now you're defending change. in the. what secrets lie behind the want to. discover new adventures in 360. 6 more. starts with. the urge 363. now. that the. hello and welcome to focus on europe i'm liable lola glad you could join us today we want to introduce you to extraordinary europeans regular people working to overcome hurdles to improve the lives of others take for instance paris there is no

shortage of luxury in the french capital posh boutiques and hotels are abound and it's images like these that have made paris the love to the world over but what we rarely see are the parisians whose lives are far removed from this glittering fairy tale the gap between the haves and have nots is growing bigger and not far from the shiny facades live the homeless or close as they are known there they can be seen sleeping in entrances or over subway shafts to protect themselves from the cold the homeless are visible yet invisible and some koreans choose to ignore their existence but for those living rough like christiane pas having a voice is important so he's using social media to bring awareness to homelessness . christiane knows what it means to lead an insecure unstructured life he spent more than 3 years hanging out with this group of

homeless people at the plus center in paris he used to have a well paying job as a semi. but after his wife left him he started drinking and when he could no longer pay the rent he ended up on the streets. this is one of the places i slept. with her but a few weeks later they installed these typically anti homeless barriers. their place deliberately so no one can sleep rough here. the residents are a bit ashamed of the barriers but they're glad there are no homeless people sleeping here. to take the sun they didn't bother anyone but it was dirty. i'm not sure what to think. it doesn't look nice but at least perhaps now they're living in better conditions than this entrance where there was lots of garbage. and homeless various have popped up all over paris after christian tweeted angrily

about barriers that have been set up here where people sometimes live because there is warm air from the subway he was able to make a change. in. the city of paris had put in iron rods to prevent access you can still see the traces. they would have stopped people from being able to sleep there in winter when it's cold. dry posted it on twitter and the next day the city authorities removed the iron rods. christian posted his 1st tweet 3 years ago after his possessions were soaked by street cleaners it was winter and he wrote this is how the homeless are treated in paris within a few months he had more than 30000 followers.

he tweet tweet in the morning to say hello to the planet and at night to talk about what was going on on the street. i take a picture of my sleeping bag and say good night guys then go to bed and. people would have good night see you tomorrow what i thought it was cool it's almost. with his tweets christian was able to draw attention to the main problems homeless people face in paris something his friends appreciate. he's friendly i know doesn't have a phone she get one he'd have to overcome too many hurdles that appear insurmountable to him. you've got the money i don't even have a bank account i do but it's blocked. you think you my papers are at the lost and found office and i have to pay of levon euro's to get them back. and on top of that they'll ask me for my papers but i don't have them.

people who live on the streets often feel like pariahs but christian pose has given them a voice and his activism has spread beyond paris people sent him pictures of barricades from elsewhere in france. this one is from nerve on in the south. will flow through it's true that the social media have a certain power that can be negative for big brands will they go on mark. will see in the next few days that events will say will certainly get rid of those barriers . this was a. christian is glad that his tweets can change things for the better his own situation has no change for the better to he's found accommodation at least for the time being with a christian aid organization. what does it feel like to be treated like a stranger in your own home it's

a reality for tens of thousands of afro turks a minority who feel invisible despite having lived in turkey for centuries few in the country are even aware of their existence and often mistaken for foreigners almost afro turks like yelchin yannick know very little about their family history turkey is the only home he's ever known and yet he leads his life feeling like an outsider yelchin yearns to learn more about his ancestors and uncover the missing links in his family tree. on his way to work chain yannick stops by to check on the syrian refugee families in the neighborhood and ask them how they're doing and if they need anything. they call him yelchin brother yelchin i don't know if she can be what you need is turkish but in his hometown is mir he's often himself taken for refugee specifically he's an afro turk a descendant of african slaves brought here in the mid 19th century by the ottoman

empire. on the streets and even in his own leather workshop he's been called black in a derogatory manner or turkish for arab. these remarks even come from my own acquaintances although they're meant to stroke a year might go by without any remarks like that at all and then i might hear them 10 times in one week. but turks of african origin like nick are growing more confident once a year they celebrate a festival in izmir with people coming all the way from the americas and africa. is mir's mayor also came to underscore his liberal image but many passers by are still surprised that afro turks exist. really these people here i wasn't aware of that. very few of the

afro turks themselves know their roots forced assimilation has consigned their history and culture to oblivion now their descendants want to change that some years ago they founded an association for the purpose. of community for them with stood up so now we have been able to say who we are exactly of course we're turks were born here but there's more to it something was always missing. in a disadvantage suburb of his me or the young family sits down to breakfast. like most afro turks they are of modest means they have little time to delve into their past . believes his ancestors came from tanzania but that's about all he knows all and if you're going to vote even if you do want to research it hardly any documents from that time can be found. through. the children haven't learned anything about the history of the african slaves in school leaders it's not even mentioned but they've had their experiences with day to day racism in the better mr

