that's what courts in catania mystified.must decide.e said he was only a passenger on a boat that capsized with the lost of hundreds of lives. others say he was the boat's captain. even if guilty he would surely only be a small cog in a huge business of taking people across the mediterranean. we traveled to syracuse like in every sicily town there are migrants in the public squares, in the pus stations board, frustrated. planning their next move. we were not allow in the reception center but we spoke with julia who works with a charity inside. she's from syracuse and never imagined she would be an aid worker in her hometown. >> it's very--who can understand it. it's crazy. people should have the right to ask for asylum why it's not possible to die just because of the need to escape from war or poverty. >> and sarah, a my grow biologists who dreams of getting a ph.d in europe. she arrived this week after eight days at sea. they paid 3000 u.s. dollars each to the smugglers. >> they're just trying to make a business. it's a very big busine

survivors are on their way to the sicilian port of catania.his is a deadly period for migrants trying to cross into europe. some 11,000 people have been rescued in the past ten days. the capacity with which the italians regard these migrants, with this memorial is a monument for those who don't make it. 15 graves of adults, two are children. the words on them are the words of the poet laureate from nigeria, and the hope is, that the rest of europe now can show a similar degree of empathy as is shown here. there will be a european summit meeting on thursday. how many more migrants will have died by then? paul brennan, al jazeera catania, sicily. >>> the european union foreign policy chief frederica mogherini announced measures to stop migrants being exploited by human traffickers. dominic kane is there and seventh this report. >> a moment's silence the mark the deaths of so many migrants. after the deaths of so many migrants european foreign policy chief says it is imperative oact. >> i think today we are developing a european sense of solidari

that's what a court in catania must decide.he said he was only a passenger on the overcrowded boat that capsized with the loss of hundreds of lives. other survivors say he was the boat's captain. but even if guilty he would surely be only a small cog in the big business of taking people across the mediterranean. there are migrants in the public squares, in the bus stations. bored, frustrated planning their next move. we were not allowed into the reception center, but we spoke with julia who works with a charity inside. she is from syracuse and never thought she would be an aid worker in her hometown. >> it's crazy. people sh have the right to ask for asylum. why it's not possible, to die just because they need to escape from war poverty. >> i met sara and saoud. they asked us not to show their faces. sara dreams of getting a ph.d in europe. she arrived this week after eight days at sea. they paid $3000 u.s. each to the smugglers. >> it's a very big decision. >> so you don't feel angry towards them? >> no no, they're doing busin

live to catania in sicily. al jazeera's correspondent barnaby phillips. behind you an italian vessel bringing the latest batch of immigrants and refugees. >> yes, that's right, a handful of women and men, four pregnant women. we have a few details. they were picked up off the libyan coast. one group on a crowded dingy the other on a more secure vessel. they have been brought back to catania, and all of them have disembarked in a processing center away to my right. you can't see it. they'll be loaded off on buses and taken to various camps around sicily later during the day. camps which are full to overflowing, so this is the context in which european leaders are meting and the -- meting and the reason why here calling the summit. this is a daly occurrence. -- daly occurrence. >>> that is barnaby phillips live at catania, and sicily one of the southern most points in italy. in morta, a southern european country, a funeral service is being held in the capital for some of the people killed when a boat capsized off the coast of italy on sunday. the multiface

they were brought in to catania within the last half hour and will be disembarking now and we'll getformation about what sort of condition they might be in. what sort of vessel they were traveling off. the circumstances of how they were picked up. but the important information to convey i suppose is that the italian coast guard the italian navy is very, very busy and these arrivals are daily occurrences. >> barnaby we know the italian prime minister says he needs more help from the e.u. to deal with the crisis. is he likely to get that help when the e.u. council meets in brussels later today? >> reporter: yes, i think he will get more help. whether it's enough help is a different point. but i think there is a political momentum and a degree of horror and indeed shame shared by european governments about what's happening in the mediterranean. so i think what you are going to see is the existing operation which is called triton which we have been talking about in recent days and it will expand considerably by as much as double this year and next year at least that's the commitment. mor

those survivors are on their way to the sicilian port of catania. deadly period for migrants crossing to europe. some 11,000 people have been rescued in the last ten days but an estimated 1500 people have drown in the attempt. the compassion with which sicilians regard these migrants, with this memorial is a monument for those who don't make it. there are 15 graves of adults and two of children. the names of people in these graves will never be known but the words on them are the words of the poet laureate from nigeria, and the hope is that the rest of europe now can see a similar degree of empathy as is being shown here. at a meeting of europe's foreign ministers, a ten point plan, that increase still not be enough to restore operations to last year's level of resourcing. there will be a european summit meeting on thursday. how many more migrants will have died by then? paul brennan, al jazeera catania, sicily. >>> strengthening the mission in niger, to keep migrants moving from there to liberia. where they are sent on boats. getting eu nations to

