♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. russia ratchets up the tension. foreign investors arrive at the foreign ministry in moscow to hear 23 countries must now send diplomats homome. it is ththe latest e escalationn the standoff over the poisoning of a former russian double agent. also coming up, clashes between the israeli military and palestinians erupt in gaza as thousands protest. the officials say 15 politics and have been killed and hundreds -- palestinians have

been killed and hundreds injured. sierra leone prepares to vote. the delayed presidential runoff due to take place saturday. and coming up, who is flying this thing? an old chinese space station is on collision course with the earth. analysts have only a rough idea where it might land, but science to the rescue. we will ask an expert, should we be taking cover? ♪ >> i am maya shwayder, welcome to the program. russia has announced more diplomatic expulsions in the realm over the poisoning over former russian spy. 23 countries have to send 59 staff members home. that is in addition to the 60 american diplomats already expelled thursday. it is the latest escalation in the standoff over the former double agent sergei skripal who

was poisoned along with his daughter yulia in the u.k. reporter: there has been a constant stream of ambassadors at moscow's foreign mininistry. several au countries were told their dispute -- e.u. countries were told their diplomats were being sent home. the german ambassador stressed the importance of bilateral relations. >> in vie of the diary events in salisbury, the russian government has tried to do everything it can to create clarity and transparency and justify unresolved questions. reporter: four german embassy staff have to leave russia, the same number of diplomats berlin has expelled. the noted kingdom is being hit harder. the crisis began on british soil by the poisoning of sergei skripal and his daughter. britain holds russia accountable for that and has convinced more than 25 western nations to expel

a total of 150 russian diplomats out of solidarity with its position. >> the use of a chemical weapon on the streets of that united kingdom that has threatened the lives of a number of people in my country. we are asking questions of the russian state and have not received a adequate answerers to those. reporter::ussia has denied any involvement and is demanding evidence from british authorities. maya: for more on this we g go o constantine in moscow. both sides have now expelled diplomats. is this the end game, or are we seeing more moves strategized? constantine: i think it is a cause. -- pause. the u.s. admininistration reress thee right to reply to russian expulsions because they think they are adjustable. they say they are completely

unjustified, but i thihink it ia cause. -- a pause. from now on we will see a different track on sort of continental european side, germany, france, the other countries that probably want to limit the damage and s sp. seems like the u.k. and the u.s. are really sort of aiming at jerking up the volume, continuing the confrontation because my feeling after boris johnson's s speech in london yesterday, the feeling is that we need to stop listening to russia. we need to stop believing anything the kremlin says, so it will continue because the kremlin will reply, will hit harder if it is hit again. maya: we have heard a lot of comparisons to cold war tactics, cold war era. you think eithther side has an

appetite to escalate this conflict? constantine:e: itt seems at leat in londodon and washington there is an appetite to go on. as for comparisons withh cold war, i d do oremember it. i thinkk there is a very significant difference here. the cold war was essentially an ideological confrontation at its core, and this one isn't. the cold war also had its roll block. i think during the cold war, both sides would have known where to stop. i don't think anyone knows how it will pan out. the rulebook is out of the window. this makeses the situation different and probably significantly oror dangerous thn the usual cold war stuff. maya: certainly some unpredictable players. last question, what do you make of moscow's demand to have access to yulia skripal?? when is she is pawn in any of

this? constantntine: moscow will stick to the very bitter end that has a big to do with the poisoning, because a recent -- a russian citizen is involved, they will need consular access to her. there is question whether she wants to see russian officials. i don't think the british authorities would like to see russian diplomats visiting the family anytime soon. i thinink russia will stick wiwh the story for quite the foreseeable future. maya: all right, thank you for your insights. israel's military has clashed with thousands of demonstrators on the border of the gossip strip. -- the gaza strip. 15 palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured. the militant group hamas has calllled for six w weeks of pros and thisis was just day one. reporterer: clashesnterrupteded

after r thousands of palestinias started buildlding tent cities n the g gza side of the bordeder o israel. they are marking a n number of historic eventnts. the expulsion of palestinians in 1948 which helped create the israeli state, the deaths of six demonstrators in 1976, and the scheheduled opening g of the u.. opening -- u.s. embassy in may. > our associatiti will nevevr accept the conspiracies targeting g jerusalem m and blog the right of return. reporter: israeael has doubled s mitatary presencnce on the bord. similar protests in recent montnths have led to clashes. israel called asas a double -- dangerous provocation and said hamas will have responsibility for violence. the first casualty came before the protests got underway. israel's military said soldiers opened fire on two men who approached the border and acted

suspiciously during the night. one man killed and another wounded. the slain man's brother said he was a farmer. >> he went there every day to pick parsley in the e morning. he has been working there for six or seven years. nothing everer happened to him when the jews started shooting. what happened this time? i do not know. god b bss his sououl. rereporter: hamas has dubbed the protests the great march of return and will culminate on may 15 with a march across the border to break the siege and end the gaza blockade. israel will be at the border and bloodshed seems inevitable. maya: the middle east correspondent is in israel for us. let's start with just what is happening. several people have died, hamas leaders have said this protest

is supposed to be part of a peaceful strategy. what wentt wrorong? rererter: what we have seseen totoday as you heard in the rept is tens of thousanands of palestiniaians came to the bord, some of them stayed 800 0 meters away as it was called for by the organizers were they built a tent city to remind the world of the refugees, palestinian refugees, from 1948 with those tents, and they will be there for the next couple of w weeks. at the same time we have seen groups of protesters breaking away, coming closer to the border. israel in the past has made it very clear that they will not tolerate any attempt as they say to reach the border or come close to the border. there is a buffer zone anywhere who approacheses this fence. they could be shot. what you have seen today is

according to the ministry in gaza is 15 people have been killed and 1000 people have been injured. there are rubber bullets and tear gas being applied at the protesters. maya: are these demands from hamas' side anything new? they say nothing less than the entirety of our l land back, but what is at statake p politicall reporter: for hamas it is important to keep this momentum, for the protests to keep going, especially because they have not much to show at the moment in gaza. also the reconciliation with the arrival of the party. they have not really materialized. one has to say as well these protests have the support of all the political factions. there are grassroots

organizations that are part of this want for return. they want to highlight the plight of palestinian refugees, especially now in may and april. we have a lot of memorials coming up. there is israel celebrating its 70 years of the founding of its state, and on the other hand you have palestinians commemorate to -- commemorating the catastrophe when they had to flee their land. gaza has been closed off the past 10 years, that is of importance to many gazams as wewell. maya: we will be talking to you a law in the coming weeks leading up to the anniversary of israel'ss founding. thank you very much. now to some other stories making news, pope francis has led the lord's passion ceremony in the st. peter's basilica. thousands of worshipers watched the procession and prayers

commemorating the suffering and death of jesus christ. later on good friday, francis will lead the way for across -- a cross procession reenacting the crucifixion. drinkers and ireland's pubs are raising a glass to good friday for the first time in 90 years. a recent change in legislation overturned a ban on pubs opening on this holiday. most welcomed the opportunity to make more sales, but some stuck with tradition and kept their doors closed. a spacex falcocon 9 rocket carrying satellites for a communications company has blasted off from a launch site in california. iridium communications will use the 10 new satellites to support its mobile voice and data communication services as it renews its entire global satellite network. now to sierra l leone where vots head to the polls saturday for a closely watched presidential

runoff. the vote in the west african nation was passed back -- push back after a court challenge over allegations of fraud in the first round. the devastating ebola outbreak tested the country's fragile return to democracy after civil war. our west african correspondent reports from the capital of freetown. reporter: for the past four weeks, this woman and her children have become used to make door -- makeshift outdoor lessons like this. a series of elections, runoffs and delays have meant many town schools are closed. >> we are all girls. >> it is very annoying and it is heartbrereaking because for the second time we have paid our moneys, we have paid our fees and the only school is a half day, so it has caused the

academic level to fall. it is not the way they used to perform. reporter: on tuesday the national electoral commission announced voting would have to wait until saturday. the delay has taken its toll and businesses. many have set up shop for the election. despite all quizzes him of the electoral process and the delays in sierra leone, the majority of registered v vers is expected to go to the polls on saturday, and the country can look forward to a neck and race. the opposition came in slightly ahead in the first round of voting. and his supporters remain optimistic. >> we need a change in sierra leone. [indiscernible] >> i am going to support him because it is the right time in this country.

