>> this is dw news live from berlin. eu leaders consider new sanctions after belarus forces down a passenger plane. the airliner was forced to land in minsk and a prominent activist was arrested. german chancellor angela merkel is demanding his immediate release. japan's race to vaccinate as the country steps up its covid-19 immunization campaign ahead of the olympics.

back to school in kenya's forest after islamist attacks made much of the area a no go zone, children are back in the classroom for the first time in seven years. welcome to the program. eu leaders are meeting tonight in brussels to consider new sanctions against belarus after air traffic authorities forced to civilian airliner to land in minsk and arrested one of the passengers. the activist was traveling from greece to lithuania. it was escorted by a fighter jet because of an alleged bomb threat. they say belarusian secret service agents were on the flight.

belarus rejects the accusations as unfounded. european leaders arriving for a meeting tonight expressed their outrage at the incident and put up a united front. >> we witnessed a forced landing which resulted in the arrest of a belarusian figure. he must be released immediately. all the explanations are impossible. the same applies for his partner . we are demanding their release and will discuss what actions we can take with a united european voice. >> what hapned yesterday is an international scandal. the life of european civilia

were at risk yesterday. this is not acceptable and this is why we put sanctions on the table. the european governments are preparing different options, different measures, and i hope that we can make decisions on that tonight. >> there will be a strong focus on the utterly unacceptable hijacking of a ryanair flight by belarus authorities. there will be a strong answer. it's outrageous behavior. they'll have to understand that this will have severe consequences. tonight, we will discuss different options of sanctions. >> let's get more on the actions from our brussels bureau chief. as we discuss the unified condemnation of belarus, what can we expect? >> according to the draft conclusions of the summit that we have seen, we can expect eu

leaders to strongly condemn the incident in minsk and to call upon the regime in belarus to immediately release the detained blogger and his partner. it seems likely that eu leaders will be able to agree in general terms to impose a new targeted sanctions against the individuals directly involved or responsible for this incident. there was also a mention of the european union flight ban for the belarusian airlines. we can expect the leaders to call on eu-based carriers to avoid entering the airspace over belarus. this is all mentioned in the draft conclusions. we need to wait and see if all eu leaders will sign off. anchor: a unanimous vote is

needed. in the past, we have seen again and again hungary's president tipping the scales in preventing a unanimous decision. >> that is true and it is also interesting that we did not hear from him tonight. it is not clear what his position is. we have to mention that hungary has blocked two important statements by the european union this year. one was a statement condemning china for its security law in hong kong and the other was a joint declaration on the israel-gaza crisis. victor oban is considered a strong ally of vladimir putin. i also think that it's important to keep in mind that the pressure on eu leaders.

the pressure is enormous. and they to show that they are able to act to not lose the european union's credibility. they will do whatever it takes to convince orban and to have all 27 members on board. anchor: i'm now joined by the director for eastern europe and the marshall fund of the united states. it seems to disregard everything. election results come up and now the national aviation rules. why was it so important to him to catchotasevich? >> i think the primary signal is that there are many -- there are hundreds of thousands who fled the count who fled the country

over fear of repercussions. many of them are bas in neighboring countries like lithuania and poland. put your savage -- ptasevich was based out of lithuania. all of those felt they were not in safety, in eu countries neighboring belarus. now they learne that the safety cannot be taken for granted. the imary effect that the belarusian regime wanted to achieve with this stunt, this terrorist act, is to induce that sense of uncertainty with all of those in exile and continuing their fight. >> alexander mentioned it that russia is a staunch ally of belarus. what is russia's role? >> this is unclear athis stage.

there are a couple of pieces that we can put together in the direction of russian involvement in this act. we know that roman proto-savage -- protasevich was shattered by operators, people he suspected to be working for russian agencies. we know that when it was forced to land, three russian citizens and one belarusian citizen went off the plane, in addition to those two who were arrested. we have to assume these are the operatives in question. ewanchor:re you saying that they were russian operatives? >> at least three were traveling with russian passports. other they belong to the russian

sector is a questi but the fact that they are russian citizens, we expect them to be operatives. it gives us an indication that russ may have been involved, but this will be subject to an investigation and we will learn more about this in the days and weeks to come. anchor: the eu is calling for sanctions but can they be separated from sanctions against russia? >> not really. the belarusian crisis is one that has been unfolding in close relation to russia. the massive wave of repressions that the leader of belarus has unleashed against critics in his country, his opponents, and peaceful prosters, that was only responsible -- only

possible because he has the backing of russia. it is hard to disentangle them. the european union has tried to zoom in with pressure and condemnations on belarus. russia should be held responsible for the belarusian cris and the msasive toll it has taken so r on the population. anchor: thank you very much. we have some breaking news coming in right now. the european union says it is sealing off all u.s. airspace to belarusian flight traffic. the decision is one of several targeting belarus. let's turn to some of the other

