brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, the end of an era in algeria things to public protests and the military. the country's embattled president abdelaziz bouteflika resigns after weeks of demonstrations. for m many, he is thehe only ler they have ever known. what is next for them in the country? we will have the latest. also coming up, a last ditch effort to break the brexit deadadlock from british prime minister theresa may. >> this is a decisive moment in

the story of these islands and it requires unity to deliver the national interests. brent: may says she will seek a further extension to brexit from brussels and she offers to work with the opposition to find agreement on the u.k.'s departure from the european union. and smiles and selfies as a dedecades-long feud is laid to rest. greek prime minister alexis tsipras pays a first historic visit to his counterpart in the newly renamed d rth macedodonia. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. it has been a day of turmoil in algeria but it has ended with the resignation of president abdelaziz bouteflika.

hours earlier at the head of the army called on him to quit immediately. the 82-year-old has been in office f f 20 years. after weeks of protests that kept getting bigger, bouteflika said yesteterday he would quit before his tererm ends on april 28th. butt today, studedents were calg not jujust for bouteteflika's removal but for that of the entire political elite. we want to pull in journalist djamila ould khettab in algiers. can you hear me? djamila: yes i can hear you. brent: what more can you tell us? first of all can you confirm these reports that president bouteflika has indeed resigned? djamila: yes, it is not official. he is no longer president of algeria. he has just resigned, ending his 20 year long rule. the announcement came only two after's -- two hours after the

general urged him to leave immediately. the news is currently being reported by algerian primary media. bouteflika did not announce his resignation. it was by a press release signed by his office. he has not given a speech since 2013.. brent: and what do we know about what will hahappen next? we know the elections have been postponed. will they be held as scheduled? and we know there was also talk about reforming the constitution. do we know what is going to happen? djamila: according to the article 102 of the constitution, it is likely that the head of the house will take over for a

transitional period that will last no longer than 19 days. during this transition period, there wilill be a presidential election to find who will really take over for abdelaziz bouteflika. brent: journalist djamila ould khettab with the latest on this announcement from algiers, that the president of algeria has resigned. thank you. tonight, an end to britain's brexit turmoil seems no closer but theresa may says she has a plan. she will ask the european union for another delay. her statement came after a marathon seven hour meeting with her cabinet members, and it seems to put pressure on opposition leader jeremy corbyn. britain will crash out of the european union in 10 days if no progress is made. on how it is supposed to depart. here is the british prime

minister theresa may just a few hours ago. >> leaving with a deal is the best solution. so we will need a further extension of article 50, one that is as short as possible, and which ends when we pass a deal. and we need to be clear what such an extension is for. to ensure we leave in a timely and orderly way. this debatate, this s division, cannot drag on much longer. it is putting members of parliamement and everyryone else ununder immense e pressure, andt is doing damage toto our pololi. despitite the best efforts of mp's, thehe processss that the e of comomns hasas tried to o leas not come up with an answer. so today i am taking action to break the logjamam. i am offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to try to agree a plan that we would both stick to to ensure that we leave the european union and that we do so with a deal.

any plan would have to agree the current withdrawal agreement. it has already been negotiated with the 27 other members, and the e.u. has repeatedly said that it cannot and will not be reopened. brent: that was theresa may saying she will cross the political divide and the english channel to save brexit. i am joined by our brexit analyst alex forrest whiting and in london our correspondent birgit maass. the prime minister today saying that she wants to extend her hand to the opposition labour party. the leader, jeremy corbyn, to work together to push brexit forward. what has jeremy corbyn said to that offer? birgit: he said that he was happy to meet with theresa may, sit down with her, and there would be no conditions attached to it. but we do know he is being warned by others in his party as

to how much he really wants to help theresa may to get her brexit over the line. the labour party can say this is a tory brexit, it is not our brexit. but now at the 11th hour theresa may is extending her hand. many have said she should have done this a long time ago. she should have tried to build a consensus in parliament at the beginning of the brexit process, not to find out at the end that her deal that she negotiated with the eu is not backed by parliament. that is the reason there was a brexit impasse. she has no other choice but to make some moves that she has not tried before. this is what she has come up with an labour said they will sit down and work with her. brent: and 11th hour plan and labour seems to be doing the work with her, so that seems to be positive. you know when things are getting lined up in the right order and it looks like it will work, boris johnson has to chime in. he is not impressed by what

