>> 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 covid-19. >> parliament, but mark -- not

as we know it. today hououse is meetingg under r exceptional and unprecedented circumstances. >> adorned with a sea of n no sitting signs, the capacity of the chamber has been slashed from 650 to just 50. hazard tape on the floor reminds those present to keep their distance. for the first time in their 700 year history, mps are being asked to do their jobs remotely. easter recessm comes amid growing anger at the official response to covid-1-19 with bliststering accounts off government in action in the early days of the outbreak. one key charge, a failure to foresee shortages of personal protective equipment for frontline workers. with prime minister boris johnson still recovering from thee virus, it fell to his healh

minister to tell the british that the u.k. is taking part in an eu procurement scheme. although the european commission says that isn't true. >> when we did receive an invitation in the department of health, as it came to the department of health, it was put up to me to be asked and we joined, so we are now members. >> another charge leveled at the government? mismanagement of a growing number of field hospitals set up across the country. dozens of covid-19 patients have interned away for treatment at the nightingale hospital in london. not for want of beds, but because there were not enough nurses to care for them. >> the death toll from the coronavirus in spain has increased over the past one of four hours and the figure is in line with the increases reported over the last few days. sanchez says that he hopes to

wind down lockdowns in the second half of may. of coronavirus patients in intensive care here in france has seen its sharpest decline since the outbreak b ben . this while the deathth toll reaches 21,000. the public health chief has warned that the virus is still circulating a high level and the pandemic has shown that doctors are indispensable to the health-care system and are demanding more rights, like doctors who went to medical school in the european union. union --s a covid covid unit and this doctor, like her cowoworkers, has had to deal with t the unprecedented spipikn patients. but she earned her medidical degree outside the eu, meaning she doesn't have t the same professional status. [speaking french]

>> she is not alalone. thousands of foreign doctors practice i in france, often in less secure jobs with lower pay, but many of them have become indispensable. particularly here in the northern p paris suburb. [speaking french] >> this dr. agrees. leaving algeria for france in 1996, he knows firsthand about the struggles faced by foreign doctors. now the head of treatment south of paris, he has become an advocacate and he sent a petitin to the prime minister, requesting better working conditions for foreign doctors.

>> [speaking french] >> a health care law passed last year could make it easier for foreign doctors s to be recognid in france, but many are still there -- vulnerable. the first health care worker to die from covid-19 was a foreign doctor from madagascar are. >> as the corona of -- madagascar. >> the pandemic could trigger famines of biblical proportions. >> though the coronavirus pandemic was relatively slow to hit developing countries, the world food program warned that there coululd be an outbreak wih widespread famine of biblical proportion. reportrt from the u.n. organization estimating pandemic could double the n number of people facing starvation.

>> the world food program announced thatat due to the vivs and a additional 130 million people c could be pusheded to te brink of starvation by the end of 2020. that's a total of 265 million people. >> the wse suggests the economic repercussions of the pandemic, coupled with the virus itself, will put struggling nations over the edge. the report cites 10 countries already afflicted by conflict and economic crisis as the most vulnerable, including yemen, the democratic republic of the congo, afghanistan and south sudan. prior r to the outbreak, east africa and south a asia were facing critical l food shortages because of drought and record locust infestations. experts stressed that the worst-case scenario is not a foregone conclusion, insisting that gordon needed global action can put off pandemic.

but they estimate they will need $350 million immediately. only one quarter of that has thus far been secured. >> for more on what comes after life in lockdown, we can speak to the executive director of the think tank open diplomacy. thank you for joining us here on ." ance 24 some countries are still in lockckdown. theyey will exit lockdown at different paces. is it safe to say the finger-pointing will begin once this coronavirus pandemic is over? >> i don't think so. i think that the finger-pointing has already started.. look at how the c crisis inside the e world health o organizatis being conducted with china putting political preressure to kind of, yeah, about the response to the crisis in this

coununtry, leading to a bigger crisis. ononce the united states removes what they are plannining to take back, there is already a finger-pointing problem that turns the crisis into a larger crisis. >> i agree with your assessment, it's not just finger-pointing and it has already begun. probably the gloves are going to come off in a few months. let me ask you, the crisis has clearly put a lot into focus s n terms of multilateral organizations like the wororld health organization. every so often they come out and the end of thet day we have people rallying around the flag, , doing what national states are tellining tm to do. > that's riright. it's a fair pointnt, but wewe ao need t to take into account that

is nothing but what the nationstate tells them to do. there are actually agencncies ,hich mandate design state-by-state nationstate. if you look at this, it's fair to have a sort of postmortem look at how they have been managing the crisis. but we also neneed to take into account the fact that this is only one organization and they are capable of universal coordination of research programs that are now in a position to f faster develop a vaccine and a treatmement at the speed ofof the coronavavirus. if we take the unilateral stance of the u.s., which has beeeen, which removed from the organization, we are undermining our own capacity ass nations to develop faster a solution to

