>> hello and welcome to "focus on europe." it's nice to have you here with us. desperation is driving more and more people to europe, many attempt to reach the continent via the dangerous crossing of the mediterranean sea. every week, thousands of people entrust their lives to unscrupulous smugglers, paying huge sums of cash for passage in boats that are barely seaworthy. their goal is a better future. but time and time again, refugees and migrants find themselves in distress at sea, with dramatic, and sometimes

tragic, consequences. one of the people who's borne witness to those tragedies is vincenzo luciano, an italian fisherman. he has spent his whole life near the sea. when a boat broke apart within sight of his hometown, something inside him broke, too. of the roughly occupants, only 180 half could be rescued from the water. many italians were horrified and more and more angry with the european refugee policy that fails to prevent tragedies like the one on the calabrian coast, near crotone. reporter: calamity has struck the coast of calabria. strong winds bring more bodies near land, weeks after one of the deadliest shipwrecks near italy's shores in a decade. diving teams carry the remains to the coroner. at least 80 people are known to have died. local fisherman vincenzo luciano is still in shock. he's been helping search teams navigate the waters he knows

well. vincenzo was among the first on the scene that fateful day. >> i saw a child, when i picked him up and laid him down on the shore, he was already dead. his eyes were still open. i'm angry at myself. if i hadn't had a coffee, i could have arrived 5 minutes earlier and saved him. i am shaken, that morning changed my whole life. reporter: among the sand and shells at his feet, objects that outlived their owners. around 180 migrants and asylum seekers tried to reach italy from turkey, but their overloaded boat broke apart near the coast. one tragedy too many, says vincenzo. thousands have drowned in recent years trying to reach europe. vincenzo has been fishing for

almost four decades. but now his nets lie empty, and his boat doesn't budge from dry land. >> i cannot go back out to sea -- i can't handle it. images of those dead bodies keep coming to my mind and i can't bring myself to cast out my fishing nets out. i just can't. reporter: hasib has seen the bodies too. he survived the shipwreck and is paying his respects at this makeshift morgue in the local sports hall. he still cannot forget the panic, screams and prayers of that night at sea when afghans, syrians and iranians lost their lives. two of hasib's friends died. >> everyone was drowning. so was i. the ship broke into pieces. i grabbed onto a piece of wood. this wood was a gift from god.

i will never forget that day. i think i was born again. reporter: hasib hopes to one day start a new life, maybe in germany, but under european union law, people have to claim asylum in the country where they first arrive. for years, the bloc has been at odds over if, and how, to reform those rules and some say tragedies like the one near crotone are a result of failed policy. disasters at sea created on land. as night falls over calabria, francesca rocca is carrying out her evening ritual -- serving up food to undocumented migrants and others in need. she says there simply aren't enough legal ways to enter the eu. >> the government really needs to get better at welcoming migrants. they don't view immigration as a positive thing, they say they need to cut down migration

flows, instead of helping people arrive. reporter: italian prime minister giorgia meloni, from the far-right brothers of italy party, met with relatives of the victims in the aftermath of the tragedy. she says her government is not to blame. >> my conscience is clear. what we are seeing is that the more people leave, the more people put themselves in the hands of cynical smugglers, the greater the risk that something goes wrong. rome is pushing ahead with controversial laws to restrict search and rescue operations run by non-profit groups, arguing they encourage people to make these dangerous journeys. critics warn this could result in more people drowning, but local mayor antonio ceraso says it's the right approach.

