>> this is "dw news" from berlin. and engineering feat and political symbol. the world's longest rail tunnel opens in switzerland, running directly through the alps. the first passengers are some of europe's most important leaders, hailing the new tunnel as a game changer for travelers and business. also coming up, a paying of hope . a french navy vessel locates a flight recorder from the egyptian airplane that vanished

two weeks ago. authorities hope for answers on whites -- on my flight 804 crashed. landing the future, experts from around the world get together to talk about palmyrara, the e word heritage site ransacked by the so-called islamic state. ♪ sarah: welcome to the program. i'm sarah kelly. the world's longest rail tunnel officially opened on wednesday. it is hoped that it will cut travel times, traffic, and pollution. it took 17 years to build. the gotthard based tunnel runs from erstfeld and bodio. at 57 kilometers it is seven kilometers longer than the

channel tunnel that connects britain with france and runs through the base of the gotthard mountain range, allowing for high-speed travel by avoiding steep slopes. freight trains will pass through at 100 kilometers hour. passenger trains will reach 250 kilometers per hour. besides being hailed as a historic engineering feet, the tunnel is also a symbol of european unity. >> at the opening ceremony dancers provided a hint of the hardships endured by the workers. they borrowed for 17 years, two kilometers belowground, and temperatures of up to 46 degrees centigrade. inaugurating the tunnel, the swiss president h honored their achievements. >> it is an important step for switzerland, but also for our neighbors on the continent. cities like stuttgart and milano are much better.

it brings together people's and national economies. with the construction of the century, we build on the pioneering achievement of our spurs. the first passenger trains to enter the tunnel were carrying 1000 lucky swiss citizens who won their tickets in a lottery. the gesture was a recognition of the swiss taxpayers to fund the entire venture. then it was the turn of the vips. german chancellor angela merkel, france while elan, -- france walhalla -- france walked ho -- france walked hncois hollande, d others. >> we know we are late. we know that the tunnel has been described as the heart of the network, but there are pieces missing and that is why the transport ministers working

intensively on completing the link as soon as possible. the high-speed train will whisk passengers in 20 minutes to the chefs of the tunnel. 2 billion tons per year is expected to be transported by 2030. daily passenger numbers are expected to grow from 9000 now to 15,000 by 2020. sarah: we were at the opening ceremony for the tunnel. we filed this report. >> this spectacular flight has come to be enhanced today and if everything count -- goes as planned, the environment maybe benefited, traffic on the roads behind me. freight will be carried on railways instead of and trucks on the roads. on top of that, we will be watching to hope tourists will be ready to stay and i longer.

sarah: two men confirmed dead at a shooting incident and the university of california. the spokesman concerned -- confirmed that homicide and suicide occurred. police discovered what they believed to be a suicide note. a signal has been detected from egyptian flight 804. special underwater equipment picked up the trace but it could be another week for the black ox is retrieved. investigators hoping to confirm whether the plane crashed two weeks ago was brought down by terrorists. >> after a search lasting two weeks there's finally a lead.

a french vessel has located a signal from one of the airplanes flight recorders. the recorders, known as black boxes can transmit a signal for up to five weeks after a crash. an airbus 320 left paris on may 19. a flight that would normally take three hours. a plane disappeared from the radar just short of the egyptian coastline. 664 on board. suspspicion continues as to whether it was an act of terror. they transmitted automated messages of smoke in the cabin before losing contact. an expert was hesitant to support any theories of a terrorist attack.. >> to me it looks more like an accident. like a mom on board -- a bomb on board would have dismantleled te aircraft in midair.

thatat would havee been visiblen radar. or the aircraft would have disappeared from radar. i think it was an accident and not a terrorist attack. >> small items of wreckage and personal belongings haven't found. no sign of the fuselage. hope remains high of bringing the black box surface and is covering the reason of rash. sarah: the united nations is warning that the civilians trapped inside of falluja this is the iraqi army encounters fierce resistance as they attempt to retake the city from a group. fighting has shifted to the north. some civilians have been evacuated, but those who remain have limited access food, water, and clean medicine.

it is a humanitarian crisis in the making. falluja is one of the two iraqi cities remaining held by i.s. militants. in the meantime thousands of people are still fleeing the fighting in neighboring syria. hundreds of thousands have been tortured and killed since the fighting started. there are now concerns in germany that some war criminals may have entered the country alongside refugees. identifying them is a daunting task area -- task. from the safe backdrop of western germany, he skype's every day with colleagues in syria helping them to track down his tormentors. he is convinced they may be living as refugees in germany. >> the victims cannot believe these people are here. they cannot imagine what it would feel like to see them in a restaurant and realize they are

