france24--2020-05-19--Who hijacked the WHO and can it impact the Covid-19 whodunnit?

File photo of WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing , China , January 28 , 2020 .
Taiwan ’ s exclusion from this week ’ s annual meeting of the World Health Organization ’ s governing body highlighted China ’ s power grab of multilateral institutions .
But with Beijing ’ s renewed commitment to the UN health agency and US President Donald Trump ’ s funding cut , is an international probe likely to reveal the mishaps and cover-ups of the Covid-19 pandemic ?
In early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was under some form of Covid-19 lockdown , the head of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) veered into uncharacteristically personal terrain during a video press conference .
The detour sparked a diplomatic dust-up , exposed the power machinations undermining the UN health agency and rekindled questions over how a viral outbreak in a central Chinese city spiraled into a global pandemic that has killed more than 310,000 people and brought the world to its knees .
Asked about the criticisms he faced from world leaders such as US President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Tedros as he ’ s widely known – replied that he was targeted with racist abuse and even death threats online .
“ I can tell you of personal attacks that have been going on for more than two or three months , abuses or racist comments , calling me names ; black or negro , ” began the former Ethiopian health and foreign minister .
But the WHO ’ s first African director-general did not stop there .
“ This attack came from Taiwan , ” he revealed .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Taiwan , the foreign ministry also , knew the campaign .
They didn ’ t disassociate themselves.
” The reaction from Taiwan was swift and damning : Taipei protested , looked into the allegations and traced the malicious posts to China-based email and social media accounts .
China ’ s misinformation campaigns and aggressive “ wolf warrior ” diplomacy have come under international scrutiny during the Covid-19 crisis .
But for Taiwan – a democratically self-governed island that has been a thorn in China ’ s eastern side since 1950 – it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information warfare along the Taiwan Strait turned particularly virulent after the 2016 election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen , who opposes unification with the mainland .
Beijing views the island with its 23 million-strong populace as a renegade province under its One-China principle and threatens military action against a separatist Taiwan .
It ’ s a diplomatically fraught terrain that envoys , certainly former foreign ministers , typically handle with extreme care .
But that was not the case with the WHO chief .
“ Tedros didn ’ t check his sources , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone with such a high level position , he should have been more careful .
It was counterproductive , it was proved to have come from China – and when that was revealed , he didn ’ t react to the news , ” said Dorian Malovic , Asia editor of French daily La Croix , and author of several books on China , in an interview with FRANCE 24 .
The faux pas exposed critical issues confronting a world mired in a Covid-19 blame game and reliant on multinational institutions to uncover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global health security .
Since the crisis erupted , Tedros has not shied away from upbraiding countries for their inadequate responses .
But China routinely receives high praise from the WHO chief for its “ commitment to transparency ” and for setting “ a new standard ” in public health .
Beijing ’ s failure to contain the disease within its borders , or at least limit its spread – unlike recent outbreaks such as Ebola , SARS or MERS – never merits censure .
WHO , what , where on Taiwan The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tedros failed to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer in one of the most important public health meetings of the post-War era .
Despite a US-led campaign that included several European and Asian regional powers calling for Taiwan ’ s inclusion , Taipei was not represented at the May 18-19 virtual assembly of the WHO ’ s decision-making body , the World Health Association ( WHA ) .
China , which considers democratically-ruled Taiwan its own with no right to attend international bodies as a sovereign state , objected to Taipei ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of China , which the Taiwanese government refused .
Taiwan has participated in the WHA in the past , including as an invited observer from 2009 to 2016 , before tensions between Beijing and Taipei peaked in the aftermath of Tsai ’ s election .
While the WHA Rules of Procedure gives the WHO director-general the right to invite states “ to send observers to sessions of the Health Assembly , ” Tedros maintained Taiwan 's participation could only be decided by member states with the consent of `` the relevant government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The semantic back-and-forth finally ended early Monday , when everyone agreed to kick the can down the road , and Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu announced his government had “ accepted the suggestion from our allies and like-minded nations ” to put the issue off until later this year .
But it was a noteworthy exclusion because the tiny , contested island lies at the heart of issues that the international community agrees require investigations .
Taipei mounted one of the world ’ s best responses to the Covid-19 pandemic -- sparked , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historic distrust of official information from Beijing .
Taiwan also claims the WHO ignored an early warning it sent the UN health agency at the end of December 2019 .
Its absence at the WHA virtual meeting effectively exposed the weaknesses of multilateral talk-fests that result in communiques with little or no teeth .
Taiwan ’ s exclusion from the May 18-19 meeting was “ a foregone conclusion '' , according to J. Michael Cole , Taipei-based senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute , a Canadian think tank .
“ Beijing resents the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 , and it was clear that it would use its influence upon the WHO to ensure that Taiwan did not receive an invitation to participate as an observer .
The failure of a group of influential democracies that had called for Taiwan 's inclusion is a clear sign that the current structure of the WHO and the UN in general is failing to meet current realities .
As long as structural problems are not addressed , and as long as China 's influence is n't reduced accordingly , we will continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Cole in an interview with FRANCE 24 .
China ’ s muscling in on the UN system has sparked warnings over Beijing blocking activists on human rights forums and advancing its signature Belt and Roads project over other initiatives .
“ Through neglect and lack of leadership among Western democracies , authoritarian China has accumulated undue influence at the UN Human Rights Council , the Economic and Social Council and the UN General Assembly , where it has used 'bloc voting ' among member states to further its antidemocratic agenda , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Macdonald-Laurier Institute website .
The power grab gets personified during races for the top jobs in the UN ’ s specialised agencies , such as the WHO .
Chinese nationals today head four of the UN ’ s 15 specialised agencies : the International Civil Aviation Organization , the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) , the International Telecommunication Union and the UN Industrial Development Organization .
In the FAO leadership race , the EU united behind a French candidate , but failed to sway the Trump administration from supporting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latter ’ s suitability for the post .
In the end , the Chinese candidate was elected with a thumping majority following media reports that Beijing canceled Cameroon ’ s $ 78 million debt in exchange for the withdrawal of a Cameroonian candidate from the race .
Back in May 2017 , when Tedros was elected WHO chief , becoming the first African to lead the organisation , it was hailed as a “ victory for Africa ” .
A member of the Tigray People ’ s Liberation Front ( TPLF ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an epidemiologist who trained in the UK before returning home to serve as Ethiopia ’ s health and later foreign minister .
His experience in tackling malaria made him an ideal candidate for the WHO top job .
But it was not without controversy .
The leading candidates in the WHO leadership race were Tedros and veteran British public health expert , David Nabarro .
But when Ethiopia ’ s track record of covering up cholera outbreaks – including under Tedros ’ s tenure as health minister – came up for scrutiny , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ colonial mindset ” of his critics .
Lost in the post-colonial slam-fest was Beijing ’ s vested interest in the race particularly after former WHO chief , Norwegian politician Gro Harlem Brundtland , criticised China for endangering global health by attempting to cover up the 2003 SARS outbreak .
“ Tedros was Beijing ’ s favourite .
Prior to his election , he indicated he would abide by the so-called 'One-China principle ' and he was viewed as more amenable to Beijing 's position onTaiwan than his British rival , ” noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 pandemic and a likely focus on vaccine patents and distribution rights , the US managed to forge partnerships with Asian and European democracies to prevent China from exerting undue control over the World Intellectual Property Organization ( WIPO ) .
Responding to the US-led campaign for the WIPO post , Beijing slammed the “ ugly ” interference of the US “ hegemon ” .
While there is little doubt that the US , as a superpower , has dominated the post-war global order , experts say the democratic system , including a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most effective checks and balances .
The transparency weaknesses of one-party China were exposed by the early cover-ups of the coronavirus outbreak , including the silencing of whistleblowing Chinese doctor , Li Wenliang .
The situation , experts agree , has deteriorated since Chinese President Xi Jinping rose to power in 2012 and has exacerbated since 2018 , when Xi effectively became China ’ s absolute ruler for life .
“ Up to 2012 , there was confidence that China could join the international community and there was scope for sharing the values @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us were naive , ” explained Malovic .
“ But with Xi Jinping , China has taken a great leap backward in terms of the repression , bullying and coercion.
” The effects of Xi ’ s brand of diplomatic persuasion are sometimes on display in embarrassing ways .
In early March , when a journalist asked senior WHO official Bruce Aylward about Taiwan ’ s exclusion from the UN agency , the Canadian epidemiologist ’ s awkward reaction sparked mirth across the island .
Video clips featured GIF birds flying around as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ auditory failings , technical glitches , got irritated and succeeded in saying more by leaving things unsaid .
Aylward was of particular interest in Taiwan since he co-led a February WHO mission to China and asserted that if he had Covid-19 , he would want to be treated in China , which became another source of Taiwanese jokes .
Cole pins the stonewalling of senior WHO officials on Beijing ’ s coercion .
“ The WHO is dealing with a closed , authoritarian regime that treats outbreaks as a national security issue and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could also make access contingent on certain things , and Taiwan is one of them , ” Cole explained .
“ So , the WHO is ignoring Taiwan for the greater good of access to China .
This happens time and again , not just with the WHO , but also with governments and companies – it ’ s the price of access.
” But when China does provide access , Malovic maintains it ’ s on Beijing ’ s terms and not always in the interests of the greater good .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access , ” he said .
“ They are invited to big hotels , big meals , video conferences where officials speak and speak and speak .
The Chinese are masters of manipulating official visits.
” Beijing ’ s mastery of multinational optics was on full display Monday when President Xi addressed the opening session of the WHA meeting .
Looking calm and statesmanlike , Xi made the headline-grabbing announcement of a $ 2 billion Chinese contribution “ over two years to help with the Covid-19 response and with economic and social development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' .
Xi also supported “ the idea of a comprehensive review of the global response to Covid-19 , after it is brought under control , to sum up experience and address deficiencies .
This work should be based on science and professionalism , led by the WHO and conducted in an objective and impartial manner , ” he said .
Parsing through Xi ’ s text , Malovic was not impressed .
“ It ’ s the typical illusion of well wishing , helping China , ” he dismissed .
“ Let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review will be on the way countries have managed the Covid-19 crisis and nothing to do with an independent inquiry on the origin of the virus or China ’ s early handling of the outbreak .
The $ 2 billion is over two years to help with the Covid-19 response in affected , particularly developing countries .
I can ’ t see any help from China to developing countries without the usual take-backs of bank loans , contracts , which is what China always does to put money in countries where they need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Malovic noted , was “ filling the emptiness of the US absence on the world stage ” with China ’ s $ 2 billion offer contrasting sharply with Trump ’ s suspension of US funding to the WHO .
As China turns into a campaign issue for Trump ahead of the November US presidential election , the solutions necessary to tackle the WHO ’ s problems are likely to get blurred .
These include Taiwan ’ s participation in the UN agency and its potential contribution to the global quest for effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future .
The latest WHA meeting concluded with the WHO declaring it would launch an independent review of its response to the coronavirus pandemic .
But with Trump responding with funding cuts and “ puppet of China ” taunts instead of engaging with the UN agency , Beijing – with its additional funding and hefty say on how international investigations are conducted – looks set to increase its multinational sway .

