from berlin. belarus under fire, and the forced landing of an airliner with the arrest of an opposition dissident. also on the program, max exodus in the democratic republic of congo. thousands flee the city, fearing a second volcano abru -- eruptin

within a week. and he wrote one of the most popular children's books of all time, saying he wanted to give kids hope. now, the author of "the very hungary caterpillar" has died. ♪ >> welcome to the program. the european union is targeting belarus with hard-hitting economic sanctions. the action is in response to the forced landing of a jet and the arrest of a prominent dissident. lucrative oil and chemical exports will be fo part of the sanctions focused on the economy.

>> these pro-democracy activists have started this protest outside of the eu commission's office in warsaw. >> we demand that sanctions against lukashenko regime are introduced. we don't want just any sanctions, but tough economic sanctions. at the eu foreign minister meeting in lisbon, this is what they were discussing. lisbon has already banned belarus and airlines from its guys. next up on the agenda, economic sanctions. it was so unacceptable that we are not ruling anything out. >> we are discussing who should be added to the sanctions list. that could include companies like this potassium fertilizer factory. last august, workers went on strike to protest lukashenko after he claimed a sixth term in

office after a disputed election. the eu hopes that sanctioning them will hit the regime hard, but as the eu is taking a tougher stance on battle root -- on belarus, tensions with russia are increasing. they have been linked by a political pact since the crisis broke out. moscow has increased the backing for its ally. >> we insist that the west stop demonizing those it doesn't like. the belarusian authorities announced immediately after the incident that they were ready to conduct a transparent and open investigation. the crisis is playing out on the eastern frontiers, and the belarusian border, journalists gathered to protest on behalf of their jailed colleagues. the fate of several reporters has become the latest flashpoint

in europe's relationship with its autocratic neighbors. >> our correspondent was covering this eu foreign ministers meeting in portugal. he sent us this assessment. >> they say the actions from the belarus leadership amounted to state terrorism, hijacking, and they claim that a line has been crossed and they must react swiftly and harshly. whole sectors of the belarusian economy will be targeted with a new set of sanctions, especially the potassium industry, because it is very lucrative for the leadership in minsk. the u.s. is aware that these new measures will have repercussions and countermeasures not only from belarus, but from its closest ally, russia.

this could be the beginning of a downward spiral of measures and countermeasures. >> for more on these sanctions, we are joined from zürich by an expert on sanctions from the center in zürich on eastern european studies. this will target some of the most profitable sectors of the belarusian economy. how much damage will this do? >> with hijacking and kidnapping, lukas definitely shot himself in the foot. the sanctions were on the list prior to the incident, but there was a reluctance from the eu to cross that line and target the lucrative sectors. now the calculus has changed, and it will target the key sectors of the belarusian economy. oil, petrochemicals, fertilizers, and it is important to remember last year, the

export of petrochemicals to the eu from belarus was more than $1 billion. this will add to the cost. specific sanctions will be put in place, but the eu has to agree on the cost of the sanction, something that should not be taken at face value, but these sanctions will definitely target t companies that support and finance the regime, the lukashenko regime, and will cut access to much hard currency. >> what are the chances that the sanctions will achieve the release of political prisoners, as the eu habeen demanding? >> it's unlikely that sanctions alone wi convince lukashenko

to release these prisoners. the put@ -- kidnapping is a personal vendetta for lukashenko, but it is important that the eu send a strong signal, not just for its own credibility, which is here, but to draw a redline for such future incidents in the future. >> of course, russia plays a role in all of this, and we heard sergei lavrov offer strong support to his ally earlier. how much active backing is moscow prepared to give lukashenko? >> the resiliencef the lukashenko regime definitely depends to a gre extent, which russia is willing and able to financially support the regime. we have known from the past sanctions episode that russia has been a key factor here in alleviating the sanctions burden.

it provided generous energy subsidies and political support, but we are no longer in early 2000, where russia could afford it. russia is under sanctions itself since 2014. it haseen conducting very conservative, monetary and fiscal policy, and it is not eager to spend money, even for its own economy, let alone for its neighbor. it will all depend on the sanctions that will be put in place. some of this, russia can compensate the losses, but when we talk about sanctions, the russian company will definitely steer away. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> let's have a look asome of the other world news. the human human rights chief says israel's recent astrikes

onaza maconstitutear crimes. the u.n. has agreed to launch an investigation into alleged crimes committed during the 11 day conflict earlier this month. dozens of people are feared drowned in western nigeria after an overloaded boat carrying 160 passengers sank in the niger r iver. rescue workers say 22 people survived. only five bodies have been found. tens of thousands of people are leaving the city of buma in the democratic republic of congo. a nearby volcano could erupt again at any time. the mountain is in the east, close to the border with rwanda. authorities fear a repeat could be much more serious.

