brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. at day after the easter sunday suicide bombings in sri lanka, the failures of what the leaders. investigators say they believe a domestic terror group was behind the attacks which killed a aost 300 peoeoe. intelligigence chis s say they wanted the country's president two weeks ago about possibible islamist attacks, yet nothing was done to stop them. also coming up, hold the jokes. it is time to get serious in ukraine. the -- the comedian, volodymyr zelensky, pulls off an upset by

winning the election for president by a landslide. a letter to a survivor. we find out how students are pledging never to forget the holocaust as those who experienced its borders -- horrors repair to leave the stage -- prepare to leave the stage. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. it to our viewers on pbs and the u.s. and all around the world, welcome. we start up tonight in sri lanka, where authorities now say a little-known local terrorist group is to blame for the bombings that killed almost 300 people on easter sunday. intelligence chiefs warned the country's president two weeks ago that the new group, known as national thowheeth jama'ath, were planning attacks. they even said it passed on the names of the suspects. yet, nothing was done.

that revelation has the country searching for answers tonight after a day of carnage and heartache that could have been averted. >> this family's life has been torn apart. a husband, a father, has been taking from them. they're not just lost a loved one, but the breadwinner. >> now he is gone. i am worried about the effect it will have on the lives of his wife and daughter. the real question is, what will happen to their future? i'm extremely sad. >> while some stare in shock and disbelief at what has the following them, many are unable to contain the grief at the scale of the tragedy -- at the scale of the tragedy sings in.

that sinks in. most of the dead are sri lankan. many were children. dozens of foreigners were killed also. among them, nationals from the u.s., britain, turkey, india, china, portugal, and denmark. alongside the sadness, there is also a growing sense of outrage. >> this is a very sad moment. it's a very cowardly attack. it's not just an attack. it is a gruesome attack on humanity. reportrter: in the aftermath of the carnage, sri lanka is a nation in's -- in shock. and one looking for answers. brent: we want to get more now from the capital, i'm joined by the journalist jamila najmuddin. it's good to have you with us. let's talk about what is

happening right now. we understand the country is in a state of emergency, and security forces, we understand, today, issued a controlled blast. does all that mean that the threat still remains in sri lanka tonight? jamila: as of midnight tonight, the country is under a state of emergency. today evening, the security forces detonated an explosive, which they found in an abandoned like. -- lake that was close to the st. anthony's church. the first bomb went off on sunday. there have been several explosives that have been found and left abandoned outside the city. security forces have been successful in detonating those. the threat is right but still live. brent: what do we know about the group that has been blameded for

this attack echo we know -- attack? what we know about this group? -- what do we know about this group? jamila: we were a bit shocked and surprised, because it is not an organization we had heard of before. what we are now heariring is tht it is a l lal groupupormed in the country.. they are looking into the possibilitity that this group would have any foreign l links. maybe even with isis. brent: what about the fact that intelligence had informed the government about possible terror attacks like we saw on s sunday, and noththing was done. political infighting is what we have heard today. how functional is the government

in sri lanka tonight and will there be political fallout? jamila: the country is in a deep state of shock and anger. ever since the prime minister announced that they had information about a possible terror attack and nothing had been done. no steps had been taken to avoid it. the government, as of now, it continues to function, but the government has started blaming intelligence, saying that reports had been handed over to the present, but he is yet to make a statement on that. we're going to see parliament convening for a special session tomorrow area we're going to see statements from all parties. we are not strong at the moment. coming through this will be crucial for the government. to see if they can continue in power.

brent: is there concern that as a result of these attacks, and is political infighting, that sri lanka will see more heavy-handed ruling? are you worried about that? jamila: what happened on sunday is not a matter anyone can forget about anytime soon.n. it gave us -- we as a nation will come to terrorism once again. we had defeated rrorism 1010 years ago, but we were wrong on sunday. i think there will be a much tighter rule from now on. we a are seeing that hapappenint the moment as the police have begun questiononing residentnts. they've been going into houses, asking for documents to show that they had been living here. we will be seeing somethings coming up.

