carelessness, neglect, and greed are contributing to the devastating forest fires sweeping russia, that has claimed villages. hello, and welcome to the brussels studios of dw-tv and "european journal." trying to save corsica's coastline from sophist builders. -- from selfish builders. france and germany have

warned their citizens against visiting russia while massive floors fires -- while massive forest fires destroyed homes and villages. the army has been called in to fight the blaze. many say is tolate. but post-soviet russia lacks a coordinated polic in simple carelessness is not the only cause. fire clears the land for builders while speculators grab the timber. >> this man has been on patrol south of moscow. fires have been burning here for weeks, but now things are calm. too calm. there are not even birds singing. it is like the aftermath of a bomb attack. >> i have known the forests since i was a boy. we come here to relax and pick mushrooms and berries.

ig also work here as a ranger. seeing the forest like this breaks my heart. >> 100,000 had acres of forest, an area three times the size of malta. 260 people used to work here. three years ago, the fire prevention budget was cut, as was the work force. >> we now have 50 people in charge of this. 50 people are fighting the fires. >> experts say the russian government cut back on forest fire prevention for financial reasons and claims the people responsible for forest protection are the ones intent on profiting from the situation. northwest of moscow, the smoke and stench from the forest fires has been blown as far as this weekendc home.

the financial expert said he became an environmentalist because he could no longer bear to see the destruction of the fofosts. >> the people who have the say here are only interested in one thing. profit. profit at any price. >> he points to the evidence outside of his front door. the forest itself escaped the fire, but the trees are nonetheless doomed. to make way for a highway. he says environmental issues and protests by local residents were ignored. >> a highway could have been built along the edge of the forest, which would not have been too bad. but now they want to build it straight through the forest, cutting its in two.

>> in firemen the list say if the forest is cleared, the air in the russian capital could become even worse. -- environmentalists say if the forest is cleared, the air in the russian capital could become even worse. >> that is what makes this a forced so valuable. it is unique in the area around moscow. the fact that so many wild oak trees are still growing here. >> during a demonstration, protesters are treated like terrorists and treated with suspicion by the police. this man claims putin. protesters chanted "stop the highway." they say their protests must be heard. >> we are protesting putin's system. and has been destroying the ecological structures of russia

for years. >> the large companies like it because they can earn money. they need profits, not fosts. >> alexander continues his patrol of the forest. it is hard to determine the exact extent of the damage. what h knows is it will take decades before the forest looks like it used to. napoleon's father charles bonaparte was one of the people who resisted the overtaking of corsica. today, corsican nationalists are using violent means against a different kind of nationalists, the building of holiday homes on its beautiful coastline. conservationists are also campaigning to stop greedy speculators from spoiling their island. >> this hotel lies in ruins

after one of the most spectacular bombings carried out by corsican nationalists. their radical campaign against property builders started in the mid-1970s. this is targeted an italian bank. this year has already seen dozens of attacks. this property is owned by a frenchman, from the continent, as the corsican say. he recently purchased the land from this man. he has lived on the island for decades. >> i felt and sold 3000 square meters of my property to the french men because i cannot find a buyer here. he was a good person. >> the barely legible writing on the wall reads, "the corsican

soil belongs to the corsican people." that night, fresh attacks, singling out property owned by foreigners or french people from the mainland. it is mostly people from the mainland to have enough money to build on corsica. the southern part of the island is particularly appealing. buildings are frequently built on breathtaking spots with clear views of the city -- views of the sea. >> this area on the peninsula is full of building sites. they are all illegal. this one should never have been granted planning permission. >> this person is very familiar with the ins and outs of the law. his organization sets out to protect the corsican coast.

retired fishermen are horrified by the way things are changing on the island. >> now there is boarding and high fences everywhere, which are used to cordon off private property. for example, here, there is no more access to the public. it infringes on the coastal protection laws and france, which guarantees free access to the beach by all. >> we would never have found the path without him. it leads to what is left of what was a public beach. he wants nothing to do with the nationalists. he consciously distances himself from the bomb attacks, but he understands the thinking behind them. >> they will build like crazy in the coming years. when one day there is no more space, the villas will be torn down and replaced with high- rises, like in monaco.

