the clerical abuse issues. >> now we follow the money and take you inside the vatican's financial empire. >> when it comes to money, this is one of the sloppiest organizations on earth... >> al jazeera america presents... holy money only on al jazeera america >> a popularity test for prime minister recep tayyip erdogan as people vote in elections. you are watching live from doha. >> secretary of state john kerry and sergei lavrov holding talks to find a solution in ukraine. >> >> myanmar's census is criticised for spoking religious and ethnic tensions. >> a plan to create homes in nigeria's capital has built more

problems. >> first it is a vote seen as a referendum on the leadership of prime minister recep tayyip erdogan. millions of turks are taking part in local elections across the country. recep tayyip erdogan has been campaigning for his party as people choose their mayors and councillors. it's a crucial time with recep tayyip erdogan facing a number of corruption allegations. what are the people saying? >> we are waiting for prime minister recep tayyip erdogan to come to the polling station behind me to cast his vote. he is at the center of this political storm. when you speak to people here, voters, they are divided. some expressed their support for the prime minister, and saying he is an honest man and they

don't believe the corruption allegations made against him. on the other hand we have people who think the prime minister and the government are corrupt and they are voting for change. so turkey is divided. the polls are still going on very smoothly. it's a peaceful atmosphere. there is political tensions. >> it's unusual that local elections in turkey get this much focus, because it's really all about the prime minister recep tayyip erdogan, and his popularity right now, isn't it. >> absolutely. everything that happens in turkey since last summer, if you remember, the so-called gahzi protest, the anti-government protest and moving on to banning twitter and access to youtube. i think everything will be at play today. he is at the center of this political storm, and this highlights the power struggle within turkey, and the political

elite in turkey, not only between the government and prime minister, but between the u.s. cleric fall ata golan. while they are important, to see local polls gauging the popularity of the government and the aka party, and the results will give us indication of the next elections in august. >> thank you for that. >> egyptian military operations, including air and ground attacks continue in northern sinai. these show the aftermath of an attack in a mosque in sinai. the operation is necessary to regain control of the sinai peninsula, getting rid of armed

groups. >> the secretary of state john kerry is in paris to meet the russian foreign minister. john kerry and sergei lavrov will hold talks, following a phone call to the president and president obama discussing a diplomatic exclusion. >> in ukraine yulia tymoschenko will face a billionaire businessman. tensions are high in the east and south, where many are suspicious of the new government. we have this report, all sides are engaging in a dangerous information war. >> the heavy industry of eastern ukraine - steel factories and goal mines drifght the soviet machine, some believe vladimir putin has plans to take it back. for now, this is a region in the grip of an information war. >> i'm not afraid of russian

soldiers here. they are peacekeepers to me. as for western ukraine, with fascist slogans, it's not a little, it's criminal. >> across the region, like here in the port city, protest groups gather in support of federalism. they want autonomy from what they see a pro-european fascists and thugs. it's an image portrayed by russian state news channels, watched before the government switched them off. >> translation: we are patriots. we want to preserve our ties with russia. in place of russian new, a sense of siege captured on mobile phones. a man told me barely reports on the prot ests. these tanks appeared in the village near the border.

sent to encircle them, rather than to defend against an envision. >> in the midst of the misinformation there's a reality of political upheaval and ukraine's borders across the sea. of coast guard vessels to ports and families separated like the family that i met earlier. >> cartia and her 2-year-old daughter made a home after leaving crimea a week ago. her nine-year-old daughter stayed behind with grandparents. >> i feel sadness. it's a pity to live life in crimea, moving here, it's sad. >> cartia's husband is a coast guard officer, his vessel released by the russians, and at anchor. >> translation: we are brotherly nations, we have nothing to divide us or fight for.

>> he wishes things could be the way they were. reality again they may never be. >> relatives of the chinese passengers on missing flight mh370 are calling for an ipology. dozens were protesting. they want the malaysian authorities to prove that the missing jet went down. it vanished, league kuala lumpur for beijing. myanmar is conducting a sensis in more than 30 years. this, despite calls for it to be postponed. the nationwide survey asking people to choose ethnicity and religion. some groups, like the muslims are not recognised, like the rohingyas. it's believed the information could be used for political

people. benjamin is the senior international advisor at the international commission of judish, saying myanmar is not ready and will make the sensis worse. the timing is the issue. when you have diverse groups, incredible as human rites watch, the international crisis. all saying that now is not the right time, as well as controversy on all sides. both on the ethnic rohingya side in the state. the real question is not weather, but when. >> very few countries in which an operation this large and complex would be 100% smooth. in myanmar you have internal armed conflict. you have a united party that is expressed difficulties and some dispute as to whether or not they want to cooperate.

