widening, through a 1000 self, always w is currently deployed in by one. it was all smiles, however, between president marco's and chinese foreign minister, chin gung when they met in manila last saturday. in a statement after the meeting, marcus said that recent statement spoke. both countries might have been misinterpreted and the chance visit was useful to be able to talk things through foreign to below al jazeera. so be the philippines. ah, hello am the headlines on al jazeera, the rival sides and sudan are accusing each other of committing more crimes. rapid support forces, say the air force as indiscriminately targeting areas in her too. while the army accuses it of using civilians as human shields. un secretary general has worn the violence in sudan could engulf the whole region. speaking to the security council, antonia the terrace urge members to help pull the country back from catastrophe,

started fighting on 15th april. and that is, if people had been killed and thousands injures the violence must stop it, risks a catastrophic conflagration within sudan. that's within gulf the all region. and beyond. i strongly condemned the indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas including cosca facilities. and they call on the parties to stop combat operations in densely populated areas and to allow and either the mediterranean naval operations. also at that meeting, which was chaired by russia, got tara said moscow was causing massive suffering and devastation in ukraine. and speaking just after him, the russian foreign minister, sir galahad, rob accused the west of abandoning diplomacy. in the conflict, tennessee or coast guard says that's recovered. 31 bodies of african migrants who drowned while attempting to cross the mediterranean to reach italy. the bodies were

found off the coast of the city of facts. 2 women and 2 children are among the dead . the number of migrant boats from tennessee i'm heading towards the italian coast has increased sharply in recent weeks. 9 more bodies have been found in eastern kenya on land owned by the leader of a religious coat. so that brings a total number of victims found by police to $58.00 authorities say the people star themselves after being told to stop eating an order to quote, meet jesus. the pastor is in custody. the reports of a blast at a police headquarters in northern focused on it happened in the swat district. that area used to be a stronghold of the pakistani taliban. you're up to date. with the headlines on al jazeera, you can always had online for more information at al jazeera dot com. coming up next, though it's counting. the cost by, by may on out is in a year after

a jazeera journalist should be in a box. it was murder despite international outrage of multiple investigations implicating israeli forces. we ask why justice has not been served. folk lines examined the ramifications of julian associates publications. of us faith, he quit, and what the case against him could mean for christ freedom after leading to a key for 2 decades or as you are you into that is facing perhaps is toughest election yet as a reco alicia of opposition parties hopes to unseat in nigeria is to hold its 1st census in 17 years, an exercise likely to view ethnic tensions in africa's most populous nation. the united kingdom celebrates the coordination of cause the 3rd, as his crown at westminster abbey may analogies era. ah, i

hello nicholas. this is counting the cost on al jazeera at your weekly look at the wealth of business and economics. this week, giving up nuclear energy, germany powers down its loss, react as well. other countries are looking to expand that plans. should atomic energy remain part of the energy mix? also this week, the brazilian president is cozying up with china. so why is beijing expanding its economic ties in latin, america's largest nation, and how far will that partnership go? plus looted silva, his challenge western lead financial institutions during his china trip and cold on bricks, nations to end the dominance of the us dollar international trade. the said an anti nuclear activists have spent decades fighting for this very moment. germany has now shut down its 3 remaining atomic power plants. supporters of the

decisions say the reactors are a dangerous and unsustainable source of energy, and retiring them, make the country safer. but critics questioning how the country can secure enough energy to drive the economy as it reduces dependence on gas supplies from russia, which are getting b has this report. environmental activists celebrate the end of an era, the closure of the nickel, west time nuclear power plant, along with the shut down of 2 other reactors. it finalizes the phasing out of nuclear power in germany. i just talked to you later. this is a big success for us and i think one of the reason, if not the main reason was fukushima 2011. but i also think that our decades long fight against nuclear power has played a role. the decision was announced more than a decade ago by then, chance langler merkel, after the fukushima nuclear disaster in japan. critics have long described nuclear power as dangerous and unsustainable. the consequences of

a real nuclear accident can be catastrophic. and i remember after speaking on the same platform as no to con crew was the prime minister, japan, at same time we had supper afterwards. and being astonished when he turned to me and said, look, if the wind was in the wrong direction, we would have lost tokyo. but opponents have criticized the closures given the challenge is caused by russia's invasion of ukraine and the energy crisis. they say germany will be forced to rely more heavily on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs. the climate minister says the remaining plants only generated up to 6 percent of the country's power during the past year. and their closure won't affect energy security. yet, some question whether the german public is ready for renewable alternatives. the renewable expansion has been landed certain way. but we do not know if germans will tolerate the further construction of wind turbans in their villages. i know the german savvy supported an abstract,