>> the buildings on corsica may have a different style to monaco, but the real-estate prices are similar. these start at 1 million euros. prices skyrocket if they have private access to the beach. the better the view, the more expensive the house. this also applies to property on the southern tip of the island, with its stunning 122 kilometers of coastline. paradise for real-estate agents. an 18-hole golf course occupies one of the prettiest spaces. the coastal hiking path has been rerouted to make room for the golfers. other people are no longer able to access this local beauty spot. we were not allowed in with our camera.

conservationists are also resisting the gradual sale of their land through legal channels. the contest development plans and the dubious planning permits that are being issued. >> if the mayor notices a planning application file its coastal protection laws, he has to pretend he left it in a drawer and forget about it. two months later, the application is regard it granted. this loophole is being used ever more frequently on corsica. >> this is precisely what happened on th coastline. after two months of silence from the mayor, planning permission was essentially granted. now they are building on a spot where building should not be permitted. >> there was an admininirative error and application was forgotten, but i back the

planning commission. course andcorsica cannot becomea wildlife preserve. we have to find a balance. >> many aspects of the development plan have already been overturned by the courts. the legal firm that represents the environmentalists has no illusions that it is anything but a small victory. >> this is kind of a lawless state. the state is not backing up the law, and the activist not have enough money and staying power to challenge every single decision by the courts. >> planning permission that has already been planted sll plies, so investors continued to build, ignoring the coastal protection laws. nationals continue their campaign, in the belief that violence is the only way to

protect themselves and the island. this village scenes on villes ireacs back known, -- reaches back then, in italy. somebody won a lottery fortune there, but nobody knows who it was very -- knows who it was. >> villagers would not be villagers without local gossip. what about in the foothills of bagnone? it was just a hilltop community of 2000. since last august, it has been on the map. this cafe sold the ticket that scooped europe's biggest evev lottery jackpot, up 148 million euros.

>> we were watching the drawing on tv, as we always do. this ad on the news that somebody in the province had won the jackpot -- they said on the news that somebody in the province had won the jackpot. the phone rang right away. they did not stop the next six days. >> five minutes later, the bar was full, first with local, then journalists. >> this is a two hours later. but it is not raining, that a champagne. -- that is champagne. >> the courts have stopped popping, but they still serve under the sign. regulars are still asking the golden question, who hit the jackpot? >> there is lots of talk, but nobody has found out.

>> everyone here plays the lottery, but who bought the winning ticket? >> everyone said the forest ranger was the winner, but he is still working as a ranger. and the man in the cafe was also under suspicion, but he is still growing mushrooms. >> the local residents are convinced that he knows something. he bought his own ticket seconds after the winner did, but he pleads ignorance. >> i don't know who the winner is. it would have been nice get a present. >> he says it could beat this man, from the village post office. but what a mega millions jackpot winner still be playing the lottery every week, as he does? >> he started the rumor it was a single, 45-year-old man who

filled out the lottery slip before him. i fit that description. there are not too many unmarried people of my age here in bagnone, but i swear it was nott me. >> he has a new car, but hardly one fit for a multimillionaire. now they are saying it could be a local laws spends most of the year working in the north of the country, -- one of the locals who spends time most of the year working in the north of the country. antonio is the newspaper vendor. he has his own theory. he thinks a tourist. the lucky numbers but left the village that same evening. he says it is time the winner comes forward. >> anyone who wins that much money should give us some of it to bagnone. people could do with some help, and he has so much money. >> bagnone is still making

headlines. the mayor is grateful for all of the media coverage. he is also concerned about peace in the village. >> there is a question hanging over life here. can you imane that somody could keep such a big secret in such a small community? >> but could it be that bagnone really does not know who won the millions? and mauryas lips are sealed. she checks most of the lottery tickets, but she knows nothing about the one that is now worth 148 million euros. many ethnic sons and daughters of one country raised in another harbored dreams of returning to their roots.

