berlin. -- a shipwreck near the mediterranean. one of the worst incidents in the mediterranean this year. and catastrophic losses in prominent area -- ukraine is achieving successes. and italy's former prime minister receives a state

funeral. a controversial -- died while being treated for a rare blood cancer. ♪ host: i am phil gayle. welcome to the program. at least 79 people have drowned and many more are missing in a shipwreck near greece. coast guard rescued more than 100 others. it is one of the worst incidents involving migrants this year. greece is still morning. >> survivors of the shipwreck rest at a warehouse at the port in southern greece. it is unclear how many people were on board. according to passengers, there were hundreds. a massive search effort has been

launched. [speaking foreign language] >> it is indeed a gigantic operation because we are talking about a very large number of shipwrecked people. i think it is one of the most difficult and takes in civilian terms of the numbers -- and extensive in terms of the numbers so far. >> survivors say the vessel left the libyan port city of tobruk headed to italy. the ship sank some 80 kilometers from the greek coast near a town of kulas. the greek coast guard claims that passengers repeatedly refused an offer of help when they were spotted late tuesday. greece is one of the main routes into the european union for migrants from africa, the middle east, and asia. -- says that they are well-equipped to cope with the emergency. we are shocked like everyone agrees -- in greece.

we have taken care of everything. the site has been prepared, the toilets, showers, everything that is needed including clothing. >> grief president katerina flew to the board of kalamata to assess the situation and visit survivors in hospital. the united nations says more than 70,000 refugees and migrants have arrived so far this year in europe's front-line mediterranean countries. host: earlier i spoke with journalist in athens. this is what she told me. >> the latest is that the death toll is rising. and the search-and-rescue operation is continuing. the death toll is now up to 79. and it is -- authorities are calling it the deadliest migrant

sinking in the mediterranean or amongst them and the most recent -- in the most recent years. the number has climbed from an initial account of 18 to now 79. there are fears that this number will grow. and we are hearing initial accounts also from survivors. doctors who are treating these survivors saying that they are beyond the men predominantly who are being treated and who survived this who were on the -- who were on the deck of this dilapidated vessel. that there were at least 100 women and children below deck in cabins that were sheltered and isolated in a different area. that remain unaccounted for. so, these are harrowing details that we are starting to hear as

far as what actually transcribed in this horrific incident. host: we will take a look at more stories making headlines around the world. saray been -- ceridian authorities have -- servia authorities have detained three individuals. they have demanded their release. this fueled more tensions in kosovo to seen violence over the recent weeks. thousands of demonstrated in warsaw and other voted against the countries restrictive abortion laws after a pregnant woman died of sepsis. it is the latest in a string of death now that the law has been tightened. women have now have a right to an abortion only in the case of rape or incest or if there is a threat to their life or health. eu lawmakers have agreed to

changes to draft artificial intelligence rules posed by the european commissioner. the aim is to set a global standard for the advancing technology. they will now have to thrash out details with the eu countries before it becomes legislation. russia's house of parliament and state has unanimously passed the first reading of the bill banning gender transition surgery unless it treats genital anomalies in children. it says -- it also bans state legislators from changing that on documents. brussels this week are discussing -- kyiv's counteroffensive in warren ukraine will come under the spotlight. ukraine says its forces are advancing a bakhmut, and other regions. the defense many see -- ministry says that they have regained the territory in some areas but they say it is not yet clear whether ukraine is making significant progress.

>> we meet as ukraine is conducting a major counteroffensive. it is still early days and we do not know if this will be a turning point of the war. but we see that the ukrainians are making advances and liberating more land. we know that the more gains ukraine makes, the stronger the hand will be at the negotiating table. >> vladimir putin has dismissed ukraine's counteroffensive saying his forces are conflicting catastrophic losses on ukrainian troops. he also claimed that ukraine will soon run out of weapons. and on state television it says ukraine has achieved some successes and warn of a turf battle ahead. >> after days of silence from

the kremlin, vladimir putin finally remarked publicly on ukraine's counteroffensive. in a question and answer session with selective journalists and bloggers. he played down the offensive saying the ukrainian weapons would soon run out. >> what is the ukrainian army fighting with? do they make their own efforts -- they don't produce anything. there defense industry will soon be nonexistent. what do they produce? ammunition is being delivered to them, military equipment is being supplied to them, everything is supplied to them. that will not work for long. >> putin invaded a question that was designed perhaps to be critical of whether about russian army would take back land captured by the ukrainians. instead he joked with the journalists. >> i can only tell you that in private. in general, everything will depend on the potentials that remain once this so-called

counteroffensive has ended. but i think the ukrainian leadership, whatever they may be like, will have enough sense to make the right decision given the catastrophic losses they are suffering. >> but on russian state television, and daily show normally laden with propaganda gave a more serious assessment of the situation. when a studio guest appeared to ridicule ukraine's counteroffensive and joked only that the fighting this on youtube. the tv anchor is also a member of her lament and he was quick to erect him. >> no, -- two correct him. no, it is not just on youtube. ukrainians have had some excesses. we have won back some areas but we have also lost some. it is a tough battle. >> another propaganda show broadcast at prime time firmly blames the west. it claimed the latest counteroffensive as being controlled by foreign powers. [speaking foreign language] >> this conflict has become

