stephanie dekker followed the journey of one teenage interior gambia to catania. >> time seems to be he was 17 years old when he arrived ten months ago from libya. he was taken to a center for minors and his dreams have been put on hold. these days i go to school. the other days i don't do anything. so that time is wasting time. some people before they move from the country, they have talents, they have knowledge. >> he has applied for asylum, but it's a long-wented process. italy is overwhelmed leaving many in a legal limbo. many here were only supposed to be here for a short time but there is nowhere else for them to go so they are waiting for this process to play out for an extremely long time. these young men complain about the conditions here. four to six to a room, and they don't get the pocket money they were promised. but organizations say that the money drips in. >> the lack of money means i can offer an inefficient service. i can't buy clothes very often and their weekly pocket money i can only deliver every two months. that's why some of the boys are not happy. >> they wil

we spoke to survivors brought to catania, sicily. >> they try to come closer to the ship. they threw a rope to us. so were trying to get the rope to climb on the ship. it was not for us to climb on, it was to tie the boat and move a ladder. people were in a haste to pull the rope to climb up. many jumped inside the water. thi were wearing no life jacket. bus these people tried their best. the people in the ship they throw life jacket but people were in a haste to jump in the water. they could not swim. many of them lost their life like this. five of them lost their life inside the boat. >>> it's hard to confirm how many died and how many bodies were recovered. what some tell us, as many as 40 people could have lost their lives in the panic. reaching the safety of the rescue boat must have taken an effort. safely in port, they tell us they all came from libya. >> translation: libya is not easy. they have no problem killing people. there is no law over there. that's why we come here. even if we don't know what will happen at least there are laws. >> reporter: as the people w

. >> smugglers have taken journey and one teenageer is trying to build a life in catania. >> time seems to be standing still. he was 17 years old when he was taken from libya. he was put into a center for minors and his dream have been put on hold. >> i go to schooli want to go to school. it's been a waste of time. some people, they have talents they have knowledge. >> he has applied for asylum, but it's been a long-term process. they are dealing with tens of thousands of applications leaving many in legal of limbo. around 70 young people are housed here, and many of them were only supposed to stay here for a short time but there is nowhere else for them to go. so they are waiting for this lengthy process to play out for an extremely long time. these young men complain about the conditions here here four and six to a room, and they often don't get the money they're promised. the money drips in,. >> the lack of money means i can only offer an inefficient service, not even a cheap one. i can't buy clothes very often and their weekly pocket money i can only deliver every two months. that's

. >>> the sicilian harbor of catania, what happens to the next? >> they first have to arrive here in sicily and according to thecoast guard staggered arrivals. wherever there is an empty building, that is not an easy operation on a logistic opinion of view. localslocals are not happy to see a large group arriving, and a lot of italians tell me what we are most afraid of is these people are still in the process of being identified so we don't know who they are. by and large they are good people but maybe among them there are some bad people. you have to remember that be italians are afraid of the threat of i.s.i.s. or fighters or sleeper cells coming and hiding in their country certainly from the threats they have received from libya lately. >> what about the numbers of people? are the numbers of migrants increasing or just more of them being rescued? it looks like greater numbers we're hearing about in the headlines every other day. >> well, the numbers are increasing. if you compare this time last year, there is an increase of about 30% of rivals

come and die if the situation in libya is not resolved. >>> danny dekeyser reporting for us from catania. thank you very much for that update >>> south africa's main opposition party is about to elect a first black leader. it will take place in port elizabeth where the democratic party is holing a conference. some see it as a move to not be dominated by the white minority. there is a favourite to announce current leader going up against an anti-apartheid at visit. harry fawcett joins us from port elizabeth. does this mean more blocks will be voting now. >> when you ask people some say yes, options for black people that are are uncomfortable. some black people say, no let's wait and see how the party performs. they say us kapt replace a white person and put a black person in the place. there's a belief that a lot of people are financing this. when they leave us will they have the courage to make decisions, or will they be a puppet of the white master. >> how worried is the a.n.c. >> they say officially - they are still the majority here. a lot of black people support the a number of c. ov

