never make over. the first nine months later lebanon has a government but its economy is screaming for attention and it could be at risk of collapse if some clear is made into a priority economics editor a bit early as the breakdown for us thank you adrian we're talking about a zombie economy here a huge unsustainable public debt that is literally sucking the life out of lebanon's finances lebanon is the third most indebted nation in the world and most of it is owned by local banks half of the government's money goes towards servicing its debts meanwhile our youth unemployment is at double digits as a result there are up to fourteen million lebanese living abroad the money they send home makes up a fifth of the overall economy then there's a war on its borders with syria but lebanon's economic problems existed before the war one third of the country is living below the poverty line while the country's

debts continue to be paid back to you a.j. . well joining us now from beirut is messy good bro. chief economist and head of the economic research and analysis department a big blast bank group good to have you with us on cutting the cost eleven billion dollars pledged by international donors last year to help lebanon's economy but to access those funds this new government has to implement pretty tough economic and financial reforms like narrow in the budget deficit fiscal reforms fighting corruption can it do it that's a very good point the government of lebanon irrespective of the eleven billion dollars in pledges by the international community to help grade at the infrastructure in the country had to address these reforms because of the competitiveness of the lebanese economy has declined over the recent few years and

the investment climate the business environment have deteriorated and that's very obvious from the global in this is like the global competitiveness index by the world economic forum and the ease of doing business survey by the world bank so these are the forms were overdue anyway there is an added incentive to start implementing these reforms to the jews the fiscal deficit to improve the business environment to upgrade existing laws to use the operating cost on the private sector with the pledges of eleven billion dollars because there are conditional on those reforms and there are specific sector orderly reforms where the funds will go and finance infrastructure projects that need to be implemented as well so these reforms have been overdue. and the priority of this government has to be reducing the borrowing needs of the lebanese state by shrinking the budget deficit

and second stimulating growth story increase economic activity since economy grows has every. one and a half percent since two thousand and eleven how does it do all of that when corruption because such a big problem in lebanon too i mean can the government really get to get a grip on corruption while the government has to try the government has to try one of the positive things about the new government is that it's ministerial statement it's action plan includes very specific points about three forms. which is the first for lebanese government one of the points included to do is the size and the structure of the public sector to stop recruiting in the public sector and that's one way of addressing a political nepotism corruption has to be addressed to gradually draft laws waiting to be passed in parliament that will help develop

a national strategy to fight corruption but definitely this is one of the major challenges facing the current government ok let's talk about you've mentioned it earlier the amount of debt that lebanon is seeing at the moment who actually owns that that debt and what are its implications for the future yes the lebanese that the lebanese public that reached eighty five billion dollars at the end of two thousand and eighteen sixty percent of this public that is in lebanese pounds and forty percent is in foreign currency is mainly in your as dollars sixty percent of the lebanese pounds is held by lebanese commercial banks by the central bank of lebanon by the national soak social security fund and by local insurance companies one hundred percent of the lebanese bound denominated that is held by a local lebanese institutions forty percent in foreign currencies ninety four percent of it is euro bonds market euro bonds and the rest is bilateral and

multilateral loans do you know loan components are held by commercial banks and the central bank. and the rest is held by foreign asset managers so for an asset managers hold nine billion dollars of the lebanese public which means that eighty nine percent of the lebanese public that is held by lebanese institutions whether private or public and therefore that provide stability to the public that despite being equivalent two hundred fifty percent of g.d.p. the sort highest level in the world. stability and how i heard it when when they were when that there are so many vested interests that you're talking about i mean that and that's one of the reasons why lebanon's banking sector has been so resilient yes by what i mean by public finance stability and specifically regarding the public that is with this high level of public that eighty five billion dollars equivalent two hundred fifty percent of g.d.p.

