♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. in search of a reset, a new attempt to repair europe's ties with turkey. president erdogan hosted officials in ankara. what about common ground? also coming up, india records about 100,000 new covid-19 cases for the second day in a row. there are calls on the prime minister to open up vaccinations

to more people. international negotiators renew their push to revive the nuclear deal with iran. washington and tehran insist they want to return to the agreement, so what is stopping them? ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin with an attempt at starting over somewhat. the european union's top officials have met with turkey's president in an attempt to approve relations -- improve relations. president erdogan said he wants to turn a new page and its relationship with europe, but europe is concerned with turkey's record on human rights. >> it's been a year since officials last met the turkish president. both sides say they want to

improve relations, which have become increasingly strained, but the europeans have serious concerns about turkey's assertiv foreign policy and its often heavy-handed treatment of minorities and political opponents. >> the rule of law and respect of fundamental rights are core values of the european union. we share with president erdogan our deep worries on the latest of elements in turkey with this respect, in particular on freedom of speech and the targeting of political parties and media. >> today, i clearly underlined that respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law are crucial for the european union. this must be an integral part of our relationship. turkey must respect international human rights rules and standards. >> there's a lot at stake.

millions of refugees who fled from syria's bloody civil war are living within turkey's borders. they would otherwise head for europe, and ankara once the eu to pay more to support them. turkey for its part is keen to advance its stalled bid to join the european union. thousands of demonstrators turned out recently to protest against turkey's decision to pull out of an international agreement on women's rights. ironically, that is called the istanbul convention. both eu emissaries condemned that move as sending the wrong signal on rights. another area of dispute is turkey wanting tdrill for gas in the mediterranean in areas which greece and cyprus see as their territory. the latest talks between the eu and turkey aim to mend fences, but there are still huge differences to overcome. brent: let's get more from our

correspondent dorian jones. he joins us from istanbul. can we say that both sides were successful today in resetting their relations? dorian: ankara certainly sees this as a major diplomatic win, the fact that two eu top officials were prepared to come to turkey and meet face-to-face at a time when these meetings are extremely rare. it is seen as a victory itself. while there was a lot of focus on turkey's deteriorating human rights record, after the meeting, ankara will be focusing on the commitment they received for the opening and starting of customs, the modernization of the customs union agreement. that is a key demand for ankara, and it appears an opportunity for liberalization with eu officials talking about the importance of face-to-face contact between the two.

that will be seen as an effort at liberalizing visas, another key demand for ankara. ankara sees this as a positive victory given the fact that the u.s. president biden is continuing to ignore erdogan at the moment following his election victory. brent: what about these negotiations for turkey to possibly become a member of the european union? does turkey still want to join? dorian: president erdogan a few weeks ago said this is a key policy of turkey to join the european union, but it has to be said that neither side believes this is realistic in the short or long-term. that has presented their pin union with the problem. -- the european union with a problem. the eu is looking for new leverage, and this is why they

are opening up talks over customs union modernization, possible visa liberalization. they see this as providing important leverage going rward, and that's important given the fact they are looking to turkey to honor its migration deal. we heard that is seen as a priority for the eu, that turkey continues to honor all parts of the migration deal. brent: dorian jones from istanbul, thank you. here's a look at some other stories making headlines. egypt and sudan say talks aimed at resolving a dispute with ethiopia over a dam on the nile river have ended without progress. ethiopia is constructing the dam and says it is vital for power. sudan is concerned about the dam's safety. in myanmar, protesters have held a candlelit vigil to remember those killed since the start of the military coup.

they marched through the town, and observers say security forces have killed at least 570 people since the beginning of february. hundreds of people have marched through bosnia's capital demanding the government's resignation. they blame lears for the slow procurement of vaccines. a bosnia has reported over 7000 coronavirus fatalities, one of the highest per capita death tolls in europe. indian state leaders are calling for a wider vaccination rollout as the country faces a surge in coronavirus cases. nearly 90,000 new infections were reported tuesday. a senior health official has warned that the fight against covid-19 over the next four weeks will be very critical. >> hospitals across india are seeing an influx of patients with covid-19, and they are turning up in record numbers. the rise in cases's leading

experts to warn that this wave could be stronger than the first with new variants reported from south africa, brazil, and the u.k. >> before we never had this scenario, but now the entire family is getting positive. >> the majority of cases are in the state that is home to mumbai. nearly 60% of all of india's new cases were found here in just over the last two weeks. curfew is now in place with tighter lockdown restrictions, and it is being welcomed by some. >> if a lockdown is imposed, at least people will stay home, safe, and the virus will be under control. >> the government has issued almost 18 million vaccines. it hopes to inoculate 300 million people by the end of july. last week, it opened its vaccine

drive to those over 45 years old. the coronavirus has not stopped politicians rallying for regional elections. large gatherings continue in several states. doctors say not enough is being done to contain th risk and warned that cases may balloon in the coming weeks. >> i think the whole country needs to understand and start practicing safety today. don't go out of the house unless if necessary. maintain social distancing, and never, never step out of your house without a mask. >> many here may have thought the pandemic was behind them, but now india may have to prepare for another deadly few months. brent: the south asia head for