he is sleeping in catania's mosque. he asked that his face be hidden. >> my dream is to stay in this country, study learn the italian language. go to school, speak with the italians. have the right documents. send money home to my parents. >> the imam said that some nights ten migrants turn up. some nights it's 200. >> the problem is enormous. italy has is on the right path but this is something that needs to be solved at an european level if not a world level. this is everyone's problem. >> as long as there is poverty war and oppression in these boat loads of people will keep coming. we've heard from the port in the northeast of sicily where i am, in the region of 270 migrants were brought ashore this morning by the italian navy. they included dozens of women and children, fortunately there were no fatalities. they were picked up at sea 64 kilometers off the libyan coast. >> barnaby phillips reporting live from catania in sicily. >>> now to the funeral of an african-american man who died while in police custody is due

catania in sicily. >> more breaking news reaching us on the situation of yemen. senior houthi leaders say that there has been a political deal to end the conflict has almost been reached. that comes after the news earlier that they would end the bombing campaign against houthies in 40 minutes from now. it has been suspected there was a deal in the offering, and a political deal to enthe conflict in yemen has almost been reached. we'll bring you an update on that as soon as we get more details. in the meantime, egypt deposing mohamed morsi has been sensed to 20 years in prison. he was the country's first democratically elected president, but was toppleed in 2013. he still faces several more trials. >> mohamed morsi escaped the death penalty. he was sentenced to 20 years in prison without possibility of parole for what prosecution says for his role in the protesters in front of the presidential palace. three protesters were killed. he he can still appeal this sentence 6 but he still faces charges. he's accused of conspiring to commit terrorist acts in egypt with ha

the fishermen for example in the port much catania says it's horrible when they sometime pull up the corpse could of a deg mieg dead migrant in their fishing nets. there is a glimmer of hope, however, in the past 24 hours the coast guard has told us they're not having any distress calls or maydays. and no migrants in on boats not that they know of anyway. that would appear to be a brief welcome respite. will it continue? probably not. there will be probably oaforts setting to sea in the next few days but a welcome space for the overpressured, overstretched authorities here on sicily. >> the plight of migrants is also making way in mexico protesters are demanding better treatment for migrants. defense a new government program stopping people crossing illegally into the u.s. migrants are accusing the u.s. immigration offices of human rights abuses. stay with us. bucking the trends against local violence. also ahead. >> i'm jonah hull, inside france's newest museum, a monument to cave art 36,000 years old. years old. >> the peninsula, in arabic, is aljazeera. our logo represents courage

people, including many children, have been plucked from the sea and have been taken to the port of cataniaa former captain, natalia mendoza, is on the ground. you have talked to some of those rescued. what did they tell you? natalia: i got his feet with some of the rescuers. they have told us that the health conditions of the migrants are stable, but some are still in shock. there is still migrants coming from west africa. among them pregnant women and minors. we saw them -- they were visibly tired, exhausted by this very dramatic trip, and three of them were separated from the group. they may be the smugglers. we know that catania authorities have lunch and investigation to know the situation and despite the shipwrecks, despite the risk , there are still hundreds and thousands of desperate migrants that are ready to jump on board of these overcrowded vessels to escape violence, escape war and persecution. host: you has also talked to ngo's who say the humanitarian crisis needs be dealt with, but their opinion on the new eu message that are being dealt with in brussels today. natalia: yes,

south of where i'm standing in catania, they will now be looked at medically and taken to a reception center to recuperate. they were rescued from an area of sea and brought here to sicily to rescue centers here. the other thing that is on going at the moment is the court proceedings against the captain and the ship's mate from the boats that went down at the weekend with the loss we believe with as many as 100 lives. that would be the biggest single loss of life. and the stories coming out of the circumstances of that are pretty harrowing. >> that was paul. brennan reporting from britannia britannia, italy. investigators in france say they may have prevented an imminent attack. the police rescue rescued a college student in paris where they found automatic weapons bullet-proof vests and computer equipment in his car and dorm room. the algerian native admitted to planning attacks in churches in a suburb, and he was linked to the death of a teacher who was shot in the head in the same bush. same suburb. >>> european regulators say that that--rory challands is live in moscow. >> we her

. >> reporter: according to the prosecutor here in catania, two men have been arrested out of the 28 survivors from the disaster. one apparently a tunesian. the captain of the ship. the other is a syrian. they are being questioned by the italian authorities. the other survivors have been sent to an old u.s. residence for families of u.s. military personnel. they will be under observation and they will get medical treatment if they need help. otherwise, they will be integrated for what passes for the system dealing with migrants here in italy. i'm on the dock in catania where the migrants and the two arrested members of the crew of the ship arrived. ironically ironically this gives you the idea of the contradictions of the situation in europe. behind me is the cruise ship that docked a while ago with elderly english pensioners. the european community is trying to come up with some sort of way to deal with this crisis. they are looking at a ten-point plan which would include increased funding for the sea operation to try to rescue these migrants and other measures that might prevent mo

paul brennan has more from catania and italy. >> reporter: battered by waves, clipping to what is left of the boat. a woman is seen trying to protect a child. recent attention is focused on migrants leaving north africa for italian waters. the phenomenon spans the mediterranean. the the stricken vessel came from turkey. this child was saved. three people are confirmed dead including another youngster. it's not known how many are missing. >> the captain left us with the boat. and ran away and left us alone. >> he run away with another boat to turkey. >> i don't know maybe. i think so. he has this small rubber boat for rescuing. he got in in just like run. >> he left you alone. >> yes yes. >> reporter: the bodies from saturday night have been brought assure on malta. 24 corpses have been recovered. as many as 900 drowned when it capsized off the coast of libya. hundreds on board, just 28 were saved. those survivors are on the way to the sicilian port of catania where aid workers are on standby. >> this is a deadly period. some 11,000 have been rescued in the past 10 days. an estimated 15

barnaby phillips, life in catania, the southern island of sicily. all the nice words barnaby dealing with the situation you and others are seeing there firsthand. >> surely it is a dramatic situation on the mediterranean sea, david. we're expecting before night fall here in catania that some 28 survivors will be brought ashore. the dramatic sinking perhaps as many as 900 were on board 700 different accounts. italian prime minister mateo renzi, giving an account one was a dinghy, 100 to 150 on board, and another account 300 to 350 on board. we don't know what happened to those ships. here is what mr. renzi had to say. about >> what we are witnessing these hours in the mediterranean is much more than a ship wrep, we shipwreck but a grave humanitarian crisis, which needs to be addressed and therefore requires a solid response from the entire international community. >> barnaby, is it near to impossible to catch the traffickers themselves? are they merely getting these people into the libyan coast putting them in a boat, saying off you go, and do nothin

catania. vividly illustrated at catania's cemetery. a male for those who don't make it. the names of the people in the graves will never be known the words on the graves are frft poetfrom thepoet lawyer yas. laureate. >> over the past week 1,000 have died in the mediterranean. almost as many as have died in the titanic and more than died in the costa concordia. >> there will be a european summit meeting on thursday. how many more migrants will have died by then? paul brennan, al jazeera catania, sicily. >> .com 9 >> dominic kane reports. >> the eu foreign policy chief said it was now imperative to act. >> i think that today we are developing a truly european sense of urgency and solidarity in fighting human trafficking and saving lives and let me add on a personal note, finally so. >> reporter: the eu's proposed new measures include strengthening the situation in niger, destroying the boats used by traffickers in the mediterranean which are often un unsea worthy or illegal. to give more support to the tritan efforts and the migrant wave says kit no longer cope says it ca

that is barnaby phillips live for us in catania. now we cross over to luxembourg where foreign ministers are holding talks about the strategies in the mediterranean. dominic kane is in luxembourg for us. are we going to change see any changes to policies after these tragedies? >> the e.u. foreign policy chief was supposed to be giving a news conference in the next few minutes about the meetings held today but that's being put back because we understand that the meeting involving the foreign ministers and the interior ministers are still under way. the interior ministers were invited at short notice to this day of e.u. cancel summit meeting. it gives a sense of the importance invested in it day but that it's still going on, and we don't have any development from that. any from the summit meeting we do under that there is likely to be an e.u. leader summit on thursday. it would be logical that the venue for that would be in brussels. the british cameron e.u. minister has said that the meeting would be on thursday. a few hours ago fore

first, let's go to barnaby phillips in the italian city of catania. tell us what has been happening there. >> well shortly after dawn a custom ship arrived packed with about migrants picked up off the libyan coast, in two incidents. thankfully we are not hearing of fatalities i watched the migrants disembark in the port. the vast majority were young men. there were a handful of women amongst them, including pregnant women, there's no indication, in other words, that the flow of humanity will stop. quite the opposite. if what happiness in 2015 is consistent with the friend of previous years, we'd expect the flow to increase as summer approaches, as the weather gets warmer and seas calmer. >> barnaby phillips reporting live from catania where the migrants kee coming. laurence lee -- keep coming. laurence lee joins us from bruce 'ems where there's the -- brussels, where there's the summit of e.u. leaders. what are we hearing that is likely to come out of the summit. >> in fact there was a protest earlier this morning, africans and white europeans carryin

. >> in catania i met two young africans who made that journey across the mediterranean one year ago. nino and cakka from gambia. they found support in a religious charity but their lives are in limbo and they are lonely. >> i wanted a better life. now i miss my mom. i miss my mom now. i don't have anybody else. at the time i came here, i don't know what yet is my future. i don't know yet my future now. >> we talk of this as an immigration crisis. but the people at the docks tired and confused for sure, are also relieved. they've escaped wars and crossed a sea without disaster. they would rather be here than in the troubled lands they left behind. barnaby phillips, al jazeera, italy. >> e.u.'s prime ministers have come together to call for the stop of migrants trafficking. matteo renzi wants the e.u. to be more human in the handling of the crisis. >> when a person is ready to put his life at risk because he needs to get out from a situation where he could be beheaded you cannot discourage the depastures with a sample statement you do it by taking action in the countries and keeping ou

barnaby phillips has the latest now from catania, that's on the southern italian island of sicily. >>orter: and still they keep on coming no matter how dangerous the journey. 446 people their wooden boat leaking. all they can do is appeal for help in the seas. they were lucky, an italian fishing boat found them just in time. in sicily meanwhile, the authorities are helping the few frightened men who survived the sinking of an overcrowded boat off of the libyan coast on early sunday morning. >> we have now interviewed most of the survivors of the boat tragedy in the mediterranean. according to them the boat departed from tripoli in libya on saturday morning. it had some 850 people on board. many were children. among those on board were some 350 eritreans, as well as people from syria, somalia, sierra leone, mali and ethiopia. >>> italian prosecutors say this man was the captain of the boat. he has been taken into custody, charged with reckless homicide and causing a shipwreck. another suspected member of the crew has also been arrested. he is on the right, from libya, accused of assist

. >> well, let's talk to paul brennan, who is live in catania on the southern italian island of sicily. we're going to hear from the summit of leaders who have met to figure this out. what can we expect? >> well, the they had met in brussels to come up with some kind of plan that will tack this will phenomenon that we've seen for the last three years. but i think it's going to be very difficult for them to find a way of bridging the gap between fine words and effective action. there have been several plans put forward several proposals a ten-point plan has come up by e.u. foreign ministers who met earlier this week. it clued things of fingerprinting migrants, trying to set um, some sort of refugee camps in north africa. also the perhaps achievable idea of increasing the number of patrols out there in the mediterranean to try to save more lives. but other ideas just for example, seeking to identify and put out of action migrants trafficker's boats before they can put to sea is a huge question mark if that's even legal. and a draft communique which has been leaked to the financial times

al jazeera's barnaby phillips has the latest from catania on the southern island of sicily. >> and still they keep on coming no matter how dangerous the journey. 446 people, their wooden boat leaking. all they can do is appeal for help in the sea south of ca labria. they were lucky an italian fishing boat found them just in time. in sicily the authorities are helping the few frightened men who survived the sinking of an overcrowded boat off the libyan coast in the early hours of sunday morning. the initial stories of the scale of that disaster have turned out to be horribly accurate. >> they have now interviewed most of the survivors in the mediterranean according to them the boat departed from tripoli and libya on saturday morning and it had some 850 people on board. many of these were children among those on board were some 350 air transas well as people from syria somalia sir are a leone, gambian ivory coast and ethiopia. >> they say this man a tunisian was the captain of the boat. he's been taken into custody charged with reckless homicide and causing a shipwreck. another suspected m

and they are being held here in catania, separate to the refugees. migrants who have been taken to a reception center outside of the main town. there are among those migrants who were rescued over the weekend and brought here late last night just after midnight by a coast guard vessel, in fact the coast guard vessel you can see over my shoulder, there were four minors, four children, teenagers, and they have been taken to a separate reception center specifically for children where they are reaching counseling and various other specialist assistance. >> now paul, the e.u. leaders will have a few blank to fill in when they meet on thursday to try to put their signature to the plan which european union foreign ministers came up with. tell us more about the blank that need to be filled in. >> reporter: well, when the for earn ministers met in luxembourg on monday, there was clearly a ube him at this among them that action had to be taken but how to make effective action against a very complex problem that's the real question that the leaders are going to

. >> barnaby phillips in catania you italy. in malta, a service for two dozen killed in the shipwreck off the italy. 800 migrants from north africa died when the boat capsized. >> we are learning about a boat that capsized off the libyan coast. 315 of the passengers were from eritrea. most thought to have drowned when a ship went down. this report on why a growing number escaped their homeland hoping to find freedom and opportunity. >> the u.n. says more than 3,000 eritreans fled this year making them the second largest migrant groups to land there after syrians. many others died before they make it. >> condolences to those focted by the tragediment eritrea has been robbed of its youth and bright young people. >> reporter: many eritreans leave to avoid doing military service or work for the government at low pay indefinitely. they made it to a migrant camp in france after deserting the army and said he served eight years. >> >> reporter: human rights advocates list other reasons, including a lack of jobs and a repressive govern

