brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. the u.s. announces a military withdrawal from germanany. a third of troops s are bein ordered to leave. they will be posted elsewhere in europe or head back to the u.s.. a plan of retribution.. donald trump accuses germany of being a freeloader of nato am not paying its bills. coronavirus infections rising agaiain in europe. govevernments, bringing back restrictions as tourism begins

to welcome bacack visitors. our americaca -- are america's tech giants killing the competition? google and amazon, defending their companies today in a grilling by u.s. lawmakers. and feeling close to your god by keeping a distance from others. the annual pilgrimage which normally draws millions of worshipers begins under tight pandemic restrictions am drastically diminished numbers -- and drastically diminished numbers. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers here and around the world, welcome. the u.s. has unveiled plans to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from germany. a third of its military footprint in the country. president trump testifying the move today, saying germany has

not been paying enough for its defense. the u.s. "did not want to be the suckers anymore." term in leaders say they regret the decision. -- german leaders say they regret the decision. reporter: the reduction of troops stationed in germany. even more will be leaving than expected. the u.s. secretary of defense announced the withdrawal, downplaying the significance. >> it is important to note in nato's history, the size, composition, and disposition of u.s. forces in europe has changed many times. reporter: but donald trump said the move is meant to send a message to germany. >> they are not paying their bills. it's very simple. they are delinquents. reporter: but it's not that simple. while it is true the u.s. pays more toward the nato budget than germany, the german government has promised to match u.s. contributions beginning next

year, at 16% of the total nato budget. trump often points out that germany does not make the nato guidelines that all members should spend 2% of their economic output on defense. germany only spends 1.4%. that guideline refers to spending on each country zone military, not directly to nato -- country's own military, not directly to nato. there are questions as to how the u.s. plan will begin carried out and what it means for the future of german security. analysts say even the pentagon was reluctant to carry out trump's demand for troop withdrawal. >> you canan imagine arguments d disagreements that would have been going on back in washington inside the pentagon and with the white house, thahat the end of e day, the p president says we are going to do this, so the department of defense says ok, here is how we are going to do it then. reporter: about 24,000 u.s. troops will remain in germany. but some observers worry trump's costly message could weaken the

whole alliance. narrator: -- brent: we have team coverage with our correspondent in brussels. good evening. the troop withdrawal is even bigger than expected. what has been the reaction here in germany? >> so far, the german government is biting their lip. they released a statement saying they had taken note of this decision and would be consulting with germany and the u.s. government and nato partners. there has been some disappointing reaction from -- disappointed reaction, like from the bavarian state premier. he said this is the wrong decision, that it weakens the u.s. and nato interests.

bavaria is an interested party, because the u.s. army is the largest overseas base in the world in germany. others in berlilin, really quite disappointed. pointing out the u.s. presence is not about defending germany, it is about the u.s. operational capability and the logistics in the region and around the world, which has proven established here in germany. brent: germany does not like this plan. what about nato? it is a big part of this equation. >> that's right. nato did say to the u.s., while it was making this plan, that it would prefer to see no u.s. troops taken out of europe.

secondarily, the preference was a stay in germany. -- was they stay in germany. that is what everyone is used to. it is a very strong base. it could have been worse. alltel thousand could be headed back to the u.s. -- all 10,000 -- all 12,000 could be headed back to the u.s.. anyone know how the resources are allocated in germany, most of the station is for u.s. interest. i think because it was secretary esper, flanked by the commander in europe, the announcement of it today a sort of anti-climactic, and nato was getting used a sort of saying, it could have been worse. brent: that is a good point. there are so many variables in this decision. simon, we've got an election coming up in the u.s. i'm wondering how this will

-- how this decision will impact german-u.s. relations going forward. >> this decision strikes at the heart of the relationship between germany and the u.s. there have been tens of thousands of u.s. service members stationed here since the second world war. for many people, they felt safer because of it, particularly western germany, of course, in the confrontation with the soviet union previously and even now, with an unpredictable russia. i think this does change the game. there is an economic aspect. tens of thousands of jobs directed indirectly, dependent on the u.s. president. president trump says he is doing this because germany does not pay its way, with only 1.33 of gdp going on military spending. a lot of these personnel are going to be moved to belgium and italy.

belgium, italy, both of those are spending less of their gdp on military spending than germany is. brent: that is a good point. is there anyone or any party that stands to benefit, or maybe another president? >> i have not heard anyone i spoke with speaking out in favor of this plan or agreeing with the u.s. position that this makes nato stronger against russia. maybe belgium would -- will get some extra buildings, maybe italy will get more money come also having to house a couple of battalions being sent there. allies are not in favor of this. this is a u.s. decision. they don't really have a choice. i think everyone is looking forward to seeing how it is

implemented and if there's a chance. brent: to both of you, thank you. let's take the story across the atlantic. oliver's covering the story for us in washington. donald trump said today they are not paying their bills, so we are reducing the troops, it sums like the motivation is to punish germany. is that what we're talking about, retribution? >> that is the official reasoning, it really looks like it. of course, president trump is having the electorate on his mind. you just mentioned it, we are getting closer to the election. germany has been a popular scapegoat for donald trump. he wants to present results of the threats he's made throughout his whole presidency to withdraw troops.

