from berlin. tonight, the green wave in german politics. fresh off a strong showing in european elections, a new survey said the environmentalist greens would come first in a german election. also coming up tonight, remembering d-day and the moment allied troops stormed the

beaches of normandy to free europe from nazi occupation. president trump joined his french counterpart to pay respect to surviving veterans and those who died in normandy 75 years ago today. also coming up tonight, the worst serial killer in modern german history sentenced to life in prison. a german court convicts the former hospital nurse of killing 85 patients who were in his care over a five-your period. it was a case that shocked the country. ♪ i'm brent goff. two viewers in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin in germany with surprising numbers for the country's environmentalist green party. a new survey indicating if germany were to hold an election

now, it would show a truly historic green result. for the first time, the greens would come in first with 26% of the vote. angela merkel's conservative bloc would drop to second place with 25%. then comes the right-wing populist party with 13%. merkel's current coalition partner would drop to fourth place with only 12%, and the business-friendly ftp would get 8%. the socialist left party would be in last at 7%. the green party in germany is already celebrating a stunning result in a recent european parliamentary elections. they surged to second place, winning over 20% of the vote. voters abandoned major parties over concerns about climate change. the party is also doing well in

state elections here in germany. these are big changes going on in the political landscape. talk about that, i'm joined by our political correspondent. it is a big deal. if elections were to be held next sunday, the green party would come out on top. >> yes, and you said it -- this truly is a historic result. the greens have been on the rise for quite some time, for the last few years, and they were reckoned to come out really strong in the european election two weeks ago, but -- which they did, but how strong they were came as a surprise. they profited hugely from people's concerns about climate change and environmental issues and the neglect of these topics by the other parties. the greens have been born out of this environmental movement. for ages, they have been too

topical a party and it took them to long to establish a stance in other fields, but now, people see them as a party with this their core competence. brent: as you said earlier, in the european parliamentary elections a couple of weeks ago, the greens also did very well. you have this survey coming up tonight. what does this mean for german chancellor angela merkel and her coalition? >> the going gets tough. the grand coalition -- this is an alliance which has not been wanted from the beginning. it was born out of need. no other coalition was possible. when they signed the coalition agreement, they said they would reevaluate the governmental work halfway through.

everybody thought that the social democrats would drop out of the coalition, that the cdu which try to install angela merkel's success in at the chancellery -- successor at the chancellery, but now, they would risk losing seats in parliament, risk losing power, and i cannot imagine that with these polls, they would go into snap elections. friend: they would try to hold on if they can. if we were to have early elections, who would become germany's chancellor? >> this is a very interesting question for two reasons. first, which coalition would be possible? there is no majority on the left side, so the only coalition which would work would be the greens together with the conservative cdu, but this would

be a coalition which would lack credibility. the cdu stands for coal, against carbon tax, against environmental law, so how could the greens possibly go together with this party? the second reason is the greens have a long tradition of dual leadership, so who would be the chancellor? they have a hugely popular candidates, so how would they handle it? would they swap out for two of years? brent: they would be forced to come up with a solution if those early elections were to come. our correspondent with those new numbers. thank you. on this day 75 years ago, the biggest invasion force of its kind began, the assault that

would lead less than a year later to the total collapse of nazi rule here in europe, but it came at a heavy price. thousands of allied troops lost their lives fighting to break through ally defenses. leaders of britain, france, and the u.s. pay tribute to those who died there along with surviving veterans of that historic battle. ♪ >> a lone piper marked the moment 75 years ago when british troops began storming the beach of normandy. >> wasn't very pleasant. wouldn't like to do it again. >> more than 150,000 allied troops stormed the beaches of nazi occupied france in 1944 in

what remains the biggest ever naval invasion. thousands were killed within hours. u.s. president donald trump and french president emmanuel macron looks out on one of the beaches captured by american soldiers as planes flew a red, white, and blue tribute in the skies overhead. in their speeches to veterans, the leaders honored the men whose courage ultimately liberated france and europe from nazi dictatorship. >> today, we remember those who fell and we honor all who fought right here in normandy. they won back this ground for civilization. to more than 170 veterans of the second world war who join us today, you are among the greatest americans who will ever lived. >> we know what we oh to you

veterans -- what we owe to you veterans, our freedom. on behalf of my nation, i just want to say thank you. [applause] >> for many of the elderly veterans, this year's d-day anniversary will be their last visit to the battlefields of their youth, but the rows of crosses will remain -- a reminder to future generations of the allies' joint sacrifice to defeat evil. print: here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world. pro-democracy demonstrators said they are determined to continue their campaign of civil disobedience until the ruling military council is ousted. this comes as the african union announced that it is suspending sudan's participation until eight activities until a new council is installed. in hong kong, more than 1000

have taken part in a silent much to protest against planned changes to extradition laws. the amendments make it easier for authorities to extradite people to other jurisdictions including china. the protesting lawyers say it'll undermine hong kong's independent judicial system. the european drugs agency has warned that the continent is being inundated with unprecedented amounts of cocaine. the latest report states almost one in three european adults have tried illegal drugs and that consumption is rising. authorities seized a record amount of cocaine less year according to that report. you are watching "dw news" from berlin. in denmark, fredrickson is poised to become the country's youngest ever prime minister. we take a look at her party's resounding victory and the task of forming a new government.

