>> live from the dw studios member len, this is your world news. >> here are your top headlines for the next half-hour. >> three french top athlete killed in helicopter crash in argentina filming a reality tv show. we have the latest. >> the eu gets two more years to get its deficits in order. >> and who is the host with the most? hamburg versus berlin to host the olympic games. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] tributes have been pouring in.

for the athletes killed in a helicopter crash. >> the helicopters collided, killing everyone on board. >> france says the reason argentina are working to discover the cause of the crash. >> amateur footage captures the two helicopters on the way to becoming location. they fly dangerously close and then they collide and fall in the sky. the crash happened in the remote mountainous region, part of an argentinian province. investigators are searching the wreckage to look for clues in the cause of the crash. eight french citizens were killed, three of whom were prominent athletes. one was a gold medalist at the 2012 olympics in london.

a boxer won a gold medal at the 2008 olympics and the yachts woman became the first to win the solo race and 1990. french president francois hollande expressed his sorrow over the sudden and tragic deaths. >> my thoughts are with these three champions who made their country shine. but who died because they wanted to test their limits. >> testing limits was the premise behind the reality show "dropped." the contestants are dropped into the wilderness with basic equipment and no food. then they have to find a way back to civilization. the accident occurred during production of a new season of episodes with an unexpectedly tragic ending. >> terrifying video there. for more, i have the french

sports journalist chris bachman joining us from france. thanks for joining us. have any more details emerged about the cause of this crash? >> no they have recovered 10 bodies now. the helicopters were air buses and they sent teams. the engines were looked after before they were sent out to the customers in argentina. so they are handling the investigation over to the accident investigation authorities in argentina. there is no black box and helicopters unlike aircraft. so finding the source of the crash may take some time still. i think the video also showed huge extra support to work out what happened, because it does seem to be, if you look at it

like a human accident as opposed to a technical accident. of course, we still do not know why the hell it up her would have --why the helicopter would've clipped to the other one. >> i agree with you chris. it looks like a case of two helicopters coming to close. what about -- >> what about the reaction in france where you are? three olympic athletes from france and suddenly they have been lost. >> yes and the young swimmer -- there is a visual taking place -- a vigil taking place. the older one who was 57, the yachts woman, the second generation grew up with her, saw her break into the sport and win that race between got -- quite aloof -- guadalupe and friends. and the younger generation knew this 25-year-old swimmer who won

the gold medals and the metal in the olympics. and we are -- alexis was 27. a whole big bunch of different generations knew the celebrity athletes. and what also is amazing -- >> it looks like we lost our signal there. we apologize for that. that was chris bochner reporting for us from toulouse france -- toulouse france. the u.s. state department has said it will publish every clinton's e-mails from when she was secretary of state after it has reviewed them, but the review is likely to take several months. >> the likely presidential candidate is tonight trying to defuse a controversy about her use of a private e-mail for official business while she was secretary of eight. until now she has not spoken publicly. she is giving a news conference right now.

>> it is an interesting study in how europe deals with budgets and rules. >> the european union remain strict in its handling of greek debt, saying that athens must meet all requirements of economic reforms if it wants more bailout aid. >> but for france, the language and the demands well, they sound softer. france has violated eu rules on deficit spending will -- but will get two years time to turn things around. >> the european commission made its assessments and now it is official. european finance ministers have approved a controversial extension for france. it now has two more years to bring its deficit in line with eu limits but paris will have to step up fiscal reform efforts. >> today the council adopted the recommendation for france to

adjust its budget deficit by 2015 -- 2017. >> it is the third deadline extension for france. the commission president decided to stay the course in dealing with the eurozone's second-largest economy. critics say that could be because former french finance minister -- is now the eu's economy commissioner. but in a speech before the european parliament last fall, he insisted there was no conflict of interest. >> our countries must be treated exactly the same way, regardless of their size, and you can count on me. i will be a neutral referee in these matters. >> six months later, france has been granted more time. two whole years. greece especially sees it as a provocation. economists expected the

decision. the rules of the stability pact are so complex that brussels has a great deal of room to maneuver all -- to maneuver. >> the uncomfortable truth is the freedom to make decisions is not always applied according to what makes economic sense. politics and power also come into play. >> brussels does give france a lot of leeway but there has been little resistance from other eu member states. >> all right, enough about budgets for the moment. let's forget how equities markets approve -- markets performed on tuesday. the dax lost three quarters of a percent. the euro stoxx fell over 1%. the dow jones industrial average is down more than 1.5%. and the euro taking a downward trend against the dollar at 1.07 even. >> iraqi security forces of

