>> this isis al jazazeera. ♪ anchor: you are watching the news live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes. americans head into the fourth of july weekend with beaches and bars closed. and health experts urging them to rein in their celebrations to stop an even bigger surge in coronavirus cases. brazil's president approves a lot requiring people to wear masks on streets and public transport. plus -- >> we are not out of the woods yet. anchor: a sober message from the

u.k. prime minister as pubs prepared to reopen despite covid-19 still killing more than on100 britons a day. >> you cannot get away with killing journalists. ananchor: turkey puts 20 saudisn trial over the murder of jamal khashoggi. >> i will have all the sports, including formula one champion lewis hamilton head of the delayed season opening of the grand prix. ♪ anchchor: welcome to the newsho. health experts in the united statates say this week couldld e the perfect storm for an explosion in coronavirus infections. as the country gears up for independence day, in some states where restrictions are being reimimposed, bars and beaches se beenen closed, and fireworks and

parades canceled. the u.s. reported another record rise in coronavirus cases on thursday with more than 55,000 new infections. that is the largest daily number any country has reported since the outbreak begin. california, texas and florida all posted record new cases this week. arizona says it is running out of icu beds and texas says its hospitalizations has risen to a record high. despite this, the u.s. president will celebrate fourth of july with a trip to mount rushmore. donald trump is about to set off for south dakota. that is where he will watch a fireworks display with thousands of people at the landmark. masks will be available but not required. the site is not had fireworks since 2009 because of environmental concerns. trump's visit is expected to be met by protests as well. let's bring in robin jordan from outside washington, d.c. in

virginia. americans are told to scale back the celebrations this year but the president seems to be sending out a different message. caseat has really been the since the pandemic really took off here in the united states. the president just this week has and insisting that states localities do have the pandemic under control even though public health experts say that is not the case. the president is also trying to send a message that it is safer people to go about their daily lives, including observing the u.s. independence day holiday. certainly any other year having have a -- having a three-day weekend with two days of celebrations and fireworks would be something that many people would look forward to. but as you noted, the president is getting ready to head to mount rushmore in the state of south dakota were not only will

about 7500 people be able to sit next to each other and watch him deliver remarks before a 40 minute long fireworks display, but they also will not be required to wear any face coverings during the event. that has public health experts very concerned that because these people largely are coming from across the united states, that they could be transmitting the virus to each other and then returning to their home communities and thus setting off a new spread of covid-19. dareen: the facts speak for themselves and the latest numbers we are getting from across the u.s. is they are simply not good. the state ofn texas. es and the day iscas not over yet. another seven hours before a new day starts in the u.s. east coast. in the state of arizona, not only do you have another 1400 to

1500 cases but the country of mexico, which is on the border with arizona, has stopped all cross-border crossings in order to stem the spread of the disease. the caseload is also rising in california, in florida, in north and south carolina, and in georgia. the disease is far from being under control. in the at end, many local governments have basically banned people from going to restaurants and bars, or going to the beach or the lakeshore in their communities, again, to try to keep people away from each other and try to stop the spread of covid-19. dareen: all right, thank you for that update from just outside washington, d.c. let's talk about this with dr. richard, the texas tech official, joining us from lubbock. thank you for joining us. states are breaking their own records, including in texas where you are. how concerned are you about the

trajectory of the virus? >> thank you. i am concerned because we are averaging about 8000 cases per day in texas. as a physician, i just checked the numbers and there have been 7362 people currently hospitalized. that is four times more than there were at the end of may. dareen: what are you hearing about hospitals in particular? because some reports seem to suggest some hospitals in cities like houston are now nearing capacity. >> you are correct. where i am at in lubbock, we have capacity for more patients but the bigger cities like dallas, houston, said antonio, austin are approaching their capacity and i believe in houston, it is at least above 90%. that is very concerning for such a large city. dareen: the governor of texas has reversed course and

