reporting live from singapore, i'm steve lai. the headlines: us secretary of state antony blinken is set to visit israel, the west bank and seven countries over the next week. continued disruption to international shipping in the red sea. houthi rebels defy us warnings by detonating a one—way unmanned surface vessel. historically high youth unemployment in china. we speak to 16— to 24—year olds in urban areas to see how they're coping. bangladesh enters its final day of competing ahead of elections this weekend. wheeled at the legitimacy of the elections and sticking points on voters�* mines. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news.

it's singapore, this is bbc news. it�*s news. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we start with the us secretary of state antony blinken, who is headed to the middle east to visit israel, the west bank and seven countries over the next week. the us state department says during mr blinken�*s trip he will seek immediate increase in aid to gaza as the strip continues to deal with a humaniatarian crisis. the trip comes as the uk foreign secretary, david cameron, warns israel must allow more aid into gaza in order to avoid starvation and large outbreaks of disease. and there are reports of dozens more deaths from air strikes in southern gaza as israel continues its military operation there. and in lebanon, people gathered for the funeral of deputy hamas leader saleh al—arouri. he was killed earlier this week in an explosion. hezbollah — a powerful iranian—backed group in lebanon — has blamed that attack on what it says was flagrant israeli aggression. israel has not commented.

but the explosion is creating concern about violence spreading in the region. our middle east correspondent, hugo bachega, gave this update. crowds gathered in beirut for the funeral of saleh al—arouri, the deputy hamas leader who was assassinated in an attack here in beirut, on tuesday. some people were carrying placards with his face, some were waving hamas and palestinian flags. and this assassination was a blow for hamas, but it also hit its lebanese allies, hezbollah, because it happened in an area of beirut that is a stronghold of hezbollah. so this has raised fears of a wider regional conflict, but there have been some indications that both hezbollah and israel are willing to take steps to avoid an escalation in their confrontation.

we heard from the israeli defense minister, yoav gallant, who said the israeli authorities were determined to change the security situation in northern israel to allow the return of thousands residents who have been evacuated because of those constant attacks by hezbollah. but he also said there was a short window of opportunity for a diplomatic solution to the crisis there. and those comments followed a speech by the influential leader of hezbollah — hassan nasrallah — in which he described the assassination that happened here in beirut as a flagrant israeli aggression. but crucially, he did not make any threat to act against israel. now, hassan nasrallah is expected to address his supporters again on friday, and any response from hezbollah is likely to be measured to avoid a strong israeli response and a potential catastrophic conflict for lebanon.

checking other developments in the middle east. uk maritime trade operations says a merchant vessel in the arabian sea was attacked by at least five unauthorised armed persons. that�*s the 25th attack or hijacking of a commercial ship travelling in that part of the world since mid—november, with the majority of attacks happening in the red sea. houthi rebels vowed to continue the shipping attacks on the red sea in solidarity with gaza despite several countries warning of retaliation. i�*ve been speaking with elisabeth braw — a senior associate fellow at the european leadership network, a defence and security think tank. i asked her about comments made by david cameron, the uk foreign secretary, who warned that action will be taken if the attacks in the red sea continue. it�*s a very risky move by david cameron to say there will be consequences, and he�*s saying that in conjunction with the us, italy, other countries that have all vowed to retaliate against further houthi aggression. but now that they�*ve said it, they have to do it. and the houthis are betting

that they won�*t do it. and so, this red line will mean nothing, and the west will be humiliated. so the next few hours, the next few days will be crucial in this battle because, if they don�*t take action, if the houthis continue their attacks, then they will look toothless in this really crucial body of water. so, now they�*ve drawn this red line, then, what do you think is the biggest factor that could send this situation spiralling? it�*s the arrival of iran, without a doubt. iran already sent, a couple of days ago, a frigate to the red sea, where it�*s sitting — nobody really knows what this frigate, the alborz, what it�*s planning to do or what it will be asked to do. but it�*s there as a signal to the western powers that it�*s trying to secure shipping in the red sea — and that signal is, "if you attack the houthis attacking "vessels in the red sea, our frigate may respond, "and indeed, we may send more naval vessels." so it�*s a very tense situation, and it�*s so unpredictable