the center of south asian disease dynamics in delhi tells me much of the surge is being fueled by public exhaustion with viral control efforts. >> first of all, the fatigue that has set in over the last year and a few months has set in. the contact tracing and testing was not as adequate as it should be. states that are reporting are the ones doing a good job of it. the low numbers fools you to think that the virus is gone. it is when you start intermingling and stop wearing the mask that the surge comes up and surprises you. covid appropriate behavior will have to continue. last time, we had the advantage of a lockdown, which helped us

by time. this time, we must remember that non-covid health-related treatments have started, and beds are occupied for that. the system was limping back to a gular situation. the health system is at risk in the need for more beds. the government is setting up to create those makeshift facilities it requires. lockdowns are also being discussed. brent: here are some of the other developments in the pandemic. in france, the number of covid-19 patients inntensive care is at its highest in more than a year. france is now and a month down lock -- month-long lockdown.

ukraine is currently facing a spike in infections. the biden administration is planning to announce all americans over the age of 16 will be eligible to get vaccinated as of april 19. here in germany, despite having restrictions, the country struggling to contain a third wave of coronavirus infections. the caseload is fueling calls for a tougher lockdown, but some german states are experimenting with lifting restrictions. >> a quick test, and activities like sports and cinema visits are allowed again. elsewhere, scientists and some politicians are calling for stricter measures. among them, chancellor merkel's conservative party leader who is suggesting a temporary tightening of restrictions until enough people have been vaccinated.

until that point in time, we are talking about two or three weeks , we should make another effort to limit public life. his comments have been met with criticism also from the opposition. for over a year, the only thing policymakers have been able to come up with is shutting down public life, telling people to stay-at-home, locking down, selling the same policy with new slogans. authoritiesreop a's sluggish vaccine rollout by allowing 35,000 general practitioners across the country to start administering the jabs this week. in berlin, the vaccination effort has experienced a further snag. two vaccination centers had to close tuesday because they ran

out of doses. frustrated by the situation, people in germany are calling for unified approach. >> the way the third wave is looking, it will be even more devastating than the second. that's why i think there will be another hard lockdown. politicians can't seem to come up with anything else. they will lockdown until everyone is vaccinated. >> we should first implement the measures they've agreed upon. they keep changing the rules, we disagree, and then everyone does their own thing. it's hard to understand. >> if our leaders manage to stop arguing, then there will be a hard lockdown. there's probably no other way to solve it. >> the country's federal political system is getting in the way. ultimately, it is the states that decide on and implement the measures.

for now, chancellor angela merkel is not intervening, but she has warned if the situation demands it, she could take matters into her own hands. brent: the head of vaccine strategy at the european medicine agency said there is a link between the astrazeneca vaccine and blood clots. last week, germany suspended use of the vaccine and people under the age of 60 after nine people died of rare blood clots. the ema has consistently said that the shot's benefits outweigh its risks. it is expected to release an assessment of the vaccine wednesday or thursday. the uk's medicines regulator is considering whether or not to limit access to the astrazeneca vaccine. we spoke to british virologist julian tang about the cases of blood clots that have been recorded in the u.k.

julian: there have been at least 30 cases in which seven people died in the young population, and they are proposing to restrict astrazeneca to those that are older, over their 30's, for example. the u.k. has vaccinated so many people or the age of 50 that they can't restricted the astrazeneca vaccine much. it is slightly different from the scandinavian and european approach. it restricted the vaccine to thewose who are over 55. that is to protect the younger population that seems to be more vulnerable to this adverse effect of the astrazeneca vaccine. brent: no country in latin america has been hit harder than by the pandemic then brazil. any of the nation's poorest citizens are making a cry for

help. residents have stage protests blasting the government's response. they say without more aid from the government, many people risk going hungry. >> these protesters are sending a message to their government. brazil is hungry. here in sao paulo's largest flavella, resident say emergency aid does not go far enough. >> my fear is that my daughters will go hungry. one of them is still under 18. there's also my granddauger. i think to myself, will they go hungry? up until december, the brazilian government provided everyone in need with 90 euros per month. donations have dropped. president bolsonaro's administration is once again offering help, but a more modest amount.

a community movement known as g10 is demanding more. >>he emergency aid of 23 euros is enough to buy a domestic gas cylinder, five kilograms of rice, and one kilogram of beans. a mily cant survive a month on that. it's shamel. brazil is a rich country and letting its populationo ngry. >> brazil is a country in crisis, and there is not much light on the horizon. brent: iranian representatives say a first round of talks on tuesday aimed at bringing the u.s. back into the 2015 nuclear deal were constructive. their meeting envoys with germany, russia, china, and britain.in vienna . the u.s. and iran are not meeting directly, but it appears some progress was made. the original deal stalled in 2018 when former u.s. president donald trump decided to pull the united states out of it.