>> clothes, food, mattresses -- the residence of the north in the democratic republic of congo rushed to pack the most necessary belongings. the volcano could erupt at any time. once again, the people are looking for safe haven. >> the governor said on the radio we have to evacuate and go to the nearby city, but we don't have an exact destination. we can feel a lot of rumbling. people are being told to leave the city, otherwise many will die. but a quick escape seems all but impossible. the mass exodus has left roads jammed with traffic. for many, the best way is on foot. others are fleeing by boat.

the mountain is considered one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes. eruption last saturday claimed at least 32 lives. experts warn this time could be much worse. they field a so-called limb nicorette and could smother the area with carbon dioxide and kill thousands. >> i am now joined by the chief of the united nations peacekeeping mission in goma. what's the situation on the ground right now? >> the situation on the ground right now is very tense and very unpredictable. tens of thousands of inhabitants have left the city, especially the red zone, with about 10 neighborhoods. some of them went to the neighboring country across the border, others went west to an area called sacke.

the roads are very difficult to navigate, especially with heavy traffic and unavailability or means of transportation, such as buses or trucks. many of them are either on foot or on motorcycles, carrying their belongings and heading in that direction. people are still moving towards the city. they have not reached it and there is a great deal of traffic and chaos in that area. >> given that thousands are fleeing the city, understandably, you are staying. what is your role in this evacuation? whats your party? >> our role in this country is protecting the citizens. this is our main mandate. therefore this is the right time for us to stay and deliver on our mandate. to the west of town, we established a base where we are, but we are still not too far away. our goal is to secure the area through patrols, and we have

been supporting the paving of roads and fixing roads that have been damaged by the lava, that resulted from the eruption on saturday. finally, we have also been supporting with food and water for the displaced inhabitants of the town. >> why is everybody so much more concerned now about this potential eruption than the one that happened on saturday night? >> the one that happened on saturday night was a surprise eruption. all panicky eruptions happen and they are very unpredictable. since that time onward, we have been experiencing a large number of earthquakes. some of them are very high in magnitude, but also sometimes we get about five earthquakes an hour. these earthquakes tend to provoke volcanic activities, so

the risk of having another event is higher. number two, they cause damage to houses and infrastructure, so that also scares the population and really pushes them to seek refuge. >> thank you, and stay safe. >> thank you. >> french president emmanuel macron says his country bears a heavy responsibility for the genocide in rwanda nearly 20 years ago read he was speaking during a visit to rwanda, during which he admitted that france had failed the 800,000 for comes -- victims of the genocide. the leader stopped short of an apology. ♪ >> agrees to pay tribute -- a wreath to pay tribute to

hundreds of thousands of mostly to see vtims -- tuthsi victims. emmanuel macron is taking steps to heal the wounds when it comes to france's involvement in the genesis died. -- genocide. >> by standing beside you here today, with humility and respect, i have come to recognize our responsibilities. only those who went through that night can perhaps forgive. and in doing so, give the gift of forgiveness. >> he then continued his speech by saying, i remember rwanda. macron did not apologize, but received praise from rwanda's

president nonetheless. >> this was a powerful speech. with a special meaning. his words were someing more valuable than an apology. >> macron wants to appoint a french ambassador to rwanda, a position that has not been filled for six years. for some, his speech fell short of an apology. for others, it signals a new step in french-rwanda and relations. >> children may be among the least likely to be killed by covid-19, but they suffer in different ways, especially when their own parents die from the disease. our dw correspondent reports.

>> for tee years now, on a daily basis, she has dealt with children who have experienced great loss that are forced to grow up before they are ready. children are being made to quit education and take up household responsibilities, and are being pushed into child labor as their families have lost income. secondly, since they are spending a lot of time at their home now, many cases of child abuse are also coming up. having been disproportionately affected by covid-19, many children are facing another tragic fall out of the pandemic. many have lost mothers, fathers, or both, leaving them extremely vulnerable. since last year, support has been offered to children orphans do to covid-19, by helping them settle in with their extended families.

