♪ >> u.s. health officials cautiously optimistic after trials show an experiment to antiviral drug speed up recovery in covid-19 patients. also, the french economy shrinks by 5.8% while spain suffers a 5.2% drop in gdp. for the first time since its peak in february, south korea sees no new domestic coronavirus cases in a 24 hour period.

welcome back to the france 24 newsroom. we begin in the u.s., where the death toll from the coronavirus has passed 60,000 people. hope with glimmer of the preliminary results of a trial conducted in the u.s. and europe showing thehe antiviral remdesivirere -- helping patients recover more quickly from covid-19. american officials plan to make it available to patients as soon as possible. it is set to become the new stanandard of care for patients with covid-19. early results from a study conducted by the u.s. national institutes of health found the antiviral drug remdesivir cut recovery time from 15 to 11 days . it caused even the measured u.s. health officials to show excitement. >> although does not seem like a

knock at 100%, it is an important proof of f concept. what it hahas proven is that a drug can block this virus. >> remdesivir is produced by gilead scienceces, which created it over a decacade ago.. the drug actually virus directlyly, blocking enzymes tht allow it to replicate.e. an earlier trial conducted in wuhan, tririal found -- wuhan, china found remdesivir not to be effective but was canceled early due to a lacack of participants. what scientists consider the gold standard, with some patients given placebos and other doctors nor patients told which group they w were in. -- neithther doctors nor patiens told which groroup they were i . >> what i'i'm titimist about is if you think of all patients the idea that you could d have a 30% decrease in overall mortalityty and better i improvemement to recoveve is profound.

to donate their existing supply of remdesivir to hospitals, enough for more than 140,000 patients. the company would sell the d drg at what they said would be an affordable price. annette: the french economy has officially gone into recession, with new figures showing sharpest slump in growth since world war ii. spain and italy's e economy also witnessing massive plunges in the first three months of 2020 because of the pandemic. >> these are the figures for the first three months of this year. it is worth pointing out that only 2.5 weeks of the lockdown measures are counted during this period. it is still the worst slump on record, a contraction of 5.8% of the french economy.

these records began in 1949, which means it is much w worse than the financial crisiss or 1968. it changes methods to ensure it could count as much as possible from the 2.5 weeks. what we found out is things like consumer spending for the month of march was down by almost 18%, a huge drop. investment,sininess manufacturing down sharply as well and looking ahead, the next three months could be even more economy here and we are going to look at at least half of the three-month period from april to june covered by a lockdown. without a major recovery, there will not be greater figures coming out of the economy later in the year either. the crucial thing to watch will be consumer spending. once shops reopen, for those that have been closed, and people have less restrictions, are they going to spend money?

will be crucial to the recovery of the french economy. annette: for the first time since its peak in february, south korea has seen no new domestic covidid-19 cases over a 24 hour period. the nation reporting just four new infections s come all in people arriving from abroad -- infections, all in people arriving from abroad. containing its outbreak, a strategy that has been praised as a summary -- exemplary. >> it was one of the first centers outside of china. at its peak, south korea reported over 900 new cases of covid-19 in a single day. by the end of march, daily infections were already dropping below 100 here and now the country has hit another landmark. [speaking foreign language] >> south korean officials also

say there wewere no new infectis from this month's general election, which saw record turnout with more than 29 million voters casting ballots. the poll involved thorough ,anitation and safety measures an example of the organization and transparency that has garnered south korea praise for its containment of the outbreak. the country's strategy has involved no lockdown and fewer travel restrictions, relying on expensive testing and tracking of contract -- contact tracing those who are positive. while south korea's curve has flattened, the country is about to get put to another test. startrt of as the six-day holiday break and authorities are warning the public not be complacent. annette: britain has the second-highest official covid-19 death toll in europe, more than 26,000 fatalities. it is a figure putting pressure on the government over its

initial response to the ououtbreak. it is a grim picture as new statistitics for the number of coronavirus deaths in the u.k. are revealeled. until now, the british government's daily briefings only took into account hospital deaths. people dying in nursrsing hohoms and other settings were noted severally on a weekly basis. >> we arare moving to an improvd reporting so deaths in all whereverare included the individual has tested positive for covid-19 rather than just those in hospitals. we have recorded an additional 3811 deaths in total. this takes the number -- >> this takes the number of covid-19 deaths to 26,000, much higher thahan the 21,000 annound tuesday. the u.k. has leapt ahead o of

spain and france for fatalities, with only italy ahead in europe. the u.k.'s deputy chief medical officer has warned truly accurate figures will take even longer to emerge. >> in time, we will have a much better answer when we start to look at excess mortality is a total, which will take into account deaths related to covid-19 and deaths that may have occurred not to do to covid-19 at all but as a consequence of the crisis. >> the revelation over the scale of the outbreak is putting pressure on the british government, which faces criticism from opposition parties for being too slow to impose a lockdown and too slow to introduce mass testing. than 50 million people around the world are believed to be displaced. from people are forced their homes by conflict and

