hello. our top stories. breakthrough in minsk. an agreement is reached to implement a cease-fire in eastern ukraine at midnight on the 15th of february. >> translator: the best night in my life. as difficult as the negotiations have managed to reach an agreement the most important thing. >> meanwhile, the imf announces a draft accord on a $40 billion financing package for ukraine. the south korean former

airline executive in the so-called nut-rage case is sentenced to a year in prison for violating aviation safety law. and the retrial of two al jazeera journalists in prison in egypt resumes in cairo. hello, there. a very warm welcome to you. now, a deal aimed at ending the fight in eastern ukraine has been agreed following marathon talks in minsk. vladimir putin says the cease-fire will be implemented in eastern ukraine. it will start at midnight on february 15th. well, the violence has escalated in recent weeks, with the rebels launching a new offensive. overnight, the discussions

between the russian and ukrainian presidents in the belarus capital of minsk, broken by the leaders. earlier, president putin commented on the agreement. >> we agreed on the cease-fire starting midnight of the 15th of february. the second important point, which is very important, is withdrawal of heavy armaments from the line of the current line for the ukrainian. the armaments and for the line from the separatists, on the position of 19th of september during the previous minsk. now, the political settlements, the long-term political settlements, there are a few

important positions. the first is constitutional reform reform, where the legal rights of people who live in the territory should be taken into account. lately we have issues concerning border problems with agreement with the separatists, the liberalists, and the donbass humanitarian implementation of the previously accepted by the special status of these territories of donetsk and luhansk. >> president putin there. well, meanwhile, the french president, francois hollande, says there has been an overall settlement of the ukraine crisis, much work remains to be done. >> reporter: we have reached agreement on a cease-fire and on a global political resolution to the ukrainian conflict.

the cease-fire could come into effect on the 15th of february 2015, at midnight. the resolution will cover issues ranging from the cease-fire to the control of border and obviously withdrawal of heavy weapons. as well as the resumption of economic relations. all questions were covered in this agreement which was signed by the contact group and the separatists. the chancellor and i alongside president poroshenko and putin are committed to verify the implementation of the cease-fire. >> well our chief international correspondent joins me live now from those talks in minsk. you've been following the progress to have these marathon talks that have been taking place. just hearing that from francois hollande an agreement has been reached, but still a lot of work to be done. >> reporter: this is an incredibly detailed document and it's an incredibly dangerous

situation, as francois hollande said there's a lot to still to be discussed and the real test will be the implementation on the ground the cease-fire that was announced, that begins midnight on the 14th and into the 15th. the foundings that we are getting from our colleagues on the ground especially in the people's republic, is that they have fought and lost lives to claim this territory and they have nothing to do with the pieces of paper agreed here in minsk, the print copy of the declaration about the support for a package of measures for the implementation of the minsk accords. and what really isn't here is this grand palace after the marathon talks, is whether there is some agreement from the leaders of even the representatives of the people's republics, who were attending in early hours of the morning, they were saying they didn't accept them. there's still some discussion about the heavy fighting in the

last week about debaltseve whether that has been agreed i think people are breathing a sigh of relief that the leaders were able to lead but it's not over yet and there still could be some terrible things to come. >> and of course we heard from president putin before saying this has not been one of the best nights of his life and he simply had to deal with the realities of life. and as you say, optimism not that high at least, despite an agreement having been reached. it was only september in the very same city where you are now that a cease-fire was signed before, but they have not kept it. >> reporter: well i think president putin probably spoke for everyone here in this hall who said that it wasn't the best night of their lives. the russian news service said it was the longest ever negotiations that vladimir putin had taken part in, and that is saying a lot about the russian

leaders. to give them credit they certainly confirmed their dedication and determination. we understand that some of the leaders took small breaks and quite frankly, when they arrived last night, the grim faces, the hardly looking at each other, the awkward hand shakes, this was not a meeting either of the leaders really enjoyed going into. and of course, they looked coming out of it as though it has been a tough night of talks. don't forget that angela merkel hollande, and poroshenko have now gone on to brussels and now there's the difficult talks on the greek bailouts that lie ahead. absolutely crucial issues about the principles and the politics of europe that are at stake in these 48 hours. >> as you hear the talking continues. of course, they'll also be discussing this news that the imf has agreed a $40 billion bailout for ukraine. but elise you have been living and breathing these talks in