experts told us today that withdrawing these troops would not punish germany, they would rather punish the u.s. of course, nato as a whole and lawmakers on both says of the political aisle also call this a win for the kremlin. they are there for deterrence reasons, especially looking at russia, and this is not a given anymore because the trump administration decided to take a big part of the troops, even back home to the u.s.. brent: you can imagine the russian president tonight is probably reading the story and smiling. what about the execution of this plan? it is going to be very expensive and take a lot of time. will it out last? survive, the trump administration? >> that is what the critics are hoping. there are many of them, even within the republican party.

there's a bipartisan group led by a republican lawmaker, mitt romney, also lindsey graham, one of the closest trump allies, is among them. they are planning to block that withdrawal. which is a completed process. in the end, a bill has to be confirmed by both chambers of congress, the house, and the senate. obligated, yes, but experts say it is possible for the admission to withdraw a portion of the troops. as of now, 12,000 american troops. that will take longer. there are many questions to be answered. it might be possible that in the end, it will be joe biden skull should they win the election, and it is unclear if that is the end of the story. brent: oliver, thank you.

now to the pandemic. swelling numbers of coronavirus infections have forced european governments to reimpose restrictions. that, in the middle of summer. as countries reopen their tourism hubs to vacationers. reporter: in a normal yea the brithh city welcomes around 6 million visitors, brininging in halflf a billion e euros. this year, things are much quieter. that means british tourists are the focus of this international destination. >> we are not worrieded about te papandemic as lolong as we have social disistance and wash our hands and everything. >> youou're sororting to seeee e sanitizationon, the socialal distancing.. all in all, i feel conjugal to travel. reporter: while domestic travelers can enjoy this year's track with at a, authorities are putting the brakes on international -- years activities, -- this year's

activities, authorities are putting the brakes on international traveling. at london's heathrow airport, they w were not t happy about te news. >> we are calling for a double test, once onon arrivalal in the second after f five days or eigt days, , where people will l stan quarantinene to shshow they didt have the disease, then they would be allowed out. reporter: to flatten the newly rising curve, madrid has now made mask wearing mandatory in public. residence seem happy to comply -- residents seem happy to comply. >> it is fine, because in this way, we are protected and more responsible. this is how it should have been from the beginning. reporter: belgium is also struggling with a new spec in cases. the city of antwerp reinstated a curfew. no one is allowed outside between 11:00 p.m. -- 11:30 pmm 6:00 a.m. except for essential workers.

germany is worried about imported infections. it is requiring travelers from high-risk areas to take a covid-19 test upon arrival. while many w were hoping to fort about the coronavirus during their holidays, the virus has certainly not forgotten about them. brent: we will hear some of the otother stories making headlines around the world. iran's revolutionary guard has undergone a series of military exercises in the strategic strait of hormuz. emergency crews are tackling a large fire in the usa of arizona after a freight trtrain derailed while crossing a bridge. you can see the pictures. the bridge, partially collapsed. one person has been reported suffering from smoke inhalation. seseparatists in s southern yeyn have pledged to abandon a peace

deal with the one backed government, that agreement was signed in november but has since stalled. both sides are fighting who the rebels in the north. -- houthi rebels in the north. an investigation into a missing british toddler. it is not yet known if any evidence was found. a pipie of land is thoughtht toe connected to a suspect in the case. the girl was three years old when she vanished on vacation in portugal 13 years ago. four of america's biggest name in tech have appeared before congress to defend their companies against charges they have become too powerful and are stifling competition. appepearing today, mark zuckerbg of facebook joined google and apple's ceo's and jeff bezos,

all answering questions about the antitrust panel. they were grilled on market dominance and alleged violations of antitrust law. the first such committee hearing in two decades. let's talk about that now with our dw reporter in new york. we have got the most influential and powerful tech titans in the world. what have they been saying? >> the big question is if they have gotten too big. the people of congress have different issues, hindering competition and innovation. here's what t they had to sayayo some of those accusations. >> o of the 10 most valuable

companies a decade ago, onlnly three are aroround totoday. if you look atat the top tech companies, the vast majority were american. today, almost half are chinese. >> it is very limited in nature. ou r ai -- our ai work in chinaa is limited. >> did you personally sign off on the plan to raise prices after amazon n limited its competition? >> i don't remember that at all. >> thank you. >> i believe t this was 11 years ago. i believe we followed diverse,. -- diverse.com. brent: it is the first embassy jeff bezos having to answer

questions. do we know yet why are these for ceo's, why are they testifying now? >> the one thing that i personally do not understand is why microsoft was not part of it. it is the fifth influential tech company in the u.s.. those investigations started more than a year ago. fittingly, with the pandemic, the companies have gotten even more powerful. look at amazon, for instance. they have increased their market value by about $500 billion since the beginning of the year. i guess there is no doubt they are monopoly-like systems underplay. this hearing was long in the making. brent: you bring up a good point. amazon controls much of the retail market in the united states.

