around its future ability to pay for essential imports a demand for wood in europe and elsewhere is causing a rainforest in africa to shrink at an alarming rate environmental campaigners are accusing the largest timber company in the democratic republic of congo of illegally cutting down millions of trees paul chatter jan reports. in the heart of africa the congo basin is home to the world's second largest rain forest but a new investigation accuses timber companies of endangering its existence second in size to the amazon the congolese rain forest to some two million square kilometers it covers six countries including the democratic republic of congo where it's shrinking the fastest the nonprofit global witness says the d r c s biggest timber company north through timber is illegally harvesting trees at nearly ninety percent of its sites with impunity north timber which is portuguese owned denies congolese subsidy sort of force is breaching its contracts it says the accusations have no

basis it acknowledges some management plans may not be in place but that it's talking with the ministry of environment about them global witness is also accusing importers such as portugal and friends of failing to take action researchers are trying to learn about the forest unique ecosystem before it's too late. these forests are under pressure from humans so we scientists want to categorize the fauna and the birds the only thought of this forest before it is destroyed and that scientists say the congo rainforest is a source of food and water for tens of millions of people it's also home to six hundred types of trees and ten thousand animal species including endangered ones they say these trees produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide but their ability to reduce greenhouse gases and regulate the climate is decreasing. but example here for example the rainy season normally starts in mid august but now sometimes it begins in july and sometimes in september and when it comes sometimes the water

does not rise steadily and then they suddenly recede there's a disorder in the cycle so despite existing national and international laws designed to protect rain forests global witness says companies like northrop timber on dangerous seventy five million hectares of rainforest in the d.r. see global witness demanding all those involved from governments to importers and buyers to stop being complicit in the destruction of d r c's tropical rain forests and the impact it's having on the planet's climate. well judy carol in a campaign at global witness says that the government of d r c has not been implementing the laws in its books our report shows that around sixty percent of the timber noster timber is exporting and also timber is the biggest logging company in the r.c. sixty percent of this timber is classified as endangered or vulnerable by the international union for the conservation of nature we actually believe that tropical timber or especially those which are threatened or endangered should be

treated like ivory there's basically no excuse no legitimacy to be cutting down these endangered species go or go bowden this report. exposes a lot of a lot of the legalities for not for timber not a timber has also been accused of the legalities for the past six years by other non-governmental organizations and so far the sea has not done anything to ensure that laws are applied so the first thing that really needs to happen is that the government must get serious and say if you breach the law there will be consequences. now one of the main issues in mexico's presidential campaign has been its underperforming economy mexico is traditionally seen as a commodities and manufacturing giant it has the largest proven silver reserves in the world and the tenth largest oil reserves but according to bloomberg some forty percent of the population still face entrenched poverty in terms of internet access mexico falls behind colombia brazil venezuela chile and argentina countries where

between thirty and forty percent of the population is connected online and the most deprived areas are in rural communities john home has more. in. the mix can countryside decimated by poverty and empty but migration over decades you're more is one of the aging population of small scale firms struggling to compete with industrial scale operations in the world the mexico and the u.s. almost all that i know i produce grains but not money he says that many communities young have either left or turned to more lucrative ventures when then they're all they sell drugs they kidnap they live well for a few days and then they get killed just next to my house or there was head of a kidnapping. this man promises to change the presidential front

runner and raise money well look as obrador has made the neglected mix can country side a campaign priority. he said here we're focused government support from large industrial producers to smaller farms to help them get quality seeds technological know how better access to loans and the guaranteed minimum price for their crops it's all part of an ambitious plan for mexico to produce its own food. they're buying everything abroad that we could grow in mexico me that's going to start. in the past there were incredibly strong ties between mexicans and the land this is the birthplace of corn itself but it's a different country now failing with the urban population and the global market the question is if it's really possible or even worth the cost of resuscitating this sector. even lopez obrador team says the wholesale change he

promises will be impossible one of been a straight. and agricultural economists who in general support the plan have questioned of price guarantees for individual farmers and in particular in forcing home grown food and carry a steep cost for authorities and consumers is one cause one thousand people or that in consequence it's going to be very expensive for the government and mexican taxpayer that. promise themselves seem split between those two banking on a ruling party which has given them just enough to survive and those like a year or more voting in the hope of change. well joining me now to talk more about this from i.h.s. market in london is carlos cod daniel thanks very much for being with us so just broadly speaking. how would you assess the current state of the mexican economy right now. well the other items made with currently our respect in the economy to