>> this problem must at least become a european problem. italy alone cannot bear all of this. it's true italy lends itself more than other nations to boat arrivals, but it is clear that all these people do not want to stay in italy, they want to move to other countries. reporter: vincenzo doesn't know if, or when, he'll muster the courage to start fishing again. he keeps retracing the steps of this trauma, trying to move forward. >> a mother came to see me because she learned i was among the first rescuers. one of her daughters was already dead, but she begged me to find the other one. so i'm coming back, going up and down the shores every single day, night and day, until i find the body.

reporter: vincenzo wants calabria to draw a line in the sand under this catastrophe. but after years of debate, eu countries are yet to reach a deal on the overhaul to asylum policy many say is urgently needed, since the shipwreck, hundreds more migrants have arrived in italy in small boats. and dozens have gone missing or drowned while attempting the crossing. >> italy has taken in almost three times as many refugees compared to the same period one year ago. >> of the millions of people who fled the war in ukraine, many found refuge in austria, often with only the bare necessities at hand: no language skills, and dwindling bank accounts. in vienna, though, some got immediate assistance, from the american expad tanja meier, who was waiting for them at the central train station. she has supported thousands of ukrainian refugees, and made a

name for herself in the process. reporter: in case anyone doubts that one person can make a difference, ask ukrainian refugees in vienna for whom one name has become a lifeline: tanja. find tanja maier, they say. she will help you. that's the advice lilia was given by another refugee as she deposited her teenage son in vienna alone before returning to the frontline in ukraine. >> she said, tanja, will help my son. this is my one child and i don't want that he was killed in this war. reporter: tanja maier found herself in this role somewhat by accident. despite an earlier career in investment banking, for years she had mostly been a stay-at-home mom. then russia invaded ukraine. >> february 24th, i woke up, burst into tears, cried the whole morning, and then kind of just started following what was

happening. someone wrote to me, "hey tanya, , if you're in vienna, you should go help at the train station. go there. they need russian or ukrainian speakers." reporter: fluent in russian, maier helped ukrainians arriving in vienna, many of whom had just a few belonging in plastic bags and little if any cash. she started buying things for people out of her own pocket but the level of need quickly became overwhelming. refugees were stuck in the arrival center for many weeks instead of the envisioned three days, and as long as they were there, they could not start getting financial assistance. >> the state response was super slow and completely chaotic, and they were waiting months to get any money from the austrian government. reporter: that's where the idea was born to crowdfund grocery cards of 50 euros each. together with some volunteers, tanja maier created a website and started pleading for funds on social media. she puts every penny into the gift cards mailing many by hand, and posting photos of the food recipients buy. so far about 4,000 cards have been delivered. >> i was so grateful and i wrote her, tanja, thank you so

much. because 50 at that very time was a big amount of money. you know, when you came here and you don't have money, you don't know what is going on. reporter: iryna says maier's gift card was the first "hand of help" she and her children got in austria. >> kids, what a surprise. it's like happy birthday party! it's so fun for the first time -- it is so important for us in the first time because you are so lost. >> it's impossible. where are people supposed to get that money from? reporter: vassily says tanja maier also helped him find housing, when he and his mother were homeless. now he volunteers as her online group administrator. >> a lot of people need help and like tania can't do everything by her own. so i mean there is not enough resources. she's like only one person. reporter: but maier is far from alone. train of hope, an ngo set up originally to help with the large inflow of migrants in 2015, has provided food,

clothing, space and activities for an estimated 135-thousand refugees so far. but the organization also says it's a shame these tasks are falling to volunteers, again. >> you could have learned a lot, looking back at what happened in 2015, what was needed by the refugees and how it all evolved. but we failed in 2022 when the ukrainians were coming that while the ngos and civil society had done their homework, most of the management of public administration didn't. reporter: most refugees here expressed gratitude to the austrian government, but some also feel the initial welcome has worn out. this group of people with disabilities and severe illness lives in a building that will be closed next month, and they haven't been told what happens next. >> now they're going to move us all and we're all really scared. what if they move us all to different places, how will we help each other? who is going to help us? reporter: for many, the answer to that question is, again, tanja.

but she explains that she too has been helped by her project. >> i always felt a little bit like i've been a bad example to my kids, because i haven't had a "job job" in so long, but i also feel like i've been a really good example this year. i've taught them that you can do something as one person. they've all volunteered themselves to do conversation practice with ukrainian kids their own age. that makes me really proud. reporter: tanja maier says she'll continue helping the refugees until the money stops coming in. but that's not today. her phone is buzzing with new requests and new donations, and people are counting on "tanja" to make it to the mailbox. >> france is in turmoil. millions have taken to the streets against president emmanuelle macron. the pension reform stipulates that french people should work two years longer in the future, up to the age of 64.