minsk. talk us through the chemistry between the leaders. as you say, awkward handshakes and one report of putin snapping a pencil in half some very tense moments. what's your overall feeling? >> reporter: remember you have all of the world's press that has gathered here anxious for any kind of news. even petrov poroshenko said the eyes of the world were on this meeting in minsk. so when there was so little indications emerging from the talks as the hours went on all but we and everyone watching these talks had to go on was the images. and what do the images tell us? well, that phrase a picture's worth a thousand words, worth even more than that when the pictures of petrov poroshenko and vladimir putin being forced to push hands and awkward pushing away. the pictures of vladimir putin

snapping a pencil in two. like a moment along the leaders got along, very difficult moments among those who clearly don't. >> thank you, keep a close eye on how those talks progress in minsk. these marathon talks. of course, you can find more on this ongoing issue on our website. there you'll find background and analysis on the conflict. just go to bbc.com/ukraine. now, a court in seoul, south korea, has found the daughter of korean air chairman guilty of violating aviation safety law. cho hyun-ah was charged after demanding that a crew member be removed from a flight for failing to serve the nuts on a plate. i spoke a short while ago to our correspondent, steve evans who's this seoul for us. >> reporter: cho hyun-ah, contrite, but not contrite enough. the judge said he didn't think she was really sorry, so a heavy

one-year sentence was needed. inside this plane, she had a mega tantrum, because the nuts in first class were served in a bag, not a bowl. her father is the airline's head, so she felt entitled to order the captain to turn back to the gate to have the offendingoffend offending purser put off. it started a debate about career family-owned firms called chevals. samsung is the biggest. you think electronics, but it's everything from this amusement park to ships to hospitals, to housing, to funeral homes. on land and sea, from cradle to grave. samsung's head was convicted of tax evasion. >> they're often said to run the

company or the group in an emperor-like way. that means they make decisions on their own, without any check or balance or monitoring by the board of the company. >> reporter: for critics, that car park epitomizes the problem. hyundai motors has built $10 million for the whole space to build a glitzy new headquarters. the skeptics say it'ses a s aa vanity project to aggrandize a family firm. chevals do give back to the community, like here where employees give out coal briquettes to the poor. but the debate is whether the downside is the right way for the future. mrs. cho may ruminate on the question in her prison cell. stephen evans, bbc news seoul.

now, the re-trial of two al jazeera journalists imprisoned in egypt has begun. an appeals court ruled that the trial of mohamed fahmy and baher mohamed had failed to prove they were linked to the muslim brotherhood, which is banned. now let's go to live to cairo and talk to sally nahbilnabil, live for us. >> reporter: he said that he didn't ask for renouncing his egyptian nationality, but a high-profile official called him and said he has to renounce his egyptian nationality, because they want this case to be closed. according to fahmy, officials described this case as a nightmare and he told him that egypt lives in your hearts, your nationality lies in your hearts not just on a piece of paper.

that's what mohamed fahmy said. they are really happy that peter greste is out, but he wants all of them to be treated equally. just like peter greste is guilty of nothing, we are guilty of flog. we didn't commit any acts of violence to be charged with terrorism. and he raised the egyptian flag in court and all the people inside applauded. so mohamed fahmy just gave a speech to explain why he decided to denounce his egyptian nationality and he said that the officials talked to him, promised him that he would be out soon but that did not happen. so peter greste is out while both mohamed fahmy and baher mohamed are in trial today, waiting for the fate to be decided by the judge. >> and very emotional and dramatic scenes inside that courtroom.

and you mentioned peter greste i know he tweeted his support for his colleagues. just remind us exactly what it is that these two men are accused of having done wrong. >> reporter: yes the three of them actually were charged with aiding the now-banned muslim brotherhood group and spreading false news. peter greste's out because of other president sisi. that was applicable to peter greste, but in mohamed fahmy's case, he is still waiting for a presidential approval for him to be deported. now he's a canadian citizen, he is not egyptian anymore, but as he said he had this only option for him to be free. he had no other option to get his freedom back but to denounce his egyptian nationality. >> sally nabil there for us, keeping a close eye on this case in cairo.

stay with "bbc world news." still to come our richer world series continues with a look at what happens to the $600 million worth of secondhand clothes donated in the uk each year.

this is "bbc world news" with me alice baxter. the latest headlines. leaders in minsk have confirmed an agreement to implement a cease-fire in eastern ukraine. it will start at midnight on february the 15th. meanwhile, the imf chief has announced a draft to accord a $40 billion financing package for ukraine to be spread over four years. more analysis now on the ukrainian cease-fire from bridgette kendall. earlier she the gave me reaction to the deal from there.

