in the twentieth century mikhail gorbachev the last leader of the soviet union was an agent of change. he continues to fight for world peace but the reminder by night we have to comprehend plans he says taken us today there is a new arms race. in our time gorbachev and the opportunity for peace when he starts october third on g.w. . welcome to focus on europe i'm sumi so much going to it is great to have you with us europe is facing difficult times the independence movement in catalonia is picking up steam again nearly a year after the region how the referendum on breaking away from spain this was the

scene in barcelona a few weeks ago a pro independence rally drew nearly a million people they called on spanish officials to release jailed lawmakers who were put behind bars for holding the illegal referendum last october. well today catalonia is as divided as ever and these yellow ribbons are proof separatists are putting them up in cities and towns across catalonia as a symbol of their drive for freedom for opponents the ribbons are a sign of the growing threat to spain's unity it is a conflict that spilled into the streets and both sides are seeing red. night has fallen and a small group is gathering to discuss tactics nobody wants to be identified the leader even asks us to distort his voice you never know. if the reverse we're going to stay in the cars and check things out well do our work as usual then the drivers will pick us up and we're out of here. ok. we're in i think

they call themselves the cleaning brigade with trash bags and box cutters they want to read catalonia streets of any separatist symbolism. first stop. a small town by the mediterranean right at the entrance to the village they get to business they have to move fast but they've only got half an hour. they can never stay anywhere long they say if they're caught there's sure to be trouble. with that they insult us attack us. how they got to make it through rocks and toast flower pots off their balconies or spray acidic cleaning fluids you know it's all been done before i feel that the. sometimes they get encouragement a woman driving by calls out. well done hats off and the cleaners thank her

politely. but most of the time they get less pleasant receptions. next stop the theming brigade hans by the roadside. shouts from across the street tell them they've been discovered. the only group member without a mask shows us a rock that got thrown at him as the second flies towards him. do you think this is normal. time to get out they don't want to take any unnecessary risks. with their shift ends at four thirty in the morning mission accomplished they've managed quite a fall maybe the three villages they visited will remain we've been free at least for a while. but when we return the next day we see that the others the pro independence camp have been busy tying up or even scouting them down tying them up again it's become somewhat of

a cattle and past time. they're worse than little kids. and i don't know that i can see a way out of this when you're going to get people hanging out yellow ribbons are just calling for the release of the political prisoners who stood up for independence. tony shine a sells fruit and vegetables in tata goanna in southern catalonia. the decoration in front of his small shop makes clear which side he supports he's received a threatening letter. from people claiming to be neighbors. if he doesn't remove his separatists symbols they say they'll boycott his shop. going to a bit of comedy and then other distributors calderwood gone through the same thing and they told me not to worry it will be good i'd sell even more from now on as the customers would want to show their solidarity laugh a bit more thought it was really very that. and just as they said business has improved all in all it seems the pro independence camp has the upper hand. it's

evening again in catalonia another group is preparing to get to work this time it's those time up the ribbons unlike the cleaning brigade they don't operate in secret they don't fear repression at work or from their neighbors. the big something tying up ribbons is the same as cutting them down that's not true tying them up is a form of protest cutting them down is taking away people's right to protest it will be much too many and it's say to morrow someone were to cut down your weapons would you put them up again. quite possible part of this is about not surrendering . sounds like a promise or a threat depends on how you look at it either way the yellow ribbon war seems far from over. now turkish president regift type one is making a controversial state visit to germany several german lawmakers are protesting

a visit because of what they call increasingly authoritarian rule in turkey journalists and opponents have been persecuted and put behind bars. but everyone enjoys a strong following among the nearly three million people of turkish descent living here in germany still he has his critics in the turkish community as well including that the journalist and comedian is living in exile in germany but he says the persecution that drove him out of turkey has followed him all the way to berlin. a bullet proof vest. turkish standup comedian and journalist tycho botha always has it lying around for safety reasons though he rarely leaves his berlin home anyway that's because the outspoken editor one critic has been receiving death threats from supporters of the turkish president. would join you can fight the turkish status quo from within we become passive in exile that's like dying

