>> hello and a very warm welcome to "european journal" coming to you from dw studios in brussels. it's good to have you with us. russia -- what russian women are and are not allowed to wear and say. czech republic -- when east germans stormed the west german embassy in prague. and spain -- why europe's biggest population is in danger. it is summer in europe. time to go on holiday. tourists traditionally flock to italy with its beaches and picturesque towns. the island of sicily is a popular destination, but there's

bad news for hikers. for two weeks now, one of the main attractions, mount aetna, has been closed to tourists. there are still be active volcanoes, and mount it is spitting lava again -- there are three active volcanoes, and mount aetna is spitting lava again. >> for days, mount aetna has put up a spectacular pyrotechnics display. carmina is here before sunrise to get a closer look. >> we are at the northern end of aetna at around 3100 meters. this crack is due to the abruption which is typical. the magma has risen to a very

high level. at any moment, a new crater could open up, or there could be an explosion without any warning . >> even so, carmelo, what -- one of 40 rangers, leads us to the volcano. it is a tough climb in thin air and through ankle-deep volcanic ash. there it is. with each explosion, the crater belches out glowing molten lava, strewing around for hundreds of meters. the earth heaves and shakes. only the rangers brave the volcanic activity to get closer. tourists, however, have to keep away at a distance of 300 meters. >> these tourists have read the

sign. their excursion ends here. they have to turn around, but they can stay here and watch. >> but there are always some people who try to defy the warning signs. we are in the control room of the institute of all the knowledge he -- volcanology. it's a high-tech nerve center to monitor the volcano. >> two colleagues monitor the volcano around the clock. they are the first to know if the levels change. then they can activate the emergency response. >> dozens of cameras, sensors, and other measuring instruments constantly check the volcanic activity, but despite all the

technology, europe's and's are not always foreseeable. that's where the rangers come in . >> depending on which seismograph goes off, the volcanologists send us to the affected area to find out what is happening. >> if it is necessary, like now, the summit is blocked off. given how many tourists are ill-equipped for the region, the measure seems right. it is no easy task for the rangers. >> every year, around 300,000 tourists come to the region around the summit. we have to remember this is still an active volcano. of course we need to guarantee the safety of the tourists. >> mount aetna continues to baffle experts. no measuring instrument caught this latest eruption, and no one

knows how long it will continue. >> politicians in the ee you and u.s. want answers -- how exactly did flight mh 17 crash in eastern ukraine? the west has been ratcheting up pressure on vladimir putin to exert his influence on the pro-russian separatists who control the region, but putin is enjoying his power to much. he has been shrugging off angry warnings and threats from europeans for months, and at home, it's very much the same story. president putin and his parliament seem to just know best what is good for people and what is not, and that now also applies to things such as lacy underwear and swear words. >> the russian rock band leningrad is popular, but also controversial. they are famous for their profanity-written the recs singing the praises of sex and alcohol. the explicit angst prompt a wary of censoring beats.

radio stations way the songs either in their clean versions or not at all. concerts have been canceled. authorities say that delicate and russian sensibilities should no longer be confronted with such language. a law banning non-normative lexus is the latest variant of russian censorship. vladimir putin signed off on what conservatives in the country have long demanded -- action against decadent western influences. public cursing is forbidden as well as much in domes in the theater. ryan's range from 2000 to 200,000 rubles -- finds -- fines range. people are asking whether russia does not have far more pressing concerns than the fight against cursing and other obscenities. >> the classics of russian literature never excused of seen words. push can, for instance, often used explicit turns of phrase in

his works. for many of the writers, it was style-forming. a general ban is by no means appropriate. >> online services are also scanned for objectionable content. the index of banned words and phrases is continually expanded. questionable articles are blocked completely, including an interview explaining the origins of russian swear words. although gore expressions -- vulgar expressions for the most sexual characteristics will be penalized, but there is a countermovement. affectionate terms for the bosom are presumably harmless. and if the new prudery does have to accept nudity, it prefers to keep it safely contained in museums where, thanks to opening hours and admission fees, the potential danger to morality, can be controlled and guided. but outside museums, eyes must

not be subjected to nudity. apollo, the greek god of music and stands guard outside the bolshoi theatre, received a modesty-preserving the belief -- big leaf -- fig leaf. it is perhaps two millimeters that peeked out from under apollo's tunic. certainly no big deal. but some see in it a flagrant violation -- a flagrant violation of laws for the protection of minors. as an urgent action, he sees just one solution -- an 18-plus earmark like that use another pornography.