mandating the wearing of masks. if people do so and people avoid crowds and they don't go out on this fourth of july holiday weekend, could that curve be flattened and how long would it take? >> yes. i don't know the perfect answer to that, but i will use this an example. i have been wearing it since march. you are right. the governor has said in all public places, all texans should wear that. they should listen to that guidance that is very important. my best guess is that if they don't, two weeks later, there will be more cases. two weeks after that, there will be more hospitalizations. right now, we are going up too fast. dareen: the messaging is that americans should stay home and that is the message from health experts, within the u.s. president seems to be sending out a different message. he is on his way to mount rushmore to celebrate the fourth of july weekend. if the president himself wore a

mask and avoided crowds and he didn't attend these events, with that make a difference -- would that make a difference? >> i believe it may. i'm a physician and not a politician but i believe our leaders set examples. dareen: one final thought to you on the president himself and this is not a political question. it is about testing because the u.s. president maintains the reason the cases are going up in the u.s. is because of increased testing. is that something you agree with? recognizinge are more people who have it and we need the capacity for more testing. recently, all the tests are being done in dallas, houston, austin. it has made it very difficult for us to get the proper materials to do the test here. testing is key to the tracing. most important, quite honestly are these masks. dareen: we thank you very much, speaking to us from texas. thank you for your time.

>> my pleasure. thank you. dareen: now, health workers in ecuador's capital say hospitals are on the verge of collapse because of new coronavirus cases there. more than 59,000 people are infected and over 4600 others have died. the government has now begun collecting personal data to ensure people are following quarantine rules. it says the information is crucial to identify anyone who may have the virus or come into contact with an infected person. let's bring in teresa from argentina's capital. how concerning is the situation in ecuador? >> well, it is extremely concerning. over 60,000 people have been confirmed to be infected. almost 5000 of them have died and have confirmed to have died from covid-19, but thousands of others that were not tested and have the symptoms. we can all remember the images from the city right at the port

of ecuador. nvidia economic engine -- the economic engine of the country where the health care system collapsed, with bodies piling up on the streets. the epicenter right now is in the capital where cases have increased in the past week. from the very beginning, the mayor posted a very strict lockdown in the city to prevent the spread of covid-19. but in the past month, they have started to open up the city, mostly because of the economic consequence that this has in the country. in that month, the amount of infections in the country have increased about 70%. we just talked to the mayor. he told us the city's health care system is about to collapse. we were just talking to a doctor in that city who told us people are dying while they are waiting to be accepted inside a hospital. so, certainly, there's lots of fear about what's coming next in the city.

the virus is spreading fast. the government is trying to control it. there was lots of pressure to open up the economy because of the economic situation in the country, but opening up has its consequences. dareen: over in brazil, the country is approaching 1.5 million cases. we know the president has signed, but also watered down a law of requiring people to wear masks in public. what is that about? >> over 1.5 million people infected in brazil, over 60,000 people have already died. the virus writing to the country's most remote areas. just now, president bolsonaro passed a law making it mandatory for people to where face masks. he vetoed a clause of the new law where he says in churches, pools, factories, people are not obliged to wear a face mask. this is happening just as some cities in brazil are starting to open up. in sao paolo, restaurants and bars are opening up.

in rio de janeiro, people are allowed to go to the beach, do some exercise. they are not allowed to stand, but restaurants and malls are opening up. there was lots of tension between governors of those cities and bolsanaro because they did impose a lockdown. the president was opposing it. they opened up, but cases continue to increase. we were listening to some experts who were saying probably they would open up too soon. that the city should remain in lockdown because of the situation in brazil. on thursday, 48,000 people infected in the country. 1200 people died. that is why the criticism towards bolsanaro for his handling of the crisis has been enormous. dareen: reporting from buenos aires. theirians are enjoying second tax-free shop days as the government tries to stimulate the economy. citizens are being encouraged to

venture out and spend after one of the strictest lockdowns in latin america. it has proved to be a popular measure because sales tax in columbia is 19%. the government says retail sales jumped fivefold after the first tax-free holiday on june 19. critics fear the shopping days could lead to a surge in new infections. england is dropping coronavirus travel restrictions for travelers coming from 59 countries and 14 british overseas territories. from july 10, passengers arriving from places viewed as low risk will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days. the rule was brought in last month and has been opposed to the travel industry. holiday favorites france, spain and italy on the list, as is germany, but the u.s., china, brazil and sweden are not. and hairdressers, pups, restaurants and other businesses will be reopening their doors in england on saturday after more

