hello and welcome to focus on europe. it's wonderful to have you with us. recep tayyip erdogan has dominated turkish politics for more than 20 years. but now he has fallen short of an absolute majority at the presidential elections. this is the first time in two decades that he has had to face a runoff. and yet, his supporters are already celebrating him as a winner. erdogan's ak party has been in a neck and neck race with the opposition in this presidential election. many turks wish to have more democracy.

and the opposition leader kemal kilich-darulo is promising just that. almost 90 percent of the turks have voted in this election. with a slight lead, supporters of erdogan see themselves one step closer to victory. they do not want any change. apparently they trust their president to handle the poor economic situation and take care of the post-earthquake reconstruction that the country urgently needs. on the other hand, his opponents blame him for the crisis that the country is facing. sansu yapütsche decided not to vote for erdogan. she fears for her mother, who is in prison for criticizing erdogan. and her mother's freedom seems completely dependent on the change of power in the country. istanbul after the first round of the presidential elections. even though the turkish president did not secure an absolute majority, recep tayyip erdogan's supporters are pleased.

it was the will of the people. that isn't the sentiment in istanbul's artistic quarter kuzguncuk. following positive projections for the opposition, most people here are hoping for a change in government and a new direction for turkey. they're setting their hopes on the runoff election. a second round of voting, gosh . but i do believe we have a chance and i hope we can still pull it off. we'll have to roll up our sleeves again. because we want to finally live in a free, democratic country where everyone feels safe. cansu yapici has long fought for a democratic turkey, alongside her mother, mücella yapici who's now been in jail for over a year - she was sentenced to 18 years on charges of assisting an attempt to overthrow the government.

” the architect - seen here with her daughter at the sentencing - had campaigned for social urban developments that were earthquake-proof, and was involved in the protest movement at istanbul's gezi park. i especially like this picture from prison. it shows my mother both relaxed and strong. the authorities imprisoned my mother to intimidate other activists. but do you see a fearful woman in this photo? the families of these non-violent political prisoners in turkey have their hopes set on the opposition candidate. kemal kilicdaroglu has promised the release of mücella yapici and others if he wins. we've gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in

the past year. that the fate of my mother and other prisoners depends on the outcome of this election just shows how bad things have gotten in turkey. she often goes to the sea to take her mind off things, but she refuses to give up. like her mother, she too is an architect and has been very involved in women's rights for many years. but state repression and hostility in the pro-government media have taken their toll. i've not felt welcome in this country for a long time. under such conditions, it's hard to continue living as normal. for now, she's volunteered to be an election observer and aims to ensure that everything runs smoothly in the runoff election. almost 90 % of eligible voters cast ballots in the first round

- the runoff is seen as crucial. many turks are dissatisfied with the catastrophic economic situation, the government's failed response to the earthquake, and the clampdown on fundamental rights. ultimately, it is the solidarity among all of us who are unwanted in this country that keeps us going and keeps us alive. she says that solidarity among democrats is needed more now than ever. the runoff could be the last chance of freedom for her mother mücella yapici. erdogan once started out as a reformer. but then he went on to increase his powers. and in the last 21 years he has become so powerful that the media in the country can neither report independently nor critically. as we just saw, those who dare to express their opinion can face prison sentences. under erdogan, turkey has become increasingly

authoritarian, conservative and patriarchal. dam-laa daa-leyaan knows exactly how it feels. women in particular have had to suffer under the erdogan regime. they barely receive any protection from the state. this young turkish woman hopes that her country will change. class is out at the university of istanbul, where twenty-two-year old damla studies political science. she comes here to the district of fatih every day. the area is traditionally muslim. they stare at me. whether i show my stomach or cover up, they stare. i don't feel comfortable here. and my friends don't either. after class, damla heads back to the other side of town - to hip and modern kadiköy. there, she meets up with a friend. she says she feels freer in kadiköy. but that things are changing here, too.

especially after turkey withdrew from the istanbul convention on preventing violence against women. women's rights activists say at least one woman is killed in turkey every day, while countless more are subjected to domestic violence and harassment. i think every twenty-year-old woman in this country has experienced harassment. there isn't much talk about it. but it happens in buses, shared taxis, on ferries. it's happened to me, too. the provisions of the istanbul convention are still enshrined in national law. but president erdoan's new, ultra-islamist coalition partners are calling for women's rights to be rolled back. what's more: they demand gender-segregated classrooms for boys and girls and punishments for adultery.