about 40% of germany's young ethnic turks would like to move to turkey, believing it offers better prospects. but when they do, they find it is who you know, contacts with the right people, very different from what they are used to. >> this person got a university degree in germany. now she runs her own ad agency. but she feels she has reached a dead end here. she wants to move to istanbul, but first she needs a job. she hopes that the booming economy will help jumpstart her career. >> in turkey, i see the potential that has been lost in germany because of the economic crisis. >> she wants to start a new life with her ethnic background -- where her ethnic background is not a disadvantage. >> i work with someone once, and i was interested in doing more work with him, but he suggested i should leave my name off the

business cards because he has conservative clients. this was eastern bavaria, and i just had to accept it. >> she is meeting her cousin and relative to 40 per it -- and their relative for tea. her family wants to help her, but they are worried that her german background could be an obstacle. >> she has a completely different accent and she does not look turkish. she looks more like a german. >> in some situations, she is conscious of her german side. for instance, while studying the renovations at her parents' old apartment in istanbul. >> the power socket is cricket. the fact that i see it cricket -- the power is crooked.

the fact that i see it as crooked makes me dormant -- makes me german. >> her biggest fear is not making it an istanbul. she wants to set up an ad agency, but she needs context. >> you need to know somebody who knows someone. >> she is eager to do networking at the local roundtable of german turks living in the city. but she is nervous. she still does not know anyone, and she wants to make a good first impression perry -- first impression. it is time for introductions. more and more well educated turks are moving to istanbul from germany, and the round table keeps them in touch. >> the way people interact with each other is different.

germans are used to saying everything openly and directly, and assume turks and their turf colleagues are equally open. but that is where there are a lot of misunderstandings and disappointments. >> she was a bit shy at first, but she is getting to know new people at the round table. she is finding the world is a lot smaller than she thought. she meets a man who also lives in eastern bavaria. he works and online marketing and has sound advice for getting started and istanbul, don't wait for opportunities to find you. >> if you do nothing, then nothing happens. >> it is a promising start to her career in istanbul. she follows up the next day and meet with him at his agency.

both of them reach agreement. she will work for weeksksn a trial basis. >> the next time i come back, i will be another step ahea i have renovated and some of the apartment, i have an internship, and a window on the business world. i can get a feel for how it works with turkish colleagues and how i deal with it. >> she is proud of her first break through in her new homeland, a key to her future in istanbul, far from germany. many british people shun active sports andecome couch potatos, living on fast food and sweets. now the u.k. health minister is hoping to cash in on the success of a popular tv program in which couples compete and viewers vote to eliminate one

couple per week. the government is encouraging dance class is to help brits burned calories and get fit. >> they have not yet mastered all the steps, but it is the participation that matters. the group is rehearsing along the river thames to fine-tune the choreography, two hours before the purview. the big dance initiative aims to improve fitness in the u.k., or 14 million people get little or no exercise. >> it is so much fun, but it is not necessarily something i do. e are not many places to do it. i think this will encourage more people, or dance parties, and more classies. >> organizers hope the whole

country will get in on the dance craze and get fit. >> we have 1.2 million londoners involved. looking forward to 2012, we have a goal of 3 million. yes, get off the sofa. that is what this is all about. >>= not everyone wants to get up and dance. some are content just to watch. >> i think people should exercise more. it is a good idea. >> would you do something like this? >> i like this better, i am afraid to admit. >> the choreographer says the right attitude is key, and his tv dance competition is bringing

in record ratings and there is another message getting ample exposusu. >> it is about being creative, about working on your body. that is dance. >> it is time for the finale in trafalgar square. it will take something special to get millions up and moving. >> it is brilliant work. anybody can do it. >> whoo! >> you think every time you do something like this, i will go

to dance class. it is healthy. and it is more fun than going to the gym. it is a lot more fun. >> the big dance event will take place again during the 2012 olympic games in london. until then, organizers hope to encourage people in britain to take steps towards a more fit future. getting people to choose fox trot over french fries may be difficult. i saw lots of people in italy stuffing their faces with food and hardly any of them were british. it happens all over. join us for another "european journal" next week. until then, could buy -- until

then, goodbye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- s