ah, i'm carry johnston, this is alex, is there a live from? also coming protests, his vent their anger, yet again, over years of financial mismanagement in lebanon, at least 8 people killed in cave after bars. of drone strikes, hit residential areas on wednesday morning and calls for nationwide protests as people across france demand the government backs down every plan to raise the retirement age. ah, the u. s. federal reserve is raising interest rates the 9th time in 12 months. the benchmark rate is going up by a quarter of a percentage point to 5 percent. while widely expected, some economists had hoped for no rate hike up to to us banks failed earlier this month. i'll just there is hydro castro reports the u. s. central banks decision to raise the federal interest rate by a quarter percentage point was the result of being stuck between conflicting forces . don't raise the rate enough, and consumer prices may continue to sort, raise it too high and more banks may fail. history has shown that isolated banking problems, if left unaddressed, can undermine confidence in healthy banks and threatening the ability of the banking system as a whole. the banking turmoil hits suddenly 2 weeks ago when 2 midsize banks failed, people lined up to demand their money money that was no longer there. after silicon valley bank sold its government bonds at a loss due to high interest rates. as phoebe's practices had caught the attention of banking regulators in 2022, but the fed fail to prevent the crisis chairman jerome pow so the blame lies with the bank. now under investigation in a basic level, silicon valley bank management failed badly. they grew the bank very quickly. they exposed the bank to significant liquidity, risk and interest rate, risk, and emergency intervention by regulators, and the us treasury department has stabilize the banking sector for now. treasury secretary janet yellen told a senate committee on wednesday that regulatory reforms may be required. this was a very unusual set of circumstances. the silicon valley bank faced. it appears that they had seen significant interest rate risk that they were subject to and exceptionally high over 90 percent of their deposits were uninsured. the big day, a financial news made for volatile trading on wall street with the dow and s and p closing down more than one and a half percent. investors fear, even the modest interest rate hike will increase pressure on banks. i think this is, this is going to only add fuel to the fire, just how much higher will the federal interest rate go? well, the federal reserve is signaling that it's approaching the end of its aggressive campaign to raise interest rates in order to lower inflation. perhaps one more interest rate hike is expected before the end of this year, and then if inflation indeed continues to descend downward as expected, then come 2024 interest rate cuts could be expected. heidi jo, castro, al jazeera washington, the u. k. could see a high can interest rates on thursday, as the inflation rate increased unexpectedly in february, after 3 months. it's been driven by high food and energy bills. food prices are at their highest level in 45 years. that's largely because of a shortage of vegetables. dean barbara has more from london will after several months of falling inflation. this is something of a surprise and it poses a headache for the bank of england, which has already raised interest rates 10 times since december battling double digit inflation. so the headline figuring them yet or february 10 point 4 percent rising prices, 3 things driving that really, 1st in the hospitality sector, rising prices for alcohol and then food and non alcoholic drinks. for example, there been shortages of some vegetables from southern europe, partly due to supply chain issues linked to breaks it. partly bad weather and rises in general for food are over 80 percent. so that's going to hit the low income households, the hardest. and then you've got rises in clothing and footwear, particularly for children and women. now, the chancellor of the exchequer that britain's finance minister, jeremy hunt, has reacted saying that this is a reminder, no one should take a falling inflation for granted. but saying that he'll stick to his aim to cut inflation by half. by the end of the year, the office were budget responsibility predicted it would get below 3 percent by the end of the year. but just on tuesday, he was calling this double digit inflation dangerously. high, it's dangerous, politically for him as well. the opposition labor party have said that this shows that nothing is working better in britain compared to a 13 years ago when the conservatives took power. union bosses similarly as saying that the cost of living crisis is not being dealt with sufficiently by the government criticizing last week's budget for favoring more well off households. and so this is just a reminder that with britain experiencing the highest inflation amongst the g 7 group of developed nations. this is not just an economic challenge, but a political challenge. the devastating financial crisis in lebanon, the saw protest is returned to streets on wednesday. police fire tear gas to break up demonstrations in the capital bay route. many were retired soldiers demanding a living wage. inflation has been skyrocketing since 2019, making essential daily purchases, increasingly unaffordable and problems with the banking said to have meant some people are struggling to access their own money. they know harder has more from beirut. lebanon has become a cash economy. it's the result of a 4 year old financial crisis brought about by decades of mismanagement and corruption. the banking sector is crippled and the country is close to bankruptcy. it's the biggest threat that the government of the country is facing because it has a very, very, very dangerous 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, restructuring of the banking system. law. restructuring is one of the reforms required for much needed international support to revive the economy. but that means the political and business elite will have to compromise their hold on power . something they have resisted so far. in the mean time, money transfer companies have stepped in as have other financial institutions, many of which are not regulated. 