>> welcome to your world news here on the journal. live from berlin. >> good to have you with us. our top stories at this hour -- kurdish forces battle to save kobani fm igers after turkey tells nato it will not be deploying any ground troops. >> and more bad news for the german economy, exports fall sharply by their largest amount in five years. >> and this year's nobel prize in literature has been awarded to a friend -- a french writer whose work centers on identity. ♪

us-led coalition forces are keeping up their air strikes against islamic state targets around the embattled syrian town of kobani. >> kurdish fighters in kobani are trying to hold off a complete takeover of the town by the islamic state with u.s. forces saying airstrikes alone may not keep it from falling into is's hands. there are tanks on the border, but turkey says it will not send in ground troops on its own. >> kurdish forces are holding on, but reports say the islamic state now controls the eastern third of the city. video shows is has weapons it claims it captured from the kurds. just north of kobani, turkish army tanks watch from the position they occupy 10 days ago. but turkey has no winter ash no intention of intervening --

turkey has no intention of intervening. >> it is not realistic to expect turkey to conduct a ground operation on its own. we are holding talks. once there is a common decision, turkey will not shy away from its part. >> but it wants coordinate action to target syrian government forces, something nato rejects. out of fear, the alliance could be dragged into serious's -- into serious service -- syria's civil war. >> i welcome the parliament in turkey to authorize turkey to take a more active part in the broader international effort to fight isil.

>> that is not enough for turkey's kurds. they took to the streets again to protest inaction. many believe the turks want kobani to fall, because that would damage the kurds autonomy. >> we will get lyrical announcements and analysis from is gambler just a bit. hanna joins us from kobani. it is indicated that the kurdish fighters are holding their ground right now against islamic state. just a few days ago it look like that would not be the case. what are you hearing? >> yesterday, it felt as if the tables were turning in the battle for kobani. there was a day of very heavy coalition airstrikes and that pushed the islamic state backed out of some of the neighborhoods that they control. but what fighters are telling me from today from inside the city,

the islamic state set fire to a lot of houses and that sent smoke going over the western part of the city. that made it difficult for the coalition to hit targets effectively. >> what has been the reaction where you are among kurdish refugees to the reaction that turkey will not be joining the fight at all? >> people are very angry. we've seen large crowds gathered at the border everything -- every day since this began. kurds on both sides of the border you like the kurds in kobani -- there are familial ties and ethnic ties. and they are angry and feel that ankara is leaving kobani to the islamic state. >> what about the kurdish men in the refugee camps? have they been trying to get across the border to join the fight against islamic state? >> certainly, in the first few days a lot of people were trying constantly to get across the

border. the turkish security forces have cracked down and established a buffer zone on the turkish side of the border. they have wished the journalists and the watching crowd back to about two kilometers. there are now checkpoint that stop you from getting right up to the border. but we hear people are trying and are desperate to stop kobani from falling. they feel they are not getting any help from anyone else, from turkey or anywhere else, and they feel that the only way they can defend kobani is by going in themselves. >> thank you for the latest update on kobani. >> lets now get you some analysis on nato's relations with turkey. from the assembled correspondent , dorian jones. good to see you once more. nato wants turkey to actively turn efforts against islamic state. turkey has said, thanks, but no thanks. is there any effort i could get them to make a decision to step in? >> their message is clear.

