is that to me i'm a could become a failed state. all right, tony times so that that's cost to katrina, usually joins us live from the city of really on the china, me and my buddha. katrina. so how is china viewing all this instability and presumably basing wants to see the escalation along with border with me and ma that's exactly what the aging ones that shows a 2100 columbus, a border with me and my and it's extremely concerned because this fighting has really affected the stability and security of china and the south west here that is close to me and more. and that's where the agent has used its influence and not with not only the regime, but also these revel group to try to broke. a c spy is especially in the north of me and law. but these are proven fragile, and china knows that they're on the line complicated reasons for this in slicing, and that it won't really be able to deliver long term piece, but it's trying to protect its interest. now the slicing has directly influenced the piece here in greeley. we've had story artillery shells come into the chinese slide in, during chinese, people come to new evacuations and closures of businesses and schools and me on law

is so important for trying to strategically. badging needs access to med mazda access to the indian ocean. it has invested a $113000000.00 into me, and my sense, secure and board of trade is worth full $1000000000.00. and not only that, tony mentioned the cyber, the crime syndicates, these buddha, gags have affected time directly. they used to be set up to target chinese nationals specifically and showing up when to closer to these rebel forces and leaned on them to help them remove some of these crime syndicates as well. so there are many reasons and many factors why china is watching this in fighting very closely and doing whatever it can to secure the border here. katrina, thank you. and now they've been protest outside of congress in argentina as politicians, debates a controversial economic reform bill. police use pepper spray to tragically hundreds of demonstrates as the trade union is cool for the march against tough

economic measures announced by the new president and will probably emulate now, the cuban government has postpone plans to increase the price of petrol by 500 percent, citing a cyber attack, the governments, it has a fire in the virus and it sounds software forced it to delay the price hike. the increase was one of a series of measures announced in december the item of producing cubans acute deficit. the island has suffered repeated blackouts. as a result of fuel shortages. so that's it from me down in georgia. somebody said don is here. next we have more news the top of the news continue and i'll just say era off to us and count on the cost. so, thank you and thanks so much and bye for the the president biden says once a 2 state solution for palestinians and israelis,

what does anybody believe it's doable? what this is real for? i'm gonna say it back to us foreign policy. and what are the long term consequences for the region and the world? the quizzical look at us politics, the bottom line, the low i'm adrian said again of this is counting the cost on al jazeera. you'll ricky, look at the world of business and economics this week from coffee shipments to oil tank because of taxed by who the forces in the red sea disrupting global trade conduct push out prices and few inflation. also this week africa's debt is crippling the confidence development it's leaders demanded reform, but the global financial system at the g $77.00 summit plus selling sleep companies

are increasingly investing in the quest for rest. we looked at how bedtime has become a multi $1000000000.00 business now, inflation was expected to ease in 2024 after moving 18 months of interest rate hikes by central banks. the most aggressive monitoring type thing in decades boss. a text by who the rebels in the red sea are threatening to push out the cost of living again. the geopolitical tensions of disrupted global trades sent in shipping and insurance costs soaring. a whitening war in the oil producing region could further west and people's finances. but why is the route so important? well, as soon as canal is the quickest see route between asia and europe. but any ship passing through either to or from the indian ocean, has to come through the strait of bob outlined up in the red sea. and the whose the rebels there have attacked festivals, transporting goods through that straight that they say a link to israel. many of the world's largest shipping funds are now taking

a longer journey around africa's cape of good hope that adds at least 10 days to shipping times, and costs companies millions of dollars. well, those additional costs could be passed on by businesses to customers. more than 12 percent of annual global trade passes through the red sea, that's one trillion dollars worth of goods every year, including oil. busy coffee fruits and direct tronics food and grocery costs could go up if shipping disruption, watson's but it's energy prices. the worry government's the most because they all the biggest risk to inflation. the international benchmark, brent cruise rose briefly to $80.00 a barrel of the us and u. k to minutes reaction against the who with these in yemen. joining us from brussels, frederick erickson, who is the director of the european sense of international political economy, protected with us, frederick about 2024, as we said, was meant to be the that inflation began to dissipate. but with rising tension in the middle east. and there's a tax in the red sea,

