so with taking center stage was moving against the time takes on weight is like a ripple and it keeps people energize, to keep fighting for another concerns. i stand up for my deep witness on adjust the to the hello. i'm adrian said again, this is counting the cost on al jazeera. you'll ricky looked at the world of business that he could on this week. serious new leaders have inherited an economy in ruins. so how can they rebuild the nation at whom we'll fuck the bill? ukraine has halted russians, gas flows to europe, but who does the decision hub most moscow? cheese or european nations and sales of foreign smartphones of almost tough to

china. apple is the main loser. so have chinese consumers lost the taste for iphones off to almost 14 years of civil war, serious president bush, all of us out has gone. but the nation's economy has been decimation most of its oil and gas well as roads, electricity, grid, farm land, and the infrastructure a damaged, crippling the economy even a. so there is a wide range of western sanctions imposed on the nation. and on higher tabio alshaun the main group. the other through our aside, is now leading serious transition. those measures prevented our sides government from doing business with other nations and private companies. they've also had put the delivery of much needed. a video administration says that the lifting those sanctions is vital to help rebuild the country, but will they ever be removed? we'll discuss that with august shortly. but 1st, the report from sent them on with the see if the also

government, syrians are hoping for a new beginning with reviving the economy will be a serious challenge. more than a decade of war has devastated the economy. g. d, p is full and 85 percent since 2011 infrastructure lies in ruins, electricity transport and health services will need to be rebuilt. 90 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. unemployment as high inflation as left most people struggling to get by the new series administration under our middle. shara is taking action on the economy. it's raise public sector salaries by 400 percent and taking steps to stabilize the local currency. in the past will provide a quarter of serious public revenue reviving this could be key to recovery if it were possible to revitalize the energy sector. it would not only help address power shortages within syria, but it would provide the government with a much much stronger revenue stream that it could then put to use rebuilding

capacity for industry to recover. but the reconstruction will be impossible, so long as the international sanctions remain in place. the new administration is making a diplomatic push to get them lifted, saying they shouldn't be punished for the crimes of the us out era. who we disagree with the most important thing is to remove the restriction so that countries and companies can start high level investments, especially in his industry, energy, oil, and other things. if this tensions remain for a long time or if they're not frozen, i think that a catastrophe will hit the syrian people, the gulf states and turkey. i have been sending a to syria and the us as relax some restrictions on humanitarian supplies. but western governments are cautious. many include the leaders of the new administration on their list of terrorist. they signal that sanctions won't be lifted until it shows it will protect minorities and share power. is almost

obviously thought i have made it clear that the political process is closely linked to the economic reconstruction process, especially for a european constitutional stance with regard to sanctions and reconstruction through financial supports. syria has entered a new era, but the road to recovery is uncertain, as likely to be along one bench and monahan elgin's era for counting the cost. so then how top it is along the rest of the city, a fellow for the serial project to the atlantic. council, he specializes in political avoid economies, especially within syria, and he joins us now from the syrian capital, damascus, with the internet is still a bit apache, it time said, i'm good to have you with us. so what is the current state of the syrian economy? right? now yeah, so this, remember, this is a country that came out from after 14 years of the war that was already raised by corruption and going through privatization is, uh,

today we are speaking about nearly 90 percent of the conditions living below the poverty line. an optimum at rates exceeding 50 percent, and private and productive sector such as of the culture and manufacturing have shrunk by nearly 60 percent. compares to pre war levels, the shield, the volume or of destruction is estimated at as high as $200000000000.00. so i'm assuming it's because even higher than the reconstruction of the country would cost that on to at least $50000000000.00. so how much ok, sanction is crippling the economy right now? your wellness actually has does come for a lot specially the sanctions on the backing sector and that new restrictive. this was a very efficient an instrument incorporating the seat and economy before the top of down of the chevrolet side. but now it is also company tripping the capacity of the