>> i'm sure the russian president himself is probably pretty pleased. there's been quite a positive spin on this whole process, from before the moment the russian president went to minsk yesterday. they were saying that they were optimistic during the talks. they came out, this 16-hour marathon and said things were going well even as other members of the talks said that they were ready, very difficult to know, a lot of unacceptable conditions, the ukrainian president was much more down bate. and it's interesting, when the whole talks ended, it was the russian president who came out to the speak to the president and give a full statement and say what he thought wuss contained in the agreement. the other leaders haven't done that. president poroshenko had a few brief comments a short comment from the french president before he left with chancellor merkel who at the moment doesn't seem to have said anything publicly. they rushed off to brussels where the brussels summit was delayed. we'll probably hear more from

them later. right now the fullest information we have is from the russian president. if you prepare what he said with the comments with the ukrainian president, it does look as though there is an agreement for a cease-fire which is due to start from midnight of february the 14th to the 15th. there is an agreement for heavy weaponry to be pulled back from lines of control over the ukrainian forces on the one hand, where they are today, and the rebel forces the line they had agreed to last september, to create a demilitarized zone. >> bridgette kendall there for us live in moscow. let's talk to aaron now. he's here with the latest business news for us as usual. and you begin with another big european story today. greece, the bailout discussions going on. >> they do. they went on for about seven hours last night. and absolute nowhere, alice. here we are again, indeed. despite seven hours of crisis talks between the greek finance

minister, and his counterpart, they have failed to reach an agreement on extending the country's bailout. the two sides couldn't even agree on the wording of a statement following that emergency meeting. talks will now resume on monday. but let's just remind ourselves, the 28th of february this month is when greece's current bailout deal, it runs out. greece needs the final $7 billion euro installment to make debt repayments in march and avoid going bankrupt. but greece's left-wing government is adamant it wants no more austerity, which is one of the key conditions of the bailout program. instead, it's pushing for a bridging loan to stave off bankruptcy, something europe is just, at this moment, not prepared to accept. one in four economists polled by reuters now believe greece will be forced to leave the euro and that's the most since the chaos before the first bailout. you remember that. that was back in 2009. well, let's go straight over to athens. mark lowen joins us.

it doesn't look good when youn't even agree on the wording for a statement. >> reporter: they couldn't even agree to disagree aaron. a lot of talks last night, and they failed to reach a joint statement after those talks. because they're coming at it from different angles. the greek government wants to end all that painful austerity, to stop greek debt for new bonds, only mature ones so the economy starts growing. the germans and others say, look you sign up for things we've given you euros, you've got to stick to what you've agreed to. let me show you what we're broadcasting from today. this is the lovely fish market in the heart of athens with this calamari, sea bass there. a real life going on in this city even though politics very much on their minds. so yes, they didn't net a deal in brussels. tsipras perhaps will take the state, and you could go on with

the bad times. but clearly, a lot of people here supporting their government believing that they've given the government the mandate to renegotiate the bailout, and they will be very upset if tsipras is forced to rollback on any re-election focus. >> you're making us all hungry here. we're looking at that calamari salivating. mark, let me ask you this. what is next? it sounds like we're hearing more and more about alan greenspan, the former boss of america's central bank, the federal reserve, saying it's inevitable greece will leave. can's finance minister conveniently saying the world economy can handle a greek exit et cetera et cetera. what's the talk there on the ground now? are they still -- most greeks do want to be in the euro right? >> reporter: they do. and the government believes that they can get the new negotiations, they can get a bridge loan they can sit down with the big eurozone of germany and others and renegotiate and

yet still stay in the euro. the talk of greek leaving the euro is far less now than it was at the height of the financial crisis. yet still there's the fear of what could happen? if no compromise is agreed greece could run out of money within weeks and it could lead to a default on its debt and talks of leaving the euro would come back. but there was no desire either in greece or the other side for this country to leave. it would mean economic disaster for grooexeek, it would mean the ideological failure. $240 billion euros in five years has been spent trying to save greece. it's very unlikely it will try to let it go out of the euro zone now. simply, tough negotiations ahead of the summit today and another euro zone finance mishsnister meeting next monday. >> what's the talk about a possible russian money to the rescue? >> it's been talked about by the government, possibly telling the moscow or beijing or even the

