♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. tonight, the british prime minister and the rest of the european union. what will it take to say yes to a brexit delay? theresa may is in negotiations at this hour but it is clear that any eu offer will come with strings attached. an agreement will have to be reached by next week and that could be impossisible for the

prime minister to deliver. also, new zealand's prime minister announces a ban on semi automatic weapopons after the deadly shootings inn christchurch. only top security personnel will be allowed to carry such firearms in the future. and rescuing people from the devastating floods in mozambique. tens of thousands are still without food and shelter and more rain is in the forecast. brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin with the story dominating the political agenda in europe, brexit and how to delay it. british prime minister theresa may is in brussels on a mission. she is scrambling to avoid a no deal brags it -- brexit, and is

currently in negotiations with other eu leaders. they have now said in a draft statement that they would be prepared to hand britain a brexit -- a short brexit delay but that would come with strings attached. british parliament would have to ratify the brexit deal they have rejected twice already by the end of next week. theresa may spoke to the media when she arrived.. ms. may: what is imimportant is that we deliverer brexit for the british pepeople. i sincecerely hope we c c do tht withth adl. -- a deal and that parliament can agree on the deal so that we cacan leave in an orderly way. what matteters is that we h honr the vote of the british people. what matters is that we recognize that brexit is the

decision of the british people. brent: let's take this to brussels. it looks like theresa may may have been able to clench the delay, but different dates, different times are being thrown around right now. what do we know so far? max: confirmed is that the dates are being heavily discussed. actually, not really, because they have taken a break to continue the discussion during a working dinner. there are different models floating around but they seem to be trying to take back control. they have realized, it seems, that the house of commons will not pass the withdrawal agreement even if it is put before them a third time. you remember, it has already failed twice. what good would it be to try to

fail again in a special summit that would literally be the last day to try to change anything. we are hearing that they are discussing a f flex tension. this would mean extending until may 7 without any conditions. by the 11th of april, the u.k. would have to signal if they intend to take part in the european elections that take place in may. if they do, that would mean a longer extension, which would give the u.k. a chance to sort things out. if not, then that would be the end of the line. may 7. brent: you have to wonder if an extension will really make a difference in the eyes of the other eu leaders. do they think theresa may can deliver what they want?

max: i think the trust level regarding theresa may in this building is very, very low. but we don't know whether theresa may will be the prime minister when those new deadlines, should they be confirmed, approach. it seems like the only solution at this point is may a different prime minister or that the house of commons decides they will participate in european elections, and then everything is possible, a referendum, european elections, all those things. if not, the new scenario is may 7. if this really is the deadline, keep that in mind, than it seems like a new deal brags it is the outcome. it seems like both sides should prepare for a no deal brexit. brent: thank you. we will be checking in with you later this evening. while politicians on both sides

of the brexit negotiations wind up the rhetoric, european citizens in the u.k. do not know what will happen to them. will it be a hard brexit, soft brexit, or no brexit at all? more than 3 million people will be affected, some of whom have been calling the u.k. home for decades. >> she returns home just like she does every school day. but her routine is about to be totally overturned because of brexit. >> i have had to m make decisios in terms of whether to stay in my job and relocate or try to find another job in england. >> karen is from estonia and works for the european medicines agency. at the begeginning of march, thy relocated to amsteterdam because printed -- because britain is leleing the e eu. >> i like my job. i enjoy what i dodo.

i took the decision that i want to relocate with my employer because i have been working for them for quite some time already. >> so, it's a move to amsterdam, but life will be complicated. karen needs to keep a foot in the u.k.. after she broke up with their father, their father insists the children conontinue to visit hi. >> as a result of brexit, i had to start thinking about my futurere. >> the prime minister has offered status to europeans already living in britain, but they have to apply. a lobby group fighting for eu cicitizens rights sees h huge security.. >> people e are depressed. they are sad, upset, angry. no o one can make plans.

they don't know where theirir jb wiwill go. they don't know if they cann bringg pounds into the country. if there is a cliff's edge and a couple of weeks time, we don't know what the status is. >> she hopes things can still turn out all right. >> fighting and lobbying to keep citizens out of the rain. rain proof and windproof. maybe they will help keep 3.6 million drive. >> there is still no recipe for brexit, but karen has made her decision. she needs income security as a single mother. paperwork for passports for the children must come later. >> i am sad to be leaving because we are seled here.. but brexit doesn't leave you