theresa may is doing. alex: the former foreign secretary who d desperately, desperately wants theresa may's job is not happy with her tonight. surprise, surprise. boris johnson, obviously very happy he says the u.k. to leave the eu without a deal. he is on that side of the party, a large group of them, where they would also be happy with that. he is speaking for them saying not happy with what she said, particularly not happy that she is dealing with jeremy corbyn. neither are other members of that group of brexiteers. she has been previously reaching out to these people, desperately trying to get them on board to support her deal. it has not worked. and finally it appears she is reaching out across to others, to those who are more in favor of a soft brexit to see if they can help her instead. brent: and it is not just boris johnson who wants to pull out

the dagger right now. there are a number of conservatives who want to get rid of theresa may. how long do you think she will be able to stand this pressure? birgit: well, she has been under pressure for a considerable time. she has failed time and again to get her deal through parliament. even loyal colleagues in the parliament have said she really needs to go. on the other hand, we all know that time is short and somehow a conclusion must be reached, because most mp's and the prime minister from what we know do not want the u.k. to leave the european union in just over a week's time and have no plan in place. we have had the national security advisor, there was a report that had been leaked, he said it is dangerous for the u.k. to leave without a deal, let alone all the economic implications. we have heard from businesses that the prime ministers needs

to get her act together. so, people are putting their hopes in her and there is really not a lot of time to go for a lengthy process and find another prime minister. really not at the moment. i think that seems to be the consensus here in london at the moment. brent: what about this report that says a no deal brexit would be dangerous for the nation? now that that has been leaked, people who have been advocating a no deal brexit, like boris johnson, could they be held to account after this is all over? it almost sounds like they are trying to work against the interests of the country. birgit: well, i mean, they would say that there was a so-called project fear already during the referendum, and it was said that when the u.k. votes to go out for brexit, that there would be immediate repercussions, that

that has not happened. so there are lots of brexiteers who still think it will be manageable. and they do not trust the advice from experts. but of course those who are taking this seriously, they will say if this really happens, if no deal really happens, then it is going to be a catastrophe for the u.k. and those who have not prevented that will be held to account. but we do know that theresa may, at least at this stage, she really does not want it. so she seems to be one of those who is listening to the advice she is getting. brent: big atmos in london and here in the studio, alex forrest whiting. to both of you, thank you. the saga continues. here are some of the o other stories now that are making headlines around the world. senegal's president macky sall has been sworn in for a second term.

president sall won the vote in late february with 58% of the vote. he became the front-runnnner afr two prominent opposition figures were excluded from the race over convictions for misuse of public funds. 11 p people accused of helping organize the deadly 2017 attack on the st. petersburg metro have gone on trial. the bombing left 15 people d de. a small group believed to be linked to al qaeda claimed respsponsibility the only womanan suspect otrtril says that the russian securirity service planted a a grenade anad explosives at her home. germany has sent a diplomatic protest to brunei over new islamic laws that will introduce death by stoning as punishment for homosexual acts and adultery. the foreign office says it had appealed to brunei to, quote, adhere to existing human rights obligations. the laws in the country are due to take effect tomorrow.

you're watching "dw news." still to come, the islamic state women from the west. we meet one mother desperate to return to germany with her son. but can she convince authorities that she is not a security threat to her home country? that is coming up in just a moment. now to the united states. president donald trump says he is happy to see an increase in nato member spending, but he adds he still wants to see some countries such as germany spend more on defense. he made the comments while meeting today with nato secretary general jens stoltenberg. stoltenberg is visiting washington for events to commemorate nato's 70th anniversary. >> they are not paying what they should be paying. they are paying close to 1%. and they are supposed be playing 2%. and the united states over the years got to a point where it is paying 4.3%, which is very unfair. and the u.s. gdp, especially under me because the gdp has

gone up so much, because it is 4.3% of a much larger gdp. so we are paying for a big proportion of nato, which basically is protecting europe. so we are protecting europe. brent: that was trump there saying the u.s. is paying to protect europe. how much are nato members really spending? as of 2018, just five countries are at or above 2% of gdp which -- gdp. the u.s. is way out in front spending 3.5% on defense. unfortunately my producer just told me our graphics are not working, so i will go through. here we go, we are getting it. another four countries are close to that. the u.s., greece, estonia, the u.k. and latvia. they are spending at 2% or more. another four countries are close to that.