u.s., an alternative source of funding. but it's really very, very low on the priority level at the moment. they feel that greece's financial future remains anchored in the euro zone and they have to see whether or not greek can be reeled in to continue those today or next week. >> see you, mark! talk to you soon! >> i'm impressed by the number of he manages the. okay uk exports. more than $600 million of secondhand clothes every year according to the united nations. the clothes go to all around the world. >> reporter: this is the largest secondhand clothes market. it's open seven days a week but sunday is the busiest day. especially in winter a lot of people come here to buy good quality clothes, jackets and warm coats at an affordable

price. >> translator: something that used to cost $600 a piece costs $2 $2,100 a piece. that's why we come to the market to get clothes at a good price. >> what you get from other markets is locally made. >> dozens of wooden carts can be seen parked on the walkways, with huge piles of secondhand clothes. these are those who cannot afford the fee to be part of the main market but on these small stalls, they earn enough money to run their families. >> you have a choice of a supplier to buy secondhand clothes in bulk or select individual items. i do the latter because i can sell them at a higher price. >> a lot of people come to the bazaar. people who come to the market don't want to be seen here.

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. thanks for staying with "bbc world news." our top stories. breakthrough in minsk. an agreement is reached to implement a cease-fire in eastern ukraine at midnight on the 15th of february. >> translator: it hasn't been the best night in my life but it's, indeed a good morning, because in spite of all the difficulties of the negotiations we have managed to reach an agreement on the most important thing. the south korean former airline executive in the so-called nut-rage case is sentenced to a year in prison for violating aviation safety

law. and the re-trial of two al jazeera journalists in prison resumes in cairo. and why the south african president could face a rowdy audience at the state of the nation address. a very warm welcome to you. now, a deal aimed at ending the fighting in eastern ukraine has been agreed following marathon talks in minsk. the russian president vladimir putin says the cease-fire will be implemented in the east of the country. it will start at midnight on february the 15th. well, there's also been an agreement to withdraw heavy artillery. the violence has escalated in recent weeks, with the rebels launching a new offensive. the announcement comes after overnight discussions between the russian and ukrainian

president in the belarus capital of minsk, focused by the leaders of france and germany. earlier, president putin commented on the agreement. >> we agreed on the cease-fire starting midnight of the 15th of february. the second important point, which is very important, is withdraw of heavy armaments from the line between, of the current alliance, for the agreement, the armaments, and for the line for the separatists, on the position of the 19th of september, during the previous minsk now. the political settlements, the long-term political settlements, there are a few important

positions. the first is constitutional reform where the legal right of people who live in the territory of donbass should be taken into account. later, we have issues concerning border problems with agreement with the separatists, the liberalists, and the donbass humanitarian issues. implementations of previously accepted law by the special status of these territories of donbass and luhansk. >> president putin and the france president hollande says there's been an overall agreement in the ukraine crisis, much work remains to be done. >> translator: we have reached agreement on a cease-fire and on a global political resolution to the ukrainian conflict. the cease-fire would come into effect on the 15th of february

2015 at midnight. the global resolution would cover issues ranges from the cease-fire to the control of borders, decentralization, and obviously the withdraw of heavy weapons, as well as the resumption of economic relations. all questions were covered in this agreement that was signed by the contact group and the separatists. the chancellor and i alongside president poroshenko and putin are committed to verify the implementation of the cease-fire. >> well, james reynolds our correspondent, is in the city of donetsk for us. and james, there we have a conclusion to those marathon talks happening in the belarus capital of minsk. a cease-fire will be agreed it will start on the 15th of february. but how could anyone be sure that what's been agreed in minsk is actually going to translate into action on the ground where you are? >> reporter: they can't. and i think that's why the people i've been speaking to here have not been overwhelmed with joy about the news from

minsk. it hasn't changed their lives, because they've seen a cease-fire come before last september, and they saw it fail after that. one young couple my colleagues and i were speaking to with their 5-month-old baby they said they still plan to move to spain. they were looking forward just to getting out of here and it didn't seem like the cease-fire declaration or the announcement of the cease-fire was going to change their long-term plans. others say that they blame ukraine for what's going on. we've managed to speak to some rebels who also say that they see no reason to stop their fighting, because they want to carry on fighting in the name of their colleagues. >> and of course still a lot of details to be ironed out in this incredibly dense document as i understand it. we were hearing earlier from president putin, joking that this has not been the best night of his life but there's still several details behind that including the constitutional special status he referred to of donetsk and luhansk. we still don't know exactly where we are on that.