we just want the nation to be safe. brent: we can certainly understand that. jamila najmuddin, journalist on the phone tonight, talking with us from colombo, the capital of sri lanka. thank you. tonight, tensions are escalating in sudan after talks from down between protesters and the country's military rulers. the military council has told demonstrators to take down roadblocks outside the headquarters of the army. thousand seven been staging a sit in there, since president omar al-bashir was ousted on april 11. the demonstrators are demanding an immediate transition to a civilian government. reporter: they will not be silenced. the protesters on the streets of khartoum have pledged to stay until they get a civilian government. after dusk fell sunday night, protest organizers called for an escalation. >> we will continue our sit in

and stop negotiations with the military council. we will continue our revolution on the streets, with more protests, until we get our demands met. reporter: with the demonstrators halting talks, pressure on the military council is growing. on sunday, its leader met with the head of the african union. lolocal media reported thahat te union ththreatened to o suspend sudan if i it did not transferr power to a civilian government within 15 days. it has been that long since the army ousted the president. the military council says the delay in handing over power is because it wants to hear proposals from all political parties. for protesters, that has raised fears that factions close to bashir could play a role, leaving much of his regime in tact or paving the way for another strongman. >> we were disappointed by the

depressing news from the military council, who we thought would respond to these crowds and all this sure blood over khartoum. these guys are just an extension of the regime. they have stolen 30 years from us. reporter: demonstrators are turning down the volume. protest organizers -- are not turning down the volume. just organizers announced their own civilian transitional council in a military -- and a protest to the military. brent: earlier we spoke with a journalist, we asked him about the situation tonight as it is on t the ground. reporter: the tension between the mililitary councilil and the prototesters is rirising. it is important to mention, after talking to peoplple in sudan, that you have a challenge, which is that there is no unity among the protesters.

you have the sudanese professional association. you have a youth, who say, we are the ones, you should have different parties, liberal, it's secular, i islamic. they are not united.d. that's the o opportunity f for e military council to tell them,m, wewe are ready to give the power to the people, but who is the civilian counsel? who is representing the civilian counsel? their position is not being able to unite, to have one representative or a number of people who represent them. when you talk to the people on the ground and you going the city in area, you feel there is frustration and anger. what will happen next? especially after today, the military council announced some streets are blockaded because of the sit in area. they will reopen it again, and no one is s allowed to block the street. the protesters were le,e, no.

it is our revolution. we will sit in and stay where we are. it is time for the military council to hand over the powower toto the civilian counsel. still, who will represent the civilian counsnsel? ththese are the questions when u talk to the people i in sudan. this will be t the challenge facing sudan the next days and weeks. brent: our correspondent reporting from the sudanese capital, khartoum. here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world. iran and pakistan have agreed to form a joint force to fight terrorism on the border they share and will act against groups within a province that seeks independence from both countries. the talks come days after militants from iran killed pakistani troops in southwestern parts of the country. bobby wine has been arrested, after a plan concert at lake

victoria. on sunday, police ordered wine to call off his one month concert, settings. the concerns -- citing securities terms that concerns. used tear gas -- concerns. firefighters in the u.k. are struggling to put out a huge blaze on more land in yorkshire. the fire started on sunday at marston moore, and important conservation area, and started spreadading north. it is thought to have been caused by a barbecue. spain is gearing up for a general election next weekend. it will be the country's third in four years. the prime minister called the election early after losing the support of lawmakers. one party surging in the polls is the small far right and eurosceptic vox party. it sees itself as a potential ally in a right-wing governing coalition. vox's divisive agenda and

rhetoric harkening back to the front of dictatorship has many alarmed in spain. -- franco dictatorship has many alarmed in spain. >> it was the most terrible expanse of his life. billy mayor was 19 when he was thrown into this prison in madrid. today, it is hard to imagine the horrors that took place here during the fascist regime of francisco franco to for -- peace --. -- franco. >> when they point in his like you and press the trigigger with no b bullets, in that split second, two things can happen. you can stand their speeches, like i did, or you fall apart. reporter: mayor fears that right-wing populists are gaining support. in 2018, the far right vox papay tookok 18%8% of the vote in the andalusian election. now they're heading into a new election. >> ipsa today, but i am worried

because of a political force is yearning for a time under which we live in a dictatorship. reporter: the far right vox party was to unseat the socialist. the crowd of supporters have come to this bullfighting arena for a rally. many have written the slogan, "spain for the spanish," on their banners. they glorify the years under the dictatorship. >> the franco years were not so bad. he was the lesser of two evils. >> ok, it was a dictatorship. but harmless one. >> i am proud of spain's history. thanks to front go, -- franco, spain became what it is today. reporter: for his victims and their families, sentiments like these are a slap in the face. for nine years, they have been demonstrating every thursday in the center of madrid.

