western part. 0£ini£wfl iii“ “it t£1 “ni fi£1‘”‘i‘iifl.£ ”£121 around western part. temperatures down a little bit, 13—14. we keep the area low pressure on friday and into the weekend. bye—bye for now. this is worklife from bbc news, with sally bundock and karin giannone. news, with sally bundock a news, with sally bundock day of embarrassment a embarrassment a day of embarrassment and embarrassment for hong kong's leader carrie lam but will her protest lead to further protests or stability? live from london, that's our top story on wednesday 16th october. carrie lam attempts to restore confidence in her administration after more than four months of anti—government protests — we assess the economic fallout. also in the programme... a "glimmer of hope" that a brexit

deal can be reached before britain's departure date. we're going to be live in brussels. and we meet venom, india's gaming superstar who admits he's making more money than he could ever have dreamt of. and we'll be getting the inside track on surviving in the fast lane — and a comeback by iconic british car—maker lotus. we discuss city living and pollution. a report suggests it shortens our memory. are you worried about the effects of dirty air on your health? let us know — just use the hashtag bbcworklife. hello, and welcome to worklife. our new business show. and yes, i forget whether that's to do with pollution or not, i have no idea! we will discuss that later. let's begin in hong kong today, where earlier there were chaotic scenes as a

leader carrie lam is forced to abandon her annual address after being heckled in the city's parliament. ms lam had been due to announce a raft of property initiatives to try to restore confidence, after more than four months of anti—government protests. she later delivered a pre—recorded version of the address. right now in hong kong, she is holding a press conference. we are keeping a close eye on what she says at the press conference. let's take a look at the economic fallout of this. many tourists are staying away. visitor numbers were down almost 40% in august compared with the same month last year. and as you can see behind me here... they have had to cancel some big sporting events that is important to hong kong. they include golf‘s clearwater bay open, the us pga tour citing "continued demonstrations, civil unrest and safety concerns". they bring in a lot of money for hong kong so it is a big blow. the total amount spent by shoppers

in hong kong plunged by a record 23% in august. the economy is almost certain to tip into recession, after shrinking in the three months tojune, before the height of the protests. with us now is janet mui, global economist at cazenove capital. welcome to you. carrie lam is talking at the moment in the news conference. from what you have heard from her so far today, do you think this will help the situation in hong kongin this will help the situation in hong kong in any way? i think it wouldn't help with the situation because she's actually addressing what the protesters are demanding. in her passing address, it's mainly on economic measures. for example, on what i read, they will help with the poorest people in hong kong, which are more affected by this protest. they are giving subsidies directly to people. they are asking businesses to lower rents. however, i doubt this measures will have an economic impact because a lot of people in hong kong they refrain from shopping and spending their money because they couldn't actually

get out there because they are disrupted daily by protests and violence. also, one of the measures is for example lowering the requirement, mortgage requirement for first—time buyers. a requirement, mortgage requirement forfirst—time buyers. a lot requirement, mortgage requirement for first—time buyers. a lot of people cannot get on the housing ladder but i doubt this will make the situation better because as you know, more bank credit will fuel the housing bubble. i'm not sure how these economic policies are actually going to address the underlying problem and definitely not the kind of demands that hong kong people are asking for. if the protests continue asking for. if the protests continue as it looks like they will do for some time, and the fact the word we are getting from china, the president with strong words about what the consequences are if they do continue... the two sides are so far apart, what impact is this going to have on hong kong's economy? you are right. i think the two sides are in

gridlock at the moment. i see no resolution because they are so far apartand china resolution because they are so far apart and china will not give in. so i worry about the business confidence in hong kong. hong kong is mostly, the growth is mainly driven by services and it's a major financial centre in hong kong and i think it could face more competition from other financial hubs, think it could face more competition from otherfinancial hubs, for example singapore. from what i read, people are moving from hong kong to singapore already and it will be worried if this is more permanent basis. also, internal competition within china, cities like shanghai, shen zheng. i'm a bit worried about the financial status of hong kong. janet, thank you. janet mui. carrie lam is addressing the press right now so any news or new dramatic headlines, we will make sure we update you foster in the meantime, let's get you across other business