. i really don't like to be in crowds. a lot of problems i feel uncomfortable and frightened. and. you know what it was a kid it was worse than budgeting admission to get i was trying to hide under a chair called you have had. the annual afro turk festival concludes with a big picnic the yonex try to get together with other efforts turks more often these days. sifu here is turkish. music too. but recently grass skirts and brightly colored shirts have become popular. nobody here can afford an actual trip to africa so they're happy to see more and more africans visiting turkey he should need. whenever we meet people from nigeria or sudan here in turkey we invite them over and have them tell us all about their home countries and cultures that you because. of course we'd like to travel

to africa or so. maybe someday destry more come true for you good luck with that. but yeah nick wants to bring about change here in turkey in 2018 he ran for parliament as a candidate for a left wing party. but he didn't collect enough votes to become the 1st afro turkish representative in the grand national assembly. hello. we're already more visible in many areas of society. now it's time for us to go into politics time for a black president told minister just a black but it. would look almost like you. go to new onyx thinks the time is right some 160 years after slavery was abolished afro turks are demanding their place in turkish society. they live underground and multiply by the

millions rats are a plague in many european cities like lisbon the portuguese capital is struggling to contain rodents which are notorious for spreading diseases so how to control the infestation pesticides traps neither option is ideal so city officials came up with a plan they're calling in a natural predator to sniff out the vermin. they prole through the streets in silent pursuit of their prey. lisbon's cats are helping sort out the city's rodent problem. some 6000000 rats live here and the feline forces are out to get them. and to r.j. and her colleagues from the organization animals on the street go around picking up feral cats. then they relocate them in places where the rat plague is at its

most severe. with cats being appreciated. so the smell of the cats keeps the rats away from the surface so it's a good thing for them to do you give them a home and in exchange they keep the reds the way from your house. lisbon authorities are keen to build up the capital but rounding up the city's feral cat colonies is anything but easy. a lot of time this attempt fails. anna and her team make another attempt ideally they'd like to catch the entire colony can't make friends so it's usually much easier to relocate a colony if you put friends together. usually sleep together play together. brothers all sisters and then if you do it individually. lisbon is home to thousands of cat colonies. residents have mixed feelings about

them some people think they're useful others can't stand them. it's a scandal there are far too many cats to do that. really though do you or are you one of my neighbors even find a sling shot at the cats. or through the hole in the cow to help keep the city. claim they don't harm anyone but the rats they're a pest the cats aren't. ombudsman for animal rights. she's one of the initiators of the rat control program. the cats when. people win and of course the rats because this is a way to control rats in the city well redskin. being afraid of cats and they just disappear from the places where they are. success

one cat is trapped you get panicked that has no idea that this will work out well even. before colony is no longer welcome where they belong. because. the neighborhood is not ok and they're facing dangers like poisoning or abuse or if the entire building where they lived is coming down for new construction they have to move. this school in central lisbon is the new home of a cat colony. cumorah she is at home here now. the tomcat has a kind of educational mission for the new arrivals. i think it's important for them to have to gain respect for animals and it's always

good for both so we talk so much about 50 friendships and this is also a way of creating this awareness for for animals. and into our tastings this is desperately needed. she says the cat patrol is just a 1st step. i think this is a tip of the iceberg of more you main and green ways of solving these issues. these cats are pioneers so to speak a lot is expected from them. but they're taking it easy as the hunt begins. cats do things on their own time it was the day the music died for europe's leading instrument makers one of fierce storm tore down thousands of trees and if lees north there were fears the industry could be devastated the precious would involve

the c.m.i. used for violins and pianos had practically vanished overnight but the community couldn't let it go and embarked on a mission to salvage the wreckage now it's running a race against time to save the lumber from the wood chipper. fabio on you benny always enjoys working with wood particularly if it has a nice texture. the wood is smooth and even that's just the right kind for making musical instruments. as you. well know. but a major wind storm knocked down almost all of the trees here involved a few. has been coming to this area for 13 years to find just the right kind of wood for centuries the forest has provided wood for violence guitars and pianos the would give the instruments an

excellent sound and resonance but now fabio is trying to save what he can. and this trunk has a good diameter and a good texture. but this crack here shows that the tree split when it was knocked over so i can't use it. but i meant that although being. fabio wants to save as much what is he can before it's ruined by bark beetles and other pests. i love this kind of work and i love these trees. this is my passion with. me. the wood is processed at fabio small factory down in the valley this is where mountain spruce is converted into tone wood and residents would. fabio's customers include a number of major companies that produce musical instruments. this

finally cut tone wood will be used to make violins it's been sorted by age and quality. more than 300 years ago antonio stradivari crafted his violins from wood similar to this. but right now fabio is trying to recover as much wood as he normally does in 4 years and it's going to cost a lot of money to store it. so he's asked customers and private clients to pay $300.00 euros in advance per tree trunk to cover storage costs. that's why he's choosing only the best work right now. yes. i've got to examine every trunk carefully to determine which piece of wood would be best for each instrument and how many pieces i can get out of

a truck i am legend out of me the only one of wally. only top quality wood will be processed fabio keeps a close watch on all of the tree trunks even in the sawmill here the trunks are precut along the grain this wood will be used to make sound boards for pianos. saw mill owner franco saber is sorry that so many trees were lost in the wind storm . it took those trees 11020 years to grow to maturity and then the storm ruined everything it's sad and know it will take another 120 years for the forest to grow back. customers who appreciate fabio skill and experience will support him during these tough times.

