Undergoing repairs. There are 623 crew members on board, but no passengers. Health officials tested the crew after one of them tested positive on monday. The o Officials Say nonone of t3 people infected are known to be in serious condition. They also say theyre working with the Central Government to disinfect the vessel. Now, april is the start of the new Academic Year here in japan, and some Elementary Schools in the central part of the country resumed classes earlier this month, but they closed last week after four children and a teacher in one class were found to be infected. Tokyo tops the list of prefectures in the number infections with over 3,400 after 132 new cases were reported. The total number of confirmed cases in japan now exceeds 11,800, more than 700 cases have alalso beenn linked to the diam princess cruise ship, which is quarantined near tokyo in february. A total of 307 people have died in japan, including 13 from the diamond princess. A japanese medical expert says the country is at a critical point in its fight against the coronavirus two weeks after it announced the state of emergency for tokyo and six other prefectures. Since then containment measures have expanded nationwide, but some worry the medical system may already be on the brink of collapse. Some of japans busiest neighborhoods now largely deserted. People across the country have been asked to stay home as much as they can to curb the spread of the virus. Many seem to be listening. One expert is suggestining they needed to do so a litittle lolo even before the full effect of their effororts becomes clear. Hes been following the virus since it f first appeared in chinina. He s says people cant drorop t guard. Translator im concerned with the rise in the number of cases where we cant trace the root of infection, and about the fact that the virus is spreading within hospitals. It will take time before we get on the right track. Reporter over the past two weeks, japan has reported hundreds of new cases each day, including a onetime high of more than 700. The outbreak is hitting hospitals hard. Morisima says the dedication of front line workers may be keeping numbers from skyrock skyrocketing but they will need he. Translator emergency medical workers in intensive care units are doing t their best witith t help of tetechnology. We a are keeping t the daily ca numbers where they are simply because of their hardd work, bu they cannot keep going at the same level of performance indefinitely. We have to bring down the number of infections before they become exhausted. Reporter he cannot predict the future, but he can look for hints overseas. He says places with collapsing Health Care Systems have fatality rates as high as 5 to 10 . Those with healthier systems fare better at 2 . Japan is hovering around that lower numbmber, but hes concerd ththat could change. He suggests the country ramp up testing so that fewer cases progress to the point where emergency intubation is necessssary. Translator its importanant conduct more tests includiding r tests. S. We have to detect carriers at an earlier stage so we can treat them early and stop people from becoming seriously ill. Reporter and above all, morishima has this message, dont relax preventive measures too soon or too suddenly. Nhk world, tokyo. And the coronavirus continues to take a toll on numerous industries. Crude oil futures briefly plummeted to an 18year low in tokyo on wednesday. Global oil prices are falling as the pandemic squeezes demand. On the Tokyo Commodity Exchange crude futures for september delivery briefly dropped more than 30 to below 16,000 yen per kill le ki. May delivery on monday fell below zero for the first time ever. On tuesday, wgi futures contracts for june sank to 6 per barrel at one point. Market watchers say futures prices for june could fall into negative territory due to over supply and a lack of storage capacity. Data compiled by a u. S. University show the number of confirmed Coronavirus Infections has topped 2. 5 million worldwide. Johns Hopkins University says the death toll has surpassed 177,000. The United States has the most fatalities at over 45,000. The u. S. State of missouri is suing the Chinese Government over its handling of the coronavirus. The lawsuit says china allowed the pandemic to happen by trying to suppress news of the outbreak there. Missouri attorney general eric schmidt filed the suit in federal court on tuesday. It targets the Chinese Government, the communist party and other institutions. The complaint alleges they suppressed information, arrested whistleblowers, and denied there was human to human transmission of the virus. It accuses the chinese authorities of failing to cooperate with the international community. Missouri says it had nearly 6,000 confirmed Coronavirus Infections and more than 200 deaths as of tuesday and has suffered economic losses of billions of dollars. Its the first state to sue the Chinese Government over the virus. U. S. Citizens and businesses in the states of florida, texas, and nevada have filed class action suits. Republican lawmakers have submitted a bill to demand compensation from the Chinese Government blaming it for the pandemic. The coronavirus is rapidly spreading in developing countries where social infrastructure is less prepared to cope. Doctors in pakistan fear the medical system could soon be overwhelmed. Nhk world explains. A doctor shot this footage at a National Hospital in the capital. It has been treating coronavirus patients since february with staff working around the clock. Translator doctors and nurses in pakistan are now like soldiers on the front line fighting an invisible enemy. Some p people have serious breaeathingg problems while oth suddenly fall critically ill. Dr. Fazul robi works in an intensive care unit. We neeeed experienced staff intensive care unit. Right now we are somehow managing t to deal withh patien but if numbers risise sharply, r staff will be overwhelmed, and it will be difficult to cope. Outside islam bad things s lk more serious,s, doctors and nurs in the w western city held a demonsnstration. A doctorr who j joined the prot has this message. Translator theres a reaeal shortatage of mededical workers surgical masks and protective gowns. S. The situation is urgent but we dont want to see patients dying so we continue treating them despite the dananger. The d