retaking a town near the city of two great as they press on with their offensive against islamic state militants. >> iraqi forces attacked and regained full control hours later. meanwhile, to create is the hometown of the late dictator saddam hussein, of course, whose city is a key test for iraqi troops as they try to win back territory from the islamic state. >> we are joined by iraqi's vice president. thank you for joining us today. let me start i these reports that iraqi troops have driven out i.s. forces. is this a significant breakthrough for the military? >> it is a breakthrough, but the breakthrough is ultimately winning the war against this evil force. >> we know we have sunnis and

shia working together against the islamic state. do you think that kind of unity will continue if and when you have defeated i.s. in iraq? >> there have to be people working together, there has to be a unity of people to fight isis. what is more important -- the day after isis is eaten -- beaten the reconciliation should prevail and the unity of the iraqi people should avail. of this is what we should achieve and should be trying to achieve and this is hopefully what the government will start to achieve. >> are you confident that this reconciliation and new unity will continue after this war? >> no, because it does not exist

now. we do not know what is going to happen. i would prefer this the announced before the launching of the offensive against isis, i kind of reconciliation. so the people of to create, the people of mosul, the people of and bar would buy into the position -- the people of anbar would buy into the position to fight isis. >> whose fault is it? >> i do not want to level blame on people or individuals or groups, but there are definitely people who do not have an interest in reconciliation, who have interest. they are the minority, but they are leaving the various groups.% there are other groups who strongly believe in

reconciliation. to develop reconciliation on the ground, to develop reconciliation and get the people united so people will be in charge of their destiny and fight isis and get rid of isis for good from iraq. this is not happening as yet. we are hoping as the war, the conflict is escalating that the government should step in very strongly in a very powerful way, to declare amnesty -- not for those staining their hands with the blood of the iraqi people but to get the people together on the same footing so they would buy infighting isis -- byuy in fighting isis.

this is important. >> all right, we have to wrap it up there. thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us today. . >> thank you. thank you. >> on the final day of her visit to japan, german chancellor angela merkel went back to the floor and had a look at heavy industry in the country. >> it touched on thorny issues including the ukraine conflict and japan's wartime history. >> this came before the summit that will be hosted i germany in june. >> german chancellor angela merkel was shown one complete's take on gender equality. the mitsubishi factory is hoping to appeal to women with a pink hybrid truck. it is built by an all-female team. the tour wrapped up her to do a

-- her two-day tour of japan. the chancellor met some of the women working on the project. she intends to talk about the place of women in the workplace at the g7 summit in germany in june. >> the question of where skilled labor can be found is evident in the changes to the number of applicants. it would be good to see a bigger role given to women in the workforce. >> the german chancellor's trip coincided with the 70th anniversary of the u.s. bombing of tokyo. on the night of march 10 1945, incendiary bombs rained down on the japanese capital turning the city into a sea of fire and killing 100,000. it was the most descriptive arrayed in a war in which japan was the aggressor. >> we would take a break and when we come back, more news. stay with us. >> don't go away.

>> >> welcome back. thanks for sticking around. germany is turning off the first nuclear power plant soon. >> in two months the first power plant in bavaria will go dark. this is the first one since berlin's pledged to phase out nuclear power following the fukushima fell disaster. >> environmentalists see this as the crowning touch of a decade-long campaign, but others have different viewpoints. >> the facility has been producing energy since the early 1980's, but its operator has decided to take germany's oldest reactor up line may. chancellor angela merkel is putting increasing reliance on renewable energy and is advocating a gradual phaseout of nuclear power. >> after the fukushima accident,

we knew it was just a matter of time until it was taken off the grid. we have to live with it. that is the way things go. it is a government decision. >> the plant has provided an economic boost for northern bavaria for decades, and it shows. abundant tax revenues allow the village to restore its historic central square and build a modern library. the nuclear facility was a major source of employment as well. but the boom times are over. the mayors are already doing budget-cutting. the plan shut down well mean a drastic drop in tax revenue. for now at least there are no worries about unemployment. 300 workers at the plant will stay on to manage the shutdown. locals have mixed business -- mixed feelings about the end of an era. >> the reactor never bothered

me. we have to generate power somehow. >> i think it has been operating long enough. >> they should have alternatives in place, before they switch off everything. >> it will close down but they will still store the tanks with nuclear waste here. >> the spent nuclear fuel rods will have to be cooled for years before they're locked away in special castor tanks and stored here. there is more than enough space and the landfill operating license runs through 2026. environmental activists say the whole is unsafe and there is another thing worrying them. >> we are afraid the temporary storage could turn into a permanent one. the way it is constructed makes it unsuitable for this. they would have to improve the structure. that will increase the cost, and

the risks well remain. >> even when the reactor's cooling towers are gone, the waste will remain, possibly for decades to come. >> joining us for more on this story is an energy expert at the german institute for international and security affairs. >> are we going to show you, mr. fisher? there you are. thanks for coming into the studio. does germany regret its decision to leave nuclear power? >> no, i would say there is a general commitment to this decision to leave nuclear power. not only in the political spheres. every party and german parliament is supporting this decision but public surveys show that there is general satisfaction with the decision to get out of nuclear and work -- move into renewable energy. >> it is remarkable though,