stories making headlines at this hour. authorities in italy have launched a manslaughter investigation after sunday's cable car crash in the alps. 14 were killed and a child seriously injured when a gondola plunged down the side of a mountain. there is special permission to look into whether there was negligence in the maintenance process. myanmar's state television has broadcast a single photo of the ousted leader appearing in court today. it is the first time she has been seen since the coup. lawyers say the 75-year-old remains defiant and in good spirits. she is facing serious charges including incitement to sedition. samoa's prime minister has been sworn into office during a makeshift ceremony in a tent. naomi natafa and her cabinet were forced to improvise after the outgoing prime minister tried to stop the event by

locking the doors to parliament. the predecessor still refusing to step down. the wall street journal says that workers displayed cologne about -- coronavirus symptoms before the pandemic began. it lends credence to the theory that the pandemic was caused by a lab leak. china has dismissed this report. japan opened two massive inoculation centers to give coronavirus vaccines to the elderly residents. the aim is to vaccinate the 36 million elderly people in time for the openening of the olympic games in july. coronavirus case numbers are rising and vaccine confidence i s low.

>> the offices of a former tax office in tokyo, one of japan's first mass vaccination centers. everyone over the age of 65 is eligible for a shot. >> i'm feeling very relieved and grateful. for a long time i was feeling anxious and tense. we don't know who might get the illness. i don't care if i get it or not but i didn't want to pass it onto to my parents or my children. >> i think the staff are getting used two itu -- used to it, but they get things done quickly. i made my reservation at 8:00 a.m. and by 8:26 it was over, including waiting. jan's vaccination drive got off to a slow start. vaccinations only began in mid february, months behind many other countries. so far, less than 5% of the population have had a jab.

with the olympic games being held in tokyo, the new vaccination centers are meant to speed up the rollout. many feel it is too little, too late. had they done it earlier and got 80% to 90% vaccinated by the time of the olympics, for sure the games could be held without a problem. most are worried about the games. polls show that up to 80% of japanese people don't want the olympics to go ahead, and with good reason. tokyo and nine other areas remain under a state of emergency. infection rates are on the rise, and in cities like osaka, hospitals are running out of beds and ventilators, as japan battles a fourth wave of the pandemic. gerhard: you are watching dw news. still to come, we visit a schl in northeastern kenya where one

brave teacher has defied the threat of islamist attacks and has tried to build a better future for his students. first, wildfire seasons in california have been growing longer and more intense in recent years. with u.s. west coast emerging from one of the driest winters in history. experts warned that california might be facing the most devastating fire season on record. firefighters are getting ready. the reporter was able to meet one of the crews that go in when everybody else runs for their lives. >> they're done for the day, returning to their staging base after a whopping 16 hour shift of battling the palisades fire. they're a crew of 20 elite and specialized firefighters that are called in when the going gets tough. >> it's all about how we get to the fire. some people fly in. the smoke jumpers will parachute

in. the engines go in and we hike in. where no one can go, we go. >> the palisades fire, as of friday last week 84% contained, burned more than 1200 acres. it was the first major fire incident of the year. it is being investigated as possible arson. the blaze rattled the nerves of many residents in l.a. suburbs. >> i could not sleep one second. my eyes were like that because i couldn't sleep. i was worried about everything. you know what i mean? >> it took the hard work of 500 firefighters and three water dropping helicopters to stop the palisades blaze. no reported loss of life or property. last week's blaze and other smaller fires popping up in the south of the state are regarded as a worrying sign indicating

another brutal wildfire season ahead. >> we really have to think about brush fires as a year-round challenge. >> fire station 63 near california's capital in sacramento. firefighters have dealt with some of the worst fire tragedies on state record. in 2018, the camp fire almost completely destroyed paradise, a small town in the mountains. 85 people lost thei rlives. last year's ferry creek fire destroyed 1800 structures and took the lives of 50 people. things could get worse this year. >> the indications are what we potentially see happening during the summer. it's leading up to not a good year. our precipitation is down across the state. the governor and the legislators and the governing body out of

sacramento is saying for certain areas in california that are under drought conditions right now. when we hear those things in the field are drying out earlier, the potential for a fire season being longer, hotter, more destructive is there. >> california's government is responding by beefing up funding for more equipment and more firefighters, and also for smarter forest management. >> it's looking at the whole picture, the preventative component also. or thinning of forests. for now, the fresh firefighting crew is getting ready to do its job and to work the line for what is just the beginning of this year's wildfire season. anchor: children in kenya's northeast bonnie forrest returned to the classroom this week for the first time in seven years.

