a court in egypt sentences al jazeera journalists to three years in prison in a retrial widely condemned as a farce. ♪ hello. live in doha. thousands >> something rotten in lebanon. the famed sea front becomes a dumping ground for political paralysis. also, can something as simple as knitting change

migration? we report on the art project in senegal that's trying to do just that. we begin in egypt where a judge sentenced three al jazeera journalists to three years in jail. the guilty verdict just a few hours ago, the retrial. fahmy, baha mohammed and peter greste tried in absentia has dragged on since march. we will be live in cairo in just a moment. first, this report from natasha gname. >> it was a heartbreaking day in court for al jazeera journalists justice denied yet again as they heard the word "guilty." they, along with their colleague, peter greste who was deported earlier this year were sentenced to more prison time.

fahmy and greste three years and mohammed three and a half years for allegedly aiding the now-banned muslim brotherhood. >> it is outrageous, just devastating for me. i mean i know my heart is with them and the others in our case. >> as mohammed and fahmy stood in a sound-proof cage inside the court, the judge said they were not journalists. they were working in egypt without accreditation and they fabricated video material by editing and then airing it. journal accidents inside the courtroom described a tense and angry atmosphere after the verdict in a case that has been called a as far as by analysts across the grab. >> shocked, sick ended, appalled at today's verdict. they were arrested on false charges, convicted without a shred of evidence. they were imprisoned over a year and now, they are going back to prison. it's disgraceful. >> fahmy's attorney says their strategy now is to seek an immediate deportation back to

canada, something he has been attempting to do for months. he even relinquished egyptian citizenship but mohammed has no such option. the conviction will also make it difficult for greste to continue working as a foreign correspondent. >> for us to be convicted as terrorists on no evidence at all is frankly outrageous. it can only have been a political -- for political reasons. >> their legal fight continues. but greste says they need the global community to continue fighting with them by promoting the free aj staff campaign. natasha gname, al jazeera. >> cnn correspondent with us now from cairo . can you in that courtroom describe what it was like? >> just before the judge announced what the actual verdict was going to be, you could tell it wasn't going to be favorable for the journalist.

he was talking about how they were not journalists and how they created a video to -- false videos to damage egypt's image, that they were operating without licenses. he was goithrough a list of thi. i was right in front of mohammed fahmy's wife, marwa. she was breaking down crying, as the judge was reading this out. we were waiting for those years to come out. there were those three years for mohammed fahmy and three and a half for bahar mohammed. there was a lot of shock in the courtroom. people were somewhat optimistic especially since you did have that international condemnation from almost everyone. you also had egypt's president saying that he regretted that this case went forward. you have the technical committee that went over the videos that e videos that done.

>> i would say. >> they thought it was going to be a favorable ruling. the judge came in. before that, they had the two defendants go in to the sound-proof cage, which we have seen time and time again, and

the judge came in. it was a very brief reading of the verdict. we didn't see anything from bahar or fahmy after that. they were in that cage. they were quickly taken away. i talked to his wife afterwards. she said she doesn't know where he has been taken to yet. >> that's the first thing they are going to try to find is what prison he will be going to. he does have medical issues. so that's something that they are going to be pressing on, too, that he should be in a hospital as he was before, before being released but there is a lot of questions today, and i was able to clooney she said they will try to get mohammed released, getting him sent back to canada. you have bahar mohammed who is in prison, too. they will likely appeal this verdict. this would be their last appeal.

>> okay. thank you very much. let's cross to our diplomatic editor james bays in london. you have been monitoring international reaction to that verdict. what's being said? >> i think there is shock at the outcome of this case. diplomats were following this extremely closely that. courtroom it was in, there were also diplomats in there, the canadian ambassador, the dutch ambassador, the u.k. am bass dorm, all watching this verdict. we have some formal reactions that have come fromcapped action f, mohammed fahmy was a canadian national. canada says it's disappointed with his conviction. the statement goes on that senior canadian officials in canada and in cairo are pressing the egyptian authorities on mr. fahmy's case advocating for the same treatment as mr. fahmy as or foreign nationals have received >> a reference to peter greste