it absolutely shocks me. there's no other way to put it! they want men to decide everything and women to have no rights. some animals have more rights than women - imagine that. a few kilometers away lies the office of the women's party - called kadin partisi. they've filed charges against the heads of the akp's islamist coalition partner. they want to found an islamic republic - even though turkey is moving towards becoming a modern country now in the centennial year of its founding. that's unacceptable! their charges haven't gone anywhere. the women's party is part of the opposition. but even woman politicians from erdoan's ak party criticize the demand to abolish the country's law on protecting

women. like özlem zengin, a senior advisor to president erdoan. if that law is touched, turkish women will fear for their personal freedoms. damla, for her part, is winding down the day with her friend öykü. öykü works as a waitress, but is looking for work as a journalist. the twenty-six-year-old has been stalked by her ex-boyfriend for years. last time was three or four weeks ago. we happened to run into each other. he gave me a menacing look and said, i see you. and he walked back and forth in front of me several times. i'm honestly afraid to see him. i'm really worried! he hasn't turned violent so far. but four out of ten women in turkey experience physical or

sexual violence at the hands of their partners. that's almost twice as many as in germany. human rights organizations say turkish authorities often ignore reports of harassment or abuse. öykü has reported her ex to the police multiple times. but in vain. we all want to think positive, but we young people feel overcome with a sort of hopelessness. i want to see turkey become a safe country for women and girls in the future. i feel the same way. that's why this patriarchal system has to come to an end. to a safe, democratic future, where all voices are heard. to a free turkey. damla and eu-k-ü are crossing their fingers that the runoff election will change things for them.

if that doesn't happen, many young turks are already thinking of leaving the country. moving on to another state where people have been forced to leave their country. ukraine. . it's hard to imagine but even in the most disputed areas in eastern ukraine, some civilians have made a conscious decision to stay back. special units of ukrainian police are trying to get to these people and persuade them to leave the area. but they aren't finding it easy. because around cities like avdiivka and along the front line in eastern ukraine, some people also feel connected to russia. avdiivka is ukraine, the sign reads. it seems very clear how people here feel. and yet in frontline towns like this we find more complicated stories. these men hennadiy and dmitro belong to a police evacuation unit nicknamed the “white angels”.

it is very dangerous to stay there. there is only one shop where you can buy bread. just going to the store, getting water, or going to the hospital is a challenge. you will get through or you won't, you survive or you don't. you can be shot at - get injured or die. this was home to more than 32,000 people before the war. bombs and shells still fall on this ruined place - russian forces are making gains, although small. and yet, about 2000 people choose to remain.

this distribution center offers tea, electricity, and company. this is my homeland, i was born here, lived here all my life, my parents are buried here. i don't want to leave my home. the work of many generations is simply destroyed. i'm very sorry, but this is too much for me. i can't go. hennadi and dmitro have been asked to visit one particular couple. the man's daughter asked the policemen to get them out. they've moved underground. your daughter sent us a video and asks you to watch it. dad, hello.

i cannot allow my only father to live in such conditions. i pray to god, i hope and wait for you, and send you hugs. it is your daughter. are you ready to leave? no why? they are ready to shelter you, your daughter will take you in. i'm not ready. why? when will you be ready? when it's all over. the fear is paralyzing. you cannot escape from fate. for example, i am afraid of the road. i'm sure something will happen to me on the way out. hennadiy and dmitro can't force people to leave. russian propaganda has left some scared of the ukrainian authorities. we talk to them, give them time to think. then we take them in an armored car to pokrovsk, where volunteers receive them. they help with their pension and additional assistance

for displaced persons. everything is sorted out. we have to stop filming . and seek shelter. as soon as it's safe we go to where the bomb hit. this was the town's market - this woman came to sell household goods. she isn't hurt, but clearly in shock. avdiivka was a frontline city long before the russian full-scale invasion. russian-backed rebels were in control for a brief period in 2014 before the ukrainians took it back. some still identify with the russians, despite the war. an hour's drive away, in chasiv yar, we're close to bakhmut. here it's thought fewer than ten per cent of people have stayed. here we meet oleg.

he is 74 years old and used to be an economist. now he grows onions behind broken windows. i don't want to go anywhere. i was born here, have lived here for a long time. my parents were here. i don't want to leave their graves. when i die, they will bury me here. don't be afraid. . . they are shooting from over there . . . we ask him to show us a memory. something from before the war. he pulls out this - a soviet military id - 43 years old but always close to hand. i feel sorry for both those two fools and the others. we are one people. the very same people. they were all in the soviet union, all served in the soviet army. and now opinions are divided. that's what the leaders did wrong - they pitted the people against each other. it was not necessary. it was necessary to negotiate.

this is a common sentiment in cities like this - even though negotiations could mean living under moscow's rule. it is as if some are not only nostalgic about the soviet union - but waiting for the russians to arrive. in avdiivka, we ask officer hennadiy about this. unfortunately, there are such cases. there are those waiting for the so-called russian peace, who are perhaps passing on information about the location of our military. there are cases when such people were detained. local residents have relatives who are fighting on the enemy side. the officers of the 'white angels' are here to offer a way out of town - for anyone who is willing to go. for agriculture it is important to have plenty of water.

