is people in turkey vote in an election that is seen as a test of kurds political future. hello, i'm jane dutton, live from headquarters in doha. also ahead, more rescues off the coast of libya as thousands continue to make the dangerous journey by boat to europe leaders of the world's richest countries gather in germany for a summit expected to be dominated by ukraine and greece's debt crisis. south korea vows to contain

all out measures to contain the middle eastern respiratory disorder after a fifth person dies from the disease. we begin in turkey, where polls opened for parliamentary elections. 56.6 million people are eligible to vote, and they'll these choose candidates for 550 available seats in parliament. it is the first time the kurds contested an election under a contested an election under a single party banner, the hdp. they need to get 10% of the votes. the threshold for any party to enter parliament. let's talk to bernard smith, joining us from turkey. talk us through the turn out and enthusiasm bernard smith. >> well jane it's been a busy day at this school where people have been voting there's about

3 hours left for people to come and vote. it's been busy across the country. tuckey is a country that has a strong turn out in elections, usually well over 80%, a lot of parties are patient in the democratic process, a lot of interests in politics. the ak party is the ruling party. they are the ones running the government that are incumbent facing a challenge. they've been in power for 13 years, they want to increase their share of the vote and increase representation in parliament to have enough seats to change the constitution in favour of a powerful executive presidency, which is what the counter-president recep tayyip erdogan hopes that the party he finds will secure the seats. >> the people that could stop him are the kurds. >> yes, it's mainly kurdish hdp. it is the one party na could

upset the political balance in turkey. they need 10% or more of the vote to get representation in parliament. they'll have 50 mps if they manage that. it is a challenge. they only have about six or 7%. they have been trying to widen support base appealing to non-kurds, working class, and hope that that will push them over the 10%. it is a challenge, though for them. the akp is a well-oiled election-winning machine in a majority kurdish town. they won half the seats in parliament in the last election. so an uphill challenge for the kurds. if they don't get over 10%, they don't get representation at all in parliament other than that it's the economy, isn't it? >> yes, it is. and that is the challenge facing

the akp. they have won power in the last 13 years on the back of a growing economy. akp policies when they first came into power, liberalizing the economy and bringing in an economic boom. the economy is slowing down that's a challenge that the akp faces. unemployment is up a little bit. people are beginning to question whether everything the akp - whether the policies of the akp presenting are the ones they want. the other political parties are challenging the akp on the economic turf. that is why the incumbent party, as in any election in the world faces a big change trying to remind voters why they are there. nobody doubts that the akp will win. the question is by how much they will win. that is what matters. >> correct. bernard smith. thank you a british ship launched a mission to rescue another 500

migrants in the mediterranean sea. 15 search and rescue missions took place on saturday. nearly 3,500 were detained and taken to southern italy. we have more from lampedusa where many migrants are taken. >> some of the migrants rescued were travelling on wooden fisher boats, and usually you have people on deck, below deck, in the hall. that was at risk of asfixiating. more were found on six rubber dinghies, usually it's about 10 meters long, and they backed up to 100, 120. all people up there, in direct -- in dire conditions. according to the coast guards, some of the boats used a satellite phone to call a coordination number, and send a distress call. others were found floating around aimlessly in a dire situation. now, about 109 of these migrants

were brought here to lampedusa, which is a transit point. the others are en route and to --and should arrive in the next few hours. for italians, it's a logistical challenge. we have the information of where arriving later in the day. there has to be a place for the migrants who are tired, hungry, sleep deprived, exhausted. they have to be somewhere where they can rest for a night or two before being moved to another center around the mainland. saudi-led coalition air tricks hit an army compound in sanaa. houthi rebels say 44 yemeni soldiers were kill. the soldiers were linked to houthi rebels. israeli jets carried out an air

strike on gaza. the military struck what it called terrorist infrastructure in the north of this strip. it came after a rocket attack on the israeli town of ashkelon. carried without by a brazilian group. the israeli prime minister criticized the international community for not condemning the attack. british prime minister david cameron called on g7 leaders to show a united fronted against what he describes as russian-packed aggression. leaders are in southern grerm ni for a 2-day summit. moscow has been excluded since it annex crimea in may last year u.s. president obama laid out the priority over the next two days. >> the global economy that creates jobs and opportunity, maintaining a strong and prosperous european union,

forging trade partnerships across the atlantic, standing up to russian aggression in ukraine, combatting threats from violent extremism to climate change. and on all these issues, we are grateful for the partnership and leadership of your chancellor angela merkel. gerl ni holds the president -- germany holds the presidency for the g7 and angela merkel is pushing reforms. in an alert published in canada's "globe", and "mail" she pushed climate change combatting neglected tropical skises and dealing with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance and ensure health and safety of workers worldwide,

saying the number of workplace accidents need to be reduced. an economist said the g7 is unwilling to take olympic games when it comes to issues like climate change. >> i wish the g7 would put its mouth where words are. for example, flooding loopholes and taxation. it's recognised that countries lose $100 billion because of tax evasion. resulting global taxation can only be down internationally signs of the last year years it's fallen off the agenda. they don't seem worried.