it's still stable you don't see the fluctuation overall in the public that the prices of six of lebanese bound denominated treasury bills or treasury bonds we've seen some fluctuations in the prices of euro bonds in two thousand and eighteen but overall given the high level of the public that it is stable because exactly eighty nine percent of it is being financed by local institutions who do not panic at the slightest political deadlock or security shock already general instability that does not mean that there is not urgency to reduce the size of the public that. reducing the fiscal deficit definitely this is a top priority of the government the cib really great to talk to your cash in the course many thanks indeed for being with us thank you now there are some signs of progress on the streets of mosul a city that used to be i saw a self declared capital in iraq the armed group was defeated them more than

eighteen months ago and people are now beginning to return to what's left of the city child stretford reports from mosul. a beauty salon in eastern mosul business as usual and one of several to open in the city since i so was forced out almost two years ago before that women here court wearing makeup or not covering their faces would be whipped seventy times we didn't have beauty salons when i sold ruled the muscle but after they were defeated the beauty business had become popular again it's a sign of overcoming ourselves indoctrination. life on the surface at least may be returning to normal in the east of the city but just two kilometers away it's a very different world. this is western mosul what used to be the old city where i still fighters put up their last stand last year international donors pledged around thirty billion dollars in loans and investment to help rebuild the

devastated parts of iraq including mosul but the results are slow in coming. it's been more than year to haul off since victory over eisel was declared here and there is very little sign of reconstruction having started yet there are daily reports of isis supporters and fights is trying to recruit in areas they wants controlled the territorial battle against i still may be over but the ideological battle goes on. one of the reasons i still was able to take root in mosul and vost swathes of iraq's sunni heartland in the west and north of the country was because of what the sunni community said was neglect discrimination and often violence by repeated shia led government but all suffered terrible atrocities under isis rule shia christians use e.-d. and sunni alike according to iraq's national security adviser eisel is already

trying to reorganize and has increased its activities in parts of north and western iraq iraqi security forces continue to arrest members of what they describe as i sold sleeper cells in recent months i still is reported to have kidnapped and murdered dozens of people it's accused of cooperating with iraqi security forces and they have been countless attacks by i saw on iraqi soldiers and members of the various pro iran armed groups that were at the forefront of the fight against eisel the local government in mosul says they are taking measures against any attempt to spread isis message. in a call i have ordered for unified friday sermons in all mosques in the in of a province hocussed on counteracting i saw an ideology and highlighting the atrocities committed by them and how people should work together to overcome the remnants of isolates culture at the place where baghdadi declared himself kalif of

isis so cool caliphate in two thousand and fourteen officials lead plaque marking the start of a five year project to rebuild the annuity mosque. but iraqis their leaders and governments around the world know it will take more than just reconstruction to defeat on schools or ideas and finally this week in the northern philippines a program to build a dam on a river told sacred by a tribe has been met by fierce opposition the reservoir is supposed to secure water supply from the capital manila but as general allen duggan reports from the sierra madre mountains and turn a tribal leaders say it will destroy their way of life. they will forest is steeped in legend and with the arrival of tourists and modern living the people struggle to be heard which is why they insist on practicing their age

old customs no matter how out of place they may seem. the cully war river is sacred for the dumaguete they have been praying here for centuries. a new government project is threatening to take it away. this ecosystem is our life our livelihood this is our home and we would like to fight for it the people are coming together to speak up so that everyone will know that this land belongs to us we inherited this from our ancestors. the philippine government wants to build a seventy meter high water reservoir here this placing not only the people but also endangered species in the forest that plan threatens to obliterate a way of life here that is centuries old the multimillion dollar project partially funded by the chinese government is expected to ensure water security for the

capital manila by damming the river. experts say you water sources are needed millions of filipinos don't have access to clean safe and reliable water supply is the asian development bank among others is warning the philippines it is likely to face a water crisis within the next few years threatening not only drinking water shortages in towns and cities but in heavily dependent agricultural communities to . this program that. in the works for. over forty we have been dialogue with people in public even in the cases we will see the the whole field of the people except that there are certain things that. despite the assurances opposition remains because of the destruction of the fragile ecosystem here. i think it's not worth it because we

have other means to supply water to metro manila there are several in them expansion is sharing magri mountain mention that can only be seen in the philippines so the first effect of the kind of a watershed is the death of those species it is a tough balance and as government looks for solutions there may be lessons that can be learned from indigenous tribes for centuries they were able to survive and live in harmony with nature without destroying it. for this week if you'd like to comment on anything that you've seen you can tweet me. or you can drop us a life counting the cost that i was. dressed as always there's plenty more for you all. see that takes you straight to our page and there you'll find reports links even episodes. but that's it for this edition of the cost.

