a 3 years that wouldn't change the world forever. but jillions journey around the world starts september 7th on d. w. ah . ah, nick spicer, welcome to the program. the last leader of the soviet, forgive me and at the wrong part of the show here, let me just get to the beginning. this is dw news. life from berlin. russia begins bid farewell to mikhail gorbachev. crowd was loud up in moscow to see this last leader of the soviet union laid to rest, but there was no full state funeral for the man. some russians rejected as

a traitor. also coming up 23 time grand slam tennis champion. serena williams bows out of the u. s. open and possibly her career. she loses to australia's island damage. ah, welcome to the program. the last leader, the soviet union, mikhail gorbachev has been laid to rest in moscow. gorbachev died on tuesday at the age of 91. after a long illness crowds lined up in moscow to see the former president lying in stated moscow's hall of columns. gorbachev coffin was then taken to the nova debit . she cemetery was buried next to his wife reisa, or which i was not given a full state funeral. the type, usually held for former leaders, russian president vladimir putin did not attend to setting a full schedule. most western leaders also stayed away because of futons invasion of ukraine. we heard more of the funeral and gorbachev's legacy from our political

correspondent, simon young, and d. w correspondent juris shuttle. i asked yury how russians were saying good bye to the last soviet leader. well, many who came to the downtown of moscow to say good bye to mister gorbachev. many there thought very highly of him, like a young woman victoria, our report has talked to, she said that a w that had she praised to the 6 years under gorbachev as the best 6 years of her life. those was expectations of freedom and the best that could happen. she said unfortunately, russians could take advantage of all that any more. everything was taken away from there from them. victoria said, ah, but not every one appreciate gorbachev and russia opinions like not everything was bad under him, are common among the most glides, even as the ceremony today. and precisely, these words express some things that many russians feel about gorbachev. it's true

that he gave russians freedoms as they could only dream on, bef, off before him, about the price was too high. they say 9 out of 10 moskowitz, we talked to emphasized that it was garbage who caused the collapse of their beautiful country of the soviet union as they say. and you're talking to us from riga yuri, as most western media outlets have, had to leave moscow because of a situation. how is gorbachev remembered? not just in russia, but also the former countries of the soviet union, such as latvia were, you are well, while many russians see the disintegration of the usaa as a catastrophe and criticized gorbachev for it, people in the former soviet republics hold him responsible for exactly the opposite for the fact that got a bunch of didn't to go on to the u. s. a sound to fall apart and to didn't wanted . for example, the baltic states and other salvage publics to become a dependent memories of street protests in the early ninety's in georgia. and in

the baltic states come to mind today, especially in neighboring lithuania, where they are war 14 dead and hundreds injured on the so called bloody sunday of videos. 30 years ago when soviet special forces tried to suppress the uprising. remembering these events, and gabriella is lance burgess, lithuania is foreign minister to be to that lithuanians wouldn't forget how gorbachev's army murdered civilians to prolong the occupation. awfully selina he sold. yes, he wrote fired on an unarmed protesters and crushed them under his tanks. that's what's remembering how he are in lot van lithuania. you're going to ask just to hold off instead to saved stand by force as i turned to simon young, who's our political correspond here with me in the studio in berlin. that legacy uri describe. contrast starkly with the memory of gorbachev here in germany, doesn't it? absolutely. i mean, here in germany we shall go. which of these, remember the above all is well the key architects of german reunification. that's

why we've got flags lowered on the right tog parliament building here in berlin today. that's where we've got politicians from across the political spectrum. calling for some kind of official state memorial event to be held in gorbachev's honor because in 1989, he came to east berlin. he met the east german leader, and he told him in effect, the parties over here on your own. now, because he did say those exact words, but it was clear then that that was beginning of the end of the iron curtain. just a month later, the berlin wall fell. so i think that will always be the sense of gratitude to go. which of here is the man who brought freedom to central and eastern europe at that time? of course he didn't always for see the, the consequences of his actions. well, let me get to that. i mean, do we know how gorbachev saw reunification at the time? it probably happened much more quickly than anybody was anticipating. well,

i think that's definitely true and, and also for gorbachev himself in 1989. originally he did not think in terms of german reunification. i think his focus was on reducing the costs of the soviet military present right in east germany. and he wanted to send the message to the communist regime. as i mentioned, you know, we're no longer the guarantor, moscow will no longer be arbiter and guarantor of communist power in these satellite countries. you have to do it yourself. now, at that time, he criticized for instance helmet coles. 10 point plan. we sent out a pathway to german reunification but by the beginning of 990, i think he already seen the writing was on the wall. he agreed to talk between the 4 allies, u. s. u. k. france and the soviet union. but also with the to germany and agreed the principal, they would be able to sort of determine their pathway if that lead to reification.

