>> hello and welcome. i'm damien mcguinness. and this is "focus on europe," showing you the people behind the headlines - the stories you -- from every corner of the continent. i'm really pleased you could join us. on the programme today -- croatians hope to heal the scars of history. in switzerland, property boom turns into property destruction. and in finland, betting on an end to austerity. but first, here in germany, a trial is about to open which should shed light on one of the most mysterious crimes of the cold war. the former head of the secret

police of croatia is accused of involvement in the murder of a croatian dissident near munich in 1983. at the time, croatia was part of what was then communist yugoslavia. to escape oppression, croatian dissidents often fled to the former west germany. but even there, they were not safe. and dozens were allegedly murdered by yugoslav secret agents, who were never brought to justice. until now, that is -- and relatives of those victims are hoping finally for some answers. >> robert zagajski points out pthe spot where his father's boy was found, back in 1983, in a field on the outskirts of munich. it's still hard for him. >> it was here that my father was murdered over 30 years ago. when i come back to this place, i always wonder if he suffered that evening. who led him out here?

who murdered him? >> in one instant, their lives were changed forever. robert zagajski and his younger brother were teenagers at the time. their father djuro zagajski was just 43. the exact circumstances of his death are still unknown. >> there aren't any murderers -- they vanished. there isn't anyone who gave any orders of any kind. officially, no one can be connected with it in any way. >> what is known is that the orders came from yugoslavia, the zagajskis' home country, and they came from high up. the family had emigrated to munich in west germany. but djuro wasn't ready to give up on his home country. he became politically active in the opposition to the yugoslav socialist regime. robert zagajski soon concluded that the yugoslav secret service had murdered his father -- one of 29 dissidents killed in the largest unsolved killing spree in german history.

these men may have known something about it -- former elite yugoslav agents for controlling dissidents abroad. one of them has now broken his silence. bozidar spasic was in charge of the so-called psychological subversion -- a division responsible for character assassination. >> we organized everything, and then we assigned criminals to carry out the deed itself. we gave them false passports, obtained weapons for them and provided logistical support. they were allowed across the border with no problems. >> the targets were mainly croats who had taken up the cause of independence for croatia, still part of yugoslavia at the time. yugoslav president josip broz tito pursued them all over the world, but especially in west germany. munich international airport, january, 2014.

former yugoslav secret service agent josip perkovic was extradited from the now-independent croatia to germany. he may be able to provide more information. yugoslavia's last secret service head, zdravko mustac, followed in april. the german federal prosecutor had issued an arrest warrant for the two former agents years ago, coupled with large rewards for information. they're charged with the murder of exile croat stjepan djurekovic. this is the case german authorities know the most about so far. djurekovic, ceo of yugoslavia's state-owned oil company, fled to germany and published books criticizing tito. it's been revealed that he also worked for west germany's intelligence service. djurekovic was to deliver a manuscript to a garage near munich which housed a secret printing shop.

but he met his assassins instead. djurekovic tried to run for his life, but the killers shot him twice in the back and shattered his skull. djurekovic's grave in zagreb, where he was re-buried after the collapse of yugoslavia. robert zagajski knew his family well. his own father had been killed just a few months before. >> we're hoping more will come to light now. it may take a while, but i think, step by step, it will come. we've waited for decades, and a few more years now won't make that much difference. >> hope remains that this brutal killing spree may yet be solved, at least partially. thirty years afterward, robert zagajski is seeking justice for his father. >> if you'd like to learn more about that story, we'll be

broadcasting a documentary on the subject later this week. to find the broadcast times in your region, check out our website at dw.de/program/titosmurdersquads. switzerland meanwhile is struggling with a rather unusual problem -- of being just too nice a place to live in! in fact, it's one of europe's most desirable property markets. the wealthy are attracted not only by the high mountains, but also the low taxes. but this is pushing up the prices for swiss people themselves -- and it's also endangering some of the country's ancient buildings. >> for centuries, people used to cook over open fires in swiss wooden houses like this one. this house didn't have a chimey, so the walls were soon coated with a thick layer of soot. the owners thought it should be demolished, but then a heritage

society bought it at the last minute and had it renovated. >> this is the small room called a stibli that people used to sleep in. it still has its wonderful original wooden floors. you can sense the history in the walls. the medieval swiss swashbucklers used to live here. they fought the swiss battles and spread the swiss founding myth. >> switzerland's national hero wilhem tell would probably turn in his grave if he could see how many buildings in the canton of schwyz are being torn down. a barn once stood here but the owner wants to sell the site at a good price. the local authorities allowed the demolition, although it wasn't clear whether or not the barn should have been declared a listed building. >> to simply go ahead and tear down a building without waiting for a court ruling is outrageous.