this crisis, which is absolutely needed. >> ok, the world healthh organization is one i instituti. wewe also have the european unin here. emmanuel macron once more europe. at the same time, europe does not have a common policy with how toto deal withth the pandem. >> t that's absolutely right.. actually, we face this situation as we have faced this sovereign t therisis that we had in 2010, withth greecece bailing ot ththat time. s situation,e same requiring a common political solution enanabling us to f facn the short-term the financial descriptions around the praracte wiwith long-term solutions to

reallocate capitital to our own jobs and businesses. or we have a dislocated, dismantled response to this. but again, that is not the responsibibility of the european union itself. at this level of policymaking the european union is about national leaders and the accounts are made up of 27 heads of state of government. those are the ones making decisions. we can updpdate the union on the results of this global process. >> thank you for joining us on the program, today. covid-19 about continues to spread online, the united states, and canada. one. gaining traction is that the pandemic has been exaggerated by the media.

people are sharing videos of empty hospital corridors and wards, saying it proves the pandemic isn't as pat -- as bad as people thought out. >> ovever the last few weeks soe people online have been sasaying the virus is harmless or that it doesn't exist, has been made up, and they filmed these videos to prove it. >> [speaking french] >> covid-19 center, not a single solitary soul. shut down the entire country, 43,000 employees at walt disney world laid off today bececause f this? >> [speaking french] >> the emergency room is basically empty. clearly, there is no covid-19 epidemic whatsoever.

>> a lot of these videos have film yourag hospital. this former candidate for congress called on her followers to share the false claim, just like others who say that covid-19 is a lie. but they only filmed the entrance hall and reception of emergency department. as soon as you are inside where the patients are being treated, it's a a different ststory. this is what it is like in the er of a new york hospital. toi'm about ready to walk in see what the situation is like. things are crazy right now. all you hear is oxygen. >> the videos of empty corridors are because hospitals have had to reorganize everything to

respond to the outbreak. non-urgent surgeries haven't canceled and no visitorsrs are allowed. all l of the actioion is in the intensive care unit. these kikinds of videos online n make people believe that the pandememic isn't serious. people have been fooled by these false claims in the u.s. a and canada and are protesting care workers, puttining people's lives at ris. >> thank you very much for watching. ♪ >> concrete as far as the eye can see, home to o 22 million

residents. twice belgium's entire population. welcome to mexico city. first stop, the mayor's office. 6:00 a.m. and some 50 peopople e queuing up to meet her and shahe ththeir troubles. >> madam, could help me to ensure that he and years of work have been taken into account? -- these three years of work have been taken into account? >> four times a week, the city is fast asleep. but they open their doors and their ears to the concerns of constituents. the first woman to hold the top job. a mother of two, she i initiated the early morning surgery. >> these sesessions are e extrey important, they keep me grounded and in touch with the real issues of citizens. i think that the key to good governance is knowing how to listen.

town hall, dawn is breaking on the central square. it has just gone 7 a.m. the daily meeting with her security cabinet and now begin. 2018 was the nation's bloodiest year t to date, an averagage of almost 100 homicides per day. >> we are now totaling 200 and 54 serious offenses. >> it's a key challenge for the cityty administration that took power at the end of 2018. drug cartels are fighting over who will rule the historic center of the city, a place teeming with activity, including informal trade. toay, claudia has come operate a street art gallery. >> security is about taking back ownership of the streets. we can do it together. this shopkeeper presented the

project to the mayor and held onto the ticket given that day. >> one day i thought, you know, i'm going to meet madame schein baum, just to see what happened. >> building back trust in a country where officials are seen as fundamentally corrupt. >> what do we expect from you? to be our eyes on the ground. to tell us what you see. we also know that we have crooked colleagues who work with the gangs. we have to admit that. >> police officers and residents meet every week at the office around the affair. >> the thieves entered our courtyard and the cops said, where is he. i said, go ahead, you have my blessing to search the entire place, even if it's in the trash . the cop gets him and the thief

tells him where he has hidden the loop, 2000 pesos. the cop let him go. tell me, who can we turn to? >> shopkeepers are that first victims, racketeer by criminals who threaten their lives if they .on't pay up a few days later, a shopkeeper was shot dead in the middle of the day. for franco and pose a, it's the same routine every mororning. a fufully loaded firerearm and a vast. nationwide, 100 and 28 police officers were killed in the first six months of the year. >> i it's a tough decicision, ik it alone. my family was that against it. they could see what was going on in the country and it scared them. all of those officers, dead on the job. >> patrols can be easily ambushed and officers prefer to and patrol vehicles

