>> it is 9:00 p.m.. this is "live from paris." former british prime minister boris johnson denies lying to parliament over the so-called partygate scandal. today's grilling could determine his political fate. president emmanuel macron rejects all talk of a u-turn with regards to his plan to reform the french pension system, and on this world water day, the united nations secretary-general gives a bleak morning. antonio guterres says the future of humanity's lifeblood is under

threat. welcome back. former british prime minister boris johnson is facing a grilling from mp's who try to establish if he lied to parliament over the so-called partygate scandal during the country's covid-19 lockdown. johnson swore an oath on the bible, but amongst those interrogating the former premier, his own conservative party. johnson's diminishing hold over that party has been made clear after the vote on the post-brexit deal struck by johnson's successor, rishi sunak.

>> it is well-established that the mp misled parliament amidst the partygate scandal. on wednesday, boris johnson faced parliament hoping to prove he did not do so intentionally or recklessly. >> i apologize for inadvertently misleading the house. to say that i did so recklessly is untrue as the evidence shows. >> the committee played a montage o johnson's repeated denials. >> all guidance was followed -- >> since the denials, a report found several gatherings should not have been allowed to happen. the metropolitan police find johnson, finding his birthday party illegal. he even deflected onto prime

minister rishi sunak. >> if it was obvious to me that these events were contrary to the guidance and rules, and it must have been obvious to others in the building, including the current prime minister. >> the committee dressed up photos, pointing to the absence of social distancing, but johnson's response was to insist this, too, was a work event. >> i believe it was absolutely essential. >> if the committee finds johnson to have intentionally misled parliament, it could recommend sanctions, including suspension. any sanctions, though, would have to be voted by an overwhelmingly conservative limit. the many gatherings in downing street occurred as britain racked up one of the world's highest death tolls, with more than 175,000 deaths by the end of johnson's premiership. >> let's get more analysis. we speak to a professor politics at the university of

straight-line. thank you for speaking to us. a three-hour grilling today. what did we find out? >> we found out two things. we found out one thing about the committee. those of us who have been a witness before a select committee of mp's would normally find that each of the np's would pursue their own lines of questioning, their own individual agendas rather than operating collectively. this was a committee operating collectively. they agreed on questions amongst themselves. they pursued the argument in a systematic fashion. that perhaps was one bit of bad news for the prime minister. as far as his defense is concerned, i think it will be difficult for the committee to argue that he intentionally misled the house of commons.

the committee might have doubts about if his understanding of the guidance on the covid pandemic and what could or could not be allowed was a debatable interpretation, but i think they will find it difficult to prove he intentionally misled the house. the criterion under which he does seem to be vulnerable is the criterion of recklessness. there are two circumstances in which he might be criticized under that criterion. in following the guidance, they all are the guidance within the limitations of what they thought was possible within number 10 downing street, which did not necessarily allow social distancing to be followed in full, as guidance would ideally recommend. the committee may therefore feel

mr. johnson is simply saying that all guidance was followed. the second reason he is potentially in trouble, and i think this is where the committee seem to be potentially most critical, was saying that the assurances he said he had had, those came primarily from two of his political appointees, including his communications chief. they did not come from the cabinet secretary. the committee was doubtful he had much advice from any senior civil servant and certainly did not have advice from the direction of a lawyer. in other words, if mr. johnson had sought sufficient assurances from suitably qualified people to give the assurances that he did to the house, that perhaps is where the committee might criticize him and might

therefore regard that as being a reckless misleading of the house. there's no guarantee that's the way in which the committee will see it, but that is certainly the line of the system where the committee certainly seem to be directing a significant number of their questions. >> johnson sounding defensive and combative as the hearing went on. he called it a hang -- a kangaroo court, despite the presence of members of his own party on the committee. he also tried blaming the current prime minister, rishi sunak, saying if he was aware of what was going on, then rishi sunak was as well. sounds a bit desperate, doesn't it? >> mr. sunak got find -- fined because he turned up at an event which i believe was mr. johnson's birthday party, where he believed he was just showing up for a meeting. if the guidance was not being

followed, there were an awful lot of other people, including honorable civil servants, who also felt that we were following the rules, and mr. johnson was trying to split the blame more widely. in fairness to mr. johnson, he demure from the idea that this was a kangaroo court, though he did reserve judgment as to if he would be treated early by the committee. i think in truth, again coming back to what i said earlier about the committee, this committee operated on a cross party basis this afternoon. the truth is, he was most air tainted, i think, by one of the conservatives on the committee, who has a certain right -- certain wry style to him, and i think that got under mr. johnson's skin.