than three months of lockdown. with covid-19 still claiming the lives of more than 100 people a day in the u.k., prime minister boris johnson has urged people to act responsibly. >> the success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them, ultimately, the economic health of the whole country is dependent on every single one of us acting responsibly. we must not let them down. lockdown only succeeded in controlling the virus because everyone worked together. and we were only succeeded if everyone works together again. because we are not out of the woods yet. dareen: the reopening is good news for the hospitality sector, which has already lost millions because of virus restrictions. many fear that opening up could

invite a new wave of infections. >> that has come to the front of the shop. reporter: caroline is preparing for her first clients in three months. lockdown when she could not open up her barbershops, but it is hardly business as usual. under new rules, stylus will have to wear visors and aprons, and customers will be kept apart as much as possible. >> there is a worry. worry for the staff. i think the customers will be safe because we will clean everything down, but more worry for the staff coming back when they have been self-isolating or have not been out. all of a sudden, they have to touch people and cut their hair. reporter: in parts of the u.k., social distancing rules are being reduced from two meters to one. >> this is a nice distance behind the barber. reporter: britain is one of the country's worst affected by coronavirus and some have questioned whether the changes are coming too soon, propping

fears of a rise in cases. the last few months have been a rocky ride for business. with thousands of jobs lost, no way of knowing what to come. usually at this time of year, people will be going through the gates. but this place had to close and lose most of its staff, and it is thought it will not be able to fully reopen until early next year. many hotels, pubs and restaurants are reopening. at the old white hart, they kept busy throughout this crisis. making meals for people working in the local hospital. so, they are taking no chances. they are like many other bars that have the luxury of space so people can socially distance. and with reservations already lined up for the weekend, the chef is prepping the kitchen. all customers will be required to leave their name and contact details just in case there's any outbreak of coronavirus and they need to be traced. >> it will be different.

we will have social distancing. we will be having in an outdoors. we are training the staff on all the different measures that is going to be in place. i'm a bit apprehensive about opening up and all sorts of people coming in that you have never met before. but i think if we put all the measures in place, everyone should be safe. reporter: some believe relaxing the rules of lockdown, particularly on a saturday, could send infection soaring. opening up the hospitality industry will boost the economy. only in the coming weeks though will we know the full impact of the changes to the u.k. economy and the health of the nation. emma hayward, al jazeera. dareen: south africa has reported its biggest single day rise in coronavirus infections with over 9000 new cases. the surge comes a few weeks up of the country allowed businesses to reopen following a strict two month lockdown. the government is extending its deployment of 20,000 soldiers

until the end of september to help enforce restrictions. cases across south africa more than quadrupled in june. there are now more than 177,000 confirmed infections, and almost 3000 people have died. reported yeto another single day high of new coronavirus cases. a sign the infection rate is still rising. almost 21,000 new cases were confirmed, taking the national total to more than 625,000. india is expected to overtake russia to become the third worst hit country after the u.s. and brazil. despite rising cases, the government has eased many restrictions and monuments including the taj mahal will reopen for tourists next week. north korea's leader says his country needs to be on maximum alert against the coronavirus. kim jong-un told officials that complacency could lead to an unimaginable crisis, but he also reiterated the country's claim it has not had a single case of

covid-19 despite sharing a border with china where the outbreak began. health experts say a major outbreak would have severe consequences because of a lack of proper health facilities. coming up, redoing a classic. athens lodges europe's biggest urban renewal project in a bid to boost its economy. ethiopia's prime minister says the murder of a popular singer and subsequent unrest was part of a plot to destabilize the country. we'll hear what one of basketball's best young players has to say about the nba's return to action. ♪ dareen: first, the trial of 20 saudi nationals accused of killing jamal khashoggi has begun in turkey. his fiancee was among those who testified at the hearing but none of the defendants were

