>> this is "d.w. news" live from berlin. tonight, a new migrant disaster in the mediterranean. unconfirmed reports say that several hundred migrants they have lost their lives attempting to reach europe from north africa. also on the show, israeli police say a blast that set two buses alight was caused by a bomb. it comes amid a wave of palestinian attacks against israelis. the lower house of brazil's congress votes to impeach president dilma rousseff. now the political drama moves to the senate which must make the final decision on whether she

stays or goes. brent: i'm brent goff. we start with what appears to be another major migrant tragedy in the mediterranean. unconfirmed reports say that several hundred people may have lost their lives attempting to reach the european union by boat from egypt. germany's foreign minister said it appeared that about 300 people may have drowned. details are still emerging. the first confirmation of the tragedy came from from the italian foreign minister, speaking in luxembourg. this is what he had to say. >> we are looking for more details and information but what

is sure is that we are again with a tragedy in the mediterranean exactly one year after the tragedy we had in the libyan waters one year ago. brent: that was the italian foreign minister talking about this new tragedy on the mediterranean. let's go to our correspondent in luxembourg. what more do we know about this tragedy? what are you hearing from the foreign ministers there? max: brent, people here, foreign ministers, diplomats, are reluctant to confirm anything about that story. it's strange because we don't have official confirmation of what happened. some say that what the italian foreign minister said might have been misunderstood. we know what the german foreign

minister said was in the context ofi heard while driving in the car" so that doesn't seem to be any piece of information. we're still waiting for official confirmation, as well. it seems to be a more complicated story than we expected. brent: it seems the number of migrants that are crossing to italy seems to be increasing. i guess for you it's hard to get any comment from the foreign ministers because it's such a delicate topic right now, isn't it? max: i think this particular incident right here, it's really hard to get confirmation because if it's true, there might be known left to tell the story and obviously those boats, they don't have any official launch date or passenger list or anything like that. what we do know is that the numbers of migrants trying to make it to italy has increased compared to last year. i think the numbers last year in march were something like 2,300

migrants trying to cross the med trainerrian. this year in march it was 10,000. so it was a definite increase. mainly africans trying to make the dangerous crossing over the mediterranean. brent: max, thank you very much. as we heard, european union foreign ministers are meeting and discussing the situations in libya, one of the main stops in the route to europe for african migrants and with the so-called balkan route closed to syrian refugees, conversation are growing they will head for libya. >> those refugees were lucky enough to be rescued. for others, help came too late. today, hundreds drowned in an accident in the mediterranean. in luxembourg, dismay was met with political resolve to tackle the migration crisis with new strategies. following the controversial deal between the e.u. and turkey to keep more mugrants from entering

europe, e.u. officials have libya in their sights. >> we see a clear interest on the european side and also on our african friends' side to strengthen our cooperation, structured mechanism to exchange ideas and ways to have an effective cooperation on the management of the flows. reporter: torn apart by rival governments and militias in civil war, libya requires a lot of healing before it will be in a position to stop migrants from making the dangerous mediterranean journey. that's why france is keen to meet with libya's new government as soon as possible. libya's safety and stability are essential to keep its borders secure because borders are certainly part of the migration issue. that was the subject of a weekend visit to the libyan capital, tripoli.

they say the e.u. should not lose focus on its own responsibilities in dealing with the crisis. of course we have to consider our role in the mediterranean. we have a mandate to inhibit the inhumane activities of people smugglers. today's tragedy makes it even clearer that refugees' routes to safety will change but they won't disappear. brent: let's go back to max hoffman in luxembourg where yoo yoo -- e.u. foreign ministers ar meeting. we hear the number of migrants is increasing. how does the european union plan to stop migrants from attempting to cross the mediterranean? max: the mission they have in place right now, which is called operation sophia, is mainly search and rescue mission so they succeeded, despite the