because we don�*t know what iran�*s plan is. but it�*s a very strong message from iran that this frigate is now there in the red sea. well, antony blinken is set to visit the middle east again — what can he realistically do to stop the escalation of the gaza—israel conflict from spreading? this is the dilemma for the united states. i think we all remember after the attacks happened, and after israel began retaliating by striking gaza, the americans said, "we�*ll hug israel close" — meaning we will keep them close so that when we ask them to, for example, reduce violence, they will then listen to us and follow our advice. and unfortunately, that doesn�*t seem to have been the case very much. and so, now with blinken visiting the middle east, that will be a case study, really, for whether that american strategy works.

if he asks the israelis to reduce the violence, will they actually do so? and will that be something that is communicated to the world? and equally, will his voice carry any weight with arab leaders, considering how closely the us has stuck to israel in this conflict? it�*s a very tricky diplomatic mission, and the stakes are extremely high — not just for the people in the region, but indeed, for the globalised economy. the united states is accusing north korea of supplying russia with ballistic missiles and launchers to use in its war in ukraine. white house national security spokesperson john kirby told reporters that newly declassified intelligence showed that russian forces fired one such missile at ukraine last week and several more two days ago. he said that pyongyang was seeking russia�*s military assistance in return. mr kirby said that washington would raise the issue at the united nations security council. earlier i spoke to our north america correspondent, shingai nyoka, and asked her how the us plans to raise this

at the security council. well, in that press briefing, he said that russia is violating the un resolutions, because north korea is under un sanctions. so he said that the us would raise this matter at the security council — but he also laid out other measures that the us is going to pursue. he said that they would also impose sanctions against those that are facilitating the transfer of these weapons from north korea to russia. he described this as a "significant and concerning escalation" — not just because of the weapons, the types of weapons that north korea is supplying to russia, but also the fact that north korea will expect different types of weaponry and military equipment in return. and that, for the us, also

poses concerns about security in the indo—pacific area. certainly with north korea�*s nuclear ambitions in mind, does this also, domestically speaking, put pressure on congress to push through funding for more weapons for ukraine? yes, and it was quite interesting thatjohn kirby at that meeting spoke about the fact that iran, which is also supplying weapons to russia, and north korea are standing with russia. and he also made a case for the us to stand with ukraine, and really made the point that now is the time that the us and congress needs to sit down and make a decision about that $61 billion package that president biden has requested. the request was made in november last year, but it remains stalled in congress — they closed out the year without any kind of agreement. and so, the congress will resume on the 8th of january,

in terms of its negotiations. and he was really urging them, saying that if russia and iran, and north korea can stand with russia, then then the ukrainian people deserve to know that the us stands with ukraine. to bangladesh until its final day of campaigns ahead of elections this weekend. the ruling leaders had to be re—elected for a fourth straight parliamentary term with all candidates on the ballot from the party. its allies are independents. rallies against the government turned violent last year and unrest comes as bangladesh faces economic hardship. the more, we can speak with a distinguished professor of politics and government illinois state university and cfl at the atlantic council. what�*s your reaction? i am expecting this weekend to see on polling day in terms of turnout and the opponents? festival, whether we should call an election is an open

question because it is largely a stage—managed show. those on the ballot are not exactly the opponents of the government. there is no contest as such and this is essentially an uncontested one so the result is pretty much known because the opposition, most opposition leaders are injail. hundreds of them, thousands, they begin victor, 20,000 people injail. whether there are people showing up, but depends on many things, but most importantly government has used state tools to bring people into the bowling centre but that will not reflect on public opinion because there is no opposition. those participating our allies. it will take the point further, the opposition parties boycotting the ball and many leaders jail, what a victory for the prime minister curry

