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 trump already said he wants to withdraw some 10000 troops official confirmation is expected any minute now washington could be withdrawing more also coming up the german police did for a 2nd day as they investigate the disappearance of british toddler madeleine mccann the garden is thought to be linked to one man identified and suspect we'll get an update from our reporter at sea can't. carry.

your. long silence by the coronavirus the world of opera gets ready for an alfresco return to the stage in naples. but. i'm sumi so misconducts good to have you with us u.s. defense secretary mark asper 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. a president trump announced in june already 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 currently germany hosts about. that's

$35000.00 u.s. troops that is the 2nd largest contingent after japan. did have a use chief political editor michelle acosta is following the latest developments for us hi michelle or will there be any surprises for the german government here or has the announcement from mark asper today been discussed with berlin in advance. well it has been discussed. that the german defense minister i'm going to come come by spoke to him last friday but as we heard today that was on procedural issues so it looks like the german government itself might not even know the exact precise figure that mark esper will be announcing today and what exact proportion of those soldiers who actually leave the continent and that is a key issue because after all this is not just symbolism towards germany clearly donald trump more to to make a point here that not paying what he felt was due under nato simply would be seen

with a response from the united states but this also has wide implications for other allies in europe which is also why it's so contested in the u.s. i spoke so i'm kind of come come by the german defense minister last week and let's just have a listen to what she said was the benchmark for the significance of that decision if they stay in europe then this remains a commitment towards nato but if they were to be restated to the in the pacific region that would indicate a change of u.s. strategy which then would spark a debate within nato if. shallow we heard it there that would spark a change of strategy so how strategically important is it for germany and for nato to have u.s. troops stationed here. it's vital for germany in nato and actually neighboring poland which is hoping to see at least part of those troops being we stationed or at least rotated through the country there was rather upbeat about that very prospect whereas here and it hasn't been as widely debated as donald trump probably

would have hoped for but clearly it's once again a signal by the u.s. president that its support from the u.s. comes at a price and that by many experts but also by members of congress from his own republican party is in part seen as damaging u.s. interests because it once again puts question marks over nato's resolve overall in the end and that could in the end also have an effect on the weights that the united states carries in the world so everybody will be looking very closely at those precise numbers but clearly germany saw itself sidelined both in the decision making here and the consultative process or the lack thereof there of that lead up to this decision and we are waiting for official word from us and defense secretary mark asked for our chief political editor michelle thank you.

now as coronaviruses case cases rise in parts of europe governments are reimposing were struction just as people go on summer vacation europe is looking for a more coordinated response as national governments act alone to contain the virus . that its high season for tourism in europe the region terraces are glowing museums are open again vacationers have returned to the beaches. but with a 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 stupidity of the few places that live on the beach and see where people are so frightened you also know you. know if i was going to get a friend it said that i find that very excessive i'm enjoying myself and i feel

safe but they've taken every precaution often. 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. 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. it's clear that despite the heat of the summer the virus has not melted away but many are hoping europe has learned enough from the 1st wave to keep the virus at bay. ok let's get a roundup of some other headlines now separatists in southern yemen have pledged to abandon self rule in favor of a peace deal with the un backed government agreement was signed in november but has since stalled both sides are part of a saudi led coalition fighting with the rebels in the north. turkey's parliament has passed a law that gives authorities more power to regulate social media platforms will have to comply with strict conditions or face fines and banned with restrictions president called for this law opponents say it further limits freedom of expression in the country. after rescuing some $94.00 migrants in the mediterranean sea malta is reporting that at least $65.00 of them have tested positive for the corona virus that's the single largest cluster of positive cases detected on the island since

the 1st case was reported in march. police here in germany are digging up a garden for a 2nd day as part of their investigation into the disappearance of madeleine mccann the british toddler was 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 trail 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 man 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. is a standing by for us next to the garden in hanover 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's 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 amanda mccann disappeared you 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 that somebody witnessed a police officer picking up a cloth bringing it into the tent for 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 a 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 oh 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 understand 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

