But not the votes. Also, the European Union urges Member States to maintain bands until the 15th of may to slow the spread of coronavirus. The pandemic threatens the people of idlib, the last front in the syrian civil war. On the brink of a possible humanitarian disaster. And coronavirus fears have shut down rios famous beaches but rebel surfers cannot resist the lure of the waves. Welcome to the program. U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders has ended his bid for the democratic partys nomination in novembers president ial election. His announcement clears the way for joe biden to challenge president trump. The 78 euro performed well in early primaries, but then fell behind. I wish i could give you better news, butut i thihink you know the t truth, and t that ist we announced we are now 300 dedelegates behind vice Presidet Biden and the path toward getting them is virtually impossible. So while we are winning the ideological battle and wininning the support of so many young people and working peoplee throughout t the country, i i he concluded that this battle for the democratic nomination will not be successful. And so today, i am announcing the suspension of my campaign. Phil are washington or responded, welcome. How surprising was this decision . Reporter not really surprising. Many had hope in for this to happen a little earlier than now, but Bernie Sanders took his sweet time, went to his most senior staff and prominent supporters, and sears from his campaign, and the had a long talk, and now the maps just didnt add up. Its impossible for him to get the delegates in the remaining primary votes, which will not happen in one way or another due to the corona crisis. So i think the democratic parary is more or less very relievedd that it t came to this, now because ththe fulull weight of e party in every wing and section of the party can go behind the Biden Campaign to give him the best chance, in their view, of course, to stand out against donald trump in november. Phil he seemed to start really well, but then ran out of steam. Why . Reporter Bernie Sanders always had a way with very young and enthusiastic voters, with young voters who are new to politics. Sanders s stands for the progressive wing of the democratic party. The problem was, young people he was so proud of having gathered in his campaign and supporting him, didnt really show w up in big numbers at the primaries, number one. Number two, biden really capitalized on the moderate democrats and on the africacanamererican votes. They went in droves to jojoe bin because they think he is more electable than Bernie Sanders in a fight with donald trump, and there you have it. Bernie sanders didnt get the numbers, biden has the broader support, so biden is the candidate. Phil will sander supporters necessarily flock to biden . Reporter thats a very good question. There is a big question mark about this. Largely, hopefully, at least, in the sense that biden needs to reach out and needs to have all wings and all different sections of their party under his wing, so to speak. The progressives, if biden wants to have a solid chance against donald trump in november, has to go in his direction and support his agenda. Biden already reacted to Bernie Sanders announcement and said your follow was are important your followers are important. You can see the joe Biden Campaign talked about what sanders stands for, significant change in the society. This is going to be very interesting in how much and how well joe biden can capitalize on the Sanders Campaign and the sanders leftovers, so to speak. Phil thank you for that. Now we will take a look at some of the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic. The death now more than 80 nearly 1. 5 million confirmed infection since the outbreak began. I natural institutions have agreed to provide emergency funding to the german british Tour Operator to help the company through the crisis. The South African president has put his Communications Minister on special leave for two months for breaking the rules of the countries locked down by having lunch with the former official. The number of confirmed cases in africa has passed 10,000, according to figures from the world health organization. The earpieces European Commission extending the current ban on nonessential travel into its passport free zone until may 15. An initial 30 days in an effort to contain the pandemic. Its up to Member States, however, to decide to go along with the proposed extension. Some European Countries are starting to relax lockdown restrictions, while others are tightening them. Silence rains in europe. Paris is like a city deserted. France is three weeks into its coronavirus lockdown and there are signs it is finally beginning to work. Like italy and spain, france has seen a slight decline in the rarate of new infections, but te fight against covid19 is far from over in attempts to ease restrictions on public life could be disastrous warns the world health organization. Now is not the time to relax measures. It is the time to once again double and triple our collective efforts s to drive toward suppression with the whole support of society. Several