continue growing these year at around two point two percent but the key question marks are related to the ongoing enough though the negotiations there is a a lot of uncertainty going on there at the moment mexico highly depends on the u.s. us it's been costumer in terms of exports eighty percent of make them exports go to the u.s. that uncertainty was sort of the impact of the economy when you when you hear about mexico in the news these days a lot of it focuses on the violence and the ongoing drug wars which is pushing so many. people to the border with the u.s. and the and that's has its own issues as well but how much of an impact is this having on on mexico as a whole and mexican society. yes i mean certainly last year we had a record levels in terms of the numbers of homi sites in the country the trend

continues to go up so far this year everything has been driven by the fragmentations of the main drug cartels and this is an eight in. an impact on not only vote in intention but also on the security environment for companies that are operating in different parts of the country this is a big challenge for the next government will inherit it's going to be very difficult to resolve overall when you look at the economic indicators actually exports in mexico went up last year foreign direct investment went up as well but it's an issue about mexico being able to reach its potential in terms of economic growth so obviously a reduction in terms of violence would make the operating environment more friendly and that could even speed up the amount of investment and economic progress but but having said that there are little certainties regarding nafta and the policies of the next gorham in terms of the economy and that's going to impact the overall

economic growth in the country in terms of the the inequalities in in mexico right now is what i want one of the things i was i was reading about was the seventy percent of mexicans have no access to a computer in twenty eight hundred there is this this great digital divide. in the countries between in the country between the cities and some of the rural areas how much of a factor is all of that in mexico's future economic growth there is a big digital divide there is also a big divide between the north and south of the contrary the solve the usually southern states are being very poor with we can see a no difference also in terms of security and the operating environment the current government is trying to create special economic zones in the south of mexico to try to promote that economic growth the next one. it's very likely to continue with that and also there are talks about expanding those economic zones to the north of

the country there's also a big issue in terms of youth unemployment and that is not only fuel in issues related to drug related violence and many of the youth going into organised crime but also creating issues in terms of discontent specially in the south which is a part of mexico or usually have brought as an strikes for different reasons against the government and where does mexico's currency the peso fit into all of this. because as that takes a hit there that has implications on inflation in the country as well yeah certainly the best so has been here very hard over the past year mostly related to the ongoing negotiations we got enough every time that there was a conflict or or or the other situation in which there was no agreement or every time the u.s. administration criticized mexico's stance on trade the pay so usually weekend and that obviously had a big impact on inflation that the government. and the moment but also the one that

will herit the contrie will only have to deal with that in the future but also with trying to slow down overall inflation in the country last year inflation was around six percent the highest over the past sixteen years and that's what a lot silencer they will have to cope with over the next year carlos cardenas thanks very much for being with us and finally taxi hailing app who has won an appeal to continue operating in london from now license was revoked last september over the company's failures to report serious criminal offenses and conduct background checks on drivers for brennan has more. as a business is a global disruptor turning the traditional taxi profession upside down and provoking protests bans and restrictions as it does it the company is now valued at more than seventy billion dollars and after starting with just three hundred u.k.

drivers in two thousand and twelve now has sixty thousand u.k. drivers forty five thousand of them in london but it's had a confrontational relationship with the london regulator t.f. out the company boss told elbridge admitted the previous correspondence for example with the regulator had been inaccurate incomplete and in adequate we accepted that the reporting of crime for example was not what it should be that said the judge despite acknowledging a gung ho approach by the company in the past was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and granted a fifteen month probationary license under the strict supervision of t f l two but insisted that since last year there have been wholesale change in the way it now conducts its business it was now transparent and open because u.k. boss tom eldridge declined to be open with the media afterwards instead issuing just a brief written statement we are pleased with today's decision we will continue to

work with t.f. l. to address their concerns and earn their trust while providing the best possible service for our customers with a body representing london's traditional black cabs is not happy at all they've admitted a catalogue of errors in their treatment c.f.l. as a regulator and basically the magistrate has said i will as long as you've apologized and everything's going to be good from there on we can move forward i mean this decision was an absolute disgrace and one former driver says c.f.l. now needs to prove itself too to your fellow new tackled over at the end of a five year license term why was cheerful not on top of this throughout the license terms that's the question we need to be asked now is that changed as well is it capable of managing who. is on probation will it now play fair or take t f l for a ride. and that is our show for this week get in touch with us by tweeting me at. and do use the hash tag j.c.t. see when you do or drop us an email counting the cost that al jazeera dot net is

our address is more for you online as well as al-jazeera dot com slash c t c that will take you straight to our page which has individual sports links an entire episode for you to catch up on. that is it for this edition of counting the cost and has a secret from the whole team here thanks for joining us the news on al-jazeera is next. every year in pakistan hundreds of women are victims of so-called honor killings one on one east searches for the truth in a case that exposes the growing clash between old beliefs and modern life on al-jazeera. when the news is restricted and send said the press is not free and is external interference and influence and the move is used to exploit not explain. to us what or when journalists access to information is to hinted

he said at the time but i want us press. the most of the costs. and just as never sees the light of day no i knew that he bought into. the team of course you doubt it what the show will help you and the stories that matter go on told and heard the press is not seen. and neither are we. expelled from their base in jordan in lebanon left in a. rebellion this rise in the reins of. good was this just another inevitable step down the road. this is a long story the genesis of the conflict the cost out of sight his leadership in life. chronicling the turn story the struggle constant.