right? the japanese are sticking with nuclear power even though they had the fukushima accident and the germans are getting rid of it. >> yes, that is in a way ironic yeah. set their minds to something, they follow through with it. this will not be an easy road. can you lay out some of the difficulties ahead? >> i think the question of the speed of transformation is one that is in the political debate. also the cost for the transformation process are highly disputed and impractical terms, i think the infrastructure the structure of the system transportation and how to transform that into a carbonized system will be challenging. >> what about the future? we see what is going on around germany right now. germany is criticized for being dependent on natural gas from russia.

can germany afford to be this islands of her energy and self-sufficiency? >> germany isn't an islands and it will not be an island. we have integrated the european market. the question is which sources are used better still national? over the coming years, or will be decisions made at member states changing the system and i think europe well -- and the long run. >> all right, thanks for coming in and talking with us. possible new clues into what caused the crash of malaysia airlines flight mh17 in rebel held ukrainian territory last year. >> the russian developer says that it must have been hit by a ground to air missile.

they cannot fly as high as -- fighter jets cannot place highest passenger trains. the pro -- that coincides with the claim that pro-russian separatists fired on the plane. >> the eu has condemned the crackdown on a myanmar student rally in which 100 people were detained. >> people took to the streets. several people were reported injured. police clashes with civilians have raised concerns that myanmar's military dominated country might be returning to repression, despite a civil government since 2011. >> all right to sports now and the cricket world cop where india crushed ireland by eight wickets. >> 164 runs in an opening

partnership as india read 260 for 2. but ireland still has a chance to stay in the turn them it if he can take a point against pakistan on sunday. good luck. which german city should bid for the 2024 olympics? that is the decision that is expected to come down for next week. >> the options on the table are berlin and hamburg. but do the citizens of the cities actually want the games? let's take a look. >> the survey results are in, and it is yes to the olympics in both cities. 64% of the respondents in hamburg favor the games. >> this is the result of an intense exchange of views and both cities. it is the outcome of countless decisions on project olympia. >> berlin also launched a

campaign to win over popular opinion about hosting the games and 55% of those responding favor the idea -- less than hamburg, but still a clear majority. the german capital is still very much in the race. >> berlin need something like this. it is good for the city's image. >> berlin needs highlights of this kind. we are the capital. it is a great idea. >> for lynn already has an olympic stadium from the 1936 games -- berlin already has an olympic stadium from the 1936 games. they will be forever linked with the nazi regime that use the games of propaganda. although hamburg did well in the survey, berlin is seen as the favorite. it regularly host sports events. that could give it the edge when the german olympic committee announces its recommendation monday. >> that would deftly be a big

story here in berlin. we are joined by one of our sports gurus. there is considerable skepticism about people in berlin about this, will berlin get it? >> well, breadth, what berlin has going for it, it has that sexy relate -- reputation. berlin is one of the hippest places in the world. that is in berlin's favor and of course the city has hosted really big events in the past. there is a long history of track and field events, and there is the olympic stadium from 1936 already there. those are all points in berlin's favor. on the other hand, 55% support is not particularly great. this was not a scientific poll, but it was not carried out by the city of berlin, so they could not even boost the numbers up. so i think that has cut a bit of a dent in berlin's chances and i would not be surprised if we might not see hamburg nipping in

at the post their. >> hamburg, apparently their citizens are more enthusiastic about the games. what else do they have going for them? >> they have going for them that they are a much wealthier city them berlin. they also do not have early and's incredibly poor track record with a construction -- they do not have berlin's inc. readily poor track record with construction projects. years, decades. i mean -- they also have on their side a bit of a trend toward smaller games. some of these overblown spectacles in the past, people are getting tired of them. that could work in hamburg's favor. >> yes or no. who will get the nod, hamburg were berlin? >> brent you'd think berlin, so i will go with hamburg. >> all right, you're not going to get the key to the city. >> no, probably not.

>> thank you very much. solar impulse to is becoming closer to becoming the first plane to fly around the world without using a drop of fossil fuel. >> it will start the second leg of its historic journey. it took off from oman on a 250 kilometer flight across the rainy and see. >> all right, this will wrap it up for us. thanks for watching. >> great to have you with us. keep on watching dw.

>> euromaxx highlights. >> a warm welcome to our highlights addition coming to you straight from brandenburg gate. let's look at what is on the agenda.

we visit the visit he -- the city of zaragoza in northeastern spain. we get a glimpse of how work and fun merge at the berlin film festival. winter attraction week takes to the ice under a natural skating rink. the scorpions are one of germany's most successful rock bands and as of this year they