seed and people to uplift themselves. we estimates that without the lifting of sanctions it would take at least 3 times. it's much more uh to recruit for. ready to be able to produce again, this is crucial in order to bring in little material funding from the international not from international markets, and also crucial for private sector to engage them to the local economy. without this private sector's international one, whether it's regional or owned by cd and desperate, i believe the also the public sector won't be able to defend for this. even people are serious. finance minister has said that the government is going to hike the the pay off public sector a cause but as much as 400 percent next month come come the new customer, the fault to do that. not without king of people and around 25 percent of the cd

and population is working in the private sector. and around 40 to 60 percent of the state expenditure goes to financing the salaries of the public sector. so if they do not have financial from the health from other countries in the region specifically cuts out or, or turkey or so to any, the evan. uh, they won't be able to afford the 2 of the main pillows. so none of the, the syrian economy on or of course oil and agricultural, the oil fields on the control of the us bacteria and democratic forces. the nation obviously deprived of, of a main source of income. are there any other sectors in which the government can invest to kick, stop the economy and make up for that short a collection in the cedar manufacturers used to have a very good reputation before the southern end of a 60 percent of the seed in economy was responsible and was from the, basically the results of the same ease working in trade and manufacturing,

as well as in logistics. see, to remain a very important strasbourg dish and hop and the reason of ease me to tell you in a basin, and you can leverage this position again. but it also needs a consistent investment in roads, in energy for, in order to, to, to pick up manufacturing again. and there is also a lot of work and if it's needed to upgrade the workforce to uh, to build the capacity again, they have been deprived for the last 14 years. i'm learning the new trains in the word, and this will take time. how much is reconstruction going to cost? who's going to pay for it and how? how quickly can serious economy gets back on its feet. the most uh, optimistic estimates say around 10 to 15 years to have it to p. i live in

a 2011 a status which was incorrect and the 1st place. uh, i think we still have uh at least 2 or 3 that has to be c. c. the 1st thing is fully potential. uh, the construction just physically $1.00 costs out on $13000000000.00 got doesn't account the cost of training. new workforce is the cost of the vps and bringing back refuse use from the turkey from europe, from the other regional also hosts countries. and so you can set a loan won't be able to fund this, the international community needs to invest if they want to see the stipulation of the country under age. and at large, obviously a, the out of the gulf countries are the 1st to be expected to ship in, but also europe should be participating activity activity if they want to also see it to be possible for a lot of there's

a couple of minutes of countries that is participating in the security of the media center. it's been really good to talk to you on counting the cost manufacturing. thanks for being with us. my pleasure. it was the last major russian gas route to europe. a pipeline passing through re crane has recently run dry keys has refused to renew a transit deal after it expired last week to europe is already significantly cut must go share of its gas imports following the loss of invasion of ukraine in 2022 . while the decision does deprive russia of solve its gas revenue, keith is also set to lose millions of dollars in transit fees and the impact of that hold could ripple through europe's energy sector. as alex pet reports, russia had loan bane, one of your biggest gas supplies about the war and ukraine has reduced those inputs to a fraction of what they once were. now a 5 year deal between russia and ukraine has expired. shutting off

a key pipeline into the european union with through the list of partners, we will always in favor of gas appliance of the supplies being above politics of the and being purely economic methods. we need a seed not to supplies to europe. the deal was with almost a $1000000000.00 to ukraine last year, boss. it saves those payments, have help the russian boy, if it russia is now expected to lose $5000000000.00 in annual revenue. so vanka is one of several e u members. i'm happy about to move. it's apartment is still robot. feet so visited most go in the same, but so vakio relied on guessing ports vi ukraine and made money from transit fees. finding alternate routes may be costly. outside the u. mold, dove is worst affected. it's being forced to impose a 60 day state of emergency and its energy 6 to specially a rush are invited to crane in 2022. it was the biggest supplier of gas to be you

providing more than 50 percent in 2021. but since reducing is dependency of to invest in phase and the you impose to just 8 percent in 2023. they are alternatives, but they are tend to be a bit more expensive than the russian pipeline. guess the impact will be solid, especially in australia, in hungary, in slovakia, where the price of gas will likely rise. and this could have an impact on the consumer prices on the cost of living, but also on, on prices for industry. most rushing guess routes to europe, shots, including the node stream to pipeline, onto the baltic. that was blown up in 2022. but the shut down of the pipeline through ukraine, one stop rushing guess from entering europe. the to extreme pipeline is still operational supply. and guess 1st it took a vein to hungry and sylvia and impulse of russian liquefied natural gas to the