borderless. it is borderless in its goals, geography, and its weaponry. it is absolutely obvious that kiva is no longer making decisions for itself. for keep, this counteroffensive is bad. the decision to launch it was made for kyiv based on the interest of the u.s. and evidently the u.k. as well. [speaking foreign language] >> while moscow is still keen to leave no doubt that it will succeed in ukraine, the kremlin does appear to be preparing russians for a long drawn out conflict. host: let's get more on this from russia analyst constantin who joins us. welcome back. we just heard vladimir putin downplaying what is happening on the ground. is he lying deliberately or are the people around him to cared to give him the full picture? -- too scared to give him the

full picture? >> if i only knew and lived in putin's bunker and i would tell you with more precision. but putin is always lying, that is, to me. an absolute sort of given in any situation. the extent to which he is being more informed, i suppose he is getting the outline of the information which may be true, but he is not a military person. he does not understand much about strategy and basically all things military. here i think the possibility of giving him a better picture than reality. i think it is my strong. putin is surrounded by an evil court in which pleasing the monarch is the most important thing. i suppose that he just wouldn't

understand a lot of things that happen on the ground just because he does not have any experience and enough military education for that. host: i am looking at the elements of bad news hitting pressure recently. these reports of her attack -- attacks on russia. how is that being sold to the public? is the public indeed aware of many of these attacks? >> well, it is interesting. the attacks are being basically talked about by the local authorities. and this gets state media, but it does not get too much debate. on the propaganda talk shows, the ones that -- the fragments of which you showed in the previous piece, why? because i think the government does not want to much discussion about whether it is able to

protect russian territory proper . at the same time, bear in the mind the fact that russians can still watch youtube or read an extremely popular message or telegram. they cannot just sweep it under the covered. -- cupboard. what i think is of interest is that the state bureaucracy, the people that basically prop up putin, they cannot help but notice that this is something that reminds chaos. this is something that provokes for the first time actually displacement of several thousand russians who ran away from this fighting. so i suppose that if i were a normal sort of civil servant, i

would be thinking well, is everything is good as the authorities are trying to tell everyone? and i would say probably not. host: and how they understand the role of the bloggers that are reporting. who are their messages for? >> their messages are for the general population especially for those who are not indifferent to fighting. according to the latest figures published by the only remaining semi-independent posts, 50% of russian militia just do not follow the rules. i think that rings true to me. i think people are isolating themselves from the reality of the war. but it says about 25-30 percent that follow that this is for them. this is for the active users of social media, telegram, youtube. for those who read websites and russian newspapers.

it is very, very massive propaganda being conducted by national independent people that are on the ground. that are embedded with the troops. which are giving this mix of propaganda and what is called upon our graffiti -- pornography of war. all of this gory details. they are there in the middle of the oppression and fighting. and the details, they are very important to the kremlin because they speak the people's language. they are much closer to the target audience than, let us say those propagandists that we see day and day out on television. host: this is such a wheeled -- weird world that russia is experiencing with them controlling most of the media. 50% are paying no attention to what is going on. most of the other 50% are

believing what they are told on state media. when the smaller percentage goes outside of the bubble and says look, there is a war going on and it is not going well, they must be treated like a little bit like -- flat arthurs are because really they are such a small part of the consensus. >> well, you know. it is very interesting what you're saying. indeed. it is a bit of an alice in wonderland situation in russia. it is quite weird, but i would say that a lot of people that are saying it is different they are deliberately different. they pretend that they don't know. they pretend that they delegate the prosecution of the war to the government and they go with it. i suppose that the russian society knows that something is going wrong, but fear and this kind of learned civic impotence

of the hallmarks of russian society today, this is very good for boudin frankly speaking because he can do whatever he wants and the majority of people want to not -- four putin frankly speaking because he can do whatever he wants in the moe dority of the people want to -- the majority of the people listen. some people posted things on social media and they went to jail for 7, 8, nine years. these people are there because the government wants to preserve this balance. the majority is indifferent. host: thank you, constantin. russian analyst. >> thank you. host: italy held a state funeral for former prime minister who died at age 86. thousands of mourners gathered for the service in milan. he was italy's longest-serving.