what can jeff bezos, what did he tell congress to defend his position? because he does control a lot. he is a major player. -- the major player. >> he tried to be emotional. he told stories of when he was born, his mother was 17 years old, he is a self-made man. if you look at the overall retail industry, amazon stands for 1% of sales. there is a lot of competition. that is actually how jeff bezos tried to defend himself. if you look at the online retail market in the u.s., amazon is clearly dominating with roughly 50%. brent: i think looking at these four ceo's appearing together, with social distancing, not sitting face-to-face, it seems like a clever play on their

part. do you think anything is going to really come from the hearings today? >> well, not immediately. the pressure on those tech giants is clearly increasing day-to-day. it is not unthinkable that lawmakers might try to change the laws. we might potentially see it breakup some companies. take facebook, for instance. facebook also purchase instagram, what's up, -- whatsapp, youtube, so on and so forth. republicans and democrats fear those companies have become too dominant and this might not be good for renovation and for competition. we might see a change of laws in the u.s. not tomorrow, but at some point in the future, i believe it is definitely possible. brent: there's also the question of how good the companies are

for democracy, particularly facebook. as always, thank you. here is a check of some of the other stories making headlines. the u.s. treasury secretary, steven mnuchin, has confirmed the chinese owned video app, tiktok, is under review as a potential u.s. threat -- potential threat to u.s. national security. a tiktok representative said they could not comment on the review process right now. turkey's parliament passed a law that gives authorities more power to regulate social media. platforms will haveve to comply with strict conditions or face bandwidth reductions. the law was called for by president edro -- president erdogan. german ministers were grilled behind closed doors today over what they knew about allegations of fraud at wire card.

in june, the highflying payment service provider crashed and burned after bosses admitted there was a 1.9 billion euro hold in the company's balance sheet. berliners have been getting the chance to experience their new airport 11 years after it was originally supposed to open. 11 years. an army of fake flyers has been trying out the passenger experience ahead of the airport's opening, scheduled for later this year. reporter: this is one of 28 test involving thousands of volunteers, designed to put this massive airport through its paces, ahead of a grand opening in october. >> i am flying on 115. i have one piece of luggage. it actually contains real clothes. reporter: close that she would not need, because she is not

flying anywhere today. many of the testers were curious to see this hub for themselves. plagued with delays, it's become a national shame and joke. >> sales tax refunds? i've never done that before. i think it is an interesting challenge. reporter: with work here on going, the only bargain on offer is some rubble and a hardhead. the purpose of the test run is to our and out any problems, like the lack of moving walkways along the long corridors. >> we learned that some things did not work well with the bulky luggage. we have adopted the process. we also learned how it works with large masses of people. we collect year management. -- we call it q management -- queue management. this project was launched in 1991. after a 30 year weight and

billions of euros, -- wait and billions of euros, the opening is getting closer. brent: a huge fleet of foreign fishing boats off the galapagos islands. chinese fishing trawler's cast their nets every year near the islands, which belonged to ecuador. this time, officials have counted more than 250 ships. they say they could irreparably damaged the islands' marine ecology. reporter: the hammerhead shark is one of many endangered species here in the galapagos islands. their lives might be even morore at risk now. a fleet of nearly 260 fishing vessels, mostly chinese, has been spotted close to the islands' protective zone. sparking a debate about how to protect these waters and international maritimeme law.

>> there is an urgent need to moveve forward and strengthening the international agreement known as the high seas treaty. that will allow us to reach clear agreements on a responsible management of fisheries and international waters. reporter: fears of overfishing are not without good reason. in 2017, authoririties seized a chinese vessel in the galapagos carrying 300 tons of fish. ththe delicate ecosystem o of te galapapagos, which was a an inspiration for charles darwin's deary of evovoluon, is also a heritage site. now more than ever, the plethora of wildlife that roams these seas is dependent on the international protection. -- on international protection. brent: in saudi arabia, muslim pilgrims have begun their

pilgrimage to take part in the most important pilgrimage, but this is not a normal year. it is taking place on a much more modest scale. ♪ reporter: a pilgrimage like no other. these people are among the few saudi residents allowed to attend the five-day pilgrimage. this year, strickland controlled because of the coronavirus -- strictly controlled because of the coronavirus. usually, 2 million people back together to praise before the structure. 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 20-50 years old with no terminal illnesses and show nono signs of coronavirus. the pilgrims have also had to

undergo temperature checks and virus tests, where wristbands that monitor their movements, and quarantine. a small number of people enjoying a once-inin-a-lifetime experience. brent: after a short break, i will be back to take you through the data in it. -- through "the day." tonight, donald trump says no more freeloading on america's dime. we will be right back.

top tech bosses are under scrutiny in the e u. s. so congress ahead of google apple facebook and amazon or answering questions about the cumulated power. they wield over u. s. citizens and indeed peopople around the world more n that's at the top of the show. for the u. s. is to proceed with a plan by donald trump's withdrawal nearly twelve thousand troops from germany next by sir in berlin wilill gie us the l latest. on reactions to the news there. and for members of a hong kong pro independence group have been arrested by police the arrests are. the first time a crackdown has been ordered on activists outside over street protests