for the people here, the rise of the far right is a shock. >> they want to reconquest. every conquest, can you believe it? this is a disgrace to spain. that's why we are here, demonstrating against fascism. not for ourselves, we are old. but for our children, our grandchildren. reporter: spain's history has divided the country. vox's leaders rejects the notion that any form of reckoning or redress is necessary to come to terms with front goes -- franco's 40 year rule. >> we won't apologize for the history. we should acknowledge its glory, draw the best out of it, and take pride in it. reporter: willy meyer is dismayed, and angry at the spanish left, which failed to counter the rise of the far right. he helps the radical right will not have a strong showing in the

general election, and become kingmakers in a new conservative government, as they did in andalucia. brent: the tv actor and comedian volodymyr zelensky is now the president elect of ukraine. the one yesterday's election by a rants -- landslide. he took 73% of the vote, while the incumbent managed only 24%. it's a crushing defeat for ukraine's political establishment. at the hands of a political newcomer. >> it was a stunning victory for a political novice. volodymyr zelensky has upended the status quo in ukraine. shortly after exit polls delivered in a landslide, it just his supporters on social media. -- a addressed his supporters on social media. >> hello everyone. i wanted to thank all of you for joining me on ththis journey. for the four months of important work, great work you did. we did it together. united ukraine.

we united our people. we united our country. reporter: the result was a bitter blow for incumbentnt peto poroshenko, who conceded that conceded defeat, but bowed to stay in politics. he presented himself as an experienced pair of hands, but it seems many ukrainians were looking for a fresh approach. >> i think we will see some changes. let's hope they are for the better. and thatat ukraine see some real development. the most important thing is that the war ends. >> we have nothing to lose. things can't get worse than they already are. zelinski is young and full of energy. i don't care if he is a clown and an actor. we're going to see some big changes. >> he will be better than poroshenko, 100%. reporter: if ukrainians believe poroshenko failed to solve their problems, it is not clear how so

let's give will either. the close as he has been to political power is playing a fictional president in a sitcom. while his campaign was media savvy, it was light on concrete policy ideas. he inherits a country burdened by a separatist war in the east, rampant corruption and a sluggish economy. he has much to prove to voters hoping he watched her in an era of change. brent: our correspondent nick connolly has more on the election results. reporter: landslide is a term that doesn't do the results of this election justice. volodymyr zelensky has been of the support of him a quarters of the electorate. breeding record the most -- record numbers of young people to the ballot box, after announcing he would leave show business behind to run for the top job. his promise for shaking up u.k. -- ukraine politics clearly striking a chord with ukrainian voters. serious questions remain. how does he plan to achieve the kind of radical change he

promises? who will make up his team? most damaging way, what of his links to the billionaire businessman, who made him a star? president zelinski has yet to answer any discussions, but one thing is already clear, the true winner of these elections are ukraine's democracy. after a campaign marked by mudslinging, ukraine held fair and free elections. petro poroshenko conceded defeat. that is not a given in this part of the world, and volodymyr zelensky knows it. he had a message for other post-soviet countries. look at us. everything is possible. brent: nick connolly reporting from kiev. here in germany, thousands of activists have taken part in march as for peace and nuclear disarmament. organizers say good weather and anxiety over the current state of the world led to strong turnouts on easter sunday. one march in particular take on greater significance as tensions between the u.s. and russia

intensified. >> no two nuclear weapons, yes to nuclear peace. these are the point of these marches. >> people are scared there will be a nuclear war and we would be one of the first targets. people realize that. i think the concern is spreading. reporter: there believes to harbor 20 nuclear bombs in underground bunkers. they would be dropped from german tornado jets in the event of a war. the german government does not confirm or deny their existence. after america and russia bit of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, the fear of these dangers has increased. >> i believe nuclear weapons are a great danger. i don't want to have american nuclear weapons here in germany. >> it's important to come out