that perhaps mohammed fahmy could be sent back to canada. in the last few minutes, i have the first reaction from the united nations from the human rights office of the united nations. i have been speaking to the spokesman for the high commissioner for human rights, rupert:ville. he said we have had huge concerns about this case. we are disturbed by these three sentences and the extra pressure it creates on journalists in egypt who are just trying to do their jobs. >> okay, james. we will leave it there. thank you very much. joining me via skype is alex andra al hassan, he is and she is the head of the middle east desk at reporters without borders. alexandra, you must be shocked. are you surprised? >> hi. yes. we are shocked and alarmed. we were pretty much expecting and demand that this trial end

and charge dropped. after hearing this harsh sentence, this what we call a displaceful political verdict. we were shocked and a bit surprised because it showed that, like, what happened today, the decision of the justice showed that the mounting international pressure did not affect it. >> mounting international pressure is not proving effective. we are just looking at scenes there for part of the social media drive that's been behind the demand for the al jazeera journalists to be freed as well as other journalists. we must stress there were other than journalists in egypt. >> yes. >> what can change things if the international community can't do anything? what do you see is going to be the solution? >> so far, if i say that today, the international pressure of the international community doesn't have any effect on what

happened today, the end of the retrial, it doesn't mean that in the future, sometime t won't have any effect. it won't change things. i mean the international community won't stop it's combat here we will continue pressure. we will continue at some point, i am sure we will have like a -- insist on good result. with he have to continue to hope. >> alexandra, this is second trial. we have had various adjournments and what-have-you. mr. sisi really doesn't care what the international community thinks? does he? >> it's not true. i mean what we have seen from this trial and other examples show that the president sisi is usually very concerned about the image of egypt at the international level. and this trial negatively affected the image of egypt at the international level, and he said he was rather embarrassed

by the first judgment, the first decision in june, 2014, when they were condemned to seven and 10 years of prison. he said they would have -- rather have them deported rather than tried. so, i guess he is not -- he is really affected by the i amage of egypt at the international level and even the decision of today doesn't mean that there is not a possibility, a slight possibility he can issue issue a presidential pardon. >> at ex andra, the future egyptian journalism does not look bright. you say he was embarrassed by this. >> that's all very well. but look at what he has done with his new terrorism law and his effective crackdown on journalism in the country. >> yes. that's correct. i mean what's happening today and the number of people behind bars, it's representative on the crackdown on human rights and more especially on any critical

voices. dissenting voices that don't align with the government's official version like we have seen with this new anti-terrorism law banning any so different version of the official narrative and on reporting about anything related to the national security. >> okay. alexandra, we will leave it there. thank you very much? >> thank you very much. now to thailand, where police are questioning a foreign man they say was likely involved in this month's bombing in central bangkok that killed 20 people. the suspect who had several passports is the first person arrested in connection with the attack at a popular religious shrine. police have been looking for a foreigner seen on security footage leaving a bag at the scene of the blast. but they say it's still unclear if it is indeed the same man. >> tens of thousands of malaysians have gathered in

central kuala lumpar. they want e look toral reform and more tran parents in politics. public outrage has been growing over a multi-million dollar payment made to a bank account in mr. rozak's name. karishma has been monitoring the protes protests. >> reporter: observers believe some 200,000 people if not more attended the rally here on independence square. now, so far, it has been very peaceful. it has been almost festive but message that the protest have come with is very serious. they are demanding clean government, clean elections and a strong parliamentary democracy. they want the right to dissent, to criticize the government when they see fit. now, what all of these demands boil down to is a widespread dissatisfaction with prime minister. >> that's not surprising because over the last few months, he's

been accused of embezzling almost $700 million from a state investment fund. now, he has denied these allegations. he says the money in his account came from private donations. however, from the shear number of people that have turned out today, it's clear that there is widespread dissatisfaction with him. now, protesters are calling for him to step down. in fact, leaders of the protest have said that they want parliament to pas a motion of no confidence against him and the government when parliament meets again in october. this is unlikely to happen according to analysts, but again and again, protesters have told me that all they want is a chance to come out on to the streets and express their dissatisfaction. >> karishma, plenty more

