is the world really getting better. a global $3000.00 special report. such a deep subject to. a low and welcome to focus on europe with me lie about below. it was a symbol of italy's engineering legacy that came crashing down one year ago the marandi bridge in genoa collapsed in august 28 team killing $43.00 people it destroyed homes and uprooted families who had lived under it for decades the bridge that gained the country acclaimed when it was built now

a symbol of neglect and tragedy. and of itto a new much airto are sisters who lived under the more and you bridge and though they are grateful to have survived the collapse the road to rebuilding in general has been painful the sisters have to come to terms with their new lives as the past is demolished right before their eyes. not return certo has lived near them over on the bridge for most of her life she says seeing the last few pillars disappear didn't bother her it was more of a spectacle but now she has to watch as the house she lived in for nearly 60 years is demolished only pieces of the 1st floor remain missing the slum of their rooms in that you can hear the dukas and the jackhammers working away. the sound is terrible. that affects you more than watching it. and i

rita and her sister meanwhile were lucky they own a flat in the center of genoa and were able to move there it's smaller than their home near the bridge but they had to leave a lot of their belongings behind anyway they were only permitted to return to their old home accompanied by officials a few times it lies directly under the bridge which at that stage was in danger of collapsing. and i. believe that like grave robbers because there was no sign of life there anymore it's an awful feeling when you don't recognize your own home you know vehicle most in some ways going back was part of the process of letting go. some memories are painful for the 2 sisters but not all of them there were light moments among all the drama. that you will find. funny when one of the firemen the one with the pasta

opened a drawer and found some noodles from a good brand and he said you're leaving them here we said tad they're just noodles . and he said how that they're noodles from muddy sunnah we've just they're good for another year. you can make some getting but. i said ok ok take them. a sense of humor can help when times are tough but not for marco a lawyer he was allowed to revisit his home just for a few minutes it was all too much for him. my heart was racing it was in my throat. fear it was turning to shit panic. and then i thought. i have to stop otherwise i'll have a heart attack need to. marco was in his flat when the bridge collapsed he ran for his life the memory still haunts him today.

in the midst of all the panic when you're fleeing you know you hope it's all just a bad dream. a nightmare something that will disappear in a moment and everything will be like it was before. but nothing is as it was before marco has been temporarily allocated a small flat by city authorities all 270 families who live near the bridge have been really how the market has also been paid compensation for his old flood but money will never replace the feeling of home made for them but i think they always feel a bit like how should i put this i just wish they'd think of us as a bit more than a min number. you know people don't know why did she call me maybe. the courts are currently debating who is responsible for the disaster local

authorities or the private company in charge of the motorways the outer strada paddy tallia in a case that will probably last years the motorway company is currently refusing requests for interviews. gena was vice mayor is keen to point out all the work that has already been done but he avoids answering the questions of who is responsible to be a i only consider certain things. it was a catastrophe and something didn't work. but i can't judge what happened technically the judge has to find answers with the help of engineers who understand these things a lot more. and that it is passed. in the meantime traffic is rolling again but infrastructure is in bad shape in many places around the country the bridge which is now being used to redirect traffic to church i know rita i mean as old

neighborhood has also seen better days volunteers at the committee that campaigns for victims of the disaster here weeks after the bridge collapsed i was distraught of people try to divide those affected. what saved us was that we all said no. we showed that we were united and that we weren't for sale. and that gave us power in the goetia nation and it was dangerous for the other side. for the victims it was a good lesson to learn that there's power in unity but they will still never get their old lives back. the next part of our series takes us to hungary where the 1st fissure in the iron

curtain appeared 30 years ago the country which was part of the eastern socialist bloc began removing its border fortifications with austria and soon after east germans fled across that border at a west fast forward to today and hungry has again fortified itself in places like. instead of a fence to keep people in they've now built one to keep people out. it's a remote village in southern hungry right on the border with serbia this barbed wire fence is 4 meters high and razor sharp this is also the use external border and it's now closed to refugees. cutty book which is visiting the restricted access area in southern hungary she was here in 2015 when the 1st big wave of refugees arrived from syria africa and afghanistan. where captives represented i