>> but even the courts often fail to stop the demolition squads. they don't have a complete list of all the protected buildings. the local heritage official discovered this relic from medieval times at the very last minute, and saved it. as the canton's sole heritage official, he is reponsible for thousands of buildings. >> if you're on your own, you can't be everywhere at once. often times you're simply too late. >> with its idyllic mountain vistas and close proximity to the city, the area around zurich is immensely popular. it attracts wealthy europeans looking for chic new apartments and villas overlooking lake lucerne. and they are given plenty of incentives to come here. >> our canton offers some of the best tax deals in switzerland.

>> in switzerland or worldwide? >> yes, i would say that we can compete globally. yes, we can. >> which is why many decide to make the canton of schwyz, with its 0.5% wealth tax rate, their primary home. the canton profits because the wealthy inhabitants boost the economy. >> skilled tradesmen, estate agents, and home owners all profit from the system. but the gulf between rich and poor is getting wider. average earners can no longer afford to buy property. that threatens basic swiss values. social contacts are lost and you can feel our society drifting apart. >> the property boom also affects the landscape. the banks of lake lucerne are lined with buildings. tourists no longer find sites of natural beauty here.

the trend has worried the eichenberger family for a long time now. they are proud of their 400-year-old house, which they lovingly restored. >> you live with the house. if it has cracks they let in cold, warm, damp, or dry air. we have to live with it. >> the eichenbergers were lucky enough to inherit their home. but many property owners simply let the old houses fall apart. the regional heritage society is campaigning to save the canton's historic buildings. 16,000 people have joined the campaign. but few of them are likely to be new w w erish e olololololololo. >> the cost of property is

clearly having a big impact in switzerland - and of course with -- and across europe. is that a good or a bad thing, do you think? let me know by getting in touch on twitter. now to the conflict in syria, which is leading to more violence in neighboring turkey between turks and kurds. that is because kurds are outraged that turkey is not intervening to protect kurds across the border in syria from the onslaught of islamic extremist militants isis. dozens of people have already been killed in clashes within turkey with kurdish protesters. and now some kurds are deciding to take matters into their own hands. >> a silent prayer for a life lost. of his eight children, mehmet kivik says his son ibrahim was his favorite.

three months ago, his body was returned from syria. the 26-year-old died while fighting for the kurdish resistance. >> he was helpful and cared a great deal for his people. we have relatives in the kurdish part of syria, so he wanted to take up arms to protect them from the enemy. >> he lived in a small kurdish town near the turkish-syrian border. he ran a food shop here. now his older brother has taken over the shop. ibrahim had always dreamed of a kurdish revolution. one day, he decided to take action. under the name erdal, he spent eight months fighting for kurdish autonomy on syrian soil. >> before he left, he wrote off his customers' debts, put things in order, and closed the shop. then he was gone. none of us know about his plans, but we respect his decision. as kurds, we are repressed and attacked everywhere.

not only in syria, but in iraq, iran, and turkey. we have to defend ourselves. >> whether they join the ranks of kurdish fighters taking up arms against islamic state forces in syria or the militant kurdish workers party fighting on home soil, many young kurds see violent conflict as their only escape from poverty and discrimination. the pkk flag has become a common sight at funerals of kurds killed fighting in syria. many don't differentiate between the turkish government and islamic state terrorists. two years ago, the turkish government and the pkk agreed on a cease-fire based on the principle of peace in return for reforms. but the kurdish peace and democracy party is disappointed with the government toss concessions. -- government's concessions. >> we don't want a new civil war. we suffered under that for 40 years.

the just allowing us to speak our own language is not enough. we want recognition of our culture, and we want autonomy. if we are to prevent our boys from taking up arms, we will have to take serious steps in that direction. >> but the pkk is calling for a return to violence across the region, and the call is being heard. close to the syrian border, we meet amed, a turkish kurd. the young medical student left his town of adana to join the fight for kurdistan. how and where, he does not yet know. but he is sure that relying on peaceful means is not the answer. >> the turkish nationalists continue to humiliate us by saying there is only one nationality and one language. the peace talks have taken us nowhere, so at least if we join in armed struggle, we can demonstrate our pride in our roots.