>> yes exactly. and that's basically a long word for something simple. what kind of self-rule will people here in donetsk and in the wider donbass region have? will there be any kind of internal borders with ukraine, which kiev would be very unlikely to accept. what kind of powers would municipal and local authorities here have? i think those will be issues that will have to be discussed very closely, in terms of the demarcation line the cease-fire line, and understand that russian and ukrainian military chiefs tomorrow will be holding talks to look at the implementation of that. i think that will be fairly critical to see whether or not the agreement in minsk can actually be implemented here on the ground. >> okay. james reynolds for now, many thanks for keeping an eye on things for us in donetsk. and we want to bring you some breaking news and update you on events coming out of cairo, where the re-trial of two al jazeera journalists have been ongoing. we just heard the court in egypt

has ordered the release on bail of these two al jazeera journalists, mohamed fahmy and baher hah mohammad. this, of course follows the earlier release of their colleague, peter greste. so in just the last few minutes, the court in egypt has ordered the release of those two al jazeera journalists who have been on this retrial. we'll, of course bring you more on this story and reaction out of cairo from our correspondent, sally nabil, who's on the ground and has been watching that court case unfold. do stay with us here on "bbc world news" for more on that. but moving on for now because those talks about securing a cease-fire in ukraine, in the east of the country, has been taking place whilst an international monetary fund mission has been negotiating a bailout to save ukraine from bankruptcy. the imf chief was in brussels and has announced a draft accord on a $40 billion rescue package for ukraine to be spread over four years.

my colleague philippa thomas, is in brussels and has been following those talks for us. and philippa in brussels today, bailout seems to be the word of the day? >> reporter: it does. bailout for ukraine, where does the bailout go with greece both under discussion here and just in the last few minutes, we've seen the leaders of some of the eu countries start to arrive here for that summit which has been delayed for a few hours, because of those talks in minsk. so if we go back to the situation in ukraine first, the imf, christine lagarde has said, yes, basically there'll be a package for ukraine, amounting to some $40 billion. now, $17.5 billion of that will be money that comes from the imf. she said this could be a turning point for ukraine and she said it's been made possible by kiev's determination to tackle corruption and its progress in some reforms, like the reform of energy prices. she said that is what's made

today's agreement possible. >> well clearly, the ukrainian authorities are demonstrating a determination and a courage to reform, like we have never seen. another example of that they have, for instance not only reached the targeted deficit for this year but they have exceeded the objective. >> reporter: but alice, as we'll see, as the talks progress today, the bailout deals offered by institutions like the imf are not always universally popular. we'll hear a lot about that. as you can guess, from the new greek prime minister alexis tsipras. >> and greece, of course is the other hot topic. marathon discussions between eu finance ministers tonight, where they didn't even really seem to manage to agree to disagree. so not much hope really for today or are we more optimistic?

>> well the consensus on the talks overnight between euro zone finance minister seems to be a bit of a hit and miss. and they might have agreed a path forward, at least a way to train their discussions, but, in fact they haven't. i think yanis came out saying that was my first such session, it's been fascinating, but basically they've had to say, next monday is when all the finance ministers get together. that's when the nitty-gritty discussions on greek will really get underway. just to give you a taste, though of what the new greek government is up against, one of the arrivals here just a few minutes ago in brussels was the dutch prime minister. he said, look we sympathize with greece but they have to sympathize with us. think of all the money the eu has spent on greece already. and he basically said they must meet their agreement. they must continue talking in terms of extending the current bailout agreement. as you know, alice, what the

greeks want the new government of alexis tsipras, is a new discussion entirely. they don't want to talk about extending this state out. they want to talk about an end to austerity, about debt reduction, and a whole new approach to greece and to other struggling economies within the euro zone. >> indeed. okay philippa for now, many thanks. philippa thomas keeping a close eye on all of those discussions happening in brussels at the moment. now, a court in seoul in south korea has found the daughter of korean air chairman guilty of violating aviation safety law. cho hyun-ah was charged after demanding a crew member being removed from a flight for failing to serve the nuts on a plate. our correspondent steve evans is watching developments for us from seoul. >> reporter: it could have been a lot worse, it could have been a lot better. this is one of the most privileged people in this country being sent to jail for a year. so that is a serious prison term, but on top of that there is alice, all the humiliation.

