this is g.w. news live from berlin germany waits for the ax to fall on the number of u.s. troops stationed here president trouble already said he wanted to withdraw some 10000 troops official confirmation is expected shortly washington could be withdrawing the war. also coming up german police dig for a 2nd day as they investigate the disappearance of a british toddler madeleine mccann to the garden spot to be linked to a man identified as a suspect we'll get an update from our reporter at the scene. plus just as europe heads to the beaches the number of coronavirus cases prizes that means governments

are reimposing some restrictions look at what might lie ahead for europe. i'm sumi so misconducts great to have you with us u.s. defense secretary mark asked for is expected to announce details of a u.s. troop withdrawal from germany shortly german media reports say some 12000 could leave the country of those around half are expected to return to the u.s. now president trump announced in june that he planned to order some 1500 u.s. troops to leave after calling germany delinquent for not spending enough on defense there has since been speculation on whether washington would redeploy the forces within europe or send them elsewhere a currently germany hosts about $35000.00 u.s. troops that is the 2nd largest contingent on. after japan. and let's bring in de to

use chief political editor mashallah cousteau with the latest on this story how do you say or do you think will be any surprises for the german government here or has today's announcement been discussed with berlin in advance well that was exactly the question that the defense ministry spokesman just got in a regular press conference and he said yes there had been information from the american side that the details were still being discussed on the american side but it certainly didn't sound like a very consultative process and this gets to the heart of the matter that the german officials the german government learned of these initial plans by u.s. president donald trump through the media this came as a surprise and ever since german officials have been at pains to lay out that this is something that's not just in germany's interest but ultimately also in the u.s. interest to keep troops stationed in germany in europe to leave no doubt over how

shake aboard the commitment to nato is from all sides i had the opportunity to speak in an exclusive interview with germany's defense minister and it's come down by our last week in this is where she put the benchmark of this very decision if they stay in europe then this remains a commitment towards nato but if they were to be restrained to the in the pacific region that would indicate a change of u.s. strategy which then would spark a debate within the nato if. ok michele that we heard the concern there i mean why is it so strategically important for germany and for nato to have u.s. troops stationed here. well it this all stems still from the cold war period but at the essence it's about nato sticking together and if we can believe those initial reports that are coming through there might be a withdrawal of up to $12000.00 troops and almost half of those will be returning

to the u.s. so measured by germany's own benchmark this will be seen as a disappointment here in germany and it's expected to spark discussions amongst nato partners this of course being a decision that will learn about in detail from august the secretary of defense of the united states shortly that is hotly debated in the united states as well and it shows a fault line not just between the u.s. and its key nato partners with germany having the 2nd largest number of troops stationed worldwide after japan but also frictions within the trump administration so everybody will be listening very closely not just here in germany to what mark asked was about to say and we'll be following all the latest developments on that story very closely our chief political editor michelle a question i thank you. let's check in on some other headlines from around the

world separatists in southern yemen have pledged to abandon self rule in favor of a she still with the u.n. backed government riyadh agreement was signed in november but it's installed both sides are part of a saudi led coalition fighting who the rebels in the room. italian media say authorities have arrested more than 20 tunisian fishermen on suspicion of smuggling migrants to the island of lampedusa the men make up the crew of a fishing boat that brought by koreans who allegedly paid for the passage to the island. 4 of the biggest names in global tech are due with here before an antitrust panel in the u.s. congress facebook's mark zuckerberg google sundar pichai apple's tim cook and amazon's jeff bezos will all face lawmakers fielding questions about whether or not their platforms have become too powerful and of stifled competition that senior german government ministers will be facing a grilling today over what they knew about the longstanding allegations of fraud at

wire card in june the payment service provider crashed after bosses admitted there was a 1900000000 euro hole in its balance sheet. well here in germany police are digging up a garden for a 2nd day as part of their investigation into the disappearance of madeleine mccann the british toddler worse 3 when she vanished on vacation in portugal 13 years ago police have identified a 43 year old german citizen as a suspect and they are investigating him on suspicion of murder. a 13 year trial has brought them here a garden in hanover germany. investigators may be breaking ground after over a decade of dead ends as they search for madeleine mccann. the prime suspect in her case a 43 year old german man he's already in prison serving time for a separate crime. the search for mccann began in 2007 at this holiday

resort in the algarve in portugal the 3 year old girl disappeared from her bed while her parents were eating dinner at a nearby restaurant the mccann's spent 2 years publicizing the case urging authorities to keep looking hoping to find their daughter alive finally in june a glimmer of hope investigators in times to suspect a german mom who was in the algarve when the con disappeared german authorities however said they were no longer investigating madeleine mccann's disappearance as a missing person case but as a murder the persistence of her parents has kept this case in the headlines so have the resources both private and public investigators hope they're finally writing the last chapter of this on happy story such did he use our pad so if he is standing by for us next to the garden and hand over where the police excavation continues tell us what's been happening where you are. well currently

there are police all over the place still here there's a tracking dog that's been going in and out 2 huge halls of concrete have been taken away today and the concrete is the question is where is the concrete coming from supposedly the suspect christian being the 1st initial of his last name who's currently in prison as we heard he is here supposedly had a hot here that had been taken down around 2008 but supposedly he also had a foundation and also a tunnel built underneath it and that's supposedly what the police are also looking at and there's a small bulldozer in the background digging away and as you can see behind perhaps behind my shoulder there's a blue police tent over there where they're collecting evidence looking at it sorting it out and police are going in and out of this area all the time about 15 officers and other staff forensic people working here what led to this what led

police to this garden well police are being very tight lipped about this but the district attorney in the area here says that they are connecting this investigation with possible evidence that could be connected to the 2 gentlemen we are talking about in prison so there is a connection they believe but they're checking it out that's all they're going to release at this moment so a very tight lipped but they wouldn't do this with they didn't have good reason to and we should say that madeline mccann disappeared 13 years ago so what clues are authorities hoping to find in in order to move this investigation forward. well anything that can help i mean apparently the somebody witnessed a police officer picking up a cloth bringing it into the tent stiffer dogs have been going in and out and also

evidence is being collected there they're hoping for for some more information a woman who had been an observing the stick here earlier today told me that one of her girlfriends has a lot over here and actually had a number of run ins with the person in question with the suspect about how unkempt the area was and also about other issues that he was causing there is so this is a different kind of what they call garden plot community it's not the kind word salt looked after by the by all the members together where there are stiff rules where you have to you know look after very nicely this is owned by one person and you have to pay an annual rent to it and you can do what you want you don't have to keep it very camp things like that i talked to the owner today they didn't want to talk to me and they said they're not interested talk to the media and they hung up on me so we know who is in charge here but the investigation is part of that and

ongoing here at the site. reporter archive so see for us thank you very much. as coronavirus cases rise in parts of europe governments are re imposing restrictions just as people go on summer vacation europe is looking for a more coordinated response as national governments act alone to contain the virus . it's high season for tourism in europe parisian terraces are glowing museums are open again fixation years have returned to the beaches. but with the recent rise in corona virus cases in several european hotspots governments are putting the brakes on holiday making the u.k. reimposed a quarantine on travelers from spain after reporting cases there rose by almost 1000 on monday tourists in barcelona were not happy with the news i think it's stupid if you place that i love the beach and see where people are so frightened

you're so nice to. know that you don't want to come here defend itself but i find that very excessive i'm enjoying myself and i feel safe they've taken every precaution offered. to get the outbreak under control madrid imposed a new rule minatory masks in public. and catalonia nightclubs have been forced to close once again. belgium is also struggling with a new spike in cases the city of antwerp reinstated a curfew no one allowed outside between 11 30 pm and 6 am except for essential workers. germany fearing imported infections is requiring travelers from high risk areas to take a coronavirus test upon arrival german authorities are not ruling out the possibility of border closures if outbreaks cannot be contained. and does is all that's the job of politicians and the media to make it clear that the danger is not

over when we don't get things right then we'll find ourselves in a 2nd wave which will also have economic consequences if that's why we have to be vigilant most of your philosophy. it's clear that despite the heat of the summer the virus is not melted away but many are hoping europe has learned enough from the 1st wave to keep the virus at bay. now in saudi arabia muslim held graham's have begun the annual hajj in mecca normally huge numbers of people travel from around the world to take part in islam's most important pilgrimage but this year it's taking place on a more modest scale. i heard the hugs like no what are these people are among just 10000 saudi residents allowed to attend the 5 day pilgrimage this year strictly controlled because of the coronavirus usually over 2000000 people packed together to praise allah the for the

structure known as the cop. was the pandemic has made safety central to the pilgrimage health workers have disinfected the holy site in mecca and there are strict rules for those attending. they have to be between the ages of 20 and 50 years old with no terminal illnesses and show no signs of coronavirus the pilgrims have also have to undergo temperature checks on virus tests where wristbands that monitor their movements and quarantine before and after hodge. inconveniences the permit this year's relatively small number of pilgrims to enjoy a possibly once in a lifetime hotch experience. that's your news update after this hour don't forget you can always go to our website dot com

for all the latest news and information around the clock and you can follow us on twitter and instagram. for all of us here in berlin thank you for watching. combating the corona pandemic. where does research stand. what are scientists learning. background information and. our corona update. coded 19 special next on d w. posters from nigeria you know that's what money would.

centric. and successful beyond belief. this is the way we do it. would start aug 7th on d w. today is world hepatitis day every year more than a 1000000 people die from liver cancer answered roses which of course by viral hepatitis the numbers are staggering for a disease for which vaccines under treatment are now available. globally. but i'd just be under see 325000000 people but only one in 10 of those people have been tested and only one in 5 have received appropriate

treatment. the world health organization wants to eliminate hepatitis by 2030 but some experts are now asking whether the covert 19 pandemic could derail that goal. welcome to you covered not in special here on the news i want to get jones in berlin good to have you with us sars curve too isn't our only enemy amid the coronavirus pandemic viral hepatitis continues to claim thousands of lives every day worth remembering what we're up against. the main strains of the hepatitis virus referred to as types a. d. and e. . according to the world health organization millions of sufferers unaware of the disease but slowly creeps up on them with an inflammation of the liver unbeknown to them all habitat is pathogens except for c.

are preventable by a vaccine. the lack of testing also means many cases are discovered too late. and that for a disease that spreads easily and through poor food hygiene dirty water and lack of sanitation. the rest see you andy. all spread via blood semen and other bodily fluids. for more on joined by all of him care the spokesman of the german association off research based pharmaceutical companies good to have you with us so please tell me how is the fight against cope with 19 affecting the fight against hepatitis. it's affected in 2 ways really one is that the vaccination campaigns get interrupted in quite a number of countries because. the health care system is so occupied with dealing with covert 19. the problem is

that patients are afraid to go to the doctor because they are afraid to contract covert 19 in the waiting room really and so if they suspect that they may have got infected. some kind of appetite teas they don't seek diagnosis and don't seek treatment of course that is a phenomenon that we see this was a lot of illnesses heart attacks and so forth. at the time just how well is also known as the silent epidemic what actually do we need to know about it how how does it differ from co with 19. well have a tie does this actually not one does the at least 5 different diseases and they all colds by viruses but they have a different colds so. dangerous one so really the most dangerous ones.

b. c. and d. and. these appetite is especially b. and c. and i can be really silent but if you are in fact it. for you if without noticing you have no symptoms you'll feel well a ripping fine and only after years of when the viruses really how much harm to your liver you'll start to feel sometimes that's why it's called fila right and of course there is no vaccine against hepatitis c. yet but there are certain drugs to treat patients as well talk about that in a moment don't go anywhere but let's just have a quick look at where we stand with the treatment for hepatitis c. and how this could perhaps also help 19 patients. around one percent of the world's population 71000000 people have hepatitis c.

. the virus is transmitted through infected blood for example from shared syringes toothbrushes razors. and through unprotected sex. and sterilized equipment in touch to studios there's also a risk it causes to be to $4000000.00 new infections every year. the virus attacks the liver and causes an infection which can have serious complications such as liver cancer also ross says there is no vaccine but there are medicines to treat the infection for decades researchers have given intense study to the hepatitis c. virus that could help in the search for medicine to fight cough and 19. researchers at the university of mines in germany have fed reams of data into the super computer the computer simulates the effects of 42000 substances