European Countries are not planning to heed that warning. Australia is set to become the first e. U. Country to scale back its lockdown rules. The conservative led government has announced that somee nonessentialal businesses will reopen next week. Optimism is not the prevailing mood in the u. K. , where the daily death toll from the virus is on the rise. Prime minister Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care, fighting the virus, h heading the reins overo ththe foreign secretary. Pressure is building o on London Hospitals as they take on more and more covid119 patieients. We dont know how b bad its until it actually hits you. So i wouldld absolututely urge everybody to listen to the government guidance andnd stay away from people. The British Government is due to review lockdown restrictions next week. Phil theres growing concern that the pandemic could set off another humanitarian disaster in idlib, the last front in syrias civil war. This shaky ceasefire has been holding but aid organizations are warning that the province is wholly unprepared for an outbreak. Dw has been keeping in touch with People Living there, and this is their story. Whats it like to live in idlib, in constant fear of assads approaching forces, in constant fear the aerial arguments Aerial Bombardments will resume . Images from the last rebel held city in syria, where the coronavirus s is on everyones lips. I am taking it seriously, but it is difficult. Not go outside, i try t to weara mask and gloves. I worry that my family or i will get infected. The ceasefire has been holding in italy for for four weeks now. The city is coming back to live in the streets and markets are bustling. But just as people savor the sweet taste of freedom, the threat of the coronavirus is looming. In other countries with the coronavirus, people are cocooning at home. Here in idlib, nobody is taking the danger seriously. Everyone is going shopping. No one is taking any precautions. In the refugee camps around idlib, the coronavirus seems a didistant threat, too. Hundreds of thousands of people live here inn dire conditions. Essentiaial health meaeasures sh as keeping a safe distance or washing hands are impossible in many of t the camps. Health workers a are trying to raise the alarm however they can. You all have to understand how dangerous the situation is. We as doctors have extremely limited means at our disposal to tackle this pandemic. This dr. Is in anesthesiologist and general manager at one of the few hospitals still operating i in idlib prorovince. He is trying to prepare the clinic, even though it only has two intensive care beds and a single ventilator. There are only 95 ventilators for r the whole r region with a populationon of more than 3 million. The doctor says it could get worse e than in ily. We are concerned we will have to m make some really terrible decisisions here. Who should gett a chance to l l, and who shshould we let die . Cause we h have no people, no gloves, and above all, no ventilators. The clinic staff posted this photo on facebook. We will say here for you. You stay at home for us. But the appeal has fallen on deaf ears. He has she has stopped wearing a mask when she leaves the house. She says she cant stand being stared at and laughed at anymore. In idlib, more top times are ahead. Phil the producer joins us now. Tell us more about why people in idlib are not taking the threat from coronavirus or seriously. To understand that, we have seen what they have on through. Three months of hard aerial bombardment which left one Million People homeless, and now there is a ceasefire, the people have to go out, they have to work to feed their families. Hello theres nothing like a welfare system in idlib so if they stay home to be safe because of the coronavavirus, their families will stay hungry. Phil you mentioned in your report 95 ventilators for region of 3 Million People. So what happens if there is an outbreak . The sad truth is that the doctors really cant do much. We talked to the doctor about the topic and he told us that around 75,000 beds will be needed, intensive care beds, but they only have 200. So that shows that they really cant do a lot for patients, but they still try whatever they can. They sterilize their hospitals every day. Check on patients when they come in andnd they try to train their staff, but the doctors are really very worrrrd about what lies ahead. Phil so what needs to happen then, to prevent a catastrophic outbreak there in idlib . First of all, testing, testing, and more testing. Because we all know that the surrounding countries like turkey, lebanon, they have already a lot of corona cases. So it is quite likely that the virus has already arrived in Idlib Province, but nobody knows. So they need tests, and for a long time t there was no testing at all, but the W World Health Organization now has sent over 6000 tests. But the proboblem is, in the whe Idlib Province there is only one lab that can analyze the results of the tests. Phil thank you for that. Now we will take a look at some more of the stories making headlines around the world. Palestinian Health Officials say the gaza stripip has r run out f coronavirus test kits, so it Central Laboratory has stopped testing. G. Casa has reported 13 infections but there are concerns the virus could spread quickly in the densely populated coastal enclave. China has ended its 2. 