the same people who tortured you and murdered your friends. >> they have already pinpointed 150 militia members who committed war crimes in syria and now live in germany. he is handed a list of german officials bubut says too littlee has beenen done about it. a photo of a man he has identified as a militia member loyal to bush are all a sod. the menace believed to have taken part in raids against civilians, torturing and killing innocent people. witnesses reportedly cororrobore the claims. we are off to investigate them. is that even these pictures? x yes, that's me. >> you are accused of torturing civilians. >> i had to go to the police three times. three hours with a translator and it was over. nothing happened. >> can you explain where the accusations come from? >> i am white, the up -- i am

alouhite, the others are sunnis . that is why. >> he calls it pure slander. theree are many other problems faced in cases like this. the biggest handicap is the inability to conduct thorough investigations and collect evidence. no one can provide an objective account of what happened. >> i have to rely on witnesses and other secondhand information that makakes it totough to investigate. >> the evidence provided ranges and quality. often there is no concrete documentation. criminal prosecutors have received 3000 pieces of evidence in connection with war crimes. hundreds of thousands have sought refuge in germany. experts say that there is a high probability that were criminals are among them -- war criminals are among them.

>> we have no idea what people who commit these kinds of crimes will do in germany. there is a risk thatat able use their network to their advantage. >> that poses a risk to members of the syrian opposition who have sought refuge in germany. >> it drives me crazy. the victims rights are being trampled on. we have to make sure that justice is done. he wants the criminals tried in court, but a justice system that follows the rule of law cannot do much without concrete evidence. sarah: germany is hosting a conference on the ruined syrian city, paul myra. 150 experts will converge on berlin to decide how to rescue a site that was wondered why the so-called islamic state. syrian government troops have retaken the area, but a huge

amount of work is stated to restore the former glory. planning for a peacetime future starts here. >> palmyra is one of the great archaeological sites. a cultural center of the ancient world, at the crossroads of several civilizations. they destroyed important structures almost 2000 years old. german out in march of this year by syrian government troops and russian special forces. the foreign ministry is cohosting a conference in berlin on the future of the area. >> we very much need this conference. of what to do with the site when the war is over. among the experts attending, she says the first priority is to bring peace to her country.

but it is important to start discussing reconstruction. >> it is sad that we are losing so many in our country. for those who survive it all it is a human right to get to know their cultural heritage. you need to be connected to your past. with historical sites. >> the scale model of the arch of triumph was unveiled in april. made with printing technology. i.s. left behind countless landmines. once cleared, they want to reconstruct a myra. > all parties must -- reconstruct how myra -- palmyra. >> all parties must come together. >> a huge challenge that is worthwhile. sarah: let's get a quick check on other stories around the

world. a fire that was started deliberately, a huge fire that broke out early on wednesday. no one was hurt in the blaze. the european union has issued a warningg to: saying that the government in or saw is not sticking to procedures on the rule of law and could face sanctions. as soon as they came to power the skeptic government led by the prime minister was in dispute with their independent constitutional court and refuse to implement some of its rulings. the turkish prime minister has described germany's expected vote to declare the 1950 -- 1915 class -- mass killings as a genocide as a ridiculous move. thursday german lawmakers are likely to back the symbolic

resolution on the massacre of up to 1.5 million armenians by ottoman turkish forces. still to come on the program, 40 dead tiger cubs pulled from a freezer. authorities investigate cruelty at a temple popular with tourists. back in a minute's time. don't go away.

>> fighting islamic state. dw reporter in northern iraq, less than twtwo kilometers from the next i.i.s. position. the north brigade, holding its ground. straight from the frontline. reporter, on dw. sarah: welcome back. a quick reinder of our top stories, the world's longest rail tunnel has opened in switzerland. the gotthard tunnel will carry passengers straight through the swiss alps at high speeds. a french navy ship has picked up single best signals from one of the black boxes 804. the plane crashed into the mediterranean last month. it is a buddhist temple, but

authorities say that it operates as a feepaying zoo. when wildlife officials were removing tigers from the temple they discovered the bodies of 40 dead tiger cubs in a freezer. west of the capital, bangkok, is a popular tourist destination. this was after animal-rights activists claimed the tigers were being mistreated. >> dozens of tigerer cubs and te body of a bearcat. found by park authorities in a tiger temple. it's notot clear why they were being kept there, but the dedepy head of f the park department td thatat they would see w with a e from and whether they had been properly meant -- registstered. meanwhile,e, 130 of the e big cs were being taken away from the controversial tourist attraction.

animal-rights groups accuse the caretakers of abuse and illegal wildlife trafficking. they had been fighting for years to shut down the sort of operation -- this sort of operation.n. the temple had been hit for totourists. the monks say that the cats arae peaceful because of the kindness. critics said that thehey were kt silent with drugs and punches. accusations that led them to a horrifying discovery. sarah: we're heading over to daniel winter for business news. a bird, a plane? no, it's a drone. daniel is here to tell us more about the latest technology on display this month berlin. daniel: that's right, but i will try not to drone on too long

about it. [laughter] the berlin air show has been around since the beginning of the last century. far from stuck in the past, though, with the latest drone developments on show. this event has been shortened by two days and has 200 fewer visitors than last time around, despite a surge in the sector. >> the airbus has taken to the air. but the military cargo plane is far too expensive, casting doubts on the project. the german armed forces is apparently standing by its order for at least 50 planes. the situation has changed this year. no announcements of any major purchase deals. instead the exhibition to show the latest high-tech ideas from the aviation industry. industry like the spearhehead, e driving force that can have an impact beyond the sector.