is that still going to be the case? well, let's, let's hope i think, i think that's, that's perhaps the, the most prudent thing to do. i mean, as you said, we all right now in a situation where we have a couple of some of developments that are pushing up freight costs and a few other costs, which of course i'm making life much more difficult for the central banks that i had to plan for the be, i mean as far as we know, just start cutting the interest rates june 2024. and in that way, try to help economies to recover again from the economic downturns that we've seen since they started monitoring type thing. and that's playing the i big now be delayed. so our interest rates are going to remain more or less where they are now . or do you for see another spike like the ones we have, the following, the cobit pandemic, and, and at the beginning of the new crane wall, if you look at the, the, the, the stuff that you buy in the retail store that were in portage and had been

transported to this wes canal? um it's a very, very monotone part of that cost. that is actually a pouch price cost. however, uh, aspect cost is going up. as we see a few of the developments, as you mentioned, or the price is, has begun to move a bit. and of course, that we have a few other problems. for instance, that the winter has proven to be been cold. and we have more energy demand right now, which is helping to push up energy costs to bits, at least in, in, in, in the, are being a part of the world. that in itself presents a situation where i don't think central banks feel confident that they have control over inflation. and that they now can start to be confident about that. they can reduce policy rates and they trying to sort of be show that before they are now going to start to cox interest rates and induct, where you have the economy to,

to revive. they need to have inflation down to levels where they aren't stable and secure at these low elevate levels. but it's the will why things, god forbid to the, to, to the, the, the, the, why, the middle east region. i mean, that's not going to do anything to help and inflation. is it, i mean, how, how bad could things get? so the likes, if you, me, and anyone watching? well, i mean, there are of cause scenarios that we can talk about and 9 to chain, which is going to have a significant impact on the world according to me at large, not just on freight costs and on transport costs more generally, but a laundry regional role in the middle east and all the type of of conflicts. of course that's going to have a very very you've seen paxton basically not send for banks off the course. they've been on for a couple of months now,

which has been pointing in the direction of cutting interest rates. if that happens, i mean, then we almost trying to go to see central bank stock and disputing the economy with more liquidity again. so we are in a inflation or assign cold in, in, in more ways than, than just that oil prices are, all the costs are going to go further and i'll be back with you in just a moment. but 1st, i want to talk about perhaps what could be described as the opposite of inflation mouth wash, tea bags sausages to name, but a few pack sizes are becoming smaller, but the price has to reduce the practice is known as shrink flashing manufacturer say that it helped make products more affordable for consumers, as the rising cost of living begins to bite. but a new study by excellence research company has found that almost half of consumers, so they'd find shrink flashing unacceptable with the french most upset on north america. and europe has the highest rate of dissatisfaction with the practice. consumers in asia,

pacific and life in america have shown less discontent for the moment. the 2 regions, though, have a much smaller proportion of consumers than europe. who said that they noticed shrink flashing a product like what, what do you make of a translation is it isn't here to stay ok, how much, how much smaller can products get? and yeah, so the, the, well, we're going to find out when we look what i think we talking about them. is there a few differences across the well here? and these differences in terms of how produces have, have perhaps to reduce the size of the product. so. ready the done other ways in order to find that a, find a strategy to balance costs and avoiding to pushover a lot of cost on the consumer in, in countries or in, in region square inflation has been very, very high. i think a lot of producers have been confronted with the realities that they pass on all

the increasing costs they have to the consumer. consumers won't buy the products. so they've still wanted to play with other strategies, like for instance, reducing the, the size of the content of the product. for instance, if you talk about food, i think that's being being the most obvious ones. and there's been a few other set of strategies as well, but i think it's been very, very strong. the link to the rice and inflation of the problems connected with finding a way to sort of avoid uh that consumers are going to be, are all the costs. because if that's, if that's the case, and there's going to be just a very, very sharp dropping in, in consumer demand and then in consumer purchases of all of these particular products. so i think that's, that's predominantly what we've been talking about to you. then of course you have the more generic development which web seen over a long period of time, which of course is that, that produces all, you know,

