saudi arabia has suspended the import of fruit and veg lebannon it says shipments are being used for drug smuggling after millions of pills were found in boxes of pomegranates lebanon is already facing its worst economic crisis in decades and the ban is expected to hit farmers hard then hunter has a story. these farmers in lebanon are harvesting lettuce meant for households in saudi arabia but after the saudi government imposed the ban on lebanese produce they fear the agricultural sector will face the disaster saudi officials say the shipments are being used to smuggle drugs. it's an arbitrary decision and so we ask the saudis to reverse the ban we're not all drug dealers and smugglers you can't punish everyone. lebannon exports $400000.00 tons of agricultural produce every year one forest to saudi arabia and the wider gulf region it's millions of dollars for a country facing a deep economic and financial crisis. we don't export pomegranates investigations show the truck came from syria but yes you can argue the lebanese government is not doing its job there are no scanners at the b

battleground of proxy states where where basically lebanon is is a card so for these politicians lebannon and villepin nice people are not the priority. people take to the streets yes they were not the majority a lot of people still you know follow their their leaders their sectarian leaders for for for for many different reasons some are afraid of the tentative or the alternative really has not presented itself people are still afraid you know because there's this lack of loyalty as as a nation as a nation state but that this protest movement fizzled out it was met by a militarized state people found it useless really to keep on taking to the street when you're up against power which is ready to use all forms of violence you know to keep people off the streets so a lot of lebanese have lost hope those who can have left the country and that's why i talk about you know brain drain and s. and i wasn't criticizing you for the sake of criticizing but it's been a year and a half what have you you know not you what have those in power done for the people to 3 months ago people young men were in

lebannon exports $400000.00 tons of agricultural produce every year one forest to saudi arabia and the wider gulf region it's millions of dollars for a country facing a deep economic and financial crisis. we don't export pomegranates investigations show the truck came from syria but yes you can argue the lebanese government is not doing its job there are no scanners at the borders with syria or at the ports corruption in governance has plagued this country for years there is little control along its borders whether with neighboring syria or at ports where smuggling is rampant and evasion of custom tax costs the state billions of dollars in revenues levanon has a long history of drug called the patient have trafficking the because bally is the source of opium and hashish production factories producing captagon pills have been discovered as well western drug agencies say the amphetamine is also widely manufactured in syria. the discovery of 5300000 captagon pills in saudi arabia was the latest drug bust coming from lebanon on the timing of the ban has raised the question if politics is a

prices have soared as desperation grows so have scuffles over subsidized goods and supermarkets lebannon imports most of its food and there have been shortages as the government runs out of dollars. despite wheat being subsidized by the government the price of bread has also increased over a month buying a single pack of bread a day will cost more than 10 percent of the minimum wage charities helping the vulnerable have had to expand their efforts unemployment is rising and at least half the population of 3000000 people is poor. maya terrell tells me her organization feeds up to 1600 families a months base that if we don't receive the food but this month in my mean that we might not have the far or i mean we have to eat half the amount many have had to change their diets some have stopped buying meat at herb's and spices in america we used to buy an ounce of paper for 2 and a half dollars it now costs more than $10.00 what are the poor going to eat politicians failing to agree on a reform minded government also means there will be international aid and now lebanon is on the un list of hu

still ahead on al-jazeera a growing standoff between saudi arabia and lebannon or talk to families caught in the middle. faces cybiko showers coming in the cross u.k. over the next couple of days they have been few and far between so very welcome this i suspect somewhere whether that is this area of low pressure just spins its way down across scotland sinks further south with central parts of europe last you find a dry over towards the southwest yeah we have still got some showers rolling in the crust by and coach kill southern parts of france also seeing some of that west weather a little push its way into the north of italy as we go on through choose day maybe want to see showers too across the hungary in plain ukraine see some showers western parts of russia also scandinavia on the other hand still looking a lot of the driver the next couple of days some dry weather trying to push his way back in the cross the british isles as we go through wednesday i shall is thinking a little further south would slow waited rifle it's been a very dry april all the way survival coming down across a g