remember these hordes of refugees on the border in 2015 in budapest we heard about the conflicts and problems arising here we brought hundreds of tender some blankets with donation and it was september and the nights were already very cold or private of our past or. it wasn't easy to get past the armed guards protecting the border cutty help the refugees put up tents their feet were wrecked from walking long distances she recalls and no provisions had been made for them. 30 years ago at hungary's border with austria the world witnessed another wave of refugees. reporters applauding and here we are we can't believe it's. it was in the border town of shop run that the iron curtain began to crumble when $500.00 east germans fled to the west. out of pod belo was one of the

soldiers guarding the crossing on the 19th of august 1909 a peace demonstration was being held what's gone down in history as the pan-european picnic hungry opened the border fence for 3 hours in a symbolic gesture agreed to by austria and hungary. suddenly droves of east germans appeared in the corn field and fled across the open border it was an escape that had been carefully planned the border guards could have prevented the escape. it happened very fast the people only had to run 120 meters and they did it in 20 seconds we had to make a decision and that short time good about. he's been called a hero. and of course of course that's only half true i don't feel like a hero not in the least but it's true that we turned a blind eye we made sure we were looking towards austria and didn't see what was

happening on behind the seaboard it was to. the east german refugees were dazed but delighted. i am fit we're free. we're glad to have made it. i can't really believe i'm here and i got off the bus to set up shop around and crossed over. the escape had been made possible by miklos net in 1988 he'd been appointed hungary's prime minister he decided it was no longer necessary to secure the border with austria. hungary was close to him that this. was bankrupt that time i am sitting in my room. not pleased early bird in the u.k. you see all these couple. in the budget from 1909 he came across

a line item identified with the secret code so are you mediately big form and called up the interior minister and he told me that this is. the sum for the refurbishment for derry new rule of the fence between hungary and austria and what did you do then then i deleted girls that big sam out of the budget the 1st hole in the iron curtain the news spread around the world. gone towards the day hungry began dismantling the border with austria which has been in place for 40 years electric signals were taken down along a stretch of the fence and barbed wire was torn down. all of them nor did what was going on. and no. knocking on my door over so then time soviet them to budapest protesting what what do we know telephone call from

moscow it was flown for 2025 minutes and finally ended up just to end in a phone call soviet leader mikhail gorbachev pledged his support until i am sitting in this chair there appeared be no repetition of 56 which is in order words was a clear cut message that. your hands are not tied up anymore. now hungry has rebuilt its fences to keep refugees out the right wing government is anti immigration to the dismay of cutty booklets them to the main menu. i wonder how many people these days would be happy to see the iron curtain that stood 1030 years ago we belive that would have been a neck and neck. many hungry and have the same opinion as the owner of this ice

cream parlor. great back of a car we had no idea what was going on. about imagine we didn't know who they where there were no more and more of them kept on coming and with that we were afraid many for children were put out in the all about america we didn't know what these refugees wanted to forget let me go pay their family doc what if. iran agree now that the border is closed business has dried up the ice cream parlor is closing this year. as most in the spotlight would agree being a social media star has its perks but it also has its downsides crim you and paris is having a tough time navigating its lore found saying well the streets colorful facades have become a paradise for instagram or and a nightmare for residents they're angry at the influencer invasion and are calling

on the authorities to step in. anyone who has anyone in the world of social media has to visit this little street in the 12th after the symbol of paris if ever they find themselves in the french capital. there are already more than 36000 photos with the hash tag who came here on instagram. kelly and 10 year live an hour away from paris they're hoping to pimp out that instagram feed. but it's so colorful so we're taking color pictures it's pretty the pictures come out nice and. something a lot is it pretty where you're from no not at all that. there is just buildings it's not pretty like paris. but the local residents are sick of people taking pictures of their homes. day in day out people just turn up and start snapping away