news stories. us lawmakers have supported hong kong protesters by passing a bill aimed at upholding human rights in the city. the bill would mandate an annual review, to see whether hong kong had sufficient autonomy from the rest of china to justify its special trading status. the bill also commends canada in its dispute over the extradition of meng wanzhou, chief financial officer of chinese telecom giant huawei. she was arrested in canada in december. (tx 00v)the uk online fashion retailer asos is paying the price the uk online fashion retailer asos is paying the price for a costly expansion into europe and the us. it's announced cost—cutting measures after its profits plunged by more than two—thirds. the retailer says animal prints and satin styles were popular among customers. uk fashion company boohoo has been told one of its emailed advertisements must not use the phrase "send nudes". the company put the phrase in a message sent to promote a range of clothes coloured to resemble skin. the advertising standards authority upheld a complaint about the advert because it made light

of a "potentially harmful social trend". now to brexit, and as talks continue in brussels, the pound has risen on hopes that a deal can be agreed. sterling is at its highest level in five months. prime minister boris johnson is under pressure to get a fresh agreement by thursday's european union summit. it sounds like a tall order to me. adam fleming is joining us from brussels. adam, what news, if any? the only thing we know for certain as a fact is the uk's chief negotiator david frost, just a few minutes ago, went into the european commission headquarters, where the eu is negotiating team is based. which presumably means neither side thinks it's worth pulling the plug gap, which means both sides must think there is progress to be made. if there is progress to be made. if there is progress to be made. if there is an agreement between the negotiating teams, i expect the

brexit experts from the other 27 states will be invited to read any text. there is a meeting slated for this afternoon for eu ambassadors where they will be briefed on the latest and then make a recommendation to their national governments about whether the leader signed up to revise brexit deal. but thatis signed up to revise brexit deal. but that is a big if because that is if there is a revise brexit deal. we do not know if we are getting any closer to that existing. i think we are still presented with the three options the eu chief negotiator michel barnier said existed yesterday. that is, either deadlock in the talks, you need for more time for more talks or a very last minute deal. we will watch this space. adam, for now, thank you. let's look at financial markets. you can see very positive in asia today. looking on the bright side on the two big stories everyone globally is watching, the us— china trade talks

and brexit negotiations. let's look at europe right now. we mention the pound at a five month high at the end of trading yesterday. london down a touch but germany is up and france down. interesting how germany seems to be on the rise. they are very optimistic, it would seem, in frankfurt, that they could be a deal between the uk and the european union. for the german economy that many believers already in recession, that would very important. sally, thank you very much. now to the us, where the streaming video giant netflix is set to report its financial results on wednesday, before a slew of competitors debut services that could derail customer growth. vivienne nunis is following the story from new york. grab some snacks and get comfortable — the battle of the streaming services is hotting up and it's coming to a screen near you. netflix was the original streaming pioneer, a disrupter who changed the face of home entertainment,

but injuly, the company reported a drop in us paid subscribers for the first time in eight years. price increases were part of the story, but so was competition from rivals, like amazon prime, and the field is about to get very crowded indeed. next month, apple and disney both launch their streaming services. apple has invested heavily in attracting big names, while disney has a back catalogue of hundreds of films, including star wars. so, how will netflix compete? investors will be looking for any clues to netflix's strategy when the company posts its latest financial results on wednesday. vivienne nunis there in new york. let's go beyond the headlines. we're joined today by rebecca harding, economist and ceo of coriolis technologies. in the uk certainly beyond the headlines is about the negotiations that we have just been talking about, adam has been talking about brexit. front page of the financial times talking about the fact we are trying to cross the line desperately. the truth is, there is

a lot of newsprint this morning but not many know what's happening. as we know this morning, the news is being kept very, very close to the negotiators' chest at the moment. there is a match coming out of brussels or the government. what we are hearing is that things are moving in the right direction. we have to say, while they are still proposing to talk, there is hope there. so that is a good thing. but you also have to remember that in the uk, the problem is notjust the negotiations with the european union, also the negotiations with the conservative party and the ulster unionists and there is a lot around that. and the fact whatever they come up with in brussels, if they come up with in brussels, if they get a deal, it has to come back to westminster and be voted upon and we know what happened previously? absolutely, and we only have a short period of time. the financial times article is saying the ulster unionists are demanding a significant amount of money the northern ireland to fall into line.