i know my. response here has an extremely important job he's the only one who can find this kind of high quality good violin makers like me couldn't do it but we're all part of the process of creating a musical instrument so we have to trust each other. every step of that process must be spot on as fabio's tone what is made into a violin. but there's a. lot i'm happy when the client is pleased with the instrument. a lot of the manufacturers and the musicians deserve a lot of credit too. but people seem to forget that it's my word that makes the instrument the way. fabio on the brain is customer certainly haven't forgotten and for the time being he'll continue to salvage as much what is he can from the valid if you have a site so that he can keep providing top quality material for world class musical instruments.

or grandmothers are held in high esteem in russia unlike many other cultures attending status is a position of great honor yet many elderly women are being abandoned as a younger family members live away the small town of star obey show is home to a unique place where young and old live side by side they are not related by blood but do share a longing for companionship far away from russia's capital moscow the elderly and disabled have found a safe space where stigmas are left at the door. when you're making pancakes every step needs to be timed just right. that's what deana could you have of learned from her boarding home grandmother spent long a gram of the pair found each other 12 years ago when they started living together in a unique russian residential home. my this is my family and sometimes they get pretty

cheeky. it's a special home they share the yana and their surrogate grandma live together with 30 other children and over $100.00 pensioners. they're all in one big housing complex where they spend their lives together. most pensioners live here because their relatives no longer want to care for them and most young people are here because their parents are no longer allowed to care for them many were alcoholics who lost custody. as a result many of their children were born with disabilities. with no other family to rely on young and old alike would be lonely if it weren't for this haven. for you to hear or read to you. you know. my entire family died

in 1993 in a car crash it was horrible. i almost lost my mind. back then i didn't want to live anymore. i would have preferred to die with my family but with. this unique home where young and old lived side by side was founded 12 years ago. it's an start of a shop in russia's posh court a stand republican fight and it's one of a kind in the entire country. that. actually this is something i children are happy that they have a loving cantankerous and live in a loving environment the kids don't need to feel ashamed of their disability instead they can get through life with their heads held up high yes i've seen it it's news just like other children without disabilities get the glowing in the because that's it because it's. these residents are lucky. their home is widely

acclaimed. thanks to funding by the state donors and volunteers the facilities are in great condition. new other russians with disabilities or special needs are as fortunate human rights activists have repeatedly reported cases of abusive caretakers corrupt directors insufficient fire safety measures and a lack of funding in other homes. but often the public is unaware of this grim reality as most homes are isolated from the outside world. yeah the director says this is long overdue to change. i didn't see him save us still remains a huge barrier between people with and without disabilities in a society parents from the soviet generation do not want their children socializing with kids that have special needs i shrieked but this home away young says and

pension as live side by side still shows that it is possible not store basically the same walk under the same sun and to ordinary people when you've got to listen to help them. though of course with people of all ages residing here it's not always smooth sailing. living together and caring for each other can be challenging. still everyone here is very close they are eager to share their lives rather than just co-exist. when i see children i forget all my problems. they just vanish. and all i see are the good things some of the well what to do with. the day of the special residential home winds down with a small dance performance. life is good because here russia's most vulnerable are

not left to fend for themselves. if they can't use your family but they are proving otherwise thanks so much for watching focus on europe do let me know your thoughts about this week's show on twitter all the best and i for now. for.

me going. to. snow there is no reason to stay at home. you can get rid of it. when she's out. yes over it. and if nothing else you can just make up completely the top canadian. russian and japanese do it and they should never let it snow

reach their own tree trunk up 15 minutes on. the fate years off to the overthrow of the gadhafi regime clivia has descended into almost continual conflict between its rival senses apollo from i guess this week here in congress it is our much much weaker deputy prime minister of the us backed government of national accord closely allied to groups of armed militias which are being credited for serious human rights abuses come. so for 90 minutes on w. folks. and knocked me out. and call me primitive.

competing me back. from college. my friends are back tomorrow for for good. or for good how does a better. m a o o 5 and more. in the public perception africa is now assuming the position through which it was always untitled. their visit is. starting january 1st.

this is d.w. news wire from berlin syrian forces pound problem residents fleeing for their lives government troops backed by tanks are mounting a ground assault on the last pockets of resistance hundreds of thousands of people in rebel held areas have taken to the road with nowhere to go but makeshift camps where conditions are squalid also coming up from member in the 2004 indian ocean

tsunami which killed more than 200000 people 15 years on and we meet one woman who .