moscow struck a deal this week to buy twitter are really focused around the rendezvous which will dock later this evening. actually at 815 p. m. eastern time. this is the fastest launch to doc that we've done. it's about the same time it takes to go from new york to singapore, so it's kind of interesting. check out our website, you can find out much more. they are at al jazeera dot com. ah, very quick reminder now of our stories on al jazeera, russia has threatened to cut off gas the more european countries after turning off the tops to poland and bulgaria over their refusal to pay and roubles, they use accused the kremlin of using energy to blackmail countries. supporting ukraine. european gas prices shut off by as much as 24 percent already. russian president vladimir putin has warned that any countries attempting to interfere in

ukraine will receive a swift military response. if anyone would want to interfere with what's happening in ukraine now from the outside, they have to know rushes response will be swift and fast. we have all sorts of tools that the west cannot obtain, and we will not post of our weapons, but we will use them if need be. and i want everyone to know that i should voices of continued to pound the last no stronghold of ukrainian forces. and mary will pull thousands of fighters and civilians are still hold up in the agile style still works were conditions said to be growing more dire. the city official says air strikes on the pond haven't ceased despite putin declaring on tuesday, that there are no military operations on the way in the besieged city. the cleaning officials called the situation in maryville for a humanitarian catastrophe. with about 100000 people trapped in the city, russian forces suffice, tear gas and some grenades that protested in the southern ukrainian city of care.

some people have been rallying against what they're calling a sham referendum. ukraine says russia is planning to hold a stage vote in the region to show popular support for the creation of a russian back republic. with carson has been occupied by russian troops since early on in the conflict with ukrainians holding regular demonstrations against their presence. there have been a series of explosions in the russian city of belgrade, that's near the border with ukraine. the regional governor says a fire at an ammunition devil was extinguished and no civilians were injured. the top you creating official described it as, quote karma from all schools invasion earlier this month. russia accuse ukraine of attacking a fuel therefore, also in belgrade are fully up to date. those are current headlines to stay with us. the stream is next, looking. sure long because economic emergency will be back a bit later. bye bye. ah

thought i anthony. ok. you're watching the stream on today's episode. how bad is the economic crises in sri lanka? but testers continue to call for the resignation. ultra lancoste government and fuel prices are going up through price is going up. what happens when a country runs out of money? that is a question that you can ask on youtube. i comment section is live right now. you can put your comments, your thoughts into the comment section. i be part of today's chef. i'm grazing an unprecedented political and economic crisis. where meets long for case crush re

lung have demanded for the resignation of president vote had the right spots. if i'm east or not in the raj and a change in government and governance needs demands lead to the most rigorous english. not the cabinet if you need to go and a new cabinet being pointed by the demands remain that the president and the prime minister need to go on and it has to be changed that our conversation today may now hoshevely have good to have. 03. if you with us from lanka, renelle, please introduce yourself to our audience around the world. i michelle fernandez. i work as a correspondent for algebra here, aiden colombo in sri lanka, but i've been in the media reporting on sherlock of for over 20 years now. thank you so much for bring your expertise to us. how shall welcome back to the stream. good to see. remind our audience who you are and what you do. i said the sierra member man opposition in sri lanka to have to enter had

a welcome to the stream. cuz introduce yourself type international audience. i'm john kara, i'm the executive director of the national peace council, which is the piece building and you which focuses on addressing the issues of ethnicity and really been which had divided out people for the last several decades . going back to independence and even beyond looking forward to hearing more from them to have. i'm just thinking, ha ha, and me now. how many protests have you been to in the last month? how pretty think all day. how say you stopped? well actually i'm taking a break today because we started a protest walk of 117 kilometers. and i actually walked so and dean kilometers yesterday with the bach 8000 people. and that's gathering momentum. and by the 1st

of may, we probably would have 100000 people congregate in into the city asking that is asking for the resignation of the president and prime minister. now i know reporting on those protests regularly. what can you tell us about the wave a form of who is in them? what are people asking for? i think they've been sort of building in terms of numbers in terms of regularity. i've literally, for the last 2 or 3 weeks, almost every single day been on the road, been on the field covering this protest, listening to what people have to say. there's not just like harsh political parties that sort of leading matches it is. it is basically workers, private sector workers, the fishermen, there are teachers, there are trade unionists from all the health workers and that basically an

