captioned by the national captioning institute >> hello, welcome to "european journal." \ 5000 are now dead in syria's uprising. we will look at how a former friend is supporting those trying to overthrow assad. romanian villages terrorized by nighttime intruders. could this be italy's next prime minister? how single women in btain are beating the -- the violent crackdown on protesters in syria has shocked

the world. at 5000 people have been killed. turkey, a neighbor a one-time allies has lost patience. the turkish prime minister has called on president assad to resign, saying that he has turned into a leader that feeds on his people's blood. >> this defer be later may soon be used to save the lives of syrian protesters. the apartment is a base for a syrian exiles preparing their necks smuggling expeditions. the rugged terrain combined with poor, fofoggy weather provides ideal conditions for smugglers. even under clear skies, the 800 mile -- 800 kilometer border is

extremely difficult. the two men stopped on the border. city. they fled their country six months ago, shortly after the protests began. there are thousands more syrian refugees like them in turkey. >> for a year, we provided friends in syria with satellite receivers said that they can have entered that access. we also bring in medical equipment and blood supplies. they are part of the struggle and we support them. >> the armed resistance calls itself the free syrian army. it is said to b strong and is largely made up of army deserters. its commander coordinates operations from his base in a turkish refugee camp. there are reports that some weapons are being smuggled in

from turkey. the turkish government condemns the armed insurgency while also being the most outspoken international voice against assad. the policy is viewed with some unease. >> the policy is e enoug to make the change happened. it will take time. i think the outside forces will continue to assist, but will never get involved. that is much too complicated. >> the syrian exiles were also so -- enjoying much support. turks joined them in istanbul, protesting the killing across the border. a doctor fled from oppression in his native syria years ago. he is actively involved in the

oppositionyrian national council based in istanbul. >> you cannot transfer the turkish state and society to syria. it is a democratic moslem country and that makes it a model for syrian democrats like myself. >> such matters are of secondary importance to many young syrian exiles in turkey. theyant the regime overthrown by force, like in libya. their compatriots and urged patience. >> the leaders of the opposition believe that the army's sole task is to protect the army from attacks. we are hoping that the international community w will force a protective corridors to allow international aid. >> they gather at an istanbul hotel to plan for a post-assad

future. he is a major figure among the opposition. he and his colleagues are in constant contact with the turkish foreign ministry. they believe that the various groups can you ninth to create a new, exclusive syria. >> we want a constitution that embraces all religious groups. everyone's rights should be protected. >> at the turkish-syrian border, two smuggler set out on major seat -- a journey. this week saw the first casualties of the armed c conflt at the border. >> brown bears are either mamajest creatures or terrifying beasts, and depending on how close you are to them. few countries have as many brown

bears as romania. more and more bears are making their way into villages looking for food. several people have been attacked and killed by the animals in recent years. the locals want to hunt and shoott them, but it is illegal. >> they look so cute as long as they are not hungry and nobody bothers them while they are eating. this brown bear and her cubs live in the car paphian mounds. romania has europe's biggest population of bears besides russia. deforest directly borders on villages and towns. sometimes, the bears come a little too close for comfort. a pensioner was lucky to survive such an encocounte he was attacked by a bare wall fishing at the edge of his village. that was in august. the episode still haunts him. >> she almost tore my arm off.

there was a deep wound. she hit me in the face with her paw. >> his son shows us pictures of his father just after doctors stitched 17 wounds on his body. then he shows us more pictures thelelma wh his cell phone. the people here are defenseless because the bears are protected under e.u. law. >> this is what happened. i was fishing and about to eat my sandwich when a bear came at me. she was growling like a tiger and came at me. i tried to fight her off with a fishing rod. that was pointlessss. reading, and danger, south bears within 500 meters. we wanted to know how the family that put this warning on its defense feels.