a slow death. so you could say ask critics of fighting death one way or another didn't you because the kid would give him a mixed message is that. german police officers patrol the roundabout at south several times a day for his security for a year he even had bodyguards with him around the clock. went on stage but it always wears his bullet proof vest a christian he regularly talks about the armenian genocide and demands equal rights for turkey's kurds but that draws the ire of many out of one backers putting out at risk even in germany. heiko i'd like to fire a nine millimeter bullet into your head and drink your blood. but it regularly finds threats like these in his inbox sometimes they're sent by other one supporters in turkey other times but i don't want backers in germany.

to turkey's government critics like but are traitors now even his own children are being punished. by being one of my sons wanted to apply for a new passports at the takesh embassy they were told that's not possible because turkey has issued a warrant for my arrest. now they can travel on my wife's passport and my own will soon expire and they want to stop us leaving germany supports to me. recently well known journalist and opposition politician in a spare bowl who was freed from jail after one and a half years behind bars many observers suspect his release is intended to appease critics of turkey's human rights record. but it stresses that many more opposition figures still remain in jail and that arrests continue unabated he urges the german government to address this one president at a water makes his oficial state visit to germany. for his part will attend the

n.d.o. on rallies. to. want to discuss ways to remedy his country's economic crisis germany will consider whether to lend him money and also wants to bind jevon made weapons so i'm not sure whether the german government will talk about the state of takis democracy and its human rights situation i doubt they will for example discuss tax for us to live in exile of the situation of children in canada stars on the good of. it but at the end his wife attend a performance by an actor and friend who like them relocated from turkey to berlin for political reasons the actor was fired from istanbul state theatre along with many others he's glad of the company of like minded exiles. you know many it's not just always technical support you know of a you know i'm in psychologically and emotionally we're supporting q. so that which is more than everything that i think took you seven picked up in

smoke evenings like these where fellow x. our show solidarity for each other our important city was that whether in a political or cultural context like tonight's theater performances you can duplicate on not doing. the play focuses on the difficulties of overcoming your own limits and the courage needed to do so courage is a trait or one critics like ike obama certainly need in these dangerous times even in exile in berlin. while thousands of turkish citizens have applied for asylum here in germany so far. now it's supposed to be a success story for ecologists and conservationists in the one nine hundred eighty s. officials in the netherlands decided to really wild a huge swath of marshland it became an oasis for wild horses deer and cattle fifty six square kilometers of serengeti right in the heart of europe but what happens when a reserve is returned to nature and also barges plus in the animal population boom

and food when told now creatures on the land are dying at an alarming rate and activists are up in our. it looks like a scene straight out of africa herds of wild animals graze here horses and huge cattle. but these creatures are roaming free in the netherlands at that list fodder's plus a nature reserve just thirty kilometers from amsterdam so not far removed from civilization. hunts every capers the ranger here is out on one of his daily safaris. the love bears will sometimes i'm late getting home because the animals brought their way the cattle will usually move but the horses always stay their ground on the road several more seriously it's wonderful and impressive to see the animals here. you

can smile he tells us that fifty years ago this land was still seabed but attempts to fully drain this five thousand tech to area failed creating wetlands which became home to tens of thousands of birds. called from the one nine hundred eighty s. and early ninety's we released a few dozen big grazing animals that wild horses cattle and read here with otherwise the place would have quickly become overgrown with trees and bushes but they're all about stroke obama. and the grazing animals clearly feel at home here over the years their numbers have grown from a few dozen to over five thousand this natural paradise is fenced off and off limits to humans. but west fathers parson has a darker side emaciated horses and deer who have starved to death. several