. so they've taken to hiding inside. the residence used to take their tables to eat outside with not know or understand why everyone is here because of instagram not to take a picture of the streets because it's become fashionable to go to rue crimean they are no longer knew. most of the locals refused to talk about the subject in front of the camera they say that each report just makes things worse journalists are no longer welcome here. from there it's annoying we're sick of it why is he filming me anough already i'll break your damn camera. in the. rafters and dances make videos here. there are drunken stag parties. a

local residents' association has put up a sign banning photos and videos but it's all in vain so long as the police don't interfere. tourists just keep coming. down here when this photo was uploaded 8 minutes ago this 110 minutes ago another 25 minutes ago. the world of instagram is about imitating if something goes viral people want to do the same thing they want to have as many followers as possible. amanda here from india doesn't need a guidebook all the information is online so i sort of like them as both in here like if they were on the spot or follow. someone from what's around the world. you may say influences i think and i saw i saw a lot of pictures in here so i was curious and i went to the locals have demanded areas that the entrances at either end of the road they would like to close them at

least at the weekend no barriers yet but some restaurants might ironically come from the world of advertising there who commune has become a mainstream moneymaking phenomenon which could put the instagram is off when i thought he was an account with pictures of true crime here if you click on the dress you see the brand is outfits if you're going to cook again you go to their account and see they're selling clothes. if you can who came here is already becoming less fashionable because everyone knows it so people are already looking for the next place not just or not for you know cause might be able to come out of their homes soon and get out their tables again the instruments meanwhile will surely have invaded another quited in extreme. cities across europe are struggling to deal with housing shortages while wages are

stagnating as realistic prices continue to rise and it's a trend that's making city living unattainable for many but one small idea in the netherlands is gaining big traction the tiny house move meant here is the talk on boss cable like stan napkins are taking matters into their own hands and embracing the less is more concept. steinmetz this works as a music producer but lately he's also started honing his skills as a builder because he's putting together his very own miniature 26 square meter house near the dutch city house a talk and boss the 38 year old is glad to move out of town where he can lead a more independent and affordable life. cologne it's a feeling of being weighed down by all kinds of things. you still. i want to reduce my living costs so i can do more what i like so.

there are lots of people in the netherlands and the rest of the world who get stressed because they need to pay off their mortgage. but why. i think this undermines our sense of freedom but at the cost of. the net we're no longer taking risks. so. the materials for his new modular home cost $36000.00 euros steinmetz pieces all the elements together himself which helps reduce costs. buying a pre-assembled would cost twice as much. this is many topia a former rubbish dump that's been converted into a tiny home settlement dutch authorities say living here is perfectly safe.

these residents feel they're the trailblazers of a progressive housing movement every house has unique architecture but they all have one thing in common they are incredibly small. and getting a permit from dutch authorities to set up one of these homes is relatively easy because they can be swiftly removed if necessary. last year ranson 11 european countries rose so much in city centers that middle class residents were priced out of the market affordable tiny homes are becoming a green alternative. is currently lives in subsidized housing in the city at $75.00 square metres it's 3 times the size of his new tiny home computer. but it costs him $500.00 euros in rent each month. he'll need to get rid of some things before he moves into mini topia. yeah as you can see i have precious

stones all kinds of books. and a lot of furniture because. this piece here is very dear to me it's my mother's desk she recently passed away maybe i can give it to my sister so it stays in the family all along so over later this. is over like a for. you know i'm a bit of a hoarder. i have lots of things with sentimental value. i guess they got that from my mother. she always told me to hold on to things. and the biggest lesson i can learn from this is to let go. if everything i own can also be a burden. in this new home we'll only have a mini bathroom a kitchenette and one relatively big room to live in. not fair