many choices. are you going to go too amsterdadam? you want to? are you going to learn another language? brent: it would be a major shift in u.s. foreign policy toward the middle east. u.s. president donald trump tweeted his support for recognizing golan heights as a part of israel. he tweeted -- after 52 years it is time for the united states to finally recognize israel's sovereignty over the golan heights. israel took golan heights from syria in a six days war back in 1967. the area has been occupied by israel ever since. to the annexation has not been recognized by the international community. this is a major boost for israel he prime minister benjamin netanyahu who faces reelection

in just two weeks. this is what he had to say a few hours ago. mr. netanyahu: president trump has just made history. i called him. he did it again. first, he recognized jerusalem as israel's capital and move to the embassy. then he pulled sanctions. he did something of equal importance. he recognized israel's sovereignty over golan heights. brent: our correspondent is in washington. good evening to you. this decision does fit in with trump's foreign policy toward israel. what about the timing of this announcement? why now?

>> as you just said, benjamin netanyahu is in the middle of his reelection campaign and this will help him enormously. he can say not only did i make the u.s. except jerusalem as our capital, but golan heights as an israeli territory. basically, he can tell the israeli government this is a good moment to push for this. the united states under donald trump has been very supportive of israel during the last two years. just today, we had foreign minister mike pompeo visiting the western wall in jerusalem for the first time. also the first time of an american official of high rank visiting the western wall. a move very celebrated by the prime minister. he called the white house. he will visit donald trump next

week in the white house and that is probably when we will hear the official declaration of the united states excepting golan heights as an israeli territory. brent: what effect will this announcement have for the security situation in the region? >> it will once more empower israel and the israeli government. israelel becamame nervous w whep anannounce hee wouldld pull u.s. troops out of f syria. ss bilotta in pticuculawould bebe abl to ve clolo -- hezblah i in paicularar w wld be able t move c close to the iseli bord. inlligence sererces came o with iormamati recentltly that has below -- hezbollah was trying to set up a network near golan heights. this raised the question, how

much leverage with the united states have in the future when trying to negotiate, to act as a mediator between israel and in the middle east conflict in particular. brent: oliver, thank you. here are s some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the former p president of brazil has been arrested in connection with a large-scale corruption investigation. prosecutors say he was arrested on charges related to graft and the construction of a nuclear power plant. he was president from 2016-2018. he has denenied any wrongdoing. people have died and been injured in a blast in kabul. police say the bombs were detonated remotely. venezuelans have reportedly

arrested the chief of staff of the opposition leader. he was taken into custody during a raid on his caracas homome. the u.s. and other countntries recognize the interim president and have warned venezuelans -- venezuela's government not to arrest him or his aides. now to fast-moving decisions following a terror attack last week. the prime minister, jacinda ardern, has announced a ban on military style assault weapons that will be in place next month. this follows shootings at two mosques in the city of christchurch. 50 people were killed. >> one of the many vigils taking place across new zealand thihis week. as the country continues to come to terms with its worst match -- worst mass shooting, it is also

taking radical steps to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. >> today, i am announcing that syria will ban all military style weapons, all parts with the ability to convert semi automatic or other types of firearms intnto military style t out a medic weapons. >> the lone gugunman whoho opend fire on worshiperss at two mosques was armed with semi automatic rifles. he is believed to have modified them with high-capacity magazines to make them fire faster. from now on, this along with assault rifles will be banned in new zealand. those who owned such weapons will have to turn them into the police. >> we want to do everything we can to ensure that people get to bring their firearms, to surrender them to us, and to make that possible land possible

quickly. >> new zealanders in christchurch and across the country have largely welcome to the change asas a necessary step to keep their communities safe. >> i think it is a stetep in the right direction. something must change. i know some peoplple could seeee this as a reaction because of one pererson. the consequences and what we have seen are terrible and something must change. >> hopefully nothing like this will happen again. i hope the gun laws will stop it from happening again. >> the two mosques will reopen their doors on friday. brent: rescue workers in mozambique have widened the search for survivors of the powerful cyclone that ripped through southern africa one week ago, causing devastating floods and turning the worst hit area into an inland sea. more than 240 people are

confirmed dead and several thousand more still need to be rescued. search efforts have been hampered by broken infrastructure and more rain is expected in the coming days. across the border in zimbabwe, the situation is just as bad. it was also badly hit by cyclone idai. >> this elderly man died when a mudslide crashed his home. >> i am in pain. my father-in-law had a painful death. the house collapsed because of the cyclone. it is hard to accept that he died that way. we are fortunate that our mother survived. she was rescued alive. >> the official death toll from cyclone idai stands at around 100, but hundreds more are feared dead.

people are worried they won't have a body to bury with reports of corpses floating downstream into neighboring mozambique. flash floods and landslides swept through the region, leaving piles of rubble behind. >> desperate moments and a desperate situation for the community in the eastern part of zimbabwe. this community was the hardest hit when cyclone idai swept through. you see some of them have lost their entire belongings and they have nothing they are still holding on to. brent: and nothing to do -- >> and nothing to do but wait. >> we have nothing to help ourselves.

