♪ brent: this is dw news life from berlin. the netherlands both tomorrow. will a far right populist fight his way into government? mark rutte took on geert wilders in a tv program on monday. also coming up, turkey's president erdogan lashes out again. germany's response, we are losing patience with you.

and, religious symbols such as headscarves can be banned at work. that is the ruling of the european union highest court today. we will get reaction to a controversial decision. ♪ brent: i am brent goff. it is good to have you with us. the people of the netherlands are about to vote in elections that is too close to call. poll showed the party of the center-right minister mark rutte . here is how mark rutte replied.

>> that is the difference between tweetingand leading the. if you lead the country, you need to take smart decisions. this isbrent: earlier, i spoke r correspondent in the hague. i asked about the polls. >> it looks like it is going to be a very close call for sure. there is an important aspect of emerging here. a pool emerge earlier today. it appears that geert wilders's party coming out in fifth place. number one being the liberal party. if that is true, it will be a huge surprise here. the margins are very slim. a very volatile situation.

nearly half of the dutch voter is undecided. there could be another outcome and surprises. the polls suggests any other of the parties could come out first place. it does appear that mark rutte has gained support of his voters. he appealed continuously to them to go out and vote. he warned of rising populism. it also aims that the route between turkey and the netherlands was beneficial for him and his popularity. brent: the dutch election kicks off a series of important elections here in europe this year. will this be a test of strength for right-wing populism, do you think? >> well, of course, there are several other key election with right-wing populist parties

involved coming up. the french election, for instant with marine le pen. she could end up in the second round, which is very likely. in germany, very likely to move into parliament for the first time. should geert wilders, first or very strongly, that could have an impact on the momentum. however, we could in the trend of whitening populism in europe. brent: from the hague this evening on the even of the election. thank you very much. before going to cover the election, he took a closer look at the populist parties in the netherlands, france, and germany. each party has its own distinctive characteristic, but they do have three things in common. right wing, euros after, and --

euro skeptic, and anti-immigrant. oliver: when these three populists met, their message was clear. brexit is just beginning. they say the netherlands will be the next domino to fall in the wake of populism sweeping europe. what they want is the end of the european union. on the campaign trail, geert wilders has repeated his slogan. >> return the netherlands to them. that is why it is such a historic election. oliver: it is a close election.

>> the end of the european union has predicted a number of times. it is possible that there will be a further increase in the vote of the populace parties in the netherlands. that would be just one more. oliver: the outcome could have an impact on the elections this year in france and germany. in france, marine le pen is set to win the first of the two rounds of the present election. some observers are predicting the end of the european union, but in fact, many albums that your faces have improved. most economies are growing.

some policy researchers say once the pressing issue of migration is under control, the eu will gain popularity. >> in a few years, we will have a more cohesive union. most of us have the same currency, the same banking supervision. that might be a more stable union and a union that can tell citizens, are economy is improving, this is what we can do to make you happy. oliver: no domino effect if you're manages to solve it problems. the surge of the anti-european sentiment could prove just to be a wobble. brent: what can your employer tell you not to wear at work?

that question is connected to one of the most controversial rulings ever handed down by the european court of justice. the court ruled that businesses may bar employees from wearing the headscarf. this is not just about the headscarf. the band says it is legal as long as it applies to all philosophical, religious, political signs without distinction. that includes crucifixes and jewish skullcaps. they say everything does not constitute direct discrimination. this was prompted by the cases of two women in belarus and france. both were fired for refusing to remove their headscarves. today's ruling is the first in connection with wearing headscarves at work. the ruling however is not the final word when it comes to public opinion. tonight, the debate that

continues beyond the courtroom. joining us now from london is executive director of the national secular society and of representative with the european union of muslims. you say the ruling is a threat to the principles of equality. how so jump -- how so? >> thank you for having me. it is interesting that we saw the coverage of populace wins blowing over europe. this is indeed one of the ways of populism has manifested it off. today, we have seen a segment of population be alienated and stigmatized openly. brent: how are you being

stigmatized? the court said this has to be applied to all religious symbols, not just islamic symbols. >> i would like to asked the question. religious symbols, people different face and backgrounds have existed in europe for years. how come only in 2017 do we have this problem and we need to address it with the courts. have we never had jewish men where keep us -- kippas and crucifixes at work. now that more and more women joined the labor force, we have this now. brent: let me interrupt. i have to pull keith into the discussion. a good point, why not live and let live?

