it's a remarkable people risking their lives to help the decided to an afghanistan on al-jazeera. al-jazeera. leaders around the world launch a joint initiative to speed up work on drugs tests and a vaccine for covert 19 that will be available for all. we need them soon. and most importantly everybody needs them. alone barbara starr you're watching al-jazeera live from london also coming up on

the program as the number of covert 1000 deaths in the u.s. passes 50000 businesses start to reopen in the state of georgia. moses kids are quickly casting a very sarcastic question. president trump defends himself after widespread condemnation of his suggestion of injecting disinfectant to treat coronavirus. and the holy month of ramadan begins with islam as holiest sites largely empty of need and precedented restrictions. hello welcome to the program leaders from around the world have united to launch an initiative to accelerate work on drugs tests and the vaccine for covert 19 led by the w.h.o.

the coordinated campaign aims to ensure any new vaccines and treatments are available to all notable by their absence are china where the outbreak began and the us which is now recorded more than 50000 deaths the spite this the state of georgia has gone ahead with opening some nonessential businesses there is better news from spain which has recorded its lowest number of deaths in more than a months and for the 1st time the number of spaniards who've recovered from cope at 19 has exceeded the number of new cases in all of this as the holy month of ramadan gets underway with coronavirus restrictions forcing muslims to change how they mark the event we begin our coverage with this report from our diplomatic editor james bass. it's just the place you would have expected in previous times to have seen u.s. leadership a global crisis and world leaders coming together with a response not the idea of this event to coordinate the search for

a vaccine testing and treatments for covert 19 and to make sure all the widely available the world needs distorts and it needs them fast. but experiences has stored as that even when tool is out a veil a bill they had been not been equally available to all we cannot allow that to happen and what feedback we may gain requires the most massive public us efforts in history data must be shared production capacity prepared resources mobilize communities in gauged and politics separate sites. i know we can do it i don't we can put people 1st and leaders spoke from all regions of the world technically bringing them all together was a bit of a challenge you know excellence you have can you hear me now oh yes yes we can hear

you ok germany one of the 4 members of the g. 7 a group of countries that will represented. we're now going to continue to mobilize all countries of the g 7 and the g 20 for them to back this initiative i hope that we will be able to reconcile the sinister of china and the us because the fight against covert 19 as a common good for humanity this shouldn't be any divisions between countries we need to join forces to win this battle the fact that the world health organization was the host of the event explains why the u.s. didn't take part president trump cut all new funding to the w.h.o. because he claimed the global health body had not been tough enough on china the w.h.o. failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable is a spokes person for the u.s. mission to the u.n. in geneva where the w.h.o. is based told al jazeera they'll be no u.s.

official participation we were informed of this event last week and we look forward to learning more about this initiative as soon as possible following this event the next phase will be led by the european union in 10 days time they'll be trying to raise 8000000000 dollars to make sure that vaccines testing and treatment are available to everyone james pays out as era of the united nations. well u.s. president donald trump says he was being sarcastic when he raised the possibility of injecting people with this infected to fight coronavirus after signing the latest stimulus bill into law mr trump tried to explain comments he made on thursday which drew widespread criticism from doctors and experts the president suggestion also prompted leading disinfectant makers to actually issue strong warnings to people not to drink or inject this infected. let's go to our white house correspondent kimberly halkett kimberly to say the least these comments were

a big surprise to a lot of people tell us a little bit about how the route developed after he made the comments. yeah well the white house is certainly pushing back on some of the comments that have ensued following the president's statements and the president for his part has endured backlash and ridicule for his suggestion that it would be possible to inject disinfectant or even ultraviolet rays as a form of curing coronavirus. it was the headline they dominated president donald trump's daily news briefing and most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus both surfaces and in the air promoting a theory that sun heat and humidity appear to shorten the life of the corona virus that research is unconfirmed and it may prove not to be true but that didn't stop

president trump broadcasting it to millions and going one step further and then i see the disinfectant but not see that in a minute one minute and is there a way we can do something like that. by injection. or almost a cleaning suggesting disinfectant could be used inside the body but it sounds it sounds interesting to me that's prompted a warning from health authorities and the makers of popular cleaners lysol and day show that no one should ingest bleach disinfectant or any other hygiene products the u.s. centers for disease control says it saw a spike in calls to poison hotlines last month because of people's exposure to such chemicals which can be harmful even to our skin there's no us here in the. earth is there you know i think i'm here to talk about by that we haven't studied we don't do that within that lab in our labs it's not the 1st time president

trump's used his podium to push what he calls potential cures for the virus there are promising therapies produced by gilly ad and that's. where m.d.'s are. desart or hydroxy torak when. and. the z. pack i think is a combination probably is looking very very good and about according to early trials in china the drug disappear has failed to treat covert 19 and it's too early to know about hydroxy clark aim is not a medical or public health expert and he doesn't pass on the advice of true medical and public health experts and i think most people are smart enough to know that they should be taking medical or public health advice from president trump they should be listening to expert opinions as for trump's heat and sun theory the world health organization pointed to examples where the virus has spread around the

equator and southern hemisphere the the evidence is not providing supporting that theory so i'm sorry we cannot hope but the summer is going to have the effect that many people hope it will the president is convinced he's giving hope to millions i'm not a doctor i'm here to present ideas but many health professional say those ideas could prove dangerous and next year brian al-jazeera. the white house is pushing back on reports of the president's comments in fact the white house is accusing the media of acting irresponsibly even taking the president out of context the president for his part is also defending his statements. i was asking the question of the gentleman who was there yesterday bill because when they say that something will last through 4 hours or 6 hours but of the sun is

out were they use disinfectant it goes away in less than a minute did you hear about this yesterday but i was asking the circuit has taken a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside but it does kill it and it will kill it on the hands and that would make things much better that was done in the form of a sarcastic question to the reporters at it so kimberly what reaction has there then be to donald trump's own reaction to the comments effectively saying that he was being sarcastic. as a result of the president's comments the surgeon general for his part felt compelled to issue a statement he says that is important to talk to a doctor before any medical treatment is sought we should also point out that the food and drug administration also feels it's important to put out this statement in light of the fact that the president has pushed malaria drugs like hydroxy clore

queen saying in fact that if you do cells treat you are susceptible to heart rhythm problems there's a real fear that people may take medical treatment into their own hands and this is a concern given the fact that the number of deaths as a result of coronavirus has now exceeded 50000 given how kit with the latest there from the white house can really think you. are saying in the u.s. new york state is the worst hit area in the country it's governor andrew cuomo has warned that reopening the economy too early in any american state will be a danger to others. if you say well we're done. in the house anymore let's just reopen just. start business tomorrow let's go what happens that's what happens all the progress we made is gone and own experts or virtually all experts

will say not only does the virus spread increase but it increases to a higher point than we had increased the 1st time. and d.c. correspondent jake rea is in marietta in the u.s. state of georgia where businesses such as james hair salons and bowling alleys have reopened their toys this strip shopping center in georgia really highlights the business is at the center of the controversy here you've got a nail salon and spa there right behind us a gym as you keep moving across you've got a hair salon and even a chiropractor these are all places that are open now and places where it's difficult in some cases impossible to maintain proper social distancing so that has a lot of people who are frustrated concerned that the numbers of infection or going to climb dramatically the governor brian kemp of georgia along with the business

owners who are opening say they can do this. safely and really start to step toward getting back to some sense of normalcy your rest of the nation watching this area very closely right now you've got a home. trying to reopen you've got tennessee and other states who are making their plans as well and then you've got just as many other states saying no we're going to extend our stay at home warnings we're going to keep businesses closed a bit longer so this is a real testing ground right now you could say. well meanwhile across europe countries are at odds over when and how lockdowns should be lifted some are already sending children back to school and reopening small businesses but most industries including the hospitality sector remain totally paralyzed with no rest fight in psych or in sleeve reports. there is one corner of europe where you can see a reminder of what life used to be like a few short weeks ago in the spring sunshine people in the swedish capital