the latest proposed law targets high-heeled shoes so beloved of russian women. legislation would propose a height limit on the heels of shoes. >> i only wear high heels. i cannot wear anything else. >> today, i only have 10 centimeters on. i love high heels. a woman without them is not a real woman. >> while the country's orthopedists may welcome a limit on shoe heights, many russian women see it as overregulation from the old days of the soviet union. whether sinful red or racy black, lingerie is also subject to regulations. underwear fabric must contain 6% cotton due to something called hydra skippy. only this fabric composition guarantees proper moisture absorption. the reasoning is that below this level, wearers are allegedly

subject to skin irritations and pimples. >> many of our customers want to know why they want to take all synthetic underwear off the market. they are outraged and shocked. they have read about it on the internet and are asking whether it is really true. >> it is true, and not just in russia but all over the eurasian economic zone. putin prospects -- putin's pet projects. the lingerie market is a huge business of russians alone spending 4 billion euros annually on sexy underthings, but this, too, is a decadence that needs to be remedied. these, by the way, are the ladies engine omen of the russian parliament who are initiated and is in -- the ladies and gentlemen of the russian parliament who are implementing these laws.

as one of them said -- if people were allowed to do what they want, we would return to the stone age. how true. >> it's no secret that vladimir putin is unhappy with the current political map of europe. he said a few years ago that he believes the collapse of the soviet union was the biggest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century. that view is not shared by everyone. exactly 24 years ago, the approaching end of communism was celebrated in many parts of europe. in this edition of our summer series secret heroes, we visit a man who in 1989 was a main driver behind what of the happiest days in german history. he was west germany's ambassador in the czech republic at the time. thousands of gdr citizens were camping in his garden hoping to be allowed to enter west

germany. then the foreign minister arrived. >> the news spread through the grapevine. the foreign minister was in the building. then came one of the most famous in recent german history. >> we've come to tell you that today, your departure -- >> the word "departure" triggered wild cheers. a city palace of 100 rooms but 3500 guests. the guests now knew that their weight had not been in vain. germany's foreign minister had come from new york. the soviets had given him the green light. the ambassador showed him the way. >> we drove from the airport to

the embassy. he got out in front of the main gate, and i accompanied him inside. then we climbed the big stairway to the first floor. >> we had to blaze a trail through. the refugees allowed us a tiny path through in the middle. when i told them to watch out, they were immediately prepared to do anything. >> this is what the embassy look like in september 1980 9 -- the ground full of young families. the people and future of communist east germany were

voting with their feet. the mood varied. at first, it was euphoric. the calm attitude of embassy staff contributed to that. >> i told the refugees that i could not enter their tent with my shoes. "but mr. ambassador," they said, "come in. you are our ambassador. >> not yet, i said. but i hope to be soon. >> was already so full that only women with small children were admitted into the building. >> here i am on this picture by chance. i recognize it because my jacket is unmistakable. >> all eyes were riveted on proud.

czechoslovakia was the only country east germans could visit without a visa. product was full of east german cars the refugees left on the streets. she was lucky. she found half a stair step all the way at the top and camped with her three-year-old son. >> from the moment they opened the door and came toward us saying, "come in." they took the child out of my hands immediately. this feeling of being received warm heartedly, not to be asked questions. "come in. first off, we are taking you in ." >> the red cross raw food from the west, pitched tents, and that thousands of people in a

field kitchen. red cross helpers were busy around the clock for weeks on end. >> the embassy kept getting fuller and fuller after people realized they could climb over the fence in the back. we could not really control how many people we had anymore. >> the mall cause -- the malkas remember. >> people waited on the other side and took the children and lifted the strollers over. >> children were passed over. they were always first. >> it seemed we had children without parents. >> they were able to change that

very fast. >> i let the parents through the front gate. >> when the weather turned bad in september, the embassy ground turned into a field of mud. toilets were stopped up, and everyone's nerves were shot, and no solution was in sight. >> conditions here are catastrophic. one woman gave her to a child yesterday, but there's no medicine available. there is a doctor on hand. a solution has to be found urgently. we cannot stand it anymore. >> the ambassador did not close the gates, though he, too, was getting uneasy. he never experienced the embassy overflowing with people. >> no one in the german capital officially rebuked me. i told them, "you can support me if you want, but not backstab me ." and they understood.