she will be forever known as for person behind nut-rage. and to remind you of that 50 meters from the gate in jfk on her flight in first class, she was served nuts in a bag. she thought it should have been a bowl and she thought she should have been asked, so she, the daughter of the chief of the company, demanded that that plane was shunted back to the gate and the purser put off. also we heard in court that she made some of the staff kneel down in the aisle and beg forgiveness. she cried in court as she read out a letter of contrition and apology to the court, but it was clear from the statement by the judges that they were having none of it. they said they didn't accept that she had been truly contrite. the prosecution had asked for three years. she clearly would have wanted a

suspended sentence so a year in prison plus a mountain of humble pie is a true penalty. >> do stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come, our richer world season continues with a look at what happens to the $600 million worth of secondhand clothes donated in the uk each year. (vo) after 50 years of designing cars for crash survival, subaru has developed our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble... ...and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety tested front crash prevention nobody beat subaru models with eyesight. not honda. not ford or any other brand. subaru eyesight. an extra set of eyes, every time you drive. so here's the story of lancaster. the year is 1890. milton hershey has a killer recipe for caramel. flash forward - milton's recipe is reimagined into buttery rich, smooth, surprisingly soft crèmes.

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hello. this is "bbc world news" with me, alex baxter. the latest headlines. leaders in greece have confirmed an agreement to a cease-fire in ukraine. it will start at midnight on february 15th. the south korean former airline executive in the so-called nut-rage case is sentenced to a year in prison after being found guilty of violate aviation safety law. now, in africa president

jacob zuma opening up parliament promises to be a lively event. he's supposed to deliver a televised state of the union address, but the opposition party says he'll be stopped from speaking and he won't be able to clear his throat unless he answers questions about the millions spent on his private home. >> reporter: this is what president jacob zuma can expect in parliament today when he attempts to deliver his state of the nation address. the opposition party, economic freedom fighters claim to represent the poor. in parliament, they wear workers' clothes in solidarity with their working class constituents. >> so the question we're asking today, and we're not going to leave here before we get an answer is -- when, when are you paying the money. >> reporter: the former amc youth lead leager famously expelled from the party, is not adamant president zuma will be

held accountable to the people. his obsession, the extravagant building of mr. zuma's private home using taxpayer's money. he's been accused of not respecting the rule of parliament, something he does not deny. >> we don't trust parliament. we are there to educate from parliament. so that we use that platform to mobilize and galvanize our people to fight for the economy. we don't believe in that parliament. we think that it has been used to suppress our people. and we want to change it. >> reporter: if his party has its way, this year's state of the nation address, an affair normally reserved for pomp and ceremony, could look very different. >> we can still go on with his state of the nation address, but first, he must answer questions. >> reporter: but president zuma has said that he is not nervous about disruptions, saying parliament operates on rules.

and the speaker will decide whether they will be allowed to ask questions or not. at least 300 migrants are thought to have drowned this week while attempting to cross the mediterranean sea from north africa. the united nations says it's a tragedy on an enormous scale. survivors brought to the italian island said they were forced by human traffickers in libya to risk the crossing in rough seas. our correspondent, karen holly, las the story. >> reporter: they risked their lives to get here. the survivors who made it when so many did not. they'd set sail in rubber dinghies leaving the chaos of libya on saturday for europe. they dreamt of a new life somewhere that was safe. but today the bodies of 29 would-be migrants were transported off the island. they died of hypothermia after being rescued by the italian coast guard. on monday 100 other people were

rescued. but more than 300 more are now believed to have had drowned in waves as high as 8 meters. the mediterranean is being described as a graveyard for migrants. there's harsh criticism from humanitarian groups and for the european union for not doing more to save lives. today, even the pope weighed in. he offered prayers for the victims and said that those in need should be rescued. in november last year italy ended its search and rescue mission after eu partners had refused to share its running costs. it was replaced with a more limited eu operation called tryton, with fewer resources and only a third of the funding. at the same time, the number of would-be migrants have soared. in 2013 60,000 people managed to cross the mediterranean, with more than 600 drowning on the way. in 2014 that figure had

