>> live from the dw studios here in berlin, this is your world news. >> good to have you with us. the headlines -- the fall of the berlin wall. berlin celebrates a big anniversary with an installation tracing the wall's one-time passed through the once divided city. >> tensions rise in ukraine as kiev accuses russia of sending tanks across the border. >> and business news, positive signs for europe's biggest economy, german exports and industrial production bounceback -- bounce back. we start with an event millions of germans have been looking forward to for weeks now.

the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. >> the actual anniversary is on sunday, but celebrations are already under way with thousands pouring onto the streets of the german capital. >> berlin is gearing up for anniversary celebrations. over eight thousand balloons have been placed in areas where the wall once stood. they will be in the minute it over the weekend -- they will be in human aided -- they will be illuminated over the weekend. the speaker parliament was modest in his commemoration of this historic event. >> it often seems to us as if germany changed the world at the time, but a huge upheaval was under way in 1989 in many places , with parallel events that cause, promoted, or influenced each other.

>> without the peaceful protests berlin but across eastern in- europe, the wall may never have been breached, and german reunification may never have happened. this veteran musician was also in parliament today. he was expelled from former communist east germany in 1976 for writing antigovernment lyrics. he signed his -- he sang his best-known song, which became a hymn for the opposition movement. ♪ >> let's go live to central berlin now where my colleague is on hand waiting for us. the eyes of the world are on that light installation we can see in the background, which traces the path of the wall as it divided religion many years ago.

what were the reactions that you could see in people's faces when those lights went on for the first time? >> there was spontaneous applause when the lights went on here near the german parliament where i stand right now, and the people i spoke to -- they are very much enthusiastic about those balloons who trace, as you said, the course of the former border, and it was not only tourists, but also people from her then. they told me they had forgotten a little bit where the wall stood, and they are very happy to see it now in such an impressive way and to see how it really divided the towns. i think this installation is really a highlight of the celebrations here, and we expect tens of thousands together here on sunday, on the ninth of november, when those balloons

are released into the sky to symbolize the breakdown of the berlin wall. >> indeed, when our friends come to berlin, it's always difficult to find bits of wall. this weekend will help with that. there are a lot of events planned this weekend. can you give us an idea apart from that releasing a balloons into the air -- what are the other highlights? >> berlin expects more than 2 million visitors over the next few days, and they can experience a lot. there are exhibitions for tourists focusing online in divided germany. they hear new stories about escape attempts, about political propaganda, about everyday life, and there are also a lot of roundtable discussions with high-ranking civil rights activist and high-ranking

politicians, such as the former russian president, mikhail gorbachev, who made this fall of the berlin wall possible with his reform policy, but all in all, i have the feeling that most of the people who came to berlin really do this to celebrate the whole day, as a couple i met this morning. it's hard to believe, but they really met here november 9. she came from the east. he came from the west, and he offered to show her his town, his west berlin. to cut it short, they fell in love, and they are still married. they live in frankfurt, have two kids, but they told me they really wanted to be here to celebrate this anniversary. >> that's right. we are looking forward to a celebratory weekend. >> all this week, we've been running a series of reports on

the personal experiences of some of our colleagues with the fall of the wall or with life behind the wall. >> the wall cut something of a brutal path through the heart of the men, sometimes even separating homes from the streets they were on, sometimes running right through people's families and hearts. the idea, of course, was to stem the tide of those fleeing germany. >> woman you just saw found out as a child. even today, she's no stranger to adventure and conflict. >> deutsche welle's reporter reviews materials shot at the border. she and her crew spent a week in the war-torn region. she sees the terror but also the courage and the faces of the people there. >> these are men and women that have made a conscious choice to save themselves and to forge a better life for their families.

they are strong in spite of all their misery, and that something i tried to show in all my reports. >> the private dust plight of syria's refugees hits home -- she was a years old, her family decided to flee east germany. they split into groups and took turns crossing the border hidden in the trunk of a car. she remembers her family's struggle. they were open opponents of the regime. she knew from a young age she wanted out of the gdr. >> the children always asked when we were going to leave. when at last i told them about our plan, it was the night before we left during dinner, and they let out a huge sigh of relief and said, "well, it's about time." >> the most difficult thing was to say goodbye to my father and my siblings. we all knew what was at stake.

we found out we were being sent to a children's home. the father would go to prison. my father told me no matter what happens, whatever they say, know that i will always love you and i will never rest until i get you back. >> she climbed into the car's trunk with her brother. the rest of the family came over a couple of hours later. they risked everything, but they made it. they started a new life in the west. she was at this cafe sitting with her friends when the fall of the berlin wall was announced on november 9, 1989. >> it was around 12:00 when someone stormed in and yelled, "the wall has come down," and

everyone thought, "who is this guy?" but he would not stop. then the waiter turned on the radio. i got goosebumps. i thought, "what is going on?" we listen for a moment, and then i said, "come on, we have to get to the wall." crowds of people were crossing over to the west, but she wanted to go in the other direction, to see the country that she had left behind. >> i went over one day later, and i got a little lost in east berlin. on the other hand, everything seemed really familiar -- the smell of coal -- but i was scared. what happens if they close the border again and i'm trapped in here? she had experienced what it is like to live behind a wall, and that has changed the way she sees the world. >> the story of our very own