amalgamation of ordinary citizens. there was another political party, the national people power coalition that also did a similar. busy march for 3 days from down south. and there was a phenomenal crowd and very much when you looked at those who had come, there will mothers, you know, holding their 2 kids hand with a backpack because they've been walking for the 3 days. there were old really old people who had sort of, you know, probably become pensioners and was struggling given the current economic situation, the country. so that is the one sector of people. then of course, there's the ongoing, sort of sit in the demonstration and protests outside the president's office, which we're seeing at the unit 19 did the people are not moving. it was, you know, set up and then talked about and tried to be sort of this by the government as you know, young people having fun. some people described it as a beach body, but it's

a 19 day beach party then. and the resilience of those young people is, is, is quite something to, to look at. and i'm just thinking, you know, executive director of the national peace council, she lanka, are you seeing peaceful change happening because of these protests or can predict that it will happen because these protest peacefully you know, what has been quite remarkable about what's happening is, is the peacefulness because and the involvement of youth and this, because most of those who are protesting and demonstrating from the civil society are you. and they are the ones who have been leading the purchase. especially the ones that you know, talked about outside the president's office. these young people in the past, we saw them as sort of radicals and as wide and potentially wind. and we have had

in our country, our 2 major youth in the insurrection, by the thing, her least, a marxist type of insurrection. that was, that were born in 71971, and another one in 108880 9. and then the terminal insurrection that took place, that also was made by young people. but this fun and the very violent, this one is extremely peaceful so far, despite the fact that there had been attempts to provoke while then. but the, but the, basically the people involved in it have issued violence. and the really very happy about this. of course, you can trust journalists to find that the incident was the, there was a feel protest and somebody died at that fuel protest. i'm going to bring you in just in just a moment because you reported on that death that tragedy. first, let's hear a little bit if you're reporting and then please come to the back of it and help us understand in the context of the protest is an unusual situation that happened with

that man died protesting about the fuel hikes. let's have a list and have a look. coming the luck, john was shot by police on tuesday during a fuel shortage protest. a friend of the 42 year old father of 2 explains what he saw bicycling under. under that i saw him running after trying to retrieve his bicycle, made it worse than the policeman shot at it. he fell on the ground and then i saw the same policeman chasing people and firing a senior officer was telling them to keep firing and they did it on their feet of luck. john was the family's men bred una, his wife brown, guinea, and 2 genie geron are in shock. lima, lima, delicate, with their hands. are there now? i'll be waiting till justice is done for what happened to my husband me. i don't know if that'll happen, but it should in a sunday, the rights of a day. what happened to me mustn't happen to another person is so as you saw, i mean that was the wife of charming, the locks on the victim who died due to police gunfire. now there had been

a sort of a stand off and for hours there were hundreds of protest around a fuel station. basically in rumble cannot wear this incident happened. and they had been demanding fuel. they've been getting angrier and angrier. these were sort of daily. busy wage and people that needed fuels for the lower east. in fact, i'm in the locker room with a guy who ran the lory. he hides out, he used to take foliage and food to the close by elephant of an age. so he needed that laurie moving so for 4 days, apparently his family tells us he was waiting for fuel and he was unable to get it, which means obviously on the other end, he was not making a living for those 4 days. and ultimately he and hundreds of people sort of surrounded this fuel station. they've been promised that fuel was coming that about was coming. finally, when the bows that came, it came late and there was basically

a fuel hike that within those few hours. and the people were really, really angry because they said we've been waiting for so long. and this is very sort of, it seems to be on purpose and they just want us to be more for the fuels. so that's kind of up tensions all the more police game in the police spokesman tells us that the crowd was told several times to disperse. they didn't listen to gas was fired. and then the police and the authorities have repeatedly claimed this is a claim that lots of the protests have completely dismissed and rejected. the police say that there will protest those who are trying to set fire to the fuel about which the we've been waiting for. so long that the last thing we want to do, and that's what happened there. if i jump in here, i mean, look, i mean, the police, according to reports, used 65 rounds of live ammunition and they said they were using minimum force. obviously that cannot be a spokesman, clarified and said it was $35.00 rounds,

but i do feel like the right. because i guess from that that, that the main point i wanted to, to just really emphasize was, is this unusual? because when i said to jazz that largely these protests a peaceful, it was just a tragic outcome for that man and his family and every life matters. obviously, of course, i'm not sure that that is how all of the protests are being viewed and treated by the police. let me just move on now here. what the problem here was at least for the one for a while in exactly the the people were not while the police were violent a point. and in fact, in a, in a remarkable shaw of bird judicial independence given the circumstances that de delivery has no, it said that the, the police officer involved should be arrested and they should and they should be investigated. now, i mean, what we feel is that there is a part that there is an element within the government that in fact wants to provoke