increased to 170,000, with more than 3,000 drowning. and with the continuing turmoil in the middle east the number of desperate people willing to risk everything is expected to rise. so far this year 15 times as many people have died on the way that in the same period last year. >> according to the testimonies that we have collected of the survivor most of them have been forced on these rubber boats at gunpoint. and that is what of course, should make the international community reflect. >> reporter: the government says the uk will continue trying to tackle the causes of illegal immigration and the trafficking gangs behind it rather than helping step up search and rescue operations. but the world can't stop the tide of human suffering that's pushing people to the seas many, many more people will die. caroline holly, nbc news. now, lawyers for two australians facing execution in indonesia on drug smuggling charges have mounted a rare

legal challenge in a final attempt to save their lives. andrew challenge and myron were arrested in 2005 in bali for drug trafficking and are due to be executed this month. the two men say they are reformed and should not have had their clemency appeal rejected. >> reporter: andrew chan and myron, barely out of their teens when they were arrested in bali and sentenced to death. they were convicted on charges of attempting to smuggle 8.3 kilogram of heroin into australia. they were widely believed to have orchestrated the plan. but after almost a decade behind bars, they say they're changed men. >> nothing happened without you even not saying it happened. >> friends and relatives of andrew chan seen here leading a

prayer session in prison say he's now a devout christian, who has helped many of his fellow inmates find god. while myron has taken up painting and regularly organizes art classes for other prisoners. the families of both men say they just want their sons to have a second chance. >> we beg for mercy for our sons. we beg you to spare our son's life. we beg you, please don't kill our sons. >> indonesia says drug traffickers know the rules in this country and cannot escape the consequences. here at indonesia's national narcotics agency officials say between 40 to 50 indonesias die every single day because of drug use. while those figures are impossible to verify the government regularly uses them to justify executions. showing off the spoils of yet another drug raid. indonesia has declared a war on

drugs and said the country is in a national emergency. it believes killing drug traffickers is the only way to solve this problem. >> translator: if someone who is due to be executed says, i've changed, i'm a good person now, that's fine. but then two more say that, and then another two and it keeps on going like that. that's why we have to respect a court's decision made by a sovereign country. whether you're an indonesian or a foreigner. >> reporter: but that's no comfort for the families of the two men facing imminent death. they spent the last week visiting government officials and human rights visits begging for their children's lives. so far the authorities have been unmoved by their appeals for clemency. bbc news now, which has just been breaking. the two al jazeera journalists imprisoned in egypt have been released on bail.

baher mohamed and mohamed fahmy were sentenced to ten years. their colleague, peter greste was recently released and returned to australia. let's talk live now to the bbc's sally nabil. you've been listening to those sentences being read out of the cairo courtroom. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: yes, everybody cheered in court when they announced all the defendants will be out. the case has been adjourned until the 23rd of february. mohamed fahmy will be there 250,000 egyptian. nearly 30,000 brothers. but finally, they will be out, lots of hopes that the judge today is going to respond positively to the request admitted by the lawyers to release the defendants. actually, before the judge announced his verdict, fahmy gave a very emotional speech. he said that he had no other option, but to renounce his egyptian nationality. he said that he didn't ask for

it but he received the call from a high-profile official who told him that if he renounced his egyptian nationality, he can be out, because they want this case to be closed. he denies any kind of relation with the muslim brotherhood. he says that we didn't commit any acts to be charged with terrorism. he said that peter greste is out and we are very happy for him, but we want to be treated equally. so today, they have to wait until the 23rd of february when the new session starts to see what the judge has for them. >> sally, for now, many thanks. sally nabil there, with an emotional court appearance in cairo. now, every year thousands of people donate used clothing to charity. many believe it will be given to those in need or sold in charity funds to raise money. but actually a lot of is gets

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hello. you're watching "gmt" on "bbc world news" with me david eades. our top stories, hope for ukraine. a cease-fire deal is agreed by leaders after 17 hours of negotiations. president putin says the deal covers the withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides once the cease-fire's in place. president poroshenko of ukraine admits there are still no deal though on the status of separatist regions within the country. a court in egypt orders the release on bail of two al jazeera journalists, convicted of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood.