focus on europe. glad you could join us. turmoil continues in spain as the fight for independence in catalonia continues. mass protests have become a familiar sight in barcelona in recent weeks. pro-independence supporters are furious at the central government in madrid for its attempt to reassert control over their region. spain is on the brink. on one side is catalonia, the autonomous region in the northeast, whose recent referendum called for independence. on the other is the country's central government in madrid, that plans to strip catalonia of its powers. while the spanish prime minister initially had the support of the so-called silent majority, it seems his aggressive stance has backfired.

now some once pro-unity catalans, like maria vallverdoo, are in favor of secession. reporter: everywhere she turns, the crisis is in evidence. maria vallverdu guides a tour group through barcelona's old town, where catalan history and the current political upheaval appear to vie for attention. protest banners and flags hang from buildings where normally only laundry is strung out to dry. like many locals, the historian is outraged that madrid is moving to enforce direct rule on catalonia. >> the current political situation is like some 18th century rule by decree. it is a step backwards by 300 years. even if prime minister rajoy claims he hasn't revoked catalonian autonomy and everything will return to normal, i do not believe it.

reporter: the next stop on the tour is the historic palace of the generalitat, the seat of the regional government. journalists from all over the world are here reporting on the standoff between barcelona and madrid. opinion is divided on whether catalonia's bid for independence violates the spanish constitution. maria vallverdu is horrified over madrid's hard line course, and no longer rules out military intervention. >> i suspect madrid will use force to seize control of the regional administration. because the catalan government is not going to give in now, and simply hand the keys over to rajoy. reporter: and the situation is growing increasingly tense. at this protest, a spanish police helicopter becomes the target of collective anger.

more than 400,000 people are here demanding the release of , two jailed independence activists. "the streets will always be ours," they chant. many catalans feel abandoned by europe. >> this is a peaceful demonstration, not fueled by politicians, but by the people. i had hoped that europe would hear the cries of the people and help us. because our demands are justified. in a cafe, maria's group takes a break. she sees herself as a liberal-minded, and until now

opposed independence for , catalonia. but prime minister rajoy's tough stance has made her change her mind. >> there are lots of people like me, who actually didn't want independence, but now feel compelled to change sides. because of this blatant disregard for democracy. reporter: in a place where conversation normally revolves around soccer and the weather, these days it's the catalonian crisis that's on everyone's mind. >> we're seeing a split in society. i'm worried most about the economic impact, for my company and employees, because there's currently a lot of uncertainty in catalonia. reporter: after three hours, maria vallverdu concludes her tour. the city seems its usual self, with it's mix of spanish folklore and the catalan architecture that draws millions of tourists each year. and yet today, there's a nagging sense that barcelona may be on the brink of change. michelle: a maltese journalist was recently killed in a car

bomb blast. she wrote a hugely popular blog that drew attention to cases of alleged corruption among politicians, up to and including the highest ranks of the government. and her murder has reverberated beyond the country's borders. while critics across the e.u. have called her death a worrying attack on freedom of the press, many maltese themselves fear that the rule of law in their country is in danger. reporter: the scene of daphne caruana galizia's murder has been cordoned off. since the investigation began, forensic experts have even been joined by a team from the fbi. the bomb that killed the investigative journalist and blogger close to her home was so powerful, it blew her car into a field. she'd made enemies with her relentless drive to expose corruption, and had long been receiving threats. now her family's lawyer is raising serious accusations, including against the government led by prime minister joseph muscat.

>> joseph muscat, the prime minister himself, referred to daphne as a hate blogger, as a person who lied, as a person who disseminated fake news. he was the person who led a vicious character assassination on daphne caruana galizia for more than 20 years. and for now, to come as if shedding crocodile tears, it is too late. he should have acted much before. reporter: galizia's research into leaked documents known as the panama papers suggested the prime minister's wife owned a stake in a shell company that engaged in large-scale money laundering. she based her claim on papers discovered by a bank employee. >> she found two documents in the safe, both of them declarations of trust, by individuals, the nominees, who held shares in egrant inc. in the name of mrs. michelle

muscat. reporter: references to this company, egrant, appear in the panama papers. earlier this year, during a session of the european parliament in strasbourg, mps asked how malta could maintain the rule of law amid allegations of corruption. the prime minister dismissed these concerns, along with galizia's allegations. >> some people in this house have referred to a story, a totally outright lie, that has been directed against me, my wife, and my family. i marvelled at the idea that some extremely knowledgeable members of this house have taken this thing, this fake news, and repeated it here just like that. reporter: four months later, daphne caruana galizia is dead. back in malta, many questions remain unanswered. to what extent are the island's leaders engaged in organized crime? how credible are the allegations against the government?

and why was galizia killed? at a makeshift memorial outside the courthouse in the capital, one of the people paying his respects is simon busuttil, a conservative politician. he was among those heavily criticised by the journalist. what does he have to say about what happened? >> she didn't have to die. she needn't have died, and all this could have been avoided, if the rule of law in our country did not collapse in the way it has. even scandals as big as panama papers that took people to justice from countries -- in countries from germany to brazil were ignored in our country, just because they involved the topmost politicians in our country. well, daphne exposed all this, and she died for it.

reporter: the allegations corruption, tax havens, a refuge , for the mafia, and 70,000 offshore companies, and the sale of maltese passports. many people believe the rule of law in malta is being undermined along with press freedom. jacob borg, an investigative journalist, worked with galizia for several years, including on the panama papers. he is still shaken by her death. >> obviously, this is going to remain at the back of our minds, but we can't let this intimidate us and stop us from doing our jobs. this is maltese media, we need to up our game and we need to keep on fighting and keep on writing our stories. that is the best testament we can possibly give to daphne. reporter: many maltese doubt her killers will be found. but there's hope that this gruesome murder in one of its own member states will at least serve as a wake up call to the european union. michelle: malta's government has

offered a one million euro reward and full protection for anyone with information about the murder. vittenberg in eastern germany is a sleepy town that also happens to be the place that one man shook the foundations of catholicism. it is where martin luther established the protestant chuch 500 years ago. but this one time cradle of reformation is increasingly god-less. saxony-anhalt, the region where the town lies, has by far the lowest share of churchgoers in all of germany. with the lutheran anniversary approaching, our reporter followed a local pastor to find out how he is trying to hold on to his flock. reporter: the globig parsonage in saxony-anhalt has seen better days. the stove is being stoked to warm up the place for the senior group who are about to arrive. they meet here every wednesday but not for much longer. pastor jurgen hofmann has to give up the house because there's no one left to see to the upkeep of the old building.

>> here in globig, all the tenants are moving out. the windows and roof are all new, but the house doesn't have central heating. that makes it very difficult to find new tenants, so we decided to sell the house. reporter: this isn't the first parsonage hofmann has closed. at least this time there is another place to live lined up for him. he just hopes the small community holds together. he's relying on god's help for that. >> this is something god does quite often. he fulfills the desires we have deep in our hearts. reporter: but fewer and fewer parishoners are attending church services and devotions. the culinary delights of gooseberry and cheesecake are a tried-and-true means for the

pastor to disseminate luther's message. >> so, that was globig, now we are going to the neighboring village, wartenburg, the mother group meets their we'll make 3:30. that easy enough, and then we'll hit the road again. reporter: it's a fulltime job split between senior citizens and the mothers' group, seven days a week. the villages that belong to the sankt petri parish are located within a 30 kilometer radius. only one in 10 people here is still a member of the protestant church despite its close proximity to wittenberg, the cradle of the reformation. is it now a god-forsaken region? >> i wouldn't say godforsaken, i'd say god-forgotten, at least in a lot of areas. east germany wasn't particularly successful, especially not economically, but sadly, it succeeded at one thing very well combatting religion. , we're still feeling the effects of that. reporter: the "mothers' circle" in wartenburg is actually more

of a "grandmothers' circle." daughters and granddaughters are few and far between. many young women leave the region and find work elsewhere. >> you don't really see them in the church anymore. once they have their "coming of age party" or confirmation, you rarely see them after that. it's sad, but that's the way it is. reporter: 500 years after the reformation began in wittenberg, there's not much evidence in the region of the people's church. they are just not interested. maintaining contact to the next generation is crucial. pastor hofmann is on the board of the ymca in wittenberg, the young men's christian association. at least the reformation anniversary celebrations gave the organization a boost. a summer project has become a lasting youth club. >> we hope the kids will ask us why we are doing this.

and then our staff members can say, "i'm doing this because i believe in god and i have a relationship with jesus." and then they can talk about what that means, get the conversation started. reporter: the pastor doesn't see himself as a prayer leader for a silent community, but rather as a guide for those exploring their faith, very much in the spirit of martin luther. >> we always had a church for all people in germany, that meant, the everyone belonged to the church community. now we need a new paradigm, the church must be there for the people, even those who aren't currently members. reporter: because sunday after sunday he contends with a half empty church, pastor hofmann fights for every service attendee. every four weeks a youth band plays which brings a few more , people than usual into church. but they should do more than just sit back and listen.

>> i ask you all now to please close your eyes. try to create a picture of what i am reading in your mind. god sitting on the throne and being glorified. holy, holy, holy lord god almighty. lord of power and might. reporter: faith is god's work in us, according to the teaching of martin luther. 500 years on, pastor hofmann is struggling to find people still willing to hear reformer's message. michelle: it happened while hundreds of people were sleeping. only for them to wake up to a nightmare. on the 14th of june, a fire engulfed all 24 stories of grenfell tower in west london killing at least 80 people. located in one of london's wealthiest neighborhoods, the horrifying destruction of this public housing block has come to

symbolize the shocking divide between rich and poor. the borough of kensington and chelsea is a study in inequity, with people of extreme poverty and wealth living side by side. reporter: the burnt out shell of grenfell tower, the west london highrise in which so many once lived, and died. for vasiliki stavrou laurent they were friends and neighbours, people she saw most every day. she's lived opposite grenfell tower for 34 years. on the night of june 14th she was awakened by the fire. >> i could see people at their windows. they said, "help! help!" sometimes the children were shouting, "shall we jump?" reporter: all around grenfell tower there are still signs of mourning, and rage. many accuse the authorities of having ignored fire regulations by covering in the building in a highly flammable cladding to save money. this area is home to many public housing blocks which, like grenfell tower, are managed by the local council. vasiliki stavrou laurent lives

in social housing, too, and understands the anger. >> nobody was listening to them. and we have experience as well, we know exactly how it happened. you know, it's not just the fire. it's the way people were treated, the way they have been ignored. reporter: grenfell tower stands in one of the uk's most affluent boroughs, kensington and chelsea. many of the houses here are worth millions. the extremely wealthy and the very poor often live on the same street. it's one borough, but two very different worlds. kensington and chelsea has become a magnet for the world's super rich. they invest in real estate here, which often stands empty. the borough has profited, and has been able to build up some 300 million euros in financial reserves. since the fire, many protests have been staged against this

social inequity, too. local residents and left-wing activists demand "justice for grenfell" in front of the local council. inside, politicians pledge to use the financial reserves to create more public housing and purchase properties that are standing empty. but they say this could take years. the sound of boo-ing fills the room. the survivors feel betrayed and misunderstood by the conservative-run council. >> the dead disown you. you've let the dead down. now you want to come for the living? reporter: teacher moyra samuels belongs to the group demanding justice for grenfell. for them, that means getting timely help for victims and their families, and punishing those responsible. this painting project was set up the day after the fire. moyra samuels has been involved in local politics for years. she says the fire is only the most tragic example of the problems here. she wants political change and

an end to austerity measures. >> we'll take the austerity and you'll take the wealth, you know. and you'll continue to make decisions which will deprive us of decent education, decent health service, decent housing. you know, public services have been really attacked over the last decade. reporter: social worker jamie sewell also knew many of the victims. he's involved in youth projects in the area around grenfell tower. they offer young men an alterative to drugs, gangs and violence. he says the authorities sweep the problems here under the carpet. >> they had a violent crimes unit. they introduced a violent crimes unit. so they don't want to accept there's a gang issue, so they couldn't call it gang. if they called it gang, the people at the other end of the street might get a bit upset. it might affect house prices. reporter: near grenfell tower residents have created an improvised community center. here people can read a book, chat or play chess, and forget

their troubles for a while. it's especially important to give the young people here something to hold on to. that was tough enough even before the fire. >> when you bring things like drugs into it and you say, well there's an area where you can make an easy buck. and youngsters are already feeling deeply resentful, because they're very aware of what they don't have. because, at the other end of the street, there's people who have so much. yeah, it's just a very strange place. a tale of two cities entirely, i think. reporter: this is the other side of kensington and chelsea. the local rotary club is holding a meeting at a luxury hotel. you must be successful to be a member of this organization. those here are aware of the borough's huge gap between rich and poor. >> there's always been a situation of rich living with poor, and getting along fairly well. because i think there is a commitment from people in the -- this country that we help each other. reporter: so, after the terrible

tragedy in their borough, they feel it's their duty to pitch in. graeme thomas, a former diplomat, is coordinating the club's efforts to help. ever since the fire he's been deluged with offers. >> personally, just going to there, i've been rather proud of how people have responded. ways; they've responded in big they have responded in small ways, they have responded in big ways. but they have responded. they haven't just walked away from the whole thing. reporter: yet, despite that response, grenfell's former residents and neighbors feel they've been abandoned. most had lost faith in the politicians long before the fire. for them, the tower's burnt out shell is just further evidence they'd been right all along. michelle: it begs the question, whether such basic rights are only accessible to the privileged few who can afford to pay for them. and now to switzerland, where a farmer is fighting to, as he puts it, give cows a voice. armin capowl has made it his

mission to curtail a practice he considers unnecessarily cruel. and based on all the signatures was able to collect, it seems many of his fellow citizens agree with him. reporter: alpine farmer armin capaul has never followed the crowd. he's a free spirit who's always done his own thing. and he's someone who usually gets what he wants, sooner or later. and what he wants now is that cows get to keep their horns. although they're all born with horn nubs, in switzerland eight out of 10 calves are dehorned. this is often painful for the cattle. firm -- for capaul, it's clearly cruelty to animals.

>> the creator equipped cows with horns, so for me it's only natural that they belong to the animal. reporter: so he started campaigning to let swiss cows hold on to their horns. for years he tried to do this through petitions, but the authorities and the politicians wouldn't listen. so he launched his "hornkuh," or "horned cow," initiative. and, against all the odds, collected more than 150,000 signatures. enough for a referendum on the matter. in a few months, switzerland's more than 5 million voters will decide. and armin capaul stands a good chance of winning despite , opposition from the government, parliament and the association of swiss cattle breeders. >> it can't be that something like whether cows have horns or not becomes part of the constitution. look at these cows here, how they're all standing around us, so calm and peaceful. i don't think these animals are

lacking for anything. and cows with horns significantly raise the risk of accidents. reporter: armin capaul says the notion that cow horns increase the risk of injury is nonsense. he says that, in his stall, the cows use their horns to communicate. >> she offered the tip of her horn to another cow so it could clean dirt out of its eye. she stuck out her horn and the other one went like this. reporter: capaul knows he can't ban dehorning entirely. he jokes that if he tried to do that, someone might set fire to his cowstall. instead, he's seeking financial assistance for farmers who let their cattle keep their horns. that's because these cows need more space in the stall than dehorned ones.

his opponents say capaul's initiative would cost 30 million swiss francs. >> where would the money come from? it'd have to be taken out of domestic agriculture. there certainly wouldn't be any more direct payments, or subsidies. and that would mean more discontent amongst farmers. reporter: but the battle against dehorning is really about creating more nature-oriented agricultural policies, something armin capaul plans to keep fighting for. now he must find funding for his referendum campaign. he's paid everything himself so far. but, now his wife's taken the bull by the lawrence and -- bull by the horns, and forbidden him from doing it again. michelle: that's it for today. thank you for watching. see you next time, good bye . [captioning performed by the national captioning institute,

which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.

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