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i wrote my this in and this is the news our live from doha coming up in the next sixty minutes sudan's president declares a state of emergency and dissolves the government after months of protests calling for him to step down. the tense standoff between venezuela's president nicolas maduro and the opposition over eight turns deadly. the power struggle turns to music with wyvil concerts on either side of the venezuela colombia border and broken machines and rejected and long lines concerns remain on the eve of nigeria's presidential election. sudan's president omar al bashir has declared a year long state of emergency following two months of nationwide protests against

his thirty year rule the demonstrations began in december over a rise in the cost of bread and fuel but they soon widened to include demands that al bashir steps down activists have accused the military and the police of using excessive force against protesters they say at least sick. people have been killed and hundreds have been detained since the rallies began in his speech al bashir admitted that sudan is going through a difficult phase in its history and it was spawned his push for changes to the constitution that could have allowed him to seek a third term in office but protesters aren't satisfied the main opposition group says it plans to keep demonstrating until al bashir resigns. reports. for months people in sudan have been taking to the streets. sparked frank anomic crisis have demanded that the country's president and al bashir and says decade long rule and step down after seeming to find for weeks on friday president bashir

made an announcement that reflected how much the protests have shaken the government or a fight. for any already that. i declare the following to impose a state of emergency for one year to dissolve the national unity government to dissolve the provincial governments and we will continue to take measures to implement what i have resolved our country requires us to stand together it demands us to remain united patient and tolerant i am certain we will be an example to follow. according to says dance constitution a state of emergency would allow security forces to arrest this deemed as a threat to the country and its political and economic stability a need government will be formed which the president says will be working on fixing the economy as he called for dialogue some say his announcements are far from what those who've been demonstrating want to see. your finger the demonstrations are

likely to continue in defiance of mistaken variances for two reasons they cannot make situation is not going to improve and the demonstrations are basically based on economic hashes so it's not just for him to say come down let's have dialogue when people are hungry and economic situation has not been addressed so that the most asians are likely to continue regardless of their status from agency. al bashir has ruled for nearly three decades he came to power in a bloodless military coup in one thousand nine hundred nine ever throw in a democratically elected government since twenty twelve anti-government protests grew ever rising costs security forces responded each time using tear gas and live ammunition hundred start the protests that started in december last year have become the longest wave of anti-government demonstrations since the country's independence with

a state of emergency declared protests may be harder to sustain and al bashir may have found a way to end the biggest challenge to his presidency barbara and al jazeera. at least two people have been killed after a venezuelan security forces opened fire on people trying to cross the border into brazil several others were injured during the scramble to bring foreign aid into venezuela after president nicolas maduro closed the border on thursday on the colombian side the power struggles become a battle of the bands rival concerts are being held on both sides the one in colombia was organized by the british billionaire richard branson on the one dubbed hands off venezuela by in nicolas maduro the concerts or all about the showdown over foreign aid the opposition's calling saturday d.-day when they hope to transfer that aid into venezuela the country's economic collapse as led to widespread shortages of medicine and food. all those doing concerts to place at the

same time just a few hundred meters apart venezuelan opposition leader one quiet go across the border to near the colombian city of kuta he sat in the front row for the concert which supported his calls and featured dozens of luck the american stars while on the other side mcdougal's government began staging a three day festival to oppose any foreign help and we've got reporters in either side of the venezuela colombia border on the sun to jump yetis in kuta we're going to be speaking to him in just a few minutes first let's go to the sea and human who's in tin dss on the venezuelan side see it tell me more about what's been happening with the concert where you are. yes or no rog we are in that on that the indeed that's our binational bridge right directly behind me is the stage that die in this battle of the bands it if the top of out if you can gauge its success or not by the number of people haven't turned out by the infield yeah some of the crowds and very clearly president not little hands off venezuela concert is losing that battle and