you have a state where the ethnic buddhists said they do not wish this to go forward or list their ethnicity, and the rohingyas themselves. they are upset that their ethnicity is not listed among 135 ethnicities on the form. the risk is a heightened situation of tension will be exacerbated. if there was doubt that that could be the case, it's incumbent on the ufpk and the government to postpone until the situation subsided. >> a chinese ship tried to block the vessel from getting near the islands. the civilian ship was on its way to provide supplies to a military outpost in the island group. the chinese warned the vessel to turn around. it's the latest in a long-running dispute. china, brunei, thailand and

vietnam laid claim. >> a signed peace agreement between the philippine government and the moro islamic liberation grant, and openings the potential for a largely undeveloped area. >> farmers in south philippines call it their white cold. the area was once at the center of the muslim insurgency. not any more. now these rubber trees are growing, where once there was baron land. the project was set up in 2012 by the local government, a solution for a region battered. it appears to be working. around 2,000 farmers are benefitting from this project. they are from different tribes and religious groups. despite their differences it has

given them a chance to work together. the philippine government signed a peace agreement with the largest rebel group, the moro islamic labour ration front -- liberation front, ending fighting that killed 150,000 people. war has left most of the area poor and undeveloped. the economic potential for mindanoa is huge. the peace agreement may pave the way for foreign investments to come into the region. >> translation: we hope the peace agreement brings progress and if there's development in the area, there won't be conflict. this man has been a fighter of the moro islamic liberation front. this project has given him a chance to look at the future with optimism. >> rubber gives us unity across tribes, livelihood and the right

to live with dignity. >> now in his 70s, he says he's ready to lay down the weapons. the group plans to expand to other villages in dire need of help. everything is possible because peace has come to their land. >> still ahead in the next 15 minutes when we come back, how cuba reaches out to give the stagnant economy a kick start. politics obvious shadowing a major australian art festival.

>> hello, again the the top stories. millions of people are voting in elections in turkey, seen as the referendum of a leadership of recep tayyip erdogan. after a number of corruption scandals. >> the secretary of state is in paris to meet the russian foreign minister to meet for more talks on the ukrainian-crimea cries, leading to a phone call between president obama and vladimir putin on a diplomatic future. >> myanmar is undertaking a census despite fanfare that it's imsitting ethnic tensions. >> protests in venezuela. rallies by opposition

demonstrators and a protest by rival supporters. 30 people have died. almost two months ago. anti-government demonstrators are angry about the high inflation, rising crime and food shortages. >> a commander in san cristobal is warning of a crackdown. the opposition mayor was recently arrested and accused of encouraging violent protests. we have more from san crittobel. >> this feels as a city under siege, with dozens of barricades across most of town, most of the neighbourhood, to here, where protesters built barricades and continue to build them back every time the police or a military step in and clash with them. today has been relatively calm day following another night of clashes, but there are great

expectations here about what could happen later tonight, especially after local military commander said that they were going to come in, crack down on the protesters and clean up the city by monday. >> cuba is making gradual moves to open up to the world. its parliament passed a law allowing more foreign investment, part of the dick cavett's attempt to change the nation's struggling economy. >> this may be quaint, but for newly employed workers, it's peanuts. the cuban government is opening up its economy, but it's not enough. one of the problems the cuban economy has, is in providing incentives. cuban workers, especially in the

state sector are not happy because the state pays so little. a special session of the cuban parliament has taken a fundamental step to open its economy to greater foreign investment. it will create a special development zone in the port xie west of havana, partly financed by brazil. foreign investors will pay less of profits to the government, working with guarantees, and flexibility. >> foreign investment like this helped to save cuba, after the collapse of the soviet union, it sits awkwardly here, and the new ex-packs, that some call a yeses -- expansion, which some call a necessary evil had to be tightly controlled. >> it move is amid fears cheap oil from venezuela might dry up.

certain pillars, such as health and education, will remain off limits. >> translation: the state has been too involved in all businesses, it's a mistake. the it state does not have to control everything, only the fundamental areas like education. >> foreign companies have been deterred by 50 year u.s. embargo against the island and want the cuban authorities to tackle their problems like poor internet service, a suffocating bureaucracy and inefficiency. many have long wanted to invest in an oiled they feel has great potential. we'll study the new laws very carefully. >> french voters are going to the polls for a second round of local elections. it could be more bad news. nadine barber reports from

northern france, where the far right national front makes significant gains. >> there are few busier people here right now. the local secretary of the national front showed al jazeera around party head quarters, days after they won the election in the first round. now they are aiming to persuade people to vote far right, and predict a breakthrough nationally. it's a long time since the national front had many representatives. we'll have more than 1,000 people. it will be a true opposition force. >> for decades this part of northern france was goftened by the left. the town hall is in the hands of the national front and in sunday's elections the success can be repeated in towns across the country. at the local market, no one was willing to talk about why they supported the national front, suggesting there's a stigma attach to the party still. this town has been hit hard by