there. the murder at the saudi consulate and is stumbled has drawn widespread cad of nation his remains have never been found. reporter: inside the courthouse in istanbul, prosecutors began their case against 20 saudi citizens. the accuse the men of killing saudi journalists jamal khashoggi at the saudi consulate in the city in october 2018. saudi arabia has refused the request to extradite the suspects, so the trial is being held without their presence in the courtroom. trial that some countries may not been familiar with. it has limitations, but the u.n. special repertory says it is much better than the closed-door trial held in saudi arabia last year. the killingot moved of jamal khashoggi into a formal setting that the international community can recognize because

the trial in saudi arabia could not be given credibility and legitimacy. it was held in secret and the key perpetrators, those who commissioned the crimes were not indicted. his turkish fiance hopes the case will offer new clues to the whereabouts of his remains. turkey's justice. the process has begun. our search for justice will continue in turkey as well as everywhere else we can. reporter: khashoggi's murder remains a horrific crime against the journalists. if the suspects were convicted, they could face possible life sentences without their arrest and their physical presence here, they are unlikely to serve any prison time in turkey. the fact that the saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman has not been impacted. in a previous report, the u.n.

special repertory has called for an investigation into bin salm an's suspected role in the killing. >> the one country that has claim to have evidence about mohammed bin salman's responsibility is the united states. it is the cia. process undertaken by the american congress to get to the bottom of the information has been hampered through a veto by the white house. reporter: she says the power of the trial should not be underestimated, but says more countries need to show support for the legitimacy of the turkish court case. that same court in istanbul has also jailed two of amnesty international's turkey former leaders on terror charges. the former chairman was

convicted of membership to a terror organization and sentenced to more than six years in prison. and the former director was one of three activists sentenced to two years and one month. their arrest followed a failed attempt to overthrow president erdogan and was seen as a push to silence critics. amnesty international has condemned the ruling is a crushing blow for human rights and justice in turkey. >> we always we will not give up. there will be an appeals process. we will be supporting our friends and colleagues all the darkbut this is a real, a day for turkish justice. to see such trumped up, adversely political charges without any substance whatsoever for people's lives to be taken away in this way is just a disgrace. dareen: the philippine president signed into law a counterterrorism bill that critics say in danger civil liberties inmate result in abuse

of power. duterte fast the legislation which he says needed to fight terrorism. the law bypasses normal legal processes and gives a special counsel the right to decide what is terrorism in order arrests without warrants. suspects can be held without charge for up to 24 days. ethiopia's prime minister says the murder of a popular singer and subsequent violence within the country was an attempt to start a civil war. he made the comments during an emergency meeting with senior advisors. more than 80 people died in protests in response to the killing of the prominent singer. he was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the capital on monday night. we are following the developments from neighboring kenya and she says ethiopia's prime minister issued a strong warning to what he called the instigators. very expensivea meeting this morning with key government officials, including

the chief of defense, the attorney general, the federal political commissioner and others. after this came a written statement where he said this incident, and the protests that followed the killing up the musician were coordinated and an attempt to create civil unrest. he says that the people, the government give amnesty to and allowed in the country. if you remember, ethiopians who are in exile were allowed to have come back into the country after the government amnesty the last two or three years. some of these people in the state of engaging the government in a way to solve ethiopians peacefully and decided to take up arms. he also said the government is in the process of identifying not just who committed the crimes, the killing of the musician, but also those who are instigating the violencnce.

the last few days, we have been hearing from officials of the ethiopian government and the prime minister saying there could be some external forces or foreign countries that have a hand in this process. he also said there are people who are colluding with the instigators of the violence and will be considered enemies of the the opiod people. dareen: the paris appeals court has rejected an effort to reopen an investigation into the assassination of rolando's former president. he died when the plane he was traveling in was shot down in the capital in 1994. the event triggered the 100 day genocide which killed 800,000 people. responsibility for the attack remains contested but some blame people close to the current president. in 2018, french prosecutors dropped charges against nine suspects with ties due to a lack of evidence. much more to come on the al jazeera newshour, including --

[applause] macron president replaces a popular prime minister with a man who helps ring fran set of lockdown. a desperate response following a desperate journey. migrants threatened suicide after the rescue boat is refused docking. marathons recordholder has gotten himself into real trouble. details later. ♪ ♪ >> hello. still plenty of cloudy skies and rain showers across the northern areas of europe. across southern and eastern areas, showers and storms. some very nice warm sunshine across the southwest and the southeast. not so in central europe.

people sheltering from some very heavy rain. meanwhile across into more southern areas of germany, it has been fine and dry. the rain showers back in the forecast for much of the u.k. some strong winds from the southwest, pushing showers towards denmark and northern germany and into southern areas of scandinavia. we still got some possibly heavy downpours. lingering across into romania and more central and southern areas of italy. sunday, theough area of low pressure responsible for this rain is working its way quickly towards norway, taking with it some very heavy amounts of rain. still some blustery showers across the northwest. fairly cloudy conditions across much of europe. one or two showers on the way to the southeast. mostly fine. a chance of a few showers on sunday, but temperatures not faring badly. where it stays warm and sunnnny for the next few days is bucharest. 35 on tuesday. ♪

♪ dareen: the top stories on the al jazeera newshour. some beaches and bars are closed as americans are warned to scale back their independence day celebrations to slow the spread of coronavirus. u.s. health experts say this weekend could be the perfect storm for an explosion and infections. brazil's president has approved but water down a law that mandates the wearing of masks in public places. tosanaro used his veto power remove elements of the law that required people to wear face coverings and shops and churches. british prime minister boris johnson urges people to act more responsibly as restrictions are further east in england. hairdressers, pubs and other businesses will be reopening their doors on saturday. greece is launching what might

be europe's biggest urban renewal project in an effort to revive its economy. with tourism at a standstill, the country is forecast to suffer the continent's deepest recession this year. we report from athens. reporter: two decades after it was shot down, athens old airport is roaring back to life. an international consortium is plowing $9 billion over 10 years to create a model city in the southern suburbs and 80,000 jobs. it's music to the years of a government that came to power promising growth and now faces europe's deepest coronavirus related recession of up to 10%. >> is encouraging -- as encouraging as that is today, countries investment is beginning. reporter: it is not only greece's biggest investment. hectors, it is being

billed as europe's biggest urban renewal projects. one that could increase the size of the national economy by 2.5%. with unemployment at over 14%, greeks welcome the news, but wonder if they will be the ones to benefit. >> perhaps there will be job openings and that will help, but my rent will double. in fact, it has already started going up. even if i find a job, the development will make my life difficult because salaries are low. reporter: three years, the project has created winners and losers. the original owners of the property to create the airport fought a legal battle to get it back and lost. meanwhile, luxury homes have sprung up at the airport's fringes as property prices have risen to the top of the greek market. and many people wonder whether the government itself has won or lost. this land is valued at over $3 billion. it was sold for a third of that amount and only a third of that

was paid upfront in cash. that's because six years ago when the government sold it, greece was in the midst of the post 2008 global financial crisis which costed a quarter of its economy and one million jobs. the priority at the time was to generate growth rather than fill state coffers. the mayor insists everyone will benefit. >> neither i or my voters can afford about what is offered, but the project is not just the casino, the marina and luxury hotel. it is a park for everyone. you can come down on the metro and wander around with your family. reporter: the park will surely be welcome as replaces acres of concrete slab, but after the battering greece's economy has received, a nearby playground for the rich make still create resentment. dareen: french president macron has replaced his popular prime minister with a little-known civil servant. it is part of a major government reshuffle in an attempt to

reinvigorate his presidency two years before the next election. natosha butler reports from paris. natosha: not a new name in french politics. a conservative mayor of a southwestern town, he has worked for former right wing president nicholas sarkozy and was put in charge of lifting france's lockdown street nevertheless, few people have heard of him until he was named prime minister by president macron during a cabinet reshuffle. >> we will need more than ever to reunite the nation to fight this crisis among us and to continue the deep reforms you have undertaken so we can emerge stronger and united. natosha: he served as prime minister since 2017 when macron was elected. he was little-known when he took up the position but he soon became one of france's most respected politicians, steering the country through the

coronavirus crisis with his trademark no-nonsense approach. >> i'm rather moved in saying this, but be good. as we say where i come from, let the wind carry you. [applause] natosha: he may have become too popular for macron's comfort which is why the president may have chosen a prime minister unlikely to overshadow him. >> he's a low-key politician. in a way, macron is saying i am the president and i am the prime minister. i have a decision collaborator to take charge of the day-to-day running of the governance. more of aessor was politician. he was wrestling on the cover of a magazine. people started seeing him a little bit as an alternative or a rival to macron.