Taiwan’s exclusion from this week’s annual meeting of the World Health Organization’s governing body highlighted China’s power grab of multilateral institutions. But with Beijing’s renewed commitment to the UN health agency and US President Donald Trump’s funding cut, is an international probe likely to reveal the mishaps and cover-ups of the Covid-19 pandemic?
File photo of WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, January 28, 2020.
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In early April, as much of the world was under some form of Covid-19 lockdown, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) veered into uncharacteristically personal terrain during a video press conference.
The detour sparked a diplomatic dust-up, exposed the power machinations undermining the UN health agency and rekindled questions over how a viral outbreak in a central Chinese city spiraled into a global pandemic that has killed more than 310,000 people and brought the world to its knees.
Asked about the criticisms he faced from world leaders such as US President Donald Trump, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – or Tedros as he’s widely known – replied that he was targeted with racist abuse and even death threats online.
“I can tell you of personal attacks that have been going on for more than two or three months, abuses or racist comments, calling me names; black or negro,” began the former Ethiopian health and foreign minister. But the WHO’s first African director-general did not stop there. “This attack came from Taiwan,” he revealed. “I will be straight today. From Taiwan. Taiwan, the foreign ministry also, knew the campaign. They didn’t disassociate themselves.”
The reaction from Taiwan was swift and damning: Taipei protested, looked into the allegations and traced the malicious posts to China-based email and social media accounts.
China’s misinformation campaigns and aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy have come under international scrutiny during the Covid-19 crisis.
>> Read more on Unmasking China’s ‘mask diplomacy’
But for Taiwan – a democratically self-governed island that has been a thorn in China’s eastern side since 1950 – it’s nothing new.
The decades-old information warfare along the Taiwan Strait turned particularly virulent after the 2016 election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who opposes unification with the mainland. Beijing views the island with its 23 million-strong populace as a renegade province under its One-China principle and threatens military action against a separatist Taiwan.
It’s a diplomatically fraught terrain that envoys, certainly former foreign ministers, typically handle with extreme care. But that was not the case with the WHO chief.
“Tedros didn’t check his sources, he reacted to fake news. For someone with such a high level position, he should have been more careful. It was counterproductive, it was proved to have come from China – and when that was revealed, he didn’t react to the news,” said Dorian Malovic, Asia editor of French daily La Croix, and author of several books on China, in an interview with FRANCE 24.
The faux pas exposed critical issues confronting a world mired in a Covid-19 blame game and reliant on multinational institutions to uncover the truth and ensure the future of global health security.
Since the crisis erupted, Tedros has not shied away from upbraiding countries for their inadequate responses. But China routinely receives high praise from the WHO chief for its “commitment to transparency” and for setting “a new standard” in public health.
Beijing’s failure to contain the disease within its borders, or at least limit its spread – unlike recent outbreaks such as Ebola, SARS or MERS – never merits censure.
WHO, what, where on Taiwan
The discrepancy was on display this week when Tedros failed to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer in one of the most important public health meetings of the post-War era.
Despite a US-led campaign that included several European and Asian regional powers calling for Taiwan’s inclusion, Taipei was not represented at the May 18-19 virtual assembly of the WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Association (WHA).
China, which considers democratically-ruled Taiwan its own with no right to attend international bodies as a sovereign state, objected to Taipei’s participation unless it accepted it was part of China, which the Taiwanese government refused.
Taiwan has participated in the WHA in the past, including as an invited observer from 2009 to 2016, before tensions between Beijing and Taipei peaked in the aftermath of Tsai’s election.
While the WHA Rules of Procedure gives the WHO director-general the right to invite states “to send observers to sessions of the Health Assembly,” Tedros maintained Taiwan's participation could only be decided by member states with the consent of "the relevant government" – a reference to Beijing.
The semantic back-and-forth finally ended early Monday, when everyone agreed to kick the can down the road, and Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu announced his government had “accepted the suggestion from our allies and like-minded nations” to put the issue off until later this year.
A ‘foregone conclusion’ with future implications
But it was a noteworthy exclusion because the tiny, contested island lies at the heart of issues that the international community agrees require investigations.
Taipei mounted one of the world’s best responses to the Covid-19 pandemic -- sparked, according to Asia experts, by its historic distrust of official information from Beijing. Taiwan also claims the WHO ignored an early warning it sent the UN health agency at the end of December 2019.
Its absence at the WHA virtual meeting effectively exposed the weaknesses of multilateral talk-fests that result in communiques with little or no teeth.
Taiwan’s exclusion from the May 18-19 meeting was “a foregone conclusion", according to J. Michael Cole, Taipei-based senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a Canadian think tank. “Beijing resents the positive attention Taiwan has been receiving amid Covid-19, and it was clear that it would use its influence upon the WHO to ensure that Taiwan did not receive an invitation to participate as an observer. The failure of a group of influential democracies that had called for Taiwan's inclusion is a clear sign that the current structure of the WHO and the UN in general is failing to meet current realities. As long as structural problems are not addressed, and as long as China's influence isn't reduced accordingly, we will continue to see this kind of unhealthy politicisation,” said Cole in an interview with FRANCE 24.
Jockeying for top UN jobs
China’s muscling in on the UN system has sparked warnings over Beijing blocking activists on human rights forums and advancing its signature Belt and Roads project over other initiatives.
“Through neglect and lack of leadership among Western democracies, authoritarian China has accumulated undue influence at the UN Human Rights Council, the Economic and Social Council and the UN General Assembly, where it has used 'bloc voting' among member states to further its antidemocratic agenda,” wrote Cole in a post on the Macdonald-Laurier Institute website.
The power grab gets personified during races for the top jobs in the UN’s specialised agencies, such as the WHO. Chinese nationals today head four of the UN’s 15 specialised agencies: the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Telecommunication Union and the UN Industrial Development Organization.
In the FAO leadership race, the EU united behind a French candidate, but failed to sway the Trump administration from supporting a Georgian contender despite news reports questioning the latter’s suitability for the post. In the end, the Chinese candidate was elected with a thumping majority following media reports that Beijing canceled Cameroon’s $78 million debt in exchange for the withdrawal of a Cameroonian candidate from the race.
Victory for Africa – and China
Back in May 2017, when Tedros was elected WHO chief, becoming the first African to lead the organisation, it was hailed as a “victory for Africa”.
A member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a Marxist-Leninist liberation movement, Tedros is an epidemiologist who trained in the UK before returning home to serve as Ethiopia’s health and later foreign minister. His experience in tackling malaria made him an ideal candidate for the WHO top job.
But it was not without controversy.
The leading candidates in the WHO leadership race were Tedros and veteran British public health expert, David Nabarro. But when Ethiopia’s track record of covering up cholera outbreaks – including under Tedros’s tenure as health minister – came up for scrutiny, supporters of the Ethiopian candidate slammed the “colonial mindset” of his critics.
Lost in the post-colonial slam-fest was Beijing’s vested interest in the race particularly after former WHO chief, Norwegian politician Gro Harlem Brundtland, criticised China for endangering global health by attempting to cover up the 2003 SARS outbreak.
“Tedros was Beijing’s favourite. Prior to his election, he indicated he would abide by the so-called 'One-China principle' and he was viewed as more amenable to Beijing's position onTaiwan than his British rival,” noted Cole.
This year, with the Covid-19 pandemic and a likely focus on vaccine patents and distribution rights, the US managed to forge partnerships with Asian and European democracies to prevent China from exerting undue control over the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
China’s candidate eventually lost to Singapore’s Daren Tang, in early March.
Responding to the US-led campaign for the WIPO post, Beijing slammed the “ugly” interference of the US “hegemon”.
‘Great leap backward’
While there is little doubt that the US, as a superpower, has dominated the post-war global order, experts say the democratic system, including a free and critical press, offers the most effective checks and balances.
The transparency weaknesses of one-party China were exposed by the early cover-ups of the coronavirus outbreak, including the silencing of whistleblowing Chinese doctor, Li Wenliang.
The situation, experts agree, has deteriorated since Chinese President Xi Jinping rose to power in 2012 and has exacerbated since 2018, when Xi effectively became China’s absolute ruler for life.
“Up to 2012, there was confidence that China could join the international community and there was scope for sharing the values of liberal democracy, although none of us were naive,” explained Malovic. “But with Xi Jinping, China has taken a great leap backward in terms of the repression, bullying and coercion.”
The price of access
The effects of Xi’s brand of diplomatic persuasion are sometimes on display in embarrassing ways.
In early March, when a journalist asked senior WHO official Bruce Aylward about Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN agency, the Canadian epidemiologist’s awkward reaction sparked mirth across the island. Video clips featured GIF birds flying around as Aylward froze in apparent panic, attempted auditory failings, technical glitches, got irritated and succeeded in saying more by leaving things unsaid.
Aylward was of particular interest in Taiwan since he co-led a February WHO mission to China and asserted that if he had Covid-19, he would want to be treated in China, which became another source of Taiwanese jokes.
Cole pins the stonewalling of senior WHO officials on Beijing’s coercion. “The WHO is dealing with a closed, authoritarian regime that treats outbreaks as a national security issue and could cut access to China. It could also make access contingent on certain things, and Taiwan is one of them,” Cole explained. “So, the WHO is ignoring Taiwan for the greater good of access to China. This happens time and again, not just with the WHO, but also with governments and companies – it’s the price of access.”
Access to ‘big’ hotels, meals, speeches
But when China does provide access, Malovic maintains it’s on Beijing’s terms and not always in the interests of the greater good. “These missions don’t really get access,” he said. “They are invited to big hotels, big meals, video conferences where officials speak and speak and speak. The Chinese are masters of manipulating official visits.”
Beijing’s mastery of multinational optics was on full display Monday when President Xi addressed the opening session of the WHA meeting.
Looking calm and statesmanlike, Xi made the headline-grabbing announcement of a $2 billion Chinese contribution “over two years to help with the Covid-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries, especially developing countries".
Xi also supported “the idea of a comprehensive review of the global response to Covid-19, after it is brought under control, to sum up experience and address deficiencies. This work should be based on science and professionalism, led by the WHO and conducted in an objective and impartial manner,” he said.
Parsing through Xi’s text, Malovic was not impressed. “It’s the typical illusion of well wishing, helping China,” he dismissed. “Let’s get it straight. The review will be on the way countries have managed the Covid-19 crisis and nothing to do with an independent inquiry on the origin of the virus or China’s early handling of the outbreak. The $2 billion is over two years to help with the Covid-19 response in affected, particularly developing countries. I can’t see any help from China to developing countries without the usual take-backs of bank loans, contracts, which is what China always does to put money in countries where they need UN votes.”
What Xi did accomplish, Malovic noted, was “filling the emptiness of the US absence on the world stage” with China’s $2 billion offer contrasting sharply with Trump’s suspension of US funding to the WHO.
As China turns into a campaign issue for Trump ahead of the November US presidential election, the solutions necessary to tackle the WHO’s problems are likely to get blurred. These include Taiwan’s participation in the UN agency and its potential contribution to the global quest for effective responses to public health crises in the future.
The latest WHA meeting concluded with the WHO declaring it would launch an independent review of its response to the coronavirus pandemic. But with Trump responding with funding cuts and “puppet of China” taunts instead of engaging with the UN agency, Beijing – with its additional funding and hefty say on how international investigations are conducted – looks set to increase its multinational sway.
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france24--2020-05-19--France's Covid-19 toll sees slight decrease based on revised care home data