but it's not clear that will happen. so counting future weather and climate based energy. as for sure, going to common replace the nuclear electricity that is lost and being replaced by the call electricity. now i don't know what other industrialized countries are working on, replacing fossil fuels with nuclear energy, but supporters of the shut down insisted the right move and they hope other nations will follow victoria gates and be full counting the cost. all right, let's have a look at the nation's expanding than nuclear plants. the u. k is in the process of building a new plan to names to start working on h reactors. by the end of the decade, france gets about 70 percent of its power from nuclear and is planning to build 6 new reactors. finland opened its 5th nuclear plant last year. japan is still dealing with the aftermath of the 2011 fukushima nuclear disaster. but it's considering restarting 7 reactors, united states, the world's biggest nuclear power. it started up

a new reactor in march. it's 1st new planted nearly 7 years. while china has the worlds fastest growing nuclear energy program, and one of the youngest, with as many as 55 reactors. let's take the song. joining us from london is ellie chambers who's an analyst of e. you power markets for the independent commodity intelligence services. welcome to counting the cost. so 1st, where do you stand on this? is this the right decision? do you think from germany, in my own personal opinion, this is not the right decision for germany. i think when you take into account the costs of the alternative sources that germany will have to use to fill this gap. that last why then you clarify is out. it's my opinion that this isn't

a positive move. so tell us about that gap and how it would be filled and kind of costs that we're talking about and how long that's going to go on for. because, you know, ideally there is a transition taking place in energy transition taking place. our module runs indicated that that would be a large gap left by the size of a nuclear, and that will be mainly filled by imports of power from other countries. the country is unlikely to raise the exports to germany the most. ah, the netherlands frowns. so you can know my say like a bit of hypocrisy and that because a lot of french electricity is generated from nuclear plants, it's so also you will get some more contribution from fossil fuel

pumps that will primarily be coming from gas phones followed by leg and cone, and when you look at the, at the costs of these different types of electricity and nuclear dogs have higher stock costs. but obviously germany already had these nuclear plants. so that wasn't really something that had to be considered. the running costs of nuclear plants are very low compared to fossil fuel pounds. in fact, even when you take like all the costs into consideration in most countries, electricity produced from nuclear plants, well bay, ah,

a lot cheaper to produce. so from the point of view, those who are supporting this moved by germany, celebrating hughes. we are they because it's the end of what they perceive to be a dirty and dangerous fuel. if you perceive it as a, i suppose there are, there are kind of 2 aspects that make her a plant dirty or not. and one of them is whether it's carbon and obviously fossil fuels a met, a lot more carbon nuclear phones. but the, the side that you're probably talking about is that it produces nuclear waste. so you could say it's not sustainable. and in that way, yes, when we look at the nuclear energy industry, do you think it should be part of the ongoing energy production system for the

world? or should it just be part of the transition ultimately to totally renewable? i mean, the thing about nuclear is that it does provide a large li, stable, consistent form of energy. and that can run nearly 247. and that's not something that renewables can do at the moment. and while we are having technologies come in, which could serve to balance the system the rest of the time, we're not really saying battery storage friend stance, sky o y right day that the my men another option is hydrogen, while hydrogen is quite untested as an energy

storage technology and so we have yet to see whether either of those can really be a viable alternative to their consist, an stable supply of energy that comes from nuclear plants. all right, and he chambers, thank you. thank you. ah, now china went from once having little trade with brazil to being its top trading partner in 2009 out pacing the united states. and at that time, louis nasty really da silva was serving his 1st tenure as brazil's president lula is now back in office. and he's recently visited badging in an attempt to repair ties that had suffered under jaya balls and ours presidency. the visit was also aimed at boosting trade between the 2 countries even further. the brazil sign several new economic agreements with china during the trip, including packs on agricultural trade, aviation,

and investments. trade value between the 2 countries reach more than 150000000000 dollars last year. china is a major buyer of brazilian soybeans, iron o and crude oil, and brazil as a top recipient of chinese investments in latin america. while the 2 nations took steps to make it easier to settle their foreign trade operations in their currencies. last month, the brazilian president visited the war way. a facility in shanghai. the technology company is sanctioned by the u. s. over national security concerns. his trip was also included the swearing in a form of brazilian president bilmar, russo f as head of the new china lead new development bank, which funds infrastructure projects in many developing nations. or president luna is seeking partnerships to challenge western dominated economic institutions. and he's called on the bricks block, which is made up of brazil, russia, india, china, and south africa to create an alternative currency to the dollar for use in trade