electronics or food or other type of expand to bose are over time trying to size their products in a way that fits with everything from green or emissions, avoidance of food waste. um, uh, and i don't think that's going to be b be changed in, in, you know, anytime soon. but the, the more sort of translation part, i think that's a phenomenon which has been inter link to by inflation rates and inflation rates come, come down. then of course, we're probably not going to see companies playing around with that so much anymore . frederick, it's been really good to talk to on counting the cost manufacture date for being with us. the now the you and says that africa is public. that stood at $1.00 trillion dollars in 2022. that's an increase of 183 percent since 2010 african nations now spend more money on servicing interest on the debt. that

house or education and many of them are unable to invest in sustainable development . yet the share of official development assistance going to africa is a, it's lowest level involved in 2 decades to address the needs of the developing world, the you and of african leaders demanded before. busy of the global financial system at the g $77.00, some as well. my custom sharif reports i put those that summit cost a shadow of it. so it's south summit in uganda is capital composite of the group of $77.00. a g 77 represents the was largest into continental organization of developing countries in the us. the block representing 80 percent of the population is birds inside cooling, financial liabilities. separately, economies are considered at risk of debt distressed by international institutions. un secretary general antonio good to this address, the in oakland session. he criticized outdated financial agency saying they failed

to provide the safety men for developing countries in distress, financial institutions, and the frameworks created after the 2nd world war. still allows me to respond to the body license and the global economy of that's time, as they must view the forms so that they are duly universal. reflects with justice the realities of to day and that a much more responsive to the needs of developing countries. the team of the summit plus to help reduce the widening gap between which informations are you an agency says applicant, death has been wise and get to read. that's constraining difficult. the world bank has sounded an alarm over the continents prospects g 77 leaders accused global institutions of lifting help and favoring rich northern countries. uganda and president, we already most of the need to come and check valued members states the unity to

increase economic cooperation. power push those city points, production levels of services, how to think of age that that's, that's in the, in, in 33 dealing with the issue of markets. and then the issue of, of the infrastructure. but this assumes that to help piece of bundle as it is, which is another issue. because you don't have peace. then we don't, we know that you with this. but i'm gonna say this part of the challenges developing countries phase, the global sell that includes some 130 countries on the rise, 77, developing countries from the block in 1964 to promote economic interest. in now includes a $130.00 nations with backing from china. this year,

the book is demanding a fair treatment in the global financial system. and the consumption of eve also sees a for counting the cost. well, to unpack all of that, but join from cost center goals by diode us and bennett, who is the see of the global development advisory, a free capitalist godaddy with us at the what do you make then? of the g 77 summit? did it really address the concerns of the developing world, particularly your parts of the world? i think thank you very much for having me. i think the do i need the 77 and some it was certainly very much why they've gone in the us. they've got in many ways because as you know, they're starting in their government, the organization that seems to for more collective economies interests of its members. and it also in those sort of a spring fenn, cooperation between this a mile south of globe as us compass and at the same time was so health printing, they're negotiating their capacity. so of course, when they talk about these issues, like the default, the global, financial exit,

texture, depth, or climate violence, those actors with that back at the head of the applicant agenda. so yes, i think this, this i'm, it was a much better comp. and the fact that now over and nothing can can be you've been diabetes. now checking the g 77, the stuff and he's going to be very much telling me they're cool in better targeting support for africa as products i think on members and for the developing countries that i remember something good. we had a little bit about it in the report, but how did african nations find themselves in trapped in, in this, in this vicious cycle of a debt? yes, so i think maybe before responding, just qualified in here because i think it's not applicant. countries that are in depth, but many african countries of course they're going to be phasing and back increasing . so that's that. but and the reason is actually quite the mystic thoughts. but the funding this was this started before the fund damage. so i think many of the time to talk is set up legitimately the need to respond to development of the mass and

