>> it started as a demonstration against a new development. and now, thousands demanded changes from the turkish government. is al jazeera, live from london. hundreds of kurdish fighters arrived in iraq to have a peace deal with neighboring turkey. nine people died after tornadoes strike again, and a giant sinkhole has appeared. and at the very human reason behind -- behind the deaths of millions in bosnia.

>> welcome to the program. turkish troops have retreated from a square in istanbul after isay of violent protests hailed -- are held by -- as a victory by protesters. they will investigate charges of police misconduct. >> what began as a small protest over a part has become, for many, they struggle to defend it secularism. the confrontations have expanded too many of turkey's major cities. used waterofficers cannons to try to dampen the discontent. alternating with teargas and pepper spray.

then, in the middle of the afternoon, the police withdrew from the square, allowing protesters to claim this space. many protesters and the international community have criticized the government for heavy handedness in their approach, something the prime minister had to acknowledge. >> it is true that the police force made a mistake in using tear gas. i have ordered the interior ministry to investigate this. using teargas was unnecessary. the government has attempted to restrict turkish media from reporting and many say that this is a secular protest. >> there are people with all kinds of ideologies here together, but the attitude for the police never changes.

>> the environmentalists and you cannot have this with the party or the ground. >> at issue is the future of turkey as a secular state. although there are many protesters, half of the electorate voted for his party in the last election. for the moment, the situation has calmed, as protesters celebrate having taken over tax and square -- taksin square. it is unclear how long they will be allowed to stay there. >> we have this update from istanbul. >> most of these people are demonstrators and some of them celebrated -- the first time they have taken back this area. but to be fair it may not remain that way. the ruble --

deliberately staying right back. and a more unruly group is already active. aretelevision news crew affected by the turning over of satellites -- and there are reports of clashes -- about 2 kilometers from here were the prime minister's office. and this has been ongoing. it is unclear how this will turn out. this had been a victory for the movement although the prime minister has made it clear he does not plan to change anything with regard to the shopping complex being built in the center here. this is where it all started but it has become a much more broad movement now, with political parties involved and people affected by what they call

blatant police brutality. in the ways that police have dealt with this situation over the last 48 hours has led to a situation that has not exploded, but this has mushroomed in size. and right so angry -- now it is not clear how this will go. some believe the original protesters will reclaim the area around the trees -- and others want to express their views and leave this area. another question is how the security forces will act overnight. >> that was andrew simmons reporting. the anti-government protests spread as far as london. british capital -- they were supporting the demonstrators in istanbul,

marching on the turkish embassy. since the creation of turkey as a modern republic 100 years ago, religion has had no place in the constitution and many fear that this is changing. we have more on what led to these demonstrations. >> the fear of growing authoritarianism -- authoritarianism is driving these protests. they have called for future limits on personal freedom, the catalyst for many to march in protest. this has been caused by the restrictions on the sale of alcohol and public displays of affection. the parliament will explore a change -- that our loss the sale in convenience stores between 10:00 at night and 6:00 in the morning. accuse themeaders

of trying to put more islamic rules into the society. had 100ic reaction -- -- a couple had been accused of kissing each other in the metro station. this is after they had been seen on a closed-circuit television. part of the message is the government attitude toward the secular state -- to the secular state. and as long with the laws governing society -- and his views are popular with many people. in the general election, he and his party almost double those of the population -- of the opposition. but despite this, a large minority of people reject his and it is the duty of

the government to protect the secular state, some say that the government wants to do away with this. al jazeera. >> demonstrations continue across the stempel, and these live pictures are not far from the square -- and close to government buildings. we will keep you up-to-date with that story and you can follow the latest on our turkey live blog. sayssyrian state television government troops have captured andillage outside of qusair, syria activists report air strikes by the government on the western border. state television has shown these pictures from areas now under government control. the fighting is said to continue until the last rebels are driven out.

the united nations says that more than 1000 people were killed in iraq in may, making it the deadliest month since the height of the fighting in 2008. said that thevoy government needs to take immediate action. authorities in iraq to say that they have uncovered an al qaeda plot to build nuclear weapons. this is within construction of two facilities in baghdad. the group is accused of planning attacks, domestically and abroad. party -- has been withdrawing from turkey and heading to bases in northern iraq as part of a landmark truce with the turkish government. sent us this exclusive report. remote mountain

landscape, these fighters are in control. they are the people's defense force. the military wing of the kurdistan workers party. they have been fighting the turkish army for their rights for 30 years. and in this region, nobody has power over these fighters except for one man they call him apple, short for the leader -- that many of these young women -- men and women have never met, but the influence is strongly felt. a man, but annly idle and a leader. the kurdish people were oppressed by the turkish state. he renewed the turkish movement and it is him that made the world recognize them and their identity.

>> turkey and the european union consider them a terrorist group and some have accused most of the fighters of being brainwashed by their leader. but these rebels say that they joined the group under their own will after believing in the cause and philosophy. some even follow the strict policy that bans marriage and sex, and live in harsh conditions. >> there are no toilets or electricity. this is where they eat and sometimes sleep. but this is the perfect tied up for the turkish military. >> the rugged mountains that stretched between iraq and iran are vital to these fighters. >> the mountains, for me, represent life and freedom. we came here for the rights of the kurdish people. , andt this is a time of

possible historic peace. fightersps gives the sometime to have fun. but with their weapons not far, they praise their leader and their kurdish homeland. >> the leader of the far-right national front party could face charges over racist remarks. the european parliament committee voted to remove her immunity from prosecution as a service member of the un parliament. and they will ratify plants of racism against the far right leader. about muslims praying out on the streets, and there it -- and the occupation. thousands of protesters are rallying in central frankfurt against austerity measures

across europe. there have been demonstrations in spain, portugal and greece. from frankfurt -- >> it started peacefully but in the air was the feeling that it may blow out. on the sidelines, it did. police chased protesters back on to the official march -- and the demonstration was meant as a showing of force, for germany's financial center and the heart of the european bank. the message was for more austerity than financial regulations. uppy -- i would call this theft. >> they are against the policies of their own government. angela merkel has been the driving force behind austerity

policies across the european union. >> i disagree with the politics of angela merkel and the german government, because privatisation and poverty -- >> demonstrations take place in several other european cities as voters are flirting with political extremist, there is the growing concern that people want a different kind of europe and the current policies are under siege. >> tornadoes have killed at least three people in -- nine people in the u.s. state of oklahoma. it is not just the wind that is doing damage. has opened ine oklahoma city because of the heavy rain.

we are in oklahoma city. we know that there is some light damage here, the awnings have been pulled from buildings, this is what you would expect, if you saw heavy , reorend we have mo an oklahoma, where the strong winds struck a week ago. killing half a dozen -- killing one dozen people. we have driving rain and hail the has pushed through the area, and the problem is between the late rush hour, people are trying to escape the storm, and a lot of people were

>♪ "thello, welcome to journal" on dw. i am in berlin. here is what is making the news this hour. turkish anti-government programmers -- protesters take after violente clashes. weather forecasters predict more rain for the midwest. schlecher went bust, what happened to the employees?