stefanie dekker is here in the studio she's recently returned from reporting from the sicilian town of catania. over 4,000 people in one day what is this a record? >> it is not a record which goes to show how many people are attempting this crossing, just in the period of 24 hours we have had reports from these dinghies, seven wooden boats packed with people, they had many boats dealing with this operations just the italians -- >> hang on, some days you had over 4,000 people? >> i was there and the number was over 10,000 in just two days. the assess are calm, when the smugglers will set off the boats. the people when they come on land, it is not that we're shocked, the numbers are just increasing and it's not stopping any soon. >> jaw-dropping the numbers. what's happening are more people making the journey or are navies just rescuing more people than we otherwise wouldn't have heard about in the past? >> you're absolutely right. more people using this journey they are using people-smugglers, african countries they are put in libya in holding places and pushed across. you have a ramped up resc

sicilian port of catania.e have seen their arrival. and their story is they have been at sea for over a week. 12 days, the last few days adrift. the engine of the boat wasn't working, so they're apt the mercy of the sea. we're hearing the stories all the time. today the coast guard is heading up the operation. their boat was taking on water. 80 men and ten women. that relatively speaking, is a small number, but if we look at the bigger picture just over 9,000 people rescued in the last week. and it shows you the amount of people taking the risks to cross the mediterranean to come here. and there's the big question when they get here. of coursing rescued is good news but it's a very uncertain future when they arrive. we have talked to young men who have been here for ten months ago. they have never had an education. one said i'm going to be a father one day and i want a better life for my children. but paperwork which means they could work or move. and one told us, there's no paperwork, and you're an animal. it

the syrians including so many small children noel has gathered at the catania train station were rescued the same day as the deadly shipwreck ton mediterranean, hundreds of migrants drowned. >> translator: what we're trying to do is give the help that public institutions are not providing. all you need is your hands your feet and your heart. >> reporter: what noel is doing is pushing the boundaries of the law. she has been investigated by the police accused of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. charges later dismiss. >> they understood i am a human rights activist not a human trafficker. >> reporter: for would be asylum seekers the mediterranean crossing is just one stage of their journey. for those who make the journey there's no question that crossing the mediterranean is the most perilous part of their trip but by no means is that the end of the voyage. for many of those especially the syrians what they want is to get out of italy and get to northern europe where they have family and friends. and in order to do that, they have to leave italy undocumented without having their fin

have been brought ashore in sicily, the rescue vessel the british ship adopted catania those migrantsued on wednesday off the coast of libya. >> the 68 canes festival, have the next 12 days but the industry still dominated by men. and women who make movies. the women showcasing their film at the most prestigious festival. >> on the red carpet, it looks like they dominate this festival while they command attention, when they get question hind it they aren't so celebrated. only five of the 33 films in this festival line-up directed by women. about a nurse trying to precure a heart for her patient. in iran's a drama about a women going through a device. only 9% of the films in competition were filmed by females. mindle of the criticism cannes is trying to shine a light. and her daughter is here talking about the roll of women in the industry. >> it is a cultural thing so it needs to change culturally all together, all of us the hardest venue is to integrate with my professional life. >> the french new movement, and the show piece the festival is proud to open with this feature directed b

stephanie deck never catania. thank you.ie hundreds of migrants making the journey almost every day. many are make he go the journey through turkey under the circumstances a short distance to europe's borders but still a perilous strip. bernard smith reports. >> reporter: from the remote corners of turkey's coastline the distance between despair and hope for a new life in europe via a greek island can be just 25-kilometers. but overcrowded boats coast guard patrols and ruthless smugglers make for a perilous cross. he is a smuggler, he's about to take a boat full of migrants to the greek island. this time if he makes it, he will blends in with the passengers and claim asylum himself. >> translator: i have never sailed a diesel engine boat before but i have to sail it tomorrow. i have never sailed out this deep. the sea is scary, i will be scared particularly as at least 35 to 40 people's lives will be my responsibility. but a smuggler is no humanity, when i sends you out to sea you'll either make it or won't. either way i wil

we have more from the sicilian harbor of catania. >> good afternoon. throughout the night there will be poets docked on island. we know that there is another rescue operation. this one led by the german navy. we don't have details but just to give you an idea of this numbers. 4,000 that we're talking about now. in a few hours that number could have raise on it 5,000 5,000 6,000, 7,000. theresince the weather has improved the calls have increased dramatically, and they're expecting that to be the case for the next few days. >> more than 70 people have been killed in northern syria after government forces dropped barrel bombs in two areas of aleppo province. medical sources say the worst attack was on the marketplace in the town of al bab under the control of the islamic state. that attack killed 55 people alone. >> the scene this morning is grim. activists say government helicopters have just dropped barrel bombs on the district. this ambulance is rushing to help survivors, many people are dead including women and children. many groups fighting in syria