history of a revolution on al-jazeera. and that was different that whether someone is going for some of it rests with the battery meter i think it's how you approach an official and after that is a certain way of doing it you can't just buy in just a story and fly out. this is al-jazeera. i'm adrian for again this is the live from doha coming up in the next sixty minutes many fatalities expected as opposed carrying around one hundred migrants capsizes

in the mediterranean meanwhile the e.u. finally agrees on a new policy to deal with migrants soft threaten the scope of the deal. south sudan's hopes for a lasting peace is the latest cease fire comes into effect we look at the fragility of the new agreement. still searching the underground caves rescuers in thailand trying to make contact with the boys football team that's been missing now for a week. desperate to play how argentina's women footballers are being forced overseas in pursuit of the beautiful game. every day boats laden with migrants and refugees leave north africa and braved the treacherous waters of the mediterranean the dream of a better life outweighing the reality of the barely see with the boats it's an issue for politicians who stake their careers on resolving the migrant problem and

for individuals who stay considerably more friday was a day when politicians claimed a victory in the mediterranean claimed more victims more than one hundred are missing feared drowned after the boat capsized off libya's west coast the bodies of three young children have been recovered at least sixteen people survived well the tragedy at sea happened as a u. leaders finally agreed on how to deal with those refugees that reach land. there will be a series of migrant processing centers within and outside the block but only if wanted in each country lawrence lee reports. when the future of the european union may be at stake it's worth staying up all night to save its so that's what they did . emerging warily at five in the morning the french president suggested they had bridged the gap many thought impossible sympathy in. europe is not an island and we must be able to face up to this challenge was remaining loyal to our values and

protect our people and national cohesion tonight we took an important step many predicted the impossibility of an agreement many predicted the triumph of national solutions tonight we have succeeded in finding a european solution and a way of working in cooperation. micron will take the credit for winning the rebellious it's how he and governments around the breakthrough policy is to set up sensors at which migrants and refugees will be screened and either sent home or resettled among countries prepared to have them even if it isn't clear how the italians who would also demanded reform of wider asylum rules then signals that consensus. at the end of the european council of a more responsible and more united europe italy is no longer alone. and keeping the hardliners happy extended to germany as well where chancellor merkel's political future has been in the balance the indications seem to be that the right wingers in

her coalition seem satisfied that germany will be better protected from mass refugee flows the merkel herself acknowledged the vast rift in europe about humanitarian values this is we have agreed on five guidelines but two are still lacking a common european asylum system but i'm optimistic after today that we can really continue to work even though there is still a lot to be done to bridge the different views other moves like strengthening support for the libyan coast guard will be condemned by humanitarian organizations as europe turning its back on its legal obligations if this was success it was only in that it staved off the apparent imminent collapse of the european union under the weight of migration but in doing so it gave more weight to the populist right wing in europe a further retreat from the liberal values the european union is so fond of proclaiming. and as ever the final communique was long gone wishes and very short on promises about how to accomplish them this may have averted

a crisis for now but europe remains a political unit deeply unhappy lawrence lee al-jazeera brussels. the european council president is already talking cautiously about the long term future of the agreement as regards migration it's far too early to talk about the success. we have so much to reach an agreement. but this is in fact the easiest part of the dust. storm from the ground. when you start implementing. the deal has helped germany's chancellor on the political home front angela merkel's coalition partner threatened to withdraw if she didn't secure in a wide agreement e.u. wide agreement on tackling the crisis dominic kane reports from berlin. on the face of a tangle of merkel has returned from brussels that pretty much what her allies in the c.s.u. the very interested social union party wanted her to come back with an e.u.