Children 's drawings to support healthcare workers are displayed on the window of the rest room in the intensive care service of the Nantes CHU hospital in western France on May 19 , 2020 .
France revised its total death toll from the coronavirus pandemic to 28,022 on Tuesday , down from 28,239 a day earlier , as the government adjusted data provided by regional health authorities .
The health ministry reported 125 deaths in hospitals over the most recent 24-hour period but said that 342 fatalities previously recorded in care homes had been reclassified as resulting from `` other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therefore fell by 217 to 28,022 , while the number of confirmed cases rose to 143,427 from 142,903 a day earlier .
The ministry said the number of people in hospitals fell to 18,468 from 19,015 on Monday and the number of people in intensive care units dropped to 1,894 from 1,998 .
Both numbers — key indicators for the French health system ’ s ability to cope with the epidemic — have been on a downtrend for five weeks and peaked at more than 32,000 and more than 7,000 respectively in early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time since a strict nationwide lockdown ended on May 11 , the ministry 's top official Jérôme Salomon warned people to maintain a safe distance when socialising with friends and family not seen in weeks .
`` The virus is still there , and it is murderous , '' he said , urging people who invite friends to their home to wear masks , air out the house after their friends leave and disinfect contact surfaces such as doorknobs .
No surge in infections since end of lockdown On the ninth day after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of new coronavirus infections recorded has not picked up significantly compared with the last week of lockdown .
Confirmed cases went up by 0.4 % on Tuesday , slightly more than the average 0.3 % per day seen since the end of lockdown , but well below the average 0.8 % recorded in the last two weeks of lockdown .
In the first two weeks following the start of lockdown on March 17 , the number of infections increased by 15 % to 20 % per day , with a peak of 7,578 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which ended its lockdown a week before France , saw the infection rate fall to an average 0.4 % in the second week post-lockdown compared with 0.6 % in the first week .
Spain too has seen infection rates slow down since lockdown ended two weeks ago .
On Tuesday , Spain 's case count rose by just 0.1 % to 232,037 .

France revised its total death toll from the coronavirus pandemic to 28,022 on Tuesday, down from 28,239 a day earlier, as the government adjusted data provided by regional health authorities.
Children's drawings to support healthcare workers are displayed on the window of the rest room in the intensive care service of the Nantes CHU hospital in western France on May 19, 2020.
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The health ministry reported 125 deaths in hospitals over the most recent 24-hour period but said that 342 fatalities previously recorded in care homes had been reclassified as resulting from "other causes".
The overall death toll therefore fell by 217 to 28,022, while the number of confirmed cases rose to 143,427 from 142,903 a day earlier.
The ministry said the number of people in hospitals fell to 18,468 from 19,015 on Monday and the number of people in intensive care units dropped to 1,894 from 1,998.
Both numbers — key indicators for the French health system’s ability to cope with the epidemic — have been on a downtrend for five weeks and peaked at more than 32,000 and more than 7,000 respectively in early to mid-April.
Speaking for the first time since a strict nationwide lockdown ended on May 11, the ministry's top official Jérôme Salomon warned people to maintain a safe distance when socialising with friends and family not seen in weeks.
"The virus is still there, and it is murderous," he said, urging people who invite friends to their home to wear masks, air out the house after their friends leave and disinfect contact surfaces such as doorknobs.
No surge in infections since end of lockdown
On the ninth day after a 55-day lockdown ended, the number of new coronavirus infections recorded has not picked up significantly compared with the last week of lockdown.
Confirmed cases went up by 0.4% on Tuesday, slightly more than the average 0.3% per day seen since the end of lockdown, but well below the average 0.8% recorded in the last two weeks of lockdown.
In the first two weeks following the start of lockdown on March 17, the number of infections increased by 15% to 20% per day, with a peak of 7,578 new infections on March 31.
Italy, which ended its lockdown a week before France, saw the infection rate fall to an average 0.4% in the second week post-lockdown compared with 0.6% in the first week.
Spain too has seen infection rates slow down since lockdown ended two weeks ago. On Tuesday, Spain's case count rose by just 0.1% to 232,037.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-19--WHO members agree to independent investigation of Covid-19 response