disaster. by conflict andt disaster. it is the highest number ever according to a displacement monitoring center. factor in the coronavirus, and those refugees are even more vulnerable. joining me now is the center's director. the combination of this pandemic with a record number of didisplaced people makes for a rather frightening situation, doesn't it? yes, , thank you very much. good afternoon. thanks for having me. the findings of this report are particularly sobering. crisissepeporting a glolobal of internall d displacement t tt has reached unprecedented levels, with ovever 50 million people displaced as a resultlt f conflict and disasters ovever 10 countries in the world, many of which are fragile countries. wewe are concerned that these 50 million people arare now also

facing an unprecedented threat caused by the global covid pandemic. thesese are very vulnerable peoe living in conditions where the spread of the virus could be particularly rampant and could have far-reaching consequences. aidtte: what does the scenario look like, particularly in poorer countries? africatance, sub-saharan ? >> even at the best of times, millions across the world struruggle to have access to e n basic social services. situations ormp living in informal settlements or in urban areas with very little access to govovernment assistancece and in some caseses even too the aidid provided by international humanitarian agencies. right now, , with many of the restrictions linked to the covid pandemic, this means much of this assistance, or some of this

assistance, has been suspended or is being g layed. we are concerned that the i --erabilit vulnerabilitities many of these face are going to be a compromise and we are going to or exacerbation in the coming months. annette: how do you get governments who are not only dealing with the health crisis but possibly the worst recession in decades to focus on ensururig aid reaches these committees? -- communities? >> that is a huge concern. our report has documented some positive progress demonstrated by a number of countries across the world over the last few years and acknowledging the scale of the issue and putting in place measures that can prevent it from happenininin the first t place but t also fine solutions now -- find solutions

now. with the risk of a global recessioion and h humanitariann budgets beining cut, we are particulularly concerned governments could turn inward and much of these efforts are at ork of being slowed down hampered. there are a number of things that can be done. governments need to be aware of balancing out their oblbligatios toto curb the spread of thee vis in the restrictions they are putting forward but alslso their reresponsibility t toward their citizens in ensuring that vulnerabilities do not spiral into a new crisis in the future. annette: thank you so much. lockdown is easing its restrictions this week. cafes and restaurants have reopened the capital. businesses have to abide by strict social distancing rules, which means outdoor dining is the only way to go.

friends having a drink or dining out in restaurants. these scenes from vilnius seem to come from a different time, before the coronavirus hit europe. vilnius has eased the lockdown after infections have slowed down. restaurants can reopen. [speaking foreign language] > but restaurants have to abe by certain rules. no client is allowed inside. people have to be at least two meters apart and only two people are allowed per table. applycing rules already toto stores and museums which reopened last week. for restaurant owners, this easing of restrictions is excellent news. >> it was a little strange to return to work since conditions changed a little.

that required more preparation for the team and g guests to understand how to enter, exit, and avoid contact. everything is all right. wewe are staying positive and we'll see what happens next. we are hoping for 50% of the turnover compared to last year. >> to give an extra push to businesses, vilnius has offered them free access to public areas to cater to more clients. 102's -- 162 restaurants and bars have applied to reopen. annette: that is it for this addition -- edition. stay with us here on france 24. ♪ >> at first glancnce,ou might

mistake this landscape for the planet mars, riddled with craters and mud ponds. this is an island in indonesia. 30 men are digigging at the botm of a gnt mind, p picking awawayt thesunststable m malls -- walls. for tin. looking every day, he descends into his workplplace, a whole 15 meters dedeep. for seven years, he spent eight hours in debt -- a day in stagnant water, protecected from mudslides. >> we have used simple pickaxes. it is more danangerous becausese there could be mudslides, but we try to be careful. i rememember one day the wall suddenly collapsed and we had to get down quickckly. sifting through the sand is a crucial step. it is like panning for gold.

after several minutes, a black paste appears. this is the ore from which tin is extracted. >> how much are you getting? >> about 12 kilos. >> he and his partner hoped to sell this amount for 50 euros. bantenet of sumatra, was once an island paradise. used in mobile phones and computers, it is working to meet the demand from phone and text companies. in 20 yeaears, it has transformd into a giant surface mine. three quarters of its landscape has been excavated. and000 miners are working illegal mines without supervision or control from authorities, including him.

he agreed to show us the house he built with the wages he earned from working in the mines. >> i used to work as a truck driverer. i wawas transporting fish. everyone knows you can make a lot of money in the mines. two partners, we found a tin.quantity of today, i get up to five times that. >> least 1 -- these tin mininers are mostly from neighboring islands. he works aboard a wrap with his father and what could be a scene out of the movie "mad max."