quite dismally i would say there are very very few people here are in the case are all day long i would say less than a thousand although a short while ago a clash load of people a lot of supporters from a cadillac ass frame design something like a fourteen hour trip here if more than eight hundred kilometers to try to fill the ranks here but a disappointing turnout indeed here for president my little concert while thousands and thousands of venezuelans from this part of the city of the of the border rather spent the morning crossing over into google of that which is directly behind me to listen to the concert where alexander is right now which is still going on we're going to be talking to on a sunday as i said just in a in a few moments but let me ask you about the incidents that happened on the border between venezuela and brazil what more do we know about what happened there yes. probably know that they've been long indians who have autonomy in that part of the

country it's a very very poor rural area right on the border with brazil they are actually they form an indigenous guard which is supposed to also be the authority there that supersedes the authority of the national guard or the venezuelan police but they tried to stop apparently two armored cars from the national guard that were trying to make their way to the border to block the entrance so that you managed to get this aid to food and medicine that on the other side could not come over on saturday when opposition leader why don't give the go ahead and that's when the confrontation began had least two people as you said were killed we understand that five of the injured made their way into a road i'm on the brazilian side on the border where they were able to get better health better first aid to tend to their wounds but a short while ago the foreign minister of venezuela jorge r.e.x.x. spoke saying that he believed that this was a show and in fact it casts some doubt as to whether the bullets that were fired really did belong to the national guard he said there were even some some bows and

arrows had been fired but we have actually no independent confirmation of that thanks very much indeed i want to bring in the sun to run. as we've been talking about the opposition leader why though is that the concert where you are how significant is his presence there. very significant and a big surprise nobody was expecting him at the concert and nobody was expecting him to cross into that's because by doing so he is now in bio lation the band from leaving the country that was issued by in this well and supreme court following a request on part of the country's attorney general so it's a major surprise nobody among the press among the organ among many. in the organization as well if they had no idea that this was going to happen he crossed

on a bridge a couple of hours away from here and was picked up by and then. government and he arrived together with the president of colombia. and we'll have to see now if he's going to speak to the crowd of more than two hundred thousand people that as you see i was saying many of them are young men this way instead of cross the into colombia for this concert and many are considering or have a ready to sleep on the colombian side and participate in the. action to try and move the aid into venezuela early on saturday. or as we were mentioning before the opposition is calling. for the movement of what is the atmosphere like it must be getting pretty tense particularly given what's been happening on the border with brazil as well. but we've spoken to

a number of people who were at the concert they sold that they were enjoying themselves but they were worried about tomorrow but they were also sure that nobody could stop them especially if there is a huge amount of people some of them didn't know what had happened and the border between venezuela and. the communications were pretty much fell apart at the concert most people weren't able to use their phones for example so at least for now they feel they were feeling empowered and excited by all of their heroes truly all these american spending musicians grammy award winners that they had never seen before that they were singing for them for a change in their country so right now i think the excitement and the overwhelming worry and attention for what could happen on saturday just for you to know also

a city was set up by the you are getting station the concert for tauzin or more of these young men this one is to sleep on the colombian site and participate in this action on saturday morning we are expecting though that will speak to a rally the troops sort of speak for this action on saturday and sandra thank you very much indeed. ok let's get more now on that situation at the border with brazil where venezuelan troops are following my daughter's order to block the front tier despite this the opposition has said it will bring aid in any way the moves angered people trying to get into venezuela who accuse president maduro of ordering his troops to enact a heavy handed crackdown. yard over the nobody and we want him to open the border so that humanitarian aid can and they're killing people the order they have is to kill people look at them the order that the president the dictator gave is to kill people all over the u.s.

venezuela's foreign minister is holding talks at the united nations george met the u.n. secretary general antonio could see it as who's pushing for negotiations to end the crisis here only held meetings with diplomats from countries which supports models government including russia and north korea let's go to washington d.c. now and manuel apolo what's being said in these meetings by the foreign minister. the foreign minister who did call on this meeting he's been in new york city at u.n. headquarters since thursday he met today for a bilateral meeting with secretary general with. the spoke about the venezuela crisis very broadly but this meeting is taking place one day after the secretary general met with u.s. secretary of state might pump a zero according to the venezuelan foreign ministry this was a meeting a bilateral meeting aimed at deepening the cooperation between the government of nicolas modal and the united nations but it was also an opportunity for the

venezuelan delegation to hold an informal meeting with those forty six countries you mentioned some of those including russia china iran.