this is deja vu news live from berlin a test for turkey's ruling party votes are being counted regional elections the country's deeper recession could cost president heir to one support we'll find out what's at stake for our correspondent also coming up. could ukrainians choose a comedian as their next president we'll see why follow de niro selenski is leading the polls in a closely watched rings. and byron munich were looking to keep dortmund at bay the best way to do that was to get three points of their own at freiburg but would it

be that easy. on exposer welcome to the program vote counting is underway in turkey's local elections there the first since the reform package gave president. sweeping new powers but polls suggest his ruling party is set for major losses with his popularity hurt by the country's economic recession. this is turkey is sick vote in five years for local elections the atmosphere is not quite what you might expect one voter called it loud aggressive and unworthy of the democracy of the people in this country have lost respect for each other and politics is driving that polarization along with all of the colors although he's not standing for election himself the campaign's been dominated by president red chip type ad one

and one knows local elections serve as a barometer of public support he was elected istanbul's mayor in one thousand nine hundred four and right now a currency crisis and rising food prices according discontent. surveys suggest the ruling a.k.p. party could be defeated in the capital ankara months so you have ash of the secular c.h.p. as the favorite there in istanbul the a.k.p. and c.h.p. and neck and neck and he's with the un i think the a.k.p. has improved services i'm forty five now and i know how did used to be shook you know. i have less and less trust in elections i'm only twenty one but i'll still go and vote today in the hope that something might change what's being done these to the past people voted for the government faced accusations of a crackdown the pro kurdish h d p party says many of its politicians have been arrested in recent days. and joining us now live from istanbul is

dorian jones story and tell us how are these tests how are these elections rather a test for president are to one. person or one has made a referendum on his rule and the reason why he's done that is that he realizes that these towns and cities across turkey all the last center of power outside of his direct control and it's aware that his vice like grip control of his party over key cities like the capital long and he found both is under threat and that's because of this deepening economic recession and for the food prices now running at over thirty percent and that really is now putting the control of the cities at stake and also is the way that this whole political why the kentucky he who controls this town both controls turkey and iran will be aware that the opposition will be making similar calculations and they will be looking for any victories in the congress and especially in istanbul as a springboard to

a launching an assault on his power going forward if we can turn to the mechanics of the vote are there any indications as to whether it's been free and fair. well for the last few elections they have been dogged by allegations in claims from the opposition of vote rigging and manipulation now this has been strongly denied by the ruling a.k.p. government but it also persisted and particularly there was a great deal of computing the on these polls although from our police there hasn't been any major claims of voting irregularities but it has to be said we're now in the critical phase the counting of the votes that is where in the past there has been major claims of vote rigging in particular at the last local elections in the capital on cross they were marred in major claims allocation reports of men walking in fees in ballot boxes like now there's a great deal of concern that similar events could happen again particularly as it is a very closely fought contest as well as in istanbul a lot of the killing and

a lot of tension now. you're speaking of events of polling stations we've had reports that two people died at a polling station in the eastern city of malachi q tell us more about that. well that's right this over or up today over dispute over the way some votes were being. count cost. service from the islamic party on the opposition party they would cause into a dispute with the observers from the ruling a.k.p. that fast disputed into violence resulting in to. service being shot dead and all of our concern over that but frankly at least this is the major the only fatal incident we have heard during the voting today during jones in istanbul thank you for that. do you krane know we're voting in the first round of a presidential election is underway the vote is being watched closely in the west

and in russia ukrainians have dozens of candidates to pick from but polls indicate there are three front runners television comedian that. he leads the pack despite never having held political office he's ahead of president petro poroshenko who's led the country since two thousand and fourteen as well as former prime minister yulia timoshenko the last time ukraine went to the polls russia had just annexed the crimea region and pro russian separatists had seized control of part of the country's east five years are no one of the issues foremost in ukrainians minds correspondent nick connelly talk to voters to find out. if you would like oh i can i mean to grow we need new jobs so that people can find work here instead of immigrating but that is his. piece but we understand that it won't be easy to achieve it this for a candidate who will be to most guys hiking. we

need to defeat corruption in our countries incredibly reaching we sources and potential public corruption in ukraine is simply destroying us from the less corruption fewer theft so that we start living well like a normal european country very. well first of all our oligarchs need to start investing in ukraine's economy stop taking all their money abroad to off shores carnally joins us now from a polling station in kiev nick what has the turnout been so far. it often unequal there definitely is a very busy turnout here in downtown key if all the indications are that the turnout is up this time compared to five years ago we've seen a lot of people of all different ages even very sick people struggling their way up two flights of stairs to cause their vote interesting when you also people today think that their vote will really count that will be fairly counted here people are very confident of that there are lots of observers around international bill so ukrainian observe us so people really seemingly convinced that the democratic