the price for turkey joining the engagement against islamic state is safe haven in syria protected by a no-fly zone and that the defense be brought against the syrian regime. for now, nato has said no. but to -- turkey realizes it has the crucial airbases that the coalition needs to use and has a half a million soldier army, which it is prepared to use if its demands are met. these are key demand. ingres is in a very strong met -- strong position and it -- ingres knows it is in a very -- ankara knows it is in a very strong position and knows it can wait. the police there are in a strong position and countries like france now appeared to be warming up to its demand, and even secretary of state john kerry saying they are prepared to look at it is emboldening the turks. >> the demise of assad regime

drum -- trumps everything else for ingres -- four ankara. why is that? >> they say to get rid of assad regime and then all of the islamic old -- radical islamic problems will dissipate, too. the turkish president has invested huge political and even personal capital into bringing down assad regime. he realizes now that that can only happen if the international coalition targets that regime. and now he is using that opportunity with this question of the islamic state. >> explain the mood in turkey right now. how was the population feeling, especially now that the crisis is fueling tension with the kurds? >> across the board, there's always been a fear that the chaos in syria and iraq could eventually suck turkey into it. now we've seen these violent

protests by kurds and turks as well. 26 people dead, unprecedented numbers of kills -- of people killed and then social divisions that are racking serious and iraq. these sectarian divisions also exist in turkey and there's a fear that it could open conflict in turkey. and the realization is that when these divisions open in turkey, they will be hard to heal. >> thank you very much for that respective. -- perspective. >> to spain, where doctors are saying a spanish nurse being treated for ebola has taken a turn for the worse. she was the first person outside of west africa to contract the disease. >> almost 4000 people now have died of ebola. in west africa, authorities are still struggling to cope with the numbers of people falling ill. >> calls for celebration in monroe via. -- in monrovia. these people have been released from this ebola center with the all clear.

some are counted in, but there are not enough that's for everyone. -- enough beds for everyone. more corpses are being collected by aid workers every day, and many still encounter hostility from communities. this aid worker says no one wants victims to be buried nearby. people hit me on the head and the hand. all we are trying to do is help. in neighboring sierra leone, few people are still doing the job of collecting and burying of the dead. many people who were are now on strike. they have not received the money the government promised them. >> we don't get anything from this job. even money bowl is gone, we will still be stigmatized. we at least want our money. >> contaminated houses are no longer being discontented.

-- disinfected. this can only make the ebola outbreak worse. every unrecovered corpse can spread the disease further. >> and we will turn our attention now to business. more bad news for the german economy today. new numbers showed german exports plunged in august by their largest amount since the height of the financial crisis. >> this is a sign that the world's largest economy, the world's fourth largest economy is faltering right now. and there is weakness elsewhere in the eurozone. germany's economic outlook has been cut and they say the government needs to increase its spending to boost growth. >> german chancellor angela merkel cannot ignore the indicators anymore. it's official, the german economy is losing momentum. >> the government is preparing for this situation. we are considering how to make

additional investment possible. we are looking at the possibility of reducing bureaucracy and how to invest in the future. >> the numbers aren't pretty. figures for august show exports have sunk to a five-year low, and an official report released on thursday suggests there may be some tough times ahead. germany's leading economic forecasters are now protecting a growth rate of just one .3% for this year and 1.2% for next year. for the eurozone as a whole, and into the recession is inside. this year, economists predictors are a .8% growth and next year, just over 1%. for germany, the outlook is bleak. there are a number of factors affecting growth was a >> above all, pension reform and the introduction of a minimum wage are stifling long-term growth. additionally, the government is not investing enough, for example, in infrastructure.

all of this is having a negative effect on private investment. >> the economic institutes say the best way to stimulate the economy is to relieve the burden on firms and reduce corporate taxes. >> with analysts suggesting the german economy is on the edge of recession, what did they make of this latest round of weak data? an economist in frankfurt give us his analysis of the latest moves. >> shares were not an option on this thursday, which brought along more economic pessimism. what investors demanded were bob ash government bonds instead. -- what investors demanded were government bonds instead. government bonds have the reputation of being a relatively safe and reliable investment, but something else is driving demand for government bonds, too. the speculation that soon, the european central bank might also by government bonds -- might