>> milan's majestic the -- cathedral. an iconic setting to bid a final farewell to the most recognizable man in italian politics. crowds gathered amid a high-security present to pay their last respect to x prime minister silvio berlusconi. [speaking foreign language] >> we wanted to come and see how it was around here. in any case, he was a man we saw for our entire life, not for politics, anything else, just for the man. >> [speaking foreign language] he was a great businessman. i do not understand much about politics, but he did a lot for italy. i am here to commemorate him and all he did. >> berlusconi's coffin topped

with red and white roses was carried into the cathedral where it was met with rep chua's applause -- repuptuous applause. italian prime minister giorgia meloni embraced members of the list goni family -- of his family. those close to the former leader came forward to touch the coffin in a final act of farewell as mourners in the cathedrals where -- square clapped and cheered for the unforgettable silvio berlusconi. host: let's look at other stories making headlines around the world. police install come have detained two activists who have

smeared paint and glue their hands to the glass of a monet painting. they are checking for damage now. and garlands public prosecutors launch an investigation into alleged sexual assault by the german rock band ram shine. several women have claimed that they were recruited and drugged to engage in sexual acts at after show parties. tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from areas of india and pakistan which were in the path of an incoming cyclone. these five people including three children were killed before restore reached land. it will make landfall in the next day. >> going by official predictions. these waters will only get rougher as the coastal parts of indian -- india and pakistan brace for impact. the imminent arrival of the

cyclone, the bengali word for disaster. to prevent the, officials try to persuade people in low-lying areas along the coast to move to safety. >> [speaking foreign language] our team from the national rescue task force are here to help locals evacuate under the assistance of the administration. we are making the public aware of the cyclone and what to do when the situation arrives. >> some of those evacuated in pakistan are put up in shelters. like in this school building. safe but far from platt -- pleasant for these families. >> [speaking foreign language] we are in a bad state. we don't have enough food or medicine for our sick children. the government transported us here, but the conditions are not good. >> fishermen have been asked to secure their boats and stay

ashore for their own safety. although for many, that means they will have no income. >> [speaking foreign language] everything has been ordered to close. we have no way to work. we cannot do anything. we can earn money as launch has been called back. we have a daily wage. how i'm i going to feed by children? >> meteorological experts predict high speeds as the storm hits. the public will be hoping the cyclone will not live up to its name. post: now around 2.5 million migrants and refugees from venezuela have crossed the border to neighboring columbia fleeing crisis and hope of searching for a better life. they created their own settlement sometimes in harsh conditions. nicole joins us. to report. >> that special place called

home built from plastic sheets and cardboard. or if they are lucky, wood and metal. that is what residents of this informal settlement on the outscored of the city -- outskirts of the city are forced to do. five years ago she left venezuela and even though there is no running water here, this was a better option than staying in her home country. >> i've was injured in a diabetic coma and hospitalized. we could not find medicine. not anything. my husband back then was a master builder and electrician. he had a good job and was able to keep us fed week after week. he lost everything. there was no more work. >> the move across the border was inevitable. she is now receiving medical care in columbia. the situation is tough with

prices rising and jobs now difficult to get. most families in this settlement alongside the landing strip struggle to put food on the table. >> this is one of 54 informal sediment -- settlements in this area and there is an estimated 34,000 people living here those are the most vulnerable and poor. they try to continue their journeys toward columbia and the u.s.. >> children are the most affected by these circumstances. they fall behind in their education. local agencies are getting them back on track. they get a meal and learn how to write, read, and do math. it is overly for parents. >> [speaking foreign language] this is what gives me strength to stay here. the kids can go to school. if they were in venezuela, they would not have any of this. sometimes i wish i could go back

, but i stay here because of this. for them. >> the settlement as well as the other 53 in the area was built without planning commission. on her way home, with her youngest one, she worries about one thing more than any other. >> that tomorrow they will kick us out. >> the mayor of my cow says that there is no intention to clear the settlement -- the mayor of the city says there's no intention to clear the settlement but with upcoming elections this could change. the agency is working to make that agency legal. >> [speaking foreign language] legalization is the first step so people can get access to legal services then they can have a service it -- sewer system, running water, and electricity. this would have a life of dignity for the people here. >> and in bolivia the legalization process is already a reality.

houses are built with better materials and people are reassured that they can stay. they are especially proud of their new school facilities. they do not take them for granted. maria arrived in the once informal settlement fleeing the crisis in venezuela. she helped to build the school and to teach -- he teaches here now. >> [speaking foreign language] legalization has awakened hope among the residents because now we know the situation is stable. this is something that will be here and it's not going away. including this school. like many things it is difficult in the beginning, but now we see progress. >> but here in bolivia, there is no running water. a truck comes every so often, but now the path has been paid toward better infrastructure like public water fountains. >> [speaking foreign language]

our organization's dream is that we will achieve legalization this year. that is our expectation. there are many factors to consider, changes in government for example. over the next you years we could have real solutions here. >> improvement step-by-step. maybe it will be a reality in this area at some point for its people who are resilient. they have made their home here against all odds. host: that is it you are up-to-date more world news at the top of the hour. i will be back in just a moment to take a look at the day and germany's more encompassing national security strategy and the european union's efforts to control artificial intelligence. see you then. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

when asked -- >> welcome to "live from paris," world news and analysis from france 24. at least 79 migrants have died after a fishing boat capsized off greece. the rescue agency says there were 750 people on board the vessel. tonight, many are still missing. russian forces fire cruise missiles at the southern ukrainian port city of odessa and shall -- shall -- shell