al jazeera america's >> special month long evironmental focus fragile planet after an report from catania where the few known survivors are expected to land in the coming hours. >> the search and rescue effort is being supported with aircraft and helicopters. coastgard and navy ships from malta and italy have been joined by merchant as well ass. planes are chris-crossing the sea where the my grant boat capsized. scouring the waves for signs of life. as the hours pass the likelihood of finding more survivors grows more remote. >> the sicilian point has been the drop-off point for tennessee much thousands. the town's mayor told me he was in perilous last week demanding eu assistance. >> i baked my fist on the table and said it's not a temporary emergency. it's a problem we will have to deal with for many more years. there needs to be a european policy on immigration and help for the desperate people who ask for asylum in our countries. >> in the vatican, the pope urged europe's leaders to recognize the migrants not just as numbers but as human beings. >> i make a heart felt appeal to the in

and another 14 were arrested here in catania over the last 24 or 48 hours.re is an element of coincidental about it. lo and behold after all the people saying something arrests have been maimed the network that seems to be bringing migrants across or putting the -- funneling the migrant forward through to northern italy and then onto europe. >> paul, migrants or survivors are starting to be brought ashore from the latest disas at thatdisasters, what is happening to them? >> reporter: well, let's find out more about that from a guest who is beside me right now. 27 people as you say were brought on shore. four of them were children and joining me is sarah tyler from save the children who has been very prominent in working with survivors not just off this boat but other boats. talk about the four children that you know b what are their details? >> until the very last few minutes save the children believed there were no child survivors and then a few minutes before we went to assess the ages there are two bangladeshi children who are 16 and two somali children a

and around catania and you'll find general contempt for the policymakers of the european union. >> it's europe and the italian government's fault says one young man. all of these deaths are on their minds. these migrants are running to avoiding killed. why didn't want polices realize until now? pole ermonth has received thousands of migrants to its port. in brussels, will it have any effect at all? >> to be honest, i don't have much faith in these summits and i don't think that they will change anything. there was a tragedy 1 and a half years ago and nothing was changed. and actually, i think that the situation got worse. there's a sense here that the migration leaders are barely tackling the symptoms that they are causing us. >> what are they doing? those who are trafficking [ unintelligible ] all of those traffickers,--. >> the shim wrecks and the sinks, especially those in europe, where people can only read about or watch on tell us, here they are very sin cynical about the efforts in brussels. it's understress, caused by having to retriever and bury the bodies of those who don't mak

the pima pima driving in catania were pick up 15 miles off the coast.where the government says all the people crossing leave from. in the libyan city we have been talking to some of those willing to make the perilous journey across the sea. >> reporter: they escaped war and poverty. traveled for weeks sometimes months to reach libya. the gateway for a better life in europe. b aba had nearly made it when the boat he was sailing on was intercepted by the libyan coast guards. it was on the same day another one carrying 400 migrants capsized. >> they caught me and put me in container and i come here. i don't know this place. [ inaudible ] we don't understand. [ inaudible ] or they will help us to live us free. >> reporter: mohamed was on that same journal i journey he escaped sarah leon after both of his parents died of ebola last year. >> we are orphan. we don't have anybody to care for us, that's why because we don't -- we don't have any help from anybody. >> reporter: now they are in a detention center on the outskirts of miss rat a misrata. about a thou

that's what a court in catania must decide.amed from tunisia says he was only a passenger on the overcrowded boat that capsized with the loss of hundreds of lives. other survivors say he was the boat's captain. but even if guilty. he will surely only be a small cog in the huge business of taking desperate people across the mediterranean. we traveled, like in every sicilian town there are migrants in the public squares, in the bus stations, bored frustrated, planning their neck next move. we are not allowed in to the reception center but spoke to julia who forbes a charity inside. she never imagined that she would be an aid worker in her hometown. >> people dieing in the sea is very -- we cannot stands it. it's crazy. people should have the right to move. to ask for asylum. it's not possible to digest because they need to escape war or past at this. >> reporter: they are from eritrea, they asked us not to show their faces. a microbiologist who dreams of getting a ph.d in europe. she arrived this week after eight days at sea. the

charlie angela, al jazerra catania. >>> and you can keep up-to-date with all of those stories we haveeen telling you about you if you head over to our website. you can see our lead story the situation in nepal. aljazerra.com. >> this is "techknow." a show about innovations that can change lives. >> the science of fighting a wildfire. >> this is a show about science, by scientists. let's check out our team of hard core nerds. marita davison is a biologist specializing in evolution. tonight, fracking.

