slitted council will have no pro-democracy representation. since the former british colony return to china, 997. half of the city's 70 member legislature is directly elected by the public with the other half chosen by industry groups. the departure of the democratic politicians close is one of the main avenues for opposition voices in the hong kong government. they've got palin, al-jazeera hong kong. what you have to 0 with means the whole roman, a reminder of our top stories, the coronavirus death toll continues to mount in europe. the u.k. has reported 595 deaths in 24 hours, while 623 new fatal attorneys were recorded in italy. restrictions are being reimposed in several states also across the united states, where more than 130000 cases were confirmed on choose day. the u.s.

state of georgia has announced that it will be recounting all votes by hand, which were requested by the truck campaign. president elect joe biden secured the election without georgia, but he's also leading the by just over 14000 votes. the current margin, stan said 13001 of them between the president and senator biden, vice president biden. my office will continue to invest the group in every instance of illegal voting. that will bring their own rolling over to, you know, if you play it, we were investigated. every illegal vote will count. so we'll be counting every single piece of paper every single ballot, every single, lawfully cast legal ballot. libya is expected to hold elections within the next 18 months. the deal was agreed. joining us back political talks in tunisia,

talks will now focus on a new transitional government to oversee the run up to the elections. a military operation in northern ethiopia is threatening to spill over the country's borders. prime minister ahmed ordered the offensive in the grey region last week, accusing local forces of attacking a military base. since then several 1000 people have fled to neighboring sudan. thousands of taken to the streets improves capital a day after president martin vis. car was kicked out of office, replaced by the former head of congress. demonstrators see the move as a coup. reno was sworn in as interim president on tuesday and became peru's 3rd leader in 4 years. for those stories on our website at al-jazeera dot com, it's updated through the day next on al-jazeera. it's counting the cost and back in half an hour to stay with us. frank assessments, if american public opinion is betrayed by social media platforms after november. what would be good for us is if you believe that there are corrosive to our

democracy. one obvious solution is to break the most informed opinions because don't go anywhere. the protesters aren't going anywhere. either example of the revolution in-depth analysis of the day's global headlines. who is it that's really out there on the street inside story on al-jazeera? i there i'm good, but al this is counted because on al-jazeera go look at the world of business and economics this week the end of austerity, the ideology of collective punishment decimating the weakest in society for the economic mismanagement and crimes of the rich and powerful to be consigned to history. while the international monetary fund warns of

a rise in inequality due to the pandemic, one leading charity says the lender of last resort is still dishing out loans that require countries to hack back at public services. commerce before politics, despite u.s. and european opposition, germany pushes ahead with a gas pipeline that cement its dependence on russia, but also increases germany's dominance of the rest of europe. on a country's finances are in a mess, and the lender of last resort needs to step in a bailout comes with conditions, mostly draconian, austerity measures. but governments have also been known to implement them for ideological reasons. the international monetary fund has recognized that maybe austerity is not the best course of action, and it can in fact, make matters worse with bad damage. the i.m.f. now says governments should spend, spend, spend, and not worry about the finances until a recovery is embedded. some would say the death of austerity should not be mourned . why? well, let's take a look at,

a few case studies from recent history. under the i.m.f., european central bank and european union bail out, greece had to take an axe to public spending. the people of greece paid a heavy price. seeing an increase in child mortality is health care spending was slashed from almost 10 percent to 2008, to 8 percent in 2017. the troika had wanted spending to fall to 6 percent. the unemployment rate remains shockingly high of 17 percent last year,, and the country has yet to pay off its debts. $21.00 i.m.f., administered bailouts, have done little to spark tina's economy into life. for the past 3 years, the economy has been in recession and the pandemic will take another huge bite out of the country. economy minister, martin boozman, has blamed the i.m.f. austerity measures for the credit crisis. but argentina has managed to convince creditors to restructure 60 $5000000000.00 of debt and is now in talks with the i.m.f. about its $44000000000.00 loan. and after $141000000000.00 pounds,

bailout of the banks in 20082 years later, persons then finance minister george osborne, introduced austerity measures to reduce the budget deficit. the result was debt almost doubled to $1.00 trillion dollars. growth was anemic and the economy was $130000000000.00 smaller a decade later, more than 4000000 children, that's one in 4 lived in poverty, and more than 1000000, people were forced to use food banks. now there is a caveat. the end of austerity is mainly for advanced economies. her control of their own currencies and can raise money and the i.m.f. believe such countries should be able to stabilize their finances by the middle of the decade. well, joining me now via skype from london is phillip blond, a political thing can, and you can theologian and director of think tank reza publica. thank you for your, time. great to talk to you. this is interesting advice, isn't it? from the i.m.f., the advice to spend to save lives and to keep the economy going. but that is