also buy government bonds from the banks and encourage them to give out more loans to businesses in your land. >> let's look at the numbers now. lower expectations for the german economy have pushed down stocks in frankfurt, but the dax ended slightly higher and climb back above the 9000 mark. the euro stoxx 50 finished almost 4/10 of a percent lower. across the atlantic, the tao continues its -- the dow continues his roller coaster ride after rising yesterday. it sunk again today by almost 2%. and the euros is trading at $1.26. with neighborhoods reduced to rubble and people still mourning their dead, the new palestinian unity government has held its first meeting in the war battered gaza strip. it is a political step that many see crucial for the recovery in

gaza. >> hamas has been recognized as a terrorist organization by western governments. >> this marked more than seven years of talks. i'm -- the prime minister said the first priority must be rebuilding hearts of gaza destroyed in this year's war with israel. he's also keen to get out and meet ordinary people. rebuilding costs could run into the billions of dollars. we are optimistic about this visit says this man. it means rebuilding and unity. >> we will be right back after a short break. we will be going to major celebrations underway marking 25

years of protests that help to topple communism. stay with us. >> see you in a moment.

>> welcome back. a huge party is underway as germany celebrates 25 years since one of the most paramedics for a test lead to the follow the berlin wall. >> on october 9, 1989, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in a peaceful protest calling for freedom and an end to the communist state. >> the sheer numbers of people from all walks of life set into motion a wave of demonstrations that brought the creaky system to its knees just a month later. >> the courage of the people set the bar for the nation on that night and put the country on the path to reunification. >> the peaceful revolution began at the church of saint nicholas on -- in light take -- in leipzig.

after evening prayers on the night of october 9, 1989, the congregation joined the 70,000 demonstrators in the streets of leipzig. it was a huge show of force in the mass of a police presence. the berlin wall fell one month later. earlier on thursday, the president marked the event with his counterparts from other former communist nations. the former pro-democracy pastor said the event's 25 years ago were decisive. >> it was magical, but at the same time it was very real as well. so many dreams had come true. and so many of us felt sheer happiness. >> another reason for the happiness was that the regime did not crack down on the protests. many remain astounded about this today.

one year later, the two germanys were unified. 22 years later, the east german leader became president. thousands showed up for prayers that afternoon and some 200,000 had been attending evening celebrations. >> with literally hundreds of thousands of people out on the streets, let's go to john barrick from the opera house in leipzig. can you give us a sense of the atmosphere? >> is extraordinarily emotional and rather difficult to pinpoint exactly what theemotions are. there is a sense of solemnity here, which i had not personally expected. it's not simply a party, but it's also a sense, as young one man said -- as one young man said to me, as delivering something holy. when i asked him what he meant exactly, he said because of the freedom and what was achieved by the courage of those people,

that makes you feel very humble, he said. and there is almost a religious sense in this celebration. of course, it began this evening as you showed in your report with a press service. -- a prayer service. at the large city church of saint nicholas here in light take and then the demonstrations -- in leipzig and in the demonstrations that followed. people at the time didn't realize their current in that particular demonstration, in insisting on going the whole way around the ring was a turning point that was in fact, a peaceful revolution. >> this turning point must be summoning plenty of memories. have you heard a lot of stories? >> i have, indeed. i was talking to an elderly couple just a few moments ago that said they were on that

demonstration that night. they left the children at home because they were worried about their safety, of course. they told me they walked along the ring road here and there was the old stasi secret police officers just on the right-hand side not terribly far from here. and as they grew level with them, some people started shouting, "stasi, get out!" and suddenly, there were all the lights on and there were stasi officers at the windows with guns trained on the demonstrators. and this man said to me, i thought this is going to be another tiananmen square. but in fact, they didn't open fire and the demonstration continued. >> that must have been a terrifying experience for the people involved. what did the german president have to say today? >> the most interesting thing was that he places when the -- within the context of -- placed