legitimacy? it for the prime minister curry legitimacy?— for the prime minister curry legitimacy? it does not. the government _ legitimacy? it does not. the government has _ legitimacy? it does not. the government has been - legitimacy? it does not. the government has been facingj government has been facing since the previous two elections, 2014 election boycotted by all opposition and in 2018 the election was marred with not only violence but the state authorities were used. it had been facing this kind of legitimacy crisis over the last decade and a half. they should accentuate the situation. i don�*t see if they could claim moral legitimacy after how they organised the election and pretty much forced the opposition to be away from the election. i opposition to be away from the election. , ., ,, ~ election. i understand sheikh hasina was — election. i understand sheikh hasina was once _ election. i understand sheikh hasina was once a _ election. i understand sheikh hasina was once a leader- election. i understand sheikh| hasina was once a leader who fought for multiparty democracy. now that un expresses alarm at her government�*s suppression of the opposition. government's suppression of the opposition-— opposition. how did things go to this? the _ opposition. how did things go to this? the process - opposition. how did things go to this? the process started l opposition. how did things go | to this? the process started in 2011 one conditional progression for educating government to oversee the

election was scrapped by awami league who had majority, came to power in a free and fair election in 2008 and since then you�*ve seen all these kind of legal and extralegal measures to suppress opposition, is equally the freedom of expression has dwindled, freedom of assembly has dwindled, so the problem started with this compositional change and since then it has been a downward spiral of continuous persecution against opposition and any kind of dissent, and that is the usual role of authoritarianism and autocracy. role of authoritarianism and autocracy-— role of authoritarianism and autocra . ,, , ., ., autocracy. quickly, what do you think the reaction _ autocracy. quickly, what do you think the reaction will— autocracy. quickly, what do you think the reaction will be - autocracy. quickly, what do you think the reaction will be from | think the reaction will be from international community to this one—sided election, as you put it? i one-sided election, as you put it? ., , ., it? i hope that the international - it? | hope that the - international community particularly those who are democratic, especially the united states, which has raised

so much concern going into the election, there could be some kind of action, definitely this is an unacceptable election because they are listed on free and fair elections but this is neither free nor fair. definitely not inclusive as the opposition is out. i hope they will take stern action. they have tried and the office should have pursued nonviolent parts to achieve their goals but i am afraid whether there could be more violence in coming days, but most importantly the current situation which you refer to is going to be a major challenge especially whether the external factors should step in is something we should see. i would expect we should not simply stop talking but it will take some actions on this completely one—sided election.

ali raiz from state illinois university. in china millions of young people are trying to find a job. more than one in 516—25 —year—olds arejobless. —year—olds are jobless. although it is difficult to know the real figure after the country stop releasing statistics. it is one real challenge. joy is the first person in herfamily to get a university degree. 0nly around one third of her class have found full—timejobs. she is taking a job in sales, not her dream career, but she is determined to make the most of every opportunity. do you think it is more difficult now than when your parents were growing up to get a job? translation: yes. the fact is that there are lots ofjobs. the trouble is whether

you are willing to lower your expectations. these jobs don�*t have good prospects for your future. they offer low salaries and you are easily replaceable. that is why most people would rather stay at home than choose one of these jobs. some disillusioned graduates posted photos on social media suggesting their degrees were worthless. 0thers lay on the ground, lying flat it is called, a term used by young people opting out of the competition of modern life. as the number of young, unemployed people continued to rise, the chinese leader, president xi, came up with an idea. for decades, young people have left rural areas such as this, they have gone to big cities to study and find a job. he wants them to come back, get employment here, and revitalise rural economies. the problem is young people are finding it is not that easy. manyjobs in the country are lower paid and require fewer skills.

even in the city, at this job fair in beijing, there is a skills gap. most of the openings don�*t need a masters degree. mr xi wants the next generation to eat bitterness. a way of saying, "just suck it up." but after enduring years of strict covid lockdowns, many young people don�*t want a hard life. this woman has a marketing degree from a city a few hours�* drive from beijing. after a few months of searching she has taken a job in customer service, for now. both she and her boyfriend want to work, but the pandemic also changed their outlook on life. translation: my parents are less educated. - the things they�*ve encountered, the places they�*ve visited, are few and limited. they have never left their home province. they just want a stable life.