the founder of the organization says that while children who have been orphaned have it much tougher and need immediate attention, a more holistic approach is needed to address every child in distress. >> there is a lotf conversation about covid, but on the ground, such cases are probably 5% to 6%. the other 95% of cases we are looking at our where the parents of these children are pushing them into the sexual trade, transactional sex, and child labor. it is hard to determine which child is in massive distress and which child needs more support. >> the head of the delhi commission for the protection of child rights also advocates for this. >> these schemes to provide financial assistance to these families so that basic substances is insured. the second thing that needs to happen, governments have to

explore ways of keeping children in school. either by providing livelihood for the family or registering them in different situations, but ensuring the family has adequate means. >> as an immediate, urgent step, the commission has started a helpline for children in distress. back athe center, many children she meets with are in crisis right now. because of covid, years of hard work that we and the children have put in seem to have gone to waste. we are now trying to get them back to their studies. through different activities, we are trying to heal them and help them come out of the difficult situations they are cing. she ys that despite their best efforts, it will be a long while until the children are able to cope with the hurt and the trauma that the pandemic has inflicted. >> let's take a look at some of

the other developments in the pandemic. johnson & johnson says it is not sure it will reach a june target of delivering 55 million doses to the eu. live shows with audiences can be held with a low risk of infections, and sweden is easing some restrictions from june 1. the government says the number of cases has fallen sharply. scientists say a giant tortoise discovered in the galapagos islands longs to a species that was declared extinct more than a century ago. now the galapagos national park, they are looking for more of the reptiles in hopes of saving the species. >> this giant tortoise is thought to be between 18 years old and 100 years old. it was found two years ago, on fern and -- fernandina

island in the galapagos. thanks to genetic testing, scientists have been able to identify the tortoise. it belongs to a family, a species thought to be extinct more than a century ago. it's a dream, a hope for a new species of tortoise and the galapagos. he found a new species that had been registered as extinct, and it gives us strength and energy to continue with all of our conservation programs. there are 15 species of giant tortoise native to the galapagos archipelago, which is off the coast of ecuador. the current population of this member of the turtle family is estimated to be around 60,000. and now that another species has

been rediscovered, the hunt is on to find more in the hope of saving it from extinction. a group >> of athletes with the difference are working to secure their place at the tokyo olympics in july. they want to be part of an official refugee team competing at the games. we meet three refugees from switzerland to our dreaming of olympic luck. >> luna solomon is taking careful aim at a shooting range. it is not something she would have tried back in her home country, because of what holding a weapon there means. she fled her native land, arriving in switzerland in 2015. >> in my country, if you take part in sport shooting, it is to kill someone. we don't use rifles for sports. the 27-year-old is one of dozens

of athletes who came as refugees to europe and is now taking aim at getting on the refugee olympic team for the tokyo games. they all got training scholarships provided by the international olympic committee. this 10 kilometer runner also came from the same country. it was a risky trip for him, crossing the desert without enough water to crossing the mediterranean. he hopes to also make the team. back in 2006, this marathon runner won a medal at the trophy event. they did not let dictatorships or chaos in their home countries stop them from following their dreams -- the olympics. but it is not about just winning. >> i want to believe that our amazing, inspiring stories of athletes that don't come close to the podium, one day it would be great to have a kid point at the tv and say, i would like to

be that guy. you know, i think it's very much in the olympic spirits. >> some 55 refugee athletes have been identified in preselection for this years games in japan, with the final squad to be announced in june. >> football news now. real madrid has announced its coaches stepping down immediately. this comes days after the spanish team was narrowly beaten by local rivals. in his two spells as coach, real was led to three titles and three championship wins, but this has left the club without trophies for the first time in 11 years. the author of one of the world's most popular children's books has died. he was 91. his most famous book, the very hungary caterpillar, was

published in 1969. it told the tale of a caterpillar with an insatiable appetite. during his career, he wrote and illustrated more than 70 books. >> a child once called him a picture writer. a term the american author thought was fitting. overall, he wrote and illustrated over 70 children's books. but none of his works touched as many hearts as the tale of a caterpillar with an insatiable appetite. >> the important part of doing a book for children or any books, really, is the idea. where does the idea come from? >> the book was originally conceived as a week with willie worm, and wonders -- one wonders if the book would have done as well without its catchy title.

it has been translated into 66 languages. it's german title translates into the little caterpillar, never full. >> i think it's a story of hope. people need hope. a little insignificant caterpillar can grow up into a beautiful butterfly and fly off into the world. >> his signature style was to use bright colors and different textures. his illustrations will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come. >> you're watching dw news. before we go, here's a quick reminder of our top story. tens of thousands of people in the democratic republic of congo are fleeing the city of goma. a nearby volcano could erupt again.

interruption almost reached the city last weekend. that's it from me in the news team here in berlin. in just a moment, i will lead you through the day. the search for the origin of the coronavirus -- it might be different than you think. from berlin, thank you very much for watching.

>> welcome to live from paris. these are the main world news headlines. emmanuel macron tells a lot he recognizes the role france played in the lead up to the genocide in the mid-1990's. he's hoping to forge a reset. residents run for cover as the local government forecasts a morning of eruption second set off the same volcano that erupted last weekend.