but polls show that the majority of france, does not agree with that decision. alicia, a student, takes to the barricades not just as an act against the new retirement laws. like many others, she's demonstrating because she feels she's not being taken seriously at all, not by the government, nor by the french president. [protestors chanting] reporter: alicia never misses a protest. like millions of french citizens, the 19-year-old wants to prevent the government from pushing through its pension reforms. she wants people to be able to retire at 62. >> in some countries it's 67. that is a lot. for me, this is historic. it's one of the biggest social mobilizations in the past 70 years, since may 68. and against pension reform. the people have to be heard. reporter: the atmosphere in paris is

half festival, half revolution. me banks have boarded up their windows. they're scared of paving stones and of the population's anger against president emmanuel macron. alicia, a law student, says he's behaving like a monarch. she's angry that his government bypassed parliament when they raised the retirement age to 64. >> they don't want to back down. there's neither compromise nor debate. even the unions are being ignored. that's the problem. reporter: for months, the president has been trying to convince the french that the pension system needs more funds. >> do you think i'm enjoying this reform? today, there are 17 million pensioners, in 2030, there will be 20 million. do you think we can continue with these rules? reporter: but according to polls, two-thirds of the french are against this reform. they are worried about their future. ♪

>> if you've already worked 44 years, like me, there are other things to do than work. life is already relatively short. [protestors chanting] reporter: these protesters sing that macron has declared war on them, as have the police. a reference to the tough policing of the protests. >> it's my mum calling, yes, it was my mother. she's always worried when i go to a protest. reporter: many french economists are behind the president and think that the demands of the protesters are absurd. but some political scientists argue that there are other ways of financing the pension schemes. some are looking to other eu states for comparison. >> in france, the working conditions for many employees have worsened. they say they can't keep up,

because the pressure is so big. in germany on the other hand, working conditions have improved, in industry for example. reporter: many protesters say they are being exploited by the political system, by the economic system, by industry. some more radical ones are ready to fight. this protester wanted to remain anonymous. >> all social rights were more or less acquired through violence. having to fight for them legitimizes violence to some extent. >> i support them. the young people are angry. i'm old, i'm retired. but i'm also very angry. >> this anger is shared by tens of thousands. at the place de l'opera, the situation escalated. some garbage was even set on fire. the garbage has been piling up in paris as the collectors are also against the reform and have gone on strike.

the situation is chaotic, but alicia will continue to fight for a better future. or at least until the president drops this reform. >> it happened in a matter of minutes: tens of thousands of buildings in turkey were damaged or destroyed by severe of those who were lucky enough to escape to safety, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes forever. one place that was hit especially hard was the city of iskenderun. since the earthquakes, many families have been living in tents provided by the state disaster protection agency - including children like bünjamin. his life is one lived in a state of emergency, with no solution in sight. reporter: >> nemo, the goldfish, could be saved. his aquarium seems a little lost in the middle of the tent. "mama, should i give him one or two?", says 9-year-old bünjamin. the fish is a welcome distraction, a familiar friend

in the new normal. >> allah saved our fish, but the other one died. maybe it was just too much for it. one fish died and the other one lived. reporter: bünjamin and his family survived the earthquake but their house is no longer safe to live in. for now, they are living in a temporary camp, along with 2 thousand other people. the parents talk as little as possible about the earthquake, but the children talk about little else. >> when we ran out of the house, my heart was pounding. i was very scared that our house was going to fall on us. >> i'm starting to remember everything again, but that