>> of course we are very afraid. we do not go out after dark. we only let the kids play outside when we are brown. >> she told us how another man was killed by a bear last summer. she called the rescue services. the bears have become even more dangerous since finding out where ever there are humans, there is food nearby. these trash cans are right next to an apartment complex. many people have been injured. some have been killed here in recent years after coming to close to the not so cute and cuddly animals.

the official program is to catch, and release animals far from the city. dozens of animals have been rereleased this way. results have been mixed as the people in charge readily admit. >> we simply have too many bears. they used to be haunted freely. that was not good. we have strict e.u. rules and can only killed 300 per year at most. since we joined the e.u., injuries and property damage have soared. >> we are showing how much bureaucracy is needed to shoot a bear. the paperwork is daunting. by the time authorization is granted, the problem bear might

have moved on, we've resulting in an uninvolved one being shot. we returned to a mauling victim. his neighbor takes him to see another man that was almost killed by a bear last summer. he was harvesting his wheat when a bear attacked him. >> and look what it did to me. it ripped up my scalp and mangled my ear. >> it is terrible. i understand that there should be protected. it is disgraceful when a bear's life is worth more than a human's live. >> they both played dead during

their attacks, which may have saved their lives. >> italy hasas gon from one extreme to another. it has replaced the showman prime minister burley up -- a burlesque donate to a competent man to get the country out of its mass. all eyes are on a popular politician that on mike -- unlike berlusconi does not travel around the country on his limo, but on his bicycle. >> this city has always played a special role in italy's history. in the middle ages, it became the center of arts and finance. he sees himself in that tradition. at 36, and he is one of the youngest and most popular mayors and a radical reformer.

>> being a left-wing today is different than what it was 50 years ago. it means opposing the destruction of cities and their environments. in florence, we put a stop to the development of greenfield sites. being a left-wing means challenging social justice and the taboos of a rigid society. the italian left is in the deadlocked. we should be about innovation. >> true to that spirit, he turned downtown florence into a pederian zone and encourage people to ride bicycles. it provided much-needed relief to the city's the tories the congested streets. he cycles to work and outside in engagements. that makes them far more approachable than if he was being driven i in aulletproof

car with a a poli escort. >> the right man in the right place. even independent voters like his ideas. >> i am on the right, but all in all, he is not really left-wing. >> the famous medieval sente -- city center was always a updated by cars. now they have been banished, one of the mayor's first movesfter taking office. fines if work is delayed or goes over budget. quite an innovation. the mayor has promisedd -- put

that in writing. on seeing people protesting against the project, he immediately goeover to talk to them. the mayor is a listener as well as a talker. his talk has substance, not just dial. -- just style. >> he is not a bad mayor for florence. he is a breath of fresh air. >> he invites them to a cup of coffee and a chat in his office. >> that is great. he has an open n apprch to people and he is really innovative. i am glad we have him.

>> this being florence, the mayor's office is in a place that has ceiling frescoes by georgio. >> i am privileged to be in this city hall in this wonderful palace. i want to be proud of being italian. when i go abroad, i do not want to be ridiculed because of berlusconi's parties our oor ou national debt. >> florence, just one city in italy where young and committed politicians are seeking to put the berlusconi era behind them.

>> there are more and more successful career women in britain that reach a certain age, realize they have no partner, and realize their biogical clock is ticking. guidelines for artificial insemination are more liberal than anywhere else in europe. he says up to 10% of the women that he treats are single. >> i had to make a a decion. be a mom or i was going to let that pass me by and be unhappy and unfulfilled. >> i always knew that life would be a lot better, a lot richer, more meaningful, more purposeful, with this. helen is a single mother by

choice. her daughter was conceived by artificial insemination. britain's regulations on reproductive technologies are among the most liberal in europe. >> i have to be both parents. making sure she has got plenty of time with good role models. >> she is a successful yoga instructor that found herself without a partner but wanted a child. she found a sperm donor over the internet. that is illegal in countries like germany. in britain, it is a simple process. sperm banks recognize a wide range of donors online. braun hair or brown, american or italian, academic or a trade men. most websites show detailed prprofil of their donors.

women pay and then head to a fertility clinic to be artificially inseminated. a vial of sperm cells for around 700 euros. >> she also knows a little bit about her half brothers and sisters. hopefully, she will think that i was brave and she will feel proud of me for going down that route. >> in britain, the sperm donor is not legally the child's father. helen is legally responsible for her and will be until she is an adult. it is good that she can count on family and friends. some psychologists say that growing up with just one parent can hamper a child's personal development. >> not having a father figure could be one of the down sides. for the doughboys, it is about

not having access to a strong masculine figure that does not slip into aggression. for little girls, it is important to have a bond with a father earth to give the balance in terms of gender relating. >> increasing numbers of single women are giving birth to test tube babies. many see it as the last and only way to have children and are even willing to travel to britain for treatment. >> there are a lot of women crossing continents to avail themselves of treatments that they do not have in their own country. where there was a generation of professional women who have not thought ofhaving children until now. that number is getting very clear compared to couples. it is between 5%-10%.