thousand animals didn't survive last his harsh winter so although it's not permitted animal rights activists began feeding the creatures. thousands of protesters called the reserve. for animals. both of the animals have no say they're not free they're imprisoned. eddie nahal is also protesting against the nature reserve together with other activists he secretly fed the animals last winter but they have to be careful due to the growing tensions police are patrolling the area and handing out fines which can quickly amount to a few hundred euros. but they think it's worth it to help the animals. it's an abscess. it should be removed. for these people the fact that no one takes care of these animals isn't rewilding it's state sponsored cruelty to animals. this is grass. and it's not

not enough. for now they will fight for the snappish but for later on in the year into the winter. so is it just a crazy idea to create a nature reserve in one of the most densely populated countries in europe. one reason why people are taking a closer look at was taught as class and has to do with these filmmakers from amsterdam. millions of people in the netherlands have seen their film the new wilderness. the film shows plenty of unspoiled nature but also suffering and dying realities of life for animals living in the wild. there's the brutality of the books on the hunt . and the ugly end of a majestic creature to stand up to overlay for the fall of the strong survive the

weak die but we notice that many dutch people can no longer accept that. they say everything from the perspective of house pets guilt so something like this is too shocking. the constant police presence shows how he said the debate has become the dutch government has reacted by making some changes at worst father's class and animals can now be shot in emergencies but feeding them remains to be. ranger hunts educators is glad that he now knows where things stand even if as a result of the protests by animal rights activists he may now be forced to kill some of these animals. i love nature and animals and the people who demonstrated against us this winter and are still doing so certainly love animals to something which connects us but we have completely different ideas about what

constitutes a natural process but in nature animals are born but they die to. your god creating the new wilderness isn't simple factory farms may abound and animals are slaughtered on men's and yes no one wants to see animals suffer. now bosnia and herzegovina is a country still deeply divided along ethnic lines more than twenty years since the end of the bosnian war but the death of a twenty one year old has sparked such anger that it's united different groups in protest david was found dead in banja luka in the north of the country in march of this year he'd been missing for several days now davis family accuse police of covering up what happened and they have been taking to the streets ever since joined by thousands who are fed up with endemic corruption or have lost faith in their government they're calling for change ahead of parliamentary elections in

october and justice for darfur. no matter what the others saying she's convinced her son was murdered in this case the others the police public prosecutors and the politicians of banja luka the capital of republican subscale in northern wozniak. darva drug each of it allegedly drowned in march twenty eighth the police said no other person was involved. i want to know why they'd claim daddy it was addicted to drugs and that he was a thief that committed suicide i don't believe what they're saying about my son. darva drug each of his case has become symbolic it's rallied countless people who have lost their faith in the state and its institutions for months they've been demanding a full investigation into dop it stands. ready to go justice

for darted justice they chant they believe the twenty one year old fell victim to the local mafia darvich father says that's why the police and the prosecutor's office aren't interested in investigating his message. minister look at each of you when your men you killed my son now you want to hush it up but i'm onto you. darva drug eater of it shows us the spot by the river turk faina where his son was found on march the seventeenth twenty eighteen six days after he had disappeared. the authorities say darva had taken drugs broken into a house and then fallen into the river and drowned. but pictures from his autopsy show that davidge body was covered with injuries that could only be caused by beatings or torture. darvich father sees this as evidence

of murder. the investigation file contains too many contradictions his body couldn't possibly have been in the river for six days we came here every day and searched for. the police and all forat is in banja luka disagree they're convinced it was a tragic suicide. yet despite repeated requests they refused to be interviewed they say they don't comment on ongoing investigations while i know what angers the people of banja luka the most is this silence they want the police and prosecutors office to stop covering for criminals that's what they continue to rally for. those we've been demanding justice for more than one hundred sixty days they're clearly hiding something this can't be right. it's very sad that the institutions of the republic of serbska aren't doing their jobs. bosnia and herzegovina is seen as