a huge change in contrast from the financial crisis in 2000. knight, isn't it? yeah, it reminds me of john ruskin's very framus english critic of the monsoon. so great, and he said there is no where out launce. i think that's true. the fundamental right? of all the economy if you will, is to allow life to flourish. but if there is no, there is no way out then. what is the last hurrah, your father's choice is really saying the calling, the old saying lies, have the wealth, the country banks protected our economy, all those that have best protected human life. so when they need to come from asia

bold, it's not just a bill or a factory, a countries like china, japan, south korea, i well come from words in the intro with our every one of these great wellness brands, i will find the good side. what i'm striking from the i.m.f. is always to understand the. 5 whole developing that should this you austerity as a response to the carotid artery? that seems like a nice, sensible is the say. and really what i think they should be doing. and i suspect they all sankey, creating problems to allow them to call if we need to spend as well because it's impacting is how getting struck, creating this invitation for the people to stay, not down. but just the idea, frank approach to preventing viral spread,

that we say save the economy, is something we're going to talk to. the interim director of oxfam international about a little later in the program. but i want to come back to this advice for advanced economies, at least to spend, spend, spend. this is just mean that we're going to see an increase in debt and deficits, which just 12 months ago would have been think about well, you know, there are different ways you, i think create stat mole if you are you a card a prop. so along the supply chain, so you can just take contracts. economists call the fishes, that truck, things thing that say buy fuel, you know what back to increasing if you're the fabless to confirm that. and i think birds spending route is

a good instruction. so essentially keep things afloat because essentially these economies already the states of gravity, how i think about bringing back not destroying the euro and the experiences on the stations of supply chains. because essentially men step on to the problem is have that. so, and that's they support people in jobs through expending that have to support people. and for a while, the system, we know from over the mountains of data that people find it very, very hard. the longer they're in route for assistance, the farms back and the labor market back evaporating called life support so that there's enough business cooperatives to bounce back as quickly as you found. and i think, i think. ringback back really imperative, but if you fancy i know your whole population should the laboratory are employed

with sobriety, that's essentially diminishes the possibility for recovery further down the road. so is this in a sense? i think you are actually spending money to prevent race assassinates. let's talk about the u.k. for a minute. it was also introduced austerity for what critics to made with purely ideological reasons, to sort of shrink the state and cut public services. now a decade on, you know, the number of people using food banks has risen to $1200000.00 according to the trussell trust. i mean, so what does that say? is it just the vulnerable then who suffer? what's interesting in developed this reference rate, it's the only popular trunk shall we say is this prevents them instead of in the west and well for the past. sort of a sane, sweeping alliances in the developed world. how about the whacking plots in the

developing world? so if you do a distribution of who's the benefits of marriage that i suppose it's, it's, there is in the way i think class it is about a thing where they settle on the same people are actually the working classes in the west and haven't really benefited from good the soul and the brackets of the many during times of stack and so forth. so what they send me is we introduced a stair of a, into a system where these people are highly vulnerable anyway. after nobody can security is done with a team of lawyers and you know, you can tell americans are and i'm not have a business that people are not stable the poor that all i'm back create the the conditions for puppets. and i think the short sellers for my all in the

show actually it was very attractive because a price in the british that very last time said that we didn't say anything like for exactly that or so in the same boat. but it went on too long, it was articulate on the academic idea. for god, i dassent state the local state. so all councils and all public services are essentially become defined by and they did not have a bassman in them to enable them. but that which i think is the sharing by differing virus crisis status to attenuate that we'll have to leave it there. thank you so much for your time there for the phone to be presented. thank you. now while the i.m.f. says, countries do not need to introduce austerity measures or any kind of belt

tightening, according to oxfam, the majority of the loans extended by the lender during the pandemic will require some cuts to public spending and that could force some countries to cut public health care, pensions and jobs such as doctors and teaches well for madrid. there joins me now via skype. jim a is the interim executive director for oxfam international. we really appreciate your time this things unfair, right? if you're an advanced economy and you're already doing ok, you can spend, spend, spend, the i.m.f. says it will be fine. but if you're already struggling, belt tightening will come and things could get worse. it will not work, it will not work for the people. i mean, overseas are just found that 84 percent of the 91 they and their colleagues, 1000 loans and polish, and some cases it won't require countries to a lot, talks are the measures in aftermath of the health crisis is a thanks, at least, 767 lower middle income countries from the u.s.