stockholm were carrying on as if the pandemic had never happened sweden has gone against the grain in not closing down restaurants or limiting people's movements much but you know over 2000 dead there's a worse outcome so for that scandinavian neighbors the government is starting to sound a bit worried about its own going to its you talked me out will in a coma from as the spring sun appears we are seeing some worrying reports about pull out or terraces and restaurants and people in crowded places and we have to take this seriously let me peek stream lee clear i don't want to see any crowded outdoor restaurant terraces in stockholm or anywhere else and everyone has to take on his or her responsibility in. germany has the opposite problem under the iconic brandenburg gate in berlin restaurants staged a protest by learning of hundreds of empty chairs because the authorities across

the country have refused yet to countenance the reopening despite a far lower death rates than countries like sweden. and unlike sweden germany is continuing this testing opening drive through facilities to trace more and more people ministers insist life can go back to anything like normal until the infection rates drop to the hundreds every day in terms of health care it makes perfect sense but the tension with the demands of business is growing restaurant owners of residents of patients will move a little. it's no exaggeration to say the sheer panic imagine your business which is doing very well is shut down from one day to the next it means we don't have less revenue it means we have no revenue but leases and costs continue a lot to be a consolation but in most countries going out to socialize remains a faraway dream like enjoying the hope cuisine of the french bistro that too is almost certainly many months away insulate be good to fail you know nothing would

be worse than conducting a rushed reopening of restaurants and bars which could then force us to close again i think it would be an immense disappointment not only for restaurant owners but also for the french people. it's also worth remembering that many of the most vulnerable like the elderly of the spanish city of. couldn't afford to go out to eat even if the option was open to them here the spanish red cross is delivering food instead of the sharp end of the virus keeping people alive remains the priority. lawrence the al-jazeera. still to come in this half hour. fighting for food venezuelans try it against lockdown measures as the government is criticized for under reporting cases. and wildlife rangers are killed in an attack on a national park in the democratic republic of congo which is home half the world's mountain gorillas.

we got some subtle changes taking place in the weather across europe at the moment it's turning cooler now after a recent he wave in scandinavia will see a few showers still there across spain and portugal but not as widespread as they have been recently and losing that live the weather across greece pushing across the east side of the mediterranean the central part yes at the moment is staying warm plenty of spring sunshine there savannah getting up to around 20 celsius on the sas they are need to move there in london at around 17 degrees bits and pieces of cloud and rain rolling into central parts of france and we got a scattering of showers there across parts of the iberian peninsula one of that lot of cloud of right up into that western side of russia is colder there in moscow as well with a top temperature of around 7 degrees celsius a similar temperature on sunday that rain will become

a little more intense as we go on into sunday bright skies coming behind but it is said to have a fresh feel to things as we go on through the 2nd half of the weekend still some showers into central southern parts of france down into spain and portugal that the showers just popping up a touch at this stage and some of those showers they will cause run across northern parts of morocco say spent to see some wet weather here as you go on through sas day it will be heavy at times but it's a fine dry and sunny across egypt. 67 words that spelled promise for one people. but disaster for another. the bled to the establishment of a jewish homeland at the expense of the palestinians. the story of the british declaration that changed the middle east for seeds of discord on al-jazeera.

the the the owner. of the back is a reminder of the top stories on al-jazeera leaders from around the world have united to launch an initiative to accelerate work on drugs tests and a vaccine for covert $98.00 the campaign aims to ensure any new vaccines and treatments are available to all the u.s. has now recorded more than 50000 coronavirus that's despite this new milestone the state of georgia has pushed ahead with opening summit nonessential business and u.s. president donald trump says he was being sarcastic when he raised the possibility

of injecting people with disinfectant to fight coronavirus his comments drew widespread criticism from doctors and experts. muslims across the globe are marking ramadan the holy month of the year but while traditional rituals include gatherings for food and prayers many people will have to forgo these this year because of coronavirus lockdowns people have been banned from islams holiest site the grand mosque in mecca the prophet's mosque in medina is also close for the duration of the fasting period the measures were imposed by saudi arabia's government which has the highest number of infections in the gulf region. india has 195000000 muslims have been urged to heed the nationwide lockdown during ramadan police in the city of mumbai in march through the streets asking people to stay at home to pray mumbai has been the worst affected city during the outbreak with more than $4000.00 infections. there are fears the number of infections in pakistan