so we are seeing a bit of brinkmanship and add a bit of gaming going on now. let's talk about the story in the times. air pollution ta kes a story in the times. air pollution takes a decade of gaming going on now. let's talk about the story in the times. air pollution takes a decade off your memory, so says a study. 43,000 people across england. we heard from viewers on this story today in beijing, delhi, calcutta, who are saying check out our cities if you want to be concerned about air pollution. it feels a little bit like a luxury problem, doesn't it, when you compare how we are in london with other cities around the world ? london with other cities around the world? nevertheless, london with other cities around the world ? nevertheless, it london with other cities around the world? nevertheless, it raises a very, very important question — how does policy deal with environmental challenges? to what extent do we need to regulate? to what extent do we need to actually make policy robust solutions to all of these problems? because the environment is the big thing that we are not watching at the moment. there is a lot of environmental protest out there, a lot of people saying this is something we should be focusing

on. meanwhile, we are thinking about brexit and about trade wars. this is actually a way into a much bigger issue, i think. it seems there are more and more negative effects being uncovered about what air pollution does to us, not just respiratory about what air pollution does to us, notjust respiratory problems that memory, the brain, all sorts of things. although we can remember in the 80s it was lead in petrol. can we even remember? that's the question! laughter but you are absolutely right. it is such a big concern and government policy is, many would argue, not on it when it comes to this issue? the queen's speech had one item on air pollution in it and the rest was about brexit. law and order. all those sorts of things. there is a very strong argument now that is coming out of the extinction rebellion crew and greta thornburg, saying we need to think more about the environment, we need to make

this mainstream in our debates now. i think it's a timely reminder that yes, there are issues. actually, the uk has cleanerair yes, there are issues. actually, the uk has cleaner air now than it had 50 yea rs uk has cleaner air now than it had 50 years ago but it is still an issue around the world it is a huge issue. we are polluting our planet and that is the bigger point, i think. rebecca, thank you very much, rebecca harding. still to come...bringing lotus roaring back to life... we'll meet the man hell bent on getting a classic british brand up to speed. you're with worklife from bbc news. before we talk lotus. another big name you will have heard of: john lewis has released its annual retail report. it shows what we fell in love with as a nation and what we ditched over the past year.

in terms of what we were buying, our spending. let's find out more about the research from harriet hall, lifestyle editor of the independent. tell us what's in first of all. yes, thejohn tell us what's in first of all. yes, the john lewis tell us what's in first of all. yes, thejohn lewis report considered all elements of their sales, including an increase in what they have seen as sustainability interests from consumers, an increase in interest of modest shopping and they have also referenced popular culture, including bbc three's peaky blinders and flea bag including bbc three's peaky blinders and fleabag in fashion. interesting that you say that, what are people buying in relation to peaky blinders? an increase in sales of flat caps. i think it less people wanting to be dressed as 1920s gangsters and david beckham's peaky blinders collaboration. in terms of flea bag, blinders collaboration. in terms of fleabag, the blinders collaboration. in terms of

flea bag, the black jumpsuit. blinders collaboration. in terms of fleabag, the blackjumpsuit. the original wasn't from john lewis but there was a massive sale. what sales ? there was a massive sale. what sales? they also mentioned an increase in reusable coffee cup sales and water bottle sales which they say suggests an increase in sustainability interests from shoppers. that is something that has been flagged nationwide and i think can also be reflected in the increase in popularity and vintage fashion apps and online shops. are definitely seeing an increase in interest in sustainability, although on the other hand, we have also seen a massive spike in brands like misguided and boo—hoo, which in the recent environmental audit where flagged as two of the least sustainable brands in the uk. so i think we are not quite as on it with sustainability as john lewis think we are not quite as on it with sustainability asjohn lewis is perhaps suggesting. so much more to discuss but we are out of time,