The headquarters of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) in Geneva , Switzerland , pictured on May 18 , 2020 .
World Health Organization member states agreed Tuesday to an independent probe into the UN agency 's coronavirus response as US criticism mounted over its handling of the pandemic .
Countries taking part in the WHO 's annual assembly , being held virtually for the first time , adopted a resolution by consensus urging a joint response to the crisis .
The resolution , tabled by the European Union , called for an `` impartial , independent and comprehensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , which has so far infected more than 4.8 million people and killed over 318,000 .
It said the investigation should include a probe of `` the actions of WHO and their time-lines pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic '' .
The United States did not disassociate itself from the consensus as some had feared after Washington chastised the WHO on the first day of the assembly Monday and lashed out further against China over its role in the outbreak .
US President Donald Trump threatened late Monday to pull the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it of botching the global coronavirus response and of being a `` puppet of China '' .
His comments , which drew a harsh rebuke from Beijing , came after his health secretary Alex Azar earlier in the day insisted the WHO 's `` failure '' to obtain and provide vital information on Covid-19 had proved deadly .
`` We must be frank about one of the primary reasons this outbreak spun out of control : there was a failure by this organisation to obtain the information that the world needed , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azar said in a video address to the WHO 's assembly .
> > Despite praise for Covid-19 response , Taiwan barred from WHO assembly He demanded an independent review of `` every aspect '' of the UN health agency 's response to the pandemic .
While WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday welcomed the call for a review , he insisted there was no need for a dramatic overhaul of the organisation .
What the global community needs to do , he said , is to `` strengthen , implement and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — including WHO '' .
Trump has been locked in a bitter spat with Beijing , alleging it covered up the initial outbreak in China late last year before the disease unleashed death and economic devastation across the planet .
With more fatalities and cases in the United States than any other country by far , the under-pressure US president has blamed the WHO for not doing enough to combat its initial spread .
Trump had already suspended US funding to the UN body , and after his White House comments Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Tedros threatening to make that freeze permanent and withdraw from the organisation .
This in turn prompted a harsh reaction from Beijing , which accused Washington on Tuesday of `` shirking responsibility '' .
On the sidelines of the escalating row , the EU on Tuesday stepped up its support for the WHO .
`` This is the time for solidarity , not the time for finger-pointing or for undermining multilateral cooperation , '' EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Virginie Battu-Henriksson told reporters in Brussels .
Tuesday 's resolution at the WHO assembly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no countries by name — also called for nations to commit to ensuring `` transparent , equitable and timely access '' to any treatments or vaccines developed against Covid-19 .
And it addressed the controversial issue of the origin of the virus , which first emerged in China late last year , urging the WHO to help investigate `` the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population '' .

World Health Organization member states agreed Tuesday to an independent probe into the UN agency's coronavirus response as US criticism mounted over its handling of the pandemic.
The headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, pictured on May 18, 2020.
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Countries taking part in the WHO's annual assembly, being held virtually for the first time, adopted a resolution by consensus urging a joint response to the crisis.
The resolution, tabled by the European Union, called for an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the international response to the pandemic, which has so far infected more than 4.8 million people and killed over 318,000.
It said the investigation should include a probe of "the actions of WHO and their time-lines pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic".
The United States did not disassociate itself from the consensus as some had feared after Washington chastised the WHO on the first day of the assembly Monday and lashed out further against China over its role in the outbreak.
'Puppet of China'
US President Donald Trump threatened late Monday to pull the United States out of the WHO, accusing it of botching the global coronavirus response and of being a "puppet of China".
His comments, which drew a harsh rebuke from Beijing, came after his health secretary Alex Azar earlier in the day insisted the WHO's "failure" to obtain and provide vital information on Covid-19 had proved deadly.
"We must be frank about one of the primary reasons this outbreak spun out of control: there was a failure by this organisation to obtain the information that the world needed, and that failure cost many lives," Azar said in a video address to the WHO's assembly.
>> Despite praise for Covid-19 response, Taiwan barred from WHO assembly
He demanded an independent review of "every aspect" of the UN health agency's response to the pandemic.
While WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday welcomed the call for a review, he insisted there was no need for a dramatic overhaul of the organisation.
What the global community needs to do, he said, is to "strengthen, implement and finance the systems and organisations it has — including WHO".
US ‘shirking responsibility’
Trump has been locked in a bitter spat with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial outbreak in China late last year before the disease unleashed death and economic devastation across the planet.
With more fatalities and cases in the United States than any other country by far, the under-pressure US president has blamed the WHO for not doing enough to combat its initial spread.
Trump had already suspended US funding to the UN body, and after his White House comments Monday, he tweeted a letter he had sent to Tedros threatening to make that freeze permanent and withdraw from the organisation.
01:32
This in turn prompted a harsh reaction from Beijing, which accused Washington on Tuesday of "shirking responsibility".
On the sidelines of the escalating row, the EU on Tuesday stepped up its support for the WHO.
"This is the time for solidarity, not the time for finger-pointing or for undermining multilateral cooperation," EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Virginie Battu-Henriksson told reporters in Brussels.
Tuesday's resolution at the WHO assembly — which is not binding and mentioned no countries by name — also called for nations to commit to ensuring "transparent, equitable and timely access" to any treatments or vaccines developed against Covid-19.
And it addressed the controversial issue of the origin of the virus, which first emerged in China late last year, urging the WHO to help investigate "the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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france24--2020-05-19--Hackers access details of millions of EasyJet passengers in cyber attack

British budget airline easyJet said on Tuesday hackers had accessed the email and travel details of around 9 million customers , and the credit card details of more than 2,000 of them , in a “ highly sophisticated ” attack .
“ There is no evidence that any personal information of any nature has been misused , however ... we are communicating with the approximately 9 million customers whose travel details were accessed to advise them of protective steps to minimise any risk of potential phishing , ” it said .
The airline , which has grounded most of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is locked in a long-running battle with its founder and biggest shareholder , said it did not look like any personal information had been misused .
“ We take issues of security extremely seriously and continue to invest to further enhance our security environment , ” it said in a statement to the stock exchange .
The company said it had engaged leading forensic experts to investigate the issue .
It has also notified the Information Commissioner ’ s Office and the National Cyber Security Centre .
Hackers have stepped up their efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they hold on customers .
British Airways was hit in 2018 with the theft of credit card details of hundreds of thousands of its customers , while Cathay Pacific was also hit .

British budget airline easyJet said on Tuesday hackers had accessed the email and travel details of around 9 million customers, and the credit card details of more than 2,000 of them, in a “highly sophisticated” attack.
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“There is no evidence that any personal information of any nature has been misused, however ... we are communicating with the approximately 9 million customers whose travel details were accessed to advise them of protective steps to minimise any risk of potential phishing,” it said.
The airline, which has grounded most of its flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is locked in a long-running battle with its founder and biggest shareholder, said it did not look like any personal information had been misused.
“We take issues of security extremely seriously and continue to invest to further enhance our security environment,” it said in a statement to the stock exchange.
The company said it had engaged leading forensic experts to investigate the issue. It has also notified the Information Commissioner’s Office and the National Cyber Security Centre.
Hackers have stepped up their efforts to target major companies and the data they hold on customers. British Airways was hit in 2018 with the theft of credit card details of hundreds of thousands of its customers, while Cathay Pacific was also hit.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-19--Macron loses majority as party defectors form new parliamentary group

The new parliamentary group consists of several former Macron loyalists .
Defectors from President Emmanuel Macron ’ s ruling party announced the creation of a new group in France ’ s lower house of parliament on Tuesday , depriving the president of an outright majority and raising pressure for more left-wing policies .
Seven lawmakers are splintering from Macron 's La République En Marche ( LREM ) to join the new `` Ecology , Democracy , Solidarity '' group , which will count 17 parliamentarians in its ranks , including one-time Macron loyalist Cédric Villani .
That means the ruling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Assembly , one short of an absolute majority , and down from the 314 Macron had after he redrew the political landscape in 2017 .
However , 17 is significantly less than the 58 MPs suggested by media reports earlier this month , indicating that party bigwigs had managed to stem the flow .
`` The pressure from the executive , the party and the group was such that we had to move the announcement forward , '' one defector told REUTERS .
`` Many eventually decided not to take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formed by the former banker to propel him to the presidency in 2017 , had already suffered a string of defections by lawmakers frustrated by his tight grip on decision-making and his pro-business policies .
The French president can still count on the support of a smaller alliance partner , the centrist MoDem .
However , the arithmetic may now give MoDem more leverage over policymaking in the final two years of Macron 's mandate .
His reform drive has been stalled by the coronavirus pandemic , just as he was seeking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his controversial pension reform and the `` Yellow Vest '' unrest .
The defectors do not consider themselves as opposition , but will push the government to adopt greener and more worker-friendly reforms to prevent voters from switching to the far-right , they said .
`` If we do n't show results quickly , the risk is that the French choose the worst in 2022 , that 's what we want to avoid at all cost , '' said Aurélien Taché , a prominent defector .