5 month lockdown in the city of wuhan where the coronavirus was first reported. Tens of thousands took lanes, buses and trains out of the city when the government allowed more freedom of movement. Reddish Prime MinisterBoris Johnson is reportedly responding to treatment for coronavirus. He was transferred to intensive care on monday, suffering from persistent symptoms. His been receiving oxygen support, but he is not on a ventilator. The u. S. State of new york hass reported a new single day high of coronavirus deaths come in nearly 800 in the last 24 hours. This brings the overall death toll to more than 6000. Despite this, Governor Andrew Cuomo says the epidemic appears to be stabilizing. As countries react with travel bans, lockdowns and industrial shutdowns, the effect is grim. The wto has issued a dire warning about the Global Economy. The deepest downturn of our lifetimes. That is how the wto assesses the economic damage e caused by covid19. Thth years spring outlook delirered by a vidideo by the wtos directoror general. We project in every regioioof the worlrld and acrososs all ses of the economy, in an n optimisc scenenario, are ecoconomists see volumemeof globall trading tumbling by 13 in 2020. If the then g governmentsts l to coordinate policy responses, the decline could be 32 or more. And you can see why, with half the world now being asked to state home, business of all kinds has shut down. Images of grounded planes like these, symbolic of a Global Economy whose engine has simply fizzled out. And as s sruption t to supply chainsns leaves even solid sects like the Automobile Industry fearing for their survival,l, governments s around the w world have beenn s scramblingg to limt the damage. Injecting billions, sometimes trillions, into rescue plans. Comparisons have already been made with the Great Depression and the financial meltdown of 2008. But in this crisis, where human lives and not just capital under threat, the stakes that hardly be higher. Phil lets get more from our correspondent in new york. How is the u. S. Reacting to this bleak wto assessment . Reporter im standing here on my local main shopping mile, and as you might see in the background, the . 99 store is closed, the dental center is close, restaurants, the Furniture Store are close. Its not hard to imagine what an Economic Impact the coronavirus will have. There are some estimates from analysts on wall street that we are actually going to see at least four consecutive quarters of negative earnings growth. How much of a hit it will be to the economy overall is really tough to tell. No one can give a precise number. Economists from the double tio, its their job to come up with some figures, but how steep this recession will be, nobody can really tell. I did talk to some people on wall street and they are saying there are a couple of things that we actually do know, from past crises, how to respond to Something Like that from the monetary side, meaning the Federal Reserve and how they are acting. And out of d. C. , all those multi trillion dollar aid packages that could also help limit the economic pain quite a bit. So we know the economy will take a big hit, but its impossible to really come up with the precise number. Phil how did wall street react to Bernie Sanders withdrawing from the p president ial race . Reporter overall, wall street is cheering that Bernie Sanders is out. Bernie sanders was pretty critical he was really critical of wall street, critical of stock share buybacks, critical of corporations and some highranking individuals not paying enough taxes. So there was a fear there could be a leftist turn when it comes to politics in the united states, and that will not happen under joe biden or president donald trump. Overall, the market did very well here on wednesday, blue chips up by almost 800 points, and increase of roughly 3. 5 . Phil thank you. The European Union is struggling to find Common Ground as it tries to sure up its coronavirus , some members want the e. U. To do more to ease access to Financial Markets by creating your bonds or corona bonds as they are being called. Other nations are opposed to this idea. Talks on tuesday night failed and the pressure is on for e. U. Finance ministers to do a deal on thursday. Spain versus the netherlands, rome versus berlin. The German Government believes existing tools are enough to protect the block from ececonomc collapse. They include using hundreds of millions o oeuros in bailout funds parked in what is knonowns the european stability mechanism to sure up struggling Member States and a 200 a credit line at the European Investment bank for struggling small and mediumsize companies. The netherlands is backing that position. We have come far, but we are not quite done, either. We are of course talking to each other about what provisions europe should make, what things we can do together to ensure that we get to this crisis as best we can. But the measures dont go far enough for countries