line. you are watching al jazeera. a reminder of top stories. a judge in egypt found three al jazeera journalists guilty, sentenced to at least three years in prison. the men were accused of helping the now-banned muslim brotherhood. al jazeera says the verdict is a deliberate attack on press freedom. police in thailand are questioning a foreign man they say was likely involved in this

month's bombing in central bangkok. it's the first arrest in connection with the attack which killed 20 people. >> tens of thousands of malaysians have gathered calling on prime minister to resign. they want electoral reform and more transparency in politics. activists in lebanon are calling for more anti-government protests in beirut later on saturday. they began more than a month ago when rubbish started to pile up on the streets following the closed you're of the capitol's mainland phil site. as jamal now reports, there is still no lasting solution to the crisis. >> at a glance, it would ab lebanon's rubbish crisis has been solved at least in the upper class neighborhoods. a few minutes' drive away, and you have to start holding your nose. the smell is revolting the rubbish piled on street corners.

after weeks of anti-government protests, authorities appear to be trying to resolve the problem or at least make it go away. >> waste is being taken off of the streets but the question many have been asking is: where to? since the mainland phil is closed. >> take a look at this. meter after meter, rubbish as far as the eye can see. the capitol's waste is being dumped by the sea next to beirut's port. one of the arab world's most famous sea fronts, a symbol of romance is now being lined with rubbish. beirut is surrounded by mountains and greenery from mount lebanon to mount herman, the nature here is breathtaking. but that, too, is under threat. >> we are on top of one of the dozens of mountainses that are scattered around beirut, lebanon's natural has been at that time is one of the things that attracts so many tourists each year. i have to put this mask on

because this scene in front of me. the smell is disgusting. piles of rubbish that authorities have been dumping here for several weeks now. it's important to note that just a couple of days ago, the amount of rubbish here was maybe three or four times as much. local did tell us some of it was burned. others, they claim it was dumped into the sea, but the amount that is still here is huge, and this scene is replicated across several other mountains around beirut. and that's what's putting lebanon's environment and natural habitat at real risk. >> one of the after the activists call okay people to protest on saturday against the government's failure to deal with the rubbish, he is hopeful saturday's demonstration will not only help resolve the issue but usher in a new face for lebanon. >> everyone knows the system they live in is not a good system. even be those who belong to political parties know it clearly and face it all the time. we want to show them they can demand for something now, for

their rights as a lebanon ease citizen living in a nation, the basics you would have in most developed nations at least and it's really as simple at that the is if you don't have the basic standard of living. >> changing the political reality could take years if not hor. at solution has to be found to deal with the country's rubbish because the environmental damage that can be caused could very well be irreversible. jamal, al jazeera beirut. >> more than a month after it began, a military offensive against isil in iraq's western anbar prove ipodates showing few signs of progress. the group controls much of the territory and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced. many have taken refuge in a front line town near baghdad. a report. >> reporter: al falluja, the

state has a presence. the roads beyond this checkpoint lead to isil-controlled areas in north, west and central iraq. this is the only lifeline for those cut off from the rest of the world, but only a few make it out. >> i managed to evening ape but my family is still there. they don't allow people to leave. they tell the people that they should die alongside them. sometimes, they tell you, if you want to leave, you have to leave your women and children behind. >> some 30 on 0,000 people fled when isil captured the proof incial capitol in may. but as fighting intentionfies against isil and government forces, the human crisis is worsening. >> there is fighting and the airplanes are striking. life is difficult. instead of advancing, the army had to pull back. we had to drive in the dessert to reach here. >> many of these people have relatives they left behind. hundreds of thousands are believed to be in

isil-controlled cities and towns while isil may have some support, the majority are trapped. they are hostages. isil uses them as human shields. some pay $500 per person to leave while others have to prove they are sick and need help. >> the mayor of this town is byrd helping those who reach the area but he also has to keep it safe. isil positions are less than a kilometer away. >> anbar has many front lines. one of them is here in a al fallujah, isil has been trying to capture this area but the iraqi army and volunteer fighters from the town have prevented the armed group from advancing. >> most of the rest of the province including the main roads and the border with syria is in isil's hands. it has been using suicide bo bombings, roadside bombs and booby traps making it difficult for the army to break the group's defenses. on the this front line, the main