stefanie dekker has more from catania in northern italy. >> rescued at least 2400 migrants. we are told there were no fatalities but it is a huge number unprecedented and we are only in the beginning of may the summer season hasn't started and those numbers are expected to rise. one italian official told us do expect those numbers to rise, it's an incredibly concerning situation, what has really changed here on the ground? not much. there is that one french naval vessel but not much else has arrived here and that is a concern. the italian government will keep stressing the issue that this is a european problem that needs to be dealt with by all european nations, the italians they have shown a lot of goodwill towards the migrants. of course migrants have been arriving here throughout the years but the numbers are becoming unbearable. and of course there is anger that they feel they are having to do it alone. so of course we'll have to wait and see how europe responds but no fatalities on saturday, but that concerning age agencies, to the european, union not a lifesaving but a

stephanie decker has more now from catania. >> reporter: the prosecutor gave details of the investigationipwreck is that of the incident that . -- happened on april 18th. he said possibly up to 800 migrants could have lost their lives. he said hundreds of dead bodies still in that ship. he also said key to this investigation is whether doors were locked on that ship. that of course will establish responsibility of two men they say were in charge of this ship one tunisian and one syria. he did plea to the media, do not try to find these pictures there is no point in publishing them to try to keep the dignity of the victims. he hoped that they didn't have to lift the boat out of the water to be able to conclude this but it tells you -- it's the highlight of just how difficult this trip is across the mediterranean, and thousands of thousands more will be taking that risk. >>> men suspected to be from the armed group boko haram have attacked a business school in nigeria's northeast. the gunmen opened fire on students injuring at least five people. a suicide bomber blew himself up in a car par

the british warship docked at catania port. on wednesday off of the coast of libya. >>> nigerian troops have repelled hundreds of boko haram fighters who tried to attack the biggest army base in the country's northeast. bombing cannon and rockets were heard around the barracks. a 24 hour curfew has been imposed amid fears some boko haram fighters may have slipped inside the army base. >>> a shia group set fire to a community center in a sunni area in iraq. many pill grams were passing through the neighborhood at the time. zana hoda reports from the iraqi capitol. >> reporter: the violence was sectarian in nature. it happened in a mainly sunni neighborhood in the capitol. they gathered outside of an office run by sunni religious authorities. they set the building on fire while chanting religious slogans. the attackers were reacting to rumors that a suicide bomber planned to target shia worshippers. the pilgrims were in a neighboring district to commemorate the death of a leader. iraqi authorities say the situation is now under c

. >> last year two thirds of the migrants rescued were brought to the city of catania on the island oficily. they often arrived carrying what they were wearing that one of the first things they now receive is a new parachute's. >> police there have permission to donate it -- donate confiscated shoes to aid groups. and there is plenty to go around. >> migrants got a pleasant surprise, standing in line to pick up some brand new sneakers with egg name brands like nike, reebok, plymouth, and adidas. but the shoes were fakes confiscated by the sicilian police. usually the authorities destroy counterfeit goods, but these were donated to an aid group. >> this year we have given out 400 pairs of shoes to the needy and the migrants rescued from boats. in the summer when more arrived we will distribute a larger amount of shoes. >> the flow of counterfeit imports is certain to continue. here in the sicilian open air markets, many of the goods are knockoffs from clothing to handbags to shoes, often from china. >> they earn a lot. we realize that when we intervene to stop them they keep coming back

we're live in catania in sicily. a very dramatic day on the seas. some awful and some very good. talk us through what happened. >> well, as you said over the past 24 hours the navy not only the italian but the irish and german have been very busy off the coast of libya. now apart from the 700 migrants that you talked about another thousand have arrived in the past hour or so in the port here in southeast sicily, and we're expecting many more to start arriving throughout the afternoon and the night. as we understand it the 17 who have lost their lives will be arriving tomorrow morning in the port of algust. but since 22 distress calls were made many other calls were also made. the german navy is at the moment off the coast of libya and in rescue operation. we don't have the details of that yet but we also know that the italian navy has rescued at least throw boats. there were rubber dinghies, zodiacs, and on board each there were 100 people. as you see the numbers just keep on increasing, and with the good weather, the calm seas the worry is that we'll see that flow over the next