between them. toward the north. gimme a want to keep us by every night i asked myself, why should every country have to be tied to a dollar for trade? why don't we trade in our own currency? and why don't we have the commitment to innovate and i lost the key. no, i received a room where that we need to have a currency that puts countries in a slightly calmer situation because to day a country needs to run after dollars in order to export. and it could export in its own currency on the central banks, could certainly take care of that when you buy a bridge because nobody why can't buy like the bricks buying a currency to finance trade between brazil and china between brazil and other bricks countries. well, did have gas, all of that i'm joined now by our 2 guests regimen of blanco who is research director and head of americas risks. insights at various maple cross joins me now

from ben. l. madana in spain. i'm from singapore is chain gang. he's an assistant director in senior research fellow of the east asian institute at the national university of singapore. welcome both in jermaine, if i could start with you, say bilateral trade has of course balloon between brazil and china in recent years . so just how significant to these new agreement, the new agreements are very significant in the sense that they bring breast sale back to china and it's new list. so put to need see, to try to, you know, put fuel back in the brazilian economy. and mark a very different policy from his predecessor giant bowl. so narrow. so of course, you know, for lula in particular, infrastructure investment. and you know, bringing back life to brazil's industrial heartland are crucial. and he hopes that china will be able to give brazil that lifeline,

particularly with his own support base in the industrial sector in data is going from china's point of view. what are the upsides of this arrangement yesterday for shooting being? i being new last visit to beijing is very important for the 3rd world foreign policy these days lead to not make lee. i think this is also very important for china, a country that needs the recovery of economy very badly this year because last year china didn't mean it's economic target of about 5 percent. so i think for china, brazil is important because of its resources and raw materials, especially because we know that china now has become a one of the world's largest manufacturing house in the world. so it's nice, a lot of result is an energy and every cultural products which brazil can provide

or not for china. so i think this visit is very important for teaching gym and he talks about industrial policy. very important for luna and you know, chinese investment and brazil's infrastructure projects. what kind of thing are we talking about and how important will that be? well, we're talking about 2 things in particular. i mean, when it comes to industry, chinese companies are entering brazil in areas where western manufacturers are leaving. so for example, if we think about the automaker industry and car factories that need new buyers in northeastern brazil. and those new buyers came in from china. when the country needed them, the other side of the equation has to do with interconnectivity with them, brazil, to reduce costs and ease the transport of goods out to ports and across to asia.

we often cite the fact that it's more expensive to transport. one ton of soy with in brazil, them from a brazilian port to china. and so what lula is looking for here is investment in road in railway and import infrastructure on the one hand. and on the other hand, also on telecommunications. and that's where that vested to hallway, besides being a controversial or eyebrow racing from washington is particularly interesting from a brazilian domestic policy perspective. right. and your mentor on washington, lula, of course, has been up in the multilateral agenda altogether. but when he went to washington, he didn't seem to, to go with a whole array of business deals. that wasn't so much of a business agenda on the table that but china was completely different and you made a why do you think that was? well, i mean, this goes partly into playing into what you know, brazilian diplomats are calling active non alignment. right. the agenda with

washington is more along issues around human rights, climate change, democracy, protecting democracy in the region. these are issues that are don't sit or don't align particularly well with the the agenda in beijing, which is around trade and investment. but doesn't mean that the u. s. and remain unimportant investor in brazil. in fact, you know, it is a huge for indirect investor in brazil, and u. s. companies operate in the countries, you know, including in areas where they compete with chinese investors like oil and gas and mining. so that you know, for or lula. this is the moment where he wants to show that brazil can be in the global arena, talking to different partners and leading emerging market seem this conversation. and it's the idea about, you know,

brazil can lead latin america and other global south economies in a multi polar world that includes china and the united states as crucial partners. channels let you to reflect on that as well. and then i want to move on to the issue of a dollar the u. s. dollar dominance. and the cool for that to change 1st will just just respond to what you meant. it was just saying, yeah, for the i think it is the currency cooperation is one of the focus is for a new last visit to china. because both countries actually have the incentives to use their own currencies for trade, bilateral, trade and also investments. as these days, i think i increasing number of countries actually are feeding that actually relying too much on the us dollar of or treat any investment sometimes could cause some problems. so that's why i think for not the visits to

china. i think this is one of the issues the discussed and also i think they are going to move forward to use their currency. the more often as china has been brazil, major trading partners for yes. so there shouldn't be a much easier about using their own currencies. in a broader sense, chen, how much is it going to affect the dominance of the u. s. dollar in international trade because trade in china's currency still only accounts for about 3 percent of central bank reserves and that's compared to 60 percent for the us dollar. yes, although i think china and number of other countries actually are trying to use their currencies more often for global trade and investment that do a long way to go before the current currency is can really play a major role in global trade and investment and replace the u. s. dollar,