thank you it will require some self-discipline living here. in the mornings and at the fold the way the bed and clear away the bed sheets even though i do like to sleep in. otherwise oklahoma after work to a house of chaos. there's even a roof deck on his new house he'll pay just $200.00 euros a month for the land but he could also move his house if he wanted to. house a foreman i spend a lot of time searching for a place close to nature. usually in town there are houses everywhere you can't even see the sunrise or set but here you even got swans i feel so lucky to work. 60 percent of people in the netherlands on their own homes soon stein merton's will be one of them. well those who enjoy living in tight quarters

might also enjoy traveling in them turkey is eastern express processed through the country's north and offers locals a reliable means of travelling through the snowy region but the lack of a wider interest left the line on the brink of closure then photos of the train passing through beautiful landscapes began picking up steam and in an age of cheap and fast travel the nostalgia is proving a big draw with younger generations. it's party time on the eastern express tickets for the overnight passenger train or up in some dough months in advance. honest journey across the whole of turkey it never goes any faster than 70 kilometers an hour. it takes 24 hours to get from to the armenian border. hussein challenge because the sleeping car attendant is there to ensure that all passengers are as comfortable as possible. or probably

good that i have fun with these young people they're not annoying me it's a long trip and whether we want to or not we have to travel together. i want a trip to go well for us all and that only works if i get on with the passengers some schemes and yes. through takes in the euphrates river and several gorges the landscape looks as if it's from a 1001 nights. this couple is on the way to visit relatives in the east village apart so the happy about the train's leisure pace it's a chance to spend some time together. and i think it's 2 years on you we don't see each other very often just a few days a month we think the longer the trip lasts the more we'll see each other that's why we like making trips like this. that being known. as a landscape changes between central and eastern anatolia so does the temperature

it's. 20 degrees celsius cooler in these mountain a series then an uncovered. local children like to greet the train as it passes if these ones run fast enough they might get a gift some passengers have thrown books up the window. so that we can go in and say i want to come back when i get married i'll take this journey with my wife at the moment i'm enjoying my life as a single man in a blue moon but i think the eastern express is not just a train it's an experience that transports passengers across turkey's enchanting landscape. well tickets for the train are hard to get especially for the sleeping compartment they can go for as much as 10 times the price on the black market so be sure to book them early thank you for watching a focus on europe if you have questions about our show you get in touch with me on

twitter don't forget you can also watch our show online at www dot com i'll see you again next week of using. going to.

enter the conflict zone confronting the powerful clark guest this week here in berlin is the qatari foreign minister's funks 1st new memoir on top of the last 2 years the gulf strains of qatar has been blockaded by of course half of the arab states which accuse it of supporting terrorism she has always denied the charges. conflict so for now 30 minutes d.w. .

needs to know the sex phone operator to work her master's thesis on the potato i'm raring to read. not a turn on well it gets more ridiculous from there. the truest. streets. hijacking the new. where i come from the news is being hijacked journalism itself has become a screw it is reality show it's not just good vs evil us vs them. anymore. in countries like russia china turkey people are told it's that simple and if you're a journalist there and you try to get beyond it you are facing scare tactics intimidation. and i wonder is that where we're headed as well. my

responsibility as a journalist is to get beyond the smoke and mirrors it's not just about being clear and balanced or being neutral it's about being truthful. when he was born gough and i were giving the. frank food. international gateway to the best connection so road and rail. located in the heart of europe connected to the home with. experience outstanding shopping and dining office and triallists services. biala gassed at frankfurt airport city managed by from.

this is deja vu news live from berlin the u.s. deepens the diplomatic standoff over a rainy an oil tanker the u.s. has elbowed its way into a court case over this a rainy unshipped seized last month by gibraltar the move prevents a possible swap for a british flag tanker being held by iran. also coming up mentioned warns hong kong protesters are going down to dangerous roads and the military exercises just outside the city are raising concerns that force could be used to end the pro-democracy movement.