violence and be seen in some of the demonstrations that took place. that they are both acts of violence which are not clearly those of the demonstrators, but maybe from outside people coming in. and they can go that let's get, let's get back to the root of why people are actually protesting. anyway, and that is because of the economic crisis. food is scarce and expensive. fuel is very expensive. we try to get the finance minister shall anchor to be on the program. we actually reached out to the coverage administration and we tried really, really hard. we were very close, but as you can see, they didn't say yes, but i do have a comment here from the finance minister, ali sabri, who did a press conference recently. and he was saying, sorry, apologizing for the economic chaos that she'll anchor is in right now. have a listen right now. what is embarked, mr. gotta be but, and restore their supply lines. and then they don't deserve the kind of hardship

they do. they undergo your understand it's heartbreaking for us to see that. and we have come here to find a solution. and again, i must apologize that we have to put them through these hardships. not only i, our problem is, has been an accumulation of the problems of the policies, but successive governments in this country. ha ha. i know you up to date with these, these are serious. wanted, go ahead, natalie, and i'll get him on that. i was going to the finance minister speaking actually from washington where he has been a short few days ago to have discussions we ins, national funding. yes. about a bill or packaged. so he did that before he returned back to shall anchor. thank you very much for clarifying that. so there are talks of the i m f. the well bank is going to give shoreline to some money. india has been helping sri lanka, with money. china is negotiating a loans. this is

a very difficult situation that she and who is in ha, shout right now. if you could explain it for the man on the street, what would you say to them? i mean, it's funny that he says that the bond on the so, i mean, who created this. yeah, it's the trigger was a 2 parties. he has won no cutting taxes and then to banning the import of chemical fertilizer that created this problem all the collapse. but as you said correctly, the big problem that we have now is to obtain some bridging finance. yes, we have gone to the i m f, but to stop receiving money from them on what's called a and e f f r extended fund facility. it digs a big 6 to 7 months. at the minimum bare minimum i do that time, we need to make sure that people have food to eat,

medicine and fuel for which we don't seem to have a sufficient funds. so like you said, is we are reaching out to various countries, but i don't see money flowing in. india has helped us quite a bit of china has on the other hand said look, we are not going to be stuck sitting the lawns. and that's a conflict that has already got created between the government, the i m f, and negotiate those who will be appointed soon are put off of the one corridor. so one is that the 2nd issue, which is a sort of a fairly complex situation in the banking system that needs to be immediately addressed. and after that, of course, we need to go into what's called a macro stabilization program. i said anything other i want to know if i can go

shopping and if there's food in the shop. but i do understand that there's a more complex situation that has to be what town. this is what the part that i do understand how to differ nisa jumping in. so make sure that everybody is staying up with you. and if you have a look here, this is an out 0 had like she like it to suspend foreign debt payments. that means how to help me out, make sure that i've got this right, that a country can can no longer afford to pay the foreign debts because they have to pay for food and fuel. the important medicine important because that you need for your citizens in your country rather than paying down your debt. did i get that right kasha before i move on? yes, you did. and so we actually unilaterally suspended payment of board coupon and principal $2.00 oh, $4.00 in credit badges that ha ha, how a level of $1.00 to $10.10 is disaster. where are we? when you suspend at night, we are in my jobs because this is,

this is paula. select the default because some payments would be made, meaning trance or trade transactions would be centered. so only if banks are unable to me, great balance actions. we go from selected before it would be 4, which would then create further chaos because firms would not be able to purchase or import goods without paying cash up front hutcher. this is very serious . i'm going to bring it down to groceries level again, if i may, i'm going to bring in rashni a ra sake. rossi spoke just a little bit earlier about the situation when you're going grocery shopping. what is available to you in sri lanka? i'm gonna ask you a john to have a listen to rodney and then share your experiences as well as what is available. how difficult is it to survive right now a sri lanka, his rason festival, basic necessities already cost people standing in the were days to get get here is

the cooking and who will unfortunately, many people have died standing in the in addition to that, that shot the off maybe why plow milk and sugar not always available and create gas station have been released now and i'll have members all around the country have been working relentlessly like these. some of the good what i'd like to add to what drugs and fed is at the prices have w w sometimes. and people whose incomes have not had people are losing jobs because of the downturn in the economy. now the major problem for the gone, i mean, the real problem, the government is facing in terms of the, of the political thinking of people is that people think that government leaders