but in europe summers are getting drier and drier by the year. and france is one of the countries here that is particularly affected by this. farmer remi law-raw-ndo is also worried about drought. but he is still against plans by the french government to collect rainwater in huge quantities. and he's not the only one. in the west of france, in the village of sant-so-leen, farmers are struggling for water. at the end of march, a dispute over a megabasin in sainte-soline escalated. several thousand demonstrators crossed the fields - and the police tried to stop them. there was tear gas, fireworks, stones - and serious injuries on both sides. the protests were about this construction site. this is where the authorities are building a huge reservoir

for rainwater, to be used for irrigation during the summer months. the village of sainte-soline has 300 inhabitants. and they are divided in two camps about this issue. arthur perrault is one of the farmers in favor of the project. he had already set up his connection to the basin. we protected it before the demonstration. we made a cabin and used straw, planks and earth to cover it all. they knew where the connection was. it was all burnt down. perrault has 170 hectares, on which he cultivates mainly wheat and corn. crops that can barely survive without extra irrigation. remi larendeau is also a farmer but he's against the reservoir.

he has three hectares and mainly cultivates vegetables. he has his own well. this is my well, the water's gone down compared to two weeks ago. in a normal year, it overflows in winter. but it's gone down by at least 2 meters. he's worried his well could run dry if rainwater no longer seeps into the groundwater and is caught by the basin. i won't have any access to it. i don't have that much land, so it doesn't make financial sense to get a connection. it would only be worth it if i used a certain amount of water. those who are not farmers are worried about getting caught between the fronts. if you listen to those in favor they have excellent arguments,

as do those who are against it. i admit i don't have a clear opinion. it's a massive construction site for just 12 people. for me, it's private property. these people are going to monopolize some of the water. such reservoirs are being built all over france, on instructions from paris. and not everyone is pleased about it. climate activists say it doesn't make sense to divert water that's already scarce. and that it would be better to switch to less water-intensive agriculture. the journalist marc lomazzi fears the conflict over water is only going to get worse, and won't only affect agriculture. i think sainte-soline is just the beginning of what's going to happen in france as water becomes increasingly scarce. we will have shortages, we will have rationing and there won't

be enough water for everyone in the end. the vegetable farmer laurendeau also wants the project to be stopped. but he's concerned about the violence of the protests in march. you can't say it was a war, but almost? i can't go to sainte-soline, since the protests, it's too intense. perrault is also worried about an escalation. but he can't see a way out at the moment. there's no dialogue anymore. you can't talk to people who say they want to talk but only on the condition you respect what they want to do.

sainte-soline is just one example of many divided communities in central and southern france. when the heat comes this summer, the battle over water is likely to intensify. you might not consider goats to be the smartest creatures but appearances can be deceptive. in fact goats are one of those animals that can sense when a natural disaster is about to take place - be that a volcanic eruption or an earthquake. and that's why researchers in sicily - at the foot of volcano etna - are developing an early warning system with the help of goats. . giuseppe rosta's farm is located directly at the foot of mount etna. the perfect location for behavioral biologist martin wikelski to conduct a field study.

he and the goats have known each other for 10 years. he analyses their behavior prior to volcanic eruptions. we still don't know exactly how to predict a volcanic eruption. neither when nor where. so we're hoping that the goats will provide us with additional information for both. but how? many farmers are convinced that animals know intuitively when there's going to be an eruption and adjust their behavior accordingly. when there's an eruption the goats always stay close to us and don't want to go up to the pasture. the goats are equipped with transmitters so their movements can be tracked precisely. normally, they climb the mountain quickly. if there is a change in their behavior, the scientists can make predictions. data from the previous years has confirmed this. there were quite a few big eruptions, and they always stayed down. they didn't do that otherwise.

in july 2021, when there were a few eruptions, the goats' predictions were spot on. previously it was only possible to analyze the data retrospectively. now the goats wear real-time sensors. as soon as they become nervous and change their movements, the scientists pick up on this and can issue warnings. the goats can sense an eruption between four and six hours ahead. this experiment in sicily could soon be tested around the world. not only with goats but also with stray dogs. there are animals everywhere that can tell us what the situation is like. we can collect knowledge and provide information about climate change, earthquakes, volcano eruptions etc. there are currently some 15,000 animals equipped with sensors. like giuseppe rosta's goats in sicily. now if that really works, we might see a lot of goats around us. that's it for this week. we will be back next week.

until then goodbye and take care.

♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. renewed fighting breakdown in southern ukraine. kyiv accuses moscow of shall incur some pop where people are being evacuated from the khakhovka dam. also coming up, european wristers tightening europe's policies on sylum-seekers. but is this the breakthrough deal many people had been hoping for? and the knife attack in reference tom leads six people injured, four of