Luxembourg

By James Mackenzie & Robin Emmott

The European Union proposed doubling the size of its Mediterranean search and rescue operations on Monday, as the first bodies were brought ashore of as many as 900 people feared killed in the deadliest known shipwreck of migrants trying to reach Europe.

The latest estimates point that about 800 migrants died when their boat capsized off the Libyan coast at the weekend.

Earlier accounts spoke of 700 victims, while one of the surviving passengers claimed there were 950 people on board of the capsized vessel.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has expressed support for a proposal to double funding for the EU naval operation in the Mediterranean.

De Maiziere, as cited by DPA, said that the European Commission had presented a 10-point plan to address the migration crisis during Monday's meeting of EU foreign and interior ministers in Luxembourg.

The International Organization for Migration received a distress call from a sinking boat carrying 300 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

A spokesman of the organisation said that some twently people are believed to have drowned, the BBC reports.

The caller stated that at least three boats needed help in international waters.

At least three people died in the latest incident involving migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, which occurred on Monday off the Greek island of Rhodes.

According to local media reports, a boat carrying more than 200 migrants hit a reef at Zephyros beach in Rhodes, the Greek Reporter informs.

A wooden sailboat carrying dozens of immigrants ran aground on April 20 off the coast of the Greek island of Rhodes and at least three people, including a child, have drowned, the Greek coast guard said.

It is unclear how or why a boat carrying migrants ran ashore.

BRUSSELS - The next round of the political dialogue on normalisation of the Belgrade-Pristina relations will probably take place on Tuesday, April 21, Tanjug learnt from diplomatic sources in Brussels.

Romanian woman tennis player Sorana Cirstea and Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova on Monday qualified for the quarterfinals of the doubles WTA tournament in Bogota (Columbia), equipped with total prizes worth 250,000 US dollars, after defeating No. 2 seed Mandy Minella (Luxembourg)/Olga Savciuk (Ukraine), 7-5, 6-2.

Photo credit: (c) Grigore POPESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

"Our treasure proves to be but ashes" summed up the essence of statements on Friday by the relevant Greek minister in charge of fighting corruption, who plainly said it was "extremely difficult" to investigate various "lists" of alleged tax-evaders and off-shore companies.

BELGRADE - Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Friday that his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier will pay a visit to Serbia on April 28.

"This is our most important foreign policy activity in April," Dacic said at a regular monthly press conference.