doctor is worried abob hospital staff. Translator 19 doctors tested positive foror the virus. They are wororried a about whet they should be q quarantinined f they should continue to work. Theyre concerned their family members could be infected. There have been some efforts to offffer support. This clothing manufacturer started making surgical masks and other medical supplies. Its now turning out 10,000 masks and 1,500 protective gowns a day. Translator we receive a lot of orders from the government, and we are sending them to many areas. We dont want to stay still and not do anything. We want to contribute to supporting medical workers. It is unclear exactly how many people are infected, as testing is limited. Nobody knows how long the Health Care System can keep operating. Na nazul, nhk world islambad. People in tokyo have seen a mixed bag of weather over the past few days, but jonathan, hows the outlook for the remainder of the week . Well, i think were going to be dealing with temperatures that are going to be warming up, and were still even dealing with that mixed bag of sun and clouds and maybe even a sprinkle here or there. In fact, we had some showers rolling through portions of the konto region as we went through the afternoon on wednesday. Over the past 24 hours, we saw these clouds kind of rolling over japan, and its going to be similar to that on thursday across the country as we will see a layer of clouds trying to stick around, and part of the reason were seeing that is a low pressure system is helping to generate some of the instability. We have a high coming in from the west and, so as that also comes in, were going to be seeing a little bit of that changeover with some of the cooler air mixing in. Now, as we head towards the end of this week, that high is going to be the big story when it comes to much warmer temperatures. Were talking about highs into the 20s in some locations as we go toward the weekend. So for the next 24 hours, things are going to be relatively calm, but cant rule out maybe a few showers here or there and some cloud cover. Its not going to be particularly clear, i think were going to have to wait until the end of this week before we stee a little bit mor in terms of sunshine. 18 for the high in tokyo on thursday, friday, look at this 21 on saturday, 21 also in fukuoka on saturday. The teens by friday but showers by the time we go into saturday. Meanwhile, speaking of some showers, were talking about something more intense, thunderstorms across north america as we have a low pressure system developing over the desert southwest. If you look closely you see these clouds popping up and theyre bright white, these are the stormy clouds, and theyre going to be the big story for central and southern United States and the plains as this low moves through. The next 24 hours strong to possibly severe thunderstorms. The southeast, look out on thursday, youre going to be next with this particular pattern. Thunderstorms into Oklahoma City on wednesday, 27 in houston and 23 in atlanta for the day. Were going to be seeing some of those showers pushing eastward in the next day or so. Hope you have a good day wherever you have. And before we wrap up, theater groups across the globe have been offering their productions online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, japans traditional kabuki theater has begun presenting plays that were canceled last month free of charge. Five programs have been recorded in the empty tokyo theater. They feature a variety of kabuki stars. Actor matsumoto told nhk he performed with all his heart as usual despite not having an audience. The online performances are available for a limited time through sunday. And that concludes this edition of nhk newsline, im raja pratt han in tokyo. Theres much more to come o on k japan, s so pleasase do s stay us. Welcome to in depth. Today we feature two stories concerning earths precious Natural Resources and stainability. Its a little known fact that sand, after air and water, is the third most consumed resource on the planet. Sand and gravel literally build the foundation of our economies, finding applications in diverse sectors from construction to electronics. Now, with over exploitation, supplies are running low, and countries including japan are scrambling to obtain the material. Our first story follows one businessman who is looking overseas to meet domestic sand trade demand. The coastal waters in southwestern japan are an important source of sand thats where the sand is. Its getting harder and harder to find sand suitable for concrete. The government has limited where it can be extracted due to environmental cononcerns. The amount of sea sand retrieved has decreased 80 comparered to japapans peak. Translator with natural disasters and reconstruction work becoming more common, it will be a major blow if we lose our sea sand supply. A growing number of u farms are now importing the material, including this trading company, its president has been scouring asia for new sources of supply. Hello. But he has been struggling to keep up with demand. Translator theres a global sand shortage. People are fighting to get their hands on it. Its a sand war. Osa is facing a major local sand Processing Company. The farms main product is sand essential for the production of tap water. With domestic sand supplies tightening, osa shows his client a sample from moret sha. This is it. The shape is nice. Its almost round. The grain size of the sample is just right for water filteri filtering. Its a ray of hope for osas client, the company has been increasingly w worried about effects of losing its supply. Its scary to think about a future in which were unable to get the material we need. Osa and his client travel to malaysia to visit a sand producer. Translator im determined to bring back sand to japan. I hope to be able to secure about 8,000 tons. They head to malaysias largest river, the pahan, which is the countrys biggest extraction site. Mountains of sand for years in concrete are piled up along the river bank. River water extracting 30,000 tons of sand a day. Usa and his client want to check the operation. Translator the quality is good. The sand has been washed so its quite clean. They check the machine, but its mesh screen is too large to filter out the right size. Usa asks the sites representative if that can be