. >> stefanie dekker reporting from catania in italy. >>> four confirmed dead in the disaster in west java. the landslide also caused an explosion when a gas pipe broke. dozens of residents have left their homes and are staying in the village fearing another mudslide. about half of indonesia's population lives in areas that are prone to land slide. >>> the murder of an afghan woman wrongly accused of burning koran. four were sentenced to death the judge released another 18 people due lack of evidence. caroline malone has be the story. >> the murder has been closely watched in afghanistan. the trial was broadcast nationally. four have been given the harshest punishments. >> we have sentenced each of you to capital punishment, death. our decision on these four people is not definite. they have the right to appeal. >> the 27-year-old was wrongly accused of burning a koran she was brutally attacked in central kabul in march. they beat her kicked her and set her body on fire. some people recorded it on their phones. that evidence was being presented in court. her family says justice has no

colossal humanitarian >>> it has been called a colossal humanitarian catastrophe by the mayor of catania sicily. more than 60,000 migrants made the straight journey across the mediterranean sea, from north africa to europe. more than 1800 perished. each week "third rail" will catch up with an al jazeera correspondent from wherever they may be to get the story behind the story, to share their experience that you rarely get to hear. stephanie dekker has been in the mediterrainean reporting on the migrant crisis. you have seen thousands of migrants come into europe, hundreds losing their lives along the way, what stood out for you the most, given the death, all this pain that you have seen? >> i think it's the determination of the people. they all will tell you they'd do it again, and the situation on the other side in libya is terrible, and it's a huge amount of people. when i arrived i came off the plane at midnight. there was a flow of people. during the next couple of days we heard rescue after rescue after rescue. they come to land. that is great news, but what happens to them when the

. >> let's get more now from catania.he numbers are arriving in just one day are quite staggering, aren't they. >> not only are they staggering, but the migrants rescued earlier today, since there have been more rescue operations. italians say they have rescued 300 more people. as we speak more operations going on off the coast of libya by the germans and by other members of this tritan operation. we'll hear that that number could turn into thousands. this will continue for weeks to come. this is the beginning of the season where most of the migration happens. anything that happened earlier this year is of any indication, well, the numbers will be higher than ever. just to compare this time of the year last year, already there has been an increase of 30% of these people who have been rescued in the sea. >> we know that the european union has been struggling to deal with this crisis for a while. what is the next steps we expect in the short term there? >> you italy is the country struggling the most, and it has been saying

we go to the sicilian harbour of catania. huge numbers today. zeina khodr - what has been going on? >> well huge numbers, at the moment all the people rescued are on their way to sicily in the afternoon and throughout the night there'll be a few boats docking around the island and further north on sardinia. there's another rescue operation that started today. this was led by the german navy. there's no details as such. just to give you an idea of the numbers. 4,000 that we are talking about now. in a couple of hours that number could have rich to five, 6,000 or 7,000. a huge influx to do with the weather conditions over the past few days. there has been a drop in the number of migrants arriving and the distress calls that the it -- italian coast guard had received. the weather has improved and they expect things to increase. >> i know the rescue operations are underway, but what do you hear as far as their stories, where they come from, what they flee? >> i can't gi you the details -- give you the details of those on board. the stories are the same. mainly people coming from sub-sah

stephanie dekker followed the journey of a teenager from gambia trying to build a life in catania. >> reporter: time seems to stand still. this boy was 17 when arriving from libya, he was taken to a center for migrants and his dreams were put on high. >> i go to school maybe three times, to school. after that the other days you wake up in the morning and you sit without doing anything. all that is wasting time. it's waste time. some before they move from their country, they have talent they have knowledge. >> reporter: he has applied for asylum, but it's a long-winded process. italy is overwhelmed, leaving many in a limbo. around 70 young people are housed, and many were supposed to stay for a short time. there's nowhere else for them to go. they end up waiting for a later legal process to play out for a long time. these young men complain about the conditions here. four, six to a room and they don't quote the weekly pocket money. the people that one the center say the money drips in, stuck in a bureaucratic system. >> the lack of money means they can only offer an interim service, no

. >> survivors board a boat to catania, sicily. >> they try to come close. they threw a rope to us. we were trying to get the rope on the sick. it was not for us to climb on it was to tie the boat and move a ladder. people were in a haste. many jumped inside the water. these people tried their best. they throw life jacket but people were in a haste to jump in the water. many lost their life like this. five of them lost the life inside the border >>> it's hard to confirm how many died and how many bodies were recovered. what some tell us as many as 40 people could have lost their lives in the panic. reaching the safety of the rescue boat must have taken an effort. in port they came from libya. >> translation: libya is not easy. they have no problem kill people. that's why they come to us. at least there are laws. >> reporter: as the people wait to be processed there's continuous rescue operations. arrivals at ports we see, and constant rescue operations at sea. we are talking about huge numbers of people all with individuals terrible stories to tell. the conflict in libya means many