awfully lebannon of the leg had a smile. and a couple would not have the heart. to you know well if a couple of. 100 in it i had a lot. to be about on the i can look i'm going to feel. it to be the end of nicolette how good they can you know i mean she had a hard days that i get enough of me she'd call isabella liff again in ash and he did as i've been in the. from you to the from the caller had hoped all of it has so far that he has. had the howdy. couple funny i'm to have missed and i suppose it's also fianna small but by law. to. deduct i when they are at the the hard in i'm at. the total time up to the autumn a little bit to the. whole question from been all. day at a lot. of high appeal it without a been a long before they come in the board though a lot of them in the game can. just say going to lead them on the couple with no you're not going to like that if all of them in a. war with me and it meant. less him and make him accountable but i feel it's personal for you i'm sick. alcoholic. minus. let him come but then you know a couple of them you know. they

awfully lebannon of the leg had a smile. and couple would not have the heart. if a couple of. 100 in the i had a lot. to be about i'm not making look i'm going to feel. it to be the end of nicolette how good they can you know i mean she had a hard days that i get enough of me she'd call isabella lafitte get in nash and he did as i've been in the. for it to be fun to call it had hope all of it has. to be has. had the howdy. doody about a couple funny i'm to have missed and i suppose it's also fianna small but the law . to do them a good deco and they are to give the hardin i'm at. the total time up to the autumn a little but not sure to be. quite all total from benar all day at a lot with. a little bit out of been along for the coming of bordeaux a lot of them in the game can. use. them on the couple with no you're not going to like that if all of them in a. war with me and it meant. less him making a clinton but i feel it's personal for you i'm sick. alcoholic. minus. let him come but then you know a couple of them you know. they most anything i would want ice

prices have soared as desperation grows so have scuffles over subsidized goods and supermarkets lebannon imports most of its food and there have been shortages as the government runs out of dollars. despite wheat being subsidized by the government the price of bread has also increased over a month buying a single pack of bread a day will cost more than 10 percent of the minimum wage charities helping the vulnerable have had to expand their efforts unemployment is rising and at least half the population of 3000000 people is poor. maya terrell tells me her organization feeds up to 1600 families a months they start if we don't receive the food but this month in my mean that we might not have so far or i mean we have to eat after a long many have had to change their diets some have stopped buying meat and herbes and spices. we used to buy an ounce of paper for 2 and a half dollars now costs more than $10.00 what are the poor going to 8 politicians failing to agree on a reform minded government also means there won't be international aid and now lebanon is on a un list of hunger hotspots. the

lebannon exports $400000.00 tons of agricultural produce every year one forest to saudi arabia and the wider gulf region it's millions of dollars for a country facing a deep economic and financial crisis. we don't export pomegranates investigations show the truck came from syria but yes you can argue the lebanese government is not doing its job there are no scanners at the borders with syria or at the ports corruption in governance has plagued this country for years there is little control along its borders whether with neighboring syria or at ports where smuggling is rampant and evasion of custom tax costs the state billions of dollars in revenues levanon has a long history of drug called division and trafficking the because bally is a source of opium and hashish production factories producing captagon pills happen discovered as well western drug agencies say the amphetamine is also widely manufactured in syria. the discovery of 5300000 captagon pills in saudi arabia was the latest drug bust coming from lebanon on the timing of the ban has raised the question if politics is at play th

on our lebannon has imposed a national lockdown until next tuesday to prevent a potential surge in curve in 1000 cases during this easter holiday some essential shops will stay open and restaurants will still be allowed to provide delivery services the country has now reported more than 474000 cases and over 6000 deaths since the beginning of this pandemic and now coronavirus restrictions could soon be tightened in some of india's biggest cities if the number of cases there rise daily new infections are at a 6 month high with a month long surge reaching a peak of around 80000 on monday india's richest state maharashtra accounted for more than half of those new infections with officials there warning that a lockdown may be necessary. well there's plenty more ahead still on this news hour including families grieve for the victims of friday's train crash in taiwan a prosecutor has read a construction site near the tunnel. and a changing climate to live in south korea and now the cherry blossom recording for the 2nd year running. and support the phoenix suns continue to shine in the n.b.a. t