en catania, pablo monsalvo, univisiÓn. desacato. de ser hallados culpables sus oficiales podrÍa ser sujetos a fuertes sanciones econÓmicas. ilia: las reglas ilegales de autos han proliferado en el sur de california el peligro que Ésta representa, se suma la violencia que genera las grandes apuestas, como dice liliana escalante las autoridades decidieron enfrentarlas. periodista: en la oscuridad de la noche en el sur de california no sÓlo se esconden peligrosas carreras ilegales de carros. tambiÉn sofisticados operativos encubiertos para dar con ellos. lograron detener una de estas carreras antes que comenzara en uno de los mayores operativos para dar con los realizadores. >> sabiendo que se iban a dar en este lugar, y en broadway, los buscaron en esa intersecciÓn. periodista: el total se aprehendieron a trenti cuatro personas. _34 Ésta es intersecciÓn de donde se realizÓ el operativo de esta madrugada y es tan sÓlo un ejemplo de cÓmo esta actividad legal logre reunir 800 personas y en las que se juegan ademÁs cuantiosas ci

he's sleeping in the catania mosque. he asked for his face to be hidden. >> my dream is to stay in this country, study, learn the language have the right documents, send money home to my parents. some nights 10 turn up, some nights it's 200. >> translation: the problem is enormous. italy has done its part it's not capable of solving the problem on its own. this is something that needs to be solved on a european level, a world level. it's everyone's problem. as long as there's poverty war and oppression the boatloads will keep on coming >>> in burundi two have been killed and several injured after police opened fire on demandons, hundreds protested against the president's decision to seek a third term in office in defiance of a 2-term limit. supporters say he was eligible because he was chosen by mps, not the people. >> reporter: the process started at sunrise. crowds of protesters gathered in several suburbs. police were deployed. protesters cheered and chanted. tear gas was fired as protesters were disperse. they came b

paul brennan reports from catania in italy. >> reporter: being battered by waves, clinging to what iseft of their boat. at the bottom of the screen here a woman is seen trying to protect a young child. recent attention has been focused on migrants leaving north africa for italian waters. this vessel came from turkey and broke up on the greek island of rhodes. this child was saved but there are confirmed dead including another youngster. it is not known how many are still missing. >> the captain just left us with the boat and ran away. >> he ran away with another boat to turkey? >> i don't know maybe. i think so. he has this small rubber boat. this boat he got in and just like run. >> reporter: and he left you alone? >> yeah. yeah. >> reporter: the bodies from saturday's night drowning catastrophe have now been brought ashore. as many as 900 drowned. just 28 were saved. those survivors are on the way to thesis -- the sicilian port. an estimated 1500 people have drowned in the attempt to reach italy. the compassion is vividly illustrated here. where this memorial is a monument for those

. >> in catania i met two young africans who maids that journey across the mediterranean one year agonino from senegal and wack from gambia. they found support at a charity their lives are in limbo. >> i miss my mom. i miss my mom now. i don't have anybody else. at the time i came here, i don't know yet what is my future now? i don't know yet my future now. >> we talk of this as an immigration crisis. but the people of the docks of algusta are also relieved. they've escaped wars and crossed a sea without disaster. they would rather be here than the troubled lands they left behind. >> italy's prime minister has called for e.u. nations to come together to stop migrant trafficking. the e.u. has agreed to invest more money in paroling operations, and they want the e.u. to have a more visible role in sub-saharan countries. >> when a person is ready to put his life at risk because he needs to get out from a situation where he could be beheaded you cannot discourage the departures or the simple statements. you can do it by enforceing unhcr officers. you can do it by taking action in the coun

paulson brennan reports from catania. >> the reception center on the island of lampedusa it's to be another long difficult side on italy's mediterranean. more than 10,000 have been plucked from the water since last friday alone. but the risks are high. some 140 are believed to have drown before being rescued. >> we spoke to them a group of people who mentioned they departed from lynn yaz on the same group. 540 people approximately only 145 were rescued. the remainder died apparently in the mediterranean. >> reporter: boats are not just being abandoned. they are too valuable used. >> last week, they witnessed warning shots pattern taking the migrant back to libya. splug lers are running out of boats and determined to do anything including shooting their guns in order to do that. >> it's estimated already this year more than 500 migrants is died trying to make the crossing fromafrom africa. >> there needs to be legal alternatives to be able to come to europe. >> the police now tell us, they are not going to tell us where these people are going. the many nows more will try ofollow in their foo

he's sleeping in the catania mosque. he asked for his face to be hidden. >> my dream is to stay in this country, study, learn the language, have the right documents, send money home to my parents. >> reporter: the imam says some nights 10 turn up, some nights it's 200. >> translation: the problem is enormous. italy has done its part, it's not capable of solving the problem on its own. this is something that needs to be solved on a european level, a world level. it's everyone's problem. as long as there's poverty war and oppression on europes doorstep, the boatloads will keep on coming >>> five are missing in alabama after severe weather capsized their boat. up next, the latest on the search effort and more op storms in the area. >> if you disrupt the cancer in someone's body you upstage them. >> a routine medical procedure on thousands of women is coming under scrutiny. >> also ahead - john john seigenthaler speaks to ruby bridges on her pivotal roll in the human rights movement. movement. on al jazeera america >> this i

those survivors are on their way to the italian port of catania waiting there are a group of volunteers and former migrants who understand their horror in their journey. >> it really is at the risk--it's very risk. >> i. >> this has ban deadly few days of vie grants trying to cross into europe. last year, 170,000 landed in italy. this year it's likely to be even more. the issue of who handled these migrants for asylum or or repatriatation is hugely sensitive with european partners have notpartners. >> there is no easy solution there is no magic solution, but there is the responsibility that we have to exercise it together as european. and in consistent and coherent way these calls for actions have been made before but with no results. but without a long-term plan for men, women and children will die at sea. al jazeera. >> new details this our about the his people over the weekend in a wide. ranging sweep in minnesota and. prosecutors say that the men were arrangeing flights to neighboring countries. >> what is remarkable about this case is that nothing stopped these defendants from purs