harriet, thank you. let me point you to our website. it is updating all the time with the business news. we can't fit it all in this programme. one story jumping we can't fit it all in this programme. one storyjumping out is crossing the border 30 or 40 times a day, about the national audit report published that says that it's impossible to know exactly what would happen at the border in the event of a no deal. you're watching worklife. a reminder of our top story: hong kong's leader carrie lam is forced to delay her annual policy speech after repeated interruptions by pro—democracy lawmakers. she is currently addressing the press at a media conference. she has had quite a day, i have to say. we will keep your cross any headlines coming from that. from hong kong to ca rs. lotus is known for its sports cars and seven formula i constructors' titles. but after years of losses, the british carmaker, now under new ownership and leadership, is gearing up

for something of a comeback tour. earlier this year, lotus launched its first fully electric zero—emission hypercar, the evija — the firm's first new model since 2008. victoria craig met the chief executive phil popham and started by asking how he plans to turn the iconic brand's fortunes around. it's all about planning for the future. we now have a ten year plan, a long—term plan. we're 70 years old, we coined that as vision 80, it's all about where we want to be in ten years' time, but the key to that is actually funding. we're now owned by, a majority stake is owned by geely, the fastest growing automotive company in the world. so, funding for that ambitious plan involves product, investment in facilities, as well underpinned by that investment. and to do that you're looking at increasing manufacturing capacity, more than doubling your output, dipping into new segments like suv and electric cars, what does that plan look like? well, our first investment is the evija, the first british

all electric hypercar, which we've now shown to the world, and we showed the design direction for future cars. so that is a very important product for us, but it's only the first of many that are coming. we'll replace our current range of products, sport cars, we'ill expand that range and ultimately, we intend to move into other segments as well. the evija is priced between £i.5 — £2 million. only 130 of them will be made. do you have plans, then, to increase your electric vehicle range in the future? this is our first electric car. in the course of time, as we move into new segments and we replace the platforms on which we build our sports cars, they'll be electric options, electrification options for all of our cars in the future. does that mean the combustion engine is dead, can we call time on that yet? well, our next sports car that we bring to market will be an internal combustion engine in the car, but in time, we recognise that the trends and technologies is moving towards electrification.

global auto—makers are putting all kinds of bells and whistles into their cars. we see cameras that assist drivers on the road, even we're talking about fully autonomous vehicles. lotus doesn't have those kinds of technologies built into the car yet. is that something that you're keeping in mind? we can embrace that technology in a real lotus way, not necessarily in terms of the car driving itself but all that technology which is the computers, the sensors, the cameras — imagine those on a lotus, pressing that lotus button, you've got an expert, which is the car, sat next to you in deep passenger seat, that actually allows you to really get the most excitement and best driving experience out of that car. there's been a rush by the industry to electric all vehicles, which governments and consumers seem to really support the idea of. but electric vehicles are more expensive than combustion engine cars, right? are you worried about how that might impact your turnaround plan? technology's moving on very, very quickly, whether that's electric motors or battery technology. they are getting better, more complex and that technology is getting cheaper. as those trends continue, then i don't see that being an issue,

in terms of the cost base. so, phil, we can talk all day about how industry trends impact your business, but obviously geopolitics plays a huge role in how you run the company. there are two huge elephants in the room on this topic: brexit and the us—china trade war. how do those impact your plan, now? well, our plan is a long—term plan. we're focused on the next 10 years. from going to be a relatively small company to be a leading premium automotive company in the future, a global company. in those ten years, we are going to see instability, in terms of politics, the environment... exchange rate, volatility, economic volatility will be dire —— there and will have to react to that but we're not going to be focused on short—term issues, that's not going to deter us from our plan. we're very, very focused on what we're going to do over the next ten years. that was phil popham, the chief executive of lotus cars.

in a moment we'll run through some viewer responses to our twitter question: are you worried about the effects of pollution on your health? but first, video games are already popular in india, but the market is growing rapidly — it already has over half a billion gamers. we caught up with one of the country's most popular professional gamers. here's his story. where i come from, i was not able to see this much money even in my dreams. i would say i charge around $4000—5000 for my presence and today, i can probably say i'm a pro athlete and venom has a lot of intel available

to national companies. "gamers become aggressive, gamers don't take care of themselves, you know, they get back pain." i take care of myself, i'm a physical enthusiast. i don't wear spectacles, i don't use, i don't drink, i don't smoke. some parents doesn't know this has a future, this is a big investment, invest in your studies because they know you'll get a degree and after all, you will get a job. my parents had the same mindset. winning tournaments is not the only thing. branding, sponsorships is the main goal right now. for that, you need to reach that level and then start approaching.