drones are considered one of the industries fastest-growing sentiments. on display from fertilizer sprays and drones to flying items to explore remote regions. i can take pictures with a 180 degree panorama. i can go 180 degrees upwards, flying under a bridge. i can move through the complete 180 degrees. adjust it at the ground center and the depth it to my needs. -- and adaptpt it t to my needs. drones are undergoing tests that may become far more commonplace in the future. >> in the simplest scenario you could go to google maps and with a few mouse clicks, the carew and press the start button. the drone does everything automatically.

in germany they have to remain in the operator's line of vision . that's why most of these items are shipped abroad. daniel: u.s. carmakers are seeing the biggest fall in sales and years. may is usually one of the strongest month for the american car industry as consumers purchase their vehicles ahead of road trip. sales there dropped 17% the midst of an ongoing commissions scandal that most major producers said that year on year sales were down less month with general motors sales falling 18%. only chrysler the trend with a single-digit increase. and we have the lowdown on this now and join -- we're joined in new york. is this a sign that car sales have plateaued after six years of growth? >> yeah, no, it's true that the sales reports of spooked investors to have been looking for some kind of witness in the

auto industry, which has been in a swing since the great recession, but many don't see this as the start of the anticipated weakness in auto sales, also an early indicator of consumer spending. most analysts had expected a drop in large part because of two fewer selling days and one last weekend last. >> what i would like to know is -- will this spring good news for consumers? will they cut rices to increase sales? >> memorial weekend was the traditional start of the sales season and most of the carmakers had already applied significant discounts and had been building inventory in anticipation of a fresh wave of demand. even the demand for trucks and suvs. something that could help the industry to keep sales above the

17 million mark this year. daniel: what else may the markets today? >> on a lot of attention on those manufacturing numbers the u.s., which came better than expected with a sample for a week global demand and lots of attention to the beige book of the fed, supporting the possibility of rate increases as soon as the 15th. for now, though, we will have to wait to see what happens. daniel: all right, we are in wait and see mode. thank you for the update. china invested 55 billion euros in overseas is this is. europe struggled to break free from the financial crisis and is and made a key target in recent years. companies desperate for fresh capital and a weak euro creating a perfec storm. now resistance is growing. take the proposed takeover of a

german robotics firm. politicians are calling it a key asset that they don't want to let go. >> these robots are in demand around the world by carmakers -- carmakers increasingly rely on automation and the manufacturing process. they want to use the robots for home production while eventually selling service robots for consumers to use at home. but the german government worries that a chinese takeover could rob them of even t tech -- more technical know-how and since the data. >> germany is not in the business of selling off to get his is. >> media reports say that the economic menace is trying to form an alliance of countries to prevent the sale. the german industrial giant has so far failed to offer a counter bid. daniel: that's all the business

will -- business news. you have news from the world of sports? >> absolutely. 95 new soccer rules come into effect worldwide today. the board in charge of the reggio -- relations since 1886. at their meeting in march they were more active than ever. some suggest that suggested that they were perhaps too active. >> one ball, a referee, 22 players. some things never change. but this time around there are 95 rules that will change. that sounds like major reform, let's say in3, the rules were fairly minor. for example, in kickoff the ball can be kicked in any direction. before it could only of her. another one that you might notice relates to what goes under team uniforms. underwear. this is a no-no. undergarments have to be the same color as the kit.

the medical teams have to be on board as well. the white tape? no, sir. what happens if a player is prevented a clear chance to score in the penalty area? used to mean an automatic red card, but now the referee can determine just how egregious it was. meaning a possible suspension for upcoming matches. if you like the change, thank the suits of the association board. more from fee for who support the governing body. more from the united kingdom, the motherland of football. finally, a move that still in the test phase as it is the most far-reaching of the 95 rules changes. video replala. a video referee will check the angles, slow things down and talk the field refereeee to determine if key decisions were

right or wrong. it's all two years before video replay is introduced across the world of national football. sarah: a quick reminder of our top story. the world's longest rail tunnel has opened in switzerland, carrying passengers 57 kilometers straight through the swiss alps at high speeds. you are up to date on "journal" ." i'm sarah cap -- on "dw news ." i will see you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

laura: welcome back. you are watching "live from with me, "france 24" lois elliott. at least 2 people are dead after a shooting at the university of california at l.a. we will have the latest from our correspondent at the scene in a few moments. racing to find the black box recorders from the egyptair flight from our friendship has dictated -- detected a signal. plus -- of france france's worst flooding in a century. rescue operations carried out in towns across the