have stolen the money. that isn't because they have stolen the dollars. but we are facing this terrible foreign exchange crisis where we cannot buy food, the food that we need for our children. the milk milk powder, the fuel, the cooking gas a bit, they believe that is the government that's responsible and that's why they're also so angry. and they're not letting up on this because they think this government leaderships all the money and there's an element of truth in it. and also every month of evaluation, because i know, i think, said earlier on, this is a cumulative on the minister. this is a cumulative impact it's, it's come to us from the past. we have been living beyond the mean before to was really the kid and our living standards didn't drop. being hacked at the end of the war, we became so called up to middle income country. why? because we've a borrowing. and finally,

upon the came to an end where we couldn't repair, but it was a previous government, but the people are blaming this government and business to ship because of the property that lifestyle based, extravagant lives that rich people can see. and they believe they have stolen the mark. we now can i entities, somebody that we spoke to a little bit earlier, have a veteran politician from the shoreline can political scene carew. j. s. 3. he says that the count administration, they are not being serious about how to fix the situation. however, listened to career and then give us a sense of how people ensure lanka are affecting the count administration and what they want to happen now haven't the duration in the country, thousands reducing nobody and especially the government know cannot take me very seriously because that is a struggle at the moment and this is costing the quadra not not doing that and we

have a shortage of fuel. and so the other thing, so plus we had to look at the particular you can look at me and i used to be to be as is, or the medical, you know, things. i don't mean that good. i think the government i'm in so for a long, long time have had these sort of quick fixes. they've lost over the cracks and then sort of a soldier, dawn. and i think where mister jaceria was also referring to was a little bit of that element that they think they can make it up as they go along. if they manage to secure and fix this problem. even with the i m f with the bridge financing, they're seeking form sort of friendly countries from multilateral donors and all of that that it will kind of tied over as much as we had the finance minister, you know, making those comments that we heard. i think that the fact that the former speaker

was alluding to that you know, that they don't really, you know, they haven't really taken it seriously. and that is also a sort of a general. busy sort of a feeling that this government is so interested in sorting its own sort of future political sort of stability out that what's happening out to the men on the street is something that can be you know, sorted out and they can move on. so i think that is something that's of concern just to just to make one point in terms of one of your previous guests in terms of the food shortages and things like that. i think we're not in a situation where people have reached our vision point to be fair. it's not as if you go to the shop in the shops are empty. there are in an increasing number of people, obviously from the sort of the far more modest income groups, you know, daily region as that are finding it very difficult to buy stuff because sometimes things like milk powder, gas and what have you. you can just buy if you have,

you're at the right place at the right time and you have the money and that's been sort of costing more and more. but there are certain products, obviously which the government needs to put on foreign exchange like mid powder, like right now and things like that, which i began ask. yes, i'll go squeezing a little bit of youtube and then i'm going to go straight back to you hush, cuz i know you've got some thoughts and you can have the last thought in the show. so, this is prime minister, right? a pack sir. at, at, it's been muted, buying opposition parties in shall anchor, that they should be constitutional change of the president doesn't have at so much power in appointing prime ministers, ministers, except euro. and there is a push. the protest is, are asking for the current administration to step down. how did the prime minister address this is? have a look ma'am on us, you in there, but no, i will not was, i don't worry not. i could be search regularly,

but i won't resign. i shall go to share with you some thoughts from youtube. so cologne, i says, got to go home, talking about the current administration roger packs. your family has ruined sri lanka at the roger packs of family has so much to answer for a lot of pushed. they in al youtube comments, asking for his family to step down to resign. hasha. yes. before that i on so on to make a comment about god. them not being serious, like mr. carter, just to dimension why? because this is pure incompetence, pure incompetence are plus arrogance. of this government who didn't understand the gravity of the problem, they were not serious. if they understood the problem, they could have resolved this much idea without, you know, creating this absolutely horrendous situation for people in this country. now the

people are angry and they want all the other boxes to go. now as the opposition, we have now got, i believe sufficient numbers are to bring in a no confidence motion against the government, which means we can a essentially unseat that had the price i had. i'm the very end of the show. i'm just curious for us. we'll do a little bit of protection and now ha said john, thank you so much that helping us with today said hi, sure. when we come back to talk about shawn can when you come back on the screen, will that be a different administration? yes or no it's a tough question to answer, but very likely that will be a different administration. i likely thank you guess frankie on you chip. i listen the next time. ah

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i look at them and they're happy. they're smiling. we meet with global news makers . i'm talk about the story stock matter on al jazeera. ah hello there. i'm dealing with donald here in london. the top stories on al jazeera, russia threatened to cancel the gas, the more european countries after turning off the top to poland and bulgaria over their refusal to pay in roubles the use the keys, the kremlin of using energy to blackmail countries supporting ukraine. that in baba reports it had been predicted by some fear by many more. but european leaders see russia's move to hold gas supplies to poland and bulgaria because they were.