e. u. race to record highs last year, raising questions about the effectiveness of sanctions on russia. that's all designed to limit funding for its war in ukraine. alex bid l g 0 for counting the cost. while the discuss all of this, we're joined now from oxford in the u. k. by jack shop, or if he's a senior research fellow at the natural gas research program at the oxford institute energy studies director to have you with us. so why exactly has ukraine refused to renew this agreement that allowed the tons of russian gas across it's tara treat to europe? so i think this is a calculation on the part of the ukrainians that as your previous report mentioned, that. ready the ukraine will lose money from the end of transit. they want to deny russia any revenues that can be used, obviously to fund this that continue in. ready and you credit for it, so how, how damaging will this be to watch or how much money is it going to get a news that it won't be towards that's more able to put towards as more effort. so

this is really into parts. firstly, it concerns the tax revenues that go to the russian federal budget. the oil and gas sector and russia has a whole accounts for about the versus federal budget revenues. all stats about 20 percent is derived from the gas sector and 80 percent of the old sector. and those gas sector revenues a split between a tax on gas as it's produced in russia. the equipment or like struction tax or royalties and customs duty on the exports of cost to euro, which is levy did about 30 percent off the, the value of that export. so from a you credit in perspective, for every cubic meter less the russia produces and then deliveries to your that's less money going into the russian federal budget. so who has most to lose here? russia or you print some estimates, recommended that ukraine is going to lose something like $800000000.00 a year in transit fees can, can you kind afford to lose that money? and that's an excellent question. so from the russian perspective, what they're going to lose is relatively small compared to the size of the air

economy and the size of the federal budget from the party and perspective where the economy is already facing extremely challenging conditions as a result of the war. this is money that they can afford to lose, but clearly this is a strategic calculation that they've made. and i think the ukranian energy ministry, the ukranian government, c, ukraine's energy future as well as being part of the integrated european gas market rather than as a conduit for russian gas. so they've already started to develop a business case encouraging europe and gas market participants to use you credit on the account gas storage to use the territory of western you credit to deliver gas from uh to the north, to south and one past due to the other so that developing a different business model, but obviously that is in a ton of war. extremely challenging to do. europe has been trying to win itself off russian gas for quite some time since since the and the invasion of, of you trans it has, it succeeded in doing that's all the going to be european nation is that will be

hurt by this. moving at what cost? so i think unit has been extraordinarily successful in coping with the loss of rush and gas, particular the russian pipeline gas that was coming into the european market price of the full scale invasion of ukraine. europe has coped in 2 ways, possibly by reducing overall gas consumption, which is pulling by about a 5th between 20212023 then full in slightly again in 2024. and the other thing that you or has done is gone out into the global energy market and secured alternative supplies. we've been very lucky. the conditions were somewhat favorable for doing so in 2022 and 2023. and those, those inputs fell back of 182024 hour notice, expect them to rise again in 2025. so your house has managed, in terms of the effect of particularly ukrainian transit. it is, as you earlier report highlighted predominantly going to affect central european countries there. i think it's less a question of any threat to physical shortage,

a more just an impact on prices. those countries are well connected to the naples within the you, they can import gas across the board to for example, from germany into the czech republic in australia and slovakia, and from italy into austria and those countries and center you also have quite substantial seasonal gas storage stocks relative to the size of that market. so there's no danger going physically short over the winter, but it is just pushing prices up a little bit and keeping them at that current high level and keeping the market that little bit tighter. does this move? so bring to an end russia's once dominance of, of the new energy market. yes, i think it does. i think this is another milestone on that journey. if you can say to the side of the russian and gas pipeline gas applies to your peak in 2019. after shy 180000000000 cubic meters last year, they was 30000000 cubic meters. and with the end of this transit by ukraine in 2025,

