this is you don't use live from berlin the results of the presidential elections in the democratic republic of congo are in but the outcome is being called into question opposition leader felix searches acadia is declared the winner but there weren't catholic church which has a lot of sway in the country is disputing official results and the runner up says the vote is tantamount to

a coup also coming up southern germany and austria are experiencing the heaviest snowfall in two decades the report on the communities cut off in the worst hit areas and empty shelves at the supermarket medicine running out in a battered economy we take you to venezuela as present money could us my good will begin a second six year term in office. thank you so much for your company everyone well no one expected him to win and now there are protests in the democratic republic of congo after authorities declared opposition candidate felix just a k.t. the winner of the presidential election will one report says two police officers and two civilians have died in the protests the catholic church is power. or

feeling congo and it has questions whether declared winner really did win the church had forty thousand observers at the polls last month and says its numbers don't tally with the results declared by the election commission. reactions were mixed after felix a katie was announced the winner from jubilation was. to consternation people certainly made their feelings known. the opposition leader wasn't expected to win the presidential vote in the democratic republic of congo but he edged out his main rival putting the country on course for its first democratic transfer of power in almost sixty years since independence. and i know many of you will find it hard to accept. but i say it with sincerity i pay homage to president joseph could be president of the republic. today we must no longer consider each other as

adversaries. but rather as partners in democratic change in our country. some believe sikka katie won by cutting a deal with president joseph kabila whose clung to power for eighteen years. although could be preferred candidate only came third the man expected to win martin is among many contesting the results. susan. moved him of these results do not reflect the truth of the ballots. this is obviously an acceptable electoral fraud of a nature that will provoke general chaos across the country mr meanwhile the country's influential catholic church is already questioning the vote

it says official results do not match the outcome compiled by its forty thousand observers at all polling stations across the troubled country the church has also called for calm. still many people are upset in golmaal many did not hide their feelings amid the potential for unrest. if you look at we don't want to smack billions sale of the congolese people's power. to public. we're going to call on article sixty four of our constitution. in the end though experts say it will be up to the country's constitutional court to rule on the vote. well let's get some analysis of what is unfolding in the d.r. see right now stephanie walters is senior research fellow at the institute of security studies and she joins us from johannesburg in south africa very good day it's probably too early for a felix sick acadia to pop the champagne but the country's powerful catholic church

is already contesting his win the runner up says he's going to challenge the outcome where does this leave the country. i think that there's many people in the d.r.v. who are relieved today that can be i didn't push through his income his successor candidate and so there's a there's a big fire relief that moment and he said that he has not been declared the winner and it is a huge surprise that an opposition leader attention security has in fact won so many people are quite happy today of course matter after you lose supporters that are not among them and we will need to see what kinds of protests they are willing to engage in and as you mentioned of course the catholic church with the largest domestic observer contingent in this election has also said that the results released by the semi are not the results that they have so there is a period of content station that will now happen now this was is supposed to be the first democratic transition of power in the d.r. c since its independence some sixty years ago how tense are things right now.

i think things are not as tense as they could be i think as i said there are many people who are relieved that the out this is the outcome that this any has has in fact put forward i think that a lot of people may have their suspicions about whether or not the results of the real results but they are happy to see that someone who they never thought would be declared the winner hasn't back to play the winner so i think it's split between those who say enough is enough we want to move on and those who say no we do not want our vote to be stolen from us so what happens next i mean will the results be appealed well presumably the catholic church which again today made a statement but which did not actually say who it thinks the winner is or who it knows to be the winner they will now have to go to the constitutional court in the d.n.c. likewise mataafa utility chose to form the contestants the results would have to follow the same procedure the constitutional court in the d.r.s.

the unfortunately is not an independent institution it's very much frightened favor of can be left so we wouldn't necessarily expect that that court to rule in favor of either the catholic church or matter where you can it's quite a unique situation though there stephanie because i have never heard of the roman catholic church being at polling stations counting votes. well even a catholic church was also an important observer in previous elections and the d.r.s. in two thousand and six and into two thousand and eleven has historically played a very important neutral role in some of congress' most important political moments and so really for the congolese the catholic church has always been a forum where they have felt comfortable that this was a forum that was representing their views and that and that was not going to be co-opted by the political elite aren't stephanie walter senior research fellow at the institute for security studies from johannesburg south africa thank you. u.s.

