Mexico’s soup kitchens are shutting down

President says he ordered a budget cut for social programmes to stamp out corruption, but the move surprised many.

Federal soup kitchens for the poor in Mexico are being shut down, as are other government programmes that help the most vulnerable.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he has ordered a cut to funds for social programmes to stamp out corruption.

But the left-wing leader’s decision surprised many, with civil society groups protesting that scrapping the programmes doesn’t help the poor.

Al Jazeera’s John Holman reports from Mexico City.