reporter there. other news now, and much to the delight of many people flocking to berlin this weekend, germany's rail drivers union has announced it is cutting short a national strike. >> the walkout, which started wednesday evening, was expected to paralyze much of the country until sunday evening, but after a legal battle, train services are expected to resume late on saturday. >> in the meantime, industrial action has nevertheless caused chaos, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. >> another victory in court for the train drivers union. a short time later, he said german train drivers would return to work on saturday night , a day and a half earlier than planned. but it does not look like either the rail company or the union have moved closer to resolving the dispute. >> they gotten bogged down. now we have a big problem

because i do not believe that one side will back away. neither the union, nor the deutsche bahn. both would have to admit that they lost face. >> outside company headquarters in berlin, union members gathered in a show of solidarity with their boss. among them were several conductors. the gdl wants to win the right to negotiate on their behalf as well. >> what we are calling for is to independently negotiate for our members. we will not let anyone dictate that we are not allowed to do this. >> relief that this latest strike will end soon could be short-lived. the union had faced mounting anger from both the german public and companies whose losses have also steadily mounted. but the union also knows it has the support of german courts. >> departed of palestinian president mahmoud abbas blamed

hamas for coordinated bomb attacks. a sufficient said no one was wounded, but the blast damaged homes and cars. the attacks come days before planned commemorations of the death of the font i found her, yasir arafat. how must seize control -- thomas -- hamas has denied responsibility and condemned the blasts. barack obama has written a secret letter to iran's supreme leader about fighting islamic state in syria and iraq. >> the letter is reported to describe a shared interest in defeating the militant group, but it links any cooperation to progress on a nuclear deal between iran and the west. a white house spokesman says he cannot comment on private correspondence, but he stresses there will be no military cooperation between washington and around -- and iran.

>> brace yourself for a chess showdown. >> i will try to do that. tomorrow, two of the world's best chess players will face off with nothing less than one million euros and the chest crowd at stake. >> it gets under way in sochi, russia, and will likely last for nearly a month. >> the world championship comes down to 12 nailbiting games. the new winner will be declared by november 28. in a repeat of last year, the fight comes down to the same two players. it 22, magnus carlsen became a star in his home country, norway, after beating the crown champion. >> he is still young and has already achieved so much. i think he is something very special. >> magnus carlsen was an early developer. at just 11 years old, the so-called mozart of chess beat russian world champion garry kasparov, who went on to become

his trainer. from then on, his progress to world number one looked somewhat inevitable. he leaves his boy next-door image behind when he is sitting at the chessboard. >> people make much more mistakes when they are under psychological pressure. when still your opponent looks confident, it's much easier to make mistakes and make passive moves when you should make aggressive moves and so on. >> he faces a tough opponent. known in the chess world as the tiger of my dress, he was the world chess champion from 2007 to 2013 and has trained intensively for this latest dual against his old foe -- known in the chess world is the tiger of madras. >> jogging there for a chess clash of the titans. we will take a short break, but don't go away. >> will update you on britain's controversial spat with brussels over its contribution to the eu.

please stay with us.

>> welcome back to the show. two weeks ago, a huge row over the european union's budget emerged in brussels. >> britain found itself facing a 2.1 billion euro bill to be paid to brussels by december 1, a surcharge on its contribution to the eu budget. british prime minister david cameron angrily refusing to pay, warning that brussels is pushing his country closer to leaving the eu. >> on friday, cameron's government was able to delay the deadline. britain also says it will only pay half the amount. that is something being disputed by other members. >> british finance minister george was born was happy with the outcome of the meeting. he said the agreement was good for his country. >> instead of footing the bill, we have halved the bill. we have delayed the bill. we will pay no interest on the

bill, and if there are mistakes in the bill, we will get our money back. >> the german finance minister had a different view. he said that although britain would be given until next september to pay, there had been no discussion of reducing the amount owed, and he says it will stay fixed at 2.1 billion euros. a rather confusing difference of opinion. >> we did not discuss a rebate for britain. that does not mean the british didn't bring up the subject. i have no opinion on that. it's just that we did not discuss it. >> the ministers did agree to ask the commission to change its rules to allow countries to pay you dues late under special circumstances. but that would also mean that countries that overpaid like germany and france would have to wait for their refunds. >> for more background, we've been talking to our brussels bureau chief. have the british got what they wanted, we asked.