secretary of state mike pompeo has delivered a resoundingly rebuke of the obama administration's mideast policies at a key speech in cairo from peo is touring capitals in the region to brief allies after prison donald trump announced he was pulling u.s. troops out of syria speaking at the american university in the egyptian capital on pale accused predecessor of being naive and timid when confronted with the challenges posed by the arab spring uprisings that shook the middle east political order starting in two thousand and eleven and pompei o said obama's policies have diminished america's role in the region and harmed its longtime allies. he's going to work with the community to the right of this or is the problem in a new world record for me. to be. going into this critical moment where you all are right. that.

the u.s. secretary of state a speaking there earlier in the egyptian capital all i want to bring up to speed now is some of the other stories making news around the world. german chancellor angela merkel has arrived in greece for talks with prime minister alexis tsipras had of marigolds arrival at doherty's band demonstrations in a large part of athens the chancellor's previous visit back in twenty fourteen was met with mass protests at her tough stance on austerity measures in greece. a funeral service for five teenage girls killed last week in a fire has been held in poland officials joined relatives and friends for the emotional ceremony girls were celebrating a birthday at a recreational escape from sites but were trapped inside when a fire broke out. when as well as president nicolas maduro has been stored in for a controversial second term where dura was reelected last may and

a vote boycotted by the majority of the opposition and dismissed as a fraud by much of the international community the european union the united states and venezuela as south american neighbors all boycott at the swearing in ceremony which was carried out by the supreme court rather than by congress which is controlled by the opposition. as takes the helm for another six years venezuela's battered economy is showing no signs of recovery meaning more misery for his citizens. cattle trucks that serve as public transport. supermarket shelves empty of all basic goods. this is what venezuela under president maduro has come to look like. when nicolas maduro took office off to hugo chavez died in two thousand and thirteen he inherited his predecessors

socialist revolution meant to champion social justice and people power often is a whalen's. yet before long major oh so to tighten his own grip on power. he cracked down on dissenting voices prominent opposition leaders were arrested or put under house arrest. when the opposition gained control of venezuela's parliament mature a set of a new constituent assembly that could bypass parliament the move sparked mass protests. many violently crushed by police. in may last year was confirmed in office in elections that were widely seen as a shan many western and latin american countries have refused to recognize the result. i think you know they said that we were obliged to vote.

they said the people were coerced. it's a lack of respect. although parliament is now largely toothless its leader wango edo has vowed to fight back the women we reaffirm the illegitimacy of nicolas maduro as a result this national assembly as the only legitimate power elected by the venezuelan people should assume the representation of the people. and it's the people of venezuela who continue to suffer under. a recession exacerbated by economic mismanagement has brought the country to its knees. it was once a wealthy oil nation and one of latin america's most prosperous societies today more than hoffa venezuelans struggle to feed themselves and their families.

hyperinflation and a shortage of basic goods have caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has driven three million venezuelans to flee the country. across europe the heaviest snowfall in two decades is bringing daily life in alpine regions grinding to a halt at least sixteen people are now reported to have died from weather related causes in the past week austria has been especially hard hit forecasters warn that there will be more snow in some places avalanche warnings are at their highest levels. it is a beautiful sight but the snow laden slopes also spell danger many mountainsides in austria so heavy with snow that the army is preparing to set of avalanches with controlled explosions in the past twenty four hours at a snowed nonstop. most of the unforseen limit it makes sense to set off these explosions that's

a common strategy to defuse the situation but the areas with the highest threat level there above two thousand two hundred meters you cannot set off explosions there because you can't get there and when it comes in the valleys the battle against the snow continues hotels are complaining about cancellations the austrian chamber of commerce is expecting business to drop by fifty percent in the affected areas. one hotel owner who is grateful just to be alive as. he was finally lifted from his mountain chalet on wednesday he had been snowed in since christmas day. i was trapped the feeling was very depressing and it's exhausting to shovel snow all day and close. in germany a state of emergency has been declared in parts of the very. this need to get student in the worst affected areas the snow on the roof sways up to four hundred kilos and that snow must urgently burn almost from those roofs forms need to be

frightened experts fear that up to me to a fresh snow will fall in austria before the weekend meeting the chaos in the northern alps is set to continue. here washington news we still have a lot more to tell you about including a german court throws out a lawsuit against a clothing chain desh in hopes for some compensation for victims of a deadly fire at one of its suppliers factory cuts here is coming right up with that story and. where is home. when your family is scattered across the globe. with this is if you look to see if it was a journey back to the roots get a minute of the. bush family from the wrong. time when he

needed urgent assistance. family starts january twenty third.