby monastery has opened its doors, monks are trying to support this group of mainly women and children with the help of private donors. >> translator: i'm very sad for the people because the government does nothing for them. government neglects flooded communities. it's not good. it has been the same for 11 years, and unless get more donations, we will run out of supplies in ten days. >> reporter: government aircraft are dropping supplies in the

states. it's hard to know just how badly people have been affected here as phone lines are down and roads washed away. >> translator: first we focus on food. we have prepared boxes of rice drinking water, and instant noodles. people will have to collect and share them. >> reporter: 200,000 people have been affected across 12 of the 14 regions in myanmar. their homes are flooded and they can't access normal services. and there are concerns that rivers may burst their banks leaving even more people vulnerable and in need of help. >> children bare the brunt of the consequences of any emergency. what we expect is that they could be distressed due to the displacement. we know that schools are shut so children have lost their routines. these are also areas with relatively high rates of malnutrition so this flooding situation could really ak saaser

bait those conditions. >> reporter: the u.n. says the government is better prepared to deal with this last disaster than it was in 2008 when a cyclone left 140,000 dead or missing. but some people say they are not getting the government help they need in this situation. flooding in central china has killed eight people according to state media. flash floods hit a valley on monday after the area recorded its heaviest wanefall in three decades. hundreds of emergency service workers are scouring the area for bodies. flooding also washed roads away in the area. still lots more to come here on al jazeera, including the un unpleaeded cluster bombs that are said to prove that the army has committed war crimes.

>> our american story is written every day. it's not always pretty... but it's real. and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. ♪ reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. the number of people who have died attempting to reach europe by the mediterranean has now surpassed 2,000. on tuesday more than 300 people were brought ashore by the italian coast guard. a senior taliban commander has told al jazeera that he rejects the new leader. he is the latest member to speak out against the appointment. and myanmar has made a formal appeal for international aid after the worst flooding in decades. the u.n. refugee agency says

100,000 people have fled fighting in yemen over the last four months. the see says it only has a fifth of the funds that it needs to cope with the number of people leaving. the death toll in the conflict has now risen to nearly 2,000, and more than 4,000 others have been injured. well the u.n. envoy to yemen his plan to end the four-month conflict is increasingly gaining acceptance among the warring parties. it comes after anti-houthi fighters recaptured yemen's biggest military base from houthi rebels. >> reporter: yemen's largest military base is now under the control of pro-government forces. the base was seized from houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president saleh. forces who call themselves resistance fighters used equipment provided by the saudi-lead alliance. >> the victory is a turning point.

the southern resistance was able to -- to manage themselves enough to -- in a semi-military fashion to gain this victory. >> reporter: anti--houthi fighters say this victory brings them closer to advancing towards ta'izz. advances in the south seem to have voided the government in exile. >> translator: without the implementation of u.n. security council resolutions we cannot initiate a political process that will include houthi and saleh militias after they have committed all of these crimes. >> reporter: this complex has been used by u.s. forces against al-qaeda as well. it's capture won't be the game changer pro-government fighters want it to be. the coalition comprises members who call themselves southern

resistance. and they don't seem convinced to push further north. >> the southern resistance is adamant that they will not venture into northern territories. by mean north of the borders of 1990 which is taste, and upwards to sana'a. it's going to be a herculean task now for the yemeni government to actually raise some sort of resistance in these northern provinces from its own people. >> reporter: as the war continues the currency has dropped in value by nearly 20% in the past few days. that is expected to cause food prices to sore even further. 80% of the population faces shortages of water, fuel and power. and the most pressing task is to provide much-needed aid to the millions of yemenese still stranded. the corruption case against south african opposition leader

julius malema has been thrown out of court. he had been facing charges of racketeering, fraud, corruption and money laundering. al jazeera's correspondent reports now. >> [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: welcome words for julius malema from the judge hearing his trial. the opposition leader and two businessmen were implicated in illegally obtaining a government contract worth $4 million, but one of the accused was ill and wasn't in court for the resumption of the trial which has already been delayed several times over the last two years. the judge refused another postponement, and state prosecutors didn't want to have malema tried separately so the case was dismissed. >> i gave the state a practical option. they did not use it. why they did not use it? because they do not have a case against me. they want postponement after

postponement so that i become a citizen in south africa with a permanent dark cloud over my head. >> state prosecutors say they are considering their options. >> the process is that [ inaudible ] not a [ inaudible ] not an acquittal, the state can actually approach the [ inaudible ] with a view of getting a certificate to reinstate the matter. >> reporter: malema's supporters aren't concerned by the legalities. they are just happy he is a free man. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: now that he is free from court, malema is expected to return to parliament this week. it's there that he has been a thorn in the side of the ruling party and its leadership. with corruption charges out of the way, malema is likely to press on with trying to force president jacob zuma to answer corruption allegations being made against him.