changed. Translator would it be possible to use a mesh with 3 millimeter holes . Translator well, its kind of hassle to separate sand like ththat. If you can buy 500,000 tons, then okay, but 10,000 tons just isnt enough. Translator who are you exporting to . Translator mostly customers in china. We send the country between 300,500,000 tons a month. China used to be a sand exporter, but it stopped in 2007 as its domestic construction increased along with its appetite for sand. The country now uses its economic mine to consume supply from all over the world. Translator it would be impossible for a boat like this to dock in japan. It really demonstrates the scale of this hingthings in china. Usa gives up on the site, but not on securing sand from malaysia. He manages to find another supplier. This local Mining Company wants to develop its sand extraction techniques by walkiorking with japanese farms. Translator were looking for partners we can cooperate with on a longterm basis. Translator japan is an advanced nation, and it would be ideal if we could gain its technical support. The two companies are able to find Common Ground and will begin exporting sand to japan within a fewew months. Translator im glad we were able to meet. Im going to do all i can to secure stable sources of supply at the best price for my clients. As weve seen, demand for usable sand is skyrocketing. The u. N. Reports that 50 billion tons of sand and gravel are used around the world every year for not just cement but also for treating beach erosion, creating artificial islands, and land reclamation. A u. N. Panel expert has said sand is not infinite, so the em ple menation of sand management measure as well as cracking down on illegal sand mining may not be sufficient to protect reserves. Innovative solutions to replace the resource will be critical to resolve the situation. Currently, recycled plastic, soil, bamboo, wood, and straw are being explored as alternative Building Materials and recycled plastics are being targeted for road building. The time is now for the Global Community to treat sand for what it is, a resource as vital as biodiversity and clean air. Our last story is about a business that is not only reusing waste but upcycling. Its high end merchandise is keeping clients warm fashionably and sustainably. Home to several luxury brand shops, one of tokyos premier shopping areas. Since 2015, this apparel maker has been producing jackets filled with recycled down. Last year, the company produced 90,000 downfilled products, with 60 of the natural insulation coming from recycled sources. Traranslator our dodownfil products are quite enviroronm l environmentally friendly. This has allowed u us to gain a Loyal Customer base that not only appreciates the quality of our product but shares the same ecofriendly philosophy as we do. The down is sourced by an Organization Called green down project. It currently provides recycled down to 100 participating compananies. They collect used down clothing and comforters from all across the countntry and sendd them toe central facility for processing. That facility owned by the kuwata feather company. Its a world renowned feather Processing Company that sells down t to apparel and bedding manufacturers in japan and overseas. B back in the dayay we usese have a lot of high quality down, but thats not the case anymore. Soso now we need to rescue and recycle this quality material from products that are going to be thrown away or there wont be enough. Once it arrives, the down is run through the companys special cleaning and filtering process. This giant washing machine rapidly mixes and swirls the down around. As the individual feathers collide with each other, dirt and grime are removed at a microscopic level. The cleaning process uses a chemical free plantbased soap thats imported from france, and the water they use is collected from a well that produces extremely soft water, which is ideal for washing the down. The process has proven to be extremely effective at removing both dirt and discoloration. After cleaning, the down is separated. Its run through a sorting system that separates the Higher Quality down from the larger feathers that are often mixed in with lower quality down products. Inside, there are four separate chambers aligned in a row. When the feathers are blown in, the heavier feather fall into the first few chambers. Since the down is much lighter, it blows past the first chambers and falls into the chambers located further to the back. Over 200 kilograms of the fluffy down is recycled. Next a sample is taken and the down is separated by hand for quality. Despite their strict standards, 80 of the down thats brought in ends up being reused in neww products. Feathers are surprisingly durable. Theyre even Strong Enough to be fossilized, so theyre defifinitely u usable for a at 100 years. I want people all around the world to realize that this sort of material is perfect for upcycli upcycling. According to the chairperson of green down project, a down recycling initiative, 1 kililogm ofof incncinerated down generat around 1. 8 kilograms of Carbon Dioxide, so its recycling clearly helps reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions. For some time Consumer Awareness of sustainable fashion has been growing with shoppers favoring clothing with recycled cotton, wool, and cashmere. At the same time, shoppers are also quality focused so going high end as we saw in our story, may be key to Sustainable Resources and business success. Sustainability continues to be a major trend in retail with shoppers willing to shell out more for items aligned with their lifestyle philosophy. Upcycling adds value making ethical and economic sense. Thats it for todays newsline in depth. Thank you for watching, and see you again next time. As the corona diets coronavirus death toll rises, the pandemic could trigger famines of biblical proportions. As fake news continues to spread online, one of the regaining traction is that the media. Thank you very much for joining us here on france 24. We begin with the latest on the coronavirus pandemic in the united kingdom. The british governments handling of the outbreak will be picked apart as dominic raab takes questions from lawmakers in person and online wild boars johnson recovers from covid19. Parliament, but
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