>> the british wanted to pay later, and they wanted to pay less. they got the first part -- they will be able to pay later. the new deadline is september 1, 2015. the original deadline was december 1 of this year, so that a significant, and they will be able to pay in whatever number of installments they want to pay. now for the paying less, that's comput k did and depends what numbers you are looking at. he claimed that he basically halved the bill during those negotiations today, but everybody else says they did not even talk about the numbers. what happened is that he up slide the traditional u.k. rebate. that has been in place for now 30 years to that number, which is not a wrong thing to do, but it's not a special discount he got on it. he is really selling the numbers, trying to sell this at home the best he can. he did not get a special discount, but of course, the

traditional u.k. rebate will also apply to that number. >> business news now at a nice surprise for the german economy. official statistics published friday showed both exports and industrial production bouncing back in september. >> in the past weeks, concerns have been growing that europe's economic powerhouse is losing steam, so the signs of improvement are promising. >> germany has taken everyone by surprise. the amount -- more than one billion euros of exports in september. poland and britain but more than in the same month the previous year. total exports to the non-eurozone eu rose by nearly 14%. for countries inside the eurozone, the increase was 3.4% and over 10.5%. analysts say the eu's current weakness has made german export more attractive. a further boost has come from

economic improvements in countries like the u.s., but economists say german producers should not rest on their laurels. the economies of many eu countries, germany's biggest partners, are still unstable. >> those german export numbers were not enough to convince investors in germany. >> better german export numbers -- this was not enough to inspire investors on this last trading day of the week syria and also, the weekly performance of the german dax is negative. 12 dax companies reported earnings in the course of this week. only half of them managed to convince investors. this also means that to question whether or not the downswing over the german economy over the summer was temporary cannot be answered finally yet. adding to all this this friday, unsettling news from the east of ukraine came in, and this was the factor which scared off finally the last remaining optimists on the trading floor.

>> as he just said, tensions are escalating again in ukraine. kiev is accusing russia of sending tanks, troops, and supplies into the east of the country to support pro-moscow separatists. >> this comes as the cease-fire between separatists and ukrainian forces looks increasingly fragile, each side accusing the other of violations. this report from our correspondent in eastern ukraine, kitty logan. >> it is quiet now, but this frontline checkpoint is right in the line of fire. these ukrainian soldiers from the kiev battalion carry out final controls on traffic, driving in and out of rebel territory. the position is vulnerable and often comes under attack. fighting in the surrounding area has escalated in recent days. these soldiers say they are now expecting a major assault from troops, which they described as russian. >> we have very heavy artillery fire from the russian side.

now we are waiting for their attack, but when they came here, they would take very big casualties. >> the unit also has eyes on the fields to support forces fighting on the front. >> this is the very last ukrainian army check point on the road between marry a poll and rebel held donetsk. troops say tensions are rising, but they believe they can still hold on to their positions. >> the ukrainian government has promised to send more troops into the area to bolster key positions like these. so far, they have not arrived. >> do not know exactly when we will have reinforcement here, but now i think the troops which we have here are very motivated and also really ready to defend this land. >> rebel leadership has repeatedly threatened to retake mariopol.

it's an important prize because of its seaport. people here are aware of a potential attack. >> i don't know if i believe it or not, but it's quite possible. they have said they are supported by russia, so there's a very good chance they might take it. >> i don't believe it. they are ukraine. we are ukraine. >> many here back the kiev government. this local woman works for a charity delivering clothes and medical supplies. she has faith in the troops she supports. >> it's obvious. the city is not a risk there. as night draws in, these men are exposed. there have been numerous unconfirmed reports of russian military hardware moving into the region in recent weeks.

>> finally, we take you to india, which is home, by the way, to well over 1000 languages, which means many indians speak more than one. very few, however, speak german. >> it's only spoken in very small circles, but it is growing in popularity. the goethe institute is campaigning to get more indian students to study german as a foreign migrants. >> not everyone is on board, though. present a positive government is far more interested in putting the focus firmly on indian languages. german is likely to remain a fringe phenomenon. >> they are practicing their german. a few months ago, the girls went to germany on a school trip. they have fond memories of their visit. those girls were learning german is a third language, after hindi

and english. >> it has become my favorite subject. you can relate german with english, so i find it very easy and very interesting. >> her father is a civil servant, her mother, a housewife. when her parents were in school, they learned sanskrit as their third language, but times have changed. her parents would be proud if she decided to emigrate to germany, especially as this would mean she would have been successful without having been to an expensive private school. but this teacher wants the german language out of indian schools. he's the head of the association of sense great teachers. sanskrit has been pushed aside by other languages, and he has filed a suit with the supreme court. >> if you introduce new languages such as japanese, german, and spanish, then that

violates our constitution. these are all languages that are not a part of our lesson plan. that's why we support bringing back sanskrit as a mandatory subject. >> some 80,000 students have chosen german over sanskrit at indian schools, and the numbers are rising. the indian education ministry has recently swung behind the sanskrit teachers as part of a push by the indian government to return to traditional indian culture. german is again under scrutiny. germany's ambassador to india has been negotiating. he says germans need highly educated people in part for the offices in india. >> the solution is to do both. i think everyone here understands that on the one hand, india wants to maintain traditions. but on the other hand, it wants to spur the economy. so i think it is completely

legitimate if young people say, "it helps me professionally. it helps my education if i study a language such as german. >> she hopes she can study in germany one day. so she is continuing with her language studies, and she hopes india's courts and politicians will make the right decision. >> that wraps up this edition of the "journal." please had to our website, www.dw.de. >> you are watching dw live from berlin. please stay with us. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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