could rise rapidly during ramadan mosques have been allowed to stay open but people gathering to pray must follow social distancing measures doctors are verge the government and muslim leaders to order their closure. venezuela's government claims to have one of the lowest coronavirus rates in the world because of robust testing and tough lockdown measures it says there have been just over 300 cases in the country but health experts warn that the numbers are being drastically under reported and there's been looting in many areas as the new restrictions added to the economic crisis cristobal has more. they see more telesales food on the streets of katia a working class neighborhood in caracas the ongoing economic crisis and the lock down are having a big impact in her life. but the committee decides we're only working 3 hours a day i understand they are doing it to protect our health but i am

a single mother of 2 children and my eldest daughter and her son also live at home i think the situation will get worse every day. to cuti forces on the streets are trying to enforce a lockdown to prevent the spread of covert 19 but people are becoming more and more desperate every day. on thursday reports of looting and clashes with security forces in several states around the country show how dire the situation is the call that 19 may generate fear among people but surviving every day is the main worry for many. government figures show that various will has around 300 confirmed cases of calls with 19 the president says the country has tested over 200000 people with the help of the chinese government. it's a let me tell a 1000000 plus one that is the medium term goal we have to reach a 1000000 texts at this stage we carried out 250000 but we have to reach

$10000000.00 trees to comply with the complete protocol of the world health organization. there are 2 types of testing being done that b.c.r. that test the virus genetic material and the rapid tests that are less sensitive than the p.c.r. . that's why doctors like to say the virus may be severely underdiagnosed in venezuela that is in the early. limitation of the amount of tests prevents you from doing lots of them but it may be greatly under reported what we think the government is doing is mixing p.c.r. tests and rapid tests you cannot mix pairs with apples the numbers reflect different things. venezuelan hospitals are already struggling with shortages of almost everything only 70 percent of them have running water and so we spoke to oscar now as a doctor in the state of us widely he says he supports the call by opposition leader why though to pay extra money to health care workers that fight 19 may go to

school i'm all you a doctor like me gets $1.50 a month and that's why my interim president one guy will use some resources to give $100.00 a month to those who qualify and work in the health sector the money comes from accounts that have been recovered from the government and will be paid as virtual money for 3 months venezuela's health care system is already stressed to the limit the spread of covert $1000.00 can easily make it collapse. i'll just. inmates at an argentine prison have set their mattresses on fire and climbed on to the roof of the facility after an officer tested positive for the coronavirus batteries were hung from the roof of the boat as itis j.-o. reading we refuse to die in prison protesters are demanding the release of high risk prisoners and better sanitary controls within the facility at one point they threw sharp objects from the roof. brazil's justice minister has resigned over what

he calls political interference in another blow to president jaded both government said tomato who's a former anti corruption judge stepped down shortly after both salado sacked the federal police chief last week he also fired his popular health minister the president is under fierce criticism as brazil struggles to cope with the corona virus outbreak it's the worst affected country in latin america with more than 3000 people dead. at least 12 wildlife rangers have been killed in an attack in virunga national park in the democratic republic of congo at least 5 other people were also killed in the ambush the worst in the park's history is home to half the world's population of mountain gorillas and in the past 20 years at least 180 rangers have been killed

while protecting animals there in 2018 the park was closed for 8 months after a series of attacks including one that left 6 people dead. phil clark is a professor of international politics of the school of oriental and african studies he joins me live now via skype from london sir thank you for joining us here on al-jazeera 1st of all your reaction to this attack. in many respects is not that surprising there have been big clashes between the major rebel group that suspected of carrying out this attack and a group called the f.d.a. . and the congolese army i've been at each other's throats to several weeks now and it does look like the f.d.a. a lot have used this attack on the national park rangers as a white to show their strength and as a white city trying to put pressure on the congolese army to back off i think that if there is a surprising elements about this attack it's the style of the civilian death toll