solution but also with progress on bilateral deals with other member states specifically with the greeks and the spanish both those governments agreeing to take back people migrants who present themselves in germany seeking asylum but have already done so in spain and greece so that is that is what the c.s.c. was was looking for the idea of controls on borders and people not being able to migrate from one country to another and claim asylum in several places but the question will be whether this deal this sequence of deals as it were multilateral deals as well is enough on sunday there will be meetings both of the c.d.u. and separately c.s.u. leadership boards where they will be appraised of what has happened in this summit remember the deadline that was set by the c.s.u. for angle of merkel was that if there was no substantial progress to their liking then on this coming monday they would seek to implement returns of migrants on borders going unilaterally now has angular machall done enough to stave off that threat in the c d u there have been several people some of prominent people saying

this is is a success for angela merkel but so far at least a ringing endorsement from the c.s.u. so what happens over this weekend will be instrumental in seeing whether angela merkel's coalition can survive italy's new populist prime minister just epic conti hailed the deal his government is sticking to its tough stance on migrant ships it's barred a rescue vessel from docking at one of its ports the third refuse all this month a policy is being driven by a far right interior minister on the tail salvini charlie angela reports from sicily. we're hearing tanya and this is the last ship that brought in rescued migrants two weeks ago since then interior minister matteo salvini has closed italy's ports and at the summit there was no discussion as to what will happen the next time a european boat carrying rescued migrants is left stranded in the mediterranean instead italy's prime minister just emerged from the summit saying italy is no longer alone he went in threatening to use his veto if there was not an agreement

that suited italy he did and because of that italians believe they got some concessions but nothing will change if we don't play hardball on grey's our voices we never get anything really long. under the new e.u. agreement italy could host voluntarily new migrant centers that would process all arrivals and determine which are genuine refugees and which are illegal migrants to us. this country already has refugee camps the difference is that these arrivals would no longer be subject to the dublin regulations italy would not be responsible for them soley the idea is they could be divided up between other member states but again as no one held that would happen and for italians sharing the burden is a key issue. italy has been left alone it's true but of course i don't agree on the methods used by our interior minister i do think europe has to be reformed

especially because there is no agreement on this issue the agreement also promises to explore the idea of setting up disembarkation platforms in north africa to try and process migrants before they even attempt to the mediterranean crossing but not all italians are convinced that if trying to fix the problem in africa on the spot and trying to help them here it is really difficult war should always be welcomed and not pushed away but pushing away is exactly what italy has done in closing its ports and the new e.u. declaration that asylum seekers landing in italy are actually arriving in europe seems almost redundant. the united nations refugee agency says the number of displaced people in southern syria has tripled to one hundred sixty thousand in the past five days it follows intense fighting in a ten day offensive by government and russian forces at least eighty people were killed in syrian government aggression strikes on thursday al-jazeera. is on the

syrian side of the border with jordan. no. more here at the border crossing that many syrian refugees have used in the past to cross from syria into jordan today thousands of civilians mainly women and children again others along this border hoping to be able to cross into jordan. there were calls to his highness the king of jordan to give them permission to cross over these families have nothing left for them to ask to cross that border to escape death they've been displaced from areas that have been hit by thousands of airstrikes in the past few days and they're now looking to cross to safety we've witnessed the tragic events the civilians have been through and their only demand now is to go in the direction of jordan a cease fire deal to end south sudan's five year civil war has just come into force president salva kiir and rebel leader rect russia signed the agreement in the sudan in sudan's capital khartoum on wednesday it calls for the opening of corridors for

humanitarian aid the release of political prisoners and the forming of a transitional government within four months at least fifty thousand people have been killed and around four million displaced since hostilities began in twenty thirteen let's speak now to al-jazeera to morgan is covered the conflict in south sudan extensively she's with me in the studio so here but the big question is. is this ceasefire going to hold the people have hope well it's really very much up in the air this is not the first cease fire agreement to be signed since the conflict started in twenty thirteen this is agreement this isn't my think remain to be signed and it's not clear yet whether it is going to hold a lot of agreements have been violated nearly every single agreement have been signed between the two parties and several other factions have been violated sometimes in less than twenty four hours after they resigned so it's not clear yet whether this would this cease fire would actually hold because what both sides said is that they do not want their forces to attack and less attacks and is their

attack so basically in defense and that's what they've been saying all along you will find a cease fire that is signed and then they will want one side to come out and say we have been attacked and we fought back in self-defense and the cease fire as well it's not clear if this one is going to hold but people do have cautious optimism that this one would be this could be a little bit different because it has been brokered by sudan not by the regional bloc i gad and that that it was signed by the two leaders it was signed by the president himself and the leader of the opposition and the representative of the south sudan's opposition alliance so so just because the top figures who have signed the cease fire they're hoping that it might be a bit stronger than the previous ceasefires this may be a little person mr bush should be a return to fighting what will the repercussions for the parties be while really adrian there is none of the previous cease fires that have been violated there has been no repercussions whatsoever how.