a court has signaled -- sentenced one of the most prolific serial killers to life in prison. prosecutors say he deliberately introduced cardiac arrest inpatients so he could resuscitate them and impress his coworkers. 's killing spree lasted five years. dw correspondent mario mueller has been reporting from the trial. she met a formal coworker from the hospital where he murdered dozens of patients. >> frank still reflects on the time. a former nurse was his colleague for twc.

he quickly became aware that there was something wrong with him. >> it was obvious he wanted to be the action hero who saved people. you sometimes get that, people who work in rescue services who are under the illusion they are the big heroes. he is one of those. >> the oma became suspicious after about a year and a half. that's when he started to notice that patients would suffer cardiac arrest more often when hoover was on duty. >> at first, we just thought it was bad luck until a colleague said, "so, death hugel on duty again? >> it was later discovered that the nurse was injecting patients with potassium in order to bring on cardiac arrest so that he

could reanimate them and appear as the great lifesaving hero again and again. on a single weekend on his ship, there were 14 resuscitation's and five deaths. he was simply transferred to another ward. >> the reason why a clinic director, a cheap physician, or a nursing director stays silent is to prevent the reputation of damage to the clinic. we all know that would mean fewer patients coming into our care. >> it took several further resuscitation's in the new ward for the head of the clinic to decide thinners had to go. now the nurse alleged to have killed 36 people at this point. he was dismissed from his post with glowing references. he then applied for a job at a clinic just a few kilometers away where he continued to murder unabated. 64 more patients were to die at his hand there.

>> my grandfather was necessitated by the murderer and then two or three days later, the same thing happened again, so he was practically murdered twice. >> in 2005, he was finally caught red-handed as he was about to administer an injection to a patient. it was the end of a killing spree unprecedented in germany. a nurse that doesn't help people but secretly murders them, possibly in more than 100 cases. >> in reaching these verdicts, we have achieved as much transparency as is legally possible. i hope now that many relatives find peace. >> still, the legal proceedings have not yet been completed. fellow nurses, doctors, supervisors -- who among them was complicit in these crimes? the investigations are ongoing. rent: in denmark, the leader of

the social democrats has been tasked with forming a new government after her party emerged as the winners of the new elections. mr. fredrickson -- mette f rederiksen. denmark is the third nordic country within a year to elect a leftist government following sweden and finland. >> is here in copenhagen where denmark's queen received representatives of the country's political parties to discuss the formation of a new government. though he had conceded defeat, tradition dictated the country's prime minister was first in line. >> i think it is clear frederi ksen will be given the task of building a new administration. >> social democrats topped the polls after a campaign that focused on migration, the climate crisis, and the welfare state. in recent years, social democrats have adopted a much tougher line on immigration and pledged to increase public spending.

>> danes have decided they want and a majority and want to move in a different direction. >> frederiksen will need support of other parties with similar ideas on environmental and social policy. >> we have always said that we are open to negotiation and reaching agreements that was a denmark -- that will take denmark in a new direction. despite a willingness to work together, there are differences, most notably over immigration policy. >> uganda is welcoming more people than ever. approximately one million refugees, mostly from south sudan, now called uganda home. uganda is praised for having one of the most progressive and

generous refugee parties in the world. exit -- in 2016, she fled with her family from south sudan to uganda. >> the rebels came on our way here. they took our property, tortured us in different ways, and beat us. >> like millions of others from south sudan, her family found refuge in uganda. he refugee aid here functions differently compared to the rest of the world. people are not just confined to a camp like in kenya. refugees are immediately given a work permit and land provided by communities and you -- and new neighbor's who hand over parts of their land. >> we have cash and food as well because when we give them food,

there -- both we give them cash, they buy whatever they need. it is optional. >> uganda has shown strong willingness to give to those in need. for 20 years, they awful -- they also suffered during the civil war. people here know what it means to be forced out of their homes. they also benefit from international aiused to build hr schools, but of course, there are still challenges. >> we still face challenges like infrastructure. the classrooms are not enough. we don't have libraries. we have the books but nowhere to put them.