to $25.00 or 70 measures could include cuts, public services including wage freezes, cats, the public sector. workers like doctors and nurses. it includes increases in value of the taxes which apply to every they call it seeing food, household soup, soup lies and full disproportionally young women in the poorest parts of the population thinking human terms. i mean, just when people think they can brief us or somebody, they could be losing their access to health care for themselves or their children or resing income support having over the last jobs. so it doesn't work for the poor people for the most vulnerable people and for the poorest countries. and the i.m.f. itself has been warning of rising inequality has been warning of rising poverty that many countries are dependent on international investors for money, right? i mean, how does that work? now he's 2 sides off there, off of the going on the one side. it seems like the is the i.m.f.

just 2 faces research and sometimes the executive that director are saying the right things or 2 countries doing in terms of what they should be doing today. i mean, the n.f.l. is saying a standard spend spend it has been calling for an inclusive, real recall. sounded the alarm bells on inequality peaking and saying that, and then we were saying it's, i mean the i.m.f. has strong research about that. and yours awful stary, we find we command these, these sort of research and analyses, but then comes the unethical practices. and as you say, i mean, countries need money and they need even more money now because of their often, their inks and the consequence. and so when it comes to the county by county practices, we are seeing that loans, i mean, is so far away from their works. and the i.m.f. is very influential if they want to commission more requests into those last and

they will be how they asked soon, are we begin to see the end of all of that underneath it will exacerbate they now find the across the world and who as we pay that price, we have to see different ways. i mean, we have to honor this research on the consequences of the conclusions that you cause. and we definitely countries need money. now, where should we call it? should come from that cancellation during the pandemic prime's. there is still too many countries that are paying more input that service than what, for example, we are spending in their health care. it has come from 8th revenge bent of a commitments to their open seat. 0.7 percent of the of the g.d.p. that is 50 years now of it and it's not there except for a few countries. and the i.m.f. could do more. i mean, they could go further and block and block these way. they harvest off issuing a special drawing rights form of global currency that can be pumped into the global

. busy economy in times of, of me because i don't need now, i'm equally sure even 3 feet really i'm off the special drawing rights which all i am a member countries will be able to access, we felt having to repay. so there are ways of doing it that are not longs we conditions. ok, if that is what you think the i.m.f. could do. what about the international community? what about the private sector? what should it be? killing, you know, seeing in that signing, if, if you think about, generally speaking about the international community, they should be agreeing and going further in debt cancellation. this is schemes they have done something but is not close to what should be should be done, because they should include also that from or buying control from other movie that there are creditors and they should include also private sector. i mean, it's really outrageous that now precisely in incoming times i am,

but i did lenders have not been brought into any kind of these g 20 deals for that cancellation, as most of the governments have done. so poor countries are continuing to repay their debts to reach banks and hedge funds even now. so you have this situation were some of the world's richest and biggest creditors and for terms on their shareholders are cashing in checks. when people in their distressed countries are lacking the basic public services health care right now, a seriously ill should mean canceling all debt payments. all rich countries would level institutions, but also for private creditors. like ok, i've got we've got time for one more. i just want to bring this back to the reality of what this all means for people who are already struggling for knives and fanaa lee hoods, right, because people are going to be impacted by this. i mean,

all of our research also also shows how you got to anyone, 64 countries, countries including kenya or pakistan or some where they were already spending more of on repayments than in health care. because the before the pandemic hit them, or part of our research to find how far it's only 22 per cent of the global workforce. who has any kind of social protection in such as sick leave or unemployment protection. even if it doesn't change the full economic system and the writing, it's now taxed wages. what we will be seeing is that vid, this time, we are thinking that even 500000000 people could go into poverty because of the pandemic and its consequences. it will even the words, so it has, it needs

a full shift. if we are thinking about the most of our most impact that by the pandemic, that such those that are not only using lives but their livelihoods too. ok, we'll have leave it there. thank you so much for your time that instead of there, there, the interim executive director for oxfam international. we appreciate it fast. the pleasure now, can you dealing commercial deals from politics? well, that's what germany is hoping to do with the controversial nord stream pipeline that will bring in gas from russia to europe's biggest economy. that's despite the latest sanctions from the united states that take aim at russian pipe playing vessel academic ski, which is attempting to complete the last 147 kilometers of construction. but the net has already said it won't bow to u.s. pressure not to go ahead with the project, despite making it more dependent on russia for the supply of energy,