>> this disaster is heartbreaking. my only consolation is that my family and i are alive. >> help is patchy. roads and bridges that have not been swept away are often still impassable. helicopters are helping the critically injured when they can. low clouds mean thehey can only fly occasionally. >> everything is covered in mud. >> doctors say they are seeing wounds turn septic because it is taking so long to reach the injured. for those seeking help, it's a race against time. brent: chinese president xi jinping has started a five-day tour of europe that will take him to italy, france, and

monaco. his plane touched down today. italy is seen as an infrastructure initiative as its ports and roads provide access to markets. xi will meet with angela merkel and jean-claude juncker in paris. you are watching ew -- dw news. still to come, how this became a rare opportunity for employment four people with special needs. africa's most industrialized economy is struggling to keep the lights on. 95% of south africa's electricity is provided by best comp. the state owned company has long had problems meeting africa's power demands. this latest crisis involves long stages of power blackouts.

we have a report on the impacts. >> the beer is warm and the meat is slowly spoiling. that means business at this restaurantnt in johannesburg is slow. >> we are losing a lot of customers because we have no electricity. quite south africa's main electricity supplier can't provide enough power to meet the country's needs. blackouts last several hours across the country, leaving businesses like this leather restorer working in the dark. >> if we don't make money, how can we live? >> even simple things like filling up a car with a tank of fuel doesn't work if there is no electricity to pump the petrol. luckily for drivers, this

station has a generator as a backup, but it's a pricey alternative for business. >> i if i it goes on like thihie willll really be a affected in g way. luckily, we have a generator. we are self-sustaining. but it's something we didn't budget four. >> keeping south africa's economy pumping will prove difficult if it can't keep the power on. brent: today is world down syndrome day. one child in every thousand across the world is born with a genetic condition. many still struggled to integrate fully into society. but there are exceptions. that takes us to a cafe in tehran. there you can get a cup of coffee and a lesson in the benefits to society of offering people with down syndrome the chance to work.

>> he is completely in his element, serving cappuccinos to the guests in this cafe. waiting tables is his first job and the 40-year-old is loving every second of it. >> i like the cafe. it is big. it's nice and warm. that is why i'm so grateful to the owner. every night when i go to bed, i thank her. >> he and the others who work here have little chance finding work elsewhere. iran's job market is in such a bad state that over one third of college graduates are unemployed. for people with special needs, it has become nearly impossible to find work. >> for most of those people, there is nothing to do once they finish school.

they just go home. but we are here to convince them they have other abilities. it is not just good for them, but for their families. they are often sad because they cannot do anything, but here, they can show just what they are capable of. >> more than 40 people living with down syndrome or autism work here regularly. everybody pitches in doing what they can, bringing coffee, waiting tables, or entertaining the guests with music. they all get paid for their work except for the cafe owner. she runs a deficit every month. there are very few government programs to support projects like this one in the islamic republic. >> we have never received support from any kind of organization. it is a completely independent

project, founded and financed privately. we are totally self dependent. >> giving up is not an option. every day, she sees how much of this work means to the others. >> i used to just be with my father. i lived with him, but now he is dead. but father, look at me now. i finally made it. i am famous, and i go through life with my head raised high. see? >> with their positive attitude, these colleagues have created an attitude and atmosphere found nowhere else -- have created an atmosphere found nowhere else in the islamic republic. no other cafe in iran could get away with this level of her violet he. they are making the best of being a little bit different and have transformed the cafe into a place that is bursting with

positivity. brent: to sports news. he has been a key man in manchester united's resurgent, but -- resurgence, but how long will he remain a red? >> i have always said realal madrid is a dream club for everyone. it i ione of the biggest clubs in the worldld. the coach i is a dream for e evy kid, for every player. at the moment, i am in manchester. i am playing. and we have a new coach. brent: a new croatian invention, the electric surfboard. four engineering graduates have worked on this watersports

revolution for two years. it allows users to surf without the need for waves. once the point? some might ask -- what is the point, some might ask. it will be available on beaches this summer. hm. here is a reminder of the top stories we are following. theresa may is in brussels, locked in negotiations with european leaders over delaying brexit. european leaders are suggesting a delay can only be granted if parliament approves a deal next week. ew -- dw news continues after a short break. i will be back to take you through the day. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]