but we want to see more things, see the outside world and think about what we really dream of. studying hard no longer guarantees a glittering career in china. the post—covid generation is adjusting its expectations and finding its own way through an ailing job market. leaders will hope to get a grip on this crisis in the next year in case it festers into a more troublesome generational discontent. laura bicker, bbc news. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. these rocks date back to the dinosaurs. the creatures preserved inside them give an insight into what marine life was like in a time before humans. there�*s no denying just how exciting people find fossils, you know, how manyjobs,

how many hobbies, how many passions has finding a fossil actually inspired? there�*s no question about it, it did for me. you know, i used to collect fossils — and still do. so it certainly has that natural history attraction. the ammonites here on doniford beach, in somerset are around 197 million years old. but some have been seriously damaged. police have confirmed two people from france were spoken to for allegedly using an angle grinder to try to remove some of the fossils. we�*re used to seeing people collecting on a small scale, when it happens. but, yeah, just the magnitude of this — you can see they�*ve taken out a very large portion of that bedding plane there. you�*re live with bbc news. a second batch of court filings related to jeffrey a second batch of court filings related tojeffrey epstein has been released in new york the first batch were unsealed making public names of people associated with him. among them

prince andrew. the 900 pages contain dozens of references to the king�*s brother, including testimony from a young woman who says that prince andrew groped her. the records form part of a civil case against ghislaine maxwell, epstein�*s british ex—girlfriend, who�*s injail in the us for assisting him. prince andrew has previously denied all the allegations against him. there�*ve been hundreds of flood alerts across england, as heavy rain continued to batter parts of the country. and there are fears the river trent could come close to its highest water mark on record this century. a major incident has already been declared in nottinghamshire due to widespread flooding, caused by storm henk. navtej johal reports. storm henk may be gone, but it�*s certainly not forgotten. this is what it left behind in nottinghamshire, where a major incident has been declared and water levels on the river trent are as high as they�*ve been in more than 20 years. the council is making

the decision could see the river surging past their headquarters, but not every seat here was suitable for a good view. it�*s similar levels to that of 2000, so it�*s that serious, and we must ask people to be aware and stay safe. flooded roads are causing problems and making it harder for people to evacuate. in places it�*s become difficult to tell what�*s river, what�*s canal and what�*s supposed to be dry land. in the village of east bridgeford, many people have never seen it so bad. we went to bed last night knowing the river was coming up, so my partner set the alarms to check it every couple of hours in the night. the river started coming into the property at 6:00 this morning. we�*ve spent most of today keeping it out, which we did a very good job of until about 2:30pm this afternoon, where the river trent got the better of us. in radcliffe on trent, the fire service needed to be

carried in at this static caravan park and rush hour was proving difficult. the yellow warning for heavy rain covers most of the southwest, southeast, and parts of the midlands, and there are more than 200 flood warnings across england. and in wiltshire tonight, flooded fields have led to flooded homes and frustrated residents. we�*ve got water flooding underfloors, we�*ve ta ken stuff u psta i rs. the council have the phone off the hook. the police aren�*t interested in closing the road, i�*m amazed there hasn�*t been an incident. the fire brigade isn�*t interested, no—one is interested. we were sat having a nice glass of wine by the fire and my partner's friend texted and said, i hope you are ok, and we were, like, 0k, what's going on? so we came out and went, oh, yeah. the rain is disrupting rail services and all sorts of journeys. it�*s difficult to get around, even for those who know the land best.