>> she's decided to have a child after her 15-year marriage ended in divorce. >> i got much older and i was on my own. what i regret not having children? i went into a short-term relationship which ended without any children. i was in my early 40's by this point. i decided that it was now or never. >> they are conducting their own family planning and raising their children without any father figures around. they have no regrets. >> will you look back and regret this if you have not done it. >> i made the right decision. it is hard, but i made the right decision. i am making another one banow. >> financially, i do not think i can deal with that.

>> what a sweet baby. if you are rich and you want to make sure that you can pass on your wealth to your children, then switzerland is the place to live. there is no inheritance tax. they want to have a tax that is backdated to 2012. some wealthy people are scrambling to pass on their fortunes before the end of this year. for some tax lawyers, christmas has come early. >> he only has time for one quick drink with colleagues. it is a good time to be a tax lawyer in zurich. his services are very much in demand right now. wealthy pple living in switzerland iluding many germans want his help p to avoid palate -- paying millions of euros in inheritance tax.

>> it is nice for us. we are getting a lot of work out of it. >> many of his clients have taken up residence on the shores of lake zurich, known to many as the gold coast. people here by your discretion as well as the idyllic location. it has long boasted an inheritancee tax close t to zer. >> it was a very important factor that led it wealthy germans to move to switzerland. >> the most prominent example is somebody that is behind a multinational derek -- dairy products firm that move to switzerland to avoid taxes. and a formula one driver was also happy in the knowledge that they could pass their wealth on tax-free.

a coalition of parties is hoping to change that. they are proposing a 20% tax on inheritances of more than 2 million swiss francs. they have collected many of the signatures needed for a referendum. eir chances for winning the vote are not bad. >> every ordinary worker, somebody that works in construction, pace taxes on every swiss franc that he earns. why should somebody that receives a large inheritance or a small one pay tax on it. it is a question of fairness. >> tax advisers are already helping clients evade the proposed tax. the rich simply hand over their wealth to their children b befor the end of the year. he has advised dozens of clients

to do this. >> every day, we get inquiries by phone and email. we address what can be done to avoid the looming at inheritance tax. >> word has spread quickly about the strategy. there have been over 500 requests to transfer assets involving hundreds of millions of swiss francs. those involved are warning of delays given the huge workload involved. >> these are certainly exceptional circumstances. we have never experienced anything like it. these are legal transactions week -- which require a high degree of expertise and required to man on a advisors. >> it has to give its blessing

when property is given to minors. some recipients are just five years old. officials advise caution. >> your cute little baby might develop a taste for drugs at age 14 or do other things that you do not want. without trying to paint too dark of a picture, these are things that you need to think about. >> the inheritance tax is not a reality yet. it is already bringing in plenty of revenue, at least for swiss tax consultants. >> that is it from "european journal" for this week. do have a happy holiday season. for me and all of the team in brussels, the good-bye.

man: i was hid behind a big tree that was knocked down or fallen. and i could see these germans in the woods across this big field. and i saw this young kid crawling up a ditch, straight towards my tree.

so i let him crawl. i didn't fire at him. but when he got up within 3 or 4 foot of me, i screamed at him to surrender. and instead of surrendering, he started to pull his gun towards me, which was instant death for him. but this young man, he was blond, blue eyes, fair skin. so handsome -- he was like a little angel. but i still had to shoot him. and it didn't bother me the first night, because i went to sleep -- i was so tired. but the second night, i woke up, crying, because that kid was there.

and to this day, i wake up many nights, crying over this kid. i still see him in my dreams. and i don't know how to get him off my mind.