latvia, poland, lithuania and romania. the 2% benchmark is required either by national law or political agreement. and these are the countries where the spending is not as it should be. 19 members of nato have a ways to go. for example, germany and canada. last-place luxembourg has committed just 0.55% of its budget to defense. defense spending levels have been a major bone of contention for the u.s. president ever since he took office, straining ties with nato, especially now as the alliance marks 70 years since its founding. >> i am going to tell nato, you have to start paying your bills. reporter: rarely has a u.s. president had such an antagonistic relationship p nat. trump's s criticism m of the alliance began on the campaign traiail as he vowed to put amema firs

by the timime he took office, he had condemned nato as obsolete. >> many countries are not paying their fair share. that means we are protecting them and they are getting all sorts of military protection and other things, and they are ripping off the united states and they are ripping you off. i don't want to do that. either they pay up, including for past deficiencies, or they have to get out. and if it breaks up nato, it breaks up nato. reporter: trump's comments caused consternation among allies and diplomats.. at last year's nato summit, trump reportedly said behind closed doors that the u.s. would go it alone if other member states failed to raise their defense spending. very few countries have met the self-imposed target of 2% of gdp by 2024. most are still far below that, including germany. even with a plan to raise this year, the country will still be spending just 1.5% on defense.

it has been a bone of contention at every meeting between chancellor angela merkel and donald trump. >> the u.s.s. president dedemand something we have been discussing for months, a change in the burden sharing.g. and we have made clear, i haveve personally made clear, as have others, that we are on the right track and that this is in our own interest and will make us all stronger. reporter: but patience is wearing thin. and not just in washington. 70 yearsrs after it was s found, nato must now find its way through a new era of uncertainty. as the anniversary approaches, more voices within nato are calling for a strategic rethink, and for member statates to stetp their cocommitment. brent: dw's alexandra bomb

naaman is in washington on the story for us. there you are. ok, i think we have a bug in the computer. so let's make the best of it. let's talk about what is going on behind you at the white house. the u.s. president praising the growth of defense spending by nato members. does he want that spending to go even higher? alexandra: for sure. that is what he has stressed repeatedly in the past. today i have to say it was a very relaxed atmosphere when young stoltenberg arrived. they came together with her delegation and it was expanded in a lateral meeting for another up a meetings. they talked about the alliance, strength, and challenges lying ahead. it was a difference to what we

saw in the past from when we heard from president trump. he called the unfortunate share the u.s. is paying on defense is contributing. he also praised nato as a strong alliance and said progress has been made under his leadership and he also praised mr. stoltenberg for his leadership. brent: stoltenberg also assured the u.s. president today that we will see more defense spending increases. but germany has not met the 2% goal. and the president has been very critical of germany. do you think he is going to believe those assurances from stoltenberg? alexandra: no, i don't think so. i asked president trump if he is going to talk about germany with the nato secretary-general and he told me yes because he still believes that germany is not paying enough, not paying its

share. now here we have to say not only officials in the white house, but also officials at the state department and even experts are sort of disappointed that germany, according to new projections, probably won't meet its target of spending 1.5% of gdp on defense. and that is something that is being criticized here because experts even say it is difficult to be credit -- credible as a defender of multilateralism, something which germany is trying to do, if this country is not spending more on defense. brent: that is a very good point. we know there are members of the german chancellor's own party who say that they are proud that they are spending more on n socl services and not on the defense. but we also have to remember

ththat tensions between the u.s. and european leaders over and endo -- over nato spending have been going on a long time, before trump was president. is this may be a sign that things are as close to normal as they can be, would you say? alexandra: well, at the moment it seems that this 70th anniversary, it is not going to be ever shoot -- overshadowed by too much criticism, or too many negative remarks by the current white house. and many people we talked to, including the u.s. president, stressed that nato is a strong alliance that has been a very successful alliance, and that it is on its path to meet the challenges going ahead. brent: our washington bureau chief alexandra von nahmen at the white house for us tonight. thank you.