horrible news we've heard today, they have succeeded in saving more people from the mediterranean in the last months. but the second goal of that operation was to stop the smugglers and that's very difficult to do if you only operate on international waters which they are doing so that is a failure so far. that's why the foreign ministers here today discussed to go to phase 2-b of this operation which would give them the possibility to also operate in territorial waters, mainly off the libyan coast. there won't be a formal decision on that yet. we're expecting that in may or june. if they do that, they might have more to do something against smugglers. brent: you have to wonder to what extent can the european union work with the authorities in libya when there really isn't even a properly functioning government in the country. max: right. there are no authorities at the moment. that's the simple answer to it. that's why, especially the foreign ministers are trying to

do anything they can to help establish some kind of government of unity at the moment. they were hoping for a vote on monday in libya by the parliament, the parliament of national unity, that would have given the ok for the cabinet of the prime minister that's supposed to be the prime minister of the national unity. they have postponed that so that didn't work at the moment. that's bad news for the foreign ministers but they're just going to try to chip away at the rock because as long as they don't have a government or institutions there, there's no one to give them permission and no one they can give money or personnel or training to to try to help the situation in libya. brent: max hofmann in luxembourg. israeli officials say a bomb blast on the bus in jerusalem has injured at least 21, two in critical condition.

the explosion came in the southwest of the city close to the boundary with the israel occupied west bank. two buses were involved, one apparently setting fire to the other. suicide attacks on israeli buses were common during the palestinian uprising a decade ago but have been rare since then. our correspondent tanya cramer is standing by from jerusalem. good evening to you. police have confirmed this was a bomb. what's the latest you're hearing >> that's right, polices have confirmed there was what they described as a small explosive device at the back of the bus which exploded in the early evening in jerusalem. what is unclear, however, is at the moment who placed the device and carried out this attack, who's behind it. there has been no claim from any group or individual. maybe there might not be any claim at all although groups like hamas and islamic jihad in

gaza have welcomed the attack but have not claimed responsibility for it and the police are still investigating in this case. brent: we should stress that we do not know who's behind this attack. but palestinian militants have targeted buses in the past, haven't they? ta nia: they did but it's unclear who and what is actually behind and it certainly does come at a time of heightened tensions in jerusalem. since october, the city has seen a wave of violence but in the past weeks, it was calmer. these pictures of burned buses remind israelis of the days of bus bombings that happened during the second inif a tadda more than 20 years ago and there is a worry that there could be a wave of violence that has not

been seen in jerusalem in many years. we do not know who is behind the attack. brent: there has been an upsurge of violence between palestinians and israelis. why? tania: we've seen a wave of violence at least since october or september last year. it all started more or less with tensions over the holy sites in the old city in jerusalem and then we had stabbings and car rammings and shootings but also demonstrations and protests in the occupied west bank and gaza, mainly palestinian against security forces. this comes on top of the overall failure to find a political solution to this situation and there's no sense that something will change any time soon.

brent: tannia, thank you very much. brazilian president dilma rousseff's last hopes of staying in office may be slipping away. the country's lower house of congress has voted to impeach her over the alleged fixing of government accounts. now there are signs that her support in the senate is also evaporating. that is vital because it has the final say on whether she'll be forced to stand down. brazil's media, as you might expect, are having a field day with this. here's more. reporter: the morning after the president's crushing defeat in congress brought a scathing verdict from brazil's mostly conservative press, one daily calling it a further step towards impeachment, another predicting the beginning of the end for dilma rousseff. her government, however, remains defiant, saying it will challenge the process in the supreme court. it will organize street protests and try to block an impeachment trial in the senate.