this is gloucestershire. these cows and horses won�*t be roaming far on their new island in leicestershire. some have been able to see the lighter side of it all though. good afternoon, welcome to the rose and crown, riverside view, and probably the best guinness... the landlord of this pub has no chance of a dry january. i want to tell you about a global superstar who is making a comeback. elvis sank his last note in 1977 but now he will perform in a stage show made possible by ai. # the warden threw a party at the county jail. .. elvis never played the uk while he was alive, but 46 years after his death, plans have been announced for a show in london. with what the organisers say

will be a convincing 3d computer—generated elvis. an ai elvis. i mean, is this entirely created by computers then? the way of thinking about it is the ai learns elvis�*s movements, elvis�*s face structure, all about elvis and generates a computer model, which then will enable us to produce a new performance of elvis. using hours of home video and performance footage, the ai program is studying his look, his movements and his expressions, to recreate elvis. but this is far from the first holographic performance. # oh, i want to dance with somebody... this an early version of a digital whitney houston. we�*ve also seen a ghostly buddy holly and roy orbison back on stage,

but the real breakthrough was abba�*s avatar show in london. i�*ve been to visit the show twice, and it�*s very strange. the first time you see it you go, this is really, really weird. and then eventually it�*s almost like you�*re thinking they are real. the technology that they have is astonishing, really. # you ain't nothin' but a hound dog... and the attraction of holograms is obvious — many of the world�*s biggest acts are getting on a bit. the band kiss announced a farewell tour in the year 2000, and a few weeks ago, assured the world that this really was the end by introducing their replacements — avatar kiss. david sillito, bbc news. the king lives. that is it for now.

hello. after the exceptional rainfall and the significant flooding of the last few days, you may well be pleased to hear that the weather is set to change. the next few days will be drier, yes, also colder, but i�*m sure some lower temperatures will be a small price to pay for less in the way of rain. we certainly saw some rain on thursday in the south of the uk, thanks to this hook of cloud. that�*s an area of low pressure still close by for the first part of friday morning, still bringing some rain across eastern parts of england. we�*ve also still got some showery rain from this weather system, centred across the north of scotland. so, as we head through the morning on friday, yes, still a little bit of rain across eastern england, quite a brisk wind, as well. still windy for the northern isles, and generally cloud and some showery rain across the north—east of scotland. further west, though, some brighter skies, some spells of sunshine and, while there will be some showers, there probably won�*t be too many, and a decent amount of dry weather. those temperatures a touch lower than they have been — 6 degrees for aberdeen, nine for cardiff, for plymouth,

maybe 10 for the channel islands. and then, as we head through friday night, we�*ll keep some quite large amounts of cloud, especially across the eastern half of the uk, with some showery rain. drier out west with some clear spells and just one or two showers. that will give rise to some fog patches and a touch of frost for some. temperatures across parts of northern england, scotland, northern ireland are likely to drop below freezing. so, frost and fog to start the day for some of us on saturday. quite a lot of cloud across the eastern half of england. that will break up to some extent, and i think we will see some spells of sunshine. just one or two showers here and there, but a much drier story than we�*ve been used to. temperatures coming down again, 5—9 celsius at best. through saturday nights, the last remnants of this weather system really clearing away, as high pressure builds more strongly across the uk. that will set us up actually for the forecast for next week and certainly on sunday, we�*re looking at a lot of dry weather. some early mist and fog, touch of frost in places, but some spells of sunshine. small chance of one or two showers maybe across

northeast scotland, also grazing the southeast of england and the channel islands. and it certainly will be a colder—feeling day, 3—7 degrees. and actually, into the start of the new week, the winds will really pick up across the south, so that will add to what will be a really cold feel to the weather. but it�*ll be a mostly dry week ahead, some spells of sunshine with some frost and some fog at night.

the devastating consequences from the politically—charged war in the gaza strip spills over into the business community. plus, travellers continue to spend big, undeterred by the high cost of living. we ask why, and where. hello and welcome to asia business report. i�*m steve lai. we begin this hour with the war in middle east. in the months since hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on israel in october, killing more than 1,000 people, the death toll on both sides have continued to rise. israeli bombardments have killed more than 21,000 on the gaza strip according to the hamas—run health ministry. the consequences have now spilt over to businesses, as customers in the middle east and elsewhere boycott companies for their perceived support of israel.

from new york, the bbc�*s michelle fleury reports.