president mark lowen in istanbul.ric president erdogan has claimed a historic outright win. they are convinced at party headquarters. they are believing what the state news agency is telling them which is his 15 year leadership of turkey has just been extended. his just been extended. die—hard believers never doub it his die—hard believers never doubted it but they savoured it. the devotees of the president looks to have been cemented in power. results from the state news agency showing he has a won another five—year term. polls suggested he would struggle to win outright power and could face a run—off. translation: win outright power and could face a run-off. translation: turkey would be lost without him, it would cease to exist. people are happy, so i'm happy. one half of the turkish people is not happy. but it is all brothers like this. if the results are confirmed, he will adopt sweeping new powers scrapping the post of prime minister ruling with decrees and choosing most senior judges, turkey's most powerful lead

mark lowen, bbc news, turkey.ajini: the sahara desert is becoming a new front line in the war on terror. islamist groups are growing in so international troops are moving in to stop them, including u.n. peacekeepers in mali and french forces across the region. for its part, the s. is building a new airbase in niger. our africa correspondent reports in this special report. >> has been moved to the door -- reporter: american specialro forcops training the african counterparts in the sahara desert. i will try to peek inside without showing my muzzle. reporter: for african nations,ci the major ex is a chance to learn how western armies work. for the visitors, it provides partners willing to fight terror for them. s the sahara is an important place for us to fow because of al qaeda and isis-affiliated extremist organizations, which are growing in strength. if we don't take the opportunity isdeal with it now, where it at a level that is affordable and sustainable, then it may cost much, much more to deal with at a later

mark lowen reporting there.ther top stories: the eu's migrant crisis is back in the spotlight. this is the latest migrant rescue ship in the mediterranean to be refused permission to dock by italy and malta. european union leaders met in brussels on sunday, and agreed that countries on the front line of migrant routes cannot be left to carry the burden alone. as the bbc‘s katya adler explains from brussels, it was the leaders of italy and germany asking the most of their european colleagues. voters in both countries are more worried than ever about migration and in both countries, to different extents, we have seen the rise of top migration politicians so today's minisummit, those countries turn around and say, we are all in this together and as we saw today and will see in the formal summit of leaders in brussels this week, they will always agree something needs to be done about irregular migration but they disagree about exactly what and but they disagree about exactly what a nd exa ctly but they disagree abou

mark lowen reporting there. top stories: the eu's migrant crisis is back in the spotlight. this is the latest migrant rescue ship in the mediterranean to be refused permission to dock by italy and malta. european union leaders met in brussels on sunday, and agreed that countries on the front line of migrant routes cannot be left to carry the burden alone. as the bbc‘s katya adler explains from brussels, it was the leaders of italy and germany asking the most of their european colleagues. well, not much was achieved at today's mini—summit. to be honest, expectations were not too high. eu leaders agree they have to work together to combat illegal migration, but that is hardly a revelation. more interesting, really, is why they convened to this extraordinary summit right now in the summer of 2018. this two—day summit, both countries turned around and said we are all in this together, but the response they got the to all the people who have taken their duty to go to the ballot boxes, i would like to thank each and e

mark lowen reports from istanbul. turkey's opposition has finally found its voice.ractured, unable to challenge president erdogan. but then came muharrem ince, a fiery centre—left man of the people who draws enormous crowds and is giving the turkey's president the battle of his political life. "turkey needs not a tired president but one with fresh blood," he told his last rally in istanbul. they believe the opposition can win a majority in parliament and force mr erdogan to a second—round run—off in the presidential election. this is taksim, the most iconic square in turkey. mr erdogan is here. he's there. he's everywhere. there's not a single opposition poster in sight. that unlevel playing field doesn't worry the erdogan side, also out today. conservative pious turks revere him as their saviour in once secular—dominated turkey. he repeated his slogan, "0ne nation, one flag, one homeland, one state," and invited them to give his rivals an 0ttoman slap tomorrow. mr erdogan might still prove his doubters wrong, but for the first time in 15 years, it seems possible th