which washington believes is a security threat. even the poisoning of russian opposition leader, alexina valley, which many thought may be a reason for berlin to give up on the project, has been brushed aside. some of germany's own neighbors have imposed their own sanctions. poland, find russia's state controlled gas giant gazprom, 6500000000 euros for going ahead with the construction of the nord stream to pipeline without securing its approval. we're joining me now via skype from berlin is europe for break. york is a senior fellow and director for central and eastern europe at the german marshall fund of the united states. really good to talk to you. so the u.s. keeps imposing sanctions. poland has issued its own penalties. i mean, is there anything that would make change its mind when it comes to russia being such a great energy? i think we have to step back a little bit on this question. because if you see the situation from germany,

from the perspective of the german government and also german business, then russia and previously soviet union have always been very reliable. and the department's going back almost half a century. so from that sense, germany is proceeding very rationally and pursuing a very strong energy partnership with, with russia. what the german debate's tends to fade out, however, is that russia also moves this energy as a political weapon against its neighbor as accounts of apartness. and this is a point that's typically underestimated here in germany, for as long as the country and its debates, decouples, economic and energy questions from those political and security questions relating to russia. this decision to go for a strong partnership with russia is not going to be not going to be a rigorous unfortunately. what today and this is what i struggle to understand is

that the pipeline will be on the used to mean the existing pipeline has huge capacity, which is already on the you. so what's this about? is this about geopolitical troop? well, this is really in the 1st place, geo political tool that russia voice, you know, the pipeline capacity that is in place is fully sufficient to provide europe with russian troll gas supplies. russia over the last years has been relatively flat and there's no way that patient would be a massive growth in volume. so what we really have here is the diversification by russia of the pipeline that sparked the creation of redundancies . that would then make it possible to shift volumes from one pipeline to another. wherever russia wants to puts pressure on specific transport, transit countries such as ukraine. so this is really a strategy of diversifying and expanding pipeline capacity in order to be able to

use that for political pressure in the future. there were some outside of germany who thought that the poisoning of opposition leader alexina valley may force the chancellor angela merkel to change her thinking on this. what is her account collation here? do you think there really was debates that started in the summer here in germany, whether or not in response to the poisoning of alec saying that our new best should be a priest a cause perhaps even the council ation of north stream to pipeline project. there seemed to be quite some momentum. there were many senior policymakers, including from chancellor merkel's party who demand that this would be the appropriate response. and even the chancellor at some stage herself, seem to indicate that this is not only a commercial project as she has maintained for many years, but also one that has a strong pullets for that. and now unfortunately,

this discussion has not gone and gone any further. the momentum seems to have seemed to fade in the meantime, and there's no indication at this stage. that's the chancellor and her government. it would take measures against those projects. what i can really only do is speculate here why this is why this is the case. in my opinion, in germany as acting responsibly unilaterally in this context, that basically rhetorical are always stresses that has to be a european approach to energy policy, to energy security. but when it comes to this particular project, germany is clearly acting unilaterally and very selfishly selfishly, in my opinion. unfortunately, bats impression is not, has not gone away and it's not being by and by the german government anytime soon. 18 countries, 18 european countries have opposed this project. it's only going as far as saying

this increases germany's power in europe. doesn't it? well, it does in the way, because it shows that a large and influential country like germany does get away with unilateral decisions, even though gallants a overwhelming majority of the partners who are opposed to this project. plus a number of countries like ukraine that point themselves outside of the bar, but are very close european partners. at the same time, i think that this project is also one that would obviously put germany into a much stronger position as an energy heart in europe. would put that in a different and more competitive position than europeans energy market. so there are, there are a number of aspects that will increase german german power and influence here at the same time what is popular in the minds amongst europeans. this project has

a very stark divide between germany and especially central and eastern european partners in the european union and beyond. and it will be very hard to mend the divides in the years to come if germany does not change its on this controversial project. ok, thank you so much for your perspective, your analysis from berlin, europe for a quick. thank you. and that is that show for this week to get in touch with us by tweeting me at camperdown and do you use the hash tag? a, j, c, d c, when you do or drop us an email county because al-jazeera dot net is an hour and to us. but there's more for you online it down to 0 dot com slash c.t.c. . that will take you straight to our page, which has individual reports, links, and type episodes for you catch up. and that is it for this edition of counting because some came down from the home team. thanks for joining us. news on al-jazeera is next.

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