g7 is a symbol, that it's an attempt by the rich countries to moment their control and extend the power. it's unfortunate that russia has been excluded. that is stupid economically and geopolitically, and the exclusion of other countries is worrying. the attempt to create a club deciding the future of the world, i believe is unfortunate afghan security forces and taliban fighters are battling for control in the north-east of the rebels seized police and government compound in jan gan district during a large assault. it's parts of a spring offensive beginning when the snow melts. a south asia advisor at stratford says the taliban is taking advantage of weak afghan security forces. >> this is the first time the

afghan filled the gap by forces that largely departed from the country. in many ways this is to be expected and we all known that the afghan national security forces will be struggling for some time to deal with this. especially when there's a political problem in kabul between the two rival camps of ashraf ghani and abdullah abdullah. the threat from the african taliban has to be put into perspective. yes, they are trying to demonstrate that they can attack simultaneously among the wide geography across the country, especially in the northern areas, where - that are deemed to be not their natural turf. those are areas that may be dominated by the minorities, as opposed to the pashtun in the south. the other thing is can the taliban hold territory, and attacking, setting off bombs, sending suicide bombers, that's

one thing. it's a different thing to hold territory. i don't think that's something that the taliban demonstrated beyond certain specific areas in the south and the east. stay with us. still ahead on al jazeera... >> absolutely exciting thrilling, like i love to do things like this. >> we meet the female marines scaling new heights in a bid for gender equality. >> inspirational inspiration. a devotee attending a religious festival in pakistan.

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>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the sound bites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". only on al jazeera america.

hello again, you are watching al jazeera. a reminder of the top stories. tuckey's president -- turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan has been casting his vote in elections. 56.6 million are eligible to vote choosing candidates for 550 seats in parliament a british ship launched a rescue of 500 migrants. 15 such operations carried out by a multinational force on saturday. >> leaders from the 7 richest nations are gathering in southern germany for a 2-day g7 summit. u.s. president obama says rub junior threats in ukraine, threats from extremism and climate change will top the agenda syrian rebels captured fighters in the area linking the

mediterranean coast. >> this is an army that has taken over a number of villages after intensifying with regime forces moving closer to latakia. the assaults began with a barrage of firing by heavy weapons, artillery and tanks. >> this map of north-western syria shows why it is so important. the syrian regime has lost control over parts of aleppo, and now rebels control the motor way linking idlib with latakia. on the mediterranean coast. latakia is the ancestral home of the al-assad family and their alawite sect. the latest rebels games consolidates their power in idlib. the capital fell in march. the syrian regime lost control of another key city last month. meanwhile, rebel groups, regime forces and i.s.i.l. fight each other in neighbouring aleppo.

the province is divided. the syrian regime is on the back foot here. it will not give up the coastal province of latakia without a fight. the survival of the bashar al-assad regime and the alawite sect to which he belongs is at stake there has been violent anti-government demonstrations in mexico ahead of midterm elections. protesters and riot police fought in the south, two officers carried off by the mob midterms provide a test on what people think of the president's rule. peno nieto came to pafr came to power. as adam raney reports there's a lot at stake for mexico's president. >> president enrique peno nieto. won office promising to reform

moex ka. so far, people have seen lit of either. despite reforms, poverty is deep rooted. massacres involving security forces and corruption scandals made peno nieto the most unpopular were the in 20 years. against this backdrop, independent elections, the first time independent candidates have been allowed to run. and shows how parties have lost an stranglehold electorate. it sends a clear and cut message. he would do wonders for the economy. >> mexico has the success stories for sure, and rich industrial state business is good. plants pump out the product for export to the united states. >> the northern border state has been a main engine in mexico. business leaders say the countries never met the full

potential. they hope some consensus could be reached to push the economy forward. >> the owner says reforms are not enough. we need to make sure some of the big structure reforms will become value, and we need to make sure we implement them, and create value, it's not enough to change the law. it's actually implemented. a rule pr i party, and allies winning the most seats. still, if they beat the ruling p.r. i, as expected, it could lead to a weakening of pena nieto's coalition. >> these will not despite whether it stays or falls. it will give a pointer in what

can we expect for the second half. >> campaigning has not been without violence, several candidates have been killed. dozens attack. there's a growing movement led by teachers calling for a boycott of elections. if the government are enable to hold the elections, it will be a failure, a failure that they can do without. a map hunt is under way for two convicts that escaped a maximum security gaol. they used power tools to tut-tut through the wall of their cell at clinton correctional facility. both are considered dangerous. united states marine corp is putting women to the test to determine readiness for frontline combat. all branches. milt are ordered to -- military are ordered to open up units restrict to men.