mark lowen, bbc news, in turkey. far in football's world cup in russia, lionel messi's argentina are on the brink of going out, after a 3—0 thrashing by croatia. austin halewood has the story. in lionel messi and sergio aguero, argentina have two of the best forwards in club football. but, on the international stage, they struggle for support. enzo perez missing an open net, the frustration, clear to see. but for all the mistakes at the top of the pitch, the worst came at the back. willy caballero, misjudging, a chance ante rebic wouldn't miss. in the end, argentina were so poor it was hard to watch. and it only got worse. luka modric, simply magnificent. ivan rakitic added the gloss to send croatia through. the mighty argentina, fallen, and now, depending on others. the passionate peru and their fans have made themselves known in russia. but on the biggest stage, one mistake can be all it takes. france, pouncing on the loose ball. peru, punished by mbappe. still the south americans pressed, denied only by the woodwo

mark lowen, bbc news, istanbul.of plastic pollution on wildlife has been recorded by the bbc. a team filming on a remote pacific island for a bbc one documentary, drowning in plastic, found seabirds starving to death, because their stomachs were full of discarded waste, with no room forfood. our science correspondent victoria gill reports. flying through the ocean in search of food, but these sea birds are all too often finding and eating pieces of plastic. tens of thousands of flesh—footed shearwaters nest on this from an island, hundreds of kilometres off the east coast of australia. but even here plastic is killing them. and another. scientists are finding young birds with so much of it in their stomachs there's no room forfood. these chicks have starved to death. but the researchers stepped in to save them. and this bbc documentary crew filmed up close as the birds had their stomachs flushed out. 0h! the scientists were telling us they sometimes pull out as much as 200—250 metres of plastic out of either dead bi

mark lowen, bbc news, istanbul. called america's immigration laws "a laughing stock," in a speech to republican supporters in las vegas. it follows intense controversy over his policy of separating illegal immigrants from their children, at the mexican border. 0ur north america correspondent, chris buckler, reports. yes, we can! after a week of mixed messages from the white house, there continues to be protests, by people determined to show that they really do care about migrant families. president trump has been under pressure amid the outcry over children being separated from their parents. but although it briefly looked like he was having to soften his immigration policy, his language is hardening again. he told republicans in las vegas that america would be overrun if the country showed any weakness. 0ur immigration laws are a laughing stock all over the world. we're the only people... people walk in, they put a foot in, "please, would you like to register?" other countries, they say "get the hell out of here!"

mark lowen, bbc news, istanbul. football now.ked to be in the balance as they played sweden in group f on saturday. at half time they were losing i—0 and were in danger of being knocked out, but a dramatic fightback helped them to a 2—1 win. elsewhere, there were victories for mexico and belgium. the bbc‘s tim allman watched all the action. you know what they say, when it comes to football, never bet against the germans. cheering. this was the reaction in berlin as the national side did what they almost always do — get the result they need. "just amazing, we turned the corner at the very last—minute," said this fan, "it was hard to believe but it worked out." "just incredible, wicket," said this supporter, "we kept hoping till the end. we can handle it. germany will win the title again." now, that had seemed a little unlikely earlier in the evening. ola toivonen lobbying the goalkeeper and giving sweden a first half lead. but germany are world champions for a reason and, a few minutes after the break, they made it 1—1. marco reus

mark lowen, bbc news, istanbul. world cup in russia where defending champions, germany, have beaten sweden in a dramatic game this evening — let's join 0lly foster in moscow. highlights of today's matches are coming up after the news. we've seen 13 goals, two of them for germany. they were heading out of the tournamentat at halftime against sweden, but an injury time winner in sochi keeps the world champions alive here's our sports news correspodnent richard conway a fate that germany would like to avoid. germany started knowing victory was vital having lost the open to mexico. the defending champions have reached at least the semifinal stage in 21 of the past 27 tournaments and they kicked off determined to hold that record. sweden thwarted the early danger before landing a blow of their own. it is over the top by! german football has long been one of a's premiere marks. it is no surprise that after the restart they stepped up that after the restart they stepped upa that after the restart they stepped up a gear. th

mark lowen in aman.aying the country is going to inform the united nations nuclear agency it is beginning the process of increasing its uranium enrichment capacity, this in the wake of president trump's decision to pull out of the international deal designed to limit iran's nuclear programme. iran's supreme leader outlined what will happen if the nuclear deal falls apart completely. translation: i've ordered iran's atomic energy agency to prepare to increase uranium enrichment in the framework of the iran nuclear deal, and for preliminary preparations to be ready as soon as possible. once the president has made the order it can be started from tomorrow. he also warned european leaders iran would not tolerate being forced to limit its nuclear programme, if it has to deal with american sanctions at the same time. translation: some europeans are talking about both iran coping with the sanctions and limiting our defensive missile programme, which is essential for the future of the country. i'm telling these