on foot. but one shopkeeper called them out. >> you are not brarave enough to come see whahat is happening hee and you are not brave enough to take care of your delinquents. that's your job. >> it's why you pay your taxes. you look like a gogood taxpayer. >> the reason my husband is angry is because of who was killed and kidnapped two years ago. >> it was just 24 hours after their son was taken. ever since my son's kidnapping t the police haven't lifted a finger. the first officers came and amanda 2000 euros to demand -- start the investigation. he was transferred and a new officer came t to say he wouldld solvlve the case, then he asked for 4000 euros. >> eventually both men calmed down. >> if you're interested, we hold meetings with local residents

every wednesday and you can ask your neighbor who comes regularly. >> the class is over. hosea and franco are used to facing biz -- bitterness and mistrust. > speaking foreignn language yet case offered up a number of leads, not least of which the abductor voices. it is denise who handle the call. > i was petetrified. there e was a policeman next to me. he would say that, because i had no idea. >> corruption and crime leave no corner of the city untainted, with another people that permeates the walls. pollution.

lefty lives far, far away from city center. when she finishes her cleaning shift, she faces a long trek home. >> i spent four or five hours at work every morning. >> her neighborhood isn't easily acceptable. it is one of the many areas sprung up over the last decade without any planning or infrastructure. >> when we moved here in 1984, we were surrounded by green hills. we didn't have electricity or running water, but it was a better life. as you can see, there are houses up the hills. squirrels, rabbits, armadillos, but now nott many birds. >> she and her mother have a perfect vantage point onto the thick layer of smog that covers

the valley. in the 80's and 90's they became infamous for being the world's most polluted city until authorities tackle the issue with some successss. at the atmospheric monitoring center, things are controlled on a daily basis to assess whether ththe most polluting vehicles should be banned from taking to -- the road. >> you are telling me that we will be above the limit? >> that's right. >> but not high enough for a ban? mexico may of this year, faced its old demons once again as the city c checked i its fine particle pollution. i havave beenen working on air quality since 1992 and i have never seen anything like what we saw ththis year. what has happened is the result of massive fraud in the country and the air stagnated here in

the city basin. >> exceptionally high temperatures and a rain season that started far later than usual, a direct result of global warming. the climate crisis took the mayor by surprise. it took three days before she declclared thehe temporary close of area schools, delays that true sarcastic remarks from some constituents as the madame mayor is expected to know her stuff. this environmental engineer is part of the intergovernmental panel on climate change that won the nobel peace prize in 2007. >> i have lived my entire life in mexico. it was even the subject of some of my science studies. air quality, soill conservation. being in power gives me the

opportunity to put into practice everything that i planned. >> about air quality -- but air quality isn't an easy battle to win. mexico struggled to keep up with its growing population. over several generations the city faced rapid demographic growth. -- letty's map -- 11 mother has seven brothers s and sisters. letty herself has 11. the first consequence of such poor health, water shortages. >> i reuse my water from the washing machine to clean the floors. >> it's not unusual for them to go to the city authorities to ask for more. > can there be a full trurucr water? it's often not enough. >> it's often fruitless. >> you will be among the last of the day.

it may take some time, but don't worry, the water will arrrrive eventually. >> sometimes we have to go every day with just a little bit of water. two days ago i went to ask for .ater, but they never came >> this time around, she and her mother are determined to get their due. they climb into the truck to guide the driver, a diy approach residentsf mexican dedepend on. it's hard to believe that when the spanish first arrived, the capital w was a lake dotted wita few islands.s. centuries of draining and overusing the groundwater table have turned mexico into a dried-up city. also become brittle, making the effffects of thee regular earthquakes in t the region all the more devastating. 10,000 people died in 1985. 331 in 2017. with a new week starts a new set of meetings and perhaps a glimmer of hope for carlotta, daughter,ith her

denise. depressed, her husband stayed home. >> they found his car, they fofound his body. but there e has been no arrest. i am asking for yourur help. please.. justice must be done. >> i tell you what, let's get you an appointment with the new magistrate that specializes in objection cases. >> in a country where 98% of crimes go unpunished, we havee seen -- opening and of duction case i is something ofof a reli. >> i just want justice and for all of us to be trtreated the se way. whether or not we have money, that we all be allowowed our day in court. >> across the mexican capital, claudia lights of these tiny

glimmersrs of hope. it's a massive task to tackle over six years, which is -- but with increasingly

diep tran: i think people are aware of vietnamese cuisine, and most people don't want that cuisine to change or don't want to have their understandnding of the cuisisine to change. because e the cuisine is changng alall the time.e. the idea of a, like, this unifying national cuisine, vietnamese cuisine, it doesn't exist. really, it truly doesn't exist. even a unified vietnamese identity doesn't exist. [dings] like, it's kindnd of like sayayg italians--defined by tomatoes and olive oil. whahat people see as essential, it's because they're looking from like an ououtsider's point of f view, and it's not granular.