we would anticipate it to be around 15000000000 cubic meters. so this is an absolutely huge decline in russian pipeline gas supply to you, a decline of over 90 percent in the space of a few short years. so i think this does really almost bring to a close to the reflection pipeline gas in europe. we do still have russian pipeline gas coming into southeast in europe via the to stream pipeline, up through bulk area to greece, almost to serbia, and off as far as hungry. but that's really now the extent of that market. it's a regional, localized se european. if a check has been really good to talk to you today on content, the cost many thanks for being with us. thank you very much. i to go, this government says that it will continue with its plans to remove fuels subsidies by the end of 2025. politicians say that removing subsidies will free up money for central public services like transport, health and education. but the move is unpopular as how it would cost the reports from the one to call us. the santos is

a high school teacher in angola. his salary isn't enough to ensure he can pay all his monthly bills. but he says, government fuel subsidies help cushion consume is from rising prices. and that's why he is worried about politicians plans to scrap them. laugh at that. as i mentioned, boston see that the right to hit top pockets. once the troll substitute design, remove prices of everything will go up. you to hit to spit right now. and goldens pay box $0.35 for lead to a pedro. and about $0.21 for diesel removing subsidies means the pay more at the pump. life is already a struggle for meaning and goldens. kenneth followed, she left the country in 1980 during the civil war. he came back in 2003, a year after the war ended. he says few people benefits from the countries of aust . oil well, surviving and realize that high, oh is the sacrifice because of the there is no work. there is no work,

whatever we go that they say done, but i wouldn't know where and going to is that for just 2nd largest reduce of crude oil. so that he caught them a say, that's a problem. we are to defend that on the account with 99 percent of products, spots a 30 percent off the cdp and about 60 percent off the the public income. so when did all these goods of all these goods? when the, all these bad involved is bad, but now it's not only the price will effect some goal, because our production is decreasing. when fuel prices daily doubled in 2023 people protested in the capital lawanda police the at least 5 were killed in the interest protest against plants remove subsidies have also being held in an applicant. countries such as nigeria. many applicant companies are in debt and the

as push on developing countries from bodies like the international monetary fund to cut public spending and introduced economic policies. the company proved tough for people already suffering poverty and financial difficulty. oil has helped and going to grow its economy in the capital. there is a lot of development new buildings keep going up those of a day, some of them a oil companies and other businesses for many people. yeah, i still think this is one of the world's most and equally companies, more than half of people, 8 under 25, a jobless. and for all those facing hardship, moving feel subsidies won't be popular. hardaman tossed out of there for counting the cost. the china is the world's largest smartphone market, and foreign brands have long enjoyed strong sales in the nation. but local manufacturers have stepped up the competition of life, a strong challenge as far away with its homegrown operating system. and it appears to be posing serious challenges mainly to the us from apple,

the tech john spiteful to keep its iphone popular in the chinese market, is now getting even tough up. the government backed china academy of information and communications technology says, but for the smartphone shipments dropped by almost tough in november. i feel accounts for the majority of for a mobile phone shipments in china. other competitors like samsung control only a tiny fraction of the market. the, the company aims to accelerate the road out of it's due generative a features to iphones in china to try to regain its 1st thing that and it's offered discounts to attract shiny shop has had a balloon a new year. the firm has reduced the price of its latest handsets by up to $70.00. chinese phone bank, a huawei as also cut price is by as much as 20 percent. china would expand consumption subsidies to cover smartphones of all the electronics and a bit to encourage domestic spending and to offset the effects of any new us terrace on its exports. well will wong is a senior research manager id, see

a global market intelligence data firm way. it covers the mobile phone mock if he joins us now from sample kentucky with as well. so why have sales of for, and phones in particular full and so sharply in china? yeah, so 1st thing for different brands in china, like what you had mentioned just now it's majorly accounted by epa. so samsung is over day as well, but a per account, it for a major share over there has been in the top fine for like, for a long time. so when we talk about from brands in china, we talked about that but the self. so why is fading for those challenges? so what we see is s a dot most of the x and those sectors x and a chat. and just so 1st thing is consumers, consumers in china have change. so the foremost sentiment is not as strong as before, especially comparing. we've pre coates situations free colby's times,