>> is from a school in a district in the north of the country. 400,000 people live there. half of them are refugees. some of whom were around here 50 years ago. most are from south sudan with the most recent civil broke out in 2013. the refugee desk officers happel -- happy they were able to find a place to call home. he believes it benefits the locals, too. >> their presence means so many people have been employed, not necessarily from this district but elsewhere. when you look at infrastructure development, we have constructive -- constructed access roads. >> there are also negative aspects. sources are -- resources are gradually wendling including

water supplies. in january 2019 alone, almost 6000 more refugees are in uganda, but the country wants to keep its doors open. policies continue to be put into action. it is hoped the refugees will be self-sufficient. brent: in germany, the country is still reeling from the murder of a popular politician in the state of hesse. he was shot dead outside his home last weekend. he was a leading advocate for refugees during the country's 2015 migrant crisis, a stance that brought him death threats. now disturbing comments including about his murder have surfaced online. our reporters traveled to his hometown to find out more. >> it was a shot to the head at

very close range. here in front of his house, the cdu politician was found by a family member early sunday morning. since his death, no clues have emerged about the perpetrator or perpetrators. inhabitants of his home village are shocked. >> it is a very difficult situation for the town and for me, too. views you could run up against, that you could debate with him. >> at a community meeting in 2015, he stood up for refugees, telling those who disagreed that -- >> you have to stand up for these values. whoever does not represent men can leave the country at any point. >> audience members from the far right were outraged by his words. he even received death threats afterwards. now in the days after the killing, disturbing comments appeared online.

"you don't have to be sad. it's a reason to be happy." "you get what you deserve. he was a traitor of the people." many people were shocked by the common spear the german president condemns the hateful speech. >> the way that some individuals on social media are attacking his death, taking satisfaction from it and applauding it, it is simply cynical, tasteless, revolting, in defensive in every way. >> on a german tv show, the police issued an appeal for everyone with information to come forward. they are hoping to find witnesses who went to a fair next to the home the evening of the crime. >> we are hoping to receive information that can help us solve the crime. it is really a unique situation. we about a crime scene that has not been seen in hesse for a

long time. >> the killing has left many of the people here in this village in shock. a german politician shot dead on his own terrace -- to some, it seems like a planned execution. the case raises many questions which will hopefully be answered soon by the police. brent: the men's quarterfinal matches in the french open were finally played after the rain postponed them for a day. the results me novak djokovic will face dominant team -- dominic thiem and semifinals. the victory gets djokovic one step closer to securing his second french open title. earlier, world number four, dominic thiem who lost in last year's final, made light work of his opponent. with rafael nadal and roger

federer also in the mix, the finals will feature the top frenchman in the world. the women's world cup gets under way on friday. france is hosting it, but the final will take place not in lyon -- not in paris, rather, but instead in the city of lyon, a city that has become central to the development of the women's game in the country. the hosts are among the favorites to follow their male counterparts and lift the trophy. if they do, lyon will have played a major role. >> it's here the world champions will be crowned, but this stadium has already seen its fair share of glory. the women's team placed some of its games here, a site whose dominance in europe is near total. the won the last french league titles and four champions league titles in a row. with the world cup coming to france, lyon was the natural choice to host the biggest game of all. >> it's known in europe and around the world for this team.

it was obvious the final would take place there. >> it's success owes much to the backing of the club president who has provided the funds and support that have allowed the club to bring in stars. leon -- lyon players also make up the spine of the french team, including the club captain. >> we knew the stadium very well, and when we are on the pitch and see the fans jumping for us, it is a boost. it is an additional motivation. >> tickets for the final sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale. the level of support athletes received today is a far cry from the days when the vice president of the french football federation was playing football.

>> when i wanted to join a team at age five, they said they did not take girls. we did not exist in football. >> as for the local fans, they have high expectations for their home world cup. >> i think they are doing everything to push for more spots in football. we expect a lot of the french team. they won their warm-up games, and i think they will win the french world cup. they have huge potential. >> in france, our teams often play good championships, good tournaments when they are at home. i think it is in the bag. >> for bridget, success would mean much more than just a trophy. >> a title would feel like the end of our journey to get recognition. >> france faced plenty of tough opposition in the bid to win the world cup on home soil, but if they manage to lift the trophy,

there could not be a better place for them to do it then lyon -- band -- than lyon. brent: after a break, i will be here to take you through "the day" and d-day, but first, the best images from the celebration in france. ♪ ♪ ♪

twenty four confronts twenty four dot com. that you want to live in paris some for us twenty four the headlines this hour. the day commemorations on the beaches of normandy british american canadian and french soldiers all on a date seventy five years since the biggest label and every nation in history. type the way for the defeat of *-*- germany. the african union suspense down over the killing of more than one hundred pro democracy protesters by paramilitary forces. the great ones that will be for the consequences if costume does not take steps towards a civilian goven