this was very much a cross party grilling. >> we are almost out of time. just want to ask you quickly before we wrap up, many are saying johnson's political future will be determined by this hearing. how long will we have to wait to find out what the findings are? >> probably months rather than week though i think one has to say even before today, mr. johnson's career as a senior figure in britain is already over. he was grown out of office by his colleagues because they could no longer trust what he says. the truth is the public no longer trust what he says. that combination is fatal for any prospects he might still have. >> professor curtis, thank you very much. sorry to cut you short. pressure carried out a series of missile and drone attacks in the early hours of the morning in a town just south kyiv. at least six were killed and 18

others injured after a drone start -- struck two college dormitories. in zaporizhzhia, three people were killed and 33 others injured. ukraine says it shut down 16 of the 21 iranian-made drones that were fired at the country. meanwhile, the ukrainian president visited the front line close to the town of back but -- bakhmut where he presented soldiers with medals for bravery. >> it comes at a time when a lot of people are wondering if a tactical retreat might not have in the better thing to do. there'a lot of concern about the losses that the ukrainian armed forces are taking on the bakhmut front line and some have been quite openly criticizing the government's decision to try to hol onto the city, but it also comes at a time when according to british intelligence and some other observers, perhaps there's hope that the intensity of the

russian offensive is dying down. the wagner criminals who were recruitefrom russian criminals were recruited for six months. those who survived are now seeing their contracts come to term and they can supposedly leave. this also questions about how much ammunition the russians have brought. we have been talking about the russian offensive culminating culminating in a failure. the real core of the city centers in ukrainian hands, and the russians have not been able to surround ukrainian forces. significant territorial gains for many days. i think for a couple of weeks. they look like they are about to encircle ukrainian forces, but they don't seem to have been able to do that, so zelenskyy and his team may soon be saying that they feel vindicated in

this controversial decision to try to hold onto bakhmut, but others may continue to criticize them all the same because there's a question about the impact, the cost of this battle will have had on ukraine's potential for a counteroffensive , which is expected to start in the next few weeks. >> french president emmanuel macron has given a tv interview in which he has rejected talk of a u-turn on his proposed reform to the pension system. in recent days and weeks, there have been huge protests against this bill, and tomorrow will be a ninth nationwide day of strikes, but macron said given the choice between popularity in opinion polls and the national interest, he would choose the latter. >> they are defending their viewpoint, and it is protected by the constitution, the right of the titian, the right to

protest -- the right of petition , the right to protest. it is when groups use extreme violence in order to attack representatives, when they resort to violence without any rule whatsoever because they are unhappy with things, it is no longer a republic. >> meanwhile, the president's aide said that interview is intended to calm things down, but some initial reactions suggest it had the opposite effect. >> in his address to the nation, president emmanuel macron said the prime minister was still the right person for the job and that she would be seeking compromise consensus with the opposition to pass laws in the near future, but it will be

difficult here in the national assembly. lawmakers are furious at the way emmanuel macron passed his reform bill without a vote thanks to article 49.3. the opposition here says he is not listening to the french people, that he's disconnected from reality. let's take a listen to a member of the left wing bloc reacting to emmanuel macron's address to the nation. >> emmanuel macron is taking a major risk because his words are exasperating. i think the french have no other solution but to march, take massively to the streets to try to make him understand some sense of what is going on. i don't know. he is in that castle and no one actively gets to him. it is infuriating, exasperating, contrary to basic democratic standards. this is more fuel on a barrel of

fire. >> strikes are set to continue here in france in many sectors. mass protests planned for this thursday across the country. hundreds of thousands of people possibly taking to the streets, and there are fears of more violence with rioters expected to take part in these protests and cause violence. president emmanuel macron said the french people had a right to protest, voice their concerns, but that violence would not be tolerated. >> today is world water day, a day designated by the united nations each year highlighting the importance of water for our planet. a summit on that issue is underway in new york earning together some 6005 hundred participants. this is the first major united nations meeting on water resources in united nations

history. the united nations general issued a bleak morning at that summit. he said the future of water, which he called humanity's lifeblood, is under threat because of what he called mankind's vampiric consumption and unsustainable use of water. >> we are draining humanity's lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use. we have roque in the water cycle, destroyed ecosystems, and contaminated groundwater. nearly three out of four natural disasters are linked to water. one in four people lives without safe -- safely managed water services or clean drinking water and over 1.7 billion lack basic sanitation. >> antonio guterres, the united

nations secretary general, speaking there. ivory coast does not have access to safe drinking water, this and the risk of diseases make it one of the most difficult countries in the world. >> many residents have limited access to drinking water and in some neighborhoods, the taps have dried up completely. >> they should do something about the water problem. we've had no water in the house for over a year. every day we have to collect it. we are so tired of it. >> wells on the outskirts of the city are the only reliable resources. the shortage brings major health issues. contaminated water leads to the transmission of diseases. >> we need to have clean toilets, clean houses, and for that, we need water. if not, the children breathe in the filth and can get sick.