>> this is german television one with a special edition. good evening. for east german refugees in prague and warsaw, the wait is over. the 3500 people who sought asylum in the embassy in prague along with the 650 in warsaw would be allowed to leave for west germany tonight. east german trains will transport them without stopping across east german territory to the west. >> in the end, the refugees succeeded in enforcing their direct immigration. the ambassador brought them all to the station. he had not slept for 48 hours. >> it was a very strange feeling. suddenly i missed all the refugees.

it sounds weird, but i was no longer used to the empty embassy . >> but that change very soon. more refugees followed. >> the embassy filled up again with thousands of refugees, and then the wall opened up. >> collecting donations to protect little tiger babies is easier than coming up support to save vultures. the less cute and animal, the less sympathy, and vultures have suffered from a bad reputation for years. bane and particularly the pyrenees in the north are home to europe's biggest population, but the birds are under threat. >> when they start to circle, you know death is not far away.

>> vultures are fantastic nerds. they play an important role in nature. they are at the top of the food chain. they can eat meat that can transmit disease, thereby reducing the danger of infection. they are fundamentally important for the health of the ecosystem. >> carrion feeders have found a last refuge in spain. it has the last population of folgers in europe. but conditions for the scavengers could hardly be worse . this eurasian black vulture lives in captivity. it ate some poisoned carrion and had to be nursed back to health at an animal rescue facility in castile. it is difficult to cure a poison bird, and this one nearly died.

>> it depends on the poison. some toxins act very quickly. others are slower, but they are basically all fatal. most of the animals we see here die. >> five dead folgers were found this year alone in one province. they had all been poisoned. we went along with the city toxin unit to find the perpetrators. the investigators looked for clues like dead animals or poison, and it looks like they found something. this time, the victim is a booted eagle. it may have eaten deliberately poisoned bait. eagles are not just birds of prey. they also eat carrion. >> the poisoned meat is probably not actually meant for vultures or eagles but for fox's -- foxes

, but when the birds eat it, the poison works right away and kills them. >> farmers used the toxic bait to protect their livestock from animals. >> this is a custom that you still see in farming communities. in recent years, the use of poison has even been rising. we have to do more to stop it. >> if the birds of prey die from it, the farmers are not bothered. quite the opposite. this farmer claims he has never used poison but says he has been tempted. on his cattle breeding farm, he

says he once saw vaulters attacking a live calf. >> 50 vaulters -- vultures -- 5 vultures were pecking the calf's guts. it was a big loss. another calf was also eaten. i don't know if it was already dead, but i think it was alive. >> the vultures are hungry. after the emergence of mad cow disease, farmers had to get rid of dead animals. it's only recently they have been allowed to leave carrion on the field again, but biologists insist the vultures do not attack living, healthy animals. they say people get that impression because scavengers converge on stillborn calves. >> sometimes, when the cow has problems during birth and cannot get up, there have been cases of

folgers starting to eat the afterbirth directly from the hindquarters of the cow -- cases of folgers -- cases of vultures starting to eat the afterbirth. >> they do not only suffer from a poor image and a legal poison attacks. they are now under threat from a legal substance. spain has approved veterinary use of a drug that has nearly wiped out the vulture population in india. >> it is a clear threat because dead animals have often been treated prior with this drug. if folgers -- vultures eat carcasses less than seven hours after its death, it's likely they will die. they cannot process it, so it leads to kidney failure and ultimately death. >> so far, there has not been a death caused by this medication

yet. conservationists say there is still time to ban the drug again. if vultures disappear, spain will have some serious problems. >> the country would have to pay for the removal of the dead animals and their cremation, which is a considerable cost. that's exactly what other countries have been doing where vultures are already extinct. >> there are approximately 80,000 cultures -- vultures living in spain. they prevent unsanitary conditions and diseases that spring up when carcasses are left to rot. >> that report brings us to the end of this edition of "european journal." until next time, auf wiedersehen and bye for now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

hello, and thank you for joining us on this edition of "newsline." >> iraq leaders are caught in a struggle for power. the president has named a new prime minister. but the man who has held a job there for eight years is refusing to go. the president appointed a man on monday to form a new cabinet. many have been calling for maliki resignation. they believe he's been favoring shia, they say this has caused frustration among sunnis, spurring islamic militants to