in saudi arabia muslim pilgrims have begun the annual hajj in mecca normally huge numbers of people travel from around the world to take part in the most important pilgrimage but this year it's taking place on a more modest scale. hodge like no other these people are among just time times and saudi residents allowed to attend the 5 day pogrom and this year's strictly controlled because of the coronavirus. usually over 2000000 people packed together to praise allah before the structure known as the comp. 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 check some 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 experience. you're watching news still to come on our show a lot of motorcycle owners love the engine at full throttle but some people in germany want to quiet them down using clocks. that's coming up in a bit but 1st 4 of the biggest names in tech are about to face questions from the u.s. congress the heads of facebook amazon apple and google will be asked whether their companies with a combined value of over 5 trillion dollars have simply become too powerful the

c.e.o.'s have already been getting their messages out ahead of the hearing. this is facebook a data that disregards the privacy of its clients gives racist comments for your brain and hinders competitors not at all and says c.e.o. mark zuckerberg his company is so successful simply because it's the best. we got there the american way we started with nothing and provided better products that people find valuable as i understand our laws companies aren't bad just because they big. is apple is so technically dominant that others don't stand a chance totally wrong according to tim cook. apple does not have a dominant market share in any market where we do business that is not just true for i phone it's true for any product category. or amazon's business practices harmful to other retailers because the company's

getting bigger and bigger just come and have a look says the founder. i believe amazon should be scrutinized we should scrutinize all large institutions with the big companies government agencies or non-profits our responsibility is to make sure we pass such scrutiny with flying colors creating a lot of the head. pichai will also be in the hot seat the big 4 are under pressure a number of investigations are underway into whether these companies are abusing their power today's congressional hearing won't lead to any direct measures to address that that could be the 1st step toward stricter regulation. and our financial correspondent shall see delaney is looking into the story for us hi shall see so what is it about these 4 big tech companies that u.s. lawmakers object. so what these 4 companies have in

common is that they have grown quite powerful in them and their market some people call them monopolies as we heard that report the leaders of those companies are very against saying that they have a dominant position in those markets but they have obviously some power they have these platforms that they can essentially use to shut other people out of the market and so what these what this hearing today is going to really focus on on is what sort of harm is that power really having on the broader ecosystem in the united states so is the fact that amazon has such a big share of the online retail market is that giving it more. power over over other competitors is are they shutting out competitors are they handling innovation and how is this really hurting consumers so that's really the core of today's hearing but what legal changes could actually be made to rein in tech companies power that's

a really difficult question because antitrust law and the united states is very very old it was largely written in the late 193-9200 staring you know the days of standard oil in the rockefeller's it hasn't really been updated for the digital age so it is quite difficult for regulators in the united states to bring antitrust cases against these companies because they can't really prove that consumers are losing money a lot of these platforms are free and with amazon for example they are trying to get people low prices so it's difficult to build a case with that but. a lot of the discussion is centered around updating antitrust law or potentially forcing some of these companies to break up our financial correspondent chelsea delaney reporting for us in frankfurt thank you. berliners have been getting the chance to experience their city's new airport 11 years after what's originally supposed to open an army of fake flyers has been

trying out the passenger experience ahead of its opening later this year this is one of 28 test days involving thousands of volunteers designed to put this massive airport through its paces ahead of a grand opening in october. the fleet you can flying 2 cars 9115 and a half on one piece of luggage. that actually contains real clothes and pulled so that she won't need because she's not flying anywhere today many of the testers were curious to see this trouble transport for themselves plagued with delays it's become both a national shame and a national joke story. sales tax refund have never done not before i think it's an interesting challenge for me today. with work your ongoing the only bargain on offer at duty free use some rubble and a hard hat the purpose of the test run is to iron out any problems like the lack of

moving walkways along the long corridors. we learned that some things didn't work well with the bulky luggage where we have adopted the process we also learned how it works with large masses of people we call it queue management how can you move a larger group of people through a building operating normally do we give the board of the for nothing if. this project was flushed launched in 1991 no after a 30 year wait and 6000000000 euros the 1st takeoff is inching closer. well similar to the roar of a jet engine on an airport runway is the war of a high octane motorcycle for many it's part of the thrill of owning a bike but there's an effort underway in germany's parliament to limit the noise of motorbikes a little more than that of a lawn mower bikers are appalled and they've rallied to voice their opposition.