mark lowen, bbc news, in turkey.ournament so far in football's world cup in russia, lionel messi's argentina are on the brink of going out after a 3—0 thrashing by croatia. 0ur correspondent in moscow, austin halewood, has the story. lionel messi and aguero, argentina have two of the best forwards in clu bfoot all have two of the best forwards in clubfoot all but on the international stage they struggle for support, perez missing an open net, the frustration clear to see. but for all the mistakes at the top of the pitch, the worst came at the back, the goalkeeper misjudging, a chance ante rebic wouldn't miss. in the end, argentina were so poor it was hard to watch, and it only got worse. a group to simply magnificent. ivan rakitic added that lost to send croatia through. the mighty argentina fallen, and now dependent on others. the passionate peru and their fans have dependent on others. the passionate peru and theirfans have made themselves known in russia, but on themselves known in russia, but on the biggest stage

mark lowen, bbc news, istanbul. a remote island for the bbc one documentary drowning in plastic revealed sea birds there starving to death because there stomachs were so full of plastic that there was no room for food. 0ur science correspondent victoria gill reports. flying through the ocean in search of food, but these sea birds are all too often finding and eating pieces of plastic. tens of thousands of flesh—footed shearwaters nest on this remote island hundreds of kilometres off the east coast of australia. but even here plastic is killing them. and another. scientists are finding young birds with so much of it in their stomachs that there is no room for food. these chicks have starved to death. but the researchers stepped in to save them and this bbc documentary crew filmed up close as the birds had their stomachs flushed out. 0h! it was shocking to see just how much would come out a chick. i mean, we saw 90 pieces come out of one of the chicks on the second night but the scientists were telling us they sometim

that was mark lowen following the election in turkey. it's day nine of the world cup in russia.all giants brazil made heavy work in defeating costa rica 2—0. nigeria won against iceland 2—0 in a stunning second half in blistering heat. and switzerland turned the game around in their favour 2—1 against serbia. the bbc‘s olly foster is in moscow. hello. many thanks. would you believe it, 26 matches we've had now in nine days here at the world cup, and we're still waiting for our first goalless draw. it's unbelievable, this has been such an predictable world cup. difficult games to call, shock results, but no goalless draws and long may it last. we thought we we re and long may it last. we thought we were going to get one in st petersburg, in that brazil versus costa rica game. brazil, so frustrated by the costa ricans, who we re frustrated by the costa ricans, who were quarterfinalists four years ago when the world cup was in brazil, but costa rica are going home, because brazil finally got two goals to keep their heads above water in group e, in injury time. nick pa rrott group e

our correspondent mark lowen is in istanbul.l us a little more now the reaction has died down a little over night, what is the election there? that there are pretty vicious election campaign, today turkey paused to contemplate the victory. he has sweeping new powers, he will be able to choose seniorjudges. his biggest challenge today accepted defeat but warned of the dangers of the one—man rule era. the consolation for the opposition is that despite president erdogan‘s dominance here, still half the country rejected him. the problem for the west is how to deal with president erdogan. but they have to, for liberal democracies, they have to deal not only with the leader of turkey but with russia, egypt, hungary and the us. it is a strong ma ntle hungary and the us. it is a strong mantle now and president erdogan is undoubtedly one of its most powerful members. thank you for the reaction in istanbul. the duke of cambridge has arrived in israel, the first member of the british royal family to undertake an official visit to the count

mark lowen, bbc news, in turkey. a brief look at some of the day's other other news stories.refighters made desperate attempts to prevent the flames from spreading. a timeline of the first hour of the blaze reveals that crews outside were forced to delay directing their hoses at the flat where it started, because colleagues were trying to tackle it from inside. a bbc investigation has uncovered claims of sexual misconduct at one of the world's biggest foreign aid charities. former employees of medecins sans frontieres say they saw aid workers using women believed to be prostitutes. msf says it does not tolerate abuse or exploitation. the education secretary damian hinds has backed calls for universities to tackle so—called grade inflation. the think tank reform says the number of first—class degrees being awarded has doubled since 2010. it's warned that degrees risk losing their credibility, but university leaders say a standardised approach is a threat to their independence. while today has brought some clarity about the status of eu citizens already living here, it's much l