night it was like watching a film. reporter: their father muhammed reads prayers for his relatives out of the qu'ran. many of them died in the earthquake. the children know this as well. no one has been able to mourn properly. how can they when they're living in the midst of disaster? >> i haven't been able to cry since then. it's not good, but i just keep it all inside. >> it's very hard to hold the family together and still be strong. reporter: to take their minds off things, hüseyin takes his brother bünjamin to the playground. this was rare in their old lives. the siblings suffer from a bone disease and have to be very careful. a few carefree moments are so important now. this is the case for everyone,

says the psychologist, who looks after the children in the camp. >> children are very afraid it will happen again, because there are still tremors. there was another one last night. many here have lost family and friends, so of course they are very frightened. many children get scared when their parents leave them alone, even when they're just going to the toilet. reporter: the earthquake was weeks ago, but bünjamin and hüseyin know now that their old life is over. >> i really miss mom waking me up in my soft bed. >> it's not cozy here. no matter what, i'll never feel the way i did in my old bed. reporter:

many earthquake survivors report never getting over their fears, even decades later. dancing doesn't help either, but it does distract the children a little and make them laugh. that alone is a huge triumph. >> every day is a little better. the children play games and are beginning to trust us. you can see them laughing, which they couldn't do before. reporter: very few here, including bünjamin's family, know what comes next. should they stay here in the camp and wait, or try to start a new life in a strange city? the thought is painful. >> we were so happy that our last payment on the apartment was due next month. >> it was finally going to be ours. now it's all gone.

>> i try not to think about it. i play with my teddy bear pofuduk to forget. reporter: pofuduk, a pink friend given to bünjamin here in the camp, helps him forget the earthquake just a little. >> have you ever had someone tell you you look like someone else? it might be a film star or a politician. but what happens if the person you look similar to, does something you don't want to be associated with anymore? like, this guy here. vladimir putin has a lookalike who lives in poland, and who is anything but happy about what his own doppelgänger has come to represent. reporter: coffee with putin, or rather with slawomir sobala, the russian president's polish lookalike. sobala says he would never be confused for putin. the position of the eyes, yes,

and maybe the lips. but it's really the movements that matter, putin's characteristic posture. for example, his stride. >> from the waist down, putin walks like a model: legs symmetrical, buttocks tense. from the waist up, he marches like a soldier, that is, the left hand swings and the right hand is steady. because kgb officers carry their weapons on the right side, and they have to be able to reach them quickly. reporter: sobala runs a transportation company as his main occupation. for a long time, being putin was more of a hobby. that is, until the full-scale russian invasion of ukraine last year. that was a turning point for him too. , >> of course, i don't agree with what putin is doing.

his present way of doing politics. there's no excuse for such a thing. no one should accept conflicts in which people die. reporter: sobala used to star in funny commercials all over the world, he even performed in a musical. but he believes it would be in poor taste now. he's become cautious and says he's been insulted multiple times. he, or rather his lookalike, isn't even welcome in his own hometown, wroclaw, >> who does this man look like? putin! evil putin. that creep. that horrible man. >> ugh. i don't even want to look at him. is that putin, or someone else? reporter: sobala's career as a lookalike began 11 years ago. people kept tell him he looked like putin, so he got in touch

with a photographer of doppelgangers. those were different times, he says now. people used to enjoy having their picture taken with him. but last year, sobala distanced himself from putin on his homepage. >> i'm the only person performing professionally as putin who does not live in russia but in a free and democratic country. i will use this freedom to mock this despot and his regime. it is the only way i can help the people of ukraine. long live free ukraine! reporter: now, sobala selects his projects carefully. he doesn't want to fool around anymore, he only wants serious and critical roles. >> kinda leaves him playing the role of the villain. that was focus on europe for this week, thanks for watching. on behalf of the whole team, have a safe week ahead, and bye for now. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its

caption content and accuracy, visit ncicap.org] ♪

♪ nicole: this is "dw news," live from berlin. the world'sthe craft is designee humans back to the moon, and one day onto mars. also coming up, nato chief jens stoltenberg makes his first visit to ukraine since the russian invasion. he says kyiv should be part of the alliance. and russia's foreign