kristen saloomey visited a moun yan war tare training center. >> it's a long way to the top. it is part of the work for this marine. those part of the integrated task for an experiment in genderfication. 600 marines, male and female trained side by side never open -- for combat roles never open to women. >> absolutely thrilling. i love to do things like this . she admits it has not been easy. >> the hardest part, when we arrived, showing up to a unit full of males that never seen a marine that is female. let alone worked with one. that is a struggle . >> then there's the heavy gear. we had over 100 pounds. carrying the body weight every other day. for close to five miles. we are here, carrying 75 pounds every other day for a total of

six miles, your body doesn't get a chance to recover. >> for eight months the marines are training in a gruelling environment. the desert, the ocean and the mountains. breathing can be hard in these altitudes. basic tasks - it's more difficult. on every march heart monitors record data. after marines are asked to record how they are feeling. the information collected will be used to select gender neutral standards. to qualify for jobs like machine-gunner and tank crewmen. >> we have found looking through niece that all the marines are capable of performing the task. we are trying to ascertain is to what level. what level are they capable of performing a task. we see what type of person thrives in this environment. and what do they look like from a physical stand point. what is their height, their weight, their lean body mass. harder to measure is the impact of women on what the military refers to as unit

cohesion. in this group they have urged a grudging report. >> when the going gets tough, i look at someone over my shoulder may be smaller, a little shorter, and they are repushing, and it makes me thing what am i doing here, and i push on. results of testing may be presented to the commandante of the marines this summer. the women say they'll push to prove that they are not only willing, but able to serve. people in china are mourning the victims of a cruise ship that capsized last week rescuers and government officials paused to remember those that died when the "earn star" capsized. 14 survived, 11 are missing. most passengers were elderly south korea will track the mobile phone of those understand quarantine to prevent the spread

of m.e.r.s. five died. 14 now cases have been reported since may. brings the numbers infected to 64. caroline malone reports. >> reporter: the outbreak in south korea is the largest outside the middle east. people are worried, many are wearing masks. >> translation: we should not go near areas where m.e.r.s. patients have been, isn't the virus airborne and isn't it contractible with contact? >> reporter: there's no evidence it can be transferred through the air, but can be transmit by droplets if someone sneezes or touches a surface with infected hands. the virus spread in korea by a man that had been in saudi arabia and was diagnosed on may 20th. >> translation: i urge citizens to cooperate with the government to prevent further spread of m.e.r.s. by watching their hands and minding coughing. >> reporter: m.e.r.s. can cause a fever, diarrhea, and in the

worst cases pneumonia and kidney failure. 40% infected die from it. 18000 have been quarantined in south korea. the government has closed hundreds of schools have been closed as a precaution. the first m.e.r.s. cases were diagnosed in saudi arabia in 2012, 900 have been infected there. the virus was traced back to people in jordan, but is thought to have come from bats and camels. it's appeared across the middle east. including the united arab emirates and qatar, small numbers in europe. the world health organisation says that there's no evidence that the disease can spread easily between people, but it is sending a team of experts to south korea next week to help stop the outbreak from spreading to hong kong. a study in hong kong found two out of three suffered depressioning.

psychologists think they found a way to approach the problem. >> having suffered as a teenager, this counsellor is well equipped to deal with others problems. part is a failure to talk about it. >> no one is talking about it. the schools things if we talk about it, schools think it indicates they have a problem, so they'd rather not talk about it. if they do, they never use the words suicide or depression. it's sued stepped. with her partner she's developing a computer game that aims to help. in this desert island adventure, young people who are at risk can be identified by the choices they make. >> it's a taboo topic in many places so we thought if we approach it not from a clinical perspective, from a game, that it's fun and engaging it opens up a dialogue with schools. pressure to excel academically

in a highly competitive and overcrowded city starts as soon as people put on their uniform. suicide rates among the young are no higher than elsewhere, they have been on the rise. a study found up to 60% of students surveyed showed signs of depression. >> if young do not face enough stress, there's the political dimension of life in hong kong. last year's occupy street protest demanding democracy was a source of upheaval. demonstrators may have left the streets, but the sense of political uncertainty about the future persists. >> reporter: according to some, the protests provided a relief, the failure added to a sense of despair. >> when people see the hope that will help them put up to the stress, because they have a hopeful future. i have a difficult life at the time being, but they have the motivation to live on, continue. >> there may be growing causes

for depression and anxiety, but innovative ways of dealing with them are being developed by the same young people. around a million pilgrims are attending a festival in pakistan. security has been stepped up from groups opposed. >> i have been coming here for the past 20 years for a spiritual inspiration. the people who are coming here should reframe from drugs and restrict themselves to prayers and follow the teaching of the

houthi saint. i visit others like this in peshawar, and other important chileans, but i have not found a true and real essence in the devotees who visit these places. i never beg or ask anyone for anything. because we never beg. he finds all his needs are taken care of because allah is the real provider. women are not allowed to visit shrines. it is forbidden in islam. these did not have female visitors. anyone that can control the temptations is closer to the saint. those who come here with a pure purpose take away presence from here. those that come go back. they will fail and not succeed

unless they come here. you can spin your way through our website. it's updated 24 hours a day. you can get the latest from our stories. leading with the elections under way in turg turkey, polls close in the n couple of hours. thanks for watching hello i'll richard gizbert, and you are at the "the listening post". here are