>> what a court in catania must decide. mohammed alimala said he was only a passenger on the overcrowded boat that capsized with the loss of hundreds of lives. other survivors say he was the boat's captain. even if guilty he will surely only be a small cog in the huge business of taking desperate people across the mediterranean. we traveled to syrakuse. there are migrants in the public squares, in the bus station, board, frustrated planning their next move. we were not allowed into this reception center but we spoke to julia who works for a charity inside, from syracuse and never imagined she would be an aide worker in her hometown. >> people dying in the sea. we cannot stand it. it's crazy. people should have the right to ask for asylum. it's not possible to die just because they need to escape from war or poverty. >> sara and serud from areatrea a micro biologist who dreams of getting a ph.d. in europe. she arrived this week after eight days at sea. they paid about $3,000 u.s. dollars each to the smugglers. >> they are no

paul brennan is live in catania, on the italian coast. tell us what is happening. >> this is on the north western tip of sicily among them were 71 men, 19 women, one of whom was pregnant, and three children. we don't know whether the children are unaccompanied minors making the crossing from north africa into europe. it is a desperate situation. and the latest that we have is that the general countries that they are coming from include syria, eritrea, somali ghana mali and senegal as well. you see how widespread the issue is. >> the entire world is paying attention to this and this issue is something that has gotten president obama's attention in washington. what are we hearing out of washington? well it's interesting. the italian prime minister matteo renzi has been over in washington and he met president obama for talks. they were wide-ranging talks, and one of the subjects that came up was the issue of the migration from north africa into europe. the americans concentrated more on the security issues concerns of the lack in many cases

the rest of europe but it's being expressed here the fishermen for example, here, in the port of cataniat's a horrible experience for them when they occasionally pull up the corpse of a dead migrant from the water caught up in their fishing nets. not a pleasant experience at all. >> the italian prime minister has described it not just as a security concern but a migration that's coming from north africa but a matter of justice and human dignity. >> said, though there is a glimmer of hope. in the past 24 hours, the coast guard is telling us that they have not had any distress calls or may days and they are not currently bringing any migrants in on boats. not that they know of anyway. that would appear to be a brief welcome respite. will it could not? probably not. there is undoubtedly going to be more people setting sail setting to sea from north africa in the coming days but it is a breathing space, a welcomed breathing space for the over-pressured over heave stretched authorities here on sicily some new arrivals will be taken to northern italy under the government's orders. more than $4

karl penhaul in italy for us right there at catania. let's move on here's where the emergency stands right now. this according to the united nations. an estimated 35,000 migrants have crossed to europe this year. more than a third of those have done so in the past ten days. last year 3500 migrants died crossing the med der rain yan. this year so far 1600 in the first three and a half months and these numbers don't count the tragedy over the weekend or the ships calling for help right now. joining us via skype is francois capo the united nations special repar tore for human rights of migrants and retired major james spider marks. italy's prime minister says he won't launch a military operation there but still wants to bring the traffickers to justice, stop the flow of these migrants from north africa trying to get into europe especially into italy. can that really be done, though without a military operation? >> no i don't think so. that's the arm of government that really has the ability to solve a problem or at least start toward a sol

bat inback in catania they face the dangers of a continent that doesn't want them. >> hoda abdel hamid. >> we are about 25 to 30 nautical miles off the coast of libya, a good number of these boats packed with migrants depart from. now, this is a tugboat that was meant for civilian use that was taken over by the libyan coast guard and you can see here they have just adapted it, put an antiaircraft, they say this is for their own security. apart from that they don't have much. now, this is one of two vessels that the coast guard of the responsibility over 600 kilometers of coastline. this is only thing they have at the moment. they say that the means are limited and unless they get support, there is little they can do on this side. they also raised the other issue that at the moment they say there is no consolidation with the italian navy. which is absolutely necessary. i did ask them what they thought of the eu plan to targeting the smugglers. they say it would be extremely difficult because the network of smugglers is very extended. >> yemen's form he president ali abdullah saleh houth