this will not happen with him. natosha: the appointment will disappoint those who hoped macron would choose a woman as his next prime minister or a politician with an environmental background after big wins by the green party in this week's local elections. macron says he wants the last two years of his presidential return to be a period of renewal. his choice of prime minister may fail to convince him he is serious about change. natosha butler, al jazeera, paris. dareen: france has returned the remains of 24 algerian resistance fighters killed during its colonization of the north african country. their skulls had spent decades in a french museum before being repatriated on friday. they were welcome by the president who described the deadman as war heroes. the coffins will be held at the cultural palace where the public can pay their respects.

they will then be buried on sunday, the 58th anniversary of al jazeera -- algeria's independence from france. a rescue charity has declared a state of emergency on one of its ships. the more than 180 migrants and refugees on board are growing increasingly desperate after both malta and italy refused permission to dock. rescue workers on the ocean viking say many of the people are in acute mental distress and six of them have tried to kill themselves. they were rescued in four different operations in the past week while attempting the dangerous crossing from libya into italy. let's now speak to the director of operations for sos mediterranean which operates that ship, the ocean viking. he is joining us from france. thank you for joining us. as we are reporting, you announce the state of emergency on board the ocean viking. tell us more about what led you

to make that decision and how unprecedented this situation is. >> it is very unprecedented because it is the first time in more than four years of operation that we reached such a level of anxiety and such a situation. the situation is very simple. we have people in the central midtier -- mediterranean, the area of responsibility for italy and malta. for some of them, this was more than one week ago. 180 people have come from libya. they have been drifting at s sea for days. now they are left for days in a ship which is 60 meters long without nothing. their mental health is starting to be extremely worrying. people psychological which are threatening to suicide themselves. tensions are actually high and

this is the reason that led the vessel to declare the state of emergency a couple of hours ago. dareen: following that declaration of emergency, have you received any help or response for maritime authorities? i don't over the last week as well -- know over the last week as well, you have sent at least seven requests to italian and authorities from malta. >> at this hour, we have not received yet any country's proposal to find a solution. we requested earlier this morning the medical evacuation of greatly disordered people which has not been granted. yes, we are less enabled to some extent. it i should remind since the first rescue more than a week ago, we have been keeping maritime authority very well informed at every step. as maritime law demands, which was not granted. at the moment, we are left without any solution with the kind of emergency situation on

board. this is a situation we cannot guarantee we can control at any moment. dareen: i know this might be a difficult question to answer, but what do you think will happen next? cleart, the law is very and the tradition of the law is clear. a boat seeking assistance needs to be assisted. this is a long tradition. all boats in the world get assisted when they declare distress. this is what we do. compensating the lack of search and rescue to respond to the stresses of these boats between libya and italy. the assistance of people that sea is something of principle that we don't want to forget. while we expect that this principle is also applied their own ships. on the ocean viking, we actually need assistance today. we cannot be left in a situation that we cannot control. dareen: thank you very much, speaking to us from marseille.

turkey's defense minister has visited war-torn libya to discuss military operations between the countries in the second high-profile visit in weeks. he was joined by his military chief at the meeting with the prime minister, which turkey backs. the defense minister reiterated turkey support for the libyan people. the u.n. backed government says it has regained full control of tripoli and its suburbs after a year-long offensive by the military strongmen. in recent weeks, turkish support has held the forces into retreat. we have more on the turkish visit. reporter: this top turkish delegation that included the turkish defense minister, along with the chief of staff and military commanders, met today with libya's internationally recognized prime minister. the chief of staff, libya's chief of staff, and also the interior minister.