50 to 60 percent of the daughter d, d p, as they consider to be in the shadow economy. so outside the states, this includes 2 types of activities. you have information activities, which means enterprises who do not declare the employee is that they have to not declare their exact revenues, but also you have the elicit part of these activities. this is causing concern, particularly among western nations. that tracking elicit cash transactions will become more difficult compromise in the fight against money laundering and the financing of armed groups. an estimated $8000000000.00 is exchanging hands outside the radar of the state. that includes an illegal activity theater smuggling across the border to syria. the informal economy is also growing the international labor organization estimates that 60 percent of the workforce is not tax and doesn't benefit from social protection. the government is unable to provide services and its struggles to pay public servants, although the salaries are negligible, given inflation. emily and what was in the south. a cash economy means big losses. the government loses around 20 to 25 percent of expected revenues because of corruption, bribery, and tax evasion. all the while many war lebanon is operating outside the international financial system than eclipse. alger cedar, beirut, at least 8 people were killed in russian drone strikes now the ukrainian cabot long wednesday attack kids or college and a student dormitory, south of cave. one of the victims was an ambulance driver called to the scene. more than a dozen people were injured, some with burns, with really terrible corpus. like we were all together when the blast we've hit and the ceiling started to crumble, those a lot of smoke and our clothes caught fire. i am so happy my children were smart enough to tear the clothes off quickly. we were a bit slower and we suffered some bones. but it really doesn't matter because we are alive. stephanie deca has more now from keith a dea ukrainian military saying that 16 out of 21 drones were shot out of the sky air i sirens did sound the ukrainian president, calling it quoting the murderous drones and referring to the russian president vladimir putin saying, well, as he talks of peace, ah, the orders are given for these kinds of attacks. it's the 1st time certainly that there has been a hit on a residential building in the surrounding areas of the capitol. ah, since december, for the attack in the cave region was followed by another russian missile strike on to residential buildings in its operation. at least one person was killed. ukrainian, the president for the mass lensky condemned the attack. at least 25 people were taken to hospital off to to 9 story. buildings were hit and in russian occupied crimea. russian officials say the navy repelled a drone attack on the portrait, sebastopol. you'd a shop of oliver has more from moscow the morning attempt to hit russia targets and crimea, and 7 topple with 3 drones. all devices were destroyed by 2 women offices, both well received state a war. so this is the laces from survey showing good. the russian defense minister, basically the rest of information we have on the semester latan comes curtsey over govern notes, have a total and the high resolution drive and he's telegram channel. so the truth try to get into the bay that's according to resume jive, russian. the russian sailors fire fired a small arms at them and there were no casualties. but some windows in into residential buildings were blown out. g, 2 explosions caused by destroyed drains. and after successfully repulsing the drone of tacos to topple the ukrainian knots is according to his vision. if again, on his telegram channel, they launched an information at talk, but the crimea is safe according to the governor. and if anything, basically anything dangerous is going to happen, that people will be informed by the authorities. and this is not the 1st recent a talk by ukrainian trends in crimea, as we know not so long ago, a massive tried by several ukrainian. these was carried out in john coy on the crime in peninsula late monday evening. on march, the 20th russia is deploying a long range anti ship missiles in the disputed area. the southern curl islands are disputed between japan and russia. this comes just a day off to japan's prime minister, visited keith and offered his support. former british prime minister barak johnston has told the parliamentary committee that he never lied to m. p. 's about parties at his official residence during coven 19 knocked out. johnston is accused of deliberately misleading parliament jona, how reports some have called it boris johnson's last stand. this colossal figure of british politics, demeaned under close questioning by a cross party committee of am piece. well, at that, i mean it has it one of your that is very one point i was whatever, whatever you interpretation of the guidance may be. what matters if i may respectfully say is what i believed to been our efforts to follow the guidance why i thought that they were credible and, and how hot it and what i was young time was gonna ask you to allow sir bernard asked his next class course at issue here is where the johnson lied to parliament about locked down parties in number 10 downing street. ah, the speaker. no, but i'm sure the day and whatever happened or the guidance was followed in the rules of 100 times the rooms, the former prime minister is adamant he did not. i am here to save you handled haunt that i did not lie to the house. johnson concedes his statements were misleading, but uttered, he said, in good faith, he had been told by aids, the events in question were work related and within the guidance. my honest belief that it was within the rules was based on what i was told by senior advisors. the fact that this was my honest belief is supported by the fact that so many other people honestly believe that we were doing nothing wrong. the committee at one point described johnson's defense as flimsy, and said that to the man who was prime minister at the time, who made the rules and who broadcast them frequently to the nation, it should have been obvious that what was going on was wrong. johnson's retort was that therefore, it should have been just as obvious to others who were there, including current prime minister rash, sumac. soon act was fined by the police for breaking the rules as well as johnson. in this bid to clear his name, boris johnson, apparently happy to tarnish the name of others. i think is quite clear to everyone that he misled everyone in everything. but do you blame him? could anyone have done any better? i think he'll come back to the forest. johnson noticed more, more life in him, still popular in some quarters. but johnson's hopes of come back looking, slimmer and slimmer. it will be for the privileges