. >>> hoda abdel-hamid is in catania and said the numbers of migrants arriving could rise dramatically in the coming days. >> that figure of more than 4,000 migrants rescued was announced saturday morning. since there has been more rescue operations. the italians announced they have picked up 300 more people on board 300 rubber dinghies or zoed yaks. -- zodiacs. patrols are ongoing, figures in the next few hours could become 5,000, 6,000, 7,000. what happens to the migrants when they arrive? they go through checks. there are children elderly. the italians have to sift through that give them what they need urgently and then they have to be relocated. it's been a huge issue. they've been calling on the european union to step in and share the burden. italy called on the different regions to pinpoint the empty buildings and facilities where it can relocate the islands in as soon as they land in the short term basically. >>> to syria, where people are under attack from government forces is i.s.i.l. fighters. more than 100 people are reported dead in aleppo and idlib. the worst violence was

. >>> in sicily 100 migrants arrived in catania, rescued by h m.s.lwark" after being found off the coast. they had travelled in four boats. more than 3,000 african migrants were rescued from the mediterranean over the past 448 hours. >>> syria's media say the military made gains north of damascus after fighting a battle with help from hezbollah. the army seized control. hezbollah fighters helped bashar al-assad's forces to push back opposition fighters including the al nusra front. bashar al-assad has been suffering setbacks in the north-west the turkish border >>> a monitoring group in syria's 17 children were killed in government air strikes. the army bombed three opposition-held villages, killing 39 people. observers say syria used missiles and barrel bombs in the attack. fighting against i.s.i.l. topped the agenda for nato members. the organization needs to find a way to fight the rebels. imran khan has more from turkey. >> reporter: the violence in syria continues as islamic state of iraq and levant says it's taking territory in the east. despit

we have a report on the wave of migrants in catania. >> that figure of 4,000 migrants rescued was announced there has been more rescue operations italians announced they have picked up 300 more people on board three different rubber dinghies or zoed yaks. pat rocks are ongoing 24 -- patrols are ongoing 24 hours a day. the figure of 4,000, could become 5,000, 6,000, or 7,000. what happens to the migrants when they arrive? they go through checks. there are children, elderly. the italians have to sift through that, give them what they need urgently, and then they have to be relocated. it's been a huge issue for italy. since last summer they've been calling on the european union to step in and share the burden. italy called on the different regions to pinpoint the empty buildings and facilities, where it can relocate the migrants as soon as they land in the short term, basically. >>> that was hoda abdel-hamid. 4200 arrived in the past 12 months. 3700 were saved on may 2nd more than 40,000 migrants arriving in italy since the start of year. some 1,770 perished on the journey >>> a massive earthq

"bulwark' " docked off the coast of catania >>> nigeria - two strains of the disease not normally found in the region has surfaced. >> reporter: this is a trail of anguish of a meningitis outbreak. since january the health ministry says more than 400 died and more than 6,000 have been infected. meningitis causes inflammation of the membrane surrounding the prap and spinal cord. it's contagious and children are vulnerable. >> translation: when she was sick with meningitis my thought was the others would get it. that's what i'm worried about, and why i'm asking authorities to help the population that are vulnerable, ones that can't afford to be vaccinated. >> reporter: meningitis out breaks in niger is not uncommon. but doctors without borders say this is worry some caused by two strains of meningitis not usually seen in the region, most are immunized to protect them from a different strain. >> the government has taken necessary measures at the erl stages of the -- early staples of disease by vaccinating 2-15 years old. schools are closed while the vaccination campaign is finished. >> rep

jazeera's stefanie dekker has been in the mediterranean covering the refugee crisis and she joins us from catania. you have been there reporting on the migrant crisis for some time now. you have seen thousands of migrants come into europe. hundreds of them loses their lives along the way. what has stood out for you the most given all of this death, given all of this pain that you have seen? >> i think it's the determination of the people. they all will tell you that they would do it again. of course the situation on the other side in libya is absolutely terrible for them and it is a huge amount of people. when i arrived here, i came off of the plane straight at midnight because there is this flow of people. during the next couple of days we heard rescue after rescue after rescue. the interesting thing is they come to land and that's of course great news but then what happens to them when they get here? we have been following up on those stories in the last few weeks, and it's difficult. it's incredibly different as journalists, we are unbiatsed and need to be straight and report the numbers and s