>> this ruling is very specific. it's not apply if it was not evenly applied to all political or religious opinions. it also applied that if positions that were not customer facing -- basing's were not excluded from that, it would not be fair. the court also left open the charges of indirect discrimination, that if they were made, the test would be the attempt to exclude -- to impose this, it's legitimate aim. brent: isn't this though indirect discrimination that we are hinting at?

what good purpose is behind a company that said, to the women, take your headscarves off? >> it is not going to be just to the women, is it? the opposite, i think is actually draconian too. to say there are no circumstances ever where the employee can say, we do not want to to declare your political, religious, or nonreligious perspective at all in your work. i think that is an unreasonable position to say that happened. brent: some say this is a victory for secular european society, is it? >> [indiscernible] brent: go ahead. >> what is secularism and what is neutrality? of course we agree that businesses should be neutral and

societies should indeede neutral, but neutrality is shown through actions and discourse. does religion have a place in the workplace? of course not. does race or gender, or gender identity? of course not. does that mean that individuals who present races, genders, or lgbtqi groups, do they not have a place in the workplace? of course they do. would they be preaching? no, they won't. women with headscarves, they want to work, but they are not preaching with their faith. to they have less capability of a woman without a headscarf on? that is the question we have to look at. i think it is an obvious answer. brent: that is an interesting point. people want to work. some critics say that this will

prevent muslim women from becoming a bigger force in the working world of europe. what do you say to that? what about this victory for a secular society, at whose cost? >> the definition of secularism applies to a society, whatever the believe. i'm not a favor of the hijab than in -- ban in public. the court has to be persuaded that there is a legitimate aim and it is being evenly applied. i suspect there will be few employees who managed to persuade the court of that. brent: we will have to wrap it up there. i'm sure this debate will continue for some time.

to both of you, thank you very much. >> thank you. have a good night. brent: we will take a short break. we come back, more news. stick around.

brent: welcome back. you are with dw news live from berlin. germany's interi minister has said that berlin needs no lessons from turkey on how to deal with terrorism. he made that comment after the president was accused of -- berdych and described germany and the netherlands as bandit states. the reply from berlin is that we

are losing patience with erdogan. i'm joined now by vice chairman of the turkish hdp party. good to have you on the show. you're part of the opposition. there has been such a crackdown on so many institutions in the country including political party. can we talk about the functioning opposition in turkey tonight? >> the whole opposition has been exposed to a massive crackdown. members and ministers of my political party including two deputy chairs, 11 members of parliament, plus eight and nine elected kurdish mayors are

currently in prison. brent: are they in prison because they are mayors or because they criticize erdogan? >> sometimes they have criticized it again. -- erdogan. i am a politician, i have two expressed my mind. these days, if you are critical of it again, you are together -- of erdogan, you are either a terrorist, or we have learned, you could be a bandit state. brent: take a listen. i'm being told by our producers that we do not have that, unfortunately. let me read it to you. "europe cannot come to terms with turkey's rise, germany is number one on the list.