committee to decide whether he knowingly lied to parliament a decision that in turn could see the form a p. m. ejected as an m p. jonah, how al jazeera london. so to come on, al jazeera pakistan's, a full prime minister emron con, says it's a matter of time before he is imprisoned or assassinated. and as the un warns of a global war to crisis, we look at the extraordinary lens summit, venezuelans, okay to, for safe supplies. ah, hello, we got some pretty wet weather on the cars for japan over the next couple of days. just lied of cloud and brain that is spilling out to central china. got an active where, where the system, this one just rolling over towards his china sea and beyond. and that will push up some pretty wet weather across q shoe into honshu, all part saying somewhere by the, by the end of thursday wall behind so live around 21 degrees celsius. not too bad in basing around 14 degrees celsius high for the air quality starting to improve here, farther south. there we go with more heavy showers, longer spouse of rain. in fact, i think that perhaps up further as we go through friday, we could see some localized flooding to southern parts of china. meanwhile, japan, tony dryer and bright, up with more in the way of sunshine penny a sunshine, warm sunshine to across indo china. northern parts of the philippines to swell a scattering showers into central and southern parts of the philippines. though she gray through where thursday could catch a shout to which was the southern end of the malay, panella, but the majority of the showers, or south of the equator, he might still see a few showers into slang carry over the next day. also, not quite as wet up towards the northeast of india, but a westerly disturbance was to bring some heavy right into pakistan and north west india. ah. join the debate, the you know that the sector seems empowered by the israeli government and stand by that really going to lend today. they are the government africans count. security is also a global health care receipt on an online at your voice. there is no right to defense, there is no right to protest. we can't just keep relying on aid. there has to be some work toward a sustainable economy at the end of the day. it is ordinary objects that are paying the price. this tree anal dara lou ah do without 0 reminder of our main stories now. the u. s. federal reserve has increased interest rates for 9th time in 12 months as it tries to curb inflation. the fed that raised the key rates by a quarter of a point to 5 percent higher since 2007. there been more protests against lebanon's financial crisis. police fire tear gas to break up demonstrations in the capital bay route. many were retired soldiers demanding a living wage. and at least 8 people were killed in russian drones strikes nether ukrainian capital on wednesday attack. his college and the student dorm south of keith. one of the victims was an ambulance drive of coal to the scene. the u. n's middle east peace and boy has told the security council meeting. he remains deeply troubled by continued israeli settlement expansion. on tuesday, israel's parliament over turned part of a law that banned illegal settlements and occupied westbank. it has been in place since 2005 for when is and also criticize israel security forces for spike in palestinian death in the occupied west. back these re, security force is operated the occupied west back and subsequent classes have led to a staggering number of palestinians killed that the injured i re read the security force is much use lethal force of the work strictly unavoidable to protect life must from the authority investigate all in depth and injuries resulting from these views. holding those responsible accountable. i have to pick lily or pull the children continue to be cute and in these large numbers, children must never be targeted of violence used or could in archway. french unions are, according for nationwide protest on thursday, against the government's plans to raise the retirement age. ah, hundreds of demonstrators march through paris late on wednesday. it came hours after president him alma cron went on television to defend the policy. he wants it implemented by the end of the year. natasha butler reports to be defiant in his 1st t v interview. in months, the french president said he had no regrets about his controversial pension reform bill were forcing it through the french parliament by decree sutcliffe formula in if his freeform is necessary, i say at least the french people. so if i don't enjoy doing this, but he's out of the sense of duty that i committed to this solidity and honor for me, my crawford no concessions to opponents of the reform. it was said he wouldn't re shuffle his cabinet or change his prime minister, leaving some opposition and peas, unimpressive. on the if you're somebody want, if i symbolically define france is working class. mr micron has highlighted his contempt for a part of the population food contempt. that was the hallmark of his tensions mill . frances trade union said the reform is unfair because they raises the retirement age by 2 years to 64 and will have a greater impact on poor workers. since january they led strikes and protests in the country against the referring in paris, destroyed by garbage collectors, is in his 2nd week prison. my call will certainly hope that the arguments that he made in his television interview will calm the situation and quell the protests. for now though, that seems unlikely. oh, some students and teachers demonstrated outside the higher education ministry in the city. these teachers say that governments, ignoring people's concerns, the government is acting as a firm. nothing is happening on the street. and that as if for having music, people protesting peacefully, it doesn't mean anything and doesn't change anything. it's not her. just her an education issue. it's all public services which are being really destroy. why are these neo liberal policies to day? so this made house stacked up, and now people are claiming the streets because there is no other way to be heard to day. pretty new leaders hope the continued protests will put pressure on the government to scrap its reform. for now, there's no indication that the president can back down. michael says the reform will help sustain the pension system to future generations. and he wants it to be signed into law soon. on natasha butler in mal, jazeera, new paris. at least 5 african migrants and refugees have died after a boat sank of the coast of to nicea 5, others were rescued and 28 people are missing. they