process is working and they can change something with their vote and why are so many ukrainians of polls are to be believed ready to vote for a comedian. i think that's a sign of desperation there's a weariness with the political class that's been in charge of this country for the past two decades both president poroshenko and ex prime minister yulia timoshenko the two of the top front runners have been in politics for decades those decades in which ukraine really has failed to live up to its potential back in the ninety's ukraine and poland were of similar average incomes and now you have millions of ukraine's working in poland because the difference in pay is so big so this is jennifer straight in the progress has been in clamping down on corruption growing the economy these things you hear tom-tom against people seemingly willing to take that jump and to go for someone who has no political experience but promises a new style of more open politics interviews an economy and thank you for that. let's take a look now at some of the other stories making news around the world. lawyer and

government critic. as one is presidential election when makes the country's first female head of state. is a political novice who ran on an anti corruption platform she beat the government backed candidate schefter bitch. i police in bangladesh have arrested two of the owners of a high rise office building that caught fire last night authorities say the twenty two storey structure in the capital dhaka adequate fire safety features and was extended illegally the blaze killed twenty six people and injured seventy. retailer amazon says an investigation shows saudi arabia tapped the phone of its boss jeff bezos in january a tabloid newspaper printed leaked steamy messages between bezos and journalist lauren sanchez shortly after bases announced he was divorcing his wife owns the washington post which employed murdered saudi dissident jamal khashoggi.

on his second and final day in morocco pope francis is turning his attention to the country's small christian community the pontiff has been celebrating mass and meeting with christian representatives the trip is devoted to interfaith relations he told the faithful that their mission is not to convert their neighbors but to live in brotherhood with other religions. joining me now in the studio is the religious affairs correspondent martin jacques. ceremony for the pope is about to start in about an hour can we say is it too early to that trip has been a success or a family or i mean you know it's essentially a diplomatic or public diplomacy troupe so in a way it's very hard to gauge whether it is something that we can call a success as such nonetheless it is quite clear i mean and you know the message was very strong and consistent with the vatican position i would say that the problem is that the message effect human needs that claim of jerusalem which was very

strong and also this question about migration had been essentially crowded out of our screens by just like bricks turkish ship politics and so on so in a sense i mean i would say that this was not a major coup in terms of public diplomacy but you know what i mean weeks ahead are really going to tell us you mentioned his statement on jerusalem what was that the statement was essentially that the multireligious character of jerusalem has to be protected and in a sense i mean it seems like a fairly you know bless a statement on the other hand one has to keep in mind that now has just brought into. a group i mean from the old extreme right wing of the line men's which essentially stalling in its platform it's been calling for many years for and only jewish jerusalem where none jews would be pushed out i mean the system not made it to the very front of the news again but it's something that the vatican has looked at with enormous concern and with great care and obviously having this

kind of conversation in muslim country at urgency to the idea that there isa political risk or farther confrontation over a city that has been traditionally a source of great great strife you know time more than ever to to be hearing that message martin got to diffuse the affairs correspondent that. in bundesliga soccer buyer went into match day twenty seven at the top of the table albeit on goal difference they've won all six of their last bundesliga matches and scored a whopping twenty seven goals in the process fire were on fire ahead of the international break and what better way to get back into every day bonus legal life than a match against eleventh place freiburg. the funds had to wait to find out one of the penalty box is had to be cleared after an anti sexism display by the freiburg supporters had created quite the paper storm. when the much finally got underway it

was freiburg to rain the pain i just two minutes were on the clock when an unmarked not at the horse in front. saying off the pace vindicating you he loves decision to axe the pair from the german national site. the afternoon went from bad to worse for hapless. this foal and to me yellow card. for ten at least showed composure to stop by and from going to. live and don't ski level discourse on twenty two minutes after superb work from leon. i one hundred ninety ninth but does lead to a goal for the poll who has the second half went more to script an attacking freiburg sitting in. he had a chance but slid it past the post and then was denied by some solid goalkeeping. before hama's to phone alexander in resolute form of cause that

kingsley c'mon. injury time brought another chance for livin the gretzky hit the post but by and to make do with a draw. we are in a pressure situation again. themselves here again this is so if you don't use the. tribe or take the second point of the season against by on and make things even more tense at the top. byron's title run rivals dortmund left it late against will spur with the score still nil nil going into the final minutes of the game in the ninety first minute i'll cassar stepped up to take a free kick at the road home one nil dortmund a goal that sent the home fans into uproar and in the ninety fourth minute jaden sent show through a weary wolfsburg defense to set up for his second of the game to nail win puts them at the top of the tape.

you're watching the debate news live from berlin doc film is up next with a look at who holds power here in germany i'm nick spicer for me and the entire news team here in berlin thanks for watching. it's all happening today. surely news from africa the world your link to exception the stories and discussions continue and welcome to d.-day views that are coming program tonight from funny to me from the news of c.z. town while we decide to do.