germany is mercifully supporting terrorism." what is the purpose of what erdogan is saying? >> he had consumed up all of their enemies. now, the new enemy is europe. no matter what europe does, they utilize mass alliances. he realizes that many people are critical of him and he needs polarization. this is on purpose and erdogan is trying to mobilize nationalist forces. brent: you are in germany. there is a sizable turkish population in germany. there are eligible turkish

voters in germany. will they make a difference with the election? >> 1.4 million voters. to be precise. of course, that is almost 2% of the national vote. it will definitely make a difference. brent: we will talk with you a little more later on in the day. five president of the turkish hdp party. they call it black gold, but it is not worth what it used to be. helen is here talking about the dwelling price of crude. helen: that is right. back on the downward trend again, i'm afraid. oil prices hitting a three month low with global stocks on the rise. that is despite the promise to out curb opec. the supply cut produced a spur

of huts. opec's biggest member causing jitters in the markets today. let's cross over now to new york. the stock exchange now. with the u.s. industry back with a bang, can we expect the downward trend to continue, do you think? >> there are so many factors at play. especially when you look at fracking, that has decreased white a bit. that is one reason why oil prices to the south actually lost more than 10% in value. also, we have to watch the

stronger dollar, for instance. when we come to a critical point, it will not be profitable for shell producers to continue their production level. there is some concern from the market that there may be a race starting between saudi arabia and the united states. >helen: the fed is making it decision on interest rates tomorrow. a hike looking likely. how do investors like the sound of that? >> a hike is even more than likely. that's on the third increase at pretty much 100%. the big question is if the federal reserve will hint at forcing an interest rate increase in the cards for this year. the federal reserve cannot make any statement like that.

we have to wait unhealthy policies will work out. the wording will be the key of the next meeting. the market rate, a little lower ahead of that. helen: absolutely. good to talk to you. now, a new survey says few of the recent migrants in germany have found work so far. a large majority of german companies happy with those who have done so. only about 14% of migrants have found a job, most of them in low skilled positions. employers said they are satisfied with the performance, but sometimes there are difficulties with language skills. back over to brent. brent: thank you very much. the human rights group "amnesty

international" says that authorities in belarus are cracking down on peaceful protests. they were protesting a new tax on employed people. we spoke to some of the people speaking their mind. >> these people are demonstrating against the government. they blame it for the wrath of poverty and unemployment in belarus. they hate the repressive laws, and most of all, decree number three. their policies are wrong, where does our money go? down with the government. times are bad. solidarity is our weapon. civil servants are parasites. this is svetlana, who only wants

to be identified by her first name. she severs from osteoarthritis. it is so bad, she had to give up her job. she is too sick for unemployment. >> many people are in my position, people are poor, don't have enough to eat, some killed themselves, and now we should be punished as well just go -- as well? do i have to like car, or a kidney, perhaps? >> said lana -- svetlana is campaigning against this, enough. let's see what comes of it, things cannot get much worse. i'm not scared. the next day, hundreds gather in front of city hall. they are not political activists

, just ordinary people who are upset and angry. >> they are loud, committed, and there are lots of them. these demonstrators have created some of the most audacious protests that belarus has seen in years. >> the police show up, they try to break up the demonstration. they are met with jeers. this kind of grassroots opposition to the authorities is entirely new in belarus, a country where, just before protests against the degree -- decree started, people were put in jail. people tell at him that he should be ashamed. others agreed to talk. so, they talk. for three hours, the mayor find some of spamming for answers. situations like this are rare.

are these talks political compromise? this is simply common sense. this discussion allows us to feel the mood of the people and possibly change course. i do not know if i can believe in, by do hope they listen to us because we do not want a war or revolution. when all was said and done, five young men were arrested. it appears the authorities want to show they hold the upper hand after all. brent: after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. stick around for that. ♪ elaine reyes: there is no cure, but there is new hope

in preventing dengue, the mosquito-borne disease that affects millions. i'm elaine reyes in washington, d.c., and this is "americas now." first up: dengue fever, the type that can kill you, is on the rise. now after decades of attempts, researchers have developed a vaccine. translator: the vaccine still saves you lots of money compared to what you'd have to spend if you got the disease. [man speaking spanish] reyes: correspondent gerry hadden reports on fighting dengue in mexico, and tells us about the vaccine's availability in latin america. next, imagine a bicycle blender that can not only grind corn but also make shampoo. for this week's game changer, meet the founder of maya pedal-- mario juanes.