because we know that the us dollar dominance in the global financial system trade system has lasted for decades, hinged on us technological economic power as well as they don't, or you trading system. i. so that's why i do not being that it's easy for these countries to move to was a dollar. right. right. vision won't do me. would you like to reflect on that? yeah, i mean, i think, you know, increasing bilateral trade in, you know, non dollar. and particularly if, you know, with china is part of an organic process in which chinese presence in, you know, in global trade is significant. but for a country like brazil, but also trades in commodities that our benchmark in us dollars,

it will be nearly impossible to remove itself entirely if we think about, you know, commodities whether it's soy, iron or oil and gas, you know, they're all benchmark $10.00. so as much as lula wants to position these detachment from the us dollar, it is something that will remain as part of global trade for the foreseeable future . trend. finally, if i may come to you, dillar is at the full brazilian president, of course, has been appointed head of the new chinese bright new development bank. what do you think about this bank and kind of become the great bank of the global south is lula himself is said. yeah, i do think that these new development bank, or the bricks bank do have, does have the potential to become a global development bank for, for global and south, which is beverly and needing all kinds of financial support for their infrastructure and economic development. but of course,

we also have the existing mechanism, global financial mechanisms, like the world bank i'm asked and asian development bank. so i think in the future we have a kind of competition between the conventional global financial systems and the emerging financial development. and like the new development banks and also some of other development banks, for example, in china. so in the future, like going to see these kind of competition. all right, we'll leave that. do appreciate your time. i try going, thank you so much. and human a blanket. thank you for joining us from spring. thank you. love it ends. economic collapse has devastated its banking sector and turned the nation into a cash based economy. and that's deprived and net bankrupt governments. billions of dollars in tax revenue. and it's driving elicit activity may consume shutting for

more. this currency exchange sto in, lebanon's, mika valley is buzzing with business, lebanon's, currencies, and freeform and customers want to exchange it for you as dollars. in mid march, the value of the lebanese pound plant to a historic low of $100000.00 against the dollar. it's the result of a 4 year old financial crisis blamed on decades of government mismanagement and corruption. on the la la manila says, people come holding bags of cash running around that they want dollars or whatever rate you give them what they just want dollars fair in water will be to more businesses across lebanon now, or prate exclusively with cash restaurants, coffee shops, and supermarkets have all stopped accepting car payments a k to get and i know that she used to sell mostly on cards. but lately we have

problems with banks. they're not giving us money when i have $20.00 to $30.00 card transactions and how for example, $4000.00, they won't even give me $500.00 or $400.00. this is why it stopped chuck stopped. everything today is cash. since 2019 lebanese banks have impose restrictions and cash withdrawals, locking depositors out of their savings, an estimated $8000000000.00 is exchanging hands informally. that's causing concern, particularly among western nations, attempting to track elicit cash transactions. it's the biggest threat that the government of the country is facing because it is a very, very, very dangerous that the entire economy as a cash economy, all the money is going to the private sector. the solution is only in one place that is to normalize and finalize the restructuring of the banking system. lo,

restructuring is one of the reforms demanded by creditors if lebanon is to receive much needed international support. that means the political and business lead would have to compromise their hold on power. and that's something they persisted so far . and they consume sharif anxious seizure for counting the cost. and that is all shave for this week. if you'd like to comment on anything you've seen, you can tweak me at nick talk. i'll just just use the hash tag a j c t c or day drop us an e mail counter, the cost at algeria dot net. it's all address, but there's plenty more for you online at al jazeera dot com slash c d c. and that will take you straight to a page, which is individual reports, links, and indeed into episodes for you to catch up home. but that is it for this edition of concert because i'm not clog in the whole team. thanks for joining us. the news is coming right up. ah.

awe inspiring stories around the way, groundbreaking fumes from award winning filmmakers. ah witness. warner. jesse, uta. city. home to millions and debate driver of the climate crisis. cities have more space and scott to do the radical things. pledges the made about smarter. green, a lower carbon, 53. gentrification is a growing process of inequality and displacement. what are these promised utopia

that every one or just to select all hail the planet looks at where the green fifty's can also be socially. just episode 5 on al jazeera need a diverse range of stories from across the globe. from the perspective about networks, journalists on al jazeera ah scenes of devastation in a neighbourhood near her tomb sedans, army and the rapids support forces. blame each other for the violence and the rush to escape the fighting on the deprivation. more civilians and foreigners, fleet, the sudanese capital aah! you're watching al jazeera life from a headquarters in delphi. i am getting obligated.