reporter: the man briefly took pride -- power in a military coup in the 1990's. now he w wants to kickstart the economy as well as fight corruption. >> whosoever is found wanting as the laws of corruption are concerned will face the full penalty of the loss of this country -- laws of this country. it is the political way to make sure people are prosecuted irrespective of who they are. reporter: the party of the president has that the helm for 10 years. as his second term in office comes to an end, he has selected a former foreign minister as his successor. he rejects any accusation of widespread corruption in the country even though the nation's auditor general announced millions of dollars had disappeared during the ebola outbreak. >> not so much about -- it is about improper record-keeping. >> levels are up.

>> it was not clearar or thehe y was going. we are n not talking about amous over $14 million. >> when i was killing people at more than $100 an hour, that is why most people took on these expenditures. it is not stolen. it is helped toward the fight agagainst ebola. reporter: meanwhile they are hoping the elections go peacefully. and despite all her feelings of frustration, she is determined to vote on saturday. after all, this is about her children's future. maya: you are watching dw news. still to come, a chinese space station is on its way back to earth in a rather uncontrolled fashion. it is due to crash land somewhere in the next few days but no one knows where. so how worried should we be? ♪ maya: daniel is here with a big

shift in the netherlands' energy policy. reporter: i am more worried about that space total -- spaceship. the netherlands was hit by the strongest earthquake in years. the government has put the blame on the gas field, europe's largest. now authorities will'l's -- will slash production. that is easier said than done. not only does holland have lucrative contracts for neighbors but 90% of dutch homes use groaning gas. >> the groaning didn't gas f fid is going, going, gone. or at least on its way out. the plan for now is to scale down current production of 21.5 billion cubic meters to 12 billion but the long-term goal is to shut it down entirely by 2030. >> the judgment is it is not safe even at the level of 12 billion cubic meters, so we have to take that. reporter: although the majority

of dutch households use gas from the field, the residents have called for an end to production there as the low-level tremors it caused brought damage upon homes, schools, and farms. the gas field has been operating for more than five decades. its closure will involve major efforts to keep supply covered. this includes a 500 million euro gas generation plant and a campaign to promote more electricity use in dutch households. daniel: tesla is recalling 123,000 vehicles, making it their first. behind the recall are rusting bolts in the power steering unit which the company says need to be replaced in a one hour retrofit. tesla shares dropped 3.5% thursday, compounding a disastrous month for the carmaker now lost a quarter of its value.

today marks the 200th birthday of friedrich, the german who founded the rural cooperative moment -- movement of banking unions. this has spread to many other countries and is in use today. reporter: these two farmers are members of germany's oldest cooperative. in 1898, their forefathers banded together and started a cooperative that built and operated a flour mill. one farmer could not have done it alone. >> the grant from our region, is very course. it was difficult to o sell to nearby dresden. there was little profit, so they said we need our own mill to process the grain, then make the bread as well. reporter: the mill and the bakery have ensured a thriving business for the farmers for many years now. some 17 businesses are part of the successful cooperative. the idea of a cooperative goes

back to friedrich wilhelm eisen. he promoted it as a way of overcoming poverty faced by farmers in his region. since then the idea has spread to other parts of the economy. new industries like sustainable energy have also adopted the model. most cooperatives work on a majority rules basis. all members can have their say regardless of their stake. >> the big vote, the small where decisions have to be made. everyone's opinion has equal weight. reporter: but applies to the largest cooperative, magical in spain. it has 570 members, 80% joint owners. as with many cooperatives, it can suffer in times of crisis but because members have an equal say, they avoid mass layoffs. >> it is still a private