concern is to protect the capital, baghdad, just a few kilometers away. al jazeera, al fallujah. >> an investigation is underway in bahrain in into a bomb attack that killed a policeman. least at least 7 people including four police officers were injure of the at a shia village west of the capitol. the attack followed a protest against the arrest of political prisoners. tropical storm erica blamed for at least 20 deaths on the island of dominica is beginning to weaken. heavy rains caused severe mudslides. the prime minister says the storm has set the island back

george w. bush >>sten years later, new orleans has invested $40,000,000,000 in new pumping stations and higher flood walls. the system is supposed to offer 100 years of protection and it's a project many are proud of. >> it's been done here is it affords us a greater protection than we have ever had before. before, what we had was a system in name only even in the core zone's words. am i happy with it? absolutely happy with it. >> outside the relative safety of the high-tech levee system in new orleans, it's a different story.

fred everhart grew up in the wetlands of the fertile coast and said it's a unique landscape changing fast. >> that low point was a ditch you couldn't fit this boat in. all that was land. that was all land back there. all they had was one little ditch that run through here, run through that pass over there. this is all going. it's destroyed. >> land loss is a critical issue in louisiana. the state is home to almost half the nation's wetlands. he range of motion is being blamed on oil exploration, storms and bad management. it could have more deadly consequences. >> billions of dollars are already being spent here on coastal restoration projects but they can barely keep up with the pace of land loss. >> that's significant for new orleans because these barrier islands act as a buffer to storms. if they go, it leaves new orleans exposed. >> families like the sareens have been working these waters for generations but feel like their way of life is under threat. john and his father have already

lost 200 acres and say this may just be the start. >> a lot of land. it will eventually be a while. years before but it will go. there is nothing to stop it. >> new orleans now has a state of the affirmative levee system that should prevent katrina-like flooding in the future. what's happening beyond the walls could be the biggest threat in the years to come. new orleans, louisiana. from the remote countryside of senegal, a unique art center is aiming to bring inspiration to local villagers. it's called "the thread." it's ambition is to widen the appeal of modern art away from the hubs of new york, berlin and london. >> a top fashion designer for the paris luxury brand kenzo. she is a resident artist at the thread, an art center in senegal. she didn't know what to expect but then she became inspired by the local fashion. she started knitting hats as

well as muslim skull caps. the unexpected happened. curious young men joined in. >> why not admit my own hats? i mean we are all practicing muslims. we need this to cover our heads. it's fun and utesful. >> she calls this a creative conversation. no words, no judgment. just letting inspiration do the talking. >> my favorite thing about being here is there is hardly any phone reception. there is no internet. you can just turn your phone off and have 100% focus and just being. >> western ngos and development workers have come and gone in this region. it is a brain child of this village doctor. he said people here needless aid more art. >> we have lots of young men uninspired who are dement telled to migrate to europe illegally. they are doing this not just for

money but for the adventure. i hope the art center can remind them adventure can be found at home. >> another resident artist, a film maker with a fashion for the light and the countryside, a passion she wants to share with the villagers. >> this community is not accustomed to visitors, let alone contemporary artists. the people behind the thread believe that this might bring some attention to this area and perhaps elicit some inofficeration for the young men who would otherwise be attempted to travel to europe illegally. >> at firstion villagers didn't know what to make of this creative drive. the village doctor asked the imam for his support. the imaam laughed at the idea artists would want to come here. he gave his seal of approval. the thread has been open for a few months now. there haven't been that many visitors. most come for the power outlet to charge their phone. now and then, young men stop, strike a conversation, and

quitely start admitting. nicholas honk, al jazeera, senegal. >> just to let you know, keep up-to-date with all of the news on our website, aljazeera.com. stay tuned. more shortly. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera" - john lydon, lead singer of "the sex pistols" - the band that ignited a punk rock revolution. >> pain, suffering, the disenfranchised, unnecessary poverty, class warfare, all of these issues bother me greatly. >> he was a man who generated headlines and controversy. famous, of course, for his hit "god save the queen". >> [singing] god save the queen, the fascist regime. >> taking aim at the british monarchy. >> they're an accident of birth, they were born in a birdcage and i feel very sorry for them...