from catania on the finally island of sicily, paul brennan sends us this. >> reporter: the tugboat over my shoulder brought in 277 refugee migrants who are currently being processed over to my right-hand side where they'll be given identification bracelets. the problem is that the number is just a small number of those who have been found here. the total of nearly 10,000, and they're taken to ports all across sicily and on the italian mainland and even to sardinia, too. the number of dead are estimates, but the figure put forward by the save the children from some 400 dead from one boat which sank from the tail end of last week. even though the italian coast guard said it is has not found any trace of any bodies, the figures that are being put forward for the whole quarter of 2015 suggests that ten times as many people have died in the mediterranean alone and so far the same that died in the period of last year. >> they said there would be more my grant deaths when italy's rescue mission was shut down. they say that the 150,000 migrants in the one year it was operational but it cost $10

arriving in the sicilian port of catania and exhausted by their ordeal they were met by emergency workers. among the survivors, the boat's captain and first mate. trrs say they have been charged over the sinking. >> translation: we carried out two arrest warrants, the captain and crew. the captain was charged with manslaughter. >> reporter: in malta 24 bodies arrived, bulled from the water since their overcrowded boat capsized and sank off the coast of libya. more information is being released about the conditions the migrants faced on board. >> migrants were crushed in the boat. it wasn't small, it was 23 meters long. a few hundred migrants were forced into the hole, locked and prevented from coming out. another several hundred were closed into the second. as the rescuers searched for survivors, more were drowning. this vessel came from turkey hitting rocks on the greek island. battered by the waves, they clinged to what was left of their boat, and prayed for survival. it's not known how many are missing. three are confirmed dead including a child. >> this has been a deadly period for mi

we have the report from the sicilian report catania. >> reporter: 1400 rescued refugees are crammed into an unit intended for 250. ports all along italy's southern coast boats are bringing in hundreds of rescued refugees. more than 10,000 have been plucked from the water since last friday alone. but the risks are high. on monday more than 400 people are believed to have drowned before rescue could arrive. survivors spoke of panic and then tragedy. >> we spoke to them they departed from libya on the same boat with 550 approximately while only 145 were rescued. the others, unfortunately died in the mediterranean. >> the traffickers are becoming boulder and more ruthless. boats are no longer abandoned. they're too valuable to lose. >> in the framework of tritan there were witnessed warning shots fired by the smuggler who is were attempting to take the boat originally carrying the migrants back to libya. this is a clear sign that the smugglers in libya are running out of boats, and therefore they are determined to do anything including shooting their guns in order to do that. >> it's estimat

we're in catania on the italian coast the. >> flow of migrants from libya continues, and we've had a new boat land on sicily in the last 12 hours bringing the total of 93 people. the breakdown is as follows, 71 men, 19 women and one of whom is pregnant and three children, too. there is one glimmer of good news that is we've spoken to the coast guard saturday morning and what they're telling us is that they're not aware of any ongoing ask you operations that are continuing as we speak. it seems that there are no boats issuing maydays right now. it would appear that that is a brief respite. the weather here is good in the mediterranean, and the flow has been such and the desperation are such that boats being put to sea, there is would have to be a storm force to deter them in the first place. as far as other issues go, prosecutors are promising to prosecute any traffickers he said he has already started to prosecute traffickers arrested by the italian coast guard. the other thing is in washington italian prime minister renzi has met with president barack obama and the migration from af

as far as other issues go, the prosecutor from catania promises to prosecute traffickers, and already is starting to prosecute traffickers on the boats and promises more prosecutions will take place. the italian prime minister matteo renzi met with president obama, and the subject of the migration from north africa came up there. from the american point of view it was to do with security. matteo renzi said it's not just about security, and i quote "it's to do with justice and the dignity of mankind." >>> israel agreed to pay nearly half a billion in revenue to the palestinian authority. israel froze it funds in retaliation for their decision to join the international criminal court. israel agreed to release the money after deducting utility debts. the palestine jans threatened to take the matter to the i c c if israel didn't pay the full amounts. the united states condemned a car bomb attack next to its consulate in erbil, the capital in the north. the blast killed three people. u.s. officials said no consulate star were harmed. i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility. in western iraq shellin

they were on their way to the southern port of catania. awaiting them are volunteers and a former migrants who understand the horrors of their journey. >> it's really, a risk. it's very risky. >> this has been a deadly few days for migrants trying to cross into europe. some 11,000 migrants have been rescued in the last ten days. last year 170,000 landed in italy. this year it's likely to be even more. the issue of who handles these migrants for asylum or repat repatriateation is sensitive. >> the main issue here is to build together some sense of european responsibility on what is happening in the mediterranean, knowing that there is no easy solution, there is no magic solution, but there is a responsibility that we have to exercise together as europeans. and in consistent and coherent way. >> these calls for action have been made before. but with no results. but without a long-term plan, more men women and children will die at sea. charlie angela, al jazeera. >> european leaders today are holding emergency meetings on the migrant crisis.