so formal via of missing allison to many stop destro anymore. so the more cautious right now is bandy dumble price cautious biting off in the bank, especially for the high end production. so this one, the other thing is about the competitions. so we see comedy shows from wal way and other chinese o u. s. as well, they're introducing more products like personal food, about phones and both. so like a futures in china. this is creating social boss and really attracting those consumers in china. so when they're reading this call, social boss is easily attracting those consumers why more price closures and looking for a value in china. but what we see is that at the desk do having us from customers taking us over there. so that strong customer to goodness is actually supporting the performance of f up. but if we look at overall pictures, uh, customer consumers has change. and also the company shows these really affecting at

the, in china, locally. so this just as a consumer preference sort of apple, the need to do to regain its foothold, it's still in the top 5 in china. i mean, i have a time slipped out, but what does it need to do to regain? can see have a preference cuz they have to win back consumers in china or yeah, it need to create more while factors. so right now what we are looking at is a i, but uh, when it comes to a i, when it comes to china, it needs the approval from chinese government as well. and it's not easy things right now, especially students. there's a, there's a u. s. china tensions over there, so it's not easy things. so if software is ever kind of really crate walls that goes from the effect drugs from the ad pictures and other things you can focus on is crating walls that goes from hardware perspective. so from hardware perspective and from a i, this is something desktop i can look at it,

it's which use is summer is creating well, but there's 2, i print consumers to make, then keep spending poll as often discounts on its products. but china has recently decided to subsidize homegrown smartphones and other electronic somebody's like to put further pressure on on, on apple. in particular, as you say, some samsung isn't really affected here because it's market share so small, but it's not going to affect awful. we see that the impact will be limited. so 1st thing, this subsidies is salt times. so in terms of the impact and in terms of the type you're, it will bring the impact the impact. well, believe that in terms of the time period. so 2nd thing is that this subsidies is finally available in southern provinces or in southern cities. so in terms of scale, it will be moved to as well. and if we come to epa, epa collins you much usually see in the high and the high end cause you immerse, but uh, we have to look at it. is that consumers in china right now,

even in the high end, they're looking for discount as well. so even though it is limited to the input from the subsidies, the overall across economy situations impact is larger. well, as regards to talk to you about effective date, thank you. to apple siri could be listening to use those without the consent. apples agreed to pay $95000000.00 to settle a court case alleging that its voice activated assistant violates it uses previously. i followed on this complaint that the voice recordings were shared with the policies, including advertises. the tax on is denied any wrongdoing and the preliminary settlement filed and the open california federal court. and that's our show for this week. if you'd like to comments on anything that you've seen, i'm at a finnegan on x twice. remember to use the hash tag h a c t c, or you can drop us a like counting the costs of i'll just say or don't net is our email address. as always, there's more for you online. at l 0, don't. com, slash ctc. that takes you straight to a page, and then you'll find individual reports. links at the top edition is viewed capture

. but that's it for this edition of counting the cost. i'm adrian said again for the team here though. thanks for being with us. the news on elders here is much the latest news as it breaks the book, clubs, desk for 12 with solutions. and i'm so, so the o problem which put this 5, the support for the new administration with detailed coverage for people on business or something affected by a tax. we're going to buy. i'm groups in the region with golden paid 10 percent of the population consider for from around the world, implementing the free meals program, the government, and to reach at least $15000000.00 by the end of this year. unique perspectives. what could my community be gaining if we weren't spending money on all of those bonds killing it? asses, timothy $11.00 on on her voices. the world has turned its back on so that our lives to match. so many people not here just as much as any other connect with our

community and be part of the conversation. we feel very unsafe because of the 2nd 12 presidency, they don't see the need and then trying to a piece of people on social media. the stream on out just the are the limits to have a dream container, stuff in your own adventure now counter and ways the

an agreement on the cx. 5 deal and gone, so it is closer with leaks details. now imagine it is around continues its assaults, killing thousands on monday. the i'm to try this is i will just hear a lie from dog. ha, also coming up. one of the world's most senior judges has become living, owns prime minister to off salaam, now needs to form a government's com before another foster.