tested in hepatitis research against the corona virus the result for hepatitis medications contain active ingredients which could hinder replication of the. a virus that discovery could accelerate the target to develop and other drug. of the german association of research based pharmaceutical companies ideally we find a therapy that helps hepatitis c. and cope with 9000 patients but what are the chances well it would be absolutely fantastic if one of those trucks what do you really suited to treat cope with 19 because we know them well we know about the side effects are minimal so these are the kinds of madsen's you really want to have it just takes time the supercomputers right at the beginning then of calls you have to verify

those results in cell cultures for example because they were out of the t. logical system is not a level of complexity above a computer and if it turns out good that you can use them in clinical trials so at the moment. from dramas actually different drugs. which contain antibodies which have been copied from antibodies found in the blood of x. patients x. covert 9000 patients so they seem to have the best chances right now in order to. cure well 900 patients is that one of the best shots that we're having right now. it's suddenly one of the best shots and it's an approach which can push you fairly

quickly we know how to handle and it all days we know how to produce them mass produce them with biotechnology and so if this turns out to be a good approach we can have a mass production of them and handling in the clinics quite quickly but these are just some of the many many approaches we have we have stopped counting at something $200.00 plus madsen's actually tests that all the suitability against go with 19 among them some have to tie to smithson's right well that sounds promising and hopefully very soon we're lucky and find the right eric he for all those diseases from the german pharmaceutical industries association thank you so much for your time you're welcome thank you. now then how

are animals fairing in the pandemic that depends of course on where they live and how they kept to penguins young ones at the brookfield zoo in chicago visibly enjoying being pumped it by the staff they hatch just about a month ago and this is this they're thriving and growing fast brookfield susa indoor animal buildings of course have been temporarily closed to guests due to code $900.00. and the reason we show you this well we thought we share those pictures with you because many of you keep asking about animals and 19 in fact that is the question that our science correspondent eric williams is going to answer now . what are the optics on infection in pets. this is a question i answered back in march based on a pre-print study that has since been peer reviewed and published but because it's asked over and over i guess it's time for

a general reminder the authors found that of the common pets challenge with the buyer as ferrets could be infected but weren't very contagious cats appeared most at risk of both developing disease and passing it along to other cats dogs on the other hand didn't appear to be very susceptible but other animals might contribute to outbreaks a lot of mink have been called on fur farms and denmark spain and the netherlands in the last few months animal welfare groups say well over a 1000000 after the discovery that they could contract and pass on the disease not only to other means but also very likely to pets like like cats the fear is that further farms could act as a reservoir for the politics and thereby contribute to future outbreaks in general though current thinking is that the chance of transmission from pets or other

animals to people that it's quite. the infected moving cold on the fur farms in europe probably contract of original way from humans who work there. the coronavirus pandemic has also changed the lives of millions of goats sheep and camels normally they now get sold at major markets ahead of. the festival of sacrifice but this year fears about catching the virus are keeping customers away and faced with deserted markets livestock breeders and traders turned to websites absence ocean media to showcase their animals the festival of sacrifice is one of 2 major holy days observed by muslims across the world including some 600000000 in south asia. well that's all still all for tonight in special today of course remember that you can post your questions to derek on our you tube channel and if you'd like to keep up with the latest developments on

the throne of virus then to subscribe to our newsletter go to d w dot com slash. dash you sometimes. and that's it from me on the team of berlin as always thanks for keeping us company stay safe stay healthy. can inspire change. people make mistakes go out for a cause sometimes to. join them as they set out to save the environment learn from one another work together for a better future. many thanks to you all for tuning in the cuckoo for cocoa. next on d w. i'm

not laughing. well i guess sometimes i am but i'm standing up in which it happened mr jermyn thinks deep into the german culture of looking at the stereotype question but if you think it seems the country that i now live. here needed to ridiculous grandma down to you it's all that out there. i'm rachel join me to meet the germans on the top of your. post. we know that this is very time for us the coronavirus is changing the world changing our lives so please. care of yourself just to wash your hands if you can stay at how we are here for you we are working tirelessly to keep you informed on over platforms

we're all in this spirit and together to make it. stay safe everybody. is safe safe place safe priest is facing. the axe. when people hear the word back they usually think of money but today we want to talk about a different kind of back one for things like beans bananas and barley hear what's being stored and saved seeds but varieties adapted to the changing climate welcome to this new edition of eco africa i'm never tideway and i'm not alone sound.