here's mark lowen from istanbul. his diehard believers never doubted it. but still, they savoured it. the devotees of a president who looks to be cemented in power. results from the state news agency showing he has won another five—year term. polls had suggested he had struggled to win outright and could have faced a runoff. translation: he means everything to us. turkey would have been lost without him. it would have ceased to exist. all of them is happy, so i am happy. one half of the turkish people is not happy, the other half of turkish people. but it is all turkish people, brothers like this. relief for turkey's strongman, who has claimed victory. if the results are confirmed, he will adopt sweeping new powers, scrapping the post of prime minister, ruling with decrees and choosing most seniorjudges, turkey's most powerful leader since its founding father, ataturk. translation: the unofficial results of the elections have become clear. according to these i have been entrusted by the nation of the tasks and duties of the presidency. but the opposition h

here's mark lowen from istanbul. diehard believers never doubted at but still, they savoured it. the devotee is of a president who looks to be cemented in power, results in state newsagency showing he has won another five—year term. polls had suggested he would struggle to win outright and could have faced a run—off. outright and could have faced a run-off. it means everything to us, turkey would have been lost without him. it would have ceased to exist. these people, all of them happy, so lam happy. these people, all of them happy, so i am happy. one half of the turkish people is not happy, the other half of the turkish people is not happy. but it is all turkish people of others, it is likely. relief at tu rkey‘s others, it is likely. relief at turkey's strongman, who has claimed victory. if the results are confirmed, he will adopt sweeping new powers, scrapping the post of prime minister, ruling with the crease and choosing most senior judges. turkey's most powerful leader since its founding father ata turk. the un

mark lowen reports from istanbul. tu rkey‘s turkey's opposition has finally found its voice.n came ince who draw enormous clouds —— cries and is giving the turkish president the battle of his political life. translation: turkey needs not a tired president but one with fresh water —— what he told his last rally. he believes the opposition can win it a majority in parliament and force erdogan to a second round runoff in election. this is the most iconic square in turkey. mr erdogan is here. he is there. he is everywhere. there is not a single opposition poster insight. that unlevel playing field doesn't worry the erdogan side. conservative pious turks revere him as their saviour in what secular dominated turkey. he repeated his slogan. "one nation, one flag, one state". and invited them to give his rivals a slapped her. mr erdogan may still prove his doubters wrong but for the first time in 15 years and it seems possible that the erdogan magic is running out. at the world cup in russia — england have arrived in nizhny novgorod ahead of their match against panama tomorrow. victo

our turkey correspondent mark lowen sent us this update from istanbul.rdogan has claimed a historic outright win the. they are convinced of him at the ak party headquarters. official votes are still being counted what they believe what the state tv agency is telling him, that his 15 year leadership of turkey has just been extended. his diehard believers never doubted it. but still, they say that it. the date —— the devotees of a president who looks to be cemented in power, results from the state news agency showing he has won another five—year term loopholes had suggested he had struggled to win outright and could have faced a raft. translation: in means everything to us. translation: in means everything to us. turkey would have been lost without him. it would ceased to exist. all of them is happy, so i am happy. one half of the turkish people is not happy, the other half. but it is all people. relief for tu rkey‘s but it is all people. relief for turkey's strongman who has claimed victory. if the results are confirmed, he will adopt sweeping new powers,

turkey remains under a state of emergency following a failed coup two years ago. 0ur correspondent mark lowenion in istanbul. how much of a gamble was of the president erdogan to call this election in the first place? it is a very big gamble for president erdogan. two months ago when he called a snap election, it seems likely to pay for him, but then came a lively centre left a man of the people, muharrem ince, who is the stop erdogan candidature. there have been big queues outside the voting rooms in this polling station, they are hoping for turnout of well over 85%. why? president erdogan elicits such strong opinions. adored by his conservative, pyrs supporters who love his ground infrastructure projects, the schools, hospitals and bridges he has built. poured by his critics for, as they see it, destroying turkish democracy. this isjudgment destroying turkish democracy. this is judgment day for president erdogan, turkey‘s most powerful, polarising president, and also for the direction of this pivotal country. women in saudi arabia are officially allowed to get behind the wheel of a car from

our correspondent mark lowen covered the protests and sent this report.t thought that the resignation of the prime minister would extinguish these protests, well, this is their answer. for yet another night in central amman, the protesters have gathered. demonstrators have tried to break through the police lines, there have been scuffles, on the whole peaceful, but a lot of anger at the austerity measures this government is pursuing. there is some celebration this year that a prime minister who was deeply unpopular has been forced out. but they feel that what's needed here is not a change of personnel but of policy. austerity policies that they say have hit the poorest hardest. every other week they do something new. they raise the prices, they raise the prices of electricity, or petrol, or anything. it raise the prices of electricity, or petrol, oranything. it is raise the prices of electricity, or petrol, or anything. it is very unjust for the people. we have one of the highest numbers of syrian refugees, in a country that barely... doesn't have much re