and either a lot happened. or if there's controversy, i just like to mention about whether promises were made at those talks that subsequently unfold folded about, you know, whether nato should expand to the, not an h to the was the right. that was used. gorbachev had different things to say about whether he agreed to, you know, the, the plans for expansion. let me, let me turn to your, cuz you're setting off because that nato action is one of the reasons latimer pollution used to justify his warren ukraine. i want to come back to you yuri and, and ask you about vladimir putin, the current russian president and the departed mikhail gorbachev and how they got along and beyond that the, the nato expansion or what was the relationship like i want to describe the attitude of the ma gorbachev towards boot in his policy as

a dramatic development and actually initially got a bunch of supported put ins policy towards ukraine and crimea. ah, michelle got a bunch of sad to the annexation was justified and a restoration of historical truth. ah gorbachev never commented directly on the so called a russian special military operation, ukraine in recent months. but and his a long time english translator interpreter who worked with gorbachev for almost 40 years sad. he spoke to him on phone just a few weeks ago. and he said he had been struck by how traumatized, shocked and bewildered to gorbachev, was by what was happening in ukraine. okay, thanks so much. you're shanker, uri rossetto, in riga and simon young talking about the passing of the last leader, the soviet union, mikhail gorbachev. and his burial today, thanks so much to bother you. concerns remain about the safety of separation nuclear power station in ukraine, turkish president,

russia type air. no one has now offered to mediate a deal between moscow and keep over the plant. experts from the international atomic energy agency remain on site after carrying out an expect, an inspection on thursday, and describe seeing building damage and impact tools following shelling, ukraine and russia. blame each other for the attacks on europe's largest nuclear power plant. inspectors plan to release a full report on their findings next week. here's the head of the i, a, a mission. rafael grossi speaking to reporters about his preliminary findings. i worry, i worried, i worry and i will continue to be worried about the glance. i'm thinking we have a situation which is more stable, which is more predictable. it is obvious that that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times by chance. by deliberation. we don't have the elements to assess that, but this is

a reality that we, that we have to recognize. and this is something that cannot continue to happen in pakistan. the humanitarian crisis caused by weeks of monsoon, rain and flooding is worsening. areas in the south are likely to be flooded again as water surges from major rivers in the north. more than 1200 people have been killed and much of pakistan is under water. the un says the scale of the disaster is unprecedented and officials or warning of danger from disease and even famine. has uri baby was forced to flee her home as pakistan's flood? waters rose. when they receded. she returned to a house, kate, in mud. the mother is trying to look after her newborn baby in unsanitary conditions. her husband is worried for their health. but that over to the water has gone down, but the flood water was very dirty,

very muddy. all the children have rashes and their health is getting worse and worse. on autumn, however, the floods have created the perfect breeding ground for waterborne disease. with many areas lacking clean water children bathed in pools of flood water shed with buffalo. the u. n. is wanting as a high risk of deadly diseases like cholera and malaria spreading rapidly. huge swathes of farmland have been flooded, washing away millions of acres of crops, nearly half the population already lacked reliable access to food before the floods . now their fears a humanitarian disaster is looming and may broaden us the uh, i can see a very big family. they have very soon are out i am. i can see the initial stage is already a crown right now. the rou, people who've been hungry for a week,

or even 10 days heard about our international aid, has started to pour in that with an estimated $10000000000.00 in damage. it's still a drop in the ocean of what's needed and we have some breaking news coming in. the launch team has recommended that now says moon rocket launch, scheduled to day, should not go ahead. the rocket was due to take to the skies from the kennedy space center with an hours the craft is part of the artemus program, which aims eventually to return a human crew to the moon. the launch director has yet to make a final decision on today's launch. the previous attempt already failed on monday due to a fuel leak. and we turned the us open now were hopes of a fairy terr fairytale farewell. for serena williams have been dashed. the american went down fighting, however, i couldn't stave off a defeat that she says will likely be her last arlia till november advances to the

4th round. but in new york, when lose or draw. this was always going to be about. serena i read it. she entered the arena like a prize fighter and it wouldn't take long for her to realize that a fight was exactly what she was going to get ah highlight homeland, which was clearly not interested in fairy tales. she took the 1st set with a heavy blow and forced williams to do what she had done so often. fight back. the 2nd set was vintage with him as the american conjured a moment to savor, as she said about levelling, match all the qualities that and made her 23 time grand slam champion were on display. there was the power that determination. and eventually, the precision she

brought a most brokers crowd to its feet, but it was to be one last stand. the 40 rod had been racing her body to equal the grand slam record of 24 titles. but in the 3rd set and the 3rd hour of the match, it soon became clear that time had finally caught up takes a lot of work to get here. clearly i'm still capable, but it also it takes a lot more than i am a to like be a mom and explore different version of serena. ah, and technically in the world i'm still super young. so i, when i like have a little bit of a life, i'm still walking. history says she has the 2nd best grand slam breaker behind margaret court. but many in new york and all

around the world will argue she is simply the best. ah, and a reminder of the top story we're following for you. the last leader, the soviet union, mikhail gorbachev has been laid to rest in moscow. the crowds lined up to see him lying in state before he was buried next to his wife. for the child was not given a full state funeral, and president vladimir putin did not attend. you're watching need of you news from berlin? i'm next by, sir. thanks for watching with the landscape. a reflection of a turbulent history. the cities a mosaic of different people and languages. iran's mountains reveal unparalleled beauty. us.