government forces in sudan have been accused of committing war crimes in the conflict-hit province in the south. survivors interviewed by amnesty international say hundreds of civilians have been kill deliberate attacks by the sudanese army on schools and hospitals. unexploded munitions prove that weapons have been used. a opposition member in burundi is in hospital after being shot in the neck. he is an outspoken critic of president pierre nkurunziza and opposed his controversial decision to run for a third term. let's go to malaysia now where questions are continuing to swirl about a multi-million dollars deposit into the prime minister's personal bank account. they have cleared the prime minister of any wrongdoing but

the origins of the deposit remain unclear. now his opponents are finding themselves in the firing line. >> reporter: the headquarters of the edge newspaper and magazine in kuala lumpur. it's all quiet here. it has been investigating a money trial. apparently funds from the finance ministry allegedly ended up in the bank account of the prime minister to the tune of $700 million. the edge standings by its article and are demanding clarification. they filed for a judicial review and were unable to comment at this time. the wall street journal initial initially reported on the documents. the prime minister has been fighting the acquisitions leveled at him, yet when questioned he decided to fire two cabinet members last tuesday.

for opposition members like this man, he is now barred from leaving the country. >> i have not been charged or requested to assist in any of the investigations. it clearly points to an act of desperation in an attempt to intimidate the big critics against the prime minister and his handling of [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: the actions of the government are reminiscent of the 1980s when several reputable newspapers were shut down for a period. >> in this instance i really think it's a serious indication of a failure to engage in the relationship between the state and the citizens. >> because of the nature of allegations made by the edge could very well undermine the security of the nation and the stability of the economy, we believe that a temporary suspension of the publication is the best way to go pending

investigation both by the thai government and also by domestic investigator under authorities here in malaysia. >> reporter: recent elections have seen both votes and opinion move towards opposition parties. malaysia has just over two years before the next generation election, enough time for the government to recover and restore faith in the public but more issues like this will only reinforce opinion that the party that has been in power since independence may no longer be trusted. debate over racism in the u.s. has reignited after confederate flags were flown at georgia's stone mountain which celebrates confederate leaders. the flag was suppose toe have been retired after nine african americans were shot dead. robert ray reports. >> reporter: it's a granite monument over 800 feet high just outside of the city of

atlanta, the huge stone outcropping was the site of the rebirth of the ku klux klan in 1915 when several memberings gathered there and ignited a flaming cross to proclaim its revival. ever since then many have seen the mountain as a symbol of racial hatred. >> the history is only related to white supremacy. >> reporter: the carving which took nearly 50 years to complete depicts leaders of the confederacy. atlanta councilman michael bond has proposed keeping the monument but adding historical georgia natives like jimmy carter and martin luther king jr. >> georgia is over 280 years old, and the confederacy was only four yearsover that. so the confederacy seems to dominate the perception of what is historic georgia, and that's

far from the case. >> the naacp want the monument completely removed. >> there are a lot of artistic expressions, but that's not worth another black life. ♪ >> reporter: over the weekend, hundreds rallied peacefully at what they call the pro-confederate gathering. you are not offended? >> not at all. it is just a symbol. >> reporter: but others at the rally like the self proclaimed head of the california ku klux klan came with other intennings. are you with the kkk? >> i am. and i'm very proud to stand up for my heritage if these people knew what the hell they were talking about, they would know that the kkk was started by six confederate soldiers. >> reporter: this klan member

would not give al jazeera his name, and people at the rally had him removed, but it's scenes like this that is adding fuel to the debate. much more about that and all of the other stories we have been covering on our website, aljazeera.com. >> the city scrambles to find the source. fire firefighters battle in a new front in northern california a wild fire jumps jumps the containment lines. now officials are trying to