the needs for insight suggests that needs to respond also to climate shift. as you know, i think i've used one so many but to i've been sort of, i'm not that much, but it does ask us so all of those needs actually let's let the government store both of them off to respond to the business particular it's really got some interest sector and the funding it and run the funding arrived. what happened was suppose was it was originally made need to respond to the fund image. and i think that was also something that pushed the governments to both of them off to be able to sort of release their populations from the shock of the funded funding impact of defendants. and certainly that's how they have been on the, on the, on the burden on the 11th. and i think also what's happened up to defend them. it was of course, the war and you can and also i saw does a boost and that sort of goes so much higher energy and for the price that also contributed to higher bust of living. and of course,

but there was so by many companies enough that go felt the need to sort of, i then them subsidize, only to get them, you know, the key recognize the and that for products and goals. because that also does require boring from some domestic market, something to nothing markets and also somebody let their own credit as all of that actually contributed to, to, to the institution. to proceed with that being quite a bit now. so that's right. issue. and a big shot, i've seen many african congress site and you're talking about the high cost of, of living. to what extent is this the cycle of death and the set of things that, that holding the people of, of the continent back. well, i think the, the high level of debt has to becky demons in concert concepts, in many ways, special fund. it has a, some sort of a very um, dimension by 4. you can understand, but in the sense that it's actually may lead to thoughts. uh, you know, discovery policy challenges, it may also have to create some of the financial stability risk. and i think this

is something that, unfortunately many in depth did come to this or countries that i end up discuss are facing. but the symbol so has um, it's uh logged in back in the sense that they can also cause some and some extent us, that'd be the sort of issues in the sense that the companies that are very much just servicing. hi dennis. i actually may also face some of the extended weight by some be most of my face, some ability to maintain that reserved things. and that's one of these after i think quickly about all of that is unfortunately having some very much of the human getting back in the sense that the population of these back in the cost of all of those. um uh, instructions are that i talked about among africa's denounces reform of the global financial system. the unbroken woods institutions is, is that a fall fetched notion of how realistic a prospect is that and especially these 5 states? yeah, because uh if you look at it, this is a no,

do you mind that has been made by accidentally many where the developing congress from the g 77 and others for a long time. and the good thing is that the reform is already underway. is the problem is uh, unfortunately the speed and the visa is not really bad and that i think that's the racks i. many of the kind of companies are very much of disappointed with what these grand of you think it's fine says i've been very fond of them as much as i've tried to put them on back. this is part of the front of the globe and financial back detective as we see some moment of essentially, i think we have seen institution like to the one thing announcing becky, sort of ambitious, or i mean from as endo boston instability before where people for us it got to be very much it into a, and that's not necessarily you can get the case given the slowness of the, the following questions that i talked about. but this is something that the also is something that we see into the issue. i think in depth also that the funds there have very much slower and this is also something that is really a concern for many developing countries and have different i think about many or

the around the ones that are facing the issues. so yes, i think the quoted that was made folks, i think the 77 summit for the 1st 70, some of the on the side that she had actually talked to east bailey. my son is a few minutes and we are hoping that the or the governing body is not just the g $77.00, but most of the deep wine ended the 7 and the which also would be very much pushing display have been doing. but i hope that the, with prostate into concrete progress don't really go to talk to you on counting the costs many thanks. indeed for being with us. now a good night sleep is everyone's dream. many brands of work and up to the business potential of that. they're selling products, services and applications, meant to provide that to us that time. the so called sleep economy is expected to be worth 585000000000 dollars this year. and it's not really big companies that are raking in profit.

imagine being able to make money when you sleep with social media influence. alec shannon says he's done just that learning more than $50000.00 in 18 months by sleeping at luxury hotels knowing that his account app follow that app on instagram . alex is among a growing number of so called sleep fluency is streaming life footage of themselves under the covers. and it's not just content produces that a caching in on bed time. a host of brands are trying to profit from people's dreams. products such as high tech pajamas robots of hub blankets. yes, you heard that right now, flooding the market. all of them intended to help you. those off. some of those items can cost cost a fortune. what do you do for a living? yeah, i saw a luxury bad time. confidence. we didn't go bets. yes. it's the most expensive bed that you sell while we talk about it. $89689000.00 for