typically when there are attacks in the ring of national pocket it usually involves the kidnapping of a foreign tourists we haven't seen come to lay civilians being killed in such large numbers inside the national park and we certainly haven't seen this number of of ranges killed so in that sense that this is very unusual that so it's notable as you say by the scale but we are just hearing that in the past 20 years at least 180 rangers have been killed while protecting animals in the park so it's obviously the scale may be different but it does seem to be at the parts of a system awful kind of attack doesnt it. yes that there's a much longer pattern there we haven't necessarily seen this particular rebel group the f d a law carry out these sorts of attacks and i think that's also the significance of this that the f.t.l. r. is i who to dominate said rebel group the reason that it's fighting against the congolese army of them argument is that the congolese government is in the process

of renewing relations with the rwandan government and that's a 20 dominated government the rwandan government has said to congo you need to write in the f.t. a lot in we see this reaching threat across the border we see 20 civilians being killed inside congo the f.t. a lot have had a recent history of going across the border in into rwanda and so that's the bigger context to this attack to die is congo is trying to write in the f.t. a lot in and it seems that the have used this target seeing all of ranges and the civilian population in the national park to try to show that they are still a very effective fighting holes and so i guess it does highlight that lack of control that the government that's have in that area this is one of the big regional concerns there for as long as anyone can remember the congolese state has really struggled to bring peace and stability and security to the eastern part of the country one of the points that rwanda has stressed to the congolese stites is

that if there's going to be better relations up between these 2 governments then congo really needs to tight control of that border area and it needs to start to run in groups like out the f.t. allow this attack today it comes at a very tenuous a very fragile time in the whole regional dynamic in this part of central africa phil caught professor of international politics at the school of oriental and african studies sir thank you all for joining us. i unilateral ceasefire in yemen has been extended for one month starts according to a spokesman for the saudi u.a.e. coalition the original 2 week truce was the clear and after the un secretary-general called for a global ceasefire because of the coronavirus evans health care system is already on the verge of collapse and more than half the population faces acute food shortages. asteroid more than 3 kilometers wide will hurt told past our planet next week the house the scientists say it has no chance of hitting earth that's good but

the flyby will be useful scientists can use it for they said that will help defend the earth from more dangerous rocks the asteroid was found by scientists in 1998 and it takes almost 4 years to orbit the sun. you can find that much more on that story and everything else that we have been covering of course the latest on the corona virus across the world on our website there's a front page the address al jazeera dot com. now a reminder of the top stories on al-jazeera led by the w.h.o. leaders from around the world have united to launch an initiative to accelerate work on drugs tests and the vaccine for covert 19 the campaigning is to ensure any new vaccines and treatments are available to all. production we

do believe you are safe and effective it will be mine didn't. do this you know kicked most for. the world but the vaccine and treatment the benefit of safe effectively minister has only been recently available everywhere everywhere. the u.s. says now recorded more than 50000 coronavirus deaths despite this new milestone the state of georgia has pushed ahead with opening some non-essential businesses like james hairdressers and bowling alleys staying in the u.s. president trump says that he was being sarcastic when he raised the possibility of injecting people with this infect and the fight coronavirus his comments through widespread criticism from doctors and experts. i was asking the question of the gentleman who was there yesterday bill because when they say that something will

last through 4 hours or 6 hours but if the sun is the word they use this in fact it goes away in less than a minute did you hear about this yesterday but i was asking the circuit has taken a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside but it does kill it and it will kill it in the hands and that would make things much better that was done in the form of a sarcastic question to the reporters muslims across the globe are marking ramadan their holiest month of the year with coronavirus restrictions at transforming the holy month people have been banned from islam is holiest site the grand mosque in mecca the prophet's mosque in medina is also closed for the duration of the fasting period those are the headlines coming up next risking it all peru looks at the dangers that people face making a living from the country's natural resources that's coming up next i'll have more news for you in half an hour.