and show our support for a better, peaceful world without nuclear weapons. they are a danger to us all. >> if you don't do anything, nothing will change. reporter: at the end of the march, the 400 demonstrators rallied at the entrance to the air base. >> look around you. there are a lot of young people here today. that makes me feel optimistic. reporter: they intend to march again next easter, and hope to see even more young faces in the crowd. brent: we would like to share with you the words of erna de vries, one of the last survivors of the holocaust in germany. at 95 years old, it is getting harder for her to tell her story in public. a group of youngsters made it their mission to keep her medleys alive and those of other holocaust survivors, so long as we can study that, and after they are no longer with us. >> when i was told how you were separated from your mama, i started to cry. for me, it would be the worst

thing in the world to lose my mom. you u are so strong d d brave. >> a 15-year-old student led her to erna de vries, led by vanessa eisenhardt, was taken on her story. >> this is one of the hardest things for me at the camp. saying goodbye to my mother. i knew she would never lead auschwitz. reporter: when erna d vries was a teen, anti-semitism was widespread. they targeted her as the daughter of a jewish mother. >> >> >> i have a stolen youth behind me. i had no use at all. thanks to nazis and -- nazism. being subjected to hostile remarks, and being excluded, it was horrible. especially for a child. reporter: mrs. de vries says

back then, the number imprinted upon her robbed her of h her identity. >> if i had it removed, i would have a scar here. that would remind me as well. it always reminds you, you can't do anything about it. reporter: erna de vries survived the holocaust, but she neverer w her mother again. before they were separated, she told her she must fight, survive,e,nd tell t the world wt they did to us. she has done that all her life. at 95 years old, it is getting more difficult. that is why vanessa eisenhardt has taken over. she and other students taking part of the project called second witnesses, tell the stories of holocaust survivors to others, like at the school in southern germany. >> she said it was basically a

death train. they were being loaded into a car. she said, we stood packed tightly as sardines. reporter: vanessa eisenhardt also tells us that erna de vries worked as a nurse before thee war, that she wanted to become a doctor, that she talks about her family and how she repeatedly made plans to emigrate to israel. plans that never came to anything. reporter: stories like these show what happens when you leave room for racism and anti-semitism. if you give it enough space, it can no longer be changed back. there are some parallels with the present, such as losing your homeland. that's something that flows through the entire story. >> i was just about to cry, but i did not after all. i think her will to survive and tell her story is really great. >> i think you have two openen some people's eyes, because they

think that something like this can never happen again. i think that some people are too gullible still. reporter: in the end, these students write letters to erna de vries, personal messages that vanessa eisenhardt brings s to her. >> of course, it pleases me that they let someone read to them and tell them the story. often, people just aren't intereststed. reporter: erna de vries is happy her family helped her to make a life for herself after the war. now, she is counting on the young people who know her story to tell it when she is no longer around. >> i hope that this somehow stays in people's minds and that it won't be forgotten. brent: here's a reminder of the top stories we are following. the sri lankan officials are

blaming local islamist extremist for the suicide bombing attacks whwhich killed over 300 pepeopln eastster sunday. intelligence chiefs say they warned the government almost two weeks ago, about possible attacks, but that nothing was done to prevent them. the comedian volodymyr zelensky has won a landslide victory in ukraine's presidential runoff. he hadad -- he will soon be the real t thing. the incumbent has conceded defeat. you're watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day tonight. why sri lanka knew that terror was coming, and yet did nothing to stop it.

. twenty four twenty four dot com. yeah this is welcome t to live from paris world news and analysis from france my cat i'm margot in n these are the headlines. the curfrfew continues under a state of emergency in sri lanka the death toll is nearing. three hundred easter sunday terror attacks colombo blames a local militant group. the united states is the council exexemptions granted to eight countries of by -- from iran washington says is to force turns hand over its nucleophilicity found regional. influence programs. polish solid the head. of the protest incident speaks to france find cap meanwhile talks between the processes. and the motion council within called off this as protests continued