i w was the one who decided to leave school. nobody forced me. since working a at the mine, i have hardened myselflf. you can injure your hands or get sick. at 13, he works hard, like an adult. he struggles to carry this bag filled to the brim. at 60 kilos, it is heavier than he is. the contents should fetch 300 euros, a fortune in indonesia emma representing what an average indonesian makakes in a month. the market is lucrative. in bangka, hundreds of tin traders by the ore. each evenining, he meets his customers in his living room, which he has made into aa workshop. minersminors come -- come directly to my house.

then i set a purchase price, which depends on the weight and quality. what i am looooking at most is e percrcentage of tinn in ore. i also checked there are n n other metals insnside. [speaking foreign language] alfonso uses cash to buy per day. kilos of ore he resells it to private smelters. it is then exported worldwide by a state owned mining company. tin5 has depleted the island. tin at thee in pleated the island. ththis is a a village at the edf thee java seaea whose shores s e been ravaged by mining.

for kilometers, the water is polluted by mud pump from great depths. in some places, beaches are covered with blocks of clay. >> as you can see, there is a lot of moneyey activity with sometimes more than 1000 rafts exploring the area. found at the bottom of the sea and which arrives directctly on the beach. in one hour of drilling, these rafts can generate nearly 200 cubic meters of sedimentation. it stagnates -- everywhere. these rafts are scattered to the horizon, made of bamboo and recycled material. each can fit one to three miners aboard. sea, buryingrs at a huge pipe three meters underground to pump sand. each day, it gathers up to 10 kilos of ore, a very good yield.

[speaking foreign language] >> this area is extremely rich in tin. that is why we come here. the large rafts are further offshore. [speaking forereign language] >> sedimentation is having a catastrophic impact on the bangka echo system. debt ecosystem. it covers -- sand covers everything, including coral reefs which die. fish are forced to change habitats and move further offshore. there has been a decrease in the population of fish on the island , especially near the mines. forced to castst their nets beyond the drilling area has come at impact on bangka's

ecosystem has been devastating -- fishermen has been devastating. before, fishing was abundant. we caught squid right near the shore. with the mines, it is more and more difficult to fish for squid and other species of fish that we no longer see. >> three months ago, he expressed his anger with a group of other fishermen, protesting outside the governor's palace and demanding the protection of the coastline and a stop to the mining. >> our income is down considerably. since e we have arririved, i hae not caught any fish. this zone is supposed to be rich in macro. l.uck -- mackere how can i pay for food and support my family? >> some fishermen have fouound a solution. they have become miners themselves. their boats are rigged with the necessary equipment. on board, each crew has a diver,

a miner,\ whose -- eight miner -- a miner whose job it is to pump from the seafloor. each time he descends, his life is on the line. [speaking foreign language] hole in the seafloor which can reach between one and five meters deep. i remember one day there were three of us at the bottom of a hole, sucking up the sand. the ground caved in and we were buried alive. i do not know how long we were there. i managed to get out, but one of my colleagues s died that day. because of the danger, not many are willing to take the risk. after each dive emma -- each dive, he thanks god for keeping

him alive. rafts,rom the makeshift there are professionally operated shift -- ships capable of drilling the largest deposits. we boarded one of 53 boats owned by a public company. in front is the captain. he says they are drilling 32 meters deep, hoping to extract 600 0 kilograms of tin ore. we use aract the tin, drill head placeced at the endff a rod, which grinds the seafloor. once the materials have been crushed, a bump stocks of the material made of sand, water, sucks up thea pump material made of sand, water, and rocks. >> after the extraction, tons of material is thrown back into the sea, creating a layer of mud on the surface. as we approach it, the company

press sesecretary asasks us to p filming. we ask the captain about the effects of the dririlling on the environment. he is visibly embarrassed. again, thehe press secretary sts in. [speaking foreign language] >> i am sorry. you.nnot explain toto timah insurers as it is planning to invest 11 million euros to rehabilitate coral reefs and plant newew ones, like here, a small island invaded by mining rafts and boats a few the -- an environmental ngo is woworking o defend these turquoise waters against the effects of mining. >> we do not have the capacity to stop mining. we are committed to preserving our environment. the first thing we did was replant the coral to o show that wewe arere in the e middle of ae

operation.n. e mines are devouring bangka. the government must create protected natural areas. it must also create enough employment outside of mining. otherwise, it will never stop. that wed not -- we know did not inherit this island. we are simplply borrrrowing it d have to pass it on to o the next generation. the fight is far from over. 60% of the island's economy depends on the mining industry, but bangka's resources are limited. geological studies have found the island has more than one million tons of tin. at the current rate of extraction, the supply will run out in just 10 years.

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