this within the context of europe. hungary, poland, slovakia, and the czech republic. they addressed the crowd of some 200,000, was absolutely quiet listening to them. and then broke into applause you regularly -- irregularly, deeply moved by what they said. this is a celebration not just of the unification of germany and the liberation of east germany, but also of the freedom of modern europe. >> leipzig were members a special night 25 years ago. john, thanks a lot. >> staying here in germany, police have seized at 330 kilo shipment of heroin. with a street value of, get this, 15 million euros -- possibly the biggest haul ever confiscated in the country. >> the shipment was found hidden

in a truckload of pickled vegetables that arrived from iran. after months of investigations, police have arrested two brothers of syrian descent who run businesses in germany. police think they are connected to a syrian-iraqi drug gain that could be behind the smuggling. >> a number of refugees around the world -- the number of refugees around the world is the highest since record-keeping began in 1989. there are now more than 15 million displaced people him according to the u.n. >> many of them have been arriving in europe. officials have been working to make sure that the countries of entry do not have to bear the entire burden alone. >> the efforts range from maritime borders to enhanced identification efforts for refugees. >> many agree that the eu has to change its asylum policy, but

they seem less concerned with the plight of refugees trying to eat reached the -- trying to reach the ee you then with the burden on their own state. many states, including germany, say that refugees should be registered more consistently on arrival. >> germany and sweden alone take in 50% of all refugees in europe. and a large part of them have not been registered or fingerprinted before coming to germany. it is clear that other states are not fulfilling their duties satisfactorily. >> that criticism is aimed at italy. still, the italians took it on themselves to set up a maritime mission to save migrants at sea while the rest of the eu sat on its hands. the block has now agreed that the european border patrol will take on more responsibility. >> from the -- from november 1,

front text will be starting its mission called triton. a significant number of member states have already promised technical support. >> europe's interior ministers also discussed sending volunteer he -- voluntary representatives. [inaudible] >> pro-democracy demonstrations continue in hong kong. >> student leaders had seriously undermine the talks by calling for further occupation. they called on the demonstrators to dismantle barricades erected in the area. organizers have vowed not to be the streets, despite the dwindling numbers of participants. north korea's ruling workers party celebrates his 69th anniversary on friday in a ceremony that will be closely watched to see if the country's

leader makes an appearance. >> he has been missing in public for quite a while. he was limping heavily at several events are in the summer. and he has not been seen in public at all in more than a month. that has prompted plenty of speculation about his help. sources within the government said he hurt his foot while participating in military drills and remains in room control of the government. >> you may have noticed it is nobel week and the prize for literature has been awarded today to the french author patrick modiano. >> the writer is best known for his historical maters -- historical novels. he is relatively known outside of france and is normally a media recluse. >> modiano is reserved and media shy, but now he's a nobel laureate. journalists spent hours trying

to track him down after the announcement was made. at a hastily arranged press conference, he appeared pleased, but the price. -- but surprised. but he on a said he was moved by the decision, but he had trouble finding the words to describe his emotions. patrick modiano was born in paris in 1945. he is noted for his elegant style of writing, which has brought comparisons with marcel troost -- marcel proust. in over 30 novels, he explores the topics of war, love, and the not the occupation -- nazi occupation. paris plays a central role in many of his novels. his parents were in frankfurt when they heard the good news. >> we are all absolutely delighted, and delighted first and foremost for patrick modiano. >> yes been a favorite to win the prize for many years.

but then this year, he was discussed for very intensely for around two weeks. we got the feeling that it would and could happen. now we are delighted that it has worked out. >> modiano will pick up is 880,000 euros award at a ceremony in stockholm in this -- in december. >> congratulations to mr. modiano, and to france for that price. it is time to go. we will see you again next time. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

1kw50e. this week on "wealthtrack" a top-rated economist turning conventional economic wisdom on its head. nancy lazare says the u.s. is back as the driver of global growth. >> nancy lazare is next on consuelo mack "wealthtrack." new york life along with main stay family of mutual funds offers investment and retirement solutions so you can help your clients. keep good going.