that ankit was talking about the gaming craze. imagine how tempting that is. he's making a lot of money. and like my boys, and i have three sons and they are all gaming. this is the game they are really into. this is the story about the fact the previous season of fortnite ended by eve ryo ne previous season of fortnite ended by everyone going into this black hole and it caused mayhem. the game lovers were distraught but the new season has started and it's really clever. you have seen a lot of it in yourtime! clever. you have seen a lot of it in your time! you found this story... injuly, there was a fortnite world cup and it made ten millionaires. the biggest winner wasjust i6 cup and it made ten millionaires. the biggest winner was just 16 years old. you can see the enticement, the attraction. being a professional

gamer! let's now talk about what you have been saying about the story we have been saying about the story we have discussed. we talk to rebecca about this, it's on the front page of the times today for some 35,000 people were watched in england to see the impact air pollution has on their memory. it takes a decade off your memory, apparently, if you live ina highly your memory, apparently, if you live in a highly polluted city. ivy tweeted, where i live affects my mental and physical health most definitely. i think it has more to do with my in—laws living down the street than any air pollution. let's hope they are not watching us. stews says, that explains all those people in parliament that seem to have about the referendum result! josephine says, is currently living in barcelona and my skin, alongside my level of congestion, is much worse now that i am living here. interesting. we heard from some others as well. earlier in the programme, people in touch from delhi and from beijing, talking about the level of pollution where they live but they did say it's not really affecting their memory, as far as they know. it is hard to

tell! that is it from worklife today, back tomorrow. see you soon, bye— bye. good morning. you might have needed your umbrella this morning. it was a rather soggy start to the day for many of us. but the rain is clearing the way to the east and for most of us, this afternoon we are looking at some drier and much sunnier weather. low pressure is in charge of our weather over the next few days. you can see it here swirling out towards the west. this morning's rain has been courtesy of this line of claudia, a weather front which is continuing to move eastwards. quite a good back edge that cloud. there will be some sunshine across northern ireland, through western areas of england and wales this morning before the weather front clears away into the north sea. it may linger in the north—east of

scotland, the far east of england into this afternoon, but elsewhere, you can see the sunshine coming through. one or two showers in northern ireland that for most of us it isa northern ireland that for most of us it is a much drier afternoon, with that sunshine and maximum temperatures today getting to 13—17. tonight, the last of the cloud will clear away and then looking at some clear away and then looking at some clear skies. showers, clear away and then looking at some clearskies. showers, one ortwo showers coming into northern ireland that with those clear skies, it could turn quite chilly, especially towards north—eastern areas of the uk. temperatures here could locally get down to freezing. quite widely, the temperatures in single figures, about 5—8. throughout thursday, we have this area of low pressure moving its way from the west very gradually. it's like a washing machine of showers, this area of low pressure. lots of showers rotating around it, edging closer and closer to the uk. we will see quite a few more showers to come on thursday, mainly across western areas of the uk. furthest toward central and

eastern areas, there will be some drier and brighter weather, some sunshine for much of the day. quite breezy conditions around western parts, maximum temperatures, down a little bit, about 13—14. we keep that area of low pressure throughout friday and into the weekend. bye—bye for now.

this you're watching bbc news at this nine, with me, annita mcveigh. the headlines... eu and uk officials will resume brexit talks this morning in the hope of reaching a deal that can be agreed by leaders at a key summit tomorrow. the negotiators have started talking again. eu ambassadors are waiting foran again. eu ambassadors are waiting for an update, but eu sources say the real action is in london, not brussels. what do voters think about brexit and have they changed their minds since the referendum? at a quarter past nine, we will speak to a polling expert professor sirjohn curtice. the parents of harry dunn met president trump at the white house, but refused to meet the woman they accuse of killing their son,