company. it has to be profitable. but the number one goal is always to support the members, so there are always two sets of objectives to consider, economic and social. reporter: for co-ops it is not just about the bottom line, maybe that is why they often outlast private companies that are generally profit driven. daniel: but co-ops are not always having it easy. the cooperative bank of cyprus, the island nation's most popular deposit taker has been put up for private sale. the institution has been weighed down by bad loans. it is 77% state owned following a bailout five years ago today. foreign and local investors have shown interest in the bank according to the cypriot government but critics accuse the government of putting public wealth up for sale. spend that is all the business for now.

but you better mind your head. maya: we will go back into that satellite story. china's defunct spacelab will drop back to earth this weekend after being in orbit since 2011. the 10 meter long space station is out of control and no one is exactly sure where it will land. china's space agency said most of it will burn up on reentry and probably won't cause any damage. chris scott is a professor in the department of meteorology in reading, england. this thing is falling back to earth, and is out of control. i am assssuming it was not shot out of the sky by klingons o or anything. why is this happening? chris: it is c currentntly at 19 kikilometers, andd that is well with in the earth's atmosphere. even though the air is thin, it will slow the spacecraft down,

and once you slow it down enough, it will fall to earth. that is what will happen. maya: so it is 10 meters long, weighs nearly eight tons, it is falling to the earth. who should be worrying? chris: we have a sick atmosphere. we should d be thankful for tha, and most of the spacecraft will burn up in the atmosphere, and it will be part -- it will be fragmented into small pieces. the flight path of this spacecraft is mostly over the oceans. the chances of it hitting anyone are quite remote, but it does go overland. it orbits between about 42 degrees north and 42 degrees south, which takes over south america and southern europe and africa and india and western australia. there is a small chance it could actually end up landing on one of those continents. maya: small chance but still a chance.

now what was this space station doing up there? chris: it was the spipice -- the chinese spspace agencies first, and now we have one which is the largest man-made object orbiting around the earth, and this was the chinese space authority's attempt to have their own space station and six astronauts traveled to it and spent time living on it. and it is a very useful first step when your space agency is moving towards man spaceflight to have a space station that you can practice docking maneuvers and understand how you keep people alive in a hostile environment. maya: all right, thank you for assuring us that no one is in danger. very few people. let's all be sure to watch our heads a little bit this weekend. it is a special occasion when munich and borussia dortmund square off, and they could get the bundesliga title.

the game known as the classic has been built as a clash of the titans, but as they pile of the titles, it is more and more of a fair -- unfair fight. >> since 2010 it has been either or proposition. the clubs have kept the bundesliga title between themselves. the last five seasons it has been advantage buyer -- bayer n. >> buyer is seen as a requirement to be the best team and they have delivered. our goal at the moment is to be the second best team, and we are not there yet. reporter: in other words dortmund still has their work cut out for them. for bayern, clinching the title is only a matter of time. >> it is secondary if we win this week or next week or the

week after next. i am taking a relaxed attitude. reporter: the defending champs might be tempted to go into this vision of the classic at less than full throttle. they have the first leg of a champions quarter legal -- quarterfinal to contend with. >> this game is the beginning of a crucial phase for us. one where we are going to be playing at midweek and on the weekend virtually every week. getting a win on saturday wowoud get that runoff -- run off to a good start. reporter: with a little bit of luck, a win would earn bayern the bundesliga title and a beer shower come may.. maya: the top stories, foreign ambassadors were summoned to the russian foreign ministry as moscow announced to the expulsion of 59 diplomats from 23 countries. the latest round in thee standof over the poisoning of a former russian double agent in britain.

clashes between the israeli military and palestinians have erupted in gaza. thousands of demonstrators supporting hamas were met with israeli gunfire at the border. 15 palestinians are said to have been killed. you are watching dw news. the day is s coming up next, and you can get all your latest nens and information around the clock on our website, the -- dw.com. thanks for joining us. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