schools are closed but teachers were unwilling to work following deadly attacks by al-shabaab. the east africa correspondent were granted access to the volatile region of bonnie forrest. >> on the edge of bonnie forrest the primary school has finally reopened. [children singing] >> seven years after they attacked. villages in the area this is the only teacher here. >> the moment to wake up and find you are ok, you find god. as you sleep, you pray to god. >> he is the only teacher who dared to come back. ever30 minutes he switches

classrooms, teaching three classes at the same time, taking care of 100 schoolchildren. >> i am alone at the moment. it is so tiresome because i have to teach, and after completing the lesson, i go to another class and teach, and another class. >> the children are years behind in education but have learned how to react when they hear gunshots and they know what al-shabaab is. >> i am afraid of them because they burnt the camps but i'm happy to go back to school to coinue studying. many of the parents could not afford to take them to another school, so most of them had to stay-at-home. >> it's exciting to be back at school. you can get a sense of how important education is for them. just when kilometers down the road, an ashabaab device blew

up and killed kenyan soldiers. >> 60 border patrol officers protect the school and its children. the officers are concerned that the security situation is deteriorating. >> currently not safe. with six months here, i think this month is not good. >> a few days ago the military defended a larger base from an attack by the islamists. these men put their lives at risk to protect the school from being raided. the military has started helping the kids. border patrol officers from next-door are stepping in as part-time teachers. one of them was trained to be a teacher before joining. >> while schools remain open.

educating the next generation will strengthen the fight against terrorism. >> that's my a miller reporting from kenya. tremors have been shaking the northern province in the democratic republic of congo following saturday's eruption of the volcano. at least 15 died and scores more arm escaping -- missing after the volcano started spew lava. the situation on the ground is too chaotic for a thorough assessment of casualties and damage. >> aerial pictures show a trail of description, a community overrun by lava from saturday's volcanic eruption. hundreds of homes were destroyed. people told of how they had been forced to leave behind loved ones as the lava approached. >> i was with my husband to his

old and couldn't leave the house because he is sick and couldn't walk. i said i cannot go alone and i went back to try to get him out but couldn't. i ran away and he got burned inside. i was sweating trying to lift an old man who died in the end. i lost my strength when i saw the lava coming. many more are missing since the eruption. the survivors are left filled with uncertainty about the fate of their family members and their own futures. there has been criticism of the authorities for failing to alert residents. it is incomprehensible how respectable and funded institution can fail to warn of an imminent eruption not even one hour before.

while the city may have been scared -- spared. there is no question that the villages to the east have paid a heavy price. >> bob dylan is nothing less than a cultural phenomena. he has been a presence on the u.s. music scene for 60 years. on his 80th birthday we look back at his career. >> poetry for the ears written to be performed. drawing a direct line to ancient greek poets lick homer. high praise for a man who has constantly defined labels and expectations. dylan was born robert allen zimmerman in minnesota. he changed his name as a nod to dylan thomas.

his early music was in the tradition of american folk. he shot to prominence in 1963 performing at the civil rights watch on washington where martin luther king made his. historic speech dylan became a poster boy for protest against the powers that be, the vietnam and depression. it was a war he fout against. >> do you think of yourse as a singer or a poet? >> i think of myself as a song and dance man. >> may i have your autograph? >> come on! >> you don't need my autograph. if you needed it, i would give it to you. >> dylan has received numerous awards from grammys to an oscar to the presidential medal of freedom. in 2016, to global shock, the nobel prize in literature.

dylan did not attend the ceremony but picked up his prize ahead of a concert, part of his never-ending tour that he started in 1988. after playing 3000 concerts on that tour for over 30 years it took a global pandemic to get dylan off the road. that didn't stop him from putting out his 39th studio album. now 80 years old, it is the simplicity and sophistication of his earliest work that remains most iconic. a man and a guitar, words and music, poetry meant to be performed. ♪ evening's empire has returned to sand left me blindly here to stand while still not sleeping ♪ ♪

gerhard: before we go, a quick reminder of our top story. the european union is sealing off all airspace to belarusian flight traffic. one of several new sanctions targeting belarus that was agreed at an eu summit in brussels after the forced landing of a passenger jet and the arrest of an opposition journalist. you're watching dw news from berlin. i will be back in just a moment to bring you the day where we will take a closer look at the international outcry against belarus. we meet a palestinian woman whose projects are bng used as a peace tool.

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anchor: i am mark owen into these e the main world news headlines. from belarus, a video showing roman protasevich confessing to terrorist activity, he was arrested after ella bruce made his passenger flight wert to minsk -- belarus made his passenger flight diverge to minsk. urszula votto line acute -- accusing belarus of hijacking the flight. we have more on this in