also, libyan military commanders. this visitent says is trying to look into future strategies to build libya's defense and security capacities. is thes to be e this prewar stage that libya has internationally recognized government is keen to, built by turkish expertise, turkish chance. that's also based on the turkish-libyan military security and maritime agreement that was signed by libya's prime minister and the turkish president erdogan last november. the victory achieved by the government forces in western libya regaining and recapturing the whole west of libya after one year of heavy fighting, that is attributed mainly to turkish military support. dareen: the russian president

vladimir putin has signed and the most sweeping constitutional changes in decades, allowing him to stay in power until he is 83 years old. russians overwhelmingly supported the change with almost 78% voting for a package of reforms which included raising pensions and the minimum wage. the changes will take effect from saturday. the opposition leader has rejected the results,: the vote an illegitimate attempt to legalize putin's presidency for life. rescuers and myanmar have pulled out more bodies from a collapsed mine in the northern state. piles of waste collapsed into a lake on thursday, burying more than 170 workers. we have more. rescue and volunteer workers hike up the slopes of a collapsed jade mine, retrieving bodies of those killed in a landslide on thursday. the dead are carried away in makeshift stretchers.

but heavy rain is hampering recovery efforts. the bodies are laid out for relatives to identify. some are too overcome by grief to even speak. a local official says he expects the death toll to rise. >> more than 50. we have recovered 162 bodies. there are more bodies to recover. we will continue to recover today. reporter: many of the dead were workers from impoverished parts of myanmar who were scavenging the waste left by a mining firm. despite being one of the most lucrative industries in the of this the jdaade mines region are poorly regulated. more than 100 people were killed mine collapsed and at least others have died last year. rights groups global witness say the trade is worth billions of dollars a year, far above the official value of $750 million.

it says the money is used to fund conflict between the military and armed ethnic groups and has accused the government of failing to regulate mining practices. the myanmar leader has expressed her sadness over the accident, but has blamed poverty for forcing people to work in myanmar's dangerous jade mines. 19 pilgrimseast have died after a bus collided with a trained in the east of pakistan. the train was heading, when it crashed at a crossing. the local police confirmed the dead were all from the same family and that eight other people were in critical condition. india's prime minister has made an unannounced visit to the border region with china. modi was accompanied by defense officials during the trip. tensions led to violence last month and 20 indian soldiers were killed during fighting with

chinese troops in the remote valley. both sides each other for the incident but have since held talks to de-escalate the situation. inll ahead, why a boom hydroelectric projects has farmers worried about the rivers they rely on. the taiwanese so desperate to travel, they are taking flights to know where. and, lionel messi could be saying goodbye to ou barcelona. we have the details coming up in sports, coming up. ♪ ♪

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dareen: there has been a boom in the number of hydropower projects in bosnia. dozens of power plants have been built in recent years as the country tries to reduce its reliance on coal for energy, but new construction projects are facing protests over their impact on the environment and livelihoods. this river winding through forests, villages and farmlands. its freshwater carries rich diversity and endangered species of fish. the plantations line the for tyra banks. most people here depend on the river for livelihood. but they say a plant construction of 15 hydroelectric plants is threatening to cut off their main lifeline of the valley. >> there are more than 35 to 40

here and people live here.they live by the streams and the rivers . there is not a hamlet that is not connected to a stream or river. if they take the streams and river, we will have to leave. reporter: for people like him, leaving is not an option. >> they will never build here. i will not give them my property. that will not take the piece of land that goes from here to the river. i am ready to fight at the price of being defeated. reporter: environment the groups say over the last 15 years, 106 more plants have been built and 340 more are planned or under construction. forceters say more would farmers from their land. rivers, small hydro electric and life is no longer existing. the beds have completely dried up. more than 100 power plays