Defectors from President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party announced the creation of a new group in France’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday, depriving the president of an outright majority and raising pressure for more left-wing policies.
The new parliamentary group consists of several former Macron loyalists.
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Seven lawmakers are splintering from Macron's La République En Marche (LREM) to join the new "Ecology, Democracy, Solidarity" group, which will count 17 parliamentarians in its ranks, including one-time Macron loyalist Cédric Villani.
That means the ruling party now only has 288 MPs in the National Assembly, one short of an absolute majority, and down from the 314 Macron had after he redrew the political landscape in 2017.
However, 17 is significantly less than the 58 MPs suggested by media reports earlier this month, indicating that party bigwigs had managed to stem the flow.
"The pressure from the executive, the party and the group was such that we had to move the announcement forward," one defector told REUTERS. "Many eventually decided not to take the plunge."
Macron's party, formed by the former banker to propel him to the presidency in 2017, had already suffered a string of defections by lawmakers frustrated by his tight grip on decision-making and his pro-business policies.
The French president can still count on the support of a smaller alliance partner, the centrist MoDem. However, the arithmetic may now give MoDem more leverage over policymaking in the final two years of Macron's mandate.
His reform drive has been stalled by the coronavirus pandemic, just as he was seeking to regain momentum after months of protests over his controversial pension reform and the "Yellow Vest" unrest.
The defectors do not consider themselves as opposition, but will push the government to adopt greener and more worker-friendly reforms to prevent voters from switching to the far-right, they said.
"If we don't show results quickly, the risk is that the French choose the worst in 2022, that's what we want to avoid at all cost," said Aurélien Taché, a prominent defector.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-19--Covid-19 'must not distract' from DR Congo atrocities, says Nobel laureate

Peacekeepers from the UN 's Monusco force patrol Ituri Province , in northeastern DR Congo , on April 11 , 2020 .
Nobel peace laureate Denis Mukwege on Tuesday urged DR Congo to act to end massacres in the country 's perennially volatile east and not be derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic .
Mukwege , a Congolese gynaecologist hailed for his work with rape victims , was a joint winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for `` efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict '' .
He is now coordinating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DR Congo 's eastern regions .
`` The Covid-19 crisis must not make us forget the atrocities which are taking place in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo , '' he said in a statement .
`` Civilians are being massacred '' in the regions of Ituri and North Kivu , he said .
Nearly 300 civilians have been killed in violence in Ituri this year alone .
Tensions have been rising in Ituri since last December with the launch of a government-led military operation against various armed groups in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been butchered since November in North Kivu by the Allied Democratic Forces ( ADF ) militia .
The mainly Muslim movement originated in neighbouring Uganda , opposed to the rule of President Yoweri Museveni , but in 1995 moved into the Democratic Republic of Congo , which became its base of operations .
`` In South Kivu , Rwandan and Burundian armies are battling armed groups in the high plateaus of Minembwe , destroying everything in their wake , '' Mukwege said .
`` And in Tanganyika , the Zambians who had until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congo ... recently invaded our territory . ''
`` The government showed a real political will when faced with Covid-19 , '' he said .
`` Our authorities need to demonstrate a real political will to end the insecurity in eastern DRC . ''
Mukwege called for the establishment of an international tribunal for DRC , deep reforms in the military and judiciary , and measures to end impunity for those involved in the violence .

Nobel peace laureate Denis Mukwege on Tuesday urged DR Congo to act to end massacres in the country's perennially volatile east and not be derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Peacekeepers from the UN's Monusco force patrol Ituri Province, in northeastern DR Congo, on April 11, 2020.
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Mukwege, a Congolese gynaecologist hailed for his work with rape victims, was a joint winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for "efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict".
He is now coordinating the fight against the new coronavirus in DR Congo's eastern regions.
"The Covid-19 crisis must not make us forget the atrocities which are taking place in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo," he said in a statement.
"Civilians are being massacred" in the regions of Ituri and North Kivu, he said. Nearly 300 civilians have been killed in violence in Ituri this year alone.
Tensions have been rising in Ituri since last December with the launch of a government-led military operation against various armed groups in the region
And more than 400 civilians have been butchered since November in North Kivu by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia.
The mainly Muslim movement originated in neighbouring Uganda, opposed to the rule of President Yoweri Museveni, but in 1995 moved into the Democratic Republic of Congo, which became its base of operations.
"In South Kivu, Rwandan and Burundian armies are battling armed groups in the high plateaus of Minembwe, destroying everything in their wake," Mukwege said.
"And in Tanganyika, the Zambians who had until now had good neighbourly relations with DR Congo ... recently invaded our territory."
"The government showed a real political will when faced with Covid-19," he said. "Our authorities need to demonstrate a real political will to end the insecurity in eastern DRC."
Mukwege called for the establishment of an international tribunal for DRC, deep reforms in the military and judiciary, and measures to end impunity for those involved in the violence.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-19--Covid-19 cases surge in Buenos Aires slum as families forced to brave lockdown

Covid-19 cases surge in Buenos Aires slum as families forced to brave lockdown Covid-19 infections have risen sharply in deprived @ @ @ @ @ the capital of Argentina , where poverty forces families to go out and seek food @ @ @ @ @ measures .
FRANCE 24 's Mathilde Guillaume and Matias Musa report from a shanty town @ @ @ @ @ and poor sanitation are making the fight against the coronavirus even harder .

Covid-19 cases surge in Buenos Aires slum as families forced to brave lockdown
01:51
Covid-19 infections have risen sharply in deprived areas of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, where poverty forces families to go out and seek food and work despite strict lockdown measures. FRANCE 24's Mathilde Guillaume and Matias Musa report from a shanty town in Buenos Aires where overcrowding and poor sanitation are making the fight against the coronavirus even harder.


france24--2020-05-19--Hong Kong: Lawmakers brawl over anthem bill

Pro-democracy and pro-government lawmakers fought with each other in the Hong Kong parliament on Monday , May 18 , part of a long-running dispute over a controversial law that would ban insulting China ’ s national anthem .
As lawmakers scuffled , protesting pro-democracy MPs were dragged from the chamber by security guards .
The fighting took place in a session of Hong Kong 's House Committee , a body that helps scrutinise new bills .
The committee has been without a leader since October , meaning no laws can be voted on , including the bill to criminalises ridiculing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought to block a new chair being elected to prevent the bill being passed .
But on Monday , pro-government lawmakers installed their own stand-in to head the committee , something the pro-democracy MPs say is illegal .
“ The reality in Hong Kong today is that whenever Beijing , whenever ( Hong Kong chief executive ) Carrie Lam and the pro-establishment don ’ t like something , they will do whatever it takes , including breaking the system that we have , the rules that we have , ” said Dennis Kwok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will twist , they will tear down , they will burn down whatever is in their way .
The price of freedom is constant vigilance.
” It was the second time fighting has broken out in the legislature over the controversial law this month following similar scenes on May 8 .

Pro-democracy and pro-government lawmakers fought with each other in the Hong Kong parliament on Monday, May 18, part of a long-running dispute over a controversial law that would ban insulting China’s national anthem.
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As lawmakers scuffled, protesting pro-democracy MPs were dragged from the chamber by security guards.
The fighting took place in a session of Hong Kong's House Committee, a body that helps scrutinise new bills.
The committee has been without a leader since October, meaning no laws can be voted on, including the bill to criminalises ridiculing the Chinese anthem.
Pro-democracy MPs have sought to block a new chair being elected to prevent the bill being passed. But on Monday, pro-government lawmakers installed their own stand-in to head the committee, something the pro-democracy MPs say is illegal.
“The reality in Hong Kong today is that whenever Beijing, whenever (Hong Kong chief executive) Carrie Lam and the pro-establishment don’t like something, they will do whatever it takes, including breaking the system that we have, the rules that we have,” said Dennis Kwok, a Democratic legislator.
“They will twist, they will tear down, they will burn down whatever is in their way. The price of freedom is constant vigilance.”
It was the second time fighting has broken out in the legislature over the controversial law this month following similar scenes on May 8.
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france24--2020-05-19--Lebanon plunges towards mass poverty amid virus crisis

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered businesses across the country , Lebanon ’ s economy was in dire straits .
@ @ @ @ @ , 45 percent of Lebanese were living in poverty , according to the World Bank @ @ @ @ @ estimated to become more than 75 percent .
As a result , hundreds of thousands @ @ @ @ @ and homelessness on an unprecedented scale .
In a towering slum in Tripoli , Mona @ @ @ @ @ rooms with her family of nine .
She says she can no longer afford to @ @ @ @ @ go to the market and calculate prices , and ask myself 'what can I afford @ @ @ @ @ .
`` My 4-year-old needs milk , but I ca n't afford to buy it @ @ @ @ @ 's nothing affordable .
What are we supposed to eat ? ''
But Bahri 's @ @ @ @ @ left destitute as Lebanon 's economy worsens amid the coronavirus crisis .
Our correspondents Leila @ @ @ @ @ this report .

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered businesses across the country, Lebanon’s economy was in dire straits. At the end of 2019, 45 percent of Lebanese were living in poverty, according to the World Bank. Soon that’s estimated to become more than 75 percent. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese are facing hunger and homelessness on an unprecedented scale.
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In a towering slum in Tripoli, Mona Bahri lives in three small rooms with her family of nine. She says she can no longer afford to feed them.
"I go to the market and calculate prices, and ask myself 'what can I afford?'" she says.
"My 4-year-old needs milk, but I can't afford to buy it for him anymore. There's nothing affordable. What are we supposed to eat?"
But Bahri's family is one of many left destitute as Lebanon's economy worsens amid the coronavirus crisis.
Our correspondents Leila Molana-Allen and Zeina Antonios filed this report.
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france24--2020-05-19--Videos show Indian hospitals treating Covid-19 patients next to dead bodies