like spain and italy, which have been hardest hit by the pandemic and are least able to afford it. They are calling for the introduction of socalled corona bonds, which would see ember states full debt for the first time, allowing countries with bad debt to borrow money on the cheap, backed by their neighbors economic clout. I dont wantnt to point the finr at a anyone. Our shared responsibility is to reach an agreement within the next 24 hours. A failure is inconceivable. But with economies on lockdown throughout that you, the clock is ticking for the blocks financial leaders. Phil more of the other stories in the news, to russia where president putin has announced additional measures to help businesses with workers cope with the consequences of the pandemic. The government will provide more Financial Support for medical workers and their families and there will be help for small and Mediumsized Enterprises to reschedule bad debts. Airbus has announces biggest ever production company. It will now make just 40 of its bestselling passenger jets every month. The company has faced significant disruption as a result of lockdowns in place in france and spain where much of its manufacturing takes place. Its feared that 85 of Hotel Workers in portugal could be temporarily laid off during april. The coronavirus epidemic has had a major epidemic a major impact on the countrys tourism dependent ecoconomy. The Hotel Association said the vast majority of its members have voted to suspend staff contracts. The German Government wants to make it harder for Foreign Companies to buy german f firms. Its looking to change existing rules to give it the power of veto over any buyout of what is says are strategically important companies. The plans predate the Current Crisis as berlin seeks to protect its industry from foreign takeovers. The rationale behind the closure of rio de janeiros famous beaches has stirred up debate on how far law should go in limiting Outdoor Sports and some surfers are finding it hard to resist the lure of the waves. Rios copacabana beach is almost empty. He comes here to serve despite the states stayathome orders, but his defiance recently got him in trouble with the police. Unfortunately, i was caught surfing. Surfing is a crime now. I hope i dont end up with a criminal record or something as silly as that. He wasnt fine, but he now has to go to court to fight the charge. That didnt stop the 22 year old from going back into the water just hours later. Rio is brazils second most infected state. The governor recently closed all beaches in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Right now is the time to think about the collective. So i suppressed my desire and i catch that wave, metaphorically speaking, to serve in the near future. But the surfers defying the ban dont see surfing causing anymore harm than any other solo sports. I think that in the same way people run, they hike, they ride bikes, somebody can grab a board, leave the house, go directly to the water, paddle, and go home. Its a strong argument, but surfing does run the risk of overcrowding. If anyone were to come to the beaches to serve. Phil tournament was supposed to take place next august but was moved to avoid clashing with the Tokyo Olympics which have also been delayed amid the Coronavirus Crisis until 2021. A former resuming footballer has been released from jail in paraguay and put under house arrest. Considered one of the best players of all time, he and his brother were accused of using Fake Passports to enter the country nearly 30 days ago. They have paid a fine and will stay at a fourstar hotel until their trial. They deny any wrongdoing. The largest, brightest supermoon of 2020 rose over cities around the world hushed other cocoronavirus on tuesday. Supermoon happens when a full moon occccurs with thehe moon closest to the earth in its 28 date orbit. Inin london and around the globe it appeared up to 40 bigger than usual. Lets remind you of our top story of this hour. U. S. Senator has ended his bid for the democratic partys nomination in novembers president ial election, clearing the way for joe biden to challenge president trump. The European Commission has urged e. U. Members states to extend the current ban on nonessential travel into its passport free zone until at least the 15th of may. The aim is to contain the coronavirus food its up to individual states to decide whether to heed the call. And there are growing fears a at the pandemicic could set o off another humanitarian disaster in idlib, the lasast front in syrs civil warar. Aid organizations are warning the province is wholly unprepared for an outbreak. This is dw news from berlin. Next ill be guiding you through the day. One more bit of sad news, john prine has died at the age of 73 due to complications of covid19. Hes known for his lyrical songwriting which armed him the praise of bob dylan and johnny cash and one him to grammy awards. He has passed away at his home in tennessee, but his music, as they say, lives on. I am an old woman named after mymy motheher my old man is another child whos grown old his dreams were lightning [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org]