i keep on hearing people saying is president rousseff going to resign? the answer is no. a person who believes in causes and fights for them goes until the end of that fight. right now, though, the momentum is with rousseff's opponents who were jubilant sunday evening after a huge majority of deputies voted against the president. thousands of pro-impeachment demonstrators gathered to watch the live broadcast of the results. >> i am happy, the will of the people has been heard. >> getting the president out is just the beginning. this will make it easier to get all the other corrupt politicians out. reporter: rousseff supporters were also on the streets. it was a bitter evening for them. >> we didn't expect this. - that something like this could happen today. this isn't good for anyone, neither for us nor the others. what's to become of brazil now? >> i'm sad and disappointed but

the fight goes on. we've got to look aheadow. poerusseff is accused of fixing government accounts ahead of her re-election in 2014. critics of the impeachment process say what should be a strictly legal process has become a polarizing referendum on her popularity and could set a worrying precedent for ousting unpopular leaders. brent: we'll have more on that coming up. there has been a blow to the already fragile hopes for peace in syria. the main opposition group has suended its involvement in peace talks in geneva. the group says it's absurd to keep talking amid attacks by the government and without more humanitarian access. thisthis as syrian government fs launched air strikes on opposition positions in homs. the stalemate means more misery for those on the ground.

civilians are facing increasing violence, especially in areas controlled by the so-called islamic state. we're going to take a short break. when we come back, i'll have more news.

brent: welcome back. here with "d.w. news" live from berlin, our top story. a new migrant tragedy is believed to have taken place off the coast of egypt. unconfirmed reports speak of several hundred dead. it's thought they were a boat or several boats attempting to reach the european union. german muslim leaders have drawn an angry parallel between one of the country's nationalist parties and hitler's nazis. the backlash has been sparked by calls from the alternative for germany party to ban minarets and burqas, warning that islam is incompatible with the german

constitution. berlin has refused to get involved with the debate. here's more. >> if the a.f.d. had its way, the construction of minarets would be banned, so would the wearing of the full-face veil but a spokeswoman for the party insists the a.f.d. calls for religious freedom, including for muslims. however, she was quoted in a newspaper saying "islam is not combatable with the -- compatible with the german constitution." she has backing with her deputy. >> we have a clear separation of religion and state. islam rejects this separation and i think it's incompatible with our constitution. reporter: it's not clear to what extent the a.f.d. would restrict the practice of islam in germany but such statements do not sit well with the head of germany's main muslim association. >> i have to say, for the first

time in this career since the time of hitler, there's a political party set on being completely opposed to a religious community. reporter: chancellor merkel fears such advances by a politician poses threat to religious freedom in germany. >> we have a basic right to religious freedom enshrined in the constitution and that, of course, applies to muslims living in our country, as well. reporter: the alternative for germany will take it up at the end of the month in stuttgart where party leaders will decide what form restrictions on islam could take. brent: australia looks to be heading for early parliamentary elections. the prime minister, malcolm turnbull is, expected to call for what's called a double dissolution election after a labor reform bill was twice

blocked by the senate. turnbull previously said voters would go to the polls july 2 if the bill failed to pass. a south african court has postponed the sentencing of oscar pistorius. the former olympic returner faces at least 15 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend three years ago. he was originally found guilty of culpable homicide but south africa's supreme court upgraded the conviction to murder. time now for business news. black gold, not looking quite so glittery. reporter: we're talking all prices -- oil prices plunged on monday after the opec ministers' meeting failed to reach agreement on reduction. tensions between iran and saudi arabia blocked the deal and shares in energy companies and some commodity dependent currencies tumbled.

the meeting of opec nations over the weekend was aimed at reaching a deal on capping oil production to boost global prices but the talks in doha collapsed without agreement, becoming a symbol of ongoing paralysis. at the end of the meeting, qatar's energy minister announced that opec members needed more time for further negotiations. the next round is set for june. some analysts blame the failure of the talks on the growing tensions between iran and saudi arabia, as they each try to assert their influence in the middle east. >> opec is not disciplined. they can't even agree on a cut in production to january levels. this is problematic especially because iran and saudi arabia can't work together. reporter: every day, one to two million barrels of excess crude is being produced, leading to a market glut. since mid 2014, prices have