the decline of heavy industry, with one of the five people unemployed, and the national front benefitted by people feeling they were forgotten about. >> people like david, a socialist party member. last week he ran for the national front in town, and got elected. >> people i talked to are fed up. taxes are rising, there's unemployment and no businesses. even pensioners are taxed, even though they don't have much. >> the national front used to be viewed as an angry party for people who didn't like foreigners. in recent years they tapped into a widespread feeling that parties have abandoned working class voters. >> france is a communist party. now it's a national front. many french men are disgruntled,

fed up with politicians, and think the national front could be a last resort. >> so the question is not weather president francis hollande's socialists will take a knock. it's how badly they'll suffer. >> three months of fighting in south sudan forced a million people to leave their homes, the united nations estimates a further 5 million are in need of aid. the president's troops are battling rebels loyal to south sudan's vice president. it's been nine years since the end of a 12-year civil war in a poor country. tens of thousands of refugees are returning home. many are finding that other families who - other families have taken over their lands. we have this report from abunda and fears are that violence could escalate with elections

due next i don't remember. >> jean claude was born in barr undera when his family fled. they moved to the democratic republic of congo. fighting brought him back to burr undy, a kundy still recovering from the war. the conflict ended nine years ago. and 3,000 people, mainly civilians, were killed. they worried that a new cycle of violence could be triggered. >> i'm afraid. everyone is afraid in burundi because they don't know which is - or which will be in their direction. another concern for refugees returning to burundi is land. they set up a community. sometimes they come back from exile, ask them to move or share, causing tension. >> i have been told i don't belong here.

my family will be kept away if i cause trouble and ask for my land. >> repatriating and reintegrating thousands mean they are dealing with land scarcity. most people in burundi struggle to make ends meet. families in countries like democratic republic of congo, tanzania and rwanda have to compete for jobs it understood. >> there's not enough money in the budget. 80% rely on agriculture. >> people in rural areas warn of trouble ahead. >> it's a central issue. >> nigeria's capital was built after a 1970s oil boom and is grown into a wealthy city.

wealthy call abuja home. many have been priced out. we went to find out why a scheme to build affordable housing is facing. >> this man finished work at a state-run radio station. instead of going home, he comes here and waits. like many in abuja, he lived outside the city. going home extents a 20 minute trip to four hours. >> everyone wants to stay because they want social amenities, they are all present. it's exorbitant rates. so, so damn expensive. by some estimates, 70% of civil servants live outside of abuja. there's no shortage, but many

properties are empty, with the middle class priced out. the average income of a civil servient is $340 a month. look at the rent. an apartment costs $1,250. in the ub ushes they go for $120 a month. realising the problems 10 years ago. they introduced a mass housing scheme to build affordable homes. it provide basic infrastructure to developers who would turn around cost effective units. city planning officials admits the plan failed to see objectives. developers are being accused of using the land for unexpected purposes. the government failed to provide infrastructure. >> we have to do roads, electricity, and add it to the cost of the land. the construction of the house.

you find that. to the people that are going to buy it, it is higher than what it would be. >> the federal capital territory says it formed a committee to fix the problem. it's not clear about the measures, administrative officials were unavailable for comment. for now, hundreds of thousands have to deal with this. not the thing to look forward to. >> now, australia is hosting the asia pacific biggest contemporary art festival. many are threatening to boycott the bienale, unless it drops the main sponsor. andrew thomas explains why. with live performance, sculpt tur and artistic experience, the sydney bienale promotes itself as the biggest contemporary arts

festival. olaf and olivia are among the artists exhibiting. they withdraw at one point, but withdrew as the main sponsor ran the camps for asylum seekers in nauru and papua new guinea. >> ethnically it wasn't responsible of us to continueful. >> we didn't want to be an active part in the chain, causing human suffering. >> other artists pulled out because of the financial backing of transfield. the camps they have a contract to run have been condemned by some as inhumane, and in contravention of human rights obligations. the pressure worked. the chairman headed transfield resigned from the festival and corporate ties were cut. most boycotting artists

returned. >> if the bienale is remembered for bringing the issue to the fore, that's a good thing. imagine what you desire, what society do we want to live in. that's a thing the artist is going to explore. australia government is angry saying artists bullied organizers, and questioned whether government money should be turned away. others ta what happens sets an awkward press tent. what worries me is about making givers nervous, bringing controversy and difficult content. helped by the extra publicity, the bienale should attract record numbers of visitors. will future event have the financial support. >> protests have a long history. the protest has overshadowed the art. it's a sign of how controversial

it has become. >> now, at this point we'll say goodbye to viewers joining us in the united states. wherever you are, there's more news on the website aljazeera.com. plenty of news, analysis and coverage. aljazeera.com. arthur rope europe on 5-dollar as day. it was the book that changed the way we travel. >> i was four months old when i first went to europe, and there weren't even porta cribs. and now his daughter pauline have published hundreds of books about the word's best known tourist destinations and some of it's hidden gems.