operating now, there are 200 kilometers love riverbed in which all life have been killed. reporter: a three-month pause and the construction of new plants has been announced, along with a law to protect the rivers. but activists want the project to be canceled altogether. studiesbjective of the that are carried out is that the impact on the environment of small hydropower plants are minor in the areas they are built. bosnia in line with most of its power but with hundreds of rivers, the hydroelectric industry is also on the rise. and so is the resistance. dareen: let's get an update on all the sports news. >> thank you. four months later than expected, the formula one season is officially underway. the reigning world champion lewis hamilton was fastest in both practices in austria on

friday. his team is using an all-black car this season and a show of support for the fight against racial injustice. the six-time champion is the only black driver in the sport and says f1 needs to confront its lack of diversity. that blackto see people do not have the privilege of being able to take a moment out. something we have to stay on top of. we all have to come together in our voices. each of our voices are powerful. if we bring them together collectively, we can have a huge impact. wasn march, the f1 season stalled hours after the first practice session. the race was canceled after the mclaren team withdrew when one of their staff members tested positive for coronavirus. a shortened season has now been organized with no fans allowed to attend. the first of two back-to-back grand prix in austria starts on

sunday. is reporting that lionel messi has broken up talks about renewing his contract with barcelona. his current deal expires next year. messi is said to be unhappy about leaks from the club suggesting he was responsible for the coach being fired earlier this year. the six-time winner has been at barcelona for his entire career. we spoke to madrid-based sportswriter who says that very few gloves have a serious chance of prizing messi away from the new camp. >> realistically, i think it should be -- i don't know, the first thing that comes to mind is manchester city. but can you imagine with juventus, can you imagine messi and cristiano ronaldo together? my god, it would be crazy.

or maybe a reunion with neymar in psg. i think those are the three realistic clubs he can go. on.till have so much to go it's one year already. let's see what happens with the election in barcelona this year, if the directors change, if there's a new president, if chavi is the new coach, i think messi stays. it all depends on the result of the election. >> the former marathon world record holder has been handed a four year ban for violating anti-doping rules. the kenyan runner was found to miss three tests and failed to provide timely information on his whereabouts on a fourth occasion in 2018-2019. atwon bronze in the marathon the 2012 london olympics and throw the world record the following year in berlin.

has suspended investigating claims that india's victory over sri lanka in the 2011 world cup final was fixed due to the lack of evidence. the sri lankan captain was among a number of high-profile players and officials questioned this week by sri lankan police. they found no proof and suspended their inquiry which had been triggered by the sports minister at the time who in a recent tv interview claimed sri lanka sold the final. new orleans pelicans star zion williamson says he is looking forward to playing again as the nba decides to resume the season. the 19-year-old rookie is set to travel to florida ahead of the july 30 restart. several high-profile players have opted out of the season due to the recent spike in covid-19 cases in the u.s., but

williamson believes the nba will let the players health their priority. >> i trust the nba. in the bubble, we are going to be in a safe environment. protected from certain situations and what's going on. man, it's crazy. were actually about to go. a lot of process, for usre, i'm excited. >> 31 players have tested positive for coronavirus in major league baseball's first round of testing. 30 news coincides with all teams starting training at their home ballparks on friday. the delayed and shortened season is scheduled to begin later this month. in new york, the yankees chairman says he expects some fans to be allowed to games later in the year. optimist aboutn

a lot of these situations. this is a huge undertaking and there's a lot of different components. we are in this kind of virtual press conference room. i think they thought there were a lot of these situations. stress testing this as we get the players in and what does the process look like. >> south korea's season is already in full swing. kt staged a great comeback to beat the visiting heroes on friday who took the lead with a homer. the game would be decided in the ninth-inning. touchg the game-winning on home-based to seal a thrilling 3-2 win for the wiz. that is all the support. back to dareen. dareen: thank you. before we go, let's bring you this story from taiwan because

some people there are so desperate to travel again, what they are doing is they are lining up at the airport just for the experience of sitting on a plane. 10,000 people entered a competition for the flight to nowhere. only 30 were selected, but they were allowed to bring a friend. it was designed by the civil aviation administration to teach people about airport procedures. chickens and at even duty-free shopping, it was a complete airport experience, all except the takeoff. and there was no lost luggage. thank you for watching the newshour. we are back in a moment with more news on al jazeera. ♪

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