revving up for the weekend it's a dream come true for these motorcycle fans at a festival in spain is a tried and true harley davidson fun. when a harley davidson. i want to hear the same so and we heard 40 or 50 years ago i want to enjoy it today. spends company sells special exhaust pipes at the touch of a button the engine roars deeper loader and more powerfully. so it's good doesn't it. not everyone agrees some german states would like to ban the devices the 2nd host of the german parliament the discards wants to prohibit their use on sundays and state holidays. hold there are already laws defining much noise levels there are laws defining speed limits you just have to apply them and we view this desire to create

a new ban as a form of discrimination discriminate. for weeks play coast. protest the plans they see the majority of them turned down their engines when they are going through tons of villages they see the roar of the motor is part of the experience. this is. the icing on the cake it's part of it and then i put on my stone system ac d.c. . load exhaust pipes save lives car drivers hear me and i feel safer a moderate risk of going a noticed by drivers because i have a small silhouette and with these they hear me. there are 4500000 registered motorcycles in germany but this number has risen steadily over the years most affected by the growing noise or residence of a delicate billet is like here in eastern germany near the polish border for years bearable limon has fought the noisy bikers. to the admittedly empty but we are saw

over whelmed by the noise we can no longer live in peace we all own large properties the property value is declining. once. we have to do something about it we can't just sit back and take it. i can give a holiday up to 700 motorcycles drive by her front door and not all bikers turn down the noise. i just want fewer of them and i want them to be less load but i want to discuss whether we have the right to say ok this holiday is for residents like during easter when there was a lockdown because of coronavirus maybe we should just close off the streets every other weekend so the residents can have a break then the bikers could come on alternating weekends. as the debate rages on so the engines continue to roar. now when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world of opera live performances were banned and the singing

stopped but that is about to change as the world famous soprano and the trip co prepares for a production of 2 chinese tusk on thursday outdoors in the biggest square in naples . the note or performance of the opera tosca with the backdrop of the sea in naples sung by the greatest diva of our time. it's a heady mixture. it's the way of life seeking it is bring us even more in the for. the 1st such performance worldwide since opera houses shut down during the pandemic to bring us giacomo classic the complete ensemble left with some carlo in favor of the fresh air it's a logistical challenge the musicians must stay socially distanced and there's no stage set with the normal grand jury singers like on a trip and her husband uses

a vase of us to perform with added intensity. it's the really forced opera we doing queue to get off the quite empty and. hoping that this tough times will never be back. britain in 1900 tosca is one of the telly and composer pretty nice most popular works it's a major rule not just for the trip but also for ludovick t.-z. as the villain. was. pure joy to have her killed. it's an outdoor concert that leaves us hungry for more. i think is exactly what probably oprah is missing today to be in the center of the life in the center of the city or perrott somehow is born one scene so it comes from the street

from not the new street we are back. into history. books it's not just neapolitan so you can enjoy tosca a live stream on the 30th of july brings the performance. ok let's get a recap of our top stories now of the u.s. has announced it is pulling almost 12000 troops out of germany science just released would send more than 6000 soldiers home and 5400 to other countries that is under a shake up ordered 5 president try. and german police have been detained for a 2nd day as they investigate the disappearance of a british toddler pal account of a garden to start to be linked to

a german man identified as a suspect in the case. thank you for watching t w we're back at the top of the hour.

the protests have been silenced there is now fear and uncertainty on the streets. in amman calm china's new security law has shut down freedom of expression. teachers are threatened with dismissal activists are being arrested for fleeing the country 3000. next d.w. .

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beethoven is for. beethoven is for every one of. beethoven 2020 vision the 50th anniversary here on d w. welcome to global 3000 people all over the world are taking a stand against racism in germany activists and scholars search for solutions to the country's racism problem. the elephants are coming in india and a launch system warns diligence when the massive mammals are headed their way. but 1st we go to hong kong where protesters.