a failed state in europe the dayton peace agreement in one thousand nine hundred five split the country between three as nic groups there's a bosnian federation for muslims and croats and the republican serbska for serbs. it's relatives kept receiving threats then two weeks ago a journalist looking into the case was brutally beaten did he get too close to someone behind this. if the attack really was because of coverage of the drug case and the protests then this was an attempt to drive away the journalists reporting. that. the number of protesters has dwindled a little over the months but several hundred still gather in banja luka each day. general elections are sent for october seventh across the country by then darva its mother hopes that pressure on the streets will mount again to the point that all

thora tears will be forced to break their silence. his father and i gathered evidence such as security camera footage the police haven't lifted a finger that speaks volumes as to how bad things are here. darva deserves justice public opinion in bosnia and herzegovina is united on that. well if david's parents don't make headway with authorities in banja luka they say they will turn to the european court of justice now it's been called the new space race billionaires competing to explore the universe with their own space flights now the ideas of people like you and me could buy a ticket to the galaxy and back if you have enough money that is but how do we get from here on earth up there while one company's planning a spaceport in a little town in southern italy to catapult space shuttles into the cosmos from the heel of italy's boot all the way into the void.

toronto is a sleepy little air point it has no commercial airline service the check in counter sit idle. why their numbered ten to sixteen is anyone's guess as no other counters exist. still antonio has big plans for his airport. and sound all the way thinking about doubling capacities here because we can't keep up with the demand of this. this is going to talia's latest vision for the future space travel. from here face shuttles would carry wealthy tourists into the cosmos. and the company planning to do this is virgin galactic the firm owned by billionaire richard branson has been building spaceships in the u.s. for over

a decade recently they conducted their third test flight and at almost the same time virgin galactic signed a contract making grow tahlia its european space port its base for future flights into space. until now go talia has lived from traditional handicrafts mainly pottery and the job on flatty is a fifth generation pottery maker he's skeptical about the plants space tourists he'd settle for a few more ordinary once. for all the they. were talking is one thing taking action is another. we'll see it's not going to happen right away. we know about it but no one knows what really will happen well i certainly thought . there are

a few places less forward looking than proton the entire town is an urgent need of an overhaul. for sale signs hang on buildings and flats throughout the old town. the mayor is glad when a new bar opens up and stop spying person beforehand so what does he think about his town becoming a gateway to outer space. it might all be pioneer sky but he's happy to dream a little. but i meant. it to be a great opportunity to breathe new life into the at heart and he could stimulate the economy and revive our industry because we haven't got a lot of that. artist to domenic also has his studio in the potter's district his work still with the

past mainly with mythology and history still he thinks ahead and sees a bright future for his town. they live in i want to get you looked at mock sure it's good for us i mean there was no trial you will make headlines around the world. some potters have said they'd like to have bus loads of tourists here and they will surely go. down the pursuit of people with a good eye for things. antonio also believes people with a good eye for things want to see the town's airport hangar as a big empty building they'll view it as europe's first spaceport. if a door which was the future is here the future of this region to university and its vision of liberia surely the view. that future will begin at the latest when the

first space shuttles land here if they ever land here. to expand spline program is already running at least five years behind schedule. doesn't look like much of a space race just yet well that's all for this edition of focus on europe thanks for joining us and see you next time. move. on to.

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should. thirty minutes dollars. more or. i'm not offering to the general well i guess sometimes i am but i said nothing which has never been think sneak into the german culture of looking at the stereotypes of the classics but you're seeing this move from the front. yeah i mean it's a ridiculous drama they are to me it's all about. my job join me to meet the germans on the w. . post. her first to school in the. first clueless and. then the doors grand moment arrives join the around getting on

her journey. you know we're interactive turn. around turn around turn returns home . climate change is affecting us all. rising sea levels and magic level of the line streets. unchanged. through entire communities. the front the good news is our own choices in energy conservation. recycling.

and transport. all the line find out what you can do today at redraw the lines out all the. this is news coming to you live from berlin changing tack turkey's president launches a new charm offensive. arrives in berlin for a state visit aimed to add diffusing tensions but his visit is controversial so what are the chances of success also coming up. the winner is your.