>> water shortage is also impacting agriculture. cocoa production, which amounts to some 15% of gdp, and 600,000 farmers across ivory coast, is affected by climate change. in 2022, desertification was already affecting 60% of online in the country, bringing hardship for farmers and food insecurity. electricity production is also affected as hydroelectric dams regularly run dry. >> let's get a check now at the top business news stories. the u.s. federal reserve has raised interest rates again. that is, of course, despite days of banking turmoil. >> chairman jerome powell stressed the u.s. will keep fighting inflation, which remains stubbornly high. the .25% hike brings the fed's benchmark rate to 5%.

in the wake of the recent turmoil in the banking sector, he suggested the fed will be less aggressive in raising rates going forward while stressing that the u.s. banking system is sound and resilient. he acknowledged that the fed needs to strengthen supervision and regulation of banks following the failures of u.s. regional banks, which quickly worsened a crisis of confidence at european giant credit suisse. >> inflation remains too high and the labor market remains very tight. my colleagues and i understand the hardship that high inflation is causing, and we remain strongly committed to bringing inflation back down to our 2% goal. we no longer state that we anticipate that ongoing rate increases will be appropriate to quell ongoing inflation. instead, we suggest that some ongoing monitoring will be necessary moving forward.

>> wall street shares spiked in the immediate aftermath of the fed's rate hike decision but pulled back since closing, accelerating their selloff towards the end. dow jones and s&p 500, nasdaq, all closing down more than 1.6%. among the biggest losers on the s&p were regional banks. shares of first republic bank dropped more than 10% this wednesday after u.s. treasury secretary janet yellen said there's no discussion on ensuring all deposits. 11 of the latest -- largest u.s. banks deposited a total of $30

billion into first republic in a show of support, but shares continued to slide despite the move amid worries it may need to sell parts of its business or seek government support. the bank of england is also set to announce its policy on thursday. in a letter to lawmakers, the bank's governor warned that more short moves in stock prices could expose weaknesses in britain's financial system. meanwhile, inflation in the u.k. unexpectedly jumped to 10.4 percent in february, led by soaring food prices, particularly for fresh produce. brazil's central bank is under pressure to lower interest rates with protests taking place at set office, president lula da silva has thrown his weight behind the demonstrators and unions -- which unions say are

an obstacle. >> protesters say lowering interest rates is the only way to boost economic growth. >> every family in brazil has somewhat unemployed, and the interest rate is over 13%. they sabotaged country's development. lower rates and more production, more jobs. that is what the brazilian people want. >> the 13.75% rate has been in place since last september. protesters singled out the central bank's president. two years later, bolsonaro changed the law, making the bank autonomous, meaning that neither its president nor its board of governors changes when a new government takes office. results president came back to power at the start of the year. he says high rates are stunting development. >> it is irresponsible for the central bank to keep the interest rate at 30.70 5%. it is irresponsible.

-- at 13.75 percent. it is irresponsible. >> lula said he will fight to get the rate lowered. he is struggling to reassure financial markets after postponing the announcement of the new set of fiscal guidelines. >> here in france, president emmanuel macron called for big companies to share more of their profits with workers as he defended his controversial pension reform on television. profit-sharing plans are already mandatory for french firms with more than 50 employees. the government is considering ways to spur a substantial increase to those schemes by companies with more than 5000 staff and will make a proposal to unions and employers as a basis to negotiate an agreement. >> when we have big companies that make such exceptional income and end up using the

money to buy back their own shares, on this, i'm going to ask the government to work on an exceptional contribution so this money when there are exceptional profits, companies are ready to buy back their own shares. >> finally, demand for solar panels has surged in germany since the government decided to end its reliance on russian gas, blaming moscow's full-scale invasion of ukraine. but the booming solar panel industry could be threatened by a shortage of qualified workers. >> on the outskirts of the german capital, these trainees are putting their new skills to the test where they are learning how to wire solar panels. >> i was in the mood for a job change. i applied here and got an answer right away. they said yes, and now here i am. >> cut out by its dependence on russian oil, demand for solar panels has soared in germany

since russia's full-scale invasion of ukraine. last year, the country got 46% of its energy needs from renewable sources. it aims to boost that figure to 80% by 2030, but a growing shortage of qualified workers is making it hard to meet the government's target. >> we need to train an unbelievable number of people, including those who change careers, and these are the challenges. in some cases, bus drivers are taxi drivers have to find their way around electrical systems. >> it seems the country needs an extra 216 thousand electricians, heating experts, and i.t. specialists to meet demand. some 100,000 jobs were lost to rising economies like china, but the sector could shine again soon. >> now there are many entrepreneurs who say, i want to

make a difference. i want to rebuild the solar industry in europe. >> reforms put forth by the government are expected to past later this year -- expected to pass later this year. >> thank you very much indeed for that. thanks for bringing us the latest on that. i'll be back at half past 9:00. that's about four minutes from now. thank you for staying with us. ♪

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03/22/23 03/22/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> we are witssing the emergence of the people's republic of china as a major player in global politics. whether that is going to be good or ill, i don't know, but the notion that somehow the united states runs the show has become obsolete. amy: 20 years after the u.s. invasion of iraq, we spe