from istanbul mark lowen reports. turkey's opposition has finally found its voice.to challenge president erdogan, but then came muharrem ince, a fiery centre—left man of the people reaching beyond his party's elitist image and drawing enormous crowds. this man is giving a powerful turkish president the battle of his political life. he told supporters he would fight for the working class, challenging mr erdogan to a tv debate which he has so far refused. polls suggest mr ince could force the president into a second round run—off after the election tomorrow and with other opposition parties, win a majority in parliament. this is the half of turkey that feels mr erdogan has destroyed democracy with his clamp—downs and hostility to the west. confidence is growing despite the fear of vote rigging. but the pro—erdogan side still passionately believes in him. conservative, pious turks revere him as their saviour in once secular—dominated turkey. they vaunt the bridges and hospitals he's built and they talk about western plot to ruin their country. the odds are still stacke

mark lowen in istanbul, thank you.tical rally held by president emmerson mnangagwa. police say they're expecting more casualties to come forward. an investigation is under way at bulawayo white city stadium, where the blast took place. president mnangagwa says next week's elections will still take place. the headlines on bbc news: england have scored five goals for the first time in a world cup after a blistering 45 minutes against panama in russia. the second half is under way now. new measures aimed at halving the number of obese children in england by 2030 have been announced by the government. voting is under way in turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections, the biggest challenge to president erdogan‘s fifteen years in government. let's get more on the world cup. england have scored five goals against panama. let's speak to sarah rainsford who's outside the nizhny novgorod stadium, where the match is being played. talk us through the ambience there and what is going on. the mood, at least from the england f

brought forward by mr erdogan in the hope of consolidating his power. 0ur turkey correspondent mark lowenarty in istanbul. how it is looking for mr erdogan? well, as you can see, and no doubt hear from well, as you can see, and no doubt hearfrom behind me, they think they have done it. what we don't know is whether mr erdogan has got over the 50% needed to clinch an outright victory in the presidential election, or if he will be forced into a second—round run—off with muharrem ince of the centre—left. it is getting incredibly noisy. almost 80% of the ballot boxes opened, erdogan is on about 54% of the votes cast. that is going down as the opposition areas come in. we don't know if he has enough in the parliamentary election to keep a majority inside parliament. what is clear is that two very different visions of turkey have collided, one which cherishes its conservative president, which has transformed their lives with schools. 0ne president, which has transformed their lives with schools. one which feels he has destroyed the country. it will not fix the chasm in tu rkey‘s it will not fix

the bbc‘s mark lowen is in amman. i was out really late last night with the demonstrators.minister. this is an attempt by the king to placate the protesters. but what they want is an end to the austerity they say is making their lives unbearable. a controversial new bill which would raise income tax by at least 5% for citizens and by at least 20% for businesses. the fact that the price of fuel has been hiked overfive times since the start of the year. that electricity has gone up 55% since february, that subsidies for bread have been scrapped. all of these are conditions forjordan to fulfil for a loan from the imf of $723 million. but people here say it is making their lives very difficult. remember, jordan is a country that is buckling under the weight of over a million syrian reguess. it has real structural problems. and so it is now facing a big challenge. the king says it is at a crossroads. does it provide an easier, more dignified life for its citizens or does it go into unknown territory? that is something that worries not onlyjordanians, but also the west as well, w

mark lowen has been travelling across turkey to canvass opinion ahead of the polls.t his rallies, unheard of before he took office. 0ne nation, one flag, one homeland, one state, he cries. they cheer the leader of a big nato power, and a key western ally of syria and the migrant crisis. the reverence president erdo an still commands from pious turks is almost godlike. the question is whether it can beat the acute loathing felt by the other side of the nation. this election is now a fight between two halves of profoundly polarised turkey. a battle for the soul of this pivotal country. security is heavy here. the pro—kurdish party is called terrorists by the government. its candidate‘s standing for election from prison. many fear vote rigging by the erdogan machine. across this vast country, a different picture in the president‘s black sea stronghold. he‘s built support with new schools and hospitals. the economic boom is now stalling, but this is a region of loyalists. like this man, whose family has tended hazelnut groves for generations, and whose default following