and it gives us a space to live in freedom. >> when a police car drives past, amed makes a run for it. by now, he will be in the mountains with the pkk. it was this dream of freedom and a better life that drew ibrahim kivik to join the kurdish armed resistance movement. before he left, he wrote a goodbye letter to his brother. >> there is so much injustice i refuse to accept. i don't just mean what we as kurds are made to suffer, but also other people and groups around the world. >> he lost his life for his belief in justice. >> before the rise of hitler, berlin was a thriving center of jewish life. the holocaust tragically changed all that. jews were either murdered by the

nazis or fled abroad. but over the last few years, jewish life has been returning to berlin. the german capital now has europe's fastest-growing jewish community, and young jewish berliners are even doing their bit to promote peace back in israel. >> dancing to traditional jewish music in a nightclub does not sound very kosher. but israeli dj avov metter -- aviv netter likes playing around with jewish clichés that his so-called meschugge nights. netter has become a popular fixture in berlin's nightclubs. aviv never dreamed he'd become a spokesman for jewish culture in berlin. his choice to move to the german capital did not go over well with his family in tel aviv. like many jews of his generation, aviv prefers to look

forward rather than back. >> regarding the horrors that came out from the city, like regarding to the war that started here, and the racism that raced here in berlin. so i think that because of that, people had to sit and think about what happened. and it's a great ground to start a new thing. >> with so many young jews flocking to the city from eastern europe, israel, and the u.s., jewish culture in berlin is enjoying a revival. any newcomer share -- many newcomers share aviv's desire for a more liberal lifestyle. the dj says he felt an unkosher jewish music night was just what berlin's club scene was lacking. >> it sounded like the audience needed something like that, so i was looking for a way to communicate with us, this generation of jewish people with the other german people.

there was a big appetite for communication. >> hungarian armin langer was also looking for somewhere where his cosmopolitan ideals would be welcome. armin is gay and a devout jew. he moved to berlin for years ago, and now feels at home here. he is training to be a rabbi. >> i came here because as a progressive thinker, i did not feel 100% comfortable in either hungary or israel. here in berlin, instead of a tiny minority, the majority of people share my ideas. >> but there have been incidences of intolerance in berlin. in 2013, a well-known rabbi declared the borough of neukolln a no-go area for jews after he was attacked there. neukolln has a large muslim population.

armin also lives there. to take a stand against the borough's stigmatization, armin launched the salon-shalom -- sa laam-shalom initiative. together with other jews, muslims, christians, and atheists living in neukolln, he wants to prove people of different cultures can live together peacefully all over berlin. >> it is much harder to have initiatives like this in israel. many people would say, you are living in a movie. so at least they can come here and be a bit more -- do initiatives like this that are a bit more naïve. that there is nothing wrong with a positive kind of naivety. >> armin and his friends are not the only people with such ideals. more than 70 others have joined them in their bid to rid neukoelln of racism against jews and muslims and encourage

cultural exchange -- something that's already a success on berlin's dance floors. >> now to finland, the home of the mobile phone giant nokia, was the global leader in phone handsets -- before the apple iphone came along. finland's prime minister has blamed apple for his country's current economic woes, which have meant tough austerity for many local authorities. that in one small finnish town, a canny investment in the kia many years ago is at least still helping local elderly people. likes the visit of -- >> the village of pukkila in southern finland has seen better days. for years, it has been drowning in debt, which keeps getting bigger. but city council says that is about to change. every monday, it needs to try to turn pukkila's fortunes around. the first order of business is the lottery cup. each of the nine town council

members puts a coin in a cup and chooses a number for the weekly super jackpot. it will really need a big win to balance pukkila's budget and eliminate its 4 million euros in debt. >> of course we hope to win, but more importantly, we want to send a message to the government. things can't go on like this. >> our village has suffered so many cuts, and the government saves money wherever it can, whether in social services or health care. we have nothing left to cut. >> jukka lethimaki wants to show us what that means. he takes us out for a tour through his cash-strapped village on his tractor. we are heading for what is generally a source of pride in finland, the local school. finland's pupils rank among the

worlds best thanks to sophisticated teaching methods and high investment in education. but that is not the case here in pukkila. here, funding has been cut by thousands of euros, leaving classrooms looking distinctly old. tuples use pencils and chalk, lot -- not laptops. >> i am afraid that in future our children won't have the skills other pupils do, goes there is no longer money for computers and software. >> and that is a crying shame says jukka lehtimaki, because his village is currently one of the richest in finland. the man who was the source of those riches lived here a century ago. onni nurmi was born in pukkila. when he died in 1962, he bequeathed his birthplace all he had, including 780 shares in a company called nokia.