greek prime minister alexis tsipras has paid a historic first visit to his counterpart in the republic of north macedonia. that's an important point. the two neighbors are celebrating a new start after resolving a bitter, decades-long dispute that was all about a name. here is more. reporter: 21st century diplomacy at its best. two heads of state making history with a selfie. alexis tsipras is the first greek prime minister to visit the north macedonian capital. the neighboring countries were at odds for three decades. their main bone of contention? the name of the country where they are now meeting. >> it is not only an important day for us, but for the entire balkan peninsula. today we are creating an entire -- a different kind of dialogue, one which reunites our country's histories. reporter: the meeting is so important because it marks the

first peaceful resolution of a conflict in the former yugoslavia, something that was not accomplished in bosnia or kosovo. the decisive step came in june of 2018 with the eu-brokered press but agreement, named after a lake shared by the countries. after an intense tug-of-war, the accord was approved by both parliaments by a narrorow margi. since then, the country has changed its name to north macedonia. for decades, athens refused to normalize relations out of fear macedonia could claim its namesake province in greece. north macedonia now hopes for significant investments from its newly gained ally. the balkan state is in the process of joining nato and in the long run aspires to become a memember of the eu. brent: now to what happens after islamic state. we know islamic state group has been defeated in syria, its last hold out territorially. but western countries are now

debating what to do with the citizens that have gone there to fight for islalamic state. among the people captured our women. many claimed they were forced to join the militants and they say they claimed -- carried out housekeeping duties rather than acts of terror. berlin estimates more than 50 women with german citizenship are either in or live in refugee camps in syria and iraq. authorities want them out as quickly as possible, but you can understand germany is reluctant to take them back. they say it is difficult to determine if they are citizens and if they pose a security threat. dw visited eight -- a refugee camp and spoke with a woman with a german passport and is desperate to come back. reporter: stranded in the middle of nowhere. 74,000 people live in this camp in northern syria. it was made to hold only 10,000. the conditions are unacceptable, especially for children.

most people want to leave as soon as possible. they want to return to their former homes which they left years ago so they could live under the rule of the islamic state under -- out of conviction, carelessness, or compulsion. she married a turkish man. during a trip to turkey, he took her to syria where she joined i.s. at least that is how the 23-yeaear-old describes i it. >> terrible things happened there. women and children do not have any value. women are terribly abused and beaten by i.s. my former husband died about two years ago. he locked us up and abused us in horrible ways. i couldn't recognize myself day in, day out. reporter: her son was born

during the chaos of war. ththey suffered years of hardsh. now she hopes she has survived the worst and things will get better. >> i have a two-year-old son. the poor boy has a right to a safe life. thankfully, we could flee from those i.s. terrorists. we were just trash there. women and children are worth nothing to them. it's horrible what i.s. does in the name of islam. i am happy that i can return to my beloved homeland, germany. reporter: the kurdish authorities would like to get rid of foreigners like her as quickly as possible, but hardly any country wants them back. local authorities are overburdened with investigating,

securing evidence, clarifying guilt. an international court is now supposed to solve the issue, but the west is treating this issue with great caution. >> the presence of thousands of fighters and their families is a major problem for the autonomous authorities in northeastern syria. we do not have the possibility of bringing them to justice here if they have committed crimes against syrians or iraqis. now they spend their days waiting to go back home, but their fate remains uncertain, as long as they are not welcome in their former homeland. brent: 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]

calling myself. what -- to swap is a live from paris will news and analysis from francnce twenty four i'm nt going these. are the main world news headlines. algeria's ailing president abdel aziz beautifully cut has resigned. rarely seen in public since the stroke in twewenty thirteen his departure follows weeks of demonstrations. of the declared he be seeking a fifth term as president. in the april elections. i think this resignatation folls a cold early in n the day from e army chief of staff. the tennis channel guidede solid cools the beautifulully could to be classifieied as inept to gov. the call for him