“ In Sion hospital..patients [ are ] sleeping next to dead bodies !
!
!
This is the extreme… what kind of administration is this !
Very very shameful !
!
, ” tweeted politician Nitesh Rane .
`` Patients sleeping along [ side ] dead bodies .
Sion hospital .
Pls do watch .
Entire Pandemic is exposed , ” this person tweeted alongside a shorter version of the same video .
This video was filmed in the KEM Hospital in Mumbai .
The person who shared it in this post jokes that “ coronavirus is scared of Mumbai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the bodies ” The first few seconds of the first video shows a hospital corridor filled with dozens of people .
A health worker in protective gear talks to someone .
Then the person filming the video veers off into a nearby ward filled with beds , where there are bodies wrapped up in black body bags .
The other beds are filled with patients.This video , which was filmed in Lokmanya Tilak Public Hospital in the Sion neighborhood in Mumbai , has garnered more than 150,000 views since it was first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nitesh Narayan Rane , an Indian politician who is a member of the opposition .
After the video started circulating , the director of the hospital accused family members of failing to come and collect their dead relatives .
He has since been dismissed.On May 9 , a second , similar video started circulating online .
The video , which was filmed at the KEM Hospital in Mumbai , shows a large number of patients crowded into the same room .
Some of them are lying on the floor .
Almost all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oxygen .
Around 28 seconds into the video , the person filming goes into a room where , just as in Sion , several of the beds appear to contain bodies wrapped up in bags.Under Indian law , the body of a person who dies of Covid-19 must be removed from a hospital room within 30 minutes of death and must be removed from the hospital itself in under two hours .
These videos don ’ t show how long the bodies have been lying in these hospital rooms but , shortly after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Mumbai began legal proceedings against personnel at the Sion hospital.Many Indian doctors are blaming the situation on a lack of resources and the sheer exhaustion and overwork of medical personnel .
Amar [ not his real name ] is a doctor at KEM Hospital .
He told the FRANCE 24 Observers team that many families are refusing to come and pick up the bodies of their dead relatives , for fear of catching the virus : Another doctor at the Sion hospital also told the FRANCE 24 Observers team that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and complicated.To make up for this lack of personnel and material , some hospitals , like Nair Hospital in Mumbai , have posted job ads , seeking to employ people to wrap up the bodies of patients who die of Covid-19 , in exchange for 500 rupees , which is equivalent to six euros.According to official statistics on May 19 , a total of 3,169 people have died of Covid-19 in India and more than 102,000 people have been infected .

INDIA
Social media users across India were horrified by videos showing patients being treated in beds right next to the bodies of Covid-19 victims in several Mumbai hospitals.
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In early May, social media users in India began sharing two grisly amateur videos showing patients with Covid-19 being treated right next to the bodies of people who succumbed to the disease in two public hospitals in Mumbai.
The first few seconds of the first video shows a hospital corridor filled with dozens of people. A health worker in protective gear talks to someone. Then the person filming the video veers off into a nearby ward filled with beds, where there are bodies wrapped up in black body bags. The other beds are filled with patients.
This video, which was filmed in Lokmanya Tilak Public Hospital in the Sion neighborhood in Mumbai, has garnered more than 150,000 views since it was first posted on Twitter on May 6 by Nitesh Narayan Rane, an Indian politician who is a member of the opposition. After the video started circulating, the director of the hospital accused family members of failing to come and collect their dead relatives. He has since been dismissed.
In Sion hospital..patients r sleeping next to dead bodies!!!
This is the extreme..what kind of administration is this!
Very very shameful!! @mybmc pic.twitter.com/NZmuiUMfSW nitesh rane (@NiteshNRane) May 6, 2020
“In Sion hospital..patients [are] sleeping next to dead bodies!!! This is the extreme… what kind of administration is this! Very very shameful!!,” tweeted politician Nitesh Rane.
Patients sleeping along dead bodies
Sion hospital
Pls do watch . Entire Pandemic is exposed pic.twitter.com/LH1iHtTsfV HAMMAD SHAIKH (@HAMMADS08089421) May 7, 2020
"Patients sleeping along[side] dead bodies. Sion hospital. Pls do watch. Entire Pandemic is exposed,” this person tweeted alongside a shorter version of the same video.
On May 9, a second, similar video started circulating online. The video, which was filmed at the KEM Hospital in Mumbai, shows a large number of patients crowded into the same room. Some of them are lying on the floor. Almost all of them are wearing masks or breathing in oxygen. Around 28 seconds into the video, the person filming goes into a room where, just as in Sion, several of the beds appear to contain bodies wrapped up in bags.
Kem ward no 20 A उद्धव साहेब करोना से नही सरकारी हॉस्पिटल से डर लगता है pic.twitter.com/WFgE8C5gTL Sandeep Deshpande (@SandeepDadarMNS) May 9, 2020
This video was filmed in the KEM Hospital in Mumbai. The person who shared it in this post jokes that “coronavirus is scared of Mumbai hospitals.”
Under Indian law, the body of a person who dies of Covid-19 must be removed from a hospital room within 30 minutes of death and must be removed from the hospital itself in under two hours. These videos don’t show how long the bodies have been lying in these hospital rooms but, shortly after they began to circulate online, the city of Mumbai began legal proceedings against personnel at the Sion hospital.
"Families refuse to pick up the bodies”
Many Indian doctors are blaming the situation on a lack of resources and the sheer exhaustion and overwork of medical personnel. Amar [not his real name] is a doctor at KEM Hospital. He told the FRANCE 24 Observers team that many families are refusing to come and pick up the bodies of their dead relatives, for fear of catching the virus:
They ask us to bring the bodies directly to the crematoriums, which adds to the workload of our ambulance drivers. And we only have a limited number of ambulances and employees. With the density of the population, the growing pandemic and the limited government spending on medical infrastructure over the past few years, a situation like this was bound to happen. Right now, there is a lot of confusion over the equipment, the logistics and even the staff. Sometimes we have nurses and nurses' assistants, while, on other days, we don’t have anyone to help us. At my hospital, interns have been working non-stop for the past two months without pay; imagine how distressing that must be for them. If they don’t give us basic material in the coming days, we might stop working and try to go back to our hometowns.
Another doctor at the Sion hospital also told the FRANCE 24 Observers team that the process for removing a body is long and complicated.
The hospital has to contact the crematorium and arrange for a van for the family and the carers. All of that takes time. Our hospital doesn’t just cater to people with Covid-19. We have to treat Covid-19 patients as well as all of the others.
To make up for this lack of personnel and material, some hospitals, like Nair Hospital in Mumbai, have posted job ads, seeking to employ people to wrap up the bodies of patients who die of Covid-19, in exchange for 500 rupees, which is equivalent to six euros.
According to official statistics on May 19, a total of 3,169 people have died of Covid-19 in India and more than 102,000 people have been infected.
Article by Marie Genries.


france24--2020-05-20--Concern mounts for detainees in Russia after authorities suppress prison uprising

Concern mounts for detainees in Russia after authorities suppress prison uprising After the brutal suppression of an uprising in the @ @ @ @ @ , on 10 April , 2020 , the families of more than 60 inmates are @ @ @ @ @ imprisoned relatives .
They want to know whether loved ones are dead or alive .
@ @ @ @ @ death of one inmate “ by hanging ” , but said all the others were @ @ @ @ @ For the worried wives and relatives , the fight to find out the truth continues @

Concern mounts for detainees in Russia after authorities suppress prison uprising
05:23 FOCUS © France 24 screengrab
After the brutal suppression of an uprising in the Angarsk prison east of Moscow, on 10 April, 2020, the families of more than 60 inmates are desperate for news of their imprisoned relatives. They want to know whether loved ones are dead or alive. Prison authorities have reported the death of one inmate “by hanging”, but said all the others were incarcerated in good conditions. For the worried wives and relatives, the fight to find out the truth continues.


france24--2020-05-20--UN chief warns Covid-19 could cause poverty, hunger for millions in Africa

A Zimbabwean woman sits in the stairwell of her apartment block holding a food package distributed by the local Muslim organisation Ghous-e-aazam Welfare in Johannesburg , South Africa , on May 5 , 2020 .
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that millions of people could be pushed into extreme poverty in Africa due to the coronavirus pandemic and called for “ global solidarity ” with the continent .
“ The pandemic threatens African progress .
It will aggravate long-standing inequalities and heighten hunger , malnutrition and vulnerability to disease , ” Guterres said in a statement accompanying a UN study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While he congratulated Africa for responding swiftly to the pandemic , which has claimed more than 2,500 lives across the continent , Guterres noted that `` as of now , reported cases are lower than feared . ''
`` African countries should also have quick , equal and affordable access to any eventual vaccine and treatment , that must be considered global public goods , '' he said in his statement .
Since the pandemic is still in its `` early days '' in Africa , Guterres stressed that `` disruption could escalate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Africa is an imperative – now and for recovering better , '' he said .
Call for more than $ 200 billion in aid Among his recommendations , Guterres urged `` international action to strengthen Africa 's health systems , maintain food supplies , avoid a financial crisis . ''
It is also necessary , he added , to `` support education , protect jobs , keep households and businesses afloat , and cushion the continent against lost income and export earnings . ''
Guterres called for `` more than $ 200 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' to help Africa recover from the pandemic .
He said he was also advocating `` a comprehensive debt framework – starting with an across-the-board debt standstill for countries unable to service their debt .
”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that millions of people could be pushed into extreme poverty in Africa due to the coronavirus pandemic and called for “global solidarity” with the continent.
A Zimbabwean woman sits in the stairwell of her apartment block holding a food package distributed by the local Muslim organisation Ghous-e-aazam Welfare in Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 5, 2020.
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“The pandemic threatens African progress. It will aggravate long-standing inequalities and heighten hunger, malnutrition and vulnerability to disease,” Guterres said in a statement accompanying a UN study with recommendations for the African continent.
While he congratulated Africa for responding swiftly to the pandemic, which has claimed more than 2,500 lives across the continent, Guterres noted that "as of now, reported cases are lower than feared."
"African countries should also have quick, equal and affordable access to any eventual vaccine and treatment, that must be considered global public goods," he said in his statement.
Since the pandemic is still in its "early days" in Africa, Guterres stressed that "disruption could escalate quickly."
"Global solidarity with Africa is an imperative – now and for recovering better," he said.
Call for more than $200 billion in aid
Among his recommendations, Guterres urged "international action to strengthen Africa's health systems, maintain food supplies, avoid a financial crisis."
It is also necessary, he added, to "support education, protect jobs, keep households and businesses afloat, and cushion the continent against lost income and export earnings."
Guterres called for "more than $200 billion as additional support from the international community" to help Africa recover from the pandemic.
He said he was also advocating "a comprehensive debt framework – starting with an across-the-board debt standstill for countries unable to service their debt.”
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-20--Brazil suffers record daily Covid-19 death toll, Trump considers travel ban

Brazilian army officers wearing protective gear arrive on May 14 , 2020 , to disinfect the shelter Stella Maris Complex for elderly people , homeless and patients with mental disorders managed by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall amid concerns of the spread of the Covid-19 in Brazil .
Brazil 's daily death toll from the new coronavirus jumped to a record 1,179 on Tuesday as President Jair Bolsonaro doubled down on chloroquine as a possible remedy and US leader Donald Trump said he was considering a travel ban from Brazil .
The highest daily toll before Tuesday had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic has killed at least 17,971 people in Brazil , according to the Health Ministry .
Brazil overtook Britain on Monday to become the country with the third-highest number of confirmed infections , behind Russia and the United States .
Brazil 's confirmed cases also jumped by a record 17,408 on Tuesday , for a total of 271,628 people who have tested positive for the virus .
Bolsonaro , an ideological ally of Trump , has been criticised for his handling of the outbreak , such as opposition to restrictions on movement he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bolsonaro said Interim Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello would issue new guidelines on Wednesday expanding the recommended use of the anti-malarial drug chloroquine to treat the coronavirus .
Two trained doctors have resigned as health minister in the past month as Bolsonaro defies public health expert advice .
Bolsonaro told website Blog do Magno that Pazuello , an active-duty army general , would sign the new chloroquine guidelines and keep the top job for now .
Bolsonaro added that his mother is 93 years old , and he keeps a box of chloroquine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , who announced on Monday he was taking chloroquine preventively , told reporters on Tuesday : `` I do n't want people coming over here and infecting our people .
I do n't want people over there sick either .
We 're helping Brazil with ventilators ... Brazil is having some trouble , no question about it . ''
Pan American Health Organization officials said in a virtual briefing they were concerned about the virus ' spread in the tri-border area of the Amazon between Colombia , Peru and Brazil .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among the indigenous , poor and racial minorities .

Brazil's daily death toll from the new coronavirus jumped to a record 1,179 on Tuesday as President Jair Bolsonaro doubled down on chloroquine as a possible remedy and US leader Donald Trump said he was considering a travel ban from Brazil.
Brazilian army officers wearing protective gear arrive on May 14, 2020, to disinfect the shelter Stella Maris Complex for elderly people, homeless and patients with mental disorders managed by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall amid concerns of the spread of the Covid-19 in Brazil.
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The highest daily toll before Tuesday had been 881 deaths on May 12. The pandemic has killed at least 17,971 people in Brazil, according to the Health Ministry.
Brazil overtook Britain on Monday to become the country with the third-highest number of confirmed infections, behind Russia and the United States. Brazil's confirmed cases also jumped by a record 17,408 on Tuesday, for a total of 271,628 people who have tested positive for the virus.
Bolsonaro, an ideological ally of Trump, has been criticised for his handling of the outbreak, such as opposition to restrictions on movement he sees as too damaging to the economy.
Bolsonaro said Interim Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello would issue new guidelines on Wednesday expanding the recommended use of the anti-malarial drug chloroquine to treat the coronavirus.
Two trained doctors have resigned as health minister in the past month as Bolsonaro defies public health expert advice.
Bolsonaro told website Blog do Magno that Pazuello, an active-duty army general, would sign the new chloroquine guidelines and keep the top job for now. Bolsonaro added that his mother is 93 years old, and he keeps a box of chloroquine on hand should she need it.
Trump, who announced on Monday he was taking chloroquine preventively, told reporters on Tuesday: "I don't want people coming over here and infecting our people. I don't want people over there sick either. We're helping Brazil with ventilators ... Brazil is having some trouble, no question about it."
Pan American Health Organization officials said in a virtual briefing they were concerned about the virus' spread in the tri-border area of the Amazon between Colombia, Peru and Brazil. They urged special measures to protect vulnerable populations among the indigenous, poor and racial minorities.
(REUTERS)
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france24--2020-05-20--Millions take shelter as Cyclone Amphan nears India, Bangladesh

Two women walk with an umbrella under the rain ahead of the expected landfall of Super Cyclone Amphan in Midnapore , West Bengal , India , on May 20 , 2020 .
Several million people were taking shelter and praying for the best on Wednesday as the Bay of Bengal 's fiercest cyclone in decades roared towards Bangladesh and eastern India , with forecasts of a potentially devastating and deadly storm surge .
A Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer drowned Wednesday when a boat capsized while evacuating villagers in the path of Cyclone Amphan , the organisation said .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it sank , '' Nurul Islam Khan , director of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme of the Bangladesh Red Crescent , told AFP .
Authorities have scrambled to evacuate low-lying areas in the path of Amphan , which is only the second `` super cyclone '' to form in the northeastern Indian Ocean since records began .
But their efforts have been hampered by the need to follow strict precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic , with infection numbers still soaring in both countries .
`` At least 50 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They came last evening .
We gave them food , '' Abdur Rahim , a Bangladeshi shrimp farmer on the edge of the Sundarbans mangrove forest told AFP .
`` There is panic .
The women are worried ... A few months ago Cyclone Bulbul smashed our village , destroying at least 100 homes .
We hope Allah will save us this time . ''
Early Wednesday the vast weather system – visible from space – was 125 kilometres ( 80 miles ) offshore with gusts up to 200 kilometres per hour ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a category three hurricane , the Indian Meteorological Department said .
It was expected to ease slightly but still pack a ferocious punch when it crosses the coasts of West Bengal state and neighbouring Bangladesh on Wednesday `` afternoon to evening '' with gusts up to 185 kph .
Bangladeshi forecasters said it would hit around 6:00 pm ( 1200 GMT ) , with a potential storm surge up to five metres ( 15 feet ) .
The storm could `` cause large-scale and extensive damage '' , said the head of India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a surge of several metres .
Storm surges can force a wall of water to cascade several kilometres inland , and are often the biggest killers in any cyclone , typhoon or hurricane .
Sanjib Banerjee from the West Bengal weather office said that parts of Kolkata could see `` severe damage '' .
Early Wednesday the sky there was ominously grey .
At the coast it was raining and the sea rough .
`` We have mobilised more than 20,000 policemen , emergency workers and volunteers , boats and buses to evacuate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' state premier Mamata Banerjee said .
`` It 's a very difficult task when the state is combating the coronavirus pandemic , '' she said .
Bangladesh 's low-lying coast , home to 30 million people , and India 's east are regularly battered by cyclones that have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades .
The eastern Indian state of Odisha was hit by a super cyclone that left nearly 10,000 dead in 1999 , eight years after a typhoon , tornadoes and flooding killed 139,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed half a million .
While the storms ' frequency and intensity have increased – a phenomenon blamed partly on climate change – deaths have fallen thanks to faster evacuations , better technology and more shelters .
But Bangladesh authorities still fear that Amphan will be the most powerful storm front since Cyclone Sidr devastated the country in 2007 , killing about 3,500 people and causing billions of dollars in damage .
The country has been feverishly working to bring 2.2 million people to safety , while West Bengal was relocating 300,000 others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) aid group said people faced `` an impossible choice '' of braving the cyclone by staying put , or risking coronavirus infection in a shelter .
Authorities in both countries said that they were using extra shelter space to reduce crowding , while also making face masks compulsory and providing extra soap and sanitiser .
`` We are also keeping separate isolation rooms in the shelters for any infected patients , '' Bangladesh 's junior disaster management minister Enamur Rahman told AFP .
Although outside the predicted direct path of the storm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of almost a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in southeastern Bangladesh – most living in vast camps and housed in flimsy and makeshift shacks .
The first coronavirus cases were reported there last week , and by Tuesday there were six confirmed infections .
The UN said emergency items such as food , tarpaulins and water purification tablets had been stockpiled , while authorities said the refugees would be moved to sturdier buildings like schools .
`` Heavy rains , flooding ( and ) the destruction of homes and farmland , will increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly in densely populated areas like the refugee camps in Cox 's Bazar , '' ActionAid said .
`` It will also undoubtedly increase the number of lives and livelihoods already lost to this pandemic . ''

At least 22 people died as the fiercest cyclone to hit parts of Bangladesh and eastern India this century sent trees flying and flattened houses, with millions crammed into shelters despite the risk of coronavirus.
Indian emergency workers remove a branch of a tree uprooted by Cyclone Amphan in Digha, near the border between the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha, on May 20, 2020.
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Millions were left without power after Cyclone Amphan, packing winds of around 150 kilometres per hour (95 miles), carried away electricity pylons, walls and roofs, officials said Thursday as they began to assess the damage.
Residents in the Indian city of Kolkata, the capital of the hard-hit West Bengal state, awoke to flooded streets with some cars window-deep in water and television footage showed the airport inundated.
"The impact of Amphan is worse than coronavirus," Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, told local media, saying that at least 12 people had died in the state.
"Thousands of mud huts have been levelled, trees uprooted, roads washed away and crops destroyed," she said.
Bangladesh officials said at least 10 people had died, including a five-year-old boy and a 75-year-old man both hit by falling trees and a cyclone emergency volunteer who drowned.
Officials said they were waiting for reports from the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its mangrove forest and population of endangered Bengal tigers, which bore the brunt of the storm.
"We still haven't got the actual picture of the damage. We are particularly concerned over some wild animals. They can be washed away during a storm surge in high tide," forest chief Moyeen Uddin Khan told AFP.
Cyclones are an annual and growing hazard along the Bay of Bengal coast, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in recent decades.
But in recent years, despite an increase in their frequency blamed partly on climate change, improved warning systems have enabled authorities to be much better prepared.
'Massive destruction'
The cyclone was weakening as it moved northwards through Bangladesh but still unleashed heavy rains and fierce winds in Cox's Bazar, the district which houses about one million Rohingya refugees from violence in Myanmar.
Amphan was the first "super cyclone" to form over the Bay of Bengal since 1999, and packed winds gusting up to 185 kph at sea.
It brought a storm surge -- a wall of ocean water that is often one of the main killers in major weather systems -- that roared inland.
Anwar Hossain Howlader, an official in the Khulna coastal district of Bangladesh, said a three-metre (10-feet) surge had destroyed embankments protecting villages despite locals toiling through the night.
"It caused massive destruction. Thousands of trees have been uprooted. Embankments have broken down at many places, inundating many villages. The damage and destruction of crops and fish farms have been huge," he said.
At the village of Purba Durgabati in Satkhira district, hundreds of villagers spend the night trying to mend a breach in the embankment that protected several villages from the Kholpetua river.
But the surge unleashed by the cyclone washed away some two kilometres of the embankment, which also doubled as a village road. As a result sea water inundated some 600 homes and washed away thousands of shrimp and crab farms.
"My home has gone under water. My shrimp farm is gone. I don't know how I am going to survive," Omar Faruq, 28, told AFP.
Virus complications
The last super cyclone in 1999 left nearly 10,000 dead in India's Odisha state, eight years after a typhoon, tornadoes and flooding killed 139,000 in Bangladesh.
In 1970, half a million perished.
More than three million people were evacuated from coastal villages in both countries.
Because of coronavirus, authorities said they used extra shelter space to reduce crowding, while making face masks compulsory and setting aside isolation rooms.
But many stayed put.
Sulata Munda, a villager in Bangladesh on the edge of the Sundarbans, said she and fellow villagers decided not to go to a shelter.
"We fear the cyclone but we also fear the coronavirus," the mother of four said.
(AFP)
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france24--2020-05-20--Taiwan’s president rejects ‘one country, two systems’ deal with China

Taiwan 's President Tsai Ing-wen delivers her inaugural address at the Taipei Guest House in Taipei , Taiwan on May 20 , 2020 .
Taiwan can not accept becoming part of China under its `` one country , two systems '' offer of autonomy , President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday , strongly rejecting China 's sovereignty claims and likely setting the stage for an ever worsening of ties .
China responded that `` reunification '' was inevitable and that it would never tolerate Taiwan 's independence .
In a speech after being sworn in for her second and final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Taiwan and China had reached an historical turning point .
`` Both sides have a duty to find a way to coexist over the long term and prevent the intensification of antagonism and differences , '' she said .
Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party won January 's presidential and parliamentary elections by a landslide , vowing to stand up to China , which claims Taiwan as its own and says it would be brought under Beijing 's control by force if needed .
`` Here , I want to reiterate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dialogue ' .
We will not accept the Beijing authorities ' use of 'one country , two systems ' to downgrade Taiwan and undermine the cross-strait status quo .
We stand fast by this principle , '' Tsai said .
China uses the `` one country , two systems '' policy , which is supposed to guarantee a high degree of autonomy , to run the former British colony of Hong Kong , which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 .
It has offered it to Taiwan , though all major Taiwanese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taiwan Affairs Office , responding to Tsai , said Beijing would stick to `` one country , two systems '' – a central tenet of Chinese President Xi Jinping 's Taiwan policy – and `` not leave any space for Taiwan independence separatist activities ” .
`` Reunification is a historical inevitability of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation , '' it said .
`` We have the firm will , full confidence , and sufficient ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
” China views Tsai as a separatist bent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Taiwan is an independent state called the Republic of China , its official name , and does not want to be part of the People 's Republic of China governed by Beijing .
China has stepped up its military drills near Taiwan since Tsai 's re-election , flying fighter jets into the island 's air space and sailing warships around Taiwan .
Tsai said Taiwan has made the greatest effort to maintain peace and stability in the narrow Taiwan Strait that separates the democratic island from its autocratic neighbour China .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are willing to engage in dialogue with China and make more concrete contributions to regional security , '' she added , speaking in the garden of the old Japanese governor 's house in Taipei , in front of a socially-distanced audience of officials and diplomats .
Taiwan has become a rising source of friction between China and the United States , with the Trump administration strongly backing Taiwan even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent his congratulations to Tsai on Tuesday , praising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taiwan 's vibrant democracy '' , in a rare high-level message from Washington direct to Taiwan 's government .
China 's Foreign Ministry condemned Pompeo 's remarks , and said the government would take `` necessary countermeasures '' , though did not elaborate .
China cut off a formal talks mechanism with Taiwan in 2016 after Tsai first won election .
Yao Chia-wen , a senior adviser to Tsai , told Reuters the chance of talks with China were small given ongoing tensions .
`` We are ready to engage with them any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make concessions to Taiwan , '' he said .
`` In the next four years there 's little chance for the cross-strait relationship to improve . ''

Taiwan cannot accept becoming part of China under its "one country, two systems" offer of autonomy, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday, strongly rejecting China's sovereignty claims and likely setting the stage for an ever worsening of ties.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen delivers her inaugural address at the Taipei Guest House in Taipei, Taiwan on May 20, 2020.
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China responded that "reunification" was inevitable and that it would never tolerate Taiwan's independence.
In a speech after being sworn in for her second and final term in office, Tsai said relations between Taiwan and China had reached an historical turning point.
"Both sides have a duty to find a way to coexist over the long term and prevent the intensification of antagonism and differences," she said.
Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party won January's presidential and parliamentary elections by a landslide, vowing to stand up to China, which claims Taiwan as its own and says it would be brought under Beijing's control by force if needed.
"Here, I want to reiterate the words 'peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue'. We will not accept the Beijing authorities' use of 'one country, two systems' to downgrade Taiwan and undermine the cross-strait status quo. We stand fast by this principle," Tsai said.
China uses the "one country, two systems" policy, which is supposed to guarantee a high degree of autonomy, to run the former British colony of Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997. It has offered it to Taiwan, though all major Taiwanese parties have rejected it.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office, responding to Tsai, said Beijing would stick to "one country, two systems" – a central tenet of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Taiwan policy – and "not leave any space for Taiwan independence separatist activities”.
"Reunification is a historical inevitability of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," it said. "We have the firm will, full confidence, and sufficient ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
China views Tsai as a separatist bent on formal independence for Taiwan. Tsai says Taiwan is an independent state called the Republic of China, its official name, and does not want to be part of the People's Republic of China governed by Beijing.
Taiwan open to dialogue
China has stepped up its military drills near Taiwan since Tsai's re-election, flying fighter jets into the island's air space and sailing warships around Taiwan.
Tsai said Taiwan has made the greatest effort to maintain peace and stability in the narrow Taiwan Strait that separates the democratic island from its autocratic neighbour China.
"We will continue these efforts, and we are willing to engage in dialogue with China and make more concrete contributions to regional security," she added, speaking in the garden of the old Japanese governor's house in Taipei, in front of a socially-distanced audience of officials and diplomats.
Taiwan has become a rising source of friction between China and the United States, with the Trump administration strongly backing Taiwan even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent his congratulations to Tsai on Tuesday, praising her "courage and vision in leading Taiwan's vibrant democracy", in a rare high-level message from Washington direct to Taiwan's government.
China's Foreign Ministry condemned Pompeo's remarks, and said the government would take "necessary countermeasures", though did not elaborate.
China cut off a formal talks mechanism with Taiwan in 2016 after Tsai first won election.
Yao Chia-wen, a senior adviser to Tsai, told Reuters the chance of talks with China were small given ongoing tensions.
"We are ready to engage with them any time, but China is unlikely to make concessions to Taiwan," he said. "In the next four years there's little chance for the cross-strait relationship to improve."
(REUTERS)
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