back then, the firm produced rubber boots. but after it switched to making cell phones, no kia's share price soared -- nokia's share price soared, and onni nurmi's bequest was suddenly worth 30 million euros. but there was a catch. >> the money made from the sales of the shares is designated to making the lives of the old people as comfortable as possible. >> that is why this poor village has what must be the world swankiest senior citizens home. it is a wellness center complete with a gym, sauna, and swimming pool. millions have been spent for the benefit of just two dozen seniors. >> it's like a five-star hotel here. the accommodation is so nice, and the food is great. we have everything here. >> it was onni nurmi's last will and testament, and we must respect that. >> jukka lehtimaki does respect

onni nurmi's wishes, but looking around the home lovely japanese garden, he can't help feeling a little envious. >> sometimes, just before i fall asleep at night, i imagine how nice it would be to have just a little of that money and our disposal. >> one thing the town counselor does have is the support of pukkila's citizens. they are protesting helsinki's cost-cutting measures and backing lehtimaki's lottery scheme. >> when people started talking about playing the lottery, everyone wanted to take heart, in the neighboring villages too. >> i am excited. if we win, there will be enough money for us to afford new homes. >> then comes the most exciting

part -- the drawing of the lottery numbers. pukkila's got a ticket with four of the winning numbers, or smart than 100 euros. >> if we win the jackpot, we will throw a really big party. >> so far, they have invested 1200 euros, but only one -- won a thousand. maybe playing the lottery is in the best way to get out of debt after all. >> that's it for today. if you use twitter, do feel free to join the conversation with me online. in the meantime, it's goodbye from me for now. thanks very much for watching, and see you next time. [captioned by the national captioning institute which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

steves: a selection of ferries make the 50-mile crossing between helsinki and tallinn nearly hourly. because of the ease of this delightful two-hour cruise and the variety a quick trip over to estonia adds to your nordic travels, pairing helsinki and tallinn is a natural. stepping off the boat in tallinn, the capital of estonia, you feel you've traveled a long way culturally from finland. its a mix of east and west. tallinn's nordic lutheran culture and language connect it with stockholm and helsinki, but two centuries of czarist russian rule and nearly 50 years as part of the soviet union have blended in a distinctly russian flavor. fins and estonians share a similar history. first, swedish domination, then russian. then independence after world war i. until 1940, the estonians were about as affluent as the fins, but then estonia was gobbled up by an expanding soviet empire

and spent the decades after world war ii under communism. when the ussr fell, estonia regained its freedom, and in 2004, it joined the european union. tallinn has modernized at an astounding rate since the fall of the soviet union. its business district shines with the same glass and steel gleam you'll find in any modern city. yet nearby are the rugged and fully intact medieval walls, and the town within these ramparts has a beautifully preserved old-world ambiance. among medieval cities in the north of europe, none are as well preserved as tallinn. the town hall square was a marketplace through the centuries. its fine old buildings are a reminder that tallinn was once an important medieval trading center. today it's a touristy scene, full of people just having fun. through the season, each midday, cruise-ship groups congest the center as they blitz the town in the care of local guides.

like many tourist zones, tallinn's is a commercial gauntlet. here there's a hokey torture museum, strolling russian dolls, medieval theme restaurants complete with touts, and enthusiastic hawkers of ye olde taste treats. woman: [ laughs ] steves: but just a couple blocks away is, for me, the real attraction of tallinn -- workaday locals enjoying real freedom and better economic times. still-ramshackle courtyards host inviting cafés. bistros serve organic cuisine in a chic patina of old-world-meets new. and just outside the walls, it seems there's no tourism at all. under towering ramparts, the former moat is now a park, perfect for a warm afternoon stroll.

hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's tuesday november 11th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the leaders of 21 countries and terrors are sitting down for the second day of the cooperation forum. they're tackling how to promote economic integration. japanese prime minister abe is advocating for a free trade agreement that covers the region. he says the free trade kra of the asia pacific agreement would deliver benefits to member states. he says that will contribute more to regional economic