for more, i am joined from los angeles by a senior research fellow at the national iranian-american council. we've heard that further talks are scheduled for friday. are you encouraged by what is coming out of vienna? >> absolutely. i think there was an initial sl pace of the biden edman's ration to take certain steps, and this was a key premise of foreign policy that bidens suppters expected. right now, you have two expert groups that have been tasked with looking at how both parties, both the united states and iran, can return to full compliance, one focused on lifting sanctions, one focused on nuclear issues. those groups will continue hashing it out, and the joint commission will meet on friday. it gives us that optimism we were lacking in the first couple

months of the biden administration. brent: were describing a to do list for the iranians and americans, but we know that the rep wrote -- the representatives of both countries are not sitting in the same room at the moment. what do you think it will take for them to meet face-to-face? >> something to keep in mind is that the united states is not actually a party to the deal. when former president trump withdrew from the deal in may of 2018 the united states has not returned to it. iran and other parties are still part of it. the fact that we have these intermediaries, that's the entire part of internationalism and bringing a group together pl we shr ld be discouraged. once there's a clear picture of what steps need to be taken, you attinsee the direct negotiations as well. brent: president biden ran on a ticket of returning the u.s. to the nuclear deal. does his foreign have support

across the u.s. political spectrum? >> absolutely. one of the things that is fascinating about this policy is we talk about a context in which the united states is pard divios is something that has support across the spectrum. in a poll in early march, biden and trump voters were asked about their feelings of the threat of a nuclear iran, and clearly in the american populace, there is the fling that there is a threat, that they do not want iran to have a nuclear weapon, but 84% of biden voters supported direct negotiations and 54% of trump voters supported direct negotiations. there is bipartisan support and support across the american political spectrum to resolve this through diplomacy.

brent: it's good to have you on the program. we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. here's a look at some of the stories we are following around the world. the united arab emirates airline etiad has become direct -- begun direct flights to tel aviv in israel. it's the first since the countries established diplomatic ties last year. emergency response teams are trying to prevent a dutch ship drifting in the north sea from sinking and spilling oil off the coast of norway. this footage shows the crew being rescued by helicopter and brought to safety. voters in greenland are going to the polls to choose a new parliament. the campaign has focused on whether international companies should be given mining rights of deposits of rare earth elements. while some argue it would be an economic windfall for greenland, others say it would harm the environment. a russian newspaper is reporting that jailed opposition

politician alexei navalny has been moved to a sick ward. the kremlin critic was jailed in february and has been on a hunger strike since wednesday to protest the lack of medical care. with parliamentary elections less than six months away, authorities are cracking down on kremlin critic's, but they could be facing new enemies. emily sherwin traveled to the southwestern city of charlotte of where she met a local politician who is determined not to be silenced. emily: in the footsteps of lenin, nikolai sees himself as a politician of the people like his communist forefathers, but he has a huge social media presence. his youtube channel has over one million subscribers. fight for your rights is the motto. his social media accounts show him fighting against corruption and for more equality, including

as a representative in the regional parliament, and he does not shy away from criticizing the kremlin and the united russia party. >> it is your actions, the actions of the russian government, of your president, of your united russia party, you gave our national riches away to oligarchs. emily: now he is facing what he says is a political campaign against him. local politicians have accused him of corruption for monetizing his social media accounts. he could face a criminal case that could prevent him from running in the upcoming duma elections. >> the government is afraid of people uniting, uniting around a concrete program that provides an alternative to the course they have taken. throughout my career during the many hours of livestream's online, i never asked people to follow nikolai.

i am just asking people to be political. if you don't like what i say, follow your own line. the main thing is to not give up. emily: in russia, there are traces of the soviet past everywhere. the communist party is still popular here and across the country even though critics say the party follows the kremlin line, but russia's systemic opposition parties have become an outlet for people's anger at the government. last year, the arrest of a pular governor from the right-wing liberal democratic party led to weeks of protests in russia. every monday, nikolai has his office hours. 35-year-old spends most of the day with constituents. people stand in line with issues from benefit applications to problems with corruption. >> i have placed my hopes in him.

i heard how he talks to people, and i've heard his speeches. >> in russia, they do not like people who tell the truth. it has always been that way. if he is trying to get the truth out to people, naturally he's an enemy of the government. he asks uncomfortable questions. emily: experts agree the kremlin might try to keep people like nikolai out of federal politics. >> ahead of the duma elections, the kremlin makes arrangements with the parties about which candidates can run and what results they can get. emily: despite attempts to intimidate him, he's not ready to give up. >> people today are hungry for justice and truth. i went into politics to prove to citizens that lawmakers can work honestly. emily: nikolai is already

preparing his campaign for the duma elections, and he hopes he will be allowed a fair fight. brent: we are watching "dw new'' from berlin. "i will be back to take you through the day after a short break. tonight, iran and the u.s. help to put a broken nuclear deal back together again. we will be right back.

>> talks together iran nuclear records back on track after a successful start. russia's envoy has gone public to say. >> the united states is expected to move forward towards finalizing its return to the deal. an incident in the red sea is raising questions again. -- allegedly attached to an iranian ship.