tumbled 60%. the loss of revenue is wreaking havoc on many opic -- opec countries. reporter: one may wonder why financial markets didn't really care. we'll talk to our financial correspondent on wall street. markets made gains on monday. e e e e e e e pric of oil? has this become irrelevant? >> first of all, what an emotional ride. first there was hope that an agreement would be achieved and then this huge disappointment early on, monday, oil prices sold off, lost 4% and by the end of the day, oil prices were only lower 1%. actually, oil stocks were among the bigger winners and for the first time since july of last year, the dow jones industrial

average across. i talked to so many people and there was a lot of skepticism if there would be big chances of an agreement the past weekend and then besides the failed attempt to production freeze, there is the feeling that we might have seen the bottom of oil prices. does not mean we might not fall back to $30 a barrel or so but the talk that we might go as low as $20 or lower, nobody really expects that. reporter: it's earnings season in the u.s. and the data from that definitely affects markets in the u.s. what can you tell us about the numbers? >> certainly, so far in the past a couple of days, we've gotten numbers of the big u.s. financial institutions and as expected, all of the major banks reported profit decrease but not

as big as feared. that's why financial stocks did rather well. on tuesday, we will get numbers from goldman sachs and then we will get a lot of numbers from bread and butter companies like mcdonald's, coca-cola, and caterpillar and there we will see the impact of the rather strong greene -- greenback and then we'll get numbers from netflix that didn't look so shiny, the initial reaction dropped 12%. reporter: thank you very much for the latest figures. to argentina now. argentina is back on international markets after 15 year absence. the move comes after new president agreed to terms with bondholders who have rejected the payment terms of the country's debt restructuring, nicknamed the holdout. argentina offered $10 billion to $15 billion in bonds. interest was strong and orders

said to be running at 55 billion dollars soon after opening. the proceeds will be used to help pay off the bonds. the question, to leave the e.u. or stay, the question millions of britons will be faced with heading to the polls this june. the country's finance minister has joined the likes of prime minister david cameron in campaigning for staying in the european union. >> the least disruptive brexit option for britain would see the british economy shrink 4%, drastically reducing funding for public services and even brits would feel the pinch. >> britain would be permanently poorer outside of the european union to the tune of $4,300 pounds per household, something people will want to know as they

consider how to vote. as chancellor, i'm clear we would be stronger, safer and better off inside the european union. reporter: trading less, doing less business and receiving less investment, this would be the outcome, osborne argues, if britain leaves the union. he warns that if the u.k. decides to cut ties with the world's biggest trading bloc, wages will decline and prices will rise. the fast approaching e.u. membership referendum set for june 23 sees the island nation divided. until recently, the british public was evenly split but the latest poll shows a slight majority in favor of staying in the e.u. fanny: a story about a dog that is becoming increasingly famous in australia. brent: it's a case dubbed the war on terrier. australian prosecutors have handed the wife of johnny depp a lenient sentence for illegally importing two dogs into the country. amber heard was accused of

providing a false immigration document for two yorkshire terriers named pistol and boo. >> facing up to 10 years in prison. she marked "no" on an immigration form that asked if she had animals with her. the judge gave her a one-month good behavior bond and no conviction record. the couple recorded an apology statement from the courthouse. >> australia is a wonderful island with a treasure trove of unique plants, animals and people. >> that has to be protected. >> australia is free of many pests and diseases common place around the world. that is why they have to have strong biosecurity laws. reporter: this story began last may. heard claimed she thought her assistants sorted out the paperwork for the two dogs. both dogs flew home after agricultural minister said they would be put down unless they

were buggered off to america. he now seems satisfied with the judgment. >> i'm happy ms. heard has admitted that she was wrong and as such, that clearly shows that our position in pursuit of this was correct. brent: after a short break, i'll be back to take you through the day.

michelle: hello and welcome to "focus on europe," where we take you behind the headlines and discuss the stories affecting the people across this great continent. i'm michelle henery. thank you for joining us. on today's show -- taking the taboo out of domestic violence in france. poland's political horse trading. and ukraine's eurovision entry hits a historical note. with the explosive revelations from the panama papers, where big name financial groups, political elites and even soccer stars were helped to hide cash in offshore havens, it's no surprise that the public is angry.