a king size. some of those beds are entirely hand made, and it takes mazda across about at least 600 hours to make them. all those made of holes have exploding topics reported that the bubble mattress market is worth more than $50000000000.00 right now. but it's estimated to suppose 75000000000 by 20. so see. but should people even been paying that much to buy the bed of roses? well, the impact of expensive mattresses on a good night sleep is disputed by science. one of the reasons why people buy into the business is it exploding appetite for extravagance. but studies have found that a good nap boosts productivity and could save economies billions of dollars. so there is indeed money to be made between the sheets. a sweet dreams. joining us from the side and switzerland is l as bound to hell, and she's an international sleep expert, an adjunct professor at a business school electra at i am the business school good to have you with us. so what's behind the booming business of sleep?

a couple of really big trends. first of all, unfortunately, a lot of us are not getting enough sleep. we see for instance, that about 35 percent of the population says that they're sleeping less than 7 hours, even though $7.00 to $9.00 is recommended. but apart from that, we also see a general increased interest in our own how then our well being and, and unfortunately, the also to see that people suffer more from stress and, you know, kind of unhealthy lifestyle factors. if you just look at the percentage of people who work shifts, it's about 17 percent and we know that that really messes up your biological clock and hands your sleep and your health. so i think there's a lot to, to fix when it comes to people sleep. and with that we have 4 seats as big trends of advances in technology that make it finally much more affordable for people to

track and monitor their own sleep. not everyone, of course, can afford to buy themselves an expensive mattress, a the companies that produce those training sleep into a luxury well, you know, i think one definitely very concerning aspect of this conversation around sleep is the message that sleep is a luxury. we really need to remote, we're move that notion, that's because a luxury and replace it with a true which is sleep is something we all need. we all deserve and something that unifies us. so we definitely of course, the, some players kind of aiming for that. you know, high end of the market and we for instance, also see that those with a higher income are more likely to have a sleep tracker. but that's that you definitely don't need to buy a very expensive mattress to have good sleep. i actually think that a lot of this,

you know, sleep is a luxury comes more from the equity that we see. we just see that when people have no concerns about their finances, they are less likely to get a good sleep. on average, they sleep 10 minutes less a night. so there's a lot of factors that contribute to those who work, share those with the lower income or those in developing countries to have worst sleep. and that's something that i think we should all worry about. is it all in the, in just good marketing or is there some solid science behind all of this? that's a good question. um there's definitely increasingly more science behind it. um, so that's good to see more and more of the start ups and also bigger named companies, reaching out to steve experts to collaborate with them. really running studies to see whether their products are in fact improving sleep. but that's that i would say

that's maybe 20 percent of the total market and yes, a lot of it is marketing and i think we should all keep in mind that a lot of us can improve our own sleep simply by behavior change. but in my experience, people tend to just prefer to buy simple products as opposed to putting in the hard work else. it's been really good to talk to you on counting the cost. many thanks. indeed for being with us. you're welcome. anything of that? so i'll show for this week if you'd like to comment on anything that you've said you can get in touch with us. i'm at a finnegan on x. try to remember to use the hash tag h a c t c. when you do or you could drop us a line counter, the cost of the elder 0 dot net is our email address, as always, best friends email if you online, but i'll just do a dot com slash ctc. that takes you straight to a page and they, you'll find individual reports links and the entire episodes for you to catch them . but that is it. so this edition of counting the costs, i agree, and so they going from the whole team here. and so thanks for being with us. the

news on which is 0 is next the the cloud of nuclear war is ever present. what if this is the beginning of one of those accidental wars? what is this is the beginning of the end of life, as we know from the horrors of recent history to the rising card tract, the apocalypse, maybe discovers the impact nuclear weapons have on few vanity, our failure to keep humanity safe is by sitting down to the individual on the street. this is not to drill on that which is 0. the

the bodies of thousands of palestinians found that a mass grave and a school y'all been gone so is rather as accused of torturing the civilians before killing them. the, on the savage, i them, this is i